Long-term Marine Temperature Records, Southeastern Massachusetts

Introduction

Seawater temperature data have been collected continuously for several years at two sites in southeastern Massachusetts as part of USGS research projects focused on studying the ecology of the invasive colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum (USGS, 2009).

Temperature data were acquired from July 2004 to November 2007 at a tide pool in Sandwich, MA, located near the eastern end of the Cape Cod Canal; and from August 2005 through December 2008 in Great Harbor, Woods Hole, MA from a dock at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Methods and Data Formats

Sandwich tide pool, Sandwich, MA

Geographic location	41° 46.349’ N, 70° 29.381’ W; south of the eastern end of Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, MA; Site Q of Valentine et al., 2007 (Fig. 1) [View PDF map] [View PDF image of site] [Download Google Earth KMZ file]
Setting	For description of the site see: Valentine et al., 2007, p. 111 [View PDF of publication]
Water depth of site	0.5 m at low tide; mean tidal range 2.4 m; maximum tidal range 3.3 m
Data presented here	average daily temperature, °C
Start of temperature record	26-Jul-2004
End of temperature record	25-Nov-2007
Gaps in record	28-Sep-2004 through 31-Oct-2004; 30- and 31-Dec-2006
Depth of data collected	0.5 m at low tide; approximately 1.9 to 2.8 m at high tide
Temp logger type	Stowaway Tidbit temperature logger, model TB132-05+37 (accuracy 0.2 °C), Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, MA.
Data collection rate	5-minute intervals from 26-Jul-2004 to 13-Apr-2007, then 10-minute intervals to end of record on 25-Nov-2007
Data formats	Excel format: three columns of data: dd-month-yy; Julian Day; average daily temperature in °C; also temperature graphs for each year (Julian Day vs. Average daily temperature, °C) [Download Excel file] Pdf format: temperature graphs for each year based on Excel graphs (Julian Day vs. Average daily temperature, °C) [View PDF] Google Earth location: .kmz file for display in Google Earth [Download Google Earth KMZ file]

Great Harbor, Woods Hole, MA

Geographic location	41° 31.416’ N, 70° 40.316’ W; dock at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA (Fig. 2) [View PDF map] [View PDF image of site] [Download Google Earth KMZ file]
Setting	For description of the site see: Valentine et al., 2009, p. 154 [View PDF of publication]
Water depth of site	16 m
Data presented here	average daily temperature, °C
Start of temperature record	19-Aug-2005
End of temperature record	31-Dec-2008
Gaps in record	none
Depths of data collected	2 m, 5 m, and 10 m below Mean Lower Low Water
Temp logger type	19-Aug-2005 to 31-Aug-2007, Stowaway Tidbit temperature logger, model TB132-05+37 (accuracy 0.2 °C), Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, MA. 31-Aug-2007 to 31-Dec-2008, Tidbit v2 temperature logger, model UTBI-001 (accuracy 0.2 °C), Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, MA.
Data collection rate	5-minute intervals from 19-Aug-2005 to 26-Oct-2006, then 10-minute intervals to 31-Dec-2008
Data formats	Excel format: three columns of data: dd-month-yy; Julian Day; average daily temperature in °C; also temperature graphs for each year (Julian Day vs. Average daily temperature, °C) [Download Excel file for 2 m depth] [Download Excel file for 5 m depth] [Download Excel file for 10 m depth] Pdf format: temperature graphs for each year based on Excel graphs (Julian Day vs. Average daily temperature, °C) [View PDF for 2 m depth] [View PDF for 5 m depth] [View PDF for 10 m depth] Google Earth location: .kmz file for display in Google Earth [Download Google Earth KMZ file]

References

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009, Marine Nuisance Species. website

Valentine, P.C., Carman, M.R., Blackwood, D.S., and Heffron, E.J., 2007, Ecological observations on the colonial ascidian Didemnum sp. in a New England tide pool habitat Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, v. 342, 109-121. [View PDF of publication] [View PDF image of site]

Valentine, P.C., Carman, M.R., Dijkstra, J., and Blackwood, D.S., 2009, Larval recruitment of the invasive colonial ascidian Didemnum vexillum, seasonal water temperatures in New England coastal and offshore waters, and implications for spread of the species: Aquatic Invasions, v. 4, p. 153-168. [View PDF of publication] [View PDF image of site]

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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