Heysham site history

History summary

Station name

Heysham

Country

Latitude of measuring point

1998 onwards: 54° 01' 53.9" N
1971 - 1998: 54° 02' 01.0" N
Prior to 1971: 54 02' 0.3" N

Longitude of measuring point

1998 onwards: 02° 55' 13.5" W
1971 - 1998: 02° 54' 46.7" W
Prior to 1971: 02 54' 42.3" W

OS grid ref. of measuring point

1998 onwards: SD 3981 5991
1971 - 1998: SD 4039 6012
Prior to 1971: SD 4030 6012

Datum reference

All data refer to Admiralty Chart Datum (ACD)
ACD = ODN -4.90m

Time reference

GMT (hours 00-23)

Contributor

Environment Agency Anglian Regional Office,
Kingfisher House,
Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay,
Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire, PE2 5ZR

Instrument type

1904 - 1959	Harrison and Sons tide gauge in use
Aug 1960+	Lea tide gauge recorder (Serial number 9526/58) installed as replacement. The well was situated at the edge of the quay, 13.4m from the tide gauge hut. Connections between the float and pen were by a series of wires and pulleys (between 12m and 15m wire).
Nov 1969 - Mar 1971	Tide recorder removed for harbour modifications and was out of action while a new car ferry terminal was built.
Apr 1971	Records began from resited tide gauge, with the tide gauge sited over the old float well in a new hut.
1988 - Present day	DATARING system installed, with two pneumatic bubbler systems. The system was relocated in 1998.

Site of measuring point

The measuring points are attached to the quay face, at the south entrance to Heysham Port.

Position of tide gauge building

SD 3976 5991

Observational period

1964-1969,1971-2026

Benchmark descriptions

Benchmark	OS grid ref.	Description	Height above ODN (m)
TGBM	SD 4030 6012	OSBM bolt on South Quay 40.8m W from SE angle of dock	7.198
Aux1	SD 4141 6005	Bridge parapet 3.4m N face junction E side of road, W face	16.561
Aux2	SD 4026 6033	Pivot pin on harbour wall, 6.1m SW, N angle of harbour	7.190
Aux3	SD 4026 6033	Rivet on harbour wall 5.7m, SW of N angle of harbour	7.204
BM	SD 4003 6026	Rivet on harbour wall 30.5m NE of SW end of N wall	6.986

ODN = Ordnance Datum Newlyn

Please Note: Heysham tide gauge was relevelled in 2005 and it was found that the data were 13.7cm high from April 1998, to 05/08/2005 14:00 GMT. All affected files have been corrected to ACD.

Parameters

Please Note: All parameters listed below are sea level measured in metres. Different parameter codes represent different gauges. For an explanation of the codes, please see the BODC parameter dictionary.

Period	Parameters	Completeness index (%)	Sample interval
1964	ASLVZZ01	98	60 minutes
1965	ASLVZZ01	99	60 minutes
1966	ASLVZZ01	100	60 minutes
1967	ASLVZZ01	98	60 minutes
1968	ASLVZZ01	99	60 minutes
1969	ASLVZZ01	74	60 minutes
1971	ASLVZZ01	70	60 minutes
1972	ASLVZZ01	35	60 minutes
1973	ASLVZZ01	30	60 minutes
1974	ASLVZZ01	80	60 minutes
1975	ASLVZZ01	90	60 minutes
1976	ASLVZZ01	93	60 minutes
1977	ASLVZZ01	96	60 minutes
1978	ASLVZZ01	96	60 minutes
1979	ASLVZZ01	93	60 minutes
1980	ASLVZZ01	83	60 minutes
1981	ASLVZZ01	86	60 minutes
1982	ASLVZZ01	99	60 minutes
1983	ASLVZZ01	99	60 minutes
1984	ASLVZZ01	98	60 minutes
1985	ASLVZZ01	99	60 minutes
1986	ASLVZZ01	100	60 minutes
1987	ASLVZZ01	98	60 minutes
1988	ASLVBG02	99	60 minutes
1989	ASLVBG02	100	60 minutes
1990	ASLVBG02	99	60 minutes
1991	ASLVBG02	100	60 minutes
1992	ASLVBG02	100	60 minutes
1993	ASLVBG02	96	15 minutes
1994	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
1995	ASLVBG02	98	15 minutes
1996	ASLVBG02	98	15 minutes
1997	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
1998	ASLVBG02	93	15 minutes
1999	ASLVBG02	80	15 minutes
2000	ASLVBG02	98	15 minutes
2001	ASLVBG02	95	15 minutes
2002	ASLVBG02	91	15 minutes
2003	ASLVBG02	97	15 minutes
2004	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2005	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2006	ASLVBG02	93	15 minutes
2007	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2008	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2009	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2010	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2011	ASLVBG02	98	15 minutes
2012	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2013	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2014	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2015	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2016	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2017	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2018	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2019	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2020	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2021	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2022	ASLVBG02	99	15 minutes
2023	ASLVBG02	100	15 minutes
2024	ASLVBG02	January - December	15 minutes
2025	ASLVBG02	January - December	15 minutes
2026	ASLVBG02	January - May	15 minutes

Quality assessment

All data have been compared with the current Harmonic Constants library, and residuals checked. Records have been visually inspected for spikes, datum shifts and timing errors.
Where there are problems with the primary channel, data may be available from the backup channel. Please contact enquiries@bodc.ac.uk for more information.
1993 - The processing of the 1993 file has left a null value at the start of the file (00:00 hours 01/01/1993). This is due to the sampling interval changing from 60 to 15 minutes and the first data point being too far from 00:00 to interpolate.
February 2003 - File output has been altered so that all values fall on the quarter hour and gaps are filled in with null values, marked with an 'N' flag.
March 2003 - Residuals (observed minus predicted sea level values, measured in metres) now included in the file output.
On 02/12/2011 a new data logger was installed. Tests were carried out to ensure the logger was functioning correctly, resulting in some data being lost.
November 2012 - The file output has been altered to reflect the Contributor name change from Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory to National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool. Also, the Parameter code has been improved and now uses a controlled vocabulary.
20 March 2025 - Possible datum shift applied to ASLVBG02.

Missing and suspect data have been reported on the following day numbers:-

Period	Parameter	Missing data	Suspect data
1964	ASLVZZ01	239-244,335	249-255
1965	ASLVZZ01	227-229	009
1966	ASLVZZ01	None	300-307
1967	ASLVZZ01	053-058	018-019,236-239,261-267
1968	ASLVZZ01	223-225,365	120-123,253-258,306-310
1969	ASLVZZ01	044-048,188-230,251-265,330-365	048-055,077-084
1971	ASLVZZ01	001-103,112-113,253-256	361-365
1972	ASLVZZ01	025-031,073-076,112-118,129,143-366	001-008
1973	ASLVZZ01	001-218,305-339,350-352,364-365	273-278,352-364
1974	ASLVZZ01	001-008,033-035,143-149,161-210,258-260,322-324	035-045,225-237,240-250
1975	ASLVZZ01	138-148,165-167,192-194,227-233,278-280,293-300,328-330	076-095,104-105,128-138,155-164,246-251,260-278,300-307,319-328,330-336
1976	ASLVZZ01	073-076,136-138,185-187,194-204,281-282,336-337	004-024,040-046,084-089,122-125,131-136,207-216,334-338
1977	ASLVZZ01	037-038,214-215,288-290,304-305,315-319,344-345	033-037,048-053,110-114,178-189,206-210,286-304,312-315,342-344
1978	ASLVZZ01	008-009,114-115,186-188,191-192,219,274-275,350-353	142-149,332-342
1979	ASLVZZ01	002,074,078-080,082,090-091,093-095,104-107,134-141,316,365	028-035,046-050,141-155,171-183,195-227,246-254,277-281,297-302,321-323,326-330,352-358
1980	ASLVZZ01	001-002,024-025,035-036,044,049-051,055-056,063,107-119,125-147,175-176,202,213-218,253-255,259-260,274,292-293,308,322-324,331,340	009-014,016-028,046-056,090-100,120-125,282-287
1981	ASLVZZ01	012-013,022-026,038-040,047-050,061,065-068,089-126	194-201,342-347
1982	ASLVZZ01	176-177,324-326	270
1983	ASLVZZ01	032-033,308-311	080
1984	ASLVZZ01	095-100,240-241,315-317	None
1985	ASLVZZ01	226-227,234-235,243-244	001-015,198-204,209-214
1986	ASLVZZ01	None	300
1987	ASLVZZ01	027-033,047-049	None
1988	ASLVBG02	190-193	268
1989	ASLVBG02	None	None
1990	ASLVBG02	024-029	None
1991	ASLVBG02	None	None
1992	ASLVBG02	None	None
1993	ASLVBG02	193-209	None
1994	ASLVBG02	None	None
1995	ASLVBG02	190-197	None
1996	ASLVBG02	107-109, 335-338	None
1997	ASLVBG02	None	137, 163-168, 210-365
1998	ASLVBG02	023-026, 089-097, 245-254, 265-272	001-089, 097-314
1999	ASLVBG02	047-059, 154-155, 160-175, 195-197, 207-212, 213-251, 333, 334-336	341-342
2000	ASLVBG02	060, 145-146, 218, 298-299	193
2001	ASLVBG02	100-117	247
2002	ASLVBG02	057-079, 150-162	None
2003	ASLVBG02	121-122, 161-169	None
2004	ASLVBG02	244	None
2005	ASLVBG02	195	124-195,217
2006	ASLVBG02	016,060-063,067-073,102-108,130-138,179	060,063-067,073-090,108-116,138-144,151-179,182-186,204-228
2007	ASLVBG02	None	050-053,218-220
2008	ASLVBG02	030-031,207,211	122-135,143-170,196-197,198-202,205-213,315-317,324-329,352-366
2009	ASLVBG02	113	001,018-035,049-060,077-083,086-113,194-206,223,229-234,275-278,297-298,305-365
2010	ASLVBG02	006-008	001-010,017-033,090-091,137,146-326
2011	ASLVBG02	047-051,136,333-334	004-047,051-110,131-132,191-198,205-222,224,235-242,248-295,328-332,335-336,346
2012	ASLVBG02	031	032,057,118-129,133-151,164-174,183-184,188-213,218-226,251,253
2013	ASLVBG02	None	036,054,057,187-243,257-259,282-285,287-299,303-304,306-307
2014	ASLVBG02	None	023-035,038-044,054,056-057,059,085,086-90,122,131,134,139,141-147,152,154-157,162-163,165,168-169,171,173,175-186,189,191-192,196-197,199-201,205-207,210-230,232-242,244-283,352-365
2015	ASLVBG02	None	002-006,061,196,210-248,257-312,315-365
2016	ASLVBG02	None	001-087,097-105,108-366
2017	ASLVBG02	None	001-131,156-167,206-209,222-223,233-234,242-244,246,250,252-253,255,257,261,263,267,277-278,282
2018	ASLVBG02	None	059-063,072,076,080-082,084,086,088-094,105-109,119-123,137-138,140,147-148,171,294-296,312,341-344,357-358
2019	ASLVBG02	None	040,066,068-070,072-078,087-088,183-190,210-214,223-243,247,256,270-276,278-279,281-290,292,298-300,342-349,353,355-359,364
2020	ASLVBG02	143	021-027,032,034-035,040-073,076-080,082,084,169,181-182,186-189,304,307-312,331,362-363
2021	ASLVBG02	None	020-023,029,056-059,070-074,076,088-089,124,217-220,223-280,283-307,314-365
2022	ASLVBG02	212	001-116,165-166,169,176,196-197,244-246,271-344,346,350-354,358-360,362,364
2023	ASLVBG02	None	009,011-016,023-133,136,138-139,141-185,196,211-248,250-251,257,262,267,270-273,276-277,279-280,283-287,312-347,351-365
2024	ASLVBG02	034,037,275	001-034,034-037,037-093,097-107,109,121,123-275,275-366
2025	ASLVBG02	005,012,167,198,273,288,337	001-005,005-012,012-079,081-086,088-157,176-178,180-189,202,207-231,253-268,276-337,337-365
2026	ASLVBG02	090,096,099-100,105,134,147	001-011,013-015,017-021,023-026,028-029,031-090,090-096,096-099,100-105,105-134,134-147,147-151

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