Welcome to the Shore Stations Website
The Shore Stations Program collects and provides access to current and historical daily sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) measurements observed at shoreline locations along the west coast of the United States. Currently, there are 10 active stations are located along the California coast, ranging from La Jolla to Trinidad. This research is funded by California Department of Parks and Recreation, Natural Resources Division, Award# C1670003. Data values are processed and published on the website by program staff at UCSD/Scripps Institution of Oceanography as they become available from each site. Program data are archived on a quarterly basis in the UCSD Library’s Digital Collections. https://doi.org/10.6075/J0S75GHD
Current Shore Station Temperatures
Click each station name to view plot:
SHORE STATIONS MAP
See the map below for station locations and sampling start year:

GENERAL INFORMATION
Here is some general information about each station:
La Jolla, Scripps Pier (sampling start date: surface - 8/22/1916, bottom - 7/21/1926)
- Collected by: Staff from Birch Aquarium, Scripps staff, and volunteers
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface & Bottom)
San Clemente Pier (sampling start date: 7/1/1965)
- Collected by: Personnel of the City of San Clemente Department of Marine Safety
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface)
Newport Beach Pier (sampling start date: 11/12/1924)
- Collected by: City of Newport Beach Fire Department's Ocean Lifeguards
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface)
Point Dume / Zuma Beach (sampling start date: 12/5/1956)
- Collected by: Lifeguard Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department
- Data types: Temperature (Sea Surface)
Santa Barbara (sampling start date: 1/1/1955)
- Collected by: Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol personnel
- Data types: Temperature (Sea Surface)
Granite Canyon (sampling start date: 3/1/1971)
- Collected by: Personnel of the Marine Pollution Studies Lab at Granite Canyon
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface)
Pacific Grove (sampling start date: 1/20/1919)
- Collected by: Staff from Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station
- Data types: Temperature (Sea Surface)
SE Farallon Island (sampling start date: 5/1/1925)
- Collected by: Point Blue Conservation Science researchers
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface)
Trinidad Beach & Bay (sampling start date: beach - 1/1/1975, bay - 1/2/1973)
- Collected by: Staff from Cal Poly Humboldt Telonicher Marine Laboratory
- Data types: Temperature & Salinity (Sea Surface - Beach) & Temperature (Sea Surface - Bay)
Monthly Temperature Means from All Shore Stations (2018-2022 vs Long-Term Average)

The figure above shows the monthly temperature means calculated from the past 5 years (2018-2022) at all stations, shown in the solid lines, where each station is a unique color (see legend for details). This plot also shows the long-term average from every station, beginning from whatever time the station started collecting data (for details, see section above titled "General Information"). The long term averages are shown as dashed lines, where color is coordinated for each station.
Monthly Salinity Means from All Shore Stations (2018-2022 vs Long-Term Average)

The figure above shows the monthly salinity means calculated from the past 5 years (2018-2022) at the 6 stations that measure salinity, shown in the solid lines, where each station is a unique color (see legend for details). This plot also shows the long-term average from each station, beginning from whatever time the station started collecting data (for details, see section above titled "General Information"). The long term averages are shown as dashed lines, where color is coordinated for each station.

View under Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier

Aquarist from Birch Aquarium taking surface salinity sample at La Jolla, Scripps Pier station
Photo by Erik Jepsen

View down sampling well with surface sample bucket at La Jolla, Scripps Pier station
Photo by Erik Jepsen
