Port Ellen tide gauge site

The tide gauge is located within the Caledonian MacBrayne warehouse next to Port Ellen ferry terminal.
Click here to see a map of the site in a separate window.

Tide gauge location

The warehouse is through the iron gate at the end of the wall. The pressure points are located on the opposite side of the pier to the ferry docking area. The steelwork supporting the blue tube which carries the air lines for the pressure points can be seen in the lower centre of the (Tide gauge location) picture.

The tide gauge consists of a pneumatic bubbler system and datum probe. The bubbler supplies two full tide pressure points. The monitoring equipment is housed in a heated cabinet within the CalMac warehouse. Both pressure lines and datum probe are monitored by the POL data logger.

The tide gauge is levelled to the tide gauge bench mark supported by Ordnance Survey auxiliary marks.

External users

There are currently no external users.

Site history

1991 – DATARING system installed with two full-tide pressure points and datum probe
2005 – POL data logger installed
2012 – Site decommissioned due to harbour construction works, no date for reinstatement