Lerwick Observatory is situated on a ridge of high ground about 2.5 km to the SW of the port of Lerwick. The surrounding countryside is moorland comprising peat bog, heather and rocky outcrops.
The observatory is operated by the Meteorological Office as a meteorological station carrying out routine synoptic observations and upper-air measurements. Other work includes detection of thunderstorms, measurement of solar radiation, ozone and atmospheric pollution levels, and chemical sampling. BGS uses Lerwick as a seismological station, recording data from a local three-component seismometer set and, via radio link, from the Shetland seismic array.
Lerwick was established as a meteorological site in 1919 and geomagnetic measurements began in 1922. Responsibility for the magnetic observations passed from the Meteorological Office to BGS in 1968.
Statistics
Geographic Coordinates:
| 60.138° N | 358.817° E |
Geomagnetic Coordinates:
| 61.876° N | 088.858° E |
Elevation:
85m above mean sea level
Geomagnetic Coordinates were computed using the 11th Generation IGRF, Epoch 2011.5
Data
- Lerwick Monthly Bulletin Archive
- Annual Means
- Hourly Means
- K-indices
- Daily local geomagnetic activity forecast
- Minute and Hourly Means (from World Data Centre)
- Yearbooks
Mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey with the permission of
HMSO Crown copyright.
All rights reserved. Licence Number: 100017897/2012