This ZIP archive contains the ICES/WODC temperature and salinity climatology
for the 1971-2000 period on the NW European Shelf. Files are in ASCII format.

Details of the analysis can be found in the accompanying publication (berx-hughes_2009.pdf),
accepted in Continental Shelf Research.

There are also 4 directories containing the data. These are:
- nearbed_salinity
- nearbed_temperature
- surface_salinity
- surface_temperature

Temperatures are degrees Celsius, Values for land squares and areas beyond the continental shelf are set to NaN.

Each directory contains 16 files. All have the same structure (171 rows and 151 columns):
The first row contains the longitude of the grid, and the first column the latitude.
All columns to the right and below contain the variable for the longitude-latitude
coordinates specified. Variables are stored in the files as follows:

- ann_amp_????.txt : the amplitude of the annual cycle
- ann_avg_????.txt : the annual mean
- ann_phi_????.txt : the phase of the annual cycle
- ann_max_????.txt : the phase of the annual cycle, expressed as month of maximum.

- mon_jan_????.txt : monthly mean value for January
- mon_feb_????.txt : monthly mean value for February
- mon_mar_????.txt : monthly mean value for March
- mon_apr_????.txt : monthly mean value for April
- mon_may_????.txt : monthly mean value for May
- mon_jun_????.txt : monthly mean value for June
- mon_jul_????.txt : monthly mean value for July
- mon_aug_????.txt : monthly mean value for August
- mon_sep_????.txt : monthly mean value for September
- mon_oct_????.txt : monthly mean value for October
- mon_nov_????.txt : monthly mean value for November
- mon_dec_????.txt : monthly mean value for December


where ????, is the variable (tempB,tempS,saltB,saltS)

To reconstitute the annual cycle, the following formula can be used:
predicted = a + h sin(wt + phi)

where a = annual mean (from ann_avg_????.txt)
h = amplitude of annual cycle (from ann_amp_????.txt)
w = period of annual cycle = 2*pi/12
t = time to be predicted (in decimal months)
phi = phase of annual cycle

Ref: Berx, B., and Hughes S.L. 2009. Climatology of Surface and Near-bed Temperature and Salinity on the North-West European Continental Shelf for 1971–2000. Continental Shelf Research.