Måseskär (en: The Gull Skerry) is a rocky island and a lighthouse station located in the sea of Skagerrak on the west coast of Sweden.

Måseskärs lighthouse
Måseskär
Map
LocationMåseskär, Orust Municipality, Sweden Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates58°05′38″N 11°19′49″E / 58.09381°N 11.33022°E / 58.09381; 11.33022
Tower
Constructed1978 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionfiberglass Edit this on Wikidata
Height13 m (43 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony, lantern and four daymark panels
Markingswhite (tower), red (daymark), white (lantern) Edit this on Wikidata
Power sourceelectricity Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorSwedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket)[1][2]
Light
First lit31 August 1978 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height27.5 m (90 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Lens4th order modern lens
Range16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) (white), 13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi) (red), 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) (green) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl(3) WRG 30s Edit this on Wikidata
Sweden no.SV-8206
Old lighthouse Edit this at Wikidata
Old postcard of Måseskär lighthouse
Constructed1865 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructioncast iron skeletal tower
Height21.9 m (72 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapepyramidal skeletal tower with balcony, lantern and central cylinder
Markingsred, white (check) Edit this on Wikidata
Power sourcerapeseed oil, kerosene, electricity Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagegovernmental listed building Edit this on Wikidata
First lit8 October 1865 Edit this on Wikidata
Deactivated31 August 1978 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height33.8 m (111 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Lens2nd order Fresnel lens
Range17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicExting (1978–) Edit this on Wikidata

History

edit

Since the year 1829, a daymark had been constructed on the island, but it proved not to be enough since many ships were lost in the area. It was demolished during the lighthouse construction. The tower was built after sketches from Swedish lighthouse pioneer Nils Gustaf von Heidenstam. Originally the flame ran on colza oil-lamps and showed red light. In 1884 a kerosene lamp was installed instead, and in 1887 the large lens was changed to a third order fresnel lens with white light. The old lens was divided and placed in two other lighthouses. Electricity came to the island in 1950, but the station was staffed until 1997. It was then one of the last staffed light stations in Sweden along with Söderarm and Holmögadd. In 1978 the old lighthouse was replaced, deactivated and planned for scrapping due to its bad rusty condition. But a rescue group convinced the Swedish Maritime Administration to donate the scrap funding and the lighthouse to them for repairs and historic preservation. They created the Måseskär foundation and works to preserve all light station buildings on the island. The modern lighthouse is still under control of the Swedish Maritime Administration. The old lighthouse is intact and fully operable. Since the year 2000 there is a tradition among the foundation to turn on the light at 00.00 January 1 for a couple of minutes. The island is included as a wind observation station in the shipping news of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

Climate

edit

The weather station operated at Måseskär indicates an oceanic climate that is heavily moderated by Swedish standards. Many typical features of an oceanic climate is there, such as seasonal lag, low diurnal temperature variation rendering cool days and warm nights, and a lower than normal seasonal temperature variation. Although Måseskär has never recorded a temperature above 29.6 °C (85.3 °F) it is a hotspot for tropical nights (minima above 20 °C (68 °F) due to said maritime influence that keeps the sea warm during summer nights. Remarkably high autumn daily means are also common due to the lag effect. For example, the daily means of September and October are on average warmer than the highs of May and April respectively. Summer nights are also some of the warmest in Sweden. During the coldest month (February) frosts are regular, but rarely severe. Months with daytime averaging below freezing are rare but not impossible, only occurring when inland temperatures are very cold.

Rainfall is comparatively low for a Kattegat station, totalling 579.6 millimetres (22.82 in) per year between 1961 and 1990.[3]

Climate data for Måseskär (2005-2020 extremes since 1901)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.2
(50.4)
9.9
(49.8)
14.2
(57.6)
24.3
(75.7)
27.7
(81.9)
29.6
(85.3)
29.5
(85.1)
29.6
(85.3)
26.6
(79.9)
18.0
(64.4)
13.7
(56.7)
11.6
(52.9)
29.6
(85.3)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 7.1
(44.8)
6.0
(42.8)
8.9
(48.0)
14.1
(57.4)
20.6
(69.1)
22.6
(72.7)
24.7
(76.5)
23.9
(75.0)
20.2
(68.4)
15.1
(59.2)
11.5
(52.7)
8.6
(47.5)
25.8
(78.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.6
(38.5)
2.6
(36.7)
4.6
(40.3)
9.1
(48.4)
13.8
(56.8)
17.6
(63.7)
19.9
(67.8)
19.6
(67.3)
16.6
(61.9)
12.2
(54.0)
8.3
(46.9)
5.3
(41.5)
11.1
(52.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)
1.1
(34.0)
2.8
(37.0)
7.0
(44.6)
11.2
(52.2)
15.4
(59.7)
17.7
(63.9)
17.5
(63.5)
14.7
(58.5)
10.6
(51.1)
6.8
(44.2)
3.7
(38.7)
9.2
(48.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.4
(32.7)
−0.5
(31.1)
1.2
(34.2)
5.0
(41.0)
9.3
(48.7)
13.5
(56.3)
16.1
(61.0)
16.1
(61.0)
13.0
(55.4)
8.6
(47.5)
5.3
(41.5)
2.1
(35.8)
7.5
(45.5)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −7.2
(19.0)
−6.7
(19.9)
−4.1
(24.6)
0.6
(33.1)
5.0
(41.0)
9.4
(48.9)
13.2
(55.8)
12.2
(54.0)
8.7
(47.7)
3.0
(37.4)
−1.6
(29.1)
−4.3
(24.3)
−9.6
(14.7)
Record low °C (°F) −25.0
(−13.0)
−19.3
(−2.7)
−18.1
(−0.6)
−8.8
(16.2)
−0.8
(30.6)
5.4
(41.7)
9.0
(48.2)
6.6
(43.9)
3.5
(38.3)
−3.2
(26.2)
−9.3
(15.3)
−19.0
(−2.2)
−25.0
(−13.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 41.9
(1.65)
26.7
(1.05)
25.5
(1.00)
36.7
(1.44)
41.0
(1.61)
55.6
(2.19)
61.3
(2.41)
72.3
(2.85)
53.8
(2.12)
66.2
(2.61)
57.2
(2.25)
46.6
(1.83)
584.8
(23.01)
Source 1: SMHI[4]
Source 2: SMHI Monthly Data 2002–2018[5]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Sweden: Uddevalla Area (Central Bohuslän)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  2. ^ Leuchtturm Måseskär www.schwedische-leuchtfeuer.de
  3. ^ "Precipitation normals 1961-1990 (Måseskär code 8106)" (in Swedish). SMHI. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Öppna Data för Måseskär" (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Archived from the original on 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  5. ^ "Monthly and Yearly Statistics" (in Swedish). SMHI. 17 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
edit