PORTO meteo station in Marsaxlokk (Malta)

The PORTO network of meteo and sea level stations is made up a total of 11 stations in Malta and Sicily. One of the meteo stations in Malta is situated in Marsaxlokk, on the breakwater protecting the entrance to the Malta Freeport Terminal (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows the exact location at 35.8181°N and 14.5497°E.

Marsaxlokk meteo station measures the following parameters:

Parameter	Precision	Units
Wind speed	0.1	ms-1
Wind gust	0.1	ms-1
Wind direction	1	°N
Atmospheric pressure	0.01	mbar
Air temperature	0.1	°C
Relative humidity	1	%

The station registers the various parameters at one second intervals. At the end of each minute, the mean value, maximum and minimum for the past minute is calculated for all the parameters except wind direction. In this case the mean, standard deviation and mean square deviation is calculated and recorded. The minute interval data is written to a text file which is transmitted over FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to a central server at the University of Malta. Here the data is read and written to the PORTO meteo and marine stations database as soon as it is received. Data from the database is used to provide realtime data on the PORTO online interface (Figure 3).

The stations in the PORTO meteo marine network were acquired within the CALYPSO South project, partly funded by the Interreg Italia-Malta Programme 2014-2020. The Maltese section of the network is administered jointly by the Physical Oceanography Research Group (PO-Res Grp) at the University of Malta and the Port and Yachting Directorate within Transport Malta.

The PO-Res Grp, led by Prof. Aldo Drago, is the lead partner in CALYPSO South. The Group undertakes oceanographic research, in a holistic perspective, including operational observations and forecasts, specialised data management analysis and participation in international cooperative ventures. The overarching research themes of the PO-Res.Grp cover coastal meteorology, hydrography and physical oceanography with a main emphasis on the experimental study of the hydrodynamics of the sea in the vicinity of the Maltese Islands. The Group has mainly endeavoured to promote activities in operational oceanography by the installation and maintenance of permanent sea monitoring systems, and the provision of meteo/marine forecasts. In fact, the PO-Res Grp is responsible for management and custody of the data collected by the whole PORTO network, as well as the development and maintenance of the various interfaces that make this data available to stake holders and the public in general.

The Port and Yachting Directorate is responsible for regulating maritime leisure activities in the territorial and internal waters of Malta and is involved in the development and implementation of better organization of popular bays in Malta and Gozo. The Directorate is a partner within the CALYPSO South Project.