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EN4: quality controlled subsurface ocean temperature and salinity profiles and objective analyses

Description of the dataset

The EN4 dataset consists of two products:

  • Observed subsurface ocean temperature and salinity profiles with data quality information, and,
  • Objective analyses formed from the profile data with uncertainty estimates.
Data are available from 1900 to the present and there are separate files for each month.

Please read 'Good, S. A., M. J. Martin and N. A. Rayner, 2013. EN4: quality controlled ocean temperature and salinity profiles and monthly objective analyses with uncertainty estimates, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118, 6704-6716, doi:10.1002/2013JC009067' for details of how the dataset was constructed.

Feedback and requests for new features

If you have any comments or questions about the data, please get in touch. We have also created an FAQ page, which provides answers to some common queries.

New versions of the dataset will be released as required to incorporate new features and new historical data. If you have suggestions for changes to the dataset we would love to hear about them.

Funding acknowledgments

The work to produce this data set was supported by the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme funded by DSIT.



Positions of profiles in the most recent month of the dataset.

Obtaining the data

Go to download page
Data are made available without charge for the purposes of private study and scientific research, under a non-commercial goverment licence, please read the terms and conditions for using this data.
The latest version of the data is EN.4.2.2. Data from the previous version of the EN4 dataset is also available.

Product User Guide

A product user guide is available as a pdf. This includes more in depth material including how to work with the bias correction and uncertainty information and a description of the data format.


Citing the data

Please see the terms and conditions page for the appropriate way to cite the EN4 data, its bias corrections and its sources.


Contact us

If you cannot find the information you require on these pages, please do contact us. We are also interested in receiving feedback about the data and its usability. See below if your query is of a commercial nature or relates to the media.


Commercial and media enquiries

You can access the Met Office Customer Centre, any time of the day or night by phone, fax or e-mail. Trained staff will help you find the information or products that are right for you.
Contact the Met Office Customer Centre