About Portsmouth Harbor¶
Portsmouth Harbor stretches across Newington, Portsmouth, and New Castle in New Hampshire, and the Maine communities of Kittery and Eliot. The last 8.8 miles of the 13-mile long Piscataqua River constitute the harbor. The Piscataqua has one of swiftest and most difficult currents in the country. When the tide comes in, it reverses the river’s normal flow. Travel by tankers and other large vessels is restricted to slack tide, when the current is near zero. This ice-free deep-water harbor has been used for shipping since the 1600s.
Background¶
Portsmouth Harbor is an enclosed port with a narrow opening to the Atlantic Ocean. The largest river entering the area is the Piscataqua River and is approximately 12 miles long. The port and its approaches are dredged and maintained at a minimum depth.
Current Patterns¶
The Portsmouth Location File contains four current patterns: tides and outer coast. All current patterns were created with the NOAA Current Analysis for Trajectory Simulation (CATS) hydrodynamic application. The outside mean current pattern is set to flow from the north to the south. This pattern should not be relied upon to reflect any variability in the currents. Caution should be exercised with the use of these currents.
This Location File was the first to be created using a long-term current meter record, so currents and uncertainty bounds were scaled differently each month. As a result, when you set up your scenario, you will need to select a month to determine the uncertainty parameters. If your model run begins and ends in the same month, select that month for uncertainty parameters. If your model run spans a month, we suggest that you run GNOME twice, once for the beginning month and once for the ending month.
References¶
General Information
Seacoast, NH: Port of Portsmouth
An overview of Portsmouth Harbor.
Tides
Tide and current data for Fort Point, NH (Station 8423898).
Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors
Tide charts for Maine and New Hampshire.
Wind and Weather
Real-time weather and wave information: The site opens with the “Recent Data” view. On the clickable map, zoom and pan to the Portsmouth area. To view real-time weather data, click a station ID number on the map.
Historical information: On the Home page, click the “Historical Data” radio button. On the clickable map, select the Portsmouth Harbor area. To view historical marine data, click a station on the map.
NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Point Forecasts
Point forecast for Portsmouth, NH.
Point forecast for Kittery Point, ME
NOAA National Weather Service (NWS): New Hampshire
Weather data and products for New Hampshire.
NOAA National Weather Service (NWS): Maine
Weather data and products for Maine.
Weather Underground: Portsmouth, NH
Current conditions and 5-day forecast for Portsmouth, NH.
Oil Spill Response
NOAA's Emergency Response Division (ERD)
Tools and information for emergency responders and planners, and others concerned about the effects of oil and hazardous chemicals in our waters and along our coasts.