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| Location | Vancouver Island British Columbia Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°55′16.3″N125°32′28.1″W / 48.921194°N 125.541139°W /48.921194; -125.541139 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1915 |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Automated | 1988 |
| Height | 6 metres (20 ft) |
| Shape | tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white tower, red lantern |
| Fog signal | (2) 20 s |
| Light | |
| First lit | March 1915 |
| Focal height | 15 metres (49 ft) |
| Range | 15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi)  |
| Characteristic | Fl W 12 s |
Amphitrite Point Lighthouse is an active lighthouse inUcluelet on the west coast ofVancouver Island inBritish Columbia, Canada, named afterAmphitrite, the sea goddess and wife ofPoseidon inGreek mythology. It is also known for one of the sample pictures inWindows 7.[1][2]
Amphitrite Point has the only active lighthouse in theTofino-Ucluelet area accessible by automobile, with the only other local lighthouse being on Lennard Island, viewable only by air or boat. The Amphitrite Point Light is located at the southern end of theUcluelet Peninsula and the north side of theBarkley Sound, approximately 3 kilometers south of downtownUcluelet and 40 kilometers south ofTofino,British Columbia. The lighthouse tower is closed to the public but the grounds are open as part of the Lighthouse Loop section of the Wild Pacific Trail. In addition to hiking the trail to view the lighthouse, visitors can park at the end of Coast Guard Road and walk directly to the lighthouse in 2–3 minutes. Amphitrite Point, much like the rest of theUcluelet Peninsula, is subjected to frequent winter storms and has anoceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with approximately 3.3 metres (130 inches) of annual rainfall.[3] The next active lighthouse to the north of Amphitrite Point Light is the Lennard Island Lighthouse off ofChesterman Beach; the next active lighthouse to the south is theCape Beale Lightstation on the south side ofBarkley Sound.
The first lighthouse at this site was a small wooden tower built in 1906.[4] This lighthouse was destroyed in bad weather in 1914, and the current concrete lighthouse opened in March 1915.[5] Amphitrite Point is exposed to frequent gale-force winds, tidal waves and is also in a tsunami inundation zone, so the current lighthouse (built in 1915) derives its peculiar shape and construction from being designed to withstand strong westerly storms coming off thePacific Ocean. It was staffed byCanadian Coast Guard lighthouse keepers from 1915 until 1988, when it was automated.[4]
The Amphitrite Point Light is one of 12 lighthouses part of theBritish Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements everyday since 1934.[6] Their data show an increase in coastal water temperatures of 0.08 °C per decade. This trend is a result ofanthropogenic climate change.[7]
| Climate data for Amphitrite Point Light | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) | 16.8 (62.2) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.6 (78.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 16.6 (61.9) | 14.5 (58.1) | 26.6 (79.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) | 8.9 (48.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.9 (57.0) | 15.3 (59.5) | 16.8 (62.2) | 17.3 (63.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 10.1 (50.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.5 (54.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) | 6.4 (43.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | 8.6 (47.5) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.7 (54.9) | 14.2 (57.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 13.7 (56.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.7 (45.9) | 5.7 (42.3) | 9.9 (49.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) | 3.8 (38.8) | 4.5 (40.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.1 (46.6) | 10.2 (50.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 8.1 (46.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | 3.3 (37.9) | 7.3 (45.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.3 (18.9) | −12.8 (9.0) | −6.0 (21.2) | −2.1 (28.2) | 1.0 (33.8) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | −0.7 (30.7) | −6.9 (19.6) | −7.6 (18.3) | −12.8 (9.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 462.1 (18.19) | 371.2 (14.61) | 311.1 (12.25) | 262.4 (10.33) | 157.1 (6.19) | 140.3 (5.52) | 71.8 (2.83) | 75.3 (2.96) | 113.4 (4.46) | 339.0 (13.35) | 464.2 (18.28) | 421.4 (16.59) | 3,189.2 (125.56) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 458.0 (18.03) | 361.4 (14.23) | 309.4 (12.18) | 262.3 (10.33) | 157.1 (6.19) | 140.3 (5.52) | 71.8 (2.83) | 75.3 (2.96) | 113.4 (4.46) | 339.0 (13.35) | 458.5 (18.05) | 414.2 (16.31) | 3,160.6 (124.43) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 4.1 (1.6) | 9.1 (3.6) | 1.7 (0.7) | 0.1 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.4 (0.9) | 7.3 (2.9) | 24.7 (9.7) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.4 | 19.6 | 20.7 | 18.8 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 12.7 | 19.5 | 23.8 | 22.1 | 209.8 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 22.0 | 19.2 | 20.7 | 18.8 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 12.7 | 19.5 | 23.4 | 21.5 | 208.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 1.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.16 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.06 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 7.4 |
| Source:Environment Canada[8] | |||||||||||||
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There is only a 1% possibility that the trend is due to chance
