Basic Marine Weather

Dr. Edward (Ward) Hindman

Professor Emeritus of Meteorology and Oceanography, The City College of New York
American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Federal Aviation Administration Certified Flight Instructor-Glider and Glider Owner
Naval Academy Sailing Squadron D-Qualification-Senior Skipper (inactive)

[email protected]

Landfall Navigation
Marine Training Center (MTC)
Stamford CT
27 March 2013
2
Overview of the Course
The course covers the characteristics and understanding of the
marine atmosphere: clouds, precipitation, winds, fronts and their
descriptions on surface weather maps. Participants will learn the
basics of these weather elements and where to find on-line marine
weather information. The course provides the foundation for the
MTC Intermediate and Advanced Marine Meteorology courses.

Goal of the Courses

To weatherproof you: recognize, understand, act!

3
Basic Marine Weather Topics
Causes of weather: the atmosphere; observing cloud types and what they mean to a
mariner; principles of how clouds and precipitation form (cloud formation exercise);
haze and fog

Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local and global

Surface weather maps: an overview of weather systems including lows and troughs;
highs and ridges; air masses and fronts (find the front exercise); tropical weather;
understanding NOAA Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) and Tropical Prediction Center
(TPC) surface weather maps; coastal buoy data

Finding essential weather information: Internet sites identified and explored

This presentation is at www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~hindman

4
Certification
Upon completion of the course, you will receive a
Landfall Navigation-Marine Training Center
Certificate of Completion in Basic Marine Weather
References
Reeds Maritime Meteorology 3
rd
edition, Cornish & Ives
(ISBN: 0713676353, available from Amazon.com)

Weather at Sea 4
th
edition, Houghton
(ISBN: 1904475167, available from Landfall Navigation)

North U Weather for Sailors 2nd edition, Biewenga
(ISBN: 097446760X, available from Landfall Navigation)

Your course expectations?


5
Basic Marine Weather
Causes of weather: the atmosphere
(adapted from Reeds Maritime Meteorology 3
rd
Edition)

Temperature and
pressure decrease
with increasing altitude.

Troposphere is
shallow at the Poles
and deep at the
Equator.

Types of clouds and
their levels are indicated.

6
Causes of weather: the atmosphere
Warm air is less dense
than cold air, keeping
water vapor content
constant.

Thus, pressure decreases
less rapidly in the vertical
in warm air than in cold air.

This fact leads to the fundamental
horizontal pressure-gradient force
(PGF), the initiator of the winds.

7
Causes of weather: the atmosphere
The Polar regions are colder
than the Equatorial regions
because solar radiation received
is less than infrared radiation
emitted and vice versa for the
Equatorial regions.

There is an energy deficit in the
Polar regions and excess in the
Equatorial regions.

The difference is balanced by
atmospheric storms and ocean
currents.

8
Causes of weather: the atmosphere
Relative Humidity (%) = Abs. humidity at the dew-point temp. x 100
Abs. humidity at the air temp.
= (11g/m
3
) x 100 = 55%
(20 g/m
3
)














At the same RH, there is more water vapor in the air in a subtropical desert than
in the Polar regions. Hence, the Poles also are deserts.
9
Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

High clouds
10
Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Middle clouds
Altocumulus
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Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Low clouds
Stratocumulus
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Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Clouds with vertical development
Pictured is a typical sequence for an approaching line of thunderstorms (squall line)

When clouds appear like rocks and towers, the Earth's refreshed by frequent showers.
Cumulonimbus
Towering cumulus (TCu) and cumulonimbus (Cb)
13
Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Approaching low pressure region
14
A ring around the sun or moon, means rain or snow coming soon.

Mare's tails and mackerel scales make tall ships take in their sails.
Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Approaching low pressure region
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Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Other common clouds
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Causes of weather: observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner

Clouds from space (www.aviationweather.gov/adds/satellite/)

Visible radiation Infrared radiation
17
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Clouds are suspensions of water droplets and/or ice crystals.

Clouds form when air either cools to the dew-point temperature or moistens
to the dew-point temperature.

Rising air cools and sinking air warms:

Saturated adiabatic lapse rate
Dry adiabatic lapse rate
18
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

The vertical temperature distribution of the static (environment) air takes
different forms
Environmental lapse rate
19
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

The vertical temperature distribution of the static (environment) air
determines if a segment of air will either rise, remain stationary or sink.
DALR SALR ELR
20
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Moist, unstable air can lead to the formation of clouds
21
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

The deeper the unstable layer, the taller the cloud grows

Tropopause
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Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Formation of stratocumulus clouds










Stratocumulus clouds cannot form

23
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Cloud formation exercise (handout exercise):

Given the predicted surface high temperature and early morning atmospheric temperature profile, determine
if cumulus clouds will form. Verify your prediction using satellite data.

Predicted high temperature for Dulles Airport (IAD), 52F (11C) and Greensboro SC (GSO), 62F (17C)
(www.weather.unisys.com/forecast.php?Name=KIAD & KGSO)

Morning atmospheric sounding data for IAD and GSO obtained from weather.rap.ucar.edu/weather/upper/
SALR
DALR
T
P
Td LR
Wind speed and direction
24
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Cloud formation exercise - analyze the soundings:

Plot the surface Td and Tmax values
Trace up the TdLR slope from the Td value and up the DALR slope from the Tmax value
If the lines intersect before reaching the temperature inversion, a cumulus cloud will form and vice versa
25
Causes of weather: principles of how clouds form

Cloud formation exercise validate the predictions that Cu are expected to form
at IAD but not GSO. Early morning (left) and early afternoon (right) visible radiation
satellite images centered on Baltimore/Washington Airport (BWI) obtained from
www.aviationweather.gov/adds/satellite/:

IAD
GSO
26
Causes of weather: principles of how precipitation forms

Types of precipitation: rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, hail.

Two main rain-forming mechanisms: collision and coalescence of cloud droplets
(warm rain) and formation of ice crystals which aggregate to form snowflakes
which melt (cold rain).

Warm rain mechanism active mainly in the Tropics while the Cold rain
mechanism is active mainly in the Mid-latitudes.

The Warm front associated with the Mid-latitude cyclone (cyclone detailed later) can
produce, simultaneously, rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

Hail is only produced in the Cumulonimbus cloud.


27
Causes of weather: principles of how precipitation forms

Formation of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow:

28
Causes of weather: principles of how precipitation forms

Formation of hail:

29
Causes of weather: haze and fog

Haze consists of suspended droplets that grow (shrink) with increasing (decreasing)
RH. The droplets have not nucleated to form fog (cloud) droplets.

Fog is a cloud in contact with the surface.

Fogs form when the atmosphere either cools to the dew-point temperature or moistens
to the dew-point temperature:
Cools radiation and advection fogs
Moistens warm frontal fog
30
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local

Wind is the movement of air caused by the pressure-gradient force:







Wind directed by the Coriolis and friction forces:

Buys Ballots law: Back to wind, rotate 30 degrees clockwise,
left hand points towards center of low
31
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local

Temperature affects pressure which, in turn, effects winds:
H
Houghton discusses this principle in describing the sea-breeze
which is developed in Intermediate Marine Meteorology
32
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale)
33
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
34
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
35
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
36
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
37
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
38
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
39
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
40
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
41
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
42
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
43
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
44
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: local (Beaufort wind scale, contd.)
45
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: global

Uneven heating of the Earths surface produces semi-permanent high and low pressure
regions and the resulting global wind system:
46
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: global

The Earths seasons modulate the semi-permanent pressure regions:
47
Basic atmospheric pressure and wind concepts: global

The Earths seasons modulate the semi-permanent wind systems:
48
Surface weather maps: lows and troughs

In regions of low pressure (British call depressions) at the surface in the NH, the air
spirals inward, counter-clockwise (clockwise in SH), the air rises, cools and
condensation and precipitation occur.

Troughs are cyclonic kinks in the isobars.
49
Surface weather maps: highs and ridges

In regions of high pressure (British call anticyclones) at the surface in the NH, the
air spirals outward, clockwise (counter-clockwise in SH), the air descends, warms
and clouds and precipitation evaporate.

Ridges are anti-cyclonic kinks in the isobars.
50
Surface weather maps: air masses

An air mass is a region at the Earths surface with relatively uniform temperature
and moisture content. Hence, there are four major air masses: cold and dry (Pc), cold
and moist (Pm), warm and dry (Tc) and warm and moist (Tm):
51
Surface weather maps: fronts

A front is a boundary between two air masses Polar (P) and Tropical (T); the main
front is called the Polar Front (PF).
January (Fig. 9.10)
July (Fig. 9.11)

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Surface weather maps: fronts

The segments of the Polar Front are named
for the invading air mass:
Cold front - Pc replacing Tm
Warm front -Tm replacing Pm
Occluded front - either Pc replacing Pm
or Pm replacing Pc
Stationary front no movement of
the air masses
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Surface weather maps: fronts

Cold front - Pc replacing Tm
Quick to come , quick to pass
54
Surface weather maps: fronts

Warm front -Tm replacing Pm
..Slow to come, slow to pass.
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Surface weather maps: fronts

Occluded front - either Pc replacing Pm or Pm replacing Pc
(East coast USA) (West coast USA)
56
Surface weather maps: fronts birth, mature
and death
Occlusion begins (mature)
Deepens then begins to
fill; death
1020
Pc
Tm
Pm
57
Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Lets visit the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in Washington D. C. Lets
search their forecast weather maps for the birth, mature and death of a mid-latitude
cyclone (www.weather.unisys.com/nam/):
Birth
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Birth
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Maturing
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Birth
Dying
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Maturing
Dying
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Mature
Dying
Birth
63
Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Dead
Mature
Birth
64
Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Dead
Mature
Birth
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Maturing
Mature
Dead
66
Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Dead
Mature
Mature
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Surface weather maps: fronts virtual field trip

Mature
Dead
Mature
68
Surface weather maps: fronts

With knowledge of the High-Low-High structure and West to East movement of the mid-latitude
Cyclone, the following weather proverbs can be understood:
Evening red and morning grey, two sure signs of one fine day.

A rainbow in the morning, is the mariners warning, a rainbow at night is the mariners delight.

When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.
69
Surface weather maps: fronts find the front exercise

Strong fronts separate air masses with significantly different T and/or T
d
values
and wind directions
Surface data explanation in Help Pages(weather.rap.ucar.edu/info/):
Hand out Find the warm and cold front exercise
70
Surface weather maps: fronts find the front exercise


Obtained surface data from Obtained near-simultaneous radar data from
weather.rap.ucar.edu/weather/surface/ weather.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/
71
Surface weather maps: fronts find the warm and cold fronts exercise

Answer:
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Surface weather maps: tropics

Only one air mass in the tropics, therefore there are no fronts. How, then, can the tropics have
weather?
73
Surface weather maps: tropics

Tropical cyclones drift westward in the Trade winds and frequently re-curve into the
Westerlies:
74
Understand NOAA Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) surface weather maps
(analyses): www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov, click on Atlantic Marine then W Atlantic
See Biewenga, Chapter 6 for detailed interpretations.
Additional analyses at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/
75
Understand NOAA Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) surface weather maps
(forecasts): www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov, click on Atlantic Marine then 24-hour surface
See Biewenga, Chapter 6 for detailed interpretations.
Additional analyses and forecasts at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/
76
Understand NOAA Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) surface weather maps
(analyses): www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/, scroll down to Graphical Products, Atlantic
and, then, to the SW North Atlantic chart (Graphical Products Legend at page bottom)
77
Understand NOAA Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) surface weather maps
(forecasts): www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/, scroll down to Graphical Products, Atlantic
and, then, to the Surface Forecasts, 24-hour | resized chart
78
NOAA National Data Buoy Center (www.ndbc.noaa.gov): move map to desired
location and blow up to find buoy, click on buoy for data.
79
Finding weather information:

Summary of web-sites visited in Basic Marine Weather:
Clouds from space (www.aviationweather.gov/adds/satellite/)
Predicted weather for Dulles Airport (IAD)
(www.weather.unisys.com/forecast.php?Name=KIAD)
Atmospheric sounding data for IAD (www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/upper/)
Forecast weather maps of a mid-latitude cyclone (www.weather.unisys.com/nam/)
Current land surface data (weather.rap.ucar.edu/weather/surface/)
Current radar data (weather.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/)
Surface and radar data help (weather.rap.ucar.edu/info/)
Ocean surface weather maps: East Coast (www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/)
Tropical surface weather maps: Atlantic, Caribbean, etc. (www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/)
Current coastal buoy data (www.ndbc.noaa.gov)
Marine forecasts (www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/)

Demonstration: NOAA All-hazards radio

End of Basic Marine Weather