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Weather Reporting Systems & Weather Bulletin Reports

This document discusses how meteorological data is collected and transmitted for weather forecasting purposes. It describes the various instruments used to collect weather data from land stations and ocean buoys. Weather data is also collected from ships as part of the Voluntary Observing Ships Scheme and transmitted via radio to meteorological centers. These centers then analyze the data and provide weather forecasts and bulletins to ships via coastal radio stations according to an established broadcast schedule. The document outlines the classification of ships in the scheme and their required observation and reporting procedures.

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85 views5 pages

Weather Reporting Systems & Weather Bulletin Reports

This document discusses how meteorological data is collected and transmitted for weather forecasting purposes. It describes the various instruments used to collect weather data from land stations and ocean buoys. Weather data is also collected from ships as part of the Voluntary Observing Ships Scheme and transmitted via radio to meteorological centers. These centers then analyze the data and provide weather forecasts and bulletins to ships via coastal radio stations according to an established broadcast schedule. The document outlines the classification of ships in the scheme and their required observation and reporting procedures.

Uploaded by

Mike MSB
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MARITIME STUDIES
STCW (2010 Manila Amendments) Approved

MARINE METEOROLOGY MET152S


BGNSCI

WEATHER REPORTING SYSTEMS AND WEATHER BULLETIN REPORTS


What do meteorologists need at their disposal in order to predict the weather?

The first thing they need is weather data. Their weather data comes from various
meteorological instruments.

Name some of the meteorological instruments that Meteorologists use to collect weather
data:

• a thermometer measures temperature; an anemometer measures wind speed;


• a rain gauge measures the amount of rain; a hygrometer measures humidity;
• barometers measure atmospheric pressure; a wind vane shows wind direction and
a snow gauge measures the amount of snow.

Name other innovative meteorological devices that Meteorologists use to collect weather
data in the atmosphere.

Weather Balloons, Weather Satellites, and Weather radars.

Where are most weather instruments housed?

Weather data is collected from all over the world at thousands of weather observation stations
that house weather instruments. Many of these weather observation stations are on land, but
some float in the oceans on weather buoys. ODAS = (Ocean Data Acquisition Systems) Buoy
is an automated Buoy used for collecting and transmitting meteorological, scientific, and
oceanographic data in real time. This data is transmitted to shore via geostationary or polar-
orbiting satellites.

Apart from the Ocean Weather Buoys, through which means is meteorological data at
sea and oceanographic data transmitted to shore?

As recommended by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), each member state


recruits a number of merchant ships called the Voluntary Observing Ships Scheme (VOS).
Ships that are part of the VOS Scheme make weather observations at fixed Greenwich Mean
Times (called synoptic hours), code these observations, and transmit them by TOR (Telex over
radio), or by Satcom (Satellite communication), as soon as possible, to the area headquarters
or to the nearest coast radio station. The coast radio stations transmit these coded messages by
land telegraph or teleprinter to the area headquarters, on a priority basis. The ship does not
incur any expense for this transmission. The respective meteorological departments and the

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administration bear these charges. The Regional Meteorological Centre provides all necessary
equipment, publications, and stationery used by vessels participating in the VOS Scheme.

The weather codes have been devised in such a manner that the messages can easily be
electronically processed and stored to enable better forecasts to be made.

The Regional Meteorological Centre gathers all the reports of that area and makes weather
forecasts, which are transmitted to ships of that area, as weather bulletins, through selected
coast stations, at fixed times.

Times of observations

Under normal conditions of weather, the hours of observation, called synoptic hours, are 00,
06, 12, and 18 GMT.

Meteorological Logbooks

Each ship of the VOS Scheme is given a meteorological or weather logbook. All weather
observations at synoptic hours and any special message must be recorded neatly and legibly.

When each logbook is completed, it is to be returned to the Regional Meteorological Centre


(RMC). The data from logbooks are fed into computers for future use.

Classification of ships

In accordance with the recommendation of the WMO, vessels of the VOS Scheme are divided
into three categories:

Selected ship: A mobile ship that is equipped with sufficient certified meteorological
instruments for making observations and which transmits the required observations in the full
code consisting of eighteen to twenty-one groups.

Supplementary ship: A mobile ship that is equipped with a limited number of certified
meteorological instruments for making observations and which transmits the observations in
the abbreviated form of the code consisting of twelve or more groups.

Auxiliary ship: A mobile ship normally not provided with certified meteorological
instruments that transmit weather reports in disturbed weather or under a special request, in the
reduced form of the code consisting of eleven or more groups or in plain language.

Ships not recruited in any of the categories are requested to transmit weather reports on their
own initiative in case of disturbed weather.

Meteorological Equipment supplied by the Regional Meteorological Centre

The meteorological instruments, including some relevant publications based on the category of
each vessel, are supplied free of charge by RMC.

Meteorological services as per SOLAS 1974

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Chapter V of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974 specifies
the action of the Governments with respect to the meteorological services. The following is the
list of it, you may like to read.

Duties for the Administrators with respect to the weather services.

• Encourage the collection of meteorological data by ships at sea.


• Arrange for their examination dissemination and exchange in a suitable manner.
• Providing for the use of instruments of high accuracy and checking the same.
• Arrange for the following services:
• Warn ships of gales, storms, and tropical revolving storms by issue of rad,
warnings, and local signals.
• Issue daily weather bulletins for shipping, containing data on existing weather,
waves, ice, and forecast. The bulletins should contain information so that the
ship can prepare a weather chart.
• Transmission of facsimile weather charts,
• Provide the necessary weather information publication to facilitate weather
observations.
• Provide daily weather charts for departing ships,
• Provide tested equipment to selected ships such as barometer, and barograph.
psychrometer and a suitable apparatus for measuring sea temp.
• Encourage selected ships at sea to take and report observations at least four
times a day. Encourage other ships to take observations in a modified form in
areas where shipping is sparse and/or the weather is unsettled.
• Provide facilities to send such reports by radio with no cast to the ships
• Instruct ships to send their messages through ocean weather ships or other ships
when it is not possible to send them by radio.
• Instruct masters to report in accordance with the international radio regulations
(with a prefix TTT) when:
1. wind speed exceeds 50 knots
2. the ship meets dangerous ice,
3. the ship meets dangerous derelicts

WMO working closely with IMO, the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO,
responsible for the Worldwide Navigational Warning Service), and representatives of
international shipping through the International Chamber of Shipping, developed a new WMO
marine broadcast system for the GMDSS.

Under this broadcast system, the world’s oceans are divided into a network of Metareas
(Figure 7, identical to the NAVAREAS IHO), for each of which a specified National
Meteorological Service is obligated to ensure the broadcast, via INMARSAT, of
meteorological warnings and forecasts for shipping, according to a published broadcast
schedule.

Dissemination of meteorological warnings and forecasts to shipping is now an integral part of


the GMDSS system and GMDSS communications permit automatic shipboard receipt of
weather and navigation information by INMARSAT satellite communications, radiotelephony
and radio-telex (NAVTEX). Regularly scheduled weather, sea-state and ice forecasts, along
with warnings of tropical cyclones, gales, storms and other hazards, are now routed to ships at
sea by INMARSAT and NAVTEX broadcasts.

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Examples of safety messages

Note: GMT 160830 means 16th day 08 hours 30 minutes.

1. TTT Ice. Large berg sighted in 4605n 4410W at 150800 GMT.


2. TTT Storm. 180030 GMT. 2004N 11354E Barometer corrected 994 millibars. tendency
down 6 millibars. Wind NW force 9 heavy squalls. Heavy easterly swell. Course 067,
5 knots.
3. TTT experiencing severe icing 021400 GMT. 69N 10W. Air temperature minus 2.
Wind NE force 8.

Weather bulletins/Short Weather Report

Details of weather bulletins sent out in each area – call signs of stations, radio frequencies, and
timings – are given in the Admiralty List of Radio Signals Volume 3.

In accordance with IMO and WMO recommendations, a weather bulletin used to consist of
five parts sent in the Morse code. With the establishment of the GMDSS, these messages are
now being transmitted in plain language.

Part I Storm warning in plain language.

Part II Synopsis of weather conditions in the forecast area, in plain language.

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Part III Forecast in plain language.

Part IV Surface weather analysis synoptic chart in the International Analysis Code (Fleet).

Part V Data of surface observations from ships and selected land stations and upper-air reports,
all in WMO codes.

Page 5 of 5

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