Meteorology

STCW Table A-II/1

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Specification of minimum standard of competence for officers

in charge of an navigational watch on ships of 500 gross
tonnage or more
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Function:

Navigation at the Operational Level

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Competence:

Plan and conduct a passage and determine position

 Indicative Time (in hours)
Topic
Theoretical Demonstration
1. Course Introduction and the Atmosphere
1. Relevance and importance of meteorology and oceanography in
navigation 2  
2. Climate and weather
3. Atmosphere
2. Solar Radiation and Air Temperature
1. Solar radiation
2. Air temperature 4 4
3. Air temperature reading
4. Air Temperature Unit conversion
3. Atmospheric Pressure
1. Atmospheric Pressure
2. Atmospheric pressure reading 4 2
3. Conversion of units for atmospheric pressure
4. Atmospheric pressure on the weather chart
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Learning Objective:

After completing this subject, the cadet will be able to:

Acquire the ability to use and interpret information obtained from shipborne
meteorological instruments.

Gain knowledge of the characteristics of the various weather systems, reporting

procedures and recording systems

Demonstrate an ability to apply the meteorological information available.

The course Meteorology and Oceanography enables a prospective
marine deck officer to plan and conduct a safe passage that considers
the forecasted and observed weather conditions. It delves into the
weather elements and systems from mesoscale to synoptic scale. It
includes topics that are essential to the achievement of safe navigation
at sea such as the atmosphere, atmospheric pressure, wind, visibility,
ocean’s wind and pressure systems, structures of depressions, anti-
cyclones, weather services for shipping, and recording/reporting
weather observations, and the application of meteorological
information.
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Meteor-ology
The word Meteorology derived from the Greek word
meteoron meaning "in the sky“ or "high in the sky". and "ology" is
derived from the Greek word logos meaning“ knowledge"). 
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Meteorology
is the study of the atmosphere, atmospheric phenomena, and
atmospheric effects on our weather. It explains the observable events of
Earth's atmosphere: temperature, air pressure, water vapor, and the
gradients and interactions of each variable, and how they change over
time.
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The Atmosphere
The Earth’s atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding
the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. It is an
important part of what makes Earth livable. It blocks
some of the Sun's dangerous rays from reaching Earth.
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The Atmosphere
Air in the atmosphere contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95%
oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small
amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of
water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over
the entire atmosphere.
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The Atmosphere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXf39bQH6iE&t=77s

The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It

is thickest near the surface and thins out
with height until it eventually merges with
space.
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The Atmosphere
The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of
the Earth's atmosphere.

1) Above the troposphere lies the stratosphere. Jet airliners fly in this
layer, for it is far less turbulent than the underlying troposphere.
The ozone layer lies within the stratosphere.
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3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere.

4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. It is also where the

space shuttle orbits.

5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin

exosphere. This extremely tenuous layer gradually gives way to the
vacuum of interplanetary space.
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Temperature of the
various layers of Earth's
atmosphere rises and
falls as one moves
upward from the
ground, in a seemingly
haphazard fashion.
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The Sun
The sun is the principal source of light and heat for the
earth.  The heat from the sun travels to the earth in the
form of short wave radiation, which passes through the
atmosphere without appreciably warming it.
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The flow of visible

light into, and infrared
light back out of, the
lower regions of
Earth's atmosphere
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Insolation
Insolation is the intensity of incoming solar radiation on an
object. Incoming Solar Radiation varies depending on:
Time of year Time of Day
Solar Declination Atmospheric Condition
Earth – Sun Distance
Latitude
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Effect on insolation of a variation in latitude

Insolation and
Latitude

• Insolation
decreases with
increased latitude
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Solar Declination
Effect on insolation of sun’s declination
• Earth's axial tilt is: 23.45º
• Latitude of the subsolar
point (where the sun is
directly overhead at solar
noon)
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Water Vapour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncORPosDrjI
is the gaseous phase of water. It is one state of water within
the hydrosphere. Water vapor can be produced from the
evaporation or boiling of liquid water or from the sublimation
of ice. Unlike other forms of water, water vapor is invisible.
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Evaporation
Whenever a water molecule leaves a surface and diffuses into a
surrounding gas, it is said to have evaporated. Each individual water
molecule which transitions between a more associated (liquid) and a
less associated (vapor/gas) state does so through the absorption or
release of kinetic energy.
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Condensation
Condensation is the change of water from its gaseous form
(water vapor) into liquid water. Condensation generally occurs
in the atmosphere when warm air rises, cools and looses its
capacity to hold water vapor. As a result, excess water vapor
condenses to form cloud droplets.
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Precipitation
Precipitation is any product of the condensation of
atmospheric water vapour that falls under gravity. The main
forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow,
graupel and hail.
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Latent Heat of Vaporization

Latent heat is the heat necessary to change 1 kilogram of
water to 1 kilogram of Vapour at saturation temperature.  If a
quantity of water changes to vapour an amount of latent heat
will have been required.
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Saturation https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-uMGi2J_lzE
When a volume of air at a given temperature holds the
maximum amount of water vapour, the air is said to be
saturated. Relative humidity is the water-vapour content of
the air relative to its content at saturation.
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Saturation
Unsaturated air can become saturated in three ways—by evaporation
of water into the air; by the mixing of two masses of air of different
temperatures and by cooling the air
1. Air becomes saturated due to evaporation because in order for
water vapor to enter the atmosphere, evaporation needs to occur.
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Saturation (cont..)

Evaporation is impacted by temperature, so if it's hot, the molecules

move faster and are more likely to become a gas.

2. Air can also become saturated if it's cooled.

Colder air can hold less water vapor, so if you cool some hot air that is not

saturated, it will eventually become saturated.

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Saturation (cont..)
Air can cool for various reasons.

3. The mixing of two unsaturated air masses can create a saturated air
parcel.

In this case, the two air masses are not saturated, but when they mix, they
become saturated.
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Dew point is the temperature at which air becomes saturated if

cooled at constant pressure.

Absolute humidity is the same as the water vapor density, defined

as the mass of water vapor divided by the volume of associated
moist air and generally expressed in grams per cubic meter.
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Relative humidity is the ratio of the actual vapor pressure to the

saturation vapor pressure at the air temperature, expressed as a
percentage.

Vapor pressure is the partial pressure of a given sample of moist air

that is attributable to the water vapor.
Atmospheric
Pressure
STCW Table A-II/1
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  Atmospheric Pressure https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KndNN28OcEI&t=31s

Isobars are lines of equal atmospheric pressure drawn on a meteorological map. Each
line passes through a pressure of a given value, provided certain rules are followed.

Isobar lines may never cross or touch.

Isobar lines may only pass through pressures of 1000 + or - 4. In other words,
allowable lines are 992, 996, 1000, 1004, 1008, and so on.I
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Atmospheric Pressure
Atmospheric pressure acts in all direction at sea level normally
between 940 mbar 1050 mbar. (Note : 1 millibar = 102 N/

Average sea-level pressure is 1013.25 hPa (1013.25 hPa or mbar) or

29.92 inches (inHg) or 760 millimetres of mercury (mmHg). 
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Atmospheric Pressure
Earth’s atmosphere is a mixture of gases. It is these molecules in
the  gases that exert pressure on which is called atmospheric
pressure. It decreases as one goes higher in the atmosphere
 because the number of molecules decrease and vice versa.
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 Atmospheric Pressure
ISOBAR
LINES and

Isobar Lines
ISOBAR
LINES
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Sample illustration of
weather chart showing
surface wind directions,
pressure distribution and
relative wind speeds at
various places within the
pressure field
 
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A low pressure system winds
blow towards the low pressure,
and the air rises in the
atmosphere where they meet.

A high pressure system 

wind blows away from high

pressure swirl, opposite
direction from low pressure
system.

 
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The pressure gradient
is the force that is
usually responsible
for accelerating a
parcel of air from a
high atmospheric
pressure region to a
low pressure region,
resulting in wind.
Meteorological
Equipments
STCW Table A-II/1
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Meteorological Equipment
An aneroid barometer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkDhlzA-lwIis an
instrument for measuring pressure. It uses a small, flexible
metal box called an aneroid cell (capsule), which is made
from an alloy of beryllium and copper.
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The reading of the aneroid barometer should be

corrected with the correction value against the
obtained observation with the mercury barometer.
When reading the barometer, pat the glass surface
slightly and read the value in the unit of 0.1 hPa,
with close attention to the parallax error.
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An aneroid barometer
measures the distortion
of an evacuated, sealed
elastic capsule inside
with change in
atmospheric pressure.
Small changes in
external air pressure
cause the cell (capsule)
to expand or contract.
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Hygrometer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQbFzX9IESU
A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the
moisture content in the atmosphere. It relies on
measurements of some other quantity such as
temperature, pressure, mass or a mechanical or
electrical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed.
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Wind Sensor
The Wind Sensor is a thermal anemometer based
on a technique for measuring wind speed and
wind direction. Most known types of anemometer
are the ultrasonic principle, and mechanical cup
and vane types sensors.
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Thermometer
A thermometer is a device that measures temperature. It is sealed in
a glass tube that contains a column of liquid, as mercury, that
expands and contracts, or rises and falls, with temperature changes,

the temperature being read where the top of the column coincides
with a calibrated scale marked on the tube or its frame.
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Wind
Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating
of the earth’s surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface
is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs
the sun’s radiation unevenly. Two factors are necessary to
specify wind: speed and direction.
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What causes the wind to blow
As the sun warms the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere warms too. Some
parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are always
warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is colder.

Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air moves in and
replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind
blow.
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Once air has been set in

motion by the pressure
gradient force, it undergoes
an apparent deflection
from its path. This
apparent deflection is
called the Coriolis force
and is a result of the
earth's rotation.
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Wind
The Apparent wind is the wind experienced by an observer in motion
and is the relative velocity of the wind in relation to the observer.

True wind is the wind relative to a fixed point the observation of

which is not affected by the motion of the observer. 
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The wind will just blow us off the dock. We raise sails and move ahead
on a close reach at 5 knots. We know the true wind is 10 knots and,
since we will be moving forward we will be producing 5 knots of wind
ourselves. 
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BUY’S BALLOT LAW Northern Hemisphere
Face the wind. The
Low Pressure area is
towards to the right
and slightly behind.
The High Pressure area
is towards to the left
and slightly in front.
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BUY’S BALLOT LAW Southern Hemisphere
Face the wind. The
Low Pressure area is
towards to the left and
slightly behind. The
High Pressure area is
towards to the right
and slightly in front.
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Estimating Wind Speed using the appearance of the sea
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• https://myglazing.com/be-informed/condensation-causes-of-condensation/

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oZ7HxrnSWo
• https://www.globe.gov/documents/348614/348678/Relative+Humidi
ty+Protocol/89f8c44d-4a99-494b-ba81-1853b80710b4
• https://www.google.com/search?
q=Relative+Humidity+Protocol&rlz=1C1HLDY_enPH836PH836&source
=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjP9OyDi_P8AhW9cGwGHc9jBK
AQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=c
id:821803f5,vid:Id4R-2KT9jc
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