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Sailing manual

Marine Weather and Oceanography

Read wind, pressure, waves and bulletins without reducing weather to one number.

17 chapters4 available lessons16 min of published reading
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Conceptual isobars, wind and a wave. The figure contains no weather forecast.LWindPressure · wind · waves
Manual contents

Marine weather describes an environment changing through space and time. The first lessons explain wind direction, pressure units, the distinction between wave height and period and the times shown on a bulletin. Figures and fictional values separate concepts from current forecasts. The contents then lead towards systems, fronts, currents and planning. Uncertainty and data limitations accompany the explanations. The manual supports more informed reading; it does not turn a picture or isolated value into permission to go to sea.

01

Introducing marine meteorology

Planned chapter · in preparation

02

hPa, millibars and equal-pressure lines: first vocabulary for a weather chart.

  1. Lesson · 4 min

    Pressure and isobars: read the quantity before the forecast

    hPa, millibars and equal-pressure lines: first vocabulary for a weather chart.

03

Highs and lows

Planned chapter · in preparation

04

Meteorological wind direction describes where the wind comes from, not the arrow’s destination.

  1. Lesson · 4 min

    A west wind: where does the arrow come from?

    Meteorological wind direction describes where the wind comes from, not the arrow’s destination.

05

The Beaufort scale

Planned chapter · in preparation

06

Weather fronts

Planned chapter · in preparation

07

Clouds and weather signs

Planned chapter · in preparation

08

Interpreting weather charts

Planned chapter · in preparation

09

Separate issue, validity, observation and forecast to understand what you are reading.

  1. Lesson · 4 min

    A bulletin has more than one time

    Separate issue, validity, observation and forecast to understand what you are reading.

10

A wave cannot be captured by one number. Distinguish shape, timing and origin.

  1. Lesson · 4 min

    Wind waves and swell: height and period tell different stories

    A wave cannot be captured by one number. Distinguish shape, timing and origin.

11

Wave height, period and direction

Planned chapter · in preparation

12

Ocean currents

Planned chapter · in preparation

13

Tides and related phenomena

Planned chapter · in preparation

14

Interactions between wind, current and swell

Planned chapter · in preparation

15

Hazardous weather phenomena

Planned chapter · in preparation

16

Weather planning for a voyage

Planned chapter · in preparation

17

Interpreting models and forecasts

Planned chapter · in preparation

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