Automatic Data Processing Program for Marine 

 Synoptic Radio Weather Reports 



By 

 JAMES H. JOHNSON, GLENN A. FLITTNER, and MARVIN W. CLINE 



INTRODUCTION 



As part of a study of the distribution of 

 north Pacific albacore, the staff of the Bureau 

 of Commercial Fisheries Biological Labora- 

 tory, Honolulu, published monthly sea surface 

 temperature charts of the eastern Pacific 

 Ocean from 1957 through 1959. At the end of 

 this phase of the north Pacific albacore investi- 

 gations, the task of preparing and distributing 

 the monthly charts was assumed by the staff 

 of the Tuna Forecasting Program, Bureau of 

 Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, 

 San Diego, Calif. 



The purpose of the sea temperature charts 

 now is to provide current sea temperature 

 information to the tuna fishing industry, marine 

 scientists, and meteorologists. That the charts 

 are providing useful data to these groups is 

 evident from the work of Broadhead and 

 Barrett (1964), Dickson (1964), Flittner (1963), 

 Magill (1963), Namias (1959, 1963), Quast 

 (1964), and others. 



Charts prepared at the BCF Biological 

 Laboratory at San Diego are circulated in two 

 series. Monthly sea temperature charts are 

 published in the Bureau of Commercial Fish- 

 eries California Fishery Market News Monthly 

 Summary , Part II - Fishing Information. A 

 15-day temperature chart for use by albacore 

 fishermen is published from April through 

 October as a supplement to the above publica- 

 tion for a limited area of the temperate eastern 

 Pacific. Monthly summaries and charts of 

 meteorological variables and heat budget com- 

 putations are circulated to a limited mailing 

 list under the title "Summary of Marine Synop- 

 tic Weather Reports." 



The purposes of this paper are to describe 

 an automatic data processing program (ADP) 

 for summarization of synoptic marine weather 

 reports, to describe the sea temperature 

 reporting program, and to provide information 

 on procedures for calculating the energy 

 exchange at the air-sea interface for the 

 Pacific Ocean. 



Note. — James H. Johnson, Oceanographer; Glenn A. 

 Flittner, Fishery Biologist (Research); and Marvin W. 

 Cline, Mathematics Technician, Bureau of Commer- 

 cial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, San Diego, 

 Calif. 



SOURCES OF DATA 



The first International Maritime Conference, 

 called in Brussels, Belgium, in 1853, conceived 

 the idea that cooperating governments should 

 encourage routine weather observations on 

 ships, and that nations should prepare and 

 publish charts of ocean currents, prevailing 

 winds, average sea and air temperatures, and 

 storm tracks based on these and other data. 

 Since inception of the program, weather report- 

 ing has played an increasingly vital role in 

 the safe and efficient operation of ships 

 at sea. 



Data used in preparing the charts and 

 summaries come from a variety of sources. 

 The main source is the synoptic marine radio 

 weather report from ships at sea. Additional 

 data are provided by organizations that mail 

 coastal and ocean temperatures to the San 

 Diego laboratory for inclusion in the charts. 

 Early in the sea temperature reporting pro- 

 gram, it became apparent that use of ADP 

 would be helpful in preliminary data screening 

 for radio transmission errors, for coding 

 errors, and for compiling an average of about 

 10,000-15,000 synoptic marine weather obser- 

 vations each month. After the feasibility of 

 summarizing sea temperature data by ADP 

 methods was established, it was expedient to 

 broaden the program to compile other meteoro- 

 logical variables for use by scientists in 

 marine climatology and other research studies. 

 The elements for computation of the energy 

 exchange at the air-se'a interface were avail- 

 able from these summaries and monthly aver- 

 ages of this exchange by 5-degree quadrangles 

 are now computed routinely. 



The basic data utilized by the system 

 described below is the "International Surface 

 Report from Ship in Full Form, FM 21.A," 

 approved by the World Meteorological Organi- 

 zation (WMO). Cooperating American and 

 foreign-flag vessels make, record, and trans- 

 mit the standard marine weather observations 

 according to established procedures set up by 

 WMO. Observations taken at 0000, 0600, 1200, 

 and 1800 Greenwich Mean Time daily are 

 transmitted to designated commercial and 

 Government radio stations around the world 

 (see U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office Publication 

 No. 206, Radio Weather Aids, 1958). 



