PART II: CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY 



8. This section provides a brief summary of the environmental condi- 

 tions at the FRF during the reporting period; complete tabulated summaries are 

 contained in Part V. 



9. The maritime climate at the FRF tends to moderate the seasons, pro- 

 ducing winters that are warmer and summers that tend to be cooler than on the 

 mainland. Large temperature differences between day and night occur during 

 late fall and spring due to the slow response of the ocean to changing temper- 

 ature trends and frequent land and sea breeze effects. Air and water tempera- 

 tures at the FRF tend to be lowest in February and highest in July and August. 



10. The precipitation was fairly well distributed throughout the year; 

 the monthly average during 1980 was 68 mm. May was the wettest month (112 mm), 

 while September was the driest (30 mm) . 



11. A persistent breeze, warm in summer and chilly in winter, blows at 

 the FRF; seldom is it dead calm. On occasion, severe winds blow as a result of 

 either extratropical cyclones (northeasters) or tropical cyclones (hurricanes). 



12. The summer winds are predominantly from the southwest, while winter 

 winds blow out of northern directions. Extreme winds generally came from the 

 north-northeast. Although the FRF was not directly hit by a major hurricane 

 in 1980, strong northeasters produced winds in excess of 15 m/second. 



13. The wave heights at the FRF vary as a function of water depth and 

 season. Generally, the deeper the water, the larger the wave conditions. The 

 annual average significant wave height for 1980 at the seaward end of the pier 

 (8-m depth) was 0.87 m (0.A4 m standard deviation), with an average peak 

 spectral period of 9 seconds (2.8 seconds standard deviation). Wave heights 

 tended to be lowest from April through September and greatest during January 

 through March. 



14. Surface currents are strongest and move predominantly southward 

 during the winter and are much more frequently directed northward in the 

 summer. 



15. The tides at the FRF are semidiurnal, with 2 high and 2 low tides 

 generally occurring daily with a tide range of slightly more than 1.0 m. 

 Local mean sea level during 1980 was 8 cm above the local 1929 National Geo- 

 detic Vertical Datum (NGVD) . The extreme high tide was 118 cm NGVD observed 

 on 2 March, while the lowest tide was -119 cm NGVD observed on 16 March. 



