MOORED BUOY REPORTS

Regional and National Groups Regional information may be added to ship reports following a 333 indicator group, and National coded information may be added following a 555 indicator group. The 444 indicator group is NEVER used with ship reports. Although allowable, U.S. Navy vessels do not normally include any regional or national information in transmitted ship synoptic reports. MOORED BUOY REPORTS Moored meteorological/oceanographic (METOC) buoys are used throughout the world, primarily in areas critical to ship navigation. In the United States coastal waters, meteorological buoys are maintained by NOAA in the near coastal waters off major sea ports and harbors on the West Coast, East Coast, and Gulf Coast. Additional meteorological buoys are maintained in a network throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and in selected locations well off the East and West Coasts. All moored buoys use the Synoptic code to report every 3 hours. They report Synoptic Code Section 0, Identification Data, and, depending on the sensors they contain, selected groups from Sections 1, 2, 3, and 5. The primary difference is in code Section 0, Identification Data. While the reports from buoys well off the coast use the ship Synoptic code "Section 0" with three-letter/number call signs and a latitude and longitude, the coastal buoys and Gulf of Mexico buoys use the land Synoptic code "Section 0" format with the station identification given in block (block 99) and station number, or a buoy number (such as "DB273" without latitude and longitude groups. These stations may be cross-referenced to latitude and longitude, as may any station referenced by block/station number by using the Master Weather Station Catalog, available via the Bulletin Board System (BBS). Q48. Q49. Q50. Q51. Q52. Q53. Q54. Q55. REVIEW QUESTIONS What is the message type identifier for the shipboard Synoptic code? If a ship was located at 34.10N and 020.16E, how should this be encoded on a ship synoptic observation? What does the indicator group 222 of the ship Synoptic code signify? How should a ship speed made good of 12 knots with a displacement of 120" be encoded for 222D_Sv_S? If sea waves had a period of 5 seconds and a height of 4 feet, what should be encoded for 2P_WP_WH_WH_W? If the primary swell-wave direction is 040° with a height of 6 feet and a period of 8 seconds, and the secondary swell-wave direction is 170° with a height of 3 feet and a period of 12 seconds, how should this be encoded? If ice accretion from ocean spray is occurring at a rapid rate, and 1 centimeter has already accumulated, what should be encoded for the group 6I_SE_SE_SR_S? What organization is responsible for maintaining METOC buoys off the coast of the United States? SUMMARY The codes discussed in this section are used to disseminate surface weather observations. The U.S. METAR/SPECI code and the international METAR/SPECI codes are primarily used to support aviation operations. The international Synoptic codes are used for general meteorological applications. Information from meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) buoys are also used to augment land and ship synoptic data. 3-18