How to Predict the Weather at Sea

You will learn about cold and warm fronts, how to predict wind speed and direction, different air masses and their associated weather.

This online training for Deck Cadets is aligned with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and the UK MCA / Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Level 7 Marine Meterology unit.

This learning can be used to study and prepare for:

  • Marine Meteorology: An Introduction assessment
  • UK MCA Orals assessment

You can see the contents of what is contained in this unit in the contents list below, and subscribe here.

  1. What is a Synoptic Chart?
  2. Features of a Synoptic Chart
    1. Subscriber Content
  3. Features of a Synoptic Chart
  4. Fronts
  5. Warm Front
  6. Cold Front
  7. Occulded Fronts
  8. Troughs
  9. Predicting the Wind Direction
  10. Buy’s Ballots Law
  11. Predicting Wind Speed
  12. Formation of Winds
  13. What is Air?
  14. The Movement of Air
  15. Pressure Gradient Force
  16. Coriolis Effect
  17. Formation of Land Breezes
  18. Formation of Sea Breezes
  19. Air Masses
  20. Summer Air Masses in the UK
  21. Tropical Continental
  22. Polar Continental
  23. Tropical Maritime
  24. Polar Maritime
  25. Returning Polar Maritime
  26. Arctic Maritime
  27. Winter Air Masses
  28. Tropical Maritime
  29. Polar Maritime
  30. Arctic Maritime
  31. Polar Continental
  32. Climatic Zones
  33. General Circulation of the Atmosphere
  34. Main Climatic Zones over the Oceans
  35. Ocean Currents of the World
  36. Seasonal Weather
  37. Tropical Revolving Storms
  38. Monsoons
  39. SW Monsoon
  40. Meteorological Observations
  41. Beaufort Scale
  42. Waves
  43. Apparent Wind
  44. True Wind
  45. Horizontal Visibility
  46. Types of Cloud
  47. Cirrus Clouds (Ci)
  48. Cirrostratus (Cs)
  49. Cirrocumulus (Cc)
  50. Altostratus (As)
  51. Altocumulus (Ac)
  52. Nimbostratus (Ns)
  53. Stratus (St)
  54. Stratocumulus (Sc)
  55. Cumulus (Cu)
  56. Cumulonimbus (Cb)
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What is a Synoptic Chart?

The word ‘synoptic’ means a summary of the current situation. In weather terms, a synoptic or pressure chart is a map that summarises the atmospheric conditions over a wide area at a defined time.

The first thing you need to find on a pressure chart is where you are. You can do this by either using the latitude and longitude, or by finding where you are on the land. We will be using met office charts. On these synoptic charts the UK is located fairly centrally, with Iceland and Greenland to the top left and continental Europe to the right. North is not at the top of the page, but where the lines of longitude converge, in the top left corner. This means we can see as much as possible of the relevant area around the UK.

Metoffice synoptic chart showing high and low pressures, cold and warm fronts and pressure lines

The Met Office produces the synoptic charts you will use to predict the weather for your exams in black and white. This has a number of other features, when compared to the colour charts. These are:

  • Markings of latitude and longitude
  • Geostrophic wind scale
How to read a synoptic chart showing where to find the latitude, longitude and geostrophic wind scale

Features of a Synoptic Chart

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