Calculating Wind from Isobars by Table Lookup There are at least two formulas I know of to estimate wind speed based on spacing of isobars on a surface analysis. Both are based on the relationship between pressure gradient (e.g. millibars per degree) and the latitude of interest. For those that are interested, a discussion of each follows. Fortunately, it is much easier to use a table where someone else has done the math for you. Calculating Wind Speed Measurement of the spacing of isobars can be done manually, or with the assistance of a tool. Here, a Surface Analysis of the Northeastern Pacific was loaded and displayed using OpenCPN, a…

What is Wind The title of this topic might have been “What causes the wind.” Quite simply, wind is moving air. Air doesn’t seem like much, however, it has weight and it has substance, and is actually considered a fluid. This becomes apparent when air moves. While moving, you can see many of the same characteristics you might find in a river. Things like moving as a “unit,” parting and coming back together as it flows around an obstacle, and eddies or back-flows. Air moves from an area of higher pressure into an area of lower pressure. The closer together the high and low pressure is and the greater the…

An Island in the sun Back to our island in the sun image. Although not apparent in the image, the rays of the sun do not directly heat the atmosphere. Instead, the sun’s rays heat the land, which in turn heats the air. It’s clear from this small-scale model the sun is the driving force behind the movement of air in this case. But, how about on a larger, global scale. Is the sun still the motivating factor? Yes! Hadley Cells The more directly the rays of the sun impact the Earth, the more energy is transferred, heating the Earth and the atmosphere above it. The sun is located more…

Knowledge of the weather is as crucial to today’s sailor as it was two hundred years ago. Fortunately, advances in technology have put weather forecasting capabilities within the grasp of the average sailor, who with the click of just a few buttons can bring up surface analysis maps which draw on the talents of some of the world’s most knowledgeable meteorologists. With analysis in hand, and a relatively small degree of knowledge, every sailor is better prepared to face conditions at sea. I am not a trained meteorologist. I’m simply a sailor who found a need to learn a little about the weather. A first glance at a surface analysis…