Development of a Prototype North Pacific Ocean Surface Visibility Climatology Stratified by Observation Times.
Abstract
This study develops a prototype surface visibility climatology for the North Pacific Ocean. Data were extracted from the National Climatic Center's historic files and represent a 20-year (1954-1973) period. The area of study is bounded by latitudes 20 deg N and 70 deg N and longitudes 120 deg E and 110 deg W. Experiments concerning the implementation and modification of an objective processing and analysis routine are briefly described. Select Greenwich Mean Time and Local Standard Time (LST) visibility analyses and their standard deviations for January, April, July and October are developed from a data base of nearly 1.6 million transient ship observations. Each set is analyzed for the diurnal variation of visibility at sea. The LST analyses are found to be unacceptable for use in the investigation of diurnal visibility changes due to an intermediate synoptic time low-visibility bias. Marine fog frequencies from a 10-year period (1967-1976) are shown; they compare favorably with the visibility analyses for comparable time periods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA102374
Entities
People
- Robert J. Renard
- Thomas Norman Talbot
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School