Measurements for Meteorology

Ocean state and sea-air interactions exert a relevant role on the variability of the atmospheric circulation at several timescales from months to decades and centuries. In this framework, marine meteorological observations provide a unique source of information for the description of atmospheric parameters and constitute a key input to numerical models for the prediction of the future state of the atmosphere, as well as an important benchmark for the comprehension of recent trends of global climate. This chapter provides an overview of the meteorological measurements at sea. Sea-based observations involve a great variety of platforms, including ocean weather stations, manned and unmanned light vessels, moored and drifting buoys, and radio soundings. Each platform provides different data and responds to a different scientific need. Here, we provide the main characteristics of the most common instrumentation with some details about measured atmospheric parameters, equipment, and standards (i.e., time of observations and data transmission). Moreover, a paragraph focuses on the importance of marine meteorological services and to their role in supporting safe shipping through the provision of reliable marine observations and forecasting. Finally, we discuss some possible future developments, including the use of unmanned marine vehicles and new strategies to integrate in situ observations with new generation remotely sensed data.