LDD 10102

INTRODUCTION TO SHIP
TECHNOLOGY

 CHAPTER 1

OCEANOGRAPHIC
CHARACTERISTIC
SECTION 1

WIND

ICEBERG

OCEANOGRAPHIC
CHARACTERISTIC
WAVE

CURRENT

TIDES

MARINE INDUSTRY

WIND

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Definitions:Wind is a large scale movement of air caused by differences in

atmospheric pressure between localities.
Strong winds can add to the resistance a ship
make manoeuvring difficult.
The wave characteristics depend upon the strength of wind,
its duration and the distance over which it acts, which is called
its fetch.
Beam wind will make a ship heel and create waves.
Wind can be measured using Beaufort Wind Scale.

Beaufort
Number
(force)

Wind Speed

Wave
Height
(feet)

WMO*
description

Effects observed on the sea

Calm

Sea is like a mirror

Light air

Ripples with appearance of scales; no foam crests

Light breeze

Small wavelets; crests of glassy appearance, not breaking

Gentle breeze

Large wavelets; crests begin to break; scattered whitecaps

Moderate
breeze

Small waves, becoming longer; numerous whitecaps

knots

mph

under 1

under 1

1-3

1-3

0.25

4-6

4-7

0.5 - 1

7 - 10

8 - 12

2-3

11-16

13-18

3 - 5

17-21

19-24

6-8

Fresh breeze

Moderate waves, taking longer form; many whitecaps; some

spray

22-27

25-31

9-13

Strong breeze

Larger waves forming; whitecaps everywhere; more spray

28-33

32-38

13-19

Near gale

Sea heaps up; white foam from breaking waves begins to be

blown in streaks

34-40

39-46

18-25

Gale

Moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests

begin to break into spindrift; foam is blown in wellmarked streaks

41-47

47-54

23-32

Strong gale

High waves; sea begins to roll; dense streaks of foam; spray

may begin to reduce visibility

10

48-55

55-63

29-41

Storm

Very high waves with overhanging crests; sea takes white

appearance as foam is blown in very dense streaks;
rolling is heavy and visibility is reduced

11

56-63

64-72

37-52

Violent storm

Exceptionally high waves; sea covered with white foam

patches; visibility further reduced

12

64 and
over

73 and
over

45 and
over

Hurricane

Air filled with foam; sea completely white with driving spray;
visibility greatly reduced

Figure : Beaufort Wind Scale

Gale

Strong gale

Storm

Violent storm

Hurricane

Wind Measurement

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Figure: Wind Direction

Wind direction is measured in a clockwise direction from North. 0/

360 (N),45(NE),90(E),135(SE),180(S),225(SW),270 (W),315
(NW).
Wind velocities are measured in a horizontal plane, although a
definite vertical gust component exists.
The term velocity indicates direction and speed.
Anemometer was used to measure speed and the direction of the
wind.

Analog

Digital

Figure 3: Anemometer

3 Basic Wind Forms

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

There are three basic wind forms experienced around coastline:-

Frontal
Wind

Pressure
Wind

Land and Sea breezes.

Frontal Wind

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Figure 4: Frontal Wind

This can be the most severe of all, although it usually doesnt last long.
Associated mostly with the onset of a cold front, this wind will blow very
hard and very strong initially and come in with a sudden impact
It will blow itself out very quickly, the worst often being over in less than
an hour.

 If the cold front is severe, there is usually prior warning in the form
of sky signs. A build up of cumulonimbus clouds, often with
lightning and thunder, appears in the Southern and Western skies
This is the proverbial calm before the storm, because within
minutes the frontal wind will race down in a line across the water,
at speeds probably somewhere between 40 and 60 knots.
Temperature will drop considerably as the cold air comes in, there
may be rain, hail, lightning and thunder, and the wind will blow
hard for probably 20 minutes to half an hour before it begins to
ease. It will probably blow itself out within the hour.

Pressure Wind

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Formed by the circulation of air around pressure systems, these are

the most common winds of our everyday life. They are fairly
predictable in that they rotate around high and low pressure systems.
On the weather map the isobars, or lines of pressure, indicate their
direction and approximate intensity:
winds circulating clockwise around a high-pressure system in the
Northern Hemisphere
winds circulating anti-clockwise around a low-pressure system in the
Northern Hemisphere
vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere.

Northern
Hemisphere Isobars

 CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Weather Report (Satellite Image)

Land & Sea Breezes

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Land Breezes

Sea Breezes

Sea Breeze

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

A sea-breeze (or onshore breeze) is a wind from the sea that

develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing
temperature differences between the land and water which create
a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth and
forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland.
Generally, air temperature gets cooler relative to nearby locations
as one moves closer to a large body of water.

Land Breeze

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

At night, the land cools off quicker than the ocean due to differences in their
specific heat values, which forces the dying of the daytime sea breeze. If the
land cools below that of the adjacent sea surface temperature, the pressure
over the water will be lower than that of the land, setting up a land breeze as
long as the environmental surface wind pattern is not strong enough to
oppose it. If there is sufficient moisture and instability available, the land
breeze can cause showers or even thunderstorms, over the water.

Wind Vector

CHAPTER 1 (Sec. 1)

Wind Vectors indicate wind

direction and speed.
The black arrows plotted on this
image are wind vectors
These vectors indicate direction
and intensity of the wind.
The vectors point in the direction to
which the wind is blowing. (This
image, winds are primarily blowing
from west to east).
Intensity of the wind is conveyed
through the size of the vector. The
longer the arrows, the stronger the
winds.