Coastal-Marine Automated Network
Encyclopedia
The Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) is a meteorological observation network along the coastal United States. Consisting of about sixty stations installed on lighthouses, at capes and beaches, on near shore islands, and on offshore platforms, the stations record atmospheric pressure
, wind
direction
, speed
and gust, and air temperature
; however, some C-MAN stations are designed to also measure sea surface temperature
, water level, waves
, relative humidity
, precipitation
, and visibility
.
The network is maintained by the National Data Buoy Center
(NDBC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), and data is ingested into numerical weather prediction
computer models. It was created for the National Weather Service
in the early 1980s to maintain observations that were about to be discontinued by other programs. Data is processed and transmitted similarly to the moored buoy
system.
In 2002, C-MAN was added to the NOAA Observing System Architecture
(NOSA).
Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) Panama
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
, wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
direction
Wind direction
Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from the north to the south. Wind direction is usually reported in cardinal directions or in azimuth degrees...
, speed
Wind speed
Wind speed, or wind velocity, is a fundamental atmospheric rate.Wind speed affects weather forecasting, aircraft and maritime operations, construction projects, growth and metabolism rate of many plant species, and countless other implications....
and gust, and air temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
; however, some C-MAN stations are designed to also measure sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
, water level, waves
Ocean surface wave
In fluid dynamics, wind waves or, more precisely, wind-generated waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and canals or even on small puddles and ponds. They usually result from the wind blowing over a vast enough stretch of fluid surface. Waves in the...
, relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
, precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, and visibility
Visibility
In meteorology, visibility is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be clearly discerned. It is reported within surface weather observations and METAR code either in meters or statute miles, depending upon the country. Visibility affects all forms of traffic: roads, sailing...
.
The network is maintained by the National Data Buoy Center
National Data Buoy Center
The National Data Buoy Center is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service...
(NDBC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA), and data is ingested into numerical weather prediction
Numerical weather prediction
Numerical weather prediction uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in the 1950s that numerical weather predictions produced realistic...
computer models. It was created for the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
in the early 1980s to maintain observations that were about to be discontinued by other programs. Data is processed and transmitted similarly to the moored buoy
Weather buoy
Weather buoys are instruments which collect weather and ocean data within the world's oceans, as well as aiding during emergency response to chemical spills, legal proceedings, and engineering design. Moored buoys have been in used since 1951, while drifting buoys have been used since 1979...
system.
In 2002, C-MAN was added to the NOAA Observing System Architecture
NOAA Observing System Architecture
*The NOAA Observing System Architecture is a collection of over 100 of NOAA's environmental datasets.*NOSA was established to develop an observational architecture that helps NOAA:...
(NOSA).
See Also
- Shipping ForecastShipping ForecastThe Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The forecasts sent over the Navtex...
- Cabled observatories NEPTUNENEPTUNEThe NEPTUNE Canada project is the world’s first regional-scale underwater ocean observatory that plugs directly into the Internet. Since December 2009, it has allowed people to "surf" the seafloor while ocean scientists run deep-water experiments from labs and universities around the world. Along...
, VENUSVENUSVENUS - http://venus.uvic.ca - is a cabled sea floor observatory operated out of the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The VENUS cabled ocean observatory is designed to provide new ways of studying the ocean...
, Monterey Accelerated Research SystemMonterey Accelerated Research SystemMonterey Accelerated Research System is a cabled-based observatory system below the surface of Monterey Bay, developed and managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The system, operational since November 10, 2008, incorporates a undersea cable that carries data and power to benthic...
, Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands#Observatory,
Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) Panama
Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) Panama
The Liquid Jungle Lab is a tropical marine research station located on the island of Canales de Tierra situated on the western coast of Pacific Panamá, along a primary marine biological corridor between the Americas...