FM 18 XII - Report of buoy observation

Code Form:

Notes:

1. BUOY is the name of the code for reporting buoy observations.
2. A BUOY report or a bulletin of BUOY reports is identified by M_iM_iM_jM_j = ZZYY.
3. The inclusion of the group 9/Z_dZ_dZ_d is strongly recommended for buoys which have been deployed with drogues.
4. The group 9/Z_dZ_dZ_d should not be used in reports from a buoy on which a drogue has never been installed.
5. The code form is divided into six sections, the first being mandatory in its entirety, except group 6Q_lQ_tQ_A/,

and the remainder optional as data are available:

Regulations:

Notes:

1. A₁b_w normally corresponds to the marotime zone in which the buoy was deployed. The WMO Secretariat allocates to Members who request and indicate the maritime zone(s) of interest, a block or blocks of serial numbers (n_bn_bn_b) to be used by their environmental buoy stations.
2. The Member concerned registers with the WMO Secretariat the serial numbers actually assigned to individual stations together with their geographical positions of deployment.
3. The Secretariat informs all concerned of the allocation of serial numbers and registrations made by individual Members.

Symbolic Letters:

A_N

Anemometer type (code table 0114)

A₁

WMO regional association area in which buoy, drilling rig or oil- or gas-production platform has been deployed (1 = Region I; 2 = Region II, etc.) (code table 0161).

A_hA_hA_h

Anemometer, in decameters, height above station level. 

a

Characteristic of pressure tendency during the three hours preceding the time of observation (code table 0200).

B_tB_t

Buoy type (code table 0370)

b_w

Subarea belonging to the area indicated by A₁ (code table 0161).

c₀c₀c₀
…
c_nc_nc_n

Speed of the current, in centimeters per second, at selected and/or significant depths starting with the sea surface.

dd

True direction, in tens of degrees, from which wind is blowing (or will blow) (code table 0877; stations within 1 degree of the North pole use code table 0878)

d₀d₀
…
d_nd_n

True direction, in tens of degrees, towards which sea current at selected and/or significant depths starting with the sea surface is moving (code table 0877).

d_Bd_B

Drift direction of the buoy, expressed in tenths of degrees, at the last known position of the buoy given in the groups YYMMJ GGgg/.

ff

Wind speed in units indicated by i_w

GGgg

Time of observation, in hours and minutes (UTC). This is the actual time of launching the bathythermograph.

H_waH_wa

Height of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in units of 0.5 metres.

(1) The average value of the wave height (i.e. vertical distance between trough and crest) shall be reported or forecast, as obtained from the larger, well-formed waves of the wave system being observed or forecast.

(2) Height of the waves less than 0.25 m shall be coded 00, height of the waves from 0.25 m to less than 0.75 m shall be coded 01, height of the waves from 0.75 m to less than 1.25 m shall be coded 02, etc.

H_waH_waH_wa

Height of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in units of 0.1 metres.

(1) See Regulation 12.3.3.5 for the use of H_waH_waH_wa

See note (1) under H_waH_wa

i_w

Indicator for source and units of wind speed. (code table 1855)

J

Units digit of the year (UTC), i.e. J = 4 for 1994.

k₂

Method of salinity/depth measurement (code table 2263).

k₃

Duration and time of current measurement (vector or Doppler current profiling method) (code table 2264).

k₆

Method of removing the velocity and motion of the ship or buoy from current measurement (code table 2267).

L_aL_aL_aL_aL_a

Latitude, in thousandths of a degree.

L_oL_oL_oL_oL_oL_o

Longitude, in thousandths of a degree.

MM

Month of the year (UTC), i.e. 01 = January; 02 = February, etc.

M_iM_i

Identification letters of the report (code table 2582)

M_jM_j

Identification letters of the part of the report or the version of the code form (code table 2582)

n_bn_bn_b

Type and serial number of buoy.

P_waP_wa

Period of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in seconds.

(1) See note (1) under P_waP_waP_wa

P_waP_waP_wa

Period of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in tenths of a second.

(1) P_waP_waP_wa shall be reported in addition to P_waP_wa when the following conditions have been met:

(a) The sea is not calm (i.e. P_waP_waH_waH_wa has not been reported as 0000);

(b) P_waP_wa has not been reported as //);

(c) The station has the capability of accurately measuring instrumental wave period in units of 0.1 second.

PPPP

Pressure at mean sea level, in tenths of a hectopascal, omitting the thousands digit of hectopascals of the pressure value.

P₀P₀P₀P₀

Pressure at station level, in tenths of a hectopascal, omitting the thousands digit of hectopascals of the pressure value.

ppp

Amount of pressure tendency at station level during the three hours preceding the time of observation, expressed in tenths of a hectopascal.

Q_A

Location quality class (code table 3302)

Q_L

Quality of location (code table 3311)

Q_N

Quality of the buoy satellite transmission (code table 3313)

Q_P

Quality of the pressure measurement (code table 3315)

Q_TW

Quality of the measurement of the water-surface temperature (code table 3319)

Q_c

Quadrant of the globe (code table 3333)

Q_d

Quality control indicator (code table 3334)

Q_d1

Quality control indicator for temperature/salinity profile (code table 3334)

Q_d2

Quality control indicator for current profile (code table 3334)

Q_l

Quality control indicator for position (code table 3334)

Q_t

Quality control indicator for time (code table 3334)

Q_x

Indicator of position of group.
See regulation 18.3.3.

Q_z

Indicates whether or not depths are corrected using hydrostatic pressure (code table 3318).

Q₂

Quality of the housekeeping parameter (second word in first block of ARGOS platform transmitters terminal sensor data). (code table 3363)

Q₄

Quality of the measurement of air temperature. (code table 3363)

S₀S₀S₀S₀
…
S_nS_nS_nS_n

Salinity, in hundredths of a PSU (Practical Salinity Units), at either significant or selected depths starting with the sea surface.

s_n

Sign of the data and relative humidity indicator (code table 3845)

TTT

Air temperature, in tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign being given by s_n

T_dT_dT_d

Dew-point temperature, in tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign being given by s_n

See regulation 12.2.3.3.1

T_wT_wT_w

Sea-surface temperature, in tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign being given by s_n

T₀T₀T₀T₀
…
T_nT_nT_nT_n

Temperatures, in hundredths of a degree Celsius, at either significant or selected depths starting with the sea surface. For negative temperatures, 5000 shall be added to the absolute value of the temperature in hundredths of a degree Celsius.

UUU

Relative humidity of the air, in per cent, the first figure neing zero except for UUU=100 per cent.

See regulation 12.2.3.3.1

V_BV_B

Drifting speed, in cm/s, of the buoy at the last known position of the buoy given in the groups YYMMJ GGgg/.

V_iV_iV_iV_i

Information on the engineering status of the buoy

X_tX_t

Drogue type (code table 4780)

YY

Day of the month (UTC), with 01 indicating the first day, 02 the second day, etc., on which the actual time of the observation falls.

Z_cZ_cZ_cZ_c

Length of cable, in meters. (thermistor strings)

Z_dZ_dZ_d

Length of the cable at which the drogue is attached, in meters.

Z_hZ_hZ_hZ_h

Hydrostatic pressure of lower end of cable, expressed in units of kPa (i.e. centibars).

z₀z₀z₀z₀
…
z_nz_nz_nz_n

Selected and/or significant depths, in meters, starting with the surface

/
//
…

Missing data. The number of slashes depends on the number of symbolic letters for which no data can be reported.