Index to pages of marine interest

MARINE INTEREST

INDEX
OF LINKS TO OTHER PAGES AND SITES THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

Menu of sites providing forecasts and warnings within the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) for many parts of the world. The menu provides access to other forecasts for the marine community and also to weather charts (analyses and forecasts) for some parts of the world.
Click here for access to the menu.
(Links to meteorological information issued by the South African Weather Bureau updated on 9th June 2010)

Frank Singleton's site for sailors is full of useful information for the small-craft owner with many useful links to real-time weather information.
  Click here for Frank Singleton's site or via the MailASail site (this links takes you out of this site) – (Links updated on 4th July 2009)

NAVTEX and services via Inmarsat - Forecasts and warnings are available via the NAVTEX service and the Inmarsat SafetyNET™ service. Live feed of Navtex messages – useful site but not an official source of information disseminated via NAVTEX
  Click here for more information about NAVTEX.

Frequently Asked Questions re Meteorological services provided within the context of Safety of Life at Sea.
  Click here for the FAQ.
Analyses and forecast charts - there are many sites now providing access to real-time analyses and forecast products.
  Click here for a selection of analyses and forecast charts.
Met Office pages devoted to Maritime Safety Information
The Maritime Safety Information (MSI) section was launched by the Met Office at 12:00 BST on Monday 4th September 2006 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The new section provides access to the Shipping and Inshore Waters forecasts and real-time integration of the latest gale warnings and storm warnings. Forecast and warnings are also available in plain text for those with slower connections at sea. The links on this site to the forecasts and warnings issued by the Met Office have been updated accordingly.
It is noted that the High Seas forecast for Met Area I is available via these pages on the Met Office web site.
  Click here for access to the meteorological MSI information now provided by the Met Office (this links takes you out of this site).

Provision of Marine Weather Services via HM Coastguard.
With effect from 1st February 2007, very significant improvements in the provision of Marine Safety Information to mariners in UK waters were introduced. These improvements were the result of much hard work on the part of HM Coastguard, various staff in the Met Office, the Hon Secretary of the CYCC and many other individuals who helped in the discussions resulting in the changes.
Frank Singleton has provided a detailed overview of the changes including a listing of the schedules on his web site:
  Click here for a summary of the revised MSI services provided via HM Coastguard (this links takes you out of this site).
  Click here for details of the various MSI broadcasts available in UK waters (this link takes you out of this site).

Schedules of the Fleet Weather and Oceanographic Centre's radio-fax broadcasts of Meteorological products from Northwood UK (North Atlantic and Gulf schedules now available).
  Click here to access the schedule.

Sea areas used in forecasts issued by the Met Office and Météo-France
  Click here for background information re the current set of sea areas. Access the List of co-ordinates of the UK areas

The FTP mail service of the NWS Washington for the provision of shipping forecasts by e-mail. Guidance is given for accessing the main Shipping Forecast and High Seas forcasts issued by the Met Office at Exeter as well as for accessing forecasts for other High Seas areas.
  Click here for details

Meteorological information for the Oceans – Links to the Official forecasts for the High Seas world-wide are provided above via the GMDSS page. The UK Met Office has a very useful section on its web site providing information re tropical storms world-wide. Information includes links to forecasts for storms and provides a wealth of useful information including tracks of previous storms. The US Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Portal site provides access to met information provided by the US for various areas in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. MSL wind and MSLP forecasts for most oceanic areas can be accessed via the FNMOC site (NOGAPS). Forecast information for part of the Indian Ocean is also provided by Reunion

Special Note: Sources of meteorological information on the Internet are not guaranteed and therefore must not be relied upon. Several of the links on the attached pages are provided by Universities and they have no operational requirement to ensure that the information is up-to-date. Also the information provided by the National Meteorological Services via the Internet is not part of an operational service. If your safety is at stake you should ensure that you have the correct equipment (NAVTEX & SafetyNET receivers) to receive warnings and forecasts provided as part of the GMDSS. Note that many sites have copyright restrictions and, in general, the information must not be used for commercial gain unless permission has been obtained either from the Meteorological Service concerned or from the provider of the information.
E-mail contact:< tempusfugit#zetnet.co.uk> (replace # with @ and please put a sensible subject heading.
©Martin W Stubbs 9 June 2010