| ADCIRC |
ADvanced CIRCulation model |
2-D depth averaged hydrodynamic model (link) |
| Air Density (also Dens) |
Density of air at a given elevation above the surface (kg/m^3) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Altika |
Altimeter Ka-band onboard Saral satellite |
Aviso dataset (link) |
| Altimeter |
Device on a satellite that measures the height of the ocean’s surface/sea level |
Industry standard |
| AMSR2, AMSRE |
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (2, Earth Observing System) |
NSIDC dataset (link and link) |
| AngSpr |
Angular Spreading |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| APCP (also TPCP) |
Total precipitation (water equivalent) in cm |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| API |
American Petroleum Institute |
Industry standard (link) |
| Aquarius |
Satellite that measures sea surface salinity, wind, rain, and temperature |
JPL dataset (link) |
| ASCAT, ASCAT_B, ASCAT_C |
Advanced Scatterometer for measuring wind swaths |
NOAA dataset (link) |
| Bathymetry |
Measurement or chart of water depths |
Industry standard |
| Beaufort Scale |
An estimation of wind speed and sea state |
Industry standard (link) |
| BFI |
Benjamin-Feir Index or Steepness-Over-Randomness Ratio |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| Bias |
Mean of hindcast minus measured pairs |
Skill metric |
| BoM |
Bureau of Meteorology |
Australian government agency (link) |
| BOMOS |
Brazil Met-Ocean Study, original JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast |
| BOMOS-2 |
Brazil Met-Ocean Study, latest follow on to the BOMOS and BOMOSHU JIP hindcasts |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| BOMOSHU |
Brazil Met-Ocean Storm Hindcast Update, first extension of the BOMOS JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| Borgman Distribution |
Gumbel distribution of squared extremes |
Extreme distribution |
| Buoy |
Floating unmanned device that can be anchored or drifting that records winds, waves, and/or currents in a body of water |
Global measurement type |
| C3S |
Copernicus Climate Change Service |
ECMWF program (link) |
| CAD |
Computer-Automated Design |
Design and analysis software (link) |
| CAPE |
Convective Available Potential Energy (J/kg) |
Metocean parameter (link and link) |
| CASMOS |
CAspian Sea Met-Ocean Study, JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (paper and link) |
| CC |
Correlation Coefficient |
Skill metric |
| CD |
Current Direction (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CDF |
Cumulative Distribution Function |
Extremes distribution |
| CDi |
Current direction from tides only (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CDIP |
Coastal Data Information Program for wave measurements |
U.S. measurement program (e.g. link) |
| CDt |
Total current direction including tidal forcing (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CDr |
Residual (wind-driven only) current direction (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CFOSAT, CFOSAT-SWIM |
Chinese-French Oceanography Satellite |
Chinese-French dataset (link) |
| CFSR |
NCEP’s Climate Forecast System Reanalysis |
U.S. dataset (paper) |
| CldHt |
Cloud base height (m) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CMA |
China Meteorological Administration |
Chinese government agency (link) |
| C-MAN |
Coastal-Marine Automated Network |
U.S. measurement type |
| CMEMS |
Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service |
European agency (link) |
| Continental Shelf |
Zone bordering a continent extending from the low water line to the depth where there is a marked or steep descent towards a much greater depth |
Industry standard |
| Contour |
Line on a map representing points of equal value |
Industry standard |
| COWVR |
Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer |
JPL dataset (link) |
| CPI |
Central Pressure Index, estimated minimum SLP in the eye of a Tropical Cyclone |
Industry standard |
| CPRat |
Convective precipitation rate (cm/hr) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Cryosat2 |
Cryosphere Satellite 2, a satellite for estimating Arctic Sea ice thickness and concentration |
ESA dataset (link) |
| CS |
Current speed (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CSi |
Current speed from tides only (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CSt |
Total current speed including tidal forcing (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CSr |
Residual (wind-driven only) current speed (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| CSOWM |
Canadian Meteorological Center/Environment Canada Spectral Ocean Wave Model |
Canadian government software (paper) |
| CYGNSS |
Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System |
NASA dataset (link) |
| Deep Water |
Water deep enough such that surface waves are not affected by the ocean bottom |
Industry standard |
| DEM |
Digital Elevation Model |
Gridded elevation data (e.g. link) |
| DewPt |
Dew point (deg K or C) 2 m above surface |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| DH |
Depth of break in current profile (m) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| DMDIR |
Dominant Direction (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| DSPR |
Directional Spreading (deg) |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| DZ |
Depth at which current speed equals zero (m) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Duration |
Length of time the wind blows in nearly the same direction over the Fetch |
Industry standard |
| ECMWF |
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts |
European agency (link) |
| Eddy |
Circular movement of water formed on the side of a main current or where two adjacent currents flow opposite to each other |
Industry standard |
| Envisat |
Environmental Satellite, mission ended in 2012 |
ESA dataset (link) |
| ERA5 |
ECMWF Reanalysis v5 |
European dataset (paper and link) |
| ERS1/ERS1SCAT, ERS2/ERS2SCAT |
European Remote-Sensing Satellites, missions ended in 2011 |
ESA datasets (link) |
| ESA |
European Space Agency |
European government agency (link) |
| ETOT |
Total variance (m^2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| ETTSea |
Total variance of the Sea partition (m^2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| ETTSw |
Total variance of the Swell partition (m^2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| EUMETSAT |
European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites |
European government agency (link) |
| EV |
Extreme value |
Industry standard |
| Evap |
Evaporation (water equivalent), cm |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Extratropical (also extra-tropical) |
Mid-latitude storm system characterized by a low-pressure, cold-core center and associated with weather fronts |
Industry standard (link) |
| Extremal Analysis |
Method to produce return period extremes |
OWI derivative product |
| Eye |
Roughly circular area of comparatively light winds and fair weather at the center of a severe Tropical Cyclone |
Industry standard (link) |
| Eye wall |
Area of clouds surrounding the Eye |
Industry standard (link) |
| Fetch (also generating area) |
Area over which the winds are blowing at a fairly consistent speed and direction |
Industry standard |
| Fetch Length |
Horizontal distance in the direction of the wind over which a wind generates seas |
Industry standard |
| FEMA |
Federal Emergency Management Agency |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| ForceX, ForceY |
X and Y coordinates of wave-induced force per unit surface area |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| Forecast |
Prediction or estimate of future meteorological, oceanographic, and/or hydrodynamic conditions at a given place and time |
Industry standard |
| FORTRAN |
Programming language |
(link) |
| Frequency of Occurrence Tables |
Also referred to as joint frequency tables, bivariate distributions, or scatter diagrams. Table of counts when two metocean parameters occur simultaneously |
OWI derivative product |
| Galton Distribution |
Normal distribution of log heights |
Extreme distribution |
| GEBCO |
General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans |
Public Dataset (link) |
| GEOS3 |
Geodynamics and Earth Ocean Satellite |
JPL dataset (link) |
| GEOSAT-1, GEOSAT-2 |
European high resolution mapping satellite |
ESA dataset (link) |
| GEV |
Generalized Extreme Value Distribution |
Extreme Distribution |
| GFBS |
GROW-Fine Black Sea |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GFC-2 |
GROW-Fine Caribbean-2 |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GFEC |
GROW-Fine East Coast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GF-MED |
GROW-Fine Mediterranean Sea |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GF-NEPAC |
GROW-Fine Northeast Pacific |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GFNIND |
GROW-Fine Northern Indian Ocean |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GF-SEA |
GROW-Fine Southeast Africa |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GF-SOATL |
GROW-Fine South Atlantic (excludes WANE area) |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GIS |
Geographic Information System |
Mapping and analysis software (e.g. link) |
| GIST |
Grid Interpolation in Space and Time, used for interpolating synoptic winds and pressures |
OWI software |
| GlobWave |
ESA’s satellite observation dataset |
European dataset (link) |
| GLOW |
Gulf of Mexico LOng-term Weather hindcast study, see GOMOS |
OWI hindcast |
| GMI |
Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager |
NASA dataset (link) |
| GOM |
Gulf of Mexico |
Industry standard |
| GOMOS |
Gulf of Mexico Oceanographic Study replaces several older JIPs |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GPD |
Generalized Pareto Distribution |
Extreme Distribution |
| Gravity Wave |
Any water wave over 2 inches long whose velocity is controlled primarily by gravity |
Industry standard |
| Group Velocity |
Equal to one half the velocity of the individual waves within a group of waves in deep water |
Industry standard |
| GROW |
Global Reanalysis of Ocean Waves |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GROWFAB |
GROW Fine North Atlantic Basin |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| GROW-FINE |
Group of OWI hindcasts of sub basins around the globe that are finer than GROW |
OWI hindcast |
| GROW-HYDRO |
Sourced from the NRL HYCOM Global Reanalysis and processed into a user-friendly format by OWI |
OWI Dataset (link and link) |
| GROW-MET |
ERA5 atmospheric database processed into a user-friendly format by OWI |
OWI Dataset (link) |
| GROW-TIDE |
OWI’s tide product that uses the TPXO model |
OWI dataset (link and link) |
| GROW-Trop |
Global Tropical cyclone track, parameter, and statistics archive |
OWI dataset |
| Gumbel Distribution |
Fisher-Tippett Type-I distribution |
Extreme distribution (paper) |
| GUMSHOE |
GUlf of Mexico Storm Hindcast of Oceanographic Extremes, see GOMOS |
OWI hindcast |
| HCrest |
Maximum Crest Height |
Extremes metocean parameter (paper) |
| HCrestF |
Forristall Maximum Crest Height |
Extremes metocean parameter (paper) |
| Hindcast |
Statistical calculation determining probable past meteorological, oceanographic, and/or hydrodynamic conditions at a given place and time |
Industry standard |
| HKO |
Hong Kong Observatory |
Hong Kong government agency (link) |
| HMax |
Maximum Individual Wave Height |
Extremes metocean parameter (paper) |
| Hs (HSig) |
Significant Wave Height (HS, HS1/3) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| HSSea |
Significant Wave Height of the Sea partition, usually converted from ETTSea |
Metocean parameter |
| HSSw |
Significant Wave Height of the Swell partition |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| HSURi |
Height, SURge (tide), tide contribution to water level (cm) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| HSURr |
Height, SURge (residual), residual/wind-driven only contribution to water level (cm) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| HSURt |
Height, SURge (total), total water level including tide (see also WL) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Hurricane |
Tropical cyclone with a wind speed of 64 knots or higher |
Industry standard (link and link) |
| HY-2A, HY-2B, HY-2C, HY-2D |
Hai Yang 2{A, B, C, D} satellite with microwave sensors to measure winds, waves, sea surface temperatures, and ocean currents |
Chinese dataset (link) |
| HYCOM |
HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model |
3-D hydrodynamic model (link) |
| IBTrACS |
International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship |
U.S. Dataset (link) |
| IceCon |
Ice concentration expressed as a fraction |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| IceR |
Ice accretion rate on structures above the ocean surface |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| I-FORM |
Joint probability plots using KDE to generate return period contours |
OWI derivative product |
| IFREMER |
France’s satellite observation dataset hosting agency |
French agency (link) |
| INEGI |
National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics |
Mexican government agency (link) |
| Inflow Angle (also inflow inclination) |
Angle between the vertical component of the wind and the actual horizontal wind speed |
Metocean parameter for wind farm structures |
| INLINE |
In-Line Variance Ratio |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Insitu (also in situ) |
Latin phrase meaning in place or on site, it refers to model or measured datasets kept and maintained at OWI |
Industry standard |
| IOGP |
International Association of Oil and Gas Producers |
Industry coalition (link) |
| IOKA |
Interactive Objective Kinematic Analysis |
OWI software (paper) |
| ISO |
International Organization for Standardizations |
Industry standard (link) |
| Isobar |
Contour line of equal SLP |
Industry standard |
| Isobath |
Contour line of equal water depth |
Industry standard |
| Jason1, Jason2, Jason3 |
Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network |
JPL dataset (link, link, and link) |
| JIP |
IOGP Joint Industry Project |
Industry standard (link) |
| JMA |
Japan Meteorological Agency (includes RSMC Tokyo which handles tropical cyclone forecasting) |
Japanese government agency (link) |
| JPL |
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| JTWC |
Joint Typhoon Warning Center |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| Julian Date |
Number of days since January 1, 1900 (=1, January 2, 1900=2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| KDE |
Kernel Density Estimation |
Software |
| KInd |
K-Index for thunderstorm potential, (deg K) |
Metocean parameter (link and link) |
| KMA |
Korea Meteorological Administration |
South Korean government agency (link) |
| KNMI |
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute |
European government agency (link) |
| Knot |
Unit of speed equal to 1 nautical mile (1852 m or 6076.115 ft) per hour |
Industry standard |
| LIDAR |
LIght Detection And Ranging |
Instrumentation |
| LCL |
Lower confidence limit |
Extremes |
| MACH |
Mid Atlantic Current Hindcast |
OWI/UKMET/BMT ARGOSS joint hindcast (link) |
| Marine Growth |
Accumulation of hard and soft marine organisms on underwater structures, also known as biofouling |
Industry standard |
| MATLAB |
Proprietary multi-paradigm programming language developed by MathWorks |
Software (link) |
| Meteorological Convention |
From which the winds, waves, or currents are traveling clockwise from north |
Industry standard |
| Met-Ocean (also metocean) |
Meteorological and Oceanographic |
Industry standard |
| MHHW |
Mean Higher High Water |
Vertical tidal datum (link) |
| MHW |
Mean High Water |
Vertical tidal datum (link) |
| MLLW |
Mean Lower Low Water |
Vertical tidal datum (link) |
| MLW |
Mean Low Water |
Vertical tidal datum (link) |
| MO1 (also M01 and M1) |
First Spectral Moment (m^2/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| MO2 (also M02 and M2) |
Second Spectral Moment (m^2/s^2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| MODU |
Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit, also known as a jack-up rig, for temporary oil drilling in relatively shallow water |
Industry standard |
| MSL |
Mean Sea Level |
Vertical datum (link) |
| NAMOS |
North Australia Met-Ocean Study, original JIP hindcast which concentrates on tropical cyclones |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| NAMOS-II |
North Australia Met-Ocean Study-II, secondary JIP hindcast which concentrates on extratropical cyclones |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| NAMOS-3 |
North Australia Met-Ocean Study-3, latest tropical/operational JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast |
| NAMOS-Comp |
North Australia Met-Ocean Study-Comprehensive Operational Hindcast, follow on operational JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| NASA |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| Nautical mile |
Length of one minute of latitude, which is equal to 1852 m or 6067.115 ft |
Industry standard |
| NCDC |
National Climatic Data Center, now part of NCEI |
U.S. government agency |
| NCEI |
National Centers for Environmental Information |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NCEP |
National Centers for Environmental Prediction |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NDBC |
National Data Buoy Center |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NESDIS |
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NESS |
Northern European Storm Study, a coalition of oil companies and European governmental agencies |
Industry Standard |
| NetCDF |
Self describing binary file format readable on most operating systems |
Industry standard (link) |
| NEXTRA |
NUG EXTended Long-Term Oceanographic Study which includes both the North Sea and Norwegian Seas |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| NHC |
National Hurricane Center |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NOAA |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NODC |
National Oceanographic Data Center, now part of NCEI |
U.S. government agency |
| Non-exceedance Table |
Percentage of time that a value of a scalar metocean parameter is not exceeded |
OWI derivative product |
| Normals |
Term referring to all operability statistics that can be produced from operational time series |
OWI derivative product |
| NOS |
National Ocean Survey |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NRA |
NCEP Reanalysis, a very long term roughly 2x2 deg atmospheric hindcast |
U.S. government hindcast (paper) |
| NRL |
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NRT |
Near Real Time, for measurement data released nearly immediately after recording it, but not necessarily quality-controlled |
Industry standard |
| NSCAT |
NASA Scatterometer which flew on Japan’s Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS), mission ended in 1997 |
JPL dataset (link) |
| NSIDC |
National Snow and Ice Data Center |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| NUG |
NESS User’s Group, original North Sea hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| NWS |
National Weather Service |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| Oceanographic Convention |
To which the winds, waves, or currents are traveling clockwise from north |
Industry standard |
| Oceansat2, Oceansat3 |
Ocean Satellite |
Indian dataset (link) |
| ODGP |
Ocean Data Gathering Program |
Industry coalition (paper) |
| Operational |
Continuous time series |
OWI hindcast |
| OSMOSIS |
“Oceanweather Software Meteorological Oceanographic Study Information System” OWI’s software for viewing hindcast data by grid point |
OWI software (link) |
| OWI |
Oceanweather Inc. |
Private company (link) |
| OWI1G |
OWI’s first generation (retired) wave model |
OWI software |
| OWI3G |
OWI’s third generation wave model |
OWI software (paper and Forristall and Greenwood within paper) |
| OWITropPBL |
OWI’s Tropical Cyclone PBL Model |
Numerical model (paper) |
| PAMOS |
Pan-Arctic Met-Ocean Study, JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| PBL |
Planetary Boundary Layer |
Industry standard |
| PER |
Average period (s) |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| PERGOS |
Gulf hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| Persistence-Duration Tables |
Counts of hours spent below/above thresholds at fixed intervals |
OWI derivative product |
| Platform |
Large structure anchored to the ocean floor that extracts and stores oil and natural gas. Many platforms record meteorological data. |
Industry standard |
| PODAAC |
Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
U.S. government agency (link) |
| Point-Sort |
Hindcast time series data at a single grid point/node location |
Industry standard |
| PRate |
Total large scale precipitation rate (cm/hr), includes convective precipitation |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| PRE |
Surface PREssure, also an OWI file format for surface pressures |
Metocean parameter |
| Python |
Programming language |
(link) |
| PType |
Precipitation type (shorthand for 0=none, 1=rain, 2=thunderstorm, 3=freezing rain, 4=mix/ice, 5=snow, 6=wet snow, 7=rain-snow mix, 8=ice pellets, 9=graupel, 10=hail) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| PWD |
Peak Wave Direction of the total spectrum |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| QB |
Fraction of breaking waves |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| QC |
Quality Control |
Industry standard |
| QuikSCAT |
Quick Scatterometer carrying a SeaWinds instrument, mission ended in 2009 |
JPL dataset (link) |
| RADARSAT-2 |
Carries a SAR instrument, mission ended in 2017. |
Canadian dataset (link) |
| RapidScat |
International Space Station (ISS) scatterometer, mission ended in 2016. |
JPL dataset (link) |
| RCM1, RCM2, RCM3 |
RADARSAT Constellation Mission follow-on to RADARSAT-2 |
Canadian dataset (link) |
| Realtime |
Measurements disseminated immediately after recording |
Industry standard |
| Refraction |
Process by which the direction of a wave moving from deep to shallow water are changed (bending) |
Industry standard |
| RelHum |
Relative Humidity expressed as a percent at 1000 mb reference level |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| RMSE |
Root-Mean Square Error |
Skill metric |
| RMW |
Radius of Maximum Winds, distance from center of a hurricane to the maximum wind speed |
Industry standard (link) |
| Rose |
Polar plot showing percentages of pairs of directional/scalar metocean variables occurring simultaneously |
OWI derivative product |
| RP |
Return Period (years) |
Extremes |
| RSMC |
Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre operated by multiple countries |
French government agency (e.g. Reunion Island link) and Japan government agency (e.g. Tokyo link) |
| SAILDRONE |
Autonomous watercraft with measurement sensors deployable into hurricanes |
Private company (link) |
| Salin |
Salinity (PSU) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| SAR |
Synthetic Aperture Radar, usually onboard a satellite |
Industry standard |
| Satellite |
Measurement device that either orbits the earth (generally sun-synchronous) or remains in a geostationary position above a specific region of the earth |
Industry standard |
| SCATSAT1 |
Scatterometer Satellite-1, continuation of Oceansat-2 mission |
Indian dataset (link) |
| Scatterometer |
Device on a satellite that measures the roughness of the ocean surface, usually used to find wind speed and direction |
Industry standard |
| Sea partition (also Wind Waves) |
Primary partition of the waves which is influenced by the wind |
OWI software |
| Sea State |
Description of sea surface with regard to wave action, see Beaufort Scale |
Industry standard (link) |
| SEAFINE |
SEAMOS-South FINE Grid Hindcast, follow on to SEAMOS JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| SEAFINE-2 |
SEAMOS-South FINE Grid Hindcast-2, latest update beyond the SEAFINE hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| SEAMOS |
South East Asia Met-Ocean Study, original JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (Cardone and Grant 1994) |
| Seawater density |
Density of salt water |
Metocean parameter |
| SEMAR |
SEcretaria de Marine ARmada de Mexico |
Mexican government naval branch (link) |
| Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B, Sentinel3A, Sentinel3B, Sentinel6A |
Global monitoring constellation of satellite |
ESA datasets (link) |
| Shallow Water |
Water depth where surface waves may be affected by (“feel”) the ocean bottom |
Industry standard |
| ShrExp |
Shear Exponent |
Metocean parameter for wind farm structures |
| SI |
Scatter Index |
Skill metric |
| SLP |
Sea Level Pressure in millibars (mb) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| SMAP |
Soil Moisture Active Passive Data |
JPL and NSIDC dataset (link) |
| SMOS |
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity using a Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) |
ESA dataset (link) |
| SMS |
Surface-wave Modeling System |
Modeling and analysis software |
| SNEXT |
Southern North Sea EXTended hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| Snow |
Snowfall (water equivalent) in cm |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| SpecHum |
Specific Humidity expressed as a percent at 1000 mb reference level |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| SpecPk (also QP) |
Spectral Peakedness |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| Spectra |
Archive of variances or densities for each frequency by direction bin by time step at a location |
OWI dataset |
| SSH |
Sea surface height (cm) (see also HSURt), rise/fall of normal water level due to action of wind stress and/or atmospheric pressure reduction on the water surface |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| SSMI F08-F19 |
Special Sensor Microwave/Imager, includes wind speed measurements over many instruments |
U.S. dataset (link) |
| SSR |
Surface Net Solar Radiation (J/m^2) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Steep |
Average wave steepness defined as Hs divided by Wave Length |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| StdDev |
Standard Deviation |
Skill metric |
| Storm Peak Table |
Summary table of the maximum conditions for events over a threshold with sufficient time between peaks. Input into extremal analysis. |
OWI derivative product/Extremes |
| Surge (also Storm Surge) |
see SSH and HSURt |
Metocean parameter |
| SWAN |
Simulating Waves Nearshore |
Wave model (link) |
| Swell |
Wind-generated waves that have traveled out of their generating area |
Industry standard |
| Swell partition |
Secondary partition, excess variance that is not part of the sea partition |
OWI software |
| SWOT |
Surface Water and Ocean Topography altimeter |
JPL dataset (link) |
| Synoptic |
Weather conditions across a large area at a specific time |
Industry standard |
| Synoptic Chart |
Weather map of meteorological conditions at a specific time |
Industry standard |
| T01 (also TM) |
Mean Period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| T02 (also TZ) |
Mean Zero Crossing Period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TAir |
Air Temperature (deg K or C) 2 m above surface |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TAMOMS |
Tanzania Mozambique Met-Ocean Study, JIP hindcast |
OWI JIP hindcast (link) |
| TAWS |
Tropical Analyst Workstation |
OWI software (paper) |
| TC |
Crest Period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TCWC |
Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre of Wellington, New Zealand, part of MetService |
New Zealand state-owned agency (link) |
| TE |
Energy Period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TI |
Ambient, Characteristic, or Effective Turbulent Intensity (m/s) |
Metocean parameter for wind farm structures |
| Time series (also timeseries) |
Archive of metocean parameters for a single grid point (ASCII format) or points (NetCDF) by time |
OWI deliverable |
| TMI |
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission’s (TRMM) Microwave Imager |
NASA dataset (link) |
| TMM10 |
Mean absolute wave period (s) |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| TOPEX/Poseidon |
Topography Experiment/Poseidon altimeter for studying ocean circulation mission ended in2006 |
French and JPL dataset (link) |
| TotJSGam |
Total JONSWAP Gamma, peak enhancement factor |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TotJSHs |
(Total) Wave height (m) from JONSWAP fitting |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TotJSTp |
(Total) Peak period (sec) from JONSWAP fitting |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TP |
Peak period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TPSea |
Peak spectra period of the sea partition (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TPSw |
Peak spectral period of the swell partition (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TPXO |
Tidal harmonic dataset |
Dataset and software (link) |
| Tropical Cyclone |
A warm-core non-frontal synoptic-scale cyclone, originating over tropical or subtropical waters, with organized deep convection and a closed surface wind circulation about a well-defined center |
Industry standard (link) |
| TS |
Significant Period (sec) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| TSea |
Seawater temperature (deg K or C) at surface |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| U or UVel |
Velocity towards the east (typically wind or current) |
Metocean parameter |
| UBOT |
RMS of the maxima of the orbital motion near the bottom (m/s) |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| UCL |
Upper confidence limit |
Extremes |
| UKMCAS |
UK Met Office Marine and Climate Advisory Service |
U.K. government dataset(s) (link) |
| UKMET |
United Kingdom Met Office |
U.K. government agency (link) |
| UniPost |
Universal Post Processor NetCDF file format for delivering OWI datasets |
OWI Hindcast dataset |
| UNIWAVE |
Full spectral wave hindcast model |
OWI software (paper and Forristall and Greenwood within paper) |
| URMS |
RMS of the Orbital motion near the bottom (m/s) |
SWAN metocean parameter (link) |
| UStar |
Friction velocity (m/s) |
Metocean parameter |
| V or VVel |
Velocity towards the north (typically wind or current) |
Metocean parameter |
| VDIR |
Current direction (deg) associated with VS |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| VH |
Current speed at mid-depth of profile (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Visib |
Visibility (m) at 1000 mb reference height |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| VMD |
Vector Mean Direction (deg) of waves |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| VMDSea |
Vector Mean Direction of the sea partition (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| VMDSw |
Vector Mean Direction of the swell partition (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| VS |
Surface current speed (cm/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| WAM |
WAve Model, WAMDI’s third-generation ocean wave prediction model |
Industry software (paper) |
| WAMDI |
WAve Model Development and Implementation Group |
Industry and governmental coalition |
| WANE |
West Africa Normals and Extremes hindcast follow on to WAX hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| Wave Length |
Horizontal distance between two successive waves measured perpendicularly to the crest |
Industry standard |
| Wave Spectra |
Tables of distribution of wave energy (usually variance or density) as a function of wave frequency by wave direction |
OWI deliverable |
| WAX |
West Africa eXtremes, original JIP hindcast |
OWI hindcast (link) |
| WD |
Wind direction (deg) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| Weibull Distribution |
Generalization of the exponential distribution |
Extremes distribution |
| WIN |
OWI file format for U, V components of the wind |
OWI file format |
| Wind Shear |
Change in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short vertical distance |
Metocean parameter for wind farm structures |
| WindSat |
Wind Satellite is a polarimetric microwave radiometer onboard the Coriolis satellite |
NOAA dataset (link) |
| WL |
Water level (cm) (see also HSURt) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| WMO |
World Meteorological Organization |
Agency (link) |
| WS |
Wind speed (m/s) |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| WS#X |
Extratropical wind speed gust (m/s), e.g. WS3s=3 sec gust |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| WS#Xt |
Wind speed gust (m/s) associated with tropical cyclones, e.g. WS3sT=3 sec gust |
Metocean parameter (link) |
| WW3 |
WaveWatch III |
U.S. wave model (paper) |
| WWS |
Wind WorkStation |
OWI software (paper) |
| YYYYMMDDHH |
Year-Month-Day-Hour in UTC |
Metocean parameter (link) |
