Methods to homogenize wind speeds from ships and buoys

• Published in: International journal of climatology Vol. 25; no. 7; pp. 979 - 995
• Main Authors: Thomas, Bridget R., Kent, Elizabeth C., Swail, Val R.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 15-06-2005; Wiley
• Subjects: bias; buoy; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Geophysics. Techniques, methods, instrumentation and models; Marine; Meteorology; Other topics in atmospheric geophysics; ranked regression; VOS; wind speed; Data analysis; Buoy; Mooring; wind speed; regression analysis; Time series; Wind velocity; Velocity distribution; troposphere; Long term; Ship observation; Merchant marine; homogenization; bias; Marine meteorology; Observation data; buoy: VOS; ranked regression
• ISSN: 0899-8418; 1097-0088
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.1176

Marine winds reported by Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) and moored buoys require adjustment to provide a homogeneous record of the marine climate. Known sources of inhomogeneity arise from differences in measurement height and method, averaging method and atmospheric stability; methods are available to correct for these. However, significant differences remain in a paired dataset of ship and buoy winds. Regression methods to remove this remaining inconsistency are discussed, and a ranked regression method chosen as most appropriate to adjust ship wind speeds to yield a similar distribution. We show the factors, such as vessel type, that affect the regression results. The corrections, derived from a high‐quality paired dataset with rigorous quality control, are effective at reducing inhomogeneity in monthly mean wind speed distributions derived from the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set. Copyright © 2005 Environment Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.