BUOY

Report of a buoy observation
Section 0

ZZYY A1 bw nbnbnb YY MM J GGgg iw Qc LaLaLaLaLa LoLoLoLoLoLo (6 Ql Qt QA/)

Section 1

(111 QdQx 0dd ff 1sn TTT {2sn TdTdTd or 29 UUU} 3 PoPoPoPo 4 PPPP 5 a ppp)

Section 2

(222 QdQx 0sn TwTwTw 1 PwaPwa HwaHwa 20 PwaPwaPwa 21HwaHwaHwa)

Section 3

(333 Qd1 Qd2 (8887 k2 2z0z0z0z0 3 T0T0T0T0 4 S0S0S0S0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2znznznzn 3 TnTnTnTn 4 SnSnSnSn) (66 k6 9 k3 2z0z0z0z0 d0d0 c0c0c0 . . . . . . . . . . 2znznznzn dndn cncncn))

Section 4

(444 (1QP Q2 QTW Q4) (2QN QL QA QZ ) {(QcLaLaLaLaLa LoLoLoLoLoLo) or (YYMMJ GGgg/) (7VBVB dBdB)} (8ViViViVi (9/Zd ZdZd))


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.)

bw


Sub-area belonging to the area indicated by A1





nbnbnb


Type and serial number of buoy

YY


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

MM


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

J


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

GGgg

Time of observation, in hours and minutes (UTC)

iw


Indicator for source and units of wind speed.


0   Wind speed estimated                  Wind speed in m/s
1   Wind speed obtained from anemometer   Wind speed in m/s
3   Wind speed estimated                  Wind speed in knots
4   Wind speed obtained from anemometer   Wind speed in knots



Qc

Quadrant of the globe.
Code figure Latitude Longitude
1 North East
3 South East
5 South West
7 North West

Note: The choice is left to the observer in the following cases:

When the ship is on the Greenwich meridian or the 180th meridian (LoLoLoLo = 0000 or 1800 respectively):
Qc = 1 or 7 (northern hemisphere) or
Qc = 3 or 5 (southern hemisphere);
When the ship is on the Equator (LaLaLa = 000):
Qc = 1 or 3 (eastern longitude) or
Qc = 5 or 7 (western longitude).



LaLaLaLaLa

Latitude, in thousandths of a degree

LoLoLoLoLoLo

Longitude, in thousandths of a degree.

Ql

Quality control indicator for position (See Table)

Qt

Quality control indicator for time (See Table)

QA

Location quality class (range of radius of 66% confidence) time (See Table)

QZ

Indicator of depth correction (Indication whether probe depths are corrected using hydrostatic pressure or not) time (See Table)

QdQx

Quality control indicator

Q
d is a quality control indicator for the section (See Table). If all data groups have the same quality control flag value, Qd shall be coded with that value and Qx shall be set to 9. If only one data group in the section has a quality control flag other than 1, Qd shall be coded with that flag and Qx shall indicate the position of this group within the section. If more than one data group have a quality control flag greater than 1, Qd shall be set to the greater flag value and Qx shall be set to 9. When Qx shows the position of the data group, it should be relative to the group containing Qx. For example, Qx=1 refers to the data group immediately following.

dd


True dirction, in tens of degrees, from which wind is blowing

Code			
figure				
00	Calm		
01	5-14
02	15-24
03	25-34

etc.	etc.

36	335-4
99	Variable, or all directions or unknown or waves 
	confused, direction indetermininate


ff


Wind speed, in units indicated by iw

sn


Sign of the data


code
figure
0	Positive or zero
1	Negative


TTT


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

TdTdTd


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

UUU


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

PoPoPoPo


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

PPPP


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

a


Characteristic of pressure tendency during the 3 hours preceding the time of observation

Code
figure
0	Incresing, then decreasing; atmospheric pressure the same or higher 
        than 3 hours ago
1	Increasing, then steady;or increasing then increasing more slowly;
	atmospheric pressure now higher than 3 hours ago
2	Increasing (steadily or unsteadily); atmospheric pressure now higher 
        than 3 hours ago
3	Decreasing or steady, then increasing; or increasing, then increasing 
	more rapidly; atmospheric pressure now higher than 3 hours ago
4	Steady; atmospheric pressure the same as 3 hours ago
5	Decreasing, then increasing; atmospheric presure the same or lower 
	than 3 hours ago
6	Decreasing, then steady; or decreasing, then decreasing more slowly; 
	atmospheric pressure now lower than 3 hours ago
7	Decreasing (steadily or unsteadily); atmospheric pressure now lower 
	than 3 hours ago
8	Steady or increasing, then decreasing; or decreasing, then decreasing 
	more rapidly; atmospheric pressure now lower than 3 hours ago



ppp


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

TwTwTw


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

PwaPwa


Period of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in seconds

HwaHwa


Height of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in units of 0.5 metre

PwaPwaPwa


Period of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in tenths of a second
P
waPwaPwa shall be reported in addition to PwaPwa when the following conditions have been met:
(a) The sea is not calm (i.e. P
waPwaHwaHwahas not been reported as 0000)
(b) P
waPwahas not been reported as //
(c) The station has the capability of accurately measuring instrumental wave period in units of 0.1 second

HwaHwaHwa


Height of waves, obtained by instrumental methods, in units of 0.1 metre

P
waPwaPwa shall be reported in addition to PwaPwaHwaHwa when the following conditions have been met:

(a) The sea is not calm (i.e. PwaPwaHwaHwahas not been reported as 0000)
(b) H
waHwahas not been reported as //
(c) The station has the capability of accurately measuring instrumental wave period in units of 0.1 meter



Qd1

Quality control indicator for temperature/salinity profile (See Table)

Qd2

Quality control indicator for current profile (See Table)

k2

Method of salinity/depth measurement

Code
figure
0	No salinity measured
1	In situ sensor, accuracy better than 0.02 per mill
2	In situ sensor, accuracy less than 0.02 per mill
3	Sample analysis


z0z0z0z0
z
1z1z1z1
z
nznznzn

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


T0T0T0T0
T
1T1T1T1
T
nTnTnTn

Teperatures, in hundredths of a degree Celsius, at either significant or selected depths starting with sea surface

For negative temperatures, 5000 shall be added to the absolute value of the temperature in hundredths of a degree Celsius.


S0S0S0S0
S
1S1S1S1
S
nSnSnSn

Salinity, in hundredths of a part per thousand, at either significant or selected depths starting with sea surface.

k6

Method of removing the velocity and motion of the ship or buoy from current measurement

Code
figure
0	Ship's motion removed by averaging. Ship's velocity 
	removed by bottom tracking
1	Ship's motion removed by motion compensation. Ship's 
	velocity removed by bottom tracking
2	Ship's motion not removed. Ship's velocity removed 
	by bottom tracking
3	Ship's motion removed by averaging. Ship's velocity 
	removed by navigation
4	Ship's motion removed by motion compensation. Ship's 
	velocity removed by navigation
5	Ship's motion not removed. Ship's velocity removed by 
	navigation
6	Doppler current profiling method not used.
7-9	Reserved

Note: Code figures 0, 1, 2 and 6 are also used for drifting buoys.

k3

Duration and time of current measurement (vector or Doppler current profiling method)
Code
figure
1 Instantaneous between H-1 and H
2 Averaged over 3 minutes or less
3 Averaged over more than 3 minutes, but 6 at the most
4 Averaged over more than 6 minutes, but 12 at the most
5 Instantaneous between H-2 and H-1
6 Averaged over 3 minutes or less
7 Averaged over more than 3 minutes, but 6 at the most
8 Averaged over more than 6 minutes, but 12 at the most
9 Vector or Doppler current profiling method not used
Note: H = time of observation.


d0d0
d
1d1
d
ndn

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

Code			
figure				
00	Calm		
01	5-14
02	15-24
03	25-34

etc.	etc.

36	335-4
99	Variable, or all directions or unknown or waves 
	confused, direction indetermininate




c0c0c0
c
1c1c1
c
ncncn

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


QP


Quality of the pressure measurement

Code
figure
0	Value within specified limits
1	Value outside specified limits


Q2


Quality of the housekeeping parameter (second word in first block of ARGOS platform trasmitters terminal sensor data)

Code
figure

0	Value within limits
1	Value outside limits


QTW


Quality of the measurement of the water-surface temperature

Code
figure

0	Value within limits
1	Value outside limits


Q4


Quality of the measurement of air temperature

Code
figure

0	Value within limits
1	Value outside limits


QN


Quality of the buoy satellite transmission


Code
figure

0	Good quality (several identical reports have been received)
1	Dubious quality (no identical reports)


QL


Quality of location

Code
figure
0 The value transmitted at the beginning of the report is a reliable value (location made over two satellite passes)
1 The values at the beginning of the report are the latest known values (no location over the corresponding pass)
2 Dubious quality. The location was made over one pass only; a second solution is possible in five per cent of the cases


QcLaLaLaLaLa LoLoLoLoLoLo in Section 4


These two groups shall be transmitted only when Q
L=2 (location over one pass only) and they give the position of the second possible solution (symmetrical to the satellite subtrack)
(Same coding as in Section 0)

YYMMJ GGgg/ in Section 4

The groups YYMMJ GGgg/ give the exact time of the last known position and shall be transmitted only when QL = 1 together with the following 7VBVBdBdB
VBVB

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

dBdB

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

ViViViVi

Information on the engineering status of the buoy
The number of groups 8V
iViViVi contaning information on the engineering status of the buoy shall not exceed three.

id

Indicator for the type of drogue (to be defined at a later time; at present, id = 0 should be used).


ZdZdZd

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