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Parameters

WIND

Figure 1: Surface winds over the Eastern Mediterranean

Source: http://www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/weather_forecast.html
[Accessed 14/1/08]

What is it?

… “Air is a fluid which moves in circuits, powered by unequal heating of large masses
of air. As the Earth's surface is warmed differentially, the air above these surfaces
absorbs different amounts of heat. Warmer air rises while cool air sinks which creates
the environment for flowing air movement. Winds flow across parallels of latitude,
taking heat from equatorial regions to Polar Regions. This equalizing process causes
wind and is of major importance in determining the environments for life on land,
global as well as local weather patterns, ….”

Source: http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/units/energy/windguide.html [Accessed 14/1/08].

… “in climatology, (it is) the movement of air relative to the surface of the Earth. Winds
play a significant role in determining and controlling climate and weather. Wind occurs
because of horizontal and vertical differences (gradients) in atmospheric pressure.
Accordingly, the distribution of winds is closely related to that of pressure. Near the
Earth's surface, winds generally…”

Source: "Wind." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=79221

[Accessed 14/1/08].

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Definitions

Wind Speed: Wind speed is expressed in knots, m/sec, or km/hr. Gust winds are 1
second or 3 second averages, while mean winds are (either scalar or vector) averages
over a measurement period of 1 minutes, 10 minutes or 1 hour.

Wind Direction: True direction, in degrees, FROM which the wind is blowing
referenced to true north (O degrees T). The mean wind direction is the average over a
measurement period of 1 minutes, 10 minutes or 1 hour.

Reference Height: The standard reference height for wind data is 10 metres
above sea level or effective ground level. Wind data collected at heights other than 10
metres are normally corrected to 10 metres elevation using appropriate formulae.
Different formulae are used for onshore and offshore measurements. For more
information, see the PowerPoint presentation below under “Want to learn more?”

Gust to Mean Wind Ratios: There are empirical ratios defining the relationships
between mean winds at various intervals (gust, 1 min, 10 min, 1 hr). Different ratios
are used for onshore and offshore conditions, and for temperate climate and tropical
storm conditions. See the PowerPoint presentation below.

Beaufort Scale: Classification of the force of the winds in accordance with a scale
established by Rear-Admiral, Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805 in which the range of
intensity varies from 0 to 12, of integers (0 to 12) with a description of the state and
behaviour of a "well-conditioned man-of-war."

Figure 2: Beaufort Scale (for use at sea) Source: http://www.marine.gov.ie/display.asp?pg=1094 [originally

accessed 4/2/04].

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What’s the Relevance?

The weather impacts all our lives. At a personal level, we are perhaps most
interested in whether or not it will rain today, or what the temperature will be. The wind
– the form of atmospheric circulation – is the mechanism that brings that weather to
us. Occasionally that circulation becomes aggressive and we experience strong wind
conditions in the form of extra-tropical storms, hurricanes or local thunderstorms. The
type of weather and the severity of the wind speeds experienced vary from region to
region.

What are the winds like where you live? Find out NOW what the local wind speed and
direction are at your nearest land weather station by checking either Yahoo, or CNN,
or the BBC.

Why and Where Does it Matter for Shell?

Wind matters because it puts loads on whatever we put in place, whether it is

onshore or offshore. We need to be sure that whatever we build or put on location can
withstand the wind loads likely to be encountered in that region, but equally is not
over-designed for the job.

Wind also impacts everyday operations, so again the design needs to be sure that
downtime is kept to an economic minimum.

For an offshore structure, wind is not normally the dominant load source. But
wind is all-important. It is the driver that generates the waves and the currents in the
ocean, and these loads do have potential significant impact. But more about waves
and currents later.

Want to learn more? (Optional)

 Have a look at this short PowerPoint presentation.

 Search the web for relevant sites.

 Refer to relevant books and publications in your OU or local library.

 Find out the highest mean wind and gust speeds that have been measured at
your local land weather station by contacting someone at the national Met Service
in your country.

 Post any questions in the Q&A area in TeleTOP.

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References

1. Yahoo weather. http://weather.yahoo.com/ [Accessed 14/1/08]

2. CNN Weather: http://weather.edition.cnn.com/weather/intl/forecast.jsp?

iref=wxglobaldefault [Accessed 14/1/08]

3. BBC Weather: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ [Accessed 14/1/08]

4. National Centre for Marine Research, Greece:

http://www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/weather_forecast.html [Accessed 14/1/08]

5. Oceanweather Inc. http://www.oceanweather.com/data/index.html [Accessed

14/1/08]

6. Weather on Line at http://www.weather-online.net/feature/cc190202.htm

[Accessed 14/1/08]

Additional Resources

1. Ocean Circulation [Open University Team, Published by Butterworth Heinemann,

2001, ISBN: 0750652780. Page 13 to 30.

2. Guide to wave analysis and forecasting [World Meteorological Office, WMO 702,
1998, ISBN : 92-63-12702-6. Downloadable from:
http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/amp/mmop/documents/WMO%20No%20702/WMO7
02.pdf [Accessed 14/1/08]

3. Google search: “wind”.