5/29/2015 Douglas sea scale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Douglas sea scale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Douglas Sea Scale is a scale which measures the height of the waves and also measures the swell of the sea.
The scale is very simple to follow and is expressed in one of 10 degrees.

Contents
1 The scale
1.1 State of the sea (wind sea)
1.2 Swell
1.3 Wave length and height classification
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

The scale
The Douglas sea scale, also called the "international sea and swell scale", was devised in the 1920s by Captain H.P.
Douglas, who later became vice admiral Sir Percy Douglas and hydrographer of the Royal Navy. Its purpose is to
estimate the roughness of the sea for navigation. The scale has two codes: one code is for estimating the sea state,
the other code is for describing the swell of the sea.[1]

State of the sea (wind sea)

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Degree Height (m) Description

0 no wave Calm (Glassy)

1 0–0.10 Calm (rippled)

2 0.10–0.50 Smooth

3 0.50–1.25 Slight

4 1.25–2.50 Moderate

5 2.50–4.00 Rough

6 4.00–6.00 Very rough

7 6.00–9.00 High

8 9.00–14.00 Very high

9 14.00+ Phenomenal

Swell

Degrees Description

0 No swell

1 Very Low (short and low wave)

2 Low (long and low wave)

3 Light (short and moderate wave)

4 Moderate (average and moderate wave)

5 Moderate rough (long and moderate wave)

6 Rough (short and heavy wave)

7 High (average and heavy wave)

8 Very high (long and heavy wave)

9 Confused (wavelength and height indefinable)

Wave length and height classification

Wave length

Short wave 100 m –

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Average wave 100–200 m

Long wave 201 m +

Wave height

Low wave 2 m –
Moderate wave 2–4 m
High wave 4.01 m +

See also
Beaufort scale
Fujita scale
Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale
Sea state
Significant wave height
TORRO scale

References
1. UK Meteorological Office Fact Sheet 6 (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/b/7/Fact_sheet_No._6.pdf),
accessed 24 Sept 2012

External links
EuroWEATHER–Douglas scale (http://www.eurometeo.com/english/read/doc_douglas)

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Categories: Hazard scales Water waves

This page was last modified on 8 April 2015, at 03:55.

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