Marine Meteorology and Media

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Marine Meteorology and Media

• The Neglected Ocean Front?
• Steven W. Lyons
• The Weather Channel

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What are the facts?

• At least 60 of US population lives within 100
  miles of US coast
• Millions visit the coast annually
• Millions play in the ocean routinely
• Many are novice mariners
• Many die each year from rip currents!
• Devastating storms hurricanes come from the
  ocean, RESULTING IN HUGE ECONOMIC LOSSES!
• Most are unaware of marine conservation needs,
  pollution prevention needs or coastal erosion
  problems

3
Private Sector Marine Users are
Diverse Media Is One Group

• 1) Instrument makers
• 2) Instrument users
• 3) Data collectors
• 4) Data processors
• 5) Data users
• 6) Real-time data users
• 7) Non-real time users
• 8) Data Value adders
• 9) Applied users
• 10) Research users
• 11) Individual users

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THE MEDIA

• A rather self-righteous group
• A very independent but dependent group
• A very powerful group
• A potentially biasing group
• A stubborn group
• A very competitive group
• A non-scientific group

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Media Can Be An Advertiser pro/con
for Marine Data
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Media Customers?

• The General Public (99 of customers)
• Marine Recreation
• Travelers/Hotels
• Emergency Management
• Small businesses affected by weather
• Other Media
• Many more

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Most media outlets provide only a small
fraction of marine information
Why?

• Ignorant of the need?
• Ignorant of the products available?
• Ignorant of how to apply marine data?
• Have not allotted time for marine weather in
  their programming?
• Need high resolution data that is not available?

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The Media Market

• The coastal US dominates population
• Residents living there do so to play in and/or
  near water
• Many boat, sail, cruise, jet ski, surf, fish,
  swim in the ocean
• The media should have a huge desire to cover
  these interests
• Ignorance about marine keeps them mostly in
  weather mode

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Some Common Private Sector Marine
Product Needs

• Winds
• Waves/Swells
• Wave Periods
• Maximum waves (climatology)
• Maximum winds (climatology)
• Lightning
• Currents/ Temperatures (multiple levels)
• Tides
• Marine Climatology
• Visibility
• Weather forecasts

• OIL COMPANIES

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Media Marine Data Needs?

• High temporal and spatial resolution data
• Wind, wave, swell, SST, air temperature and water
  visibility
• All within 1-15 miles of the coastline!
• Marine education

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Media Training in Marine Meteorology

• Much to be desired?
• No source to provide media marine training?
• Marine training by meteorology atmospheric
  science programs is minimal?
• Our competition focuses on land, hence so will
  we?
• Better no information than wrong information?

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Marine Data Resolution

• Is inadequate or absent
• Is inferior to land data
• Poor spatial/temporal resolution makes it of
  little value to the media?
• Media reqires quantitative not qualitative data?

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High Resolution Not Quantified
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Media Use of Marine Data

• Data are not available in desired locations?

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Media Use of Marine Data

• Media realizes there are large local changes in
  marine observations?
• Media decides not to show anything rather than
  show information representative of only a small
  portion of their viewers area?

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CONCLUSIONS

• 1) MEDIA CAN EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT MARINE
• WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (non
  scientific)
• 2) MEDIA MARINE DATA REQUIREMENTS (should be
  high)
• 3) MEDIA MARINE DATA NEEDS (high, coastal
  redundant)
• The Media needs high temporal and spatial
• resolution marine data and derived products
• for the immediate coastal zone (accessible on
  
• media market systems!

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THE END