At present, the contribution that VOS meteorological reports
make to operational meteorology, to marine meteorological services,
weather routeing services and to global climate studies is unique
and irreplaceable. During the past few decades, the increasing recognition
of the role of the oceans in the global climate system has placed
an even greater emphasis on the importance of marine meteorological
and oceanographical observing systems.
One of the continuing major problems facing meteorology
is the scarcity of data from vast areas of the world’s oceans
(so-called data sparse areas) in support of basic weather forecasting,
the provision of marine meteorological and oceanographic services
and climate analysis and research.
While meteorological satellites help substantially to overcome
these problems, data from more conventional platforms (in particular
VOS data) will remain essential for the foreseeable future, to provide
ground-truthing for the satellite observations, and to provide important
information that satellites cannot easily observe (notably pressure
measurements). In addition, the VOS provide an essential contribution
to the data input for the numerical weather prediction (NWP) models,
which are the basis of most present-day forecasts and warnings, and
provide real-time reports which can be used immediately in services
for the mariner. The reports from the ships at sea are also used operationally
in the preparation and promulgation of Maritime Safety Information
(MSI) forecasts and warnings of gales, as well as storms required
by the GMDSS (e.g., SafetyNET and NAVTEX), and issued to mariners
in accordance with the SOLAS Convention requirements.
Thus, without VOS observations, reliable and timely weather
forecasts for mariners could not be provided.