National Marine Verification Program: Verification Statistics

摘要

The Marine Prediction Branch of the National Meteorological Center has the responsibility to run the National Marine Verification Program. The technical note describes the forecast elements to be verified and the statistics used for the verification. Four elements are verified: Small Craft Advisories and warnings, wind direction, wind speed, and wave height. Periodic reports will be generated, and the data will be sent to the participating forecast offices to be used for local purposes. Brief descriptions of the statistics used are given in the text, while full derivations are given in an appendix. The application of the statistics to each element is described, and examples of the data sheets for each element are provided. Examples of comparative statistics are also shown. Future enhancements of the program are also described. Currently, only three forecast offices are included. Eventually all offices with marine responsibility will be included. More forecast elements will be added, and the High Seas forecasts as well as the Coastal and Offshore forecasts will be verified.