Overview of how weather works: The atmosphere and principles of how clouds form; observing cloud types and what they mean to a mariner.

Review of basic pressure and wind concepts: How the atmosphere generates wind both surface and aloft. This is necessary for better understanding of reading weather maps.

The surface weather map: An overview of surface weather systems and their features (lows, fronts, and troughs; highs and ridges). Warning labels, and wind barbs and other surface chart symbols as depicted on Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) and Kodiak, AK fax broadcasts.

Local effects: Gap winds, Venturi & Wake Island effects (i.e., Puget Sound convergent zone, and the Alaska Peninsula).

Reinforcement: Reinforcement review questions / exercises will be administered to ensure that the concepts discussed for each learning objective (especially as they relate to the surface marine weather charts) are properly read and interpreted. Notebook and handout material will be provided to help complement note taking.

Virtual Voyage: Leaving Seattle, WA and heading to Unimak Pass to Bering Sea using the Weather Briefing Page from Lee Chesneau's Marine Weather.

Navigating for your weather information: How to access weather information from the public domain.