Meteorological Safety of Entering Eastern Adriatic Ports

Traffic and sea shipping industry are perhaps the most important economic activities in modern economic and social development of the world. Basic features and the meaning of sea shipping industry, as one of the constituent parts of multimodal transport, emerge primarily from special characteristics of the sea as a transportation way. Ports represent a great economic power; they play an essential role in the international and national economies, as well as in the global commodity exchange. They are of special importance because they are primary starting points for marine economy development. Numerous factors are relevant for the role and development of ports and port systems, and the most important ones include natural characteristics of ports, such as the depth and spatiality of the port maritime zone, shelter from winds, waves, sea currents and tides, and climate features. The recognition of the importance of meteorology for maritime activities has even changed the schooling of seamen; educational programme have been adjusted according to WMO recommendations, ships have been equipped with the state-of-the-art meteorological and navigational devices, and once the satellites were introduced the meteorological service has reached a high level of development and forecast accuracy. Therefore, marine meteorology should not be neglected; it should be given as much importance so as to become a constituent part of the skill for choosing the best and optimal shipping route. Marine meteorology (which includes the river meteorology as well) provides weather information to various maritime and river transportation activities. First of all, it refers to information on the state of wind and sea. Considering the importance of understanding the weather and climate of the area where a port is located, this paper provides a detailed overview of the climatological elements, including wind roses, for each of the presented ports: Rijeka, Zadar (Gaženica), Split (North Port), Ploče and Dubrovnik (Gruž).

Georg von Neumayer: his influence on marine meteorology in the German Meteorological Service

Georg von Neumayer achieved outstanding scientific results and created the organisational framework for the successful completion of scientific tasks. Returning from Australia, Neumayer aimed to set up in Germany a state-owned centre for marine meteorology, hydrography, navigation, marine instruments and geomagnetism, with an emphasis on scientific research with practical application of the findings. Since 1868, a successfully operating private institute, Norddeutsche Seewarte, had existed in Hamburg. This institute provided instructions for sailing routes and the optimal use of favourable winds and currents. In 1875, the institute was transformed into an imperial institution, the ‘Deutsche Seewarte’ (German Marine Observatory), with a broad spectrum of marine responsibilities including meteorological forecasts and warnings, data acquisition and management, and climatology. Its first director was Georg von Neumayer, who led it to worldwide recognition. In 1903, he retired but the Deutsche Seewarte continued in his spirit. At the end of World War II, the institute was destroyed by bombs and ceased to exist. Today, the tasks are shared between Marine Meteorological Office of the Deutscher Wetterdienst specialising in the marine meteorological and related topics and the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency.