Seasonal and Interannual Variations over the Gulf of Maine: Comparisons of the National Data Buoy Center Observations and Eta Model Results

Results from the NOAA/NCEP Eta 221 AWIPS meteorological model and the North American Regional Reanalysis are compared with the observations taken by buoys and C-MAN stations in the Gulf of Maine to determine the model's ability to predict the weather over this particular body of water. The long time series provided by the buoys has allowed us to examine the interannual variations from the past two decades along with seasonal variations. Overall the model is fairly accurate and there are recognizable seasonal and interannual trends in the data. It was found that the model's strength lies in its consistency in predicting variables including temperature, sea level pressure, and wind direction and speed. Sea level pressure predictions prove especially accurate. In general the model's predictions are the weakest in the summer months.