Mariners have yet another web based source to assist them in voyage planning. M.O.S.T., the Marine Observing Systems Team, a part of NOAA, cooperates with other parts of the agency to develop applications and provide a detailed view of the ocean environment using satellite derived information.
Hourly snapshots of ocean surface winds at a height of 10m are gathered by satellite and are graphically presented on the site. The worldwide maps are divided into 20 X 30 degree “bins”. Simply click on the desired geographic area and zoom in for a closer view. Archived images are also available.
To access the site go to http://manati.wwb.noaa.gov/quickscat.