Seastate Barf-O-Meter Index (version 2.3)

This is the second enhanced edition of the "Barf-O-Meter Index." This Index is now overlayed on the Beaufort scale. I have added a color coding that would be useful for the Beaufort scale. The Barf-O-Meter is a half parody/half serious attempt to measure likelihood of seasickness on a specific sea transit in any kind of vessel giving equal weighting to wind speed and wave height.

I will just comment that Beaufort assumes that wind determines waves. Here in Hawaii we know that sometimes Low Pressure determines waves thousands of miles away independent of wind, and so I created the index that gives almost equal weighting to both with slightly more weighting to wave. There are many aspects to measuring seastates and seasickness that could be further developed by a graduate student somewhere. There are a few more nuances about Beaufort that I noticed, for example the the exact range of wind and wave measurements, but for now I will get into the:

Seastate Barf-O-Meter Index v.2.3

Copyright - Brad Parsons

Barf------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Int'l
Threat-Color-Beaufort- Puke--------Wind-Speed---------Wave-Height---- ---Barf-----WMO*
Level - Code- Force----Prospect---knots-----km/h-----feet--------meters-- -Index*- Class -- Conditions

1----- -White----0-------Possible---0 - 10---0 - 19---- 0-[2]-3--- 0-[.6]-.9 --0 - 20--Calm-----Flat
------------------1-------Puking - --------------------------------------------------------Light Air---Ripples
------------------2-------Unlikely ----------------------------------------------------Light Breeze- -Sm. wavelets
------------------3-------Seasickness ---------------------------------------------Gentle Breeze ---Lg. wavelets

2-------Yellow---4-------Scattered--11-16---20-29-----3.3-6.3---1M-1.9M---21-35--Moderate-Small wave
---------------------------Puking - ---------------------------------------------------------Breeze--
---------------------------Less than Likely Seasickness

3-------Orange--5-------Rising-----17-21---30-39-----6.6-9.6---2M-2.9M---36-51--Fresh----Moderate wave
---------------------------Puking - --------------------------------------------------------Breeze
---------------------------Somewhat Likely Seasickness

4--------Red-----6-------Probable--22-27---40-50-----9.9-13---3M-3.9M---52-67--Strong----Large wave
---------------------------Puking - --------------------------------------------------------Breeze
---------------------------Likely Seasickness---------------------------------------------U.S. Small Craft Adv.

5-------Purple---7------Widespread-28-33--51-61-----13.3 -----4M-5.4M-- 68-88--Near Gale--Seas heap
---------------------------Puking - --------------------------17.9-------------------------U.S. Small Craft Adv.
---------------------------More than Likely Seasickness

6-------Brown---8-------Definite-----34-40---62-75----18.3 -----5.5M - -- -89-110--Gale-----Mod high wave
-------Borderline--------Puking - ---------------------------22.9-------6.9M-------------U.S. Gale Warning
--Unsafe Conditions----Very Likely Seasickness

7-------Black---9--------Deathly-----41-47---76-87----23.3 -----7M - -- -111-137--Strong Gale--High wave
--Unsafe Conditions-------Puking - ---------------------------29.6-------8.9M-------------U.S. Gale Warning
---------------------------Certain Seasickness

Copyright - Brad Parsons

* The Barf Index is calculated in the U.S.: Index = kn + (ft x 3),
and in metric International: Index = (km/hr)/1.85 + (M x 9.9).
This results in the same Barf Index for the whole wide world!
WMO above stands for World Meteorological Organization.

**I will add some info. later for Beaufort Force 10-12 that are not a part of the Barf Index. Force 10 and 11 are Tropical Storms and Force 12 is a Hurricane.

***I will also include a short list of additional links that I found useful and accurate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-sickness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9013985/Beaufort-scale
http://www.howtoons.com/toon/the-beaufort-scale/
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/beaufort.html
http://www.cruise-charter.net/sailing-guide/beaufort-scale.aspx
http://hisuperferry.blogspot.com/2008/01/hi-superferry-survey-of-seasickness-on.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy17uGiocMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g20Qho-JeRA

****Here in Hawaii the source of data with RSS feeds for seastate conditions in wind knots and the higher of two wave heights should be: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/CWF.php. For those of you in New Zealand, the following site is useful for the Cook Strait weather data: http://www.metservice.com/default/index.php?alias=wellingtoninshore and the following site for the slower but necessary ferry service there: http://www.interislander.co.nz/.

Shared primary credit for the ongoing development of this original concept goes to Dick on Maui. Additional thanks to Larry Geller for pushing for its development and for publicizing its existence, to Greg on Maui for pointing out the usefullness of the related Beaufort scale, to Keone on Kauai for developing the thrust of the Puke Prospect nomenclature, to Jonathan on Kauai for his alliteration inspiration, and thanks to Richard in New Zealand for requesting that international metric be included and for pursuing the story.

This has been a Smartypants Guerrilla Research PR Presentation of the Pan-Polynesian Project.