The Surface Wind On and Around Guam.

This study was designed to correlate the differences in the observed winds on and around Guam. From three years of data correlations were found between the gradient wind and the surface wind. The wind speed over land at 0000Z is 58% of the gradient wind speed and at 1200Z is 36% of the gradient wind speed. The wind speed over water is 73% of the gradient wind speed at all times. These percentages do not vary with the gradient wind direction. The gradient wind direction averages nearly the same as the surface wind direction, but large standard deviations indicate that considerable backing or veering can occur. The diurnal changes of the wind speed over land depend on where the wind is observed. Naval Air Station, Agana, shows the greatest diurnal changes of Guam's three wind recording stations. Wind gusts over water are equal to the gradient wind speed. Gust factors for land stations on Guam are slightly higher than those predicted by Atkinson (1974) for gusts over water. (Author)