There are five different weather systems that are constantly operating on the Earth that

directly affect navigation. These are:

I. Global Winds
Earth’s orbit around the sun and its rotation on a tilted axis causes some parts of Earth
to receive more solar radiation than others. This uneven heating produces global
circulation patterns.
- Wind itself is not as influential to navigation today as it was in the era of sailboats
because most vessels are power-driven, but when talking about global winds, this
weather system dictates the weather conditions in different parts of the world in
that it is the source of uneven air masses.
II. Air Masses
Global winds drive large bodies of air called air masses. These masses are thousands of
meters thick and extend over large portions of the Earth’s surface. These air masses
push each other away which is why there are differing weather conditions in different
areas of the Earth.
- This affects navigation in that it directly influences weather in large distances
which is essential when plotting a voyage.
III. Fronts
The location where these air masses meet are called fronts. These fronts are usually
shown in weather maps wherein cold fronts are displayed in blue whilst warm fronts are
displayed in red. Cold fronts on weather maps indicate a cold air mass replacing a warm
air mass and warm fronts indicate a warm air mass replacing a cold air mass.
- This affects navigation in that seafarers must be aware of fronts in order to prepare
for changes in temperature, humidity, and weather in general which occurs in
these fronts.

IV. Jet Streams

Jet streams are narrow bands of wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere which steer
weather systems and transfer heat and moisture around the globe.
- This affects navigation because it directly affects weather conditions.
V. Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis Effect is the pattern of deflection followed by objects that are not firmly
connected to the ground as they travel long distances around the Earth.
- The Coriolis Effect directly affects navigation because it is what causes winds to
pull surface water with them which creates currents.