science

World Meteorological Organization squares

World Meteorological Organization squares is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand World Meteorological Organization squares rather than just read about it. In short: World Meteorological Organization (WMO) squares is a system of geocodes that divides a world map with latitude-longitude gridlines into grid cells of 10° latitude by 10° longitude, each with a unique, 4-digit numeric identifier. On the plate carrée projection, the grid cells appear square; however, if the Mercator projection is used, the grid cells appear 'stretched' vertically nearer the tops and bottoms of the map.

Key takeaways

World Meteorological Organization squares belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect World Meteorological Organization squares to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of World Meteorological Organization squares from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) squares is a system of geocodes that divides a world map with latitude-longitude gridlines into grid cells of 10° latitude by 10° longitude, each with a unique, 4-digit numeric identifier. On the plate carrée projection, the grid cells appear square; however, if the Mercator projection is used, the grid cells appear 'stretched' vertically nearer the tops and bottoms of the map. On the actual surface of the Globe, the cells are approximately "square" only adjacent to the Equator, and become progressively narrower and tapered (also with curved northern and southern boundaries) as they approach the poles, and cells adjoining the poles are unique in possessing three faces rather than four. Each 10°x10° square is allocated a number between 1000 and 7817. The numbering system is based first on "global quadrant" numbers where 1=NE, 3=SE, 5=SW, 7=NW which gives the initial digit of any square code (1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx, 7xxx). The second digit (x0xx through x8xx) indicates the number of tens of degrees latitude (north in global quadrants 1 and 7, south in global quadrants 3 and 5) of the 'minimum' square boundary (nearest to the Equator), i.e. a cell extending between 10°N and 20°N (or 10°S and 20°S) has this digit = 1, a cell extending between 20°N and 30°N has this digit = 2, etc. The third and fourth digits (xx00 through xx17) similarly indicate the number of tens of degrees of longitude of the 'minimum' square boundary, nearest to the Prime Meridian. By way of illustration, the square 1000 thus extends from 0°N to 10°N, 0°E to 10°E, and the square 7817 from 80°N to 90°N, 170°W to 180°W, adjacent to the major portion of the International Date Line. In this manner, reverse-engineering (decoding) the relevant square boundaries from any particular WMO Square identifier is straightforward, in contrast to some other similar systems e.g. Marsden squares. WMO squares are also used as the basis for the c-squares system for spatial indexing, which further divides 10°x10° WMO squares into smaller units of 5°x5°, 1°x1°, 0.5°x0.5°, 0.1°x0.1°, and so on.

See also Geocode Grid (spatial index) Marsden Square C-squares QDGC

External links Example of chart at NODC World Ocean Database 2005

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with World Meteorological Organization squares

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what World Meteorological Organization squares claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to World Meteorological Organization squares before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about World Meteorological Organization squares ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of World Meteorological Organization squares

In research: World Meteorological Organization squares appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses World Meteorological Organization squares in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: World Meteorological Organization squares is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geocodes, World Meteorological Organization, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for World Meteorological Organization squares outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study World Meteorological Organization squares in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what World Meteorological Organization squares means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain World Meteorological Organization squares out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is World Meteorological Organization squares in simple terms?

Why does World Meteorological Organization squares matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study World Meteorological Organization squares?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on World Meteorological Organization squares.