UNITS OF DISTANCE

at SEA
 Statute & Geographical Miles
• A statute mile is 1625 metres (5280feet)
and has no relevance to us as it is
generally related to land based distance

• A geographical mile is the length of an arc

at the equator, subtended by one minute
at the earth’s centre and is equivalent to
1855.4 metres (6087.2feet)
 Units of Distance at Sea
• As we all know the earth is not a perfect
sphere
• In fact, the earth has a squashed spheroid
shape that is closer to an oval rather than
spherical in shape
• This means that the curvature of the earth
at the Poles is less sharp than that at the
equator
 The Sea Mile
• At any place on the earth’s surface the sea mile is the length of
the meridian which is subtended by an angle of 1’ at the centre
of curvature at that place
1 mile
Diagram is
exaggerated for
Np
the purpose of
demonstration

1’

Equator

Centre of Curvature
 The Sea Mile
• A sea mile varies between 1842.8 metres at the equator to 1861.7
metres at the Poles
• This variation is a result of the difference in earth curvature at the
Equator & the Poles 1 mile

Np

1’

Equator

Centre of Curvature
 The Sea Mile
• As a result the centre of curvature will be further away from the
surface at the Poles than at the equator
• So! An angle of 1’ at the Polar centre will give a greater arc at the
surface than at the Equator 1 mile

Np

1’

Equator
1’ 1 mile
Centre of Curvature Centre of Curvature
 Units of Distance
• A Nautical Mile is fixed by International
agreement at 1852 metres

• A Cable is taken as 1/10th of a Nautical

Mile

• A Knot is the maritime unit of speed and is

‘one Nautical Mile per hour’
 Rotational Speed of the Earth
If the earth is rotating at a constant speed,
the speed of rotation of the Earth’s Surface
at the Equator is faster than at positions
approaching the Poles
The speed of rotation of the earth’s surface
at the Poles is ZERO

Therefore, the speed of rotaton of the

earth’s surface is a function of Latitude
 Rotational Speed of the Earth
 At the Equator the earth rotates @ 150 per
hour
 Which is the equivalent of 900 miles per
hour
 While at the Poles the speed is ZERO
 The Latitude of the Equator is 00, the
Cosine of which is 1
 The Latitude at the Poles is 900, the Cosine
of which is 0
 900 x 0.5 = 450 miles/hour
 The speed of the
surface of the earth
is therefore the
speed at the 600 N

Equator multiplied
by the Cosine of
the Latitude

 e.g.In Lat 600 the

speed of rotation is
900 x Cos 600