Meteorological Instruments & Their Uses
❖ INTRODUCTION:-
Meteorological instruments (or weather instruments) are the equipment used to
find the state of the atmosphere at a given time. These scientific instruments used
in the study of weather. Studying the weather requires the use of equipment that
can measure different weather parameters like wind
direction, humidity, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, rainfall, temperature,
wind speed, evaporation rate, and so forth.
Some of the meteorological instruments used to measure various different
purposes are listed below:
● Thermometer – to measure temperature.
● Rain Gauge – to measure precipitation.
● Barometer – to measure air pressure.
● Hygrometer – to measure humidity.
● Anemometer – to measure wind speed.
● Wind Vane – to measure wind direction.
❖ SIX’S MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM THERMOMETER:-
Six's maximum and minimum thermometer is a registering thermometer that
can record the maximum and minimum temperatures reached over a period of
time, usually around 24 hours. It was invented by the British scientist James
Six, in 1780.
● STRUCTURE: It consists of a U-shaped glass tube with two separate
temperature scales set along each arm of the U. One of these is for recording
the maximum temperature encountered and the other for
the minimum temperature. The arms of the U-shaped tube terminate in sealed
glass bulbs. The bulb at the top of the minimum reading scale arm is full
of alcohol, while the other contains a vacuum (or low pressure alcohol vapour).
The bend at the bottom of the thermometer contains mercury which moves up
or down based on the thermal expansion and contraction of alcohol in the first
bulb as it responds to the external temperature. The vacuum in the other bulb
allows free movement of the alcohol and mercury. It is the alcohol which
measures the temperature; the mercury indicates the temperature reading on
both scales. The readings are recorded by two small steel markers/indices
which are sprung into the capillary tube so that they can slide, but only if a
force is applied to them, either by being pushed by the mercury or under the
influence of an external magnet.
● MECHANISM: When the temperature rises, the alcohol expands and pushes
the mercury up the maximum column. This also pushes the mercury down in
the minimum column. Similarly, when the temperature falls, the alcohol
contracts and pulls the mercury up in the minimum column resulting in a fall of
mercury in the maximum column. The steel indices are located on the surface
of mercury. They move along with the flow of mercury up and down. When the
temperature reaches its maximum and minimum limits, the metal indices
remain at that place. This helps in recording the maximum and minimum
temperatures of the day.
● USES:
It is used to record extreme temperatures at a location as in
meteorology, horticulture etc.
Recording data over a period of time means that changes in the climate
could be observed.
They can also be used to measure air temperatures.
Six’s thermometer is also popularly used by gardeners in greenhouses to
plan care for plants better.
Water temperature is an important factor for determining evaporation
rates since the energy needed to evaporate warmer water is lesser than
that for cooler water. Six’s thermometer is also used to measure this.
❖ ANEROID BAROMETER:-
A barometer calibrated to read directly the atmospheric pressure is called an
aneroid barometer. It has no liquid, it is light and portable. It is quite easy handle
than most other barometers. It was invented in the year 1844 by the French
scientist Lucien Vidi.
● STRUCTURE: Figure above shows the main parts of an aneroid barometer.
It consists of a metallic box B which is partially evacuated. The top D of the
box is springy and corrugated in the form of a diaphragm as shown. At the
middle of diaphragm, there is a thin rod L, toothed at its upper end. The
teeth of rod fit well into the teeth of a wheel S attached with a pointer P
which can slide over a circular scale. The circular scale is initially calibrated
with a standard barometer so as to read the atmospheric pressure directly
in terms of the barometric height.
● MECHANISM: When atmospheric pressure increases, it presses the
diaphragm D and the rod L gets depressed. The wheel S rotates clockwise
and pointer P moves to the right on the circular scale. When atmospheric
pressure decreases, the diaphragm D bulges out due to which the rod L
moves up and the wheel S rotates anti-clockwise. Consequently, the pointer
moves to the left.
● USES:
For sensor gauges pressure.
It is often used for reading pressure in homes and recreational boats.
It is used by the powertrain control module to regulate engine timing
and fuel trim.
Other uses may include barographs in metrology and altimeters in
modern aircraft.
❖ MERCURY BAROMETER:-
The mercury barometer is the oldest type of barometer, invented by the
Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli in 1643. It is a device that uses the
various physical properties of mercury contained in a tube to measure
barometric pressure, or atmospheric pressure, at a given location. It is also
known as the Torricellian Barometer.
● STRUCTURE: There are two primary components to a mercury barometer:
a mercury-filled tube that is closed on one end and a mercury reservoir. The
tube of mercury is inverted in the reservoir so that the closed end faces up
and the open end is partially submerged in the reservoir. Some of the
mercury flows from the tube into the reservoir, creating a vacuum at the
top of the closed end of the tube. The tube is generally about 3 feet (0.9
meters) tall and includes markings at regular intervals, usually in inches or
millimeters, that are used to quantify changes in pressure.
● MECHANISM: The height of the mercury in the tube changes with changing
atmospheric pressure because the mercury in the reservoir is sensitive to
these changes. When the barometric pressure increases, force is applied to
the surface of the mercury reservoir, forcing the level in the tube to
increase. Conversely, when pressure drops, less force is applied and the
level of mercury in the tube decreases. The weight of the mercury in the
tube, then, is balanced against the weight of the air above the reservoir.
Therefore, a Mercury Barometer works on the principle of balancing the
atmospheric pressure with the volume of mercury present in the device.
The markings on the side of the tube are used to measure the pressure
levels as precisely as possible.
● USES:
Mainly employed in science labs for demonstration purposes.
It is used to determine the altitude of a place as the atmospheric
pressure differs with the change in altitude.
A mercury barometer is also helpful in the process of weather
forecasting.
Surface weather analysis.
Preparation of barographs and aircraft altimeters.
Calibration and checking of aneroid barometers.
Aneroid barometers are easy to handle, but for professional usage
mercury barometers are used and suggested (as they are more
accurate).
❖ WIND VANE:-
A wind vane (also known as a weathervane) is an instrument that tells you the
wind direction. In other words, a wind vane lets you know what direction the
wind is coming from.
● STRUCTURE AND WORKING PRINCIPLE: They consist of an aerodynamic
shape mounted on top of a mast or pole and pointed into the direction of
the prevailing winds. The angle between the axis of rotation and the local
horizontal plane determines how much lift will be generated by the device,
which in turn indicates the strength of the current.
The basic principle behind all wind vanes is simple: when there is no wind
blowing against them, their blades remain vertical; however, if the wind
blows past them it causes the blade to rotate about its longitudinal axis
until it points directly into the wind’s direction. This movement creates lift
depending upon whether the wind is coming from above or below the
blade’s surface.
If the wind comes from above, then the force exerted on the blade
increases with increasing distance away from the center line of the blade.
Conversely, if the wind comes from below, the force decreases with
increasing distance from the center line. As such, the amount of lift created
depends on both the magnitude of the wind and the orientation of the
blade relative to the wind flow.
● USES:
It is used to identify the direction of the wind.
It is also used to measure the speed of air currents.
Although partly functional, wind vanes are generally decorative and
used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building.
❖ RAIN GAUGE:-
A rain gauge is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to
gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over an area in a
predefined area, over a period of time. It is used for determining the depth of
precipitation that occurs over a unit area and thus measuring rainfall amount.
● STRUCTURE AND MECHANISM:
The rain gauge generally consists of two main parts. They are:
A funnel that takes part in collecting the liquid to be measured. The interior
funnel is surrounded by a special coating that reduces the wetting of the
surface.
The mechanism of receiving and measuring the water where the funnel is
placed at a certain height in such a way that there is no water spill.
If the rainfall exceeds the measuring tube, it flows into the overflow can
which later gets measured separately by pouring it into a graduated
measuring tube.
● USES:
It is typically used as part of a weather station to measure current
and determine future weather conditions, monitoring the water
cycle, as well as refining forecasting models.
Monitoring droughts is one of the most important uses for rain
gauges worldwide, especially when it comes to agriculture.
Data from rain gauges also help meteorologist to warn the public of
hazardous weather and other weather related disasters.
❖ ANEMOMETER:-
An anemometer is an instrument that measures wind speed and wind
pressure. Anemometers are important tools for meteorologists, who
study weather patterns. They are also important to the work of physicists, who
study the way air moves.
● VARIOUS TYPES OF ANEMOMETERS:
The most common type of anemometer has three or four cups attached
to horizontal arms. The arms are attached to a vertical rod. As the wind
blows, the cups rotate, making the rod spin. The stronger the wind blows,
the faster the rod spins. The cup anemometer counts the number of
rotations, or turns, which is used to calculate wind speed. Because wind
speeds are not consistent—there are gusts and lulls—wind speed is usually
averaged over a short period of time.
A similar type of anemometer counts the revolutions made
by windmill-style blades. The rod
of windmill anemometers rotates horizontally.
Some anemometers calculate wind speed in different ways. A hot-wire
anemometer takes advantage of the fact that air cools a heated object
when it flows over it. (That is why a breeze feels refreshing on a hot day.) In
a hot-wire anemometer, an electrically heated, thin wire is placed in the
wind. The amount of power needed to keep the wire hot is used
to calculate the wind speed. The higher the wind speed, the more power is
required to keep the wire at a constant temperature.
Wind speed can also be determined by measuring air pressure.
(Air pressure itself is measured by an instrument called a barometer.)
A tube anemometer uses air pressure to determine the wind pressure, or
speed. A tube anemometer measures the air pressure inside a glass tube
that is closed at one end. By comparing the air pressure inside the tube to
the air pressure outside the tube, wind speed can be calculated.
Other anemometers work by measuring the speed of sound waves or by
shining laser beams on tiny particles in the wind and measuring their
effect.
● USES:
Wind speed helps indicate a change in weather patterns, such as an
approaching storm, which is important for pilots, engineers,
and climatologists.
Laser anemometers calculate the wind speed around cars, airplanes,
and spacecraft.
Anemometers help aerospace engineers and physicists make these
vehicles more aerodynamic.
❖ HYGROMETER:-
A hygrometer is a specially designed apparatus that calculates relative
humidity in an open or enclosed area. The term hygrometer is formulated from
the Greek word ‘Hygros’, which means moist or wet. Humidity measurement
instruments usually rely on measurements of some other quantities such as
temperature, pressure, mass, a mechanical or electrical change in a substance
as moisture is absorbed. By calibration and calculation, these measured
quantities can lead to the measurement of humidity.
● INVENTION: A crude hygrometer was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in
1480. Major leaps came forward during the 1600s; Francesco Folli invented
a more practical version of the device, while Robert Hooke improved a
number of meteorological devices including the hygrometer. A more
modern version was created by Swiss polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert in
1755. Later, in the year 1783, Swiss physicist and geologist Horace Bénédict
de Saussure invented the first hygrometer using human hair to measure
humidity.
● DRY AND WET BULB HYGROMETER: This type of hygrometer is
used to measure the dew point, relative humidity, and vapor pressure. It
essentially consists of two ordinary, accurate, mercury thermometers. One
has thin muslin wrapped around it and is kept wet; it is called the wet bulb
thermometer. The other one is called the dry
bulb thermometer. The drybulb thermometer shows the current
temperature, whereas the wet
bulb thermometer shows a somewhat lower temperature
(the result of the latent heat of evaporation),
which depends on the relative humidity of the
air. The difference between the two thermometers is a measure of the
relative humidity of the air, which is calculated by a formula. Also called a
psychrometer.
● USES:
Hygrometer plays an important role in manufacturing industries,
hospitals, incubators, agricultural production and storage, humidors,
museums, and every other instance where humidity is an integral
part.
Hygrometers are frequently used in pharmaceutical storage and
manufacturing systems. Most pharmaceutical products are
hygroscopic; therefore, variation in humidity could alter their
chemical compositions.
Electronic devices like ACs make use of electrical hygrometers.
Humidity sensors (smart hygrometers) are vital parts of devices that
function on temperature, pressure and humidity.
❖ CONCLUSION:-
Weather is a determining factor in many different sectors, from agriculture to
industrial sector to even day-to-day life necessities. Meteorological
instruments help us in the measurement of various weather parameters, like
temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc.
Some weather instruments, for various purposes, are mentioned in this
project. Their uses tells us how important the instruments are. With this, we
can conclude that Meteorological Instrumentation is vitally important.
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