Meteorological instruments (orweather instruments), includingmeteorological sensors (weather sensors), are the equipment used to find the state of the atmosphere at a given time. Each science has its own unique sets of laboratory equipment. Meteorology, however, is a science which does not use much laboratory equipment but relies more on on-site observation andremote sensing equipment. In science, an observation, orobservable, is an abstract idea that can be measured and for which data can be taken. Rain was one of the first quantities to be measured historically. Two other accurately measuredweather-related variables are wind and humidity. Many attempts had been made prior to the 15th century to construct adequate equipment to measure atmospheric variables.
The first devices used to measure weather phenomena were the rain gauge, theanemometer and thehygrometer. The 17th century saw the development of the barometer and the Galileo thermometer while the 18th century saw the development of the thermometer with theFahrenheit andCelsius scales. The 20th century developed new remote sensing tools, such as weather radars, weather satellites and wind profilers, which provide better sampling both regionally and globally. Remote sensing instruments collect data from weather events some distance from the instrument and typically stores the data where the instrument is located and often transmits the data at defined intervals to central data centers.
In 1441, KingSejong's son, PrinceMunjong, invented the first standardized rain gauge. These were sent throughout theJoseon dynasty of South Korea as an official tool to assess land taxes based upon a farmer's potential harvest. In 1450,Leone Battista Alberti developed a swinging-plate anemometer, and is known as the firstanemometer.[1] In 1607,Galileo Galilei constructs athermoscope. In 1643,Evangelista Torricelli invents the mercury barometer.[1] In 1662, SirChristopher Wren invented the mechanical, self-emptying, tipping bucket rain gauge. In 1714,Gabriel Fahrenheit creates a reliable scale for measuring temperature with a mercury-type thermometer.[2] In 1742,Anders Celsius, a Swedish astronomer, proposed the 'centigrade' temperature scale, the predecessor of the currentCelsius scale.[3] In 1783, the first hairhygrometer is demonstrated byHorace-Bénédict de Saussure. In 1806,Francis Beaufort introduced hissystem for classifying wind speeds.[4] TheApril 1960 launch of the first successful weather satellite, TIROS-1, marked the beginning of the age where weather information became available globally.
This was also used to measure the temperature of the surrounding air.
A thermometer measures airtemperature, or the kinetic energy of the molecules within air. A barometer measuresatmospheric pressure, or the pressure exerted by the weight of theEarth's atmosphere above a particular location. An anemometer measures thewind speed and the direction the wind is blowing from at the site where it is mounted. A hygrometer measures therelative humidity at a location, which can then be used to compute thedew point.Radiosondes directly measure most of these quantities, except for wind, which is determined by tracking the radiosonde signal with an antenna ortheodolite. Supplementing the radiosondes anetwork of aircraft collection is organized by theWorld Meteorological Organization (WMO), which also use these instruments to report weather conditions at their respective locations. Asounding rocket orrocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its suborbital flight.
Apyranometer is a type ofactinometer used to measure broadbandsolar irradiance on a planar surface and is a sensor that is designed to measure the solar radiation flux density (in watts per metre square) from a field of view of 180 degrees. Aceilometer is a device that uses a laser or other light source to determine the height of a cloud base. Ceilometers can also be used to measure the aerosol concentration within the atmosphere. Aceiling balloon is used by meteorologists to determine the height of the base of clouds above ground level during daylight hours. The principle behind the ceiling balloon is a balloon with a known ascent rate (how fast it climbs) and determining how long the balloon rises until it disappears into the cloud. Ascent rate times ascent time yields the ceiling height. Adisdrometer is an instrument used to measure thedrop size distribution and velocity of fallinghydrometeors.Rain gauges are used to measure theprecipitation which falls at any point on the Earth's landmass.
Remote sensing, as used in meteorology, is the concept of collecting data from remote weather events and subsequently producing weather information. Each remote sensing instrument collects data about the atmosphere from a remote location and, usually, stores the data where the instrument is located. The most common types of remote sensing areradar,lidar, andsatellites (alsophotogrammetry). The main uses of radar are to collect information concerning the coverage and characteristics of precipitation and wind.Satellites are chiefly used to determine cloud cover, as well as wind.SODAR (SOnicDetectionAndRanging) is a meteorological instrument as one form of wind profiler, which measures the scattering of sound waves by atmospheric turbulence. Sodar systems are used to measure wind speed at various heights above the ground, and thethermodynamic structure of the lower layer of the atmosphere. Radar and lidar are not passive because both useelectromagnetic radiation to illuminate a specific portion of the atmosphere.[5] Weather satellites along with more general-purpose Earth-observing satellites circling the earth at various altitudes have become an indispensable tool for studying a wide range of phenomena from forest fires toEl Niño.
Aweather station is a facility with instruments and equipment to make observations ofatmospheric conditions in order to provide information to makeweather forecasts and to study the weather andclimate. The measurements taken includetemperature,barometric pressure,humidity,wind speed,wind direction, andprecipitation amounts. Wind measurements are taken as free of other obstructions as possible, while temperature and humidity measurements are kept free from direct solar radiation, orinsolation. Manual observations are taken at least once daily, while automated observations are taken at least once an hour.
Surface weather observations are the fundamental data used for safety as well asclimatological reasons toforecast weather and issue warnings worldwide.[6] They can be taken manually, by a weather observer, by computer through the use of automated weather stations, or in a hybrid scheme using weather observers to augment the otherwise automated weather station. TheICAO defines theInternational Standard Atmosphere, which is the model of the standard variation of pressure, temperature,density, andviscosity withaltitude in the Earth's atmosphere, and is used to reduce a station pressure to sea level pressure. Airport observations can be transmitted worldwide through the use of theMETAR observing code. Personal weather stations taking automated observations can transmit their data to the United Statesmesonet through the use of theCitizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP), or internationally through theWeather Underground Internet site.[7] A thirty-year average of a location's weather observations is traditionally used to determine the station's climate.[8]
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