Adults like to talk about the weather when greeting each other, such as "What a nice day", or "Do you like rainy days?" The topic of weather often revolves around our lives, because the changing weather can constantly affect our daily activities. This also explains why scientists spend so much energy predicting the weather. After all, accurate forecasts can allow us to avoid impending storms. Reduce loss of life and property.
How do we measure the weather?
The weather station is the most professional equipment for measuring the weather, which is composed of many weather sensors. It is an accurate and complete system that measures information such as temperature, precipitation, wind direction, wind speed and atmospheric pressure. Read below to learn more about the main meteorological instruments we use to measure the weather.
What can a weather station measure?
1. Temperature and humidity
When monitoring the weather, we usually want to know the temperature and relative humidity in the air. So we install temperature and humidity sensors on the weather station to measure. For long-term outdoor use, we put both temperature and humidity measurement modules in a solar radiation shield. It's a white box with slats inside to allow air to flow through the box. This solar radiation shield keeps air flowing while keeping insects and rocks out. The white material reduces direct sunlight and prevents the sensor from overheating.
2. Wind speed and direction
Each weather station has equipment to measure wind speed and direction, some mechanically and some ultrasonically. The mechanical wind sensor is a cup structure. The wind pushes the cup to drive the bearing to rotate and output an electrical signal. Use this to get the current wind speed. For wind direction, you can use the wind vane to measure. It is important to note that wind direction is always determined by the source of the wind, so westerly (or westerly) blows from west to east. Combine these two instruments to measure wind speed and direction.
The ultrasonic wind sensor is a fixed structure and uses the ultrasonic principle to measure the wind speed and direction. No wind cups and vanes are required, so there is no redundant structure. It's expensive, but easy to use.
3. Rainfall
The device for measuring rainfall is a tipping bucket rain gauge. It looks like a bucket with a funnel at the top to collect rainwater. When measuring, install it in an open area that is not blocked by trees and buildings. In addition, the rain-bearing openings should be cleaned regularly to prevent obstructions such as leaves or sand. In addition to this tipping bucket rain gauge, there are optical rain gauges and radar rain gauges, but they are not as accurate as tipping bucket rain gauges.
4. Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is important for meteorological monitoring. When the atmospheric pressure is high, it is usually sunny, and when the atmospheric pressure is low, it is mostly rainy. This is why there is always a device on the plane that measures the air pressure at all times. The atmospheric pressure sensor is installed on the weather station, which can realize 24-hour monitoring. Record air pressure changes at any time and predict future weather changes.
5. Solar radiation
The energy radiated by the sun to the earth causes changes in the heat on the ground, which in turn cause changes in the weather. Since the energy emitted and transmitted by the sun is mainly concentrated in the wavelength range shorter than 4 μm, the sensor that measures this wavelength range is the solar radiation sensor. It consists of a photosensitive element and a microprocessor, and the solar radiation shines directly on the measuring element through a transparent protective cover. Responsive and accurate data.
What else measures the weather?
In addition to weather stations and weather sensors on the ground, we also rely on many high-tech technologies to predict the weather. Such as satellites, radar, etc. Some satellites orbit the earth, and some are fixed at a certain point above the earth's surface. We use these to measure many different aspects of the weather. You've probably seen pictures or videos from satellites that show us where, how high, and how clouds are moving. But it also tells us about the Earth's surface, such as temperature, information about plants and buildings, changes in volcanoes, changes in water and ice sheets.