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METEOROLOGICAL
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METEOROLOGICAL
INSTRUMENTS
Meteorology
The branch of science concerned
with the processes and
phenomena of the atmosphere,
especially as a means of
forecasting the weather.
Atmosphere refers to the gases
surrounding a star or planetary
body held in place by gravity.
Atmosphere is also a unit of
pressure.
 The atmospheric pressure is
the force exerted by the weight of
the Earth's atmosphere, expressed
per unit area in a given horizontal
cross-section.
Thus, the atmospheric pressure
is equal to the weight of a vertical
column of air above the Earth's
surface, extending to the outer
limits of the atmosphere.
 Atmospheric pressure,
sometimes also called barometric
pressure is the pressure within the
atmosphere of Earth. The standard
atmosphere is a unit of pressure
defined as 1013.25 mbar, 101.325
Kpa, equivalent to 760 mmHg,
29.9212 inches Hg, or 14.696 psi
Oceanography
The branch of science that deals
with the physical and biological
properties and phenomena of the
sea and includes the delimitation
of their extent and depth, the
physics and chemistry of their
waters, marine biology, and the
exploitation of their resources
Meteorological Instruments
1. Barometers
2. Hygrometer or
Psychrometer
3. Anemometer or Wind
Gauge
4. Maximum / Minimum
Thermometer
1. Barometer
 A barometer is an instrument
for measuring the atmospheric
pressure.
Atmospheric pressure is
sometimes defined as the force
per unit area exerted against a
surface by the weight of air above
that surface at any given point in
the Earth's atmosphere.
Types of Barometer
1. Aneroid Barometer
Aneroid barometer works on a
principle that an elastic sealed
chamber from which some air has
been removed, creating a partial
vacuum, reacts in the change of
atmospheric pressure.
http://www.bom.gov.au
 Fig. 1
http://www.bom.gov.au
 An aneroid barometer (Fig. 1
above) is a container that holds a
sealed chamber from which some
air has been removed, creating a
partial vacuum. An elastic disk
covering the chamber is connected
to a needle or pointer on the
surface of the container by a
chain, lever, and springs.
 As atmospheric pressure
increases or decreases, the elastic
disk contracts or expands, causing
the pointer to move accordingly.
Levers magnify these changes,
causing a pointer to move on a
dial, or numbers to change on a
digital read-out device.
Parts of aneroid barometer
http://atmo.tamu.edu
 The first part is a pointer on the
face of the aneroid barometer or to
a pen to record on a moving graph
the atmospheric pressure. The
second part is an adjustable
pointer called knurled knob used
to determined if the pointer is
increasing or decreasing. The third
part is the linking mechanism
that transfers movement of the
chamber to the pointer.
 The fourth part is a spring
either within the chamber or
external to the chamber, used to
keep the chamber from collapsing.
One side of the chamber is usually
stationary and the other side is
allowed to move under changing
air pressure.
 The fifth part is a closed
chamber (aneroid chamber) of
thin, pliable metal, partly
evacuated. Thus, it is not "truly"
aneroid. This chamber expands as
the atmospheric pressure pressing
on the chamber decreases in
magnitude. The chamber
compresses as the atmospheric
pressure increases in magnitude.
Revised Parts of aneroid Barometer
http://www.arthursclipart.org
 The elastic properties of the
metal chamber change with the
time and the instrument should
therefore be checked at frequent
intervals against an accurate
barometer to determine index
error
 The aneroid barometer is an
instrument that does not use liquid
in measuring the pressure of the
air. The atmospheric pressure
changes as the weather changes.
It goes up and down. We say the
pressure is rising, is falling, or is
steady.
 An aneroid barometer works with
a small capsule that acts like a
bellows. Air has been removed
from the capsule. When the air
pressure increases, the sides of
the capsule are pushed in and the
connected needle rises
(clockwise).
 If the air pressure decreases or
falls, the sides of the small capsule
puff out and the needle moves in
the counter clockwise direction.
The numbers are based on the
principle that atmospheric
pressure supports 30 inches of
mercury in a tube of mercury with
one end sealed.
 The aneroid barometer operates
on the same principle as the
mercury barometer - balancing the
weight of the atmosphere, - but
differs in that instead of balancing
against a column of mercury, it
balances against the combined
forces of the spring and the
residual air within the chamber.
Barograph
A recording aneroid barometer
that is used to monitor the
pressure of the air. The pointer in
an aneroid barometer is replaced
with a pen. It produces a paper or
foil chart called a barogram (the
record of atmospheric pressure
traced by a barograph or similar
instrument) that records the
barometric pressure over time.
 Barograph
http://www.medfordclock.com
 Barogram
http://ocean.am.gdynia.pl
2. Mercury Barometer
It uses a long narrow glass tube
filled with mercury supported in a
container of mercury. Mercury
barometer works on the principle
of balancing the weight of a
column of air by the weight of a
column of mercury.
 The weight of the column of air
pressing down on the mercury in
the cistern is equal to the weight
of the mercury which has been
pushed up the measuring tube by
that air pressure on the mercury.
Thus, the length of the mercury in
the tube becomes a method of
measuring the pressure of the
atmosphere, i.e., 29.92 inches of
mercury or 760 mm of mercury.
 Mercury Barometer
http://atmo.tamu.edu
Fortin
Mercury
Barometer

http://www.tutorvista.com
3. Capacitive Resistance
Barometers
These barometers work in a
manner similar to an aneroid
barometer. Two small plates (4 &
5) in an electric circuit either move
closer together when atmospheric
pressure increases or farther apart
when atmospheric pressure
decreases.
 This causes a change in the
resistance to electric current in the
circuit. When the plates are close
together, resistance is low and the
current flow is greater. When the
plates are farther apart, resistance
is high and the current flow is less.
The current flow in the circuit can
then become a measure of the
atmospheric pressure that caused
a change in resistance in the
circuit.
 A capacitive pressure sensor
comprising two electrodes (4, 5)
facing one another, with a space
(3) between them, one of said
electrodes (4) being mounted on
support means (1) which is
deformable under the action of
atmospheric pressure applied
thereto to displace the electrode
(4) towards or ….cont.
cont.…. away from the other
electrode (5), attached to (2)
another support means, to
thereby vary the capacitance of
the sensor, characterised in that,
in use, the electrodes (4, 5)
contact each other and that there
is electrically insulating material
(4a, 5a) between the contacting
parts of the electrodes.
www.google.com.ph/patents/EP043
0676A1
2. Hygrometer or
Psychrometer
 A hygrometer is an instrument
used for measuring the moisture
content (relative humidity and dew
point) in the environment.
Humidity measurement
instruments usually rely on
measurements of some other
quantity such as temperature,
pressure, mass or a mechanical or
electrical change in a substance as
moisture is absorbed.
 Relative humidity (RH) is the ratio
of the partial pressure of water vapor
to the equilibrium vapor pressure of
water at a given temperature. Relative
humidity depends on temperature and
the pressure of the system of interest.
The same amount of water vapor
results in higher relative humidity in
cool air than warm air. A related
parameter is that of dewpoint.
 The most common type of
hygrometer consists of two, side-
by-side mercury or electronic
thermometers, one of which has a
dry bulb, and one of which has a
bulb wrapped with a wet cotton or
linen wick.
Thermometer is a device that
measures temperature or
temperature gradient using a
variety of different principles.
 As water evaporates from the
wet bulb, it absorbs heat from the
thermometer, driving down its
temperature reading. The
difference in temperature between
the two thermometers is then used
to calculate the relative
humidity. This type of hygrometer
is also called a psychrometer.
The wet and dry
thermometers
(hygrometer)
The wet and dry thermometers
(psychrometer)
http://www.abqindustrial.net
3. Anemometer or
Wind Gauge
Anemometer or Wind Gauge –
an instrument for measuring and
indicating the force or speed and
sometimes direction of the wind .
It is one instrument used in a
weather observation on board.
Windmill anemometers
Helicoid propeller anemometer
incorporating a wind vane for
orientation
Wind Vane or Weather Vane
A weather vane, also called a wind
vane, is a movable device
attached to an elevated object
such as a roof for showing the
direction of the wind. Very often
these are in the shape of cockerels
and are called weather cocks.
Arrows are also popular, but a
multitude of designs have been
used.
4. Thermometer /
Humidity Gauge
 Air temperature and relative
humidity gauge typically consist of
two separate sensors packaged in
the same housing. Often relative
humidity is measured with a
capacitive RH sensor, while air
temperature is measured by a
Precision radiation thermometer
(PRT).
Thermometer with
Humidity gauge
 Chapter V, Reg. 5, par 2.7 – When
in the vicinity of a tropical cyclone,
or of a suspected tropical cyclone,
ships should be encouraged to take
and transmit their observations at
more frequent intervals whenever
practicable, bearing in mind
navigational preoccupations of
ships’ officers during storm
conditions.
 Chapter V, Reg. 5, par 2.9 – .9 To
encourage masters to inform ships
in the vicinity and also shore
stations whenever they experience
a wind speed of 50 knots or more
(force 10 on the Beaufort scale).