Teach Yourself Weather Instruments and Methods of Use: Volume One – Land Surface Platforms

This book addresses both theoretical and practical components regarding weather instruments and methods of their use. Part I of the book introduces the reader to the atmosphere, its components and its surveillance, general principles of instrumentation and the coordinating role of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) through the World Weather Watch (WWW). Part II presents instruments and observing methods used on earth surface (land and sea stations). This section explores instruments that deal with measurements of precipitation, mainly rainfall, evaporation. Chapter Six discusses instruments that measure temperature and Chapter Seven deals with atmospheric humidity, that is, the water content of the atmosphere. Chapter Eight presents measurements of atmospheric pressure and Chapter Nine explains wind speed and direction. While chapter Ten discusses instruments that measure solar and terrestrial radiation, Chapter Eleven deals with sunshine duration. Finally chapters Twelve and Thirteen cover instruments that measure clouds and visibility (how far one can see with unaided eye) respectively. Each chapter starts with a short introduction followed by objectives. The purpose of introduction is to introduce the chapter and then derive objectives on which it is based. This arrangement links the current chapter with the preceding one and the next one. Chapters have been simplified, through question and answer, and practice activities approach. Pictures and illustrations of instruments are meant to help readers in comprehending the physical appearance of the instruments and how they can be operated. Each section combines at most three lectures which are inter-dependent. This book is good for use by University students and researchers. It is a must-read for students of Meteorology and related sciences.