Atmospheric InstrumentationM. D. Eastin Atmospheric Instrumentation: An Overview.

Atmospheric Instrumentation M. D. Eastin

Atmospheric Instrumentation: An Overview


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief HistoryEarly Weather and Climate Observations:

• Early civilizations (e.g., Egypt, Maya, Vikings, Chinese, Polynesia) were known to monitor local weather/climate patterns and pass this information from one generation to the next through stories, art, religion, and architecture

• Influenced agricultural (food)• Influenced movement and migration (nautical travel)• Influenced site selection for town/cities (access / stability)

• Aristotle (Greek – 350 BC) is considered the “founder” of meteorology

• Wrote Meteorologica where he described the hydrological cycle• Book served as the primary reference for centuries

• Pomponius Mela (Roman – 25 AD) formalized a climate zone system

• Varahamihira (India – 500 AD) wrote Brihatsamhita - first formal description of the seasonal cycle and the formation of clouds/rain

• Al-Dinawari (Muslim – 900 AD) wrote Book of Plants - first formal description of the application of meteorology to agriculture


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief HistoryEarly Surface Observations:

• Basic instrumentation was first developed

• Standardized rain gauge (Korea – 1441 AD)• Anemometer (Italy – 1450 AD)• Thermometer (Italy – 1607 AD)• Barometer (Italy – 1643 AD)• Hygrometer (France – 1783 AD)

• Regular meteorological surface observation networks were developed

• Italy – 1654 AD• United States – 1849 AD• England – 1854 AD• India – 1875 AD • Scandinavia – 1881 AD• Japan – 1883 AD

• Standardization was introduced → could share observations from multiple networks

• Temperature → Fahrenheit vs. Celcius• Pressure → millibar vs. pascal• Surface station design and sheltering


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief History


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief History


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief HistoryEarly Upper Air Observations:

• Beginning in the mid-1700’s scientists began using a number of techniques to acquire meteorological observations above the surface → Kites (1749)

→ Manned hot air balloons (1783)→ Unmanned instrumented balloons (1902)→ Radiosonde (1930)


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief HistoryEarly Radar Observations:

1904 Christian Hulsmeyer developed a device that could remotely detect ships beyond the human visual range – the first “radar” device

1917 Nikola Tesla outlined how a “radar” device could be used for tracking ships bytransmitting pulses at regular intervals

1930s Pulsing “radar” developed by British, German, French, and U.S. militaries fordefense – the Allies thought the Germans were developing “death rays”

1940s Science of radar meteorology was born during World War II

1940 A “radio detection and ranging” (radar) device was developed by the U.S. Navy

1941 A 10-cm (S-Band) defense radar along the southern coast of England – the sameradar used to track German fighters / bombers – was used to track a thunderstormwith large hail over a distance of 7 miles.

1943 First operational weather radar – Panama Canal Zone

1957 First operational weather radar network in U.S. (66 WSR-57 radars)


Meteorological Instrumentation: A Brief HistoryEarly Satellite Observations:

1957 Soviet Union launches Sputnik-1 into low-Earth orbit – first man-made satellite

1960 Unites States launches TIROS-1 – the first weather satellite - collected visible(daytime only) imagery of clouds and tested basic instrumentation techniques

1964 Nimbus-1 launched – first satellite to collect infrared (IR) imagery (nighttime)

1965 TIROS-9 launched – first sun-synchronous near polar-orbiting satellite that could provide complete global coverage over the course of one day.

1966 ATS-1 launched – first geostationary satellite that could provide full-disc visible images every 20 minutes

1969 Nimbus-3 launched – first satellite to have an IR spectrometer (24-hr temperature profiles / soundings) and solar/infrared interferometers (Earth’s radiation budget)

1970 NOAA-1 launched – first “modern” polar-orbiting satellite (19 total)

1975 GOES-1 launched – first “modern” geostationary satellite (15 total)


Observed Parameter Surface Upper-Air Radar SatellitePressure X XTemperature X X XHumidity X X XClouds X X X XPrecipitation X X XWind Speed / Direction X X X XRadiation X X

Severe Weather X X X XTornadoes X X X XHurricanes X X X XAir Quality X X X XAircraft Safety X X X XWinter Weather X X X XClimate Change X X X X

Data assimilation into X X X X numerical weather and climate models

Meteorological Instrumentation: Current Uses


Example of a Modern Surface System

NOAAASOS

Station(operational)Precipitation

Amount(heated)

(tipping bucket)

Wind Speed / Direction(cup anemometer)

(wind vane)

TemperatureHumidity

(aspirated)

Cloud Height(ceilometer)

Visibility

PrecipitationType

Lightning

Pressure

Electronics(Transmitter)


Example of a Modern Surface System

DavisVantage

Pro-2Station

(research)

PrecipitationAmount

(tipping bucket)

Wind Speed / Direction(cup anemometer)

(wind vane)

TemperatureHumidity

(aspirated)

Solar and UV Radiation(radiometers)

Electronics(Transmitter)


Example of a Modern Upper-Air System

Receiving Antenna

Balloon Inflation Area

HeliumTanks

GPSAntenna

TemperatureSensor

HumiditySensor

PressureSensor

(inside case)

TransmittingAntenna

Vaisala Sounding Systemand

RS-92 Sonde


Examples of Modern Radar Systems

NOAANEXRADS-band10.5 cmDoppler

NCARDoppler

on WheelsX-band3.2 cm

Doppler

NOAA-WP3D X-band / 3.2 cmDoppler

-15 0 15 30 45

0 5 10 15 20 25 Range (km)

ReflectivityFactor (dBZ)


Examples of Modern Satellite Systems


How Do These Instruments Work?

Starting next time…

1.Principles of Measurement and Instruments

2.Surface Measurement Systems

3.Sounding Measurement Systems

4.Precipitation Radar Systems

5.Satellite Systems

Atmospheric InstrumentationM. D. Eastin Atmospheric Instrumentation: An Overview.

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