Meteorological instruments and their uses

What are meteorological instruments?

Meteorological instruments are specialised equipment used in meteorological services such as weather forecasting and meteorological monitoring. They provide us with a large amount of valuable meteorological data by accurately measuring and recording various meteorological elements, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure, rainfall, solar radiation and visibility. These data are important for many fields such as weather forecasting, meteorological disaster prevention, climate research, aerospace, agriculture, marine, environmental monitoring and agricultural production.

Weather station equipment sensors

Anemometer Wind Speed sensor	Wind direction sensor	Tipping bucket rain gauge sensor	Tipping bucket rain gauge sensor	Piezoelectric Rain Gauge
Atmospheric Temperature Humidity air pressure Sensor	ultrasonic wind speed and direction sensor	5 in1 Ultrasonic Weather Station Sensor	All-in-One Weather Station	7 in1 Ultrasonic Weather Station Sensor
Solar Radiation Sensor	Solar Radiation Sensor	Photosynthetically Active Radiation Sensor;	illumination sensor	Ultrasonic Snow Depth Sensor
Noise measurement sensor	Carbon dioxide(CO2) sensor	PM2.5 and PM10 sensors	Visibility sensors	Soil Moisture Temperature sensor

What are meteorological instruments?

There are many types of meteorological instruments, which can be broadly categorised into ground-based meteorological observation instruments and high-altitude meteorological detection instruments. The following are some common ground meteorological observation instruments and their introduction:

1. Automatic weather stations: Observation equipment that integrates a variety of meteorological elements. Automatic weather station is a device used to monitor meteorological elements such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and precipitation, etc., which can collect and transmit meteorological data automatically and continuously.

1.1 Thermometer: Used to measure the temperature of air, soil or water.

1.2. Hygrometer: Measures the level of humidity in the air, including relative and absolute humidity.

1.3. Barometer: Used to measure atmospheric pressure, usually divided into two kinds of mercury barometer and mercury-free barometer.

2. Automatic rainfall station: an instrument specially designed to measure rainfall, such as a tipping bucket rain gauge, which records the total amount of precipitation or the amount of precipitation in a particular period of time by turning over a tipping bucket.

3. Wind speed and direction meter: includes anemometer and wind vane, used to accurately measure the speed and direction of the wind. Commonly used devices include single-wing wind direction sensors and wind cup wind speed sensors. There are also ultrasonic anemometers: where highly accurate wind speed measurements are required, such as in alpine skiing competitions, ultrasonic anemometers can provide reliable real-time wind speed data.

4. Louvered boxes: equipment that protects instruments such as thermo-hygrometers, with a white interior to minimise solar radiation and reflections, while ensuring ventilation so that the instruments can accurately sense changes in temperature and humidity.

5. Wet and dry bulb thermometers: Used to measure the temperature and humidity of the air. The dry bulb temperature gauge displays the current air temperature while the wet bulb temperature gauge displays the relative humidity by wrapping it in gauze.

6. Temperature and humidity recorder: It can record and store the temperature and humidity data in real time, which is convenient for subsequent analysis and processing.

7. Solar Radiometer: An instrument that measures radiation from the sun and radiation from the earth, including gross radiation, scattered radiation, ultraviolet radiation and net radiation.

8. Visibility meters: Instruments used to measure atmospheric visibility, such as scattering visibility meters, which calculate visibility by emitting pulses of near-infrared light and measuring the beams scattered back.

9. Radar (Radar) and Satellites: Used to remotely detect and track precipitation, cloud cover and wind systems in the atmosphere.

10. Geomagnetometers (Magnetometers): measure the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field.

Common meteorological instruments include, but are not limited to:

In addition, there are a variety of meteorological instruments such as wind bags, ultrasonic snow depth sensors, wind speed alarms, wind energy anemometers, weather centre software, GPRS wireless transmission modules, and so on, each of which has specific functions and uses.

Use of meteorological instruments

Meteorological instruments are scientific and technological equipment specially used for observation, measurement and monitoring of weather and climate conditions. They play an important role in meteorology, weather forecasting, aviation and navigation, agriculture, urban planning, environmental protection and many other fields. The following are some common uses of meteorological instruments:

1. Meteorological forecasting: Provide basic data for meteorological forecasting through accurate measurement and recording of various meteorological elements, so as to improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasting.

2. Meteorological monitoring: real-time monitoring of changes in the atmospheric environment, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, etc., to provide a scientific basis for environmental assessment and pollution control.

3. Meteorological disaster prevention: timely monitoring and early warning of meteorological disasters, such as typhoons, rainstorms, snowstorms, etc., to provide strong support for disaster prevention and mitigation.

4. Climate research: provide climatologists with long-term, continuous meteorological data, which helps to reveal the pattern and trend of climate change.

5. Agricultural production: Provide meteorological services for agricultural production, including the monitoring of meteorological conditions during the growing period of crops, early warning of pests and diseases, etc., to optimise irrigation and agricultural activities, and to improve the efficiency of agricultural production and yield.

6. Weather research and early warning: through collecting and analysing meteorological data, formulate weather forecasts and early warnings to help the public and decision-makers make appropriate responses. It is used for long-term climate change and trend analyses to help scientists understand the climate system and its mechanisms of change.  

7. Aviation and spaceflight: Ensure the safe operation of aircraft and spacecraft to avoid risks caused by sudden weather changes.

8. Environmental monitoring: to monitor air quality, water quality and soil condition, and to assess the degree of environmental pollution and change trends.

To sum up, meteorological instruments play an irreplaceable role in the field of meteorological services, they provide us with a large amount of valuable meteorological data to help us better understand atmospheric phenomena and predict weather changes.

These weather instruments continue to evolve and integrate more intelligent functions, such as using Internet of Things (IoT) technology for remote data transmission and real-time monitoring, as well as big data and artificial intelligence (AI) analysis to enhance the accuracy of weather forecasts. Through these high-tech meteorological instruments, we are able to better understand the complex and volatile climate system, provide scientific decision support for human activities, and ensure the safety of life and property.