Climate and Global Change Notes

3-1

Observing Climate - Surface

Water (Con’t)

PrecipitationRain GageHail PadSnow Board

Science Concepts

Definition

Climate and Global Change Notes

3-2

Observing Climate - Precipitation

How would you measure precipitation?

What units does the TV weather person report precipitation?

Climate and Global Change Notes

3-3

Observing Climate - Precipitation

Measurement

• Non-recording Rain Gage

- Belfort Non-Recording Precipitation Gage - Model 5-400 - Meets National Weather Service specifications

Five parts comprise the complete instrument - the receiver, the overflow can, the measuring tube, the measuring stick, and the support. Precipitation caught in the receiver is funneled into the measuring tube.

• Non-recording Cylinder Rain Gage

- Rain first fills the inner cylinder, graduated in hundredths to 1", then overflows into the outer cylinder.

http://www.belfortinstrument.com/products/precipitation/m5-400.html

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?ID=5477

Climate and Global Change Notes

3-4

Measurement (Con’t)

• Recording Rain Gages

- RainWise RAINEW WIRELESS rain gauge - 8" diameter collector; precipitation fills a bi-stable tipping bucket mechanism, causing the mechanism to tip; each tip of the bucket measures 0.01 of an inch

- Belfort Weighing Rain Gage - Series 5-780/5915 - Gage converts the weight of collected precipitation into the equivalent depth of accumulated water in conventionalunits of inches or millimeters. An 8-inchdiameter, knife-edge orifice collects all forms of precipitation. Rain travels through a funnel into the galvanized weighing bucket.

Observing Climate - Precipitation

http://www.belfortinstrument.com/products/precipitation/m6071.html

Tipping Bucket

CountingContacts

http://www.rainwise.com/rain/index.html

RecordingMechanismScale

Climate and Global Change Notes

3-5

Observing Climate - Precipitation

Hail

• Hailstones travel up to 80 mph or 128 km/h

• Hailstones make dents or craters that can cause serious damage to property and pose potential danger to animals and humans

Measurement

• Hailpad

> 1-in thick Styrofoam pad covered with heavy duty aluminum foil tomeasure the number and size of hailstones

> Count the size and number of dents and relate dent size to actualhailstone size

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=257376

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Climate and Global Change Notes

3-6

How do we measure snow?

• Snowboard - a lightly colored board, a 2 ft by 2 ft plywood painted white works

- Locate away from trees, buildings, and shadows

- Avoid areas that are known to be prone to drifting; mark location of snowboard with a stake so you can find it after a fresh snowfall

• Measure to the nearest tenth inch

• Should not be measured more than four times in 24 h

- Clean off board when you take each of four daily measurements > Can measure hourly to get rate, but don’t clean off board each hour

- When snow ends, add up the measurements from each time the

snowboard was cleaned to reach a storm total

Observing Climate - Precipitation

How do we measure snow?

Snow Measurement Guidelines for National Weather Service Snow Spotters

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/program_areas/snow_spotters/SnowMeasurement.pdf