MONTEALTO, SARAH Y. ENGR.

CIUDADANO
BSCE - 3B CE421

VARIOUS LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS OF PAGASA

MERCURIAL BAROMETER
Based on a principle developed by Evangelista Torricelli in 1643, the
Mercurial Barometer is an instrument used for measuring the change in
atmospheric pressure. It uses a long glass tube, open at one end and
closed at the other. Air pressure is measured by observing the height of
the column of mercury int the tube. At sea level, air pressure will push on
the mercury about 30 inches high. If you used water instead of mercury,
you would need a glass tube over 30 feet in length. As atmospheric
pressure increases, the mercury is forced from the reservoir by the
increasing air pressure and the column of mercury rises; when
atmospheric pressure decreases, the mercury flows back into the
reservoir and the column of mercury is lowered.

DIGITAL BAROMETER

A Digital Barometer measures air pressure. It is used to

predict future weather in a local region. A high pressure
reading indicates good weather and a low pressure reading
indicates bad weather. The digital barometer uses a detection
cell (i.e.a chip) to measure the air temperature. This chip will
be vital and is sensitive to atmospheric pressure which
influences its capacity to conduct/relay electricity.

BAROGRAPPH

A Barograph is a recording barometer. The pin point that

traces the pressure curve on the paper is made to move up or
down by means of a series of levers attached to aneroid cells
(metallic boxes) in tandem. The use of aneroid cells in
tandem provide a more pronounced response to changes in
atmospheric pressure than would be indicated by a single
aneroid cell of the same size.
WIND VANE

A wind vane (also known as a

weathervane) is an instrument that tells
you the wind direction. Specifically, a
wind vane lets you know what direction
the wind is coming from. In other words, a
“southwest” reading on a wind vane
means that the wind is originating
southwest of your location, and heading in
a northeast direction.

LIGHTNING DETECTOR (connected to the wind vane)

The lightning detector system uses a radio that listens for
lightning at 500kHz, it listens for a particular radio signal
pattern. The lightning signal pattern is generated by the
electrical “spark”, that is the lightning itself. The lightning
detector system can be susceptible to detecting erroneous
lightning strikes. the system will not provide a perfect count
of actual lightning strikes with perfect distance estimates. In
most cases, the system will be rather accurate, but there will
always be a few discrepancies.

SUNSHINE RECORDER

A sunshine recorder is a meteorological instrument

used for recording the amount of sunlight that a
particular location receives throughout a day. Inside
the recorder’s adjustable frame are two important
pieces: a paper strip, and a glass sphere that can focus
the sunlight strongly enough to singe the paper. If the
sky is clear, the paper is slowly burned as the sun
moves across the sky. If there are clouds, the focused
light will not be strong enough to burn the paper.
THERMOMETER
A thermometer measures the degree of hotness or coldness of a given
substance. It operates on the principle of thermal expansion of the
material used, e.g., liquids like mercury and alcohol, metallic
materials, etc. Mercury is one of the liquids very sensitive to changes
of temperature. When the substance to be measured is warm,
mercury expands and rises in the capillary tube. When it cols,
mercury contracts.

MAXIMUM-MINIMUM THERMOMETER. In order to measure

the temperature range, a set of maximum and minimum
thermometers are used. A maximum thermometer has a constriction
above the bulb that permits the mercury to rise in the capillary tube
but does not allow it to descend the capillary tube unless the
thermometer is reset. The highest point that the mercury reaches
indicates the maximum temperature for the period. The minimum
thermometer, on the other hand gives the lowest temperature. It uses
colored alcohol (because of its low freezing point). it is placed at an
angle of about 20 degree from the horizontal. The black float called
index needle is pulled down-slope to the lowest temperature of the
day by two forces; (A) the surface tension at the top of the alcohol
column, and (B) the force of gravity.

DISDROMETER

A Disdrometer or so called distrometer/rain spectrometer is

a laser instrument that measures the drop size distribution
falling hydro-meteors. Based on t he principle of optical
laser active detection, the disdrometer can continuously
observe the raindrops definition size, velocity and quantity
of raindrops. It can deduce the drop size distributions,
precipitation, radar reflectivity, precipitation type, etc. It
can distinguish drizzle, rain, snow, hail snow, and mixed
precipitation. The instrument is sensitive and accurate, and
can be used in the field for a long time without
maintenance for several industries. Disdrometer can reflect
the micro-physical process of precipitation. Studying
raindrops spectra is helpful to understand the development
and evolution of precipitation and reveal the rain generator
in clouds.
RAIN GAUGE
A rain gauge is a meteorological instrument to measure
the precipitating rain in a given amount of time per unit
area. The instrument consists of a collection container
which is placed on an open. The precipitation is
measured in terms of the height of the precipitated water
accumulated in the container per given time and is
expressed in millimeters.
MANUAL RAIN GAUGES are a simple tube, closed
on one end and calibrated in inches to indicate the
amount of liquid. It must be hand-emptied after each
precipitation event in order to ensure the correct
measurements.
AUTOMATIC RAIN GAUGE SYSTEM is weather
instrument for measurements & monitoring rain rate and
total rainfall. It is constructed of high impact UV
protected plastic to provide reliable and low cost
solution.

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