Elements of Climate

CE 2050 - L 3

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Lecture objective
●
List the climatic elements
●
Learn how to measure each of the climatic
elements
●
Learn the usable format of the data collected
through measurements

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Elements of Climate
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Temperature
●
Humidity
●
Precipitation
●
Sky conditions
●
Solar radiation
●
Wind
●
Special characteristics

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Climatic information
●
Records as gathered at airports and meteorological
stations - may not be in a form useful for the
designer
●
Need supplementary data
https://en.climate-data.org/asia/india/kerala/palakkad-33987/

https://www.accuweather.com/en/in/palakkad/188811/weather-forecast/188811

https://www.worldweatheronline.com/palakkad-weather-averages/kerala/in.aspx

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Temperature
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Measurement
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Device - Mercury thermometer
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Unit – degree Celcius (C)
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Types of measurement
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Dry bulb temperature
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Wet bulb temperature
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Dew point temperature
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True air temperature or dry bulb
temperature – measure in shade –
using Stevenson screen at height
of 1.2 – 1.8 m above ground

Stevenson screen 5
 Temperature measurement contd.
●
Thermograph – to record temperature variations

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Temperature data
●
Maximum and minimum daily temperature
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Daily mean temperature
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Monthly mean temperature
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Monthly mean maxima and minima
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Monthly extreme maxima and minima

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Humidity
●
Absolute humidity – amount of moisture actually
present in unit mass or unit volume of air – g/kg or
g/m3
●
Relative humidity – ratio of the actual amount of
moisture present to the actual amount of moisture
the air could hold at a given temperature
(saturation-point humidity) – gives indication of
evaporation potential expressed as %

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Humidity measurement
●
Wet and dry bulb hygrometer – RH measurement

When the thermometers are ventilated

the wet bulb temperature will be lower than
the dry bulb temperature due to difference
in rates of evaporation. Humidity is measured
based on this difference in temperature between
Wet bulb and Dry bulb temperature

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Vapour pressure
●
Atmospheric pressure = partial pressure of dry air +
partial vapour pressure
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Relative humidity = actual vapour
pressure/saturation point vapour pressure
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Expressed as N/m2

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Humidity data
●
Monthly mean maximum and minimum RH
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If continuous hygrograph is not available,
measurements are taken at 6:00 hours (near
maximum) and 15:00 hours (near minimum)
●
Afternoon values are more characteristic of a given
location

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 Precipitation
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Rain, Snow, Hail, Dew, Frost
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Measured by rain gauges
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Unit – mm/ time unit
i.e., mm/month, mm/day
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Data needed – total precipitation for
each month of the year – pattern of wet
and dry seasons
●
Ever recorded maxima and minima –
indicates the reliability of rains or
deviations
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Maximum rainfall in 24 hrs – flooding
prediction
●
Maximum hourly rainfall intensity –
design of surface drainage

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Driving rain
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Intense rain with strong winds
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Driving rain index – product of annual rainfall (in
mm) and the annual average wind velocity (m/s)
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Sheltered region – up to 3 m2/s
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Moderate region – 3 – 7 m2/s
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Severe – over 7 m2/s

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Sky conditions
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Presence or absence of clouds
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Two observations per day
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Expressed as proportion of sky covered by cloud as
%

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Solar radiation
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Duration of sunshine – sunshine recorder – no: of
hours per day

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Solar radiation measurement
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Pyranometer – actinometer used to measure solar radiation
●
Instantaneous intensity – incidence of energy in joules per m2
of the surface per second – J/m2 s or W/m2
●
Total radiation received for one day – J/m2 day

Actinometer: Instruments used to measure heat power of radiation

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Solar radiation data
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Avg. daily amounts for each month of the year
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Highest and lowest daily totals for each month
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Hourly average intensities for a typically high as
well as typically low radiation day – helpful in
designing

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Wind measurement
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Anemometer – velocity
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Wind vane – direction
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Anemograph – continuous recordings of wind
velocities and directional changes
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Free wind velocities – open flat country – measured
at height of 10 m
●
Urban area measurement – 10 – 20 m to avoid
obstructions

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 Anemometer and
Anemograph

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http://www.rfuess-mueller.de/214-0E.pdf
 Wind data
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Prevailing directions
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Predictability of daily or seasonal shifts
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Recognisable pattern of daily or seasonal
velocities
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Occurrence of storms, hurricanes,
typhoons or tornadoes
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Wind directions – four cardinal and four
semi cardinal points

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Special characteristics
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Any unfavourable feature specific to a region which
is rare – hail, thunder-storm, squalls, earthquakes,
tornadoes, dust storm etc.

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Assessment activity – 2 page
write up - to be submitted
• You are writing a travel blog and need to explain about the climatic
conditions in our country. Prepare a write up with all needed details about
the climatic zones in our country including information about variations of
all relevant climatic elements. In the same blog you must also present the
detailed description of the climate of a particular state/city assigned to you
as per the list here. (refer next slide for the list of assigned city/state to you)
• The assessment will be based on the presentation of the information, th
relevance of the type of data for climatic elements presented including
graphical representations.
• As this will be a written assignment, there will be lot of emphasis on
plagiarism and the way each reference is cited in the text (including web
pages) when grading is done.
• Upload the write up in moodle in the handle “Assessment activity 2” before
14 -08-20, 12:00 noon.

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Name Place of study
ACHAL KUMAR JHA Kerala MEESARAGANDA SAI
Andaman Nicobar RAMYA Mandi
ARPIT JAIN island NISHANT SINGH Warangal
ATHUL S. VARGHESE Jaipur PAPITLA RAVI Chattisgarh
BANGI VAMSHI Shimla PURNENDRA SINGH
CHAUHAN SHIVAM RAJPUT Lakshadeep
RANDHIRKUMAR Hyderabad RAJ GOEL Rameswaram
DEVESH CHOURASIYA Vizag SAHIL RIZVI Nagercoil
DUSA SHASHI KUMAR Chennai SARANSH KUMAR Ladakh
GAUTHAM GIRI Dehradun SARVESH KUMAR Chandigarh
GUDI RAM CHARAN SAYANDIP CHAUDHURI Trichy
DEEP Manipur SITARAM MEENA Kutch
GURUDATTA SONU SHAW Tuticorin
BOLUMALLA Mumbai SWARNIM TRIVEDI Munnar
INDU SRI CHAKKA New Delhi GOPI CHARAN
LOKESH MEENA Wayanad VEERAMALLU Kolkata
MANIKONDA SAMATHA Maharashtra VINEET JAIN Bangalore
MANORANJAN Mysore YEDHUKRISHNA M R Kota
MANTHENA TEJA SATYA YERRA NITIN GOUD Secunderabad
SAI Lucknow

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Lecture outcome
●
To be able to correlate the design requirements
based on geographic location based on sun-earth
relation
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To be able to visualise the required critical elements
of climate at any location and suggest
measurement protocols
●
Organise the available data for design purpose

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