ELEMENTS

OF
CLIMATE
CLIMATOLOGY
 CLIMATOLOGY CAN BE DEFINED AS THE
STUDY OF CLIMATE.
 CLIMATE IS THE INTEGRATION OF THE
DIFFERENT WEATHER OVER A CERTAIN
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA.
ELEMENTS OF CLIMATE
 THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF CLIMATE ARE :
1. TEMPERATURE
2. HUMIDITY
3. VAPOUR PRESSURE
4. PRECIPITATION
5. SKY CONDITION
6. SOLAR RADIATION
7. WIND
8. SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS
TEMPERATURE
 THE TEMPERATURE OF A BODY IS THE
QUANTITY WHICH INDCATES HOW HOT OR
COLD A BODY IS.
 THE TEMPERATURE OF AN AREA IS
DEPENDENT UPON LATITUDE OR
DISTRIBUTION OF INCOMING OR
OUTGOING RADIATION, NATURE OF THE
SURFACE, ALTITUDE AND PREVAILING
WINDS.
 THE AIR TEMPERARTURE NORMALLY USED IN
CLIMATOLOGY IS THAT RECORDED AT THE
SURFACE.
 THE THERMOMETER IS A DEVICE USED TPO
MEASURE TEMPERATURE OR TEMPERATURE
GRADIENT.
 A STEVENSON SCREEN IS AN INSTRUMENT
TO SHIELD METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS
AGAINST PRECIPITATION AND DIRECT HEAT
RADIATION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES WHILE
STILL ALLOWING AIR TO CIRCULATE FREELY
AROUND THEM.
A STEVENSON SCREEN CAN HOLD
DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS LIKE
THERMOMETER TO MEASURE MAX/MIN
TEMPERATURE.
 A TRADITIONAL STEVENSON SCREEN IS
BOX SHAPED CONTAINER CONSTRUCTED
OF WOOD IN A DOUBLE LOUVRED DESIGN.
ITS USUALLY WHITE IN COLOUR.
 A SINGLE SCREEN MEASURES 675 MM HIGH
BY 610 MM WIDE BY 593 MM WIDE. IT IS
SUPPORTED ON FOUR WOODEN OR METAL
LEGS AND LIES 1.2 TO 1.8 METERS ABOVE
GROUND.
A REGULAR
CELSIUS/FARENHIET
THERMOMETER
 INTERIOR OF A
STEVENSON SCREEN STEVENSON SCREEN
HUMIDITY
 HUMIDITY IS THE AMOUNT OF WATE
VAPOUR IN THE AIR.
 RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS THE TERM USED TO
EXPRESS THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE
ATMOSPHERE.IT IS THE RATIO OF ACTUAL
WATER VAPOUR IN THE AIR COMPARED TO
THE AMOUNT OF WATER VAPOUR THAT
WOULD SATURATE THE ATMOSPHERE AT
THAT TEMPERATURE.
 ASTEMPERATURE GOES UP RELATIVE
HUMIDITY GOES DOWN AND VICE VERSA.
 WET BULB THERMOMETER IS USED TO
MEASURE MOISTURE CONTENT IN
ATMOSPHERE.
HYGROMETER IS A DEVICE
USED TO MEASURE HUMIDITY.
VAPOUR PRESSURE
 THEPRESURE EXERTED BY VAPOUR IN UNIT
VOLUME OF AIR IS KNOWN AS VAPOUR
PRESSURE.
 MEASURED IN N/m² OR PASCAL
 THE BAROMETER IS A SCIENTIFIC
INSTRUMENT USED TO MEASURE
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.
 ITS UNIT IS PASCAL OR N/m²
PRECIPITATION
 PRECIPITATION IS THE ATMOSPHERIC
PHENOMENON IN WHICH WATER VAPOUR
IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONDENSES AND
FALLS IN THE FORM OF RAIN, SNOW, ETC.
 RAIN GUAGE IS AN INSTRUMENT WHICH IS
USED TO MEASURE RAIN FALL.
 MOST RAIN GUAGES MEASURE
PRECIPITATION IN MILLIMETERS, THOUGH IT
IS ALSO MESURED IN CENTIMETERS AND
INCHES.
 RAIN GUAGES ARE GENERALLY PLACED IN
OPEN AREAS SO THAT NO OBSTACLES
BLOCK THE RAIN AND NO EXTRA WATER IS
ACCUMULATED FROM SURROUNDING
ROOFS OR TREES.
A TYPICAL RAIN
GUAGE
CLOUD COVER
 CLOUDS ARE FORMED WHEN THERE IS A
LOT OF MOISTURE PRESENT IN THE
ATMOSPHERE.
 AIR CLOSE TO THE SURFACE IS HEATED AND
RISES UP.IT RISES UNTILL IT BECOMES
SATURATED AND COOLS DOWN TO FORM
CLOUDS.
 CONTINUOUS BUILD UP OF CLOUDS
CAUSES RAIN.
 CLOUDS CAN ACT AS A BARRIER TO SOLAR
RADIATION AND CAN SIGNIFICANTLY
DROP THE TEMPERATURE.
 CLOUDS CAN ALSO RETAIN HEAT
ABSORBED BY THE LAND AND INCREASE
THE TEMPERATURE.
SOLAR RADIATION
 THE RADIANT ENERGY EMITTED BY THE SUN
IS CALLED SOLAR RADIATION.
 ACTINOMETERS ARE INSTRUMENTS USED TO
MEASURE THE HEATING POWER OF
RADIATION.
ACTINOMETER
WIND
 THE FLOW OR MOVEMENT OF AIR DUE TO
DIFFERENCE OF PRESSURE IS CALLED WIND.
 WIND IS THE CLIMATIC ELEMENT WHICH
TRANSPORTS HEAT AND MOISTURE TO A
REGION.
 CLIMATOLOGISTS ARE GENERALLY
INTERESTED IN WIND WITH REGARD TO ITS
DIRECTION, SPEED AND GUSTINESS.
 WIND IS MEASURED IN m/s OR METERS PER
SECOND.
 WIND SPEED IS MEASURED BY AN
ANEMOMETER IN m/s.
 WIND DIRECTION IS MEASURED BY WIND
GUAGE.
 WIND VANE

ANEMOMETER