AE411 – Hydrometeorology

First Semester 2017-18

Javier, Kristine Marie Q.

4BSAE-A

Laboratory Exercise 1
Survey of Hydrological and Meteorological Instruments

I. Introduction

Familiarizing the instruments used in Hydrology and Meteorology is essential.

This will help the students in studying Hydrometeorology. Also, in order to understand

the mechanism and how useful it is in the said field.

This laboratory includes the different instruments used in hydrological and

meteorological measurements, its mechanism, inventor and history. Also, instruments in

CE and AE laboratories were surveyed.

II. Objectives

The objectives of this laboratory exercise include:

a) To familiarize with the different instruments used in hydrological and

meteorological measurements.

b) To familiarize with mechanism and functions of each instrument.

c) To know the inventor and history of the instruments.

III. Online Inventory of Hydromet Instruments

1. Temperature - THERMOGRAPH
History/Inventor:
A thermograph is an instrument that
records air temperature continuously on
graphing paper. It usually consists of a
cylinder made to revolve once each week
by means of clockworks inside. A sheet of
graph paper is fastened on the outside. A
pen point that rests on the paper traces
the temperature curve, according to the
expansion and contraction of a sensitive
metallic coil or strip corresponding to the
reading of a thermometer.
These instruments are housed in a
thermometer shelter which has double-
louvered sides and double-top roofing
designed to permit air to circulated freely
through the shelter.
Price Range: P1, 950 – P27, 000
Supplier: eBay Philippines

2. Humidity - HYGROMETER
The hygrometer is used to measure
humidity.
The hygrometer is less accurate than the
psychrometer. It uses human air from
which the oil has been removed by using
ether. The hair becomes longer as the
relative humidity of the air increases. This
change can be made to move an indicator
needle which moves over a scale, the
graduations of which reads from 0% to
100%.
History/Inventor: Leonardo da Vinci built Price range: P500-P1500
the first crude hygrometer in the 1400s.
Francesco Folli invented a more practical Supplier: Lazada
hygrometer in 1664.
In 1783, Swiss physicist and geologist,
Horace Bénédict de Saussure built the first
hygrometer using a human hair to
measure humidity.
Other Hygrometer Inventors

Robert Hooke: A 17th century

contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton
invented or improved a number of
meteorological instruments such as the
barometer and the anemometer. His
hygrometer, regarded as the first
mechanical hygrometer, used the husk of
oat grain, which he noted curled and
uncurled depending on the humidity of the
air.

John Frederic Daniell: In 1820, British

chemist and meteorologist, John Frederic
invented a dew-point hygrometer, which
came into widespread use to measure the
temperature at which moist air reaches a
saturation point. Daniel is best known for
inventing the Daniell cell, an improvement
over the voltaic cell used in the early
history of battery development.

3. Cloudiness - CEILOMETER
History/Inventor: Ty Beck, 1897, English Price range: P500,000 – 1,500,000
man working outside and realized light can
measure the base of a cloud.
Edward G. Howe invented ceilometer in
1945.
A ceilometer is a device for measuring the
height of cloud bases and overall cloud
thickness. One important use of the
ceilometer is to determine cloud ceilings at
airports. The device works day or night by
shining an intense beam of light (often
produced by an infrared or ultraviolet
transmitter or a laser), modulated at an
audio frequency, at overhead clouds.
Reflections of this light from the base of
the clouds are detected by a photocell in
the receiver of the ceilometer.
Supplier: IndiaMART Philippines
4. Amount of Precipitation - 8 inch RAIN GAUGE
An 8-inch raingauge so called because the
inside diameter of the receiver is exactly 8
inches, is provided with a funnel that
conducts rain into a cylindrical measuring
tube. The volume of the receiver is 10
times the volume of the measuring tube.
Therefore the actual depth of rainfall is
increased ten times on being collected in
the smaller measuring tube.
To measure the amount of rainfall
accumulated in the measuring tube, a thin
measuring stick with the magnified scale
printed on its face is used.
History/Inventor: The first known rainfall Price range: P10,000 – P15,000
records were kept by the Ancient Greeks,
about 500 B.C.. People living in India Supplier: Alibaba
began to record rainfall in cca 400 B.C.
The readings were correlated against
expected growth. In the Arthashastra,
used for example in Magadha, precise
standards were set as to grain production.
Each of the state storehouses were
equipped with a rain gauge to classify land
for taxation purposes.

In 1441, the Cheugugi was invented during

the reign of King Sejong the Great of the
Joseon Dynasty of Korea as the first
standardized rain gauge.
5. Rainfall Intensity – TIPPING BUCKET RAIN GAUGE
Rainfall recording instrument is the tipping-
bucket rain gauge. It is an upright
cylindrical that has a funnel-shaped
receiver. The precipitation collected by the
receiver empties into one side of a “tipping
bucket”, an inverted triangular contraption
partitioned transversely at its center, and is
pivoted about a horizontal axis. Once it is
filled with rain, it tips, spilling out water and
placing the other half of the bucket under
the funnel. The tipping activates a mercury
switch causing an electrical current to
move the pen in the recorder. Each tipping
is equal to one millimeter of rainfall.

History/Inventor: In 1662, Christopher Price range: P15,000 – P20,000

Wren created the first tipping-bucket rain
gauge in Britain in collaboration with Supplier: Lazada
Robert Hooke. Hooke also designed a
manual gauge with a funnel that made
measurements throughout 1695.

6. Air Pressure - BAROGRAPH

A barograph is a recording barometer. The
pen 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 the
aneroid cells in tandem. The aneroid cells
in tandem provide a more pronounced
response to changes in atmospheric
pressure than would be indicated by a
single aneroid of the same size.
History/Inventor: Alexander Cumming, a Price range: P2,000 – P30,000
watchmaker and mechanic, has a claim to
having made the first effective recording Supplier: eBay Philippines
barograph in the 1760s using an aneroid
cell. Cumming created a series of
barometrical clocks, including one for King
George III. However, this type of design
fell out of favour. Since the amount of
movement that can be generated by a
single aneroid is minuscule, up to seven
aneroids (so called Vidie-cans) are often
stacked "in series" to amplify their motion.
This type of barograph was invented in
1844 by the Frenchman Lucien Vidi
(1805–1866).

7. Speed and direction of wind - AEROVANE

An aerovane indicates both the wind
direction and wind speed or simply the
wind velocity. It is shaped like an airplane.
The nose of the plane ports to the direction
from which the wind comes and the two-
bladed propeller measures the wind
speed. The propeller shaft is coupled to a
small dynamo which generates current.
The amount of current generated depends
on the rate of rotation of the propeller
which depends on the speed of the wind.
The generated current activates a dial
which gives the direct reading of the wind
speed.
History/Inventor: Price range: P20,000 – P25,000

Supplier: IndiaMART Philippines

8. Stream Discharge – 2014 HOT SALE STREAM WATER QUALITY MONITORING

INSTRUMENT
A mini current meter that can be used for
flow velocity measurement in channels
and small rivers defined by low water
levels. Users can use the product with
driver options as a relocating device and
stabilizer. The propeller is a high-quality
one, working for all possible flow
velocities. The low starting speed and
frictionless contact transmission are major
advantages.

The signals generated from the propeller

revolution are registered from the Z-6
counting device, while the flow rate is
determined depending on the number of
pulses.
History/Inventor: Price range: P60000- P75000

Supplier: Alibaba

9. Surface Water Velocity – ADCP INSTRUMENT 

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
instrument which measure the water
current velocities over a depth range using
the Doppler effect of sound waves
scattered back from particles within the
water column.

The Vertical Acoustic Doppler Current

Profiler (Vertical ADCP) is designed for the
high-accuracy measurement of water flow,
level and velocity profile in open channels,
rivers, streams, and irrigation channels

The Vertical ADCP can be deployed as a

self-contained instrument recording data
for later use; as a real-time instrument for
real-time measurements; or as a portable
flow meter, with the option to move from
station to station.
History/Inventor: Price: P75,000 – P150, 000

Supplier: IndiaMART Philippines

10. Permeability – PERMEABILITY METER / PORTABLE

Is measured by touching the work piece
with the probe tip and reading the result
from the display. Typical applications are:
non-destructive testing of materials, e.g.
quality control of stainless steel, material
selection for electron-/ion-beam
equipment, detection of material defects
induced by mechanical or thermal stress.

Instrument for easy measurement of the

relative magnetic permeability µr of feebly
magnetic materials and workpieces with a
permeability between 1.001 and 1.999.
The permeability is measured by touching
the workpiece with the probe tip and

History/Inventor:
Inventor: Browning, and Musgrave (1940)
reading the result from the display. Typical
applications are: non-destructive testing of
materials, e. g. quality control of stainless
steel, material selection for electron-/ion-
beam equipment, detection of material
defects induced by mechanical or thermal
stress.
Price range: P2,500 – P5,000
Supplier: Lazada

11. Infiltration - INFILTROMETER

Double ring infiltrometer requires two

rings: an inner and outer ring. The purpose
is to create a one-dimensional flow of
water from the inner ring, as the analysis
of data is simplified. If water is flowing in
one-dimension at steady state condition,
and a unit gradient is present in the
underlying soil, the infiltration rate is
approximately equal to the saturated
hydraulic conductivity. An inner ring is
driven into the ground, and a second
bigger ring around that to help control the
flow of water through the first ring. Water is
supplied either with a constant or falling
head condition, and the operator records
how much water infiltrates from the inner
ring into the soil over a given time period.
History/Inventor: Willard Gardner and Price range: P15, 000 – P20, 000
Walter Gardner developed a negative
head permeameter as early as 1939. Supplier: Lazada
Dixon (1975) developed a closed-top ring
infiltrometer to quantify macropores. Water
is applied to a closed-top system, which
permits the imposition of negative head or
pressure on the ponded water surface.
Negative tension can be considered as
simulating a positive soil air pressure,
created by a negative air pressure above
ponded surface water. A simplification was
made by Topp and Zebchuk (1985). The
limitation of this device is the infiltration
has to be started by ponding the closed-
top infiltrometer (applying a positive head),
then adjusted to a negative pressure. Little
research effort was continued in this area,
instead attention has been given mainly to
the sorptivity apparatus of Dirksen (1975)
which used a ceramic plate as a base.
Based on this design, Brent Clothier and
Ian White (1981) developed the sorptivity
tube which can provide a constant
negative potential (tension) on the soil
surface. However, the sorptivity tube had
many shortcomings, hence modifications
to the design led to the development of
the disc permeameter by Perroux and
White (1988) from CSIRO. In the US it is
known as the tension infiltrometer.

12. Surface Runoff – CURRENT METER

An instrument used to measure the

velocity of flowing water.

History/Inventor: Price range: P7, 000 – P10,000

Supplier: IndiaMART Philippines

13. Groundwater level – LASER MARKED MODEL 102 WATER LEVEL INDICATOR
Designed to accurately measure
groundwater levels in small diameter
applications. The Solinst 102 Dip Meter is
ideal for measuring groundwater levels,
especially in piezometers and small
diameter tubes where a flexible cable is
needed to pass an in well pump. The cable

History/Inventor:
14. Soil moisture – SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR
History/Inventor: Sentek Pty
(“Sentek”) was founded in 1991 by a
number of people, including Peter Buss. Supplier: Makerlab Electronics
Peter Buss still works at Sentek as
manager of Agronomic R & D. Sentek is
focused on its mission “to be globally
recognized as best in class provider of soil
moisture sensors, salinity sensors and
display software”.
on this water level dip meter has a heavy
duty jacket and stainless steel coaxial
conductors. The permanent markings on
the cable are precisely laser etched on at
each millimetre or every 1/100 ft. There is
also a 25m mini water level dip meter
available ex-stock and we keep a wide
range of dip meters available for rental.
Price range: P12,500 – P15,000
Supplier: Lazada
A soil moisture sensor includes a
processor to derive soil moisture values
and a memory store associated with
processor to store measured values to
establish a moisture range for the sensor
that can be used to calibrate each new
reading. The sensor includes a capacitive
sensor. In one embodiment the processor
measures the capacitance at a single
frequency and also measures the phase
and amplitude to derive measures of soil
impedance due to moisture content and
conductivity. In another embodiment the
soil sensor capacitor is part of a resonant
circuit and the resonant frequency of the
circuit is measured as an indication of soil
moisture. The sensor is constructed on a
single substrate, which also functions as
its own insertion stake into the soil.
Ltd Price range: P300-P500
IV. Physical Inventory of Instruments in the laboratory

1. GLASS DIAL THERMOMETER

A device that measures temperature
or a temperature gradient.

2. SOIL MOISTURE TESTER

Measures the water content in soil.
3. HYDROMETER
Used to measure the specific gravity
(relative density) of liquids; that is, the ratio
of the density of the liquid to the density of
water.
A hydrometer is usually made of glass and
consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb
weighted with mercury or lead shot to
make it float upright. The liquid to be
tested is poured into a tall container, often
a graduated cylinder, and the hydrometer
is gently lowered into the liquid until it
floats freely. The point at which the surface
of the liquid touches the stem of the
hydrometer is noted. Hydrometers usually
contain a scale inside the stem, so that the
specific gravity can be read directly. A
variety of scales exist, and are used
depending on the context.

4. HYDRAULIC BENCH
A mobile self-contained bench to provide
a variable supply of water to a series of
interchangeable bench-mounting or floor-
standing hydraulic and fluid mechanics
experiments.
It draws water from sump tank and
supplies it for performing experiments.
It stores water for Hydraulic bench. It is
located in the bottom portion of Hydraulic
bench. Water from here is transported to
other parts by using a pump. It has a
capacity of 160 liters.
It supplies water to the upper part of
hydraulic bench from sump tank through a
pump.
It is used to regulate the flow in the pipe
i.e. to increase or decrease the inflow of
water in the hydraulic bench.
5.THERMOMETER
A very thin glass tubes filed with a small
amount of mercury. When mercury gets
hotter it expands (increase in size) by an
amount that’s directly related to the
temperature. It measures the hotness or
coldness of certain condition.

6. FLOW PROBE FP101 & 201

Used to measure the average water
velocity.

7. DESICCATOR
Desiccator or dry cabinets are basically
storage cabinet with dry temperature.
While it provides a dry environment, it
must never be used to dry samples.
Rather it should be used to store an
already dried sample in a dry state.
Otherwise known as dehumidifier or
dehydrators, desiccator is moisture control
system or it may contain a desiccant tray.
8. RECTANGULAR NOTCH & TRIANGULAR NOTCH
Weirs- is a barrier across a river designed
to alter its flow characteristics, to provide a
raised level to maintain minimum upstream
water level, to prevent flooding, measure
discharge, and help render river navigable.

9. INFRARED THERMOMETER
Used to measure the temperature of
anything. Point it towards the thing and
record the reading.

10. SLUICE GATE APPARATUS

Used to describe a movable barrier placed
in the flow of water to maintain the
upstream level. When a gate is closed,
water is rises up behind it; finally, t may
flow over the top or move down an
alternative channel.
V. Actual Observations of instruments

1. SPEED AND DIRECTION OF WIND 2. SOLAR RADIATION

Cup anemometer Solar Panel

3. SPEED AND DIRECTION OF WIND 4. RAINFALL INTENSITY

Speed and direction of wind reader Rain gauge

5. 6. WIND DIRECTION
Evaporating pan Vane anemometer

7. PRECIPITATION 8. WIND DIRECTION

Tipping bucket rain gauge Wind vane
9. PRECIPITATION 10. AIR PRESSURE
Rain gauge Barograph

11. SOLAR RADIATION

Sunshine recorder
 Sunshine
recorder
Wind vane

Solar panel

Rain gauge
Aerovane

Evaporating
dish
Anemometer

Hygrometer Barograph

Tipping-bucket rain gauge

USM PAG-ASA WEATHER STATION

VI. Summary

The laboratory exercise generally consists of different Hydromet instruments with

their mechanisms, and inventory. Instruments in every parameter such as temperature,
humidity, cloudiness, rainfall intensity, air pressure, speed and wind direction, surface
water velocity, permeability, infiltration, surface run-off, ground water levels and soil
moisture were those.
The instruments present in the CE and AE laboratory are glass dial thermometer,
soil moisture tester, desiccator, rectangular and triangular notch, sluice gate apparatus,
hydraulic bench, hydrometer, infrared thermometer, thermometer and flow probe FP101
& 102.
The USM PAG-ASA Weather Station consists of instruments used to gather data
everyday. The instruments that present are solar panel, wind direction and wind speed
reader, cup anemometer, evaporating pan, rain gauges, and vane anemometer.