Rain Gauge - History And Underlying Principles

Do you know much about rain gauges? Read on to find out the principles that comprise them.

Rain gauges are the instruments used to collect rain and interpret the amount of precipitation in a certain time period. Meteorologists and hydrologists make use of these instruments to come up with their recorded data.

Remembering its History

You must be wondering as to where the rain gauge originated and who were the very first people thought of using it. For the record, the very first rainfall records were safeguarded by no other than the Ancient Greeks. The date goes back to 500 B.C. After a hundred of years or so, the Indians thought of using ordinary bowls to collect and record the rainfall.

Their readings were then associated to the expected growth and later on to the quotations of the land taxes. Certain places like Magadha and Arthashastra based their grain production to the rainfall records. All of the state storehouses then adopted the use of the standardized rain gauge to be able to categorize the lands for the purpose of computing the taxes.

As for the first rain gauge produced, some records state that the Cheugugi of Korea was the first in the world while others point out that it was Jang Yeong Sil who developed it or improved the existing rain gauge during the time. However, it was Christopher Wren from Britain who made the first ever tipping bucket rain gauge in the year 1662 AD.

Getting to Know the Associated Principles

Generally, many of the rain gauges created measure precipitation via millimeters. The level of rainfall is also oftentimes recorded and reported as centimeters or inches.

The amount of rainfall gathered by the instrument can be read either manually or by employing the services of the AWS or Automatic Weather Station. The frequency in the readings highly depends on the requirements of the agency that is in charged of the collection. Other countries actually supply the paid weather observer with a bunch of volunteers who can take the precipitation data and some other changes in the weather. This is basically done for the benefit of those sparsely populated regions.

In some instances, the precipitation is never maintained. There are, however, other reading stations which do submit the rainfall records for testing purposes. This is mostly done to gain the levels of pollutants.

The Limitations and Usual Problems Encountered

This instrument likewise has its own limitations. When there is a hurricane, the collection of rain data is almost impossible. More so, the results can also be unreliable even when the equipment actually survives the danger. The extreme winds make things very impossible to execute.

The rain gauge can only signify the rainfall in a specific area. Some of the raindrops tend to stick to the funnel or to the sides of the device. Hence, the amounts can be underestimated.

One more problem that meteorologists and hydrologists face is the temperature that is almost close to freezing. The rain may fall on the funnel and the snow or freeze can be accumulated in the device. This then blocks the rain passage.

Overall, it is advisable that the rain gauges be put in areas which are far from trees and other structures to ensure that no factors will hinder the clear and precise collection and data reading.