13. Measuring and Forecasting Weather 13.2 Forecasting the Weather
Once the data has been gathered, it needs to be measured and read in order to forecast the weather.
1. Pressure Atmospheric pressure is the weight of the atmosphere pushing down on the earth. It is measured in units called millibars (mb) by an instrument called a barometer (figure 4).
How a Barometer Works A very sensitive vacuum chamber inside the barometer responds to atmospheric pressure.
The main needle on the face moves clockwise as pressure increases, and anticlockwise as pressure decreases.
The second needle is used as a marker. It can be moved by rotating the stud in the centre of the face. Aligning the marker with the main needle ‘marks’ the existing pressure. This can be useful for observing pressure changes later.
Marker needle
Main needle
Lever
Vacuum chamber
4. A barometer
In a weather station, a barograph (a barometer that records its readings on a moving graph; figure 5) measures and records atmospheric pressure.
1 The barometer is squeezed as air pressure increases and expands when pressure decreases.
3
The pen moves up and down as pressure changes.
2 Levers transfer the barometer’s
movement to a pen.
4
The pen’s movement draws a line on paper on a slowly rotating cylinder.