Rain Gauge Rain gauge:

A rain gauge which is also called udometer, a pluviometer, ombrometer or cup is a type of instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a set period of time. One millimeter of measured precipitation is the equivalent of one liter of rainfall per meter squared. History:

This is the brief history of the rain gauge: The first known records of rainfalls were kept by the Ancient Greeks about 500 B.C. This was followed 100 years later by people in India using bowls to record the rainfall. The readings from these were correlated against expected growth, and used as a basis for land taxes. 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 standardized rain gauge to classify land for taxation purposes. While some sources state that the much later cheugugi of Korea was the world's first gauge, other sources say that Jang Yeong-sil developed or refined an existing gauge In 1662, Christopher Wren created the first tipping-bucket rain gauge in Britain.
o Garden rain gauge

George James Symons was elected to the council of the British meteorological society in 1863 and made it his life's work to investigate rainfall within the British Isles. He set up a voluntary network of observers, who collected data which was returned to him for analysis. He also collected old rain fall records going back about a hundred years previously. In 1870 he produced an account of rainfall in the British Isles starting in 1725. Due to the ever increasing numbers of observers and Symons prior inspections of the gauges, Figure 2: George James Sympson Figure 1: Rain gauge made in 1818, by meteorologist standardization of the gauges was necessary. Luke Howard (Science Symons began experiments on new gauges in his own garden. He Museum / Science & Society experimented with variations in size, shape, and height of the gauge. In 1863 he took on the help of Colonel Michael Foster Ward, of Calne Wiltshire, who undertook more extensive investigations. By including Ward and various others around Britain, the investigations

continued until 1890. The experiments were remarkable for their planning, execution, and drawing of conclusions. The results of these experiments lead to the progressive adoption of the well known standard gauge, still used by the UK Meteorological Office today. Namely, one made of copper, with a five inch funnel having its brass rim one foot above the ground.

Principles:

Most rain gauges generally measure the precipitation in millimeters. The level of rainfall is sometimes reported as inches or centimeters. Rain gauge amounts are read either manually or by automatic weather station (AWS). The frequency of readings will depend on the requirements of the collection agency. Some countries will supplement the paid weather observer with a network of volunteers to obtain precipitation data (and other Figure 3: Rain Gauge Components types of weather) for sparsely populated areas. In most cases the precipitation is not retained, however some stations do submit rainfall (and snowfall) for testing, which is done to obtain levels of pollutants. Rain gauges should be placed in an open area where there are no obstructions, such as building or trees, to block the rain. This is also to prevent the water collected on the roofs of buildings or the leaves of trees from dripping into the rain gauge after a rain, resulting in inaccurate readings. Disadvantages & limitation:

Rain gauges have their limitations. Attempting to collect rain data in a hurricane can be nearly impossible and unreliable (even if the equipment survives) due to wind extremes. Also, rain gauges only indicate rainfall in a localized area. For virtually any gauge, drops will stick to the sides or funnel of the collecting device, such that amounts are very slightly underestimated, and those of .01 inches or .25 mm may be recorded as a trace. Another problem encountered is when the temperature is close to or below freezing. Rain may fall on the funnel and freeze or snow may collect in the gauge and not permit any subsequent rain to pass through.

Types of rain gage: 1) Graduated Cylinder Rain Gauge

Measures the accumulation (height) of precipitation in an open topped cylindrical container. Operator records the accumulation and empties the cylinder. Normally it has a funnel shaped accumulator at the top to gather precipitation from a greater area than the cylinder area. - Advantages: Simple components - Disadvantages: Operator intervention required.

Figure 4 Graduated Cylinder Rain Gauge

2) Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge Measures the number of times or frequency that a bucket or pair of buckets fills with water and overbalances. - Advantages: Simple component - Disadvantages: Moving parts

Figure 5 Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge

3) Weighing Precipitation Gauge Measures the weight of accumulated precipitation in a bucket. The bucket empties by evaporation. Advantages: - No moving parts. Disadvantages: - Complex. Subject to debris (dirt, leaves) and wind.
Figure 5 Weighing Rain Gauges

4) Optical Precipitation Gauge An infrared or visible light optical device is used to measure the rain drop size, fall velocity and intensity. Basically, beams of radiation are interrupted by raindrops or video images are analyzed. Structured illumination (light beams formed into sheets or cones) is often used. - Advantages: Accurate - Disadvantages: Complex.
Figure 6 Optical Rain Gauge