Weather Station VIRTUAL TOUR Russian Study Weather Station (WS) was founded in September 2007by a famous scientist, OSUТs scientific work and research activity principal, physics and mathematics professor Sergey Nikolaevich Letuta.

The Weather Station ground is under    construction, August, 2008

View to the WS and Botanical Garden from a cathead

The WS is situated in the southern part of the study-scientific-industrial
complex of OSU, in the are
of the Botanical garden.
The Weather Station ground is not large but it is standard (26 m×26 m).
This ground is the place where the instruments and equipment are installed,
several instruments are indoors. The ground is situated on the height of 110
meters from the sea level, its surface has been thoroughly flattened and
tidied up. The students of Geography and Regional studies Department of Geography
and Geology faculty will have study and summer practice on the special program of
СClimatology and MeteorologyТ subject.The WSТs workers give tours around the
territory to students, schoolchildren and anybody who wishes
that. Let us start a detailed tour.
 

Stevenson scree	Interior of a Stevenson  screen

Stevenson screen with self-readers Ц   hygrograph and thermograph

The main element of the ground is a Stevenson screen. It is so constructed that
the thermometers and other instruments are two meters high above the ground Ц
in the low layer of air. The box protects theinstruments from precipitation, strong
wind and sun radiation. It is painted white and has special Venetian blind. It is
worthwhile to say that as usual stations ours has two Stevenson screens. There
are thermometers, a hygrometer, a psychrometer in the first one and a thermograph,
a hydrograph (self-writing instruments which read and record air temperature and
humidity automatically) in the second one.On the so called Уsite without plants coverФ
soil temperature on the ground surface and at different depthsis measured.Ordinary,
minimum, and maximum thermometers read temperature of the soil surface. In the
winter they are put on snow.

Maximal, minimal and ordinary soil thermometers (on the surface of snow and ground)

SavinovТs soil thermometers

In meteorology they measure temperature of soil surface as well as temperature in
depth. For this there are special instruments Ц SavinovТs thermometers and a pulling
thermometer. SavinovТs thermometers are only used during warm time of the year because
theyТre fragile, they are set at depths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 centimeters. These
thermometers as well as other instruments are installed by our engineer on weather
instruments Grigoriy Mikhailovich Zhiliaev. It is important to admit that all the
instruments are checked at the Metrology and Standardization Center. If the instruments
read differently from standards correction is made. All the thermometers are oriented
from East towards West.

At every WS snow measuring stakes are installed for winter period. There are four of
them at our ground: three for snow reading and one at the frost soil meter.
A snow gauge is supposed to read height and mass of snow sample. It consists of scales
and a metal cylinder to take snow samples and read its volume. Snow density is measured
by its mass per out of volume.

VildТs weatherwane on a 10 meter mast	Hand anemometer

Every WS has a high mast. On it there is a wind measuring instrument Ц VildТs
weathervane. At a WS there are two kinds of weathervanes Ц one with a heavy board and
another with a light one. Two weathervanes give opportunity to read different speeds of
wind. The one with the light board measures wind speed up to 20 m/s, the one with the
heavy board Ц up to 40 m/s. As the wind rarely blows at the speed more than 20 m/s in
Orenburg (mean year wind speed is 4 m/s), only the weathervane with the light board is
installed at our WS.
Weathervane is very easy to use. It is set up in the northern part of the ground. On the
photo the wind blows from the south, to read that we look at the counter-balance (the ball),
and the wind speed is 2-3 m/s (we say that according to which pin to the board is diverging).
СThe Directions for WSs and PostsТ (it is the main document setting rules and methods of
functioning of the WSs) recommends using VildТs weathervane in case of breakdown of all
the wind measuring instruments.

Wind speed is also measured by another way Ц with a hand anemometer.
Also at our MS the following observations are conducted:
Х Rainfall with a raingauge. Precipitation collector is a special cylinder bucket where rain
gets. It is protected against wind by special plates. Twice a day precipitation is poured into
a special rain measuring glass, each line is 1 mm. If precipitation is 50 mm within 12 hours
this is considered to be a dangerous weather phenomenon which can be a serious threat to
citizensТ lives and health.

Rain gauge	Graduated rain cylinder
Aneroid-barometer	Barograph

Х Atmospheric pressure is read by an aneroid-barometer and a barograph which are set
indoors.
Х Air temperature including maximal and minimal is read by the thermometers which are
installed in the Stevenson screen. According to dry and wet thermometers with the help of
special СPsychrometric chartsТ we find air humidity characteristics (relative and absolute
humidity, dew point, saturation deficit). For instance the dry thermometer reads 7,2∞C and
the wet one - 6,5∞C the dew point is 5,6∞C, absolute humidity is 90%, and saturation
deficit is 1,1 hPa.

Psychrometric  charts	Assman psychrometer

Clouds Album

For reading air humidity we also use Assman psychrometer which can be carried to different
places in order to study micro climate. For example we suppose we will manage to find so
called Сwarmth islandТ above the central part of the city that causes Сcity breezeТ
influencing the air pollution especially in summer in this part of the city.
Х The shape of clouds is defined visually, after that we collate the data with the
International СClouds AlbumТ. We are planning to design a program on observing mother-of-pearl
and silver clouds Ц these unique and mysterious Сsky decorationsТ.
Х We also observe dangerous atmospheric phenomena: squalls, thunder-storms, blizzards, fogs,
hazes, smog, and sand storms.
Х We keep observation of optical phenomena: various halos and so on. Technically speaking
it is possible to see moon rainbow (we know about it from AristotelТs СMeteorologicaТ),
but we have never seen it.
Х The horizontal visibility is observed with the help of landmarks, distances to them were
measured beforehand.
Х The sunshine duration is measured by a sunshine recorder which consists of a glass ball
focusing the sunrays and burning a line on a paper stripe. According to the line length on
this stripe they count the sunshine duration. In Orenburg there are more than 2000 hours
of sunshine a year Ц almost like in the Crimea.

Sunshine recorder	Paper stripes with burnt lines
Black ice machine	Frost on the black ice machine

All the observation and reading are conducted in accordance with international and
domestic rules prescribed by WMO and RosHydromet. Apart from standard programs
our WS keep some unique observations, such as measuring of frozen soil depth
(with a frozen soil meter). It is important to notice that frozen soil meter observations
begin after the mean day temperature drops lower than 0∞C (in the autumn of 2008 it
happened on 6 November). We also observe the ice and frost formation on the special black
ice machine. The sheet of ice is read by the depth of ice on wires and by the water
volume after melting of this ice.

Classification of solid atmospheric precipitation of the International Panel

Our program also includes the study of solid atmospheric precipitation Ц its
classification according to the Instructions of the International Panel on Ice and Snow,
and explanation why their forms are so different and unusual.
In order to provide automatical processing and logical control of the weather data,
and in order to issue the meteorological bulletin, an original software program
СSWS-OSUТ is being designed currently.

Regular observation program gives important data which allows to solve a wide range of
scientific and applied questions in complex.

It is worth to notice that the Study Weather Station can be a considerable link of
the Russian Emergency Ministry at detecting and preventing dangerous and unfavourable
weather phenomena (hurricane-force winds, squalls, heavy rain and hail and so on),
that is it can be a reliable Уweather sentryФ in the north of Orenburg.
These preventions will be able to decrease economical loss from the dangerous phenomena
and peopleТs health will be kept as well.

Climatologists need the data provided by the WS for studying the climate of Orenburg,
for estimating the dynamics of the climate conditions in the city with the population
of a half a million. According to the data, recommendations for architects and of course
for the cityТs essential services can be developed.

CONCLUSION   It would be wonderful to create a Study Weather Stations Association. In it there would be not only Russian study weather stations, observatories and bureaus from universities of Perm, Saratov, Moscow, Irkutsk, Kazan, Tomsk, Vladivostok, St Petersburg, but also weather stations from other countries, for instance the university of the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, Belorussian university and many others. We know very little about the work of these stations from the world wide web. The first steps in this direction have been made though. In 2007 we got to know our colleagues from the Samara Agricultural Academy (the Ust-Kinel town). The head of the station Elena Vladimirovna Samokhvalova (look at the picture) showed us how their station works, represented their research and was very interested in what we had done.     During a phone conversation NatalТya Fedorovna Kharlamova (Altay State University, Barnaul city) shared their work experience, the problems of organization and keeping weather observation with us. Knowing all the burdens and sometimes insuperable obstacles we have great admiration and gratitude for you, colleagues! Our virtual tour is finally over. We are glad to have an opportunity to communicate with you. We will be grateful for those who express their opinion. You can send an e-mail at: meteoogu@yandex.ru                                                                         Translated from Russian by E.Yazykbaev