VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE WEATHER STATION

THE CONCRETE SLAB AND GRASS AREA

Prior to 2008 the station had a fully equipped ground level meteorological enclosure which in addition to the standard temperature and rainfall measurements was able to provide soil and earth temperature data down to depths of 1m. However, repeated vandalism of the site forced us to decommission this enclosure in the summer of 2007. However, observations of states of the ground have been maintained which include states of the grass, concrete and concrete minimum temperatures. Whilst the state of the grass on the actual ground is used for the purposes of the climatological record, the presence of a small turfed area allows the moisture status to be checked.  

The states of the concrete and grass are made daily at 0900 GMT with reference to established criteria which describe the presence of ice, dew, snow etc. on the surface. At the same time, the concrete minimum thermometer is read and reset. This thermometer only differs from the minimum thermometer in the screen by having a blackened radiation shield fitted. This is designed to prevent condensation from forming inside the instrument. Following snowfall, the concrete slab is swept clear whereas the grass retains its snow cover.

Positioned to the right of the concrete slab is one of the station's two tilting syphon rainfall recorders.