by Belfort Instrument ~ May 8, 2008
Author: Susan Banks Sr
Climate change and the environment is top of the global agenda today as the need to cut down on carbon emissions becomes increasingly apparent. As world leaders negotiate to come up with a plan to halt climate change and cut down on emissions, we can also play our part.
Reducing the amount of energy we use in our home, in our workplace and in our cars can have a significant affect on emissions. Not only that, it can save you money too. If everyone makes an effort in their lives, it can make a huge difference on a global scale. Here is some advice on how you can cut down on your energy usage.
In the home
* Switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They cost slightly more, but save up to ten times their price over their lifetime.
* When you are boiling water, or heating anything, only boil the amount you need. You do not need a kettle full of boiling water for one cup of tea.
* Switch off appliances when you are not using them to save money and energy. TVs, videos, stereos and computers left on standby can use use a lot of energy.
* Recycle everything that you can. We throw away our own weight in rubbish every month, but bottles, cans, paper, card, plastic and aluminium can all be reused or recycled which saves energy. For example, it takes the same amount of energy to make 20 cans from recycled material as it takes to make one can from scratch. Recycling will also save you money on refuse charges.
* If you live in a sunny area you could potentially meet all your energy means using solar panels.
* Turning down your thermostat by just three degrees will save you 10 per cent in energy costs. Also, make sure that your home is well insulated so that it keeps the heat in.
* When washing clothes and dishes make sure the appliances are full. Also, try using lukewarm water.
* Keep the lid on pots and pans when you are cooking.
In the office
* Where at all possible, store all documents in digital format on your computer or another storage device. If you must print something, use both sides of the page.
* There is no need to fly half way around the world for a meeting. Online audio and video conferencing has effectively cut out the need for face to face meetings and conferences. The amount of energy that can potentially be saved here is huge.
* Turn your computer off completely or at least put it to sleep when you are not using it. Computers still use a lot of energy when they are on screensaver mode.
In the car
* For shorter journeys, leave the car at home and use a bike instead. Bikes are a healthy, quick and enjoyable way to get around, and a great way to avoid congestion if you live in a big city.
* Experiment with car pooling to get to and from work. It will save you money and could get you to work faster.
* Join the hybrid revolution. Do you really need that gas guzzling SUV? Buy a hybrid and use a fraction of the energy for your journeys.
* Public transport is far more energy efficient than driving. Also, remember that air travel is a major polluter so use ground transport wherever possible.
In the shops
* Do not accept plastic bags from shops. Always bring your own reusable bags.
* Try to buy organic food that is grown locally. Organic food is farmed less intensively and usually requires less energy to produce. In addition, the fact that it is grown locally means a reduction in transport costs.
* Try to eat less meat. Livestock are a major source of greenhouse gases.
Water
While water isn’t strictly energy, it is a finite resource that we need to preserve and take care of. Here are some tips on how to cut down on your water usage:
* Always use the shower instead of the bath.
* Never leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.
* Only use the dishwasher or washing machine with a full load.
* Try to install a system to use your waste water run-off to keep your garden watered. This will also encourage you to use non-harmful soaps and washing powders.
* Water your garden early in the morning or just before sunset. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground instead of evaporating in the hot sun if you water during the day.Â
* Water butts or large water containers are a good idea for the garden. Situate them under the edges of your roof so they receive run-off when it rains.
These are just a few of the simple, yet effective, ways that you can help cut down on energy usage and reduce your carbon footprint. Even if we all follow just a few of these steps it will make a big difference and save us money as well.
by Belfort Instrument ~ April 8, 2008
Author: Frankie Goh
EACH morning, millions of us turn on our radios and televisions for the weather forecast. Do the cloudy skies mean rain? Will the early sunshine last? Will rising temperatures bring a thaw to melt snow and ice? Once we hear the forecast, we decide what clothes to wear and whether to carry an umbrella or not.
From time to time, though, weather forecasts are conspicuously off the mark. Yes, though the accuracy of forecasts has improved dramatically in recent years, predicting the weather is a fascinating mixture of art and science that is far from foolproof. What is involved in predicting the weather, and how reliable are weather forecasts? In answer, let us first explore how weather forecasting developed.
Measuring the Weather
In ancient times weather forecasting was primarily based upon observations made with the naked eye. Today meteorologists have an array of sophisticated tools at their disposal, the most basic of which measure air pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind.
In 1643, Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli invented the barometer-a simple device that measures air pressure. It was soon noted that air pressure rises and falls as the weather changes, a drop in pressure often signaling a storm. The hygrometer, which measures atmospheric humidity, was developed in 1664. And in 1714, German physicist Daniel Fahrenheit developed the mercury thermometer. Now the temperature could be accurately measured.
About 1765, French scientist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier proposed that daily measurements of air pressure, moisture content, and wind speed and direction be made. “With all this information,” he declared, “it is almost always possible to predict the weather for one or two days ahead with reasonable accuracy.” Unfortunately, doing so proved to be anything but simple.
Tracking the Weather
In 1854 a French warship and 38 merchant vessels sank in a fierce storm off the Crimean port of Balaklava. The French authorities asked Urbain-Jean-Joseph Leverrier, director of the Paris Observatory, to investigate. By checking meteorologic records, he discovered that the storm had formed two days before the disaster and had swept across Europe from the northwest to the southeast. Had a system of tracking the movements of storms been in place, the vessels could have been given advance warning. A national storm-warning service was thus established in France. Modern meteorology had been born.
Needed, though, was a quick way for scientists to receive weather data from other locations. And Samuel Morse’s recently invented electric telegraph was just the means to do so. This made it possible for the Paris Observatory to begin publishing the first weather maps in modern format in 1863. By 1872, Britain’s Meteorological Office was doing the same.
The more that meteorologists acquired data, the more they became aware of the enormous complexity of the weather. New graphic devices were thus developed so that weather maps could convey additional information. Isobars, for example, are lines drawn to link points that have the same barometric pressure. Isotherms connect locations that have the same temperature. Weather maps also use symbols that show wind direction and force, along with lines that depict the meeting of warm and cold air masses.
Sophisticated equipment has also been developed. Nowadays hundreds of weather stations around the world release balloons carrying radiosondes-instruments that measure atmospheric conditions and then radio the information back. Radar is also used. By bouncing radio waves off raindrops and ice particles in clouds, meteorologists can track the movement of storms.
A leap forward in accurate weather observation came in 1960 when TIROS I, the world’s first weather satellite, rocketed heavenward equipped with a TV camera. Now weather satellites orbit the earth from pole to pole, whereas geostationary satellites maintain a fixed position above the earth’s surface and continuously monitor the part of the globe in their field of view. Both types beam down pictures of the weather, which they view from above.
Forecasting the Weather
While it is one thing to know exactly what the weather is right now, it is quite a different matter to predict what it will be in an hour, a day, or a week. Shortly after World War I, British meteorologist Lewis Richardson reckoned that since the atmosphere follows the laws of physics, he could use mathematics to predict the weather. But the formulas were so complicated and the number-crunching process so time-consuming that weather fronts were gone before forecasters could complete their calculations. Besides, Richardson used weather readings taken at six-hour intervals. “An only marginally successful forecast requires that measurements be taken at intervals of thirty minutes at the most,” observes French meteorologist René Chaboud.
With the advent of computers, however, it became possible to perform the lengthy calculations speedily. Meteorologists used Richardson’s calculations to develop a complex numerical model-a series of mathematical equations that encompass all the known physical laws governing the weather.
To employ these equations, meteorologists divide the earth’s surface into a grid. Currently, the global model used by Britain’s Meteorological Office has grid points spaced about 50 miles [80 km] apart. The atmosphere above each square is called a box, and observations of atmospheric wind, air pressure, temperature, and humidity are recorded at 20 different levels of altitude. The computer analyzes the data received from the observation stations throughout the world-more than 3,500 of them-and then produces a forecast of what the world’s weather will be for the next 15 minutes. Once this has been done, a forecast of the following 15 minutes is rapidly produced. Repeating this process many times over, a computer can make a six-day global forecast in a mere 15 minutes.
For greater detail and accuracy in local forecasting, the British Meteorological Office employs the Limited Area Model, covering the North Atlantic and European sectors. It uses grid points spaced at intervals of about 30 miles [50 km]. There is also a model that covers only the British Isles and surrounding seas. It has 262,384 grid points ten miles [15 km] apart and 31 vertical levels!
The Forecaster’s Role
Predicting the weather, however, is not all hard science. As The World Book Encyclopedia puts it, “the formulas used by the computers are only approximate descriptions of the behavior of the atmosphere.” Furthermore, even an accurate forecast for a large area may not take into account the effect of local terrain on the weather. So some degree of art is also necessary. Here is where a weather forecaster comes in. He uses his experience and judgment to determine what value to place on the data he receives. This allows him to make a more accurate forecast.
For example, when air cooled by the North Sea moves over the European landmass, a thin cloud layer often forms. Whether this cloud layer heralds rain in continental Europe the following day or simply evaporates in the sun’s heat depends on a temperature difference of only a few tenths of a degree. The forecaster’s data, along with his knowledge of previous similar situations, enables him to offer good advice. This mixture of art and science is critical to producing accurate forecasts.
How Reliable?
Presently Britain’s Meteorological Office claims 86-percent accuracy for its 24-hour forecasts. Five-day estimates from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts achieve an accuracy of 80 percent-better than the reliability of two-day forecasts in the early 1970’s. Impressive but far from perfect. Why are forecasts not more reliable?
For the simple reason that weather systems are enormously complicated. And it is not possible to take all the measurements needed to make foolproof predictions. Vast areas of the ocean have no weather buoys to beam data via satellite to ground stations. Rarely do weather-model grid points correspond exactly to the location of weather observatories. Besides, scientists still do not understand all the forces of nature that shape our weather.
But improvements are constantly being made in weather forecasting. For example, until recently, forecasting the weather depended mainly on observation of the atmosphere. But with 71 percent of the globe’s surface covered by ocean, researchers are now focusing attention on the way energy is stored and transferred from the ocean to the air. Through a system of buoys, the Global Ocean Observing System provides information about slight rises in water temperature in one region that can have dramatic consequences on the weather far away.
Today man still knows relatively little about the shaping of our weather. Nevertheless, modern weather forecasting is accurate enough to be taken seriously. In other words, the next time the forecaster tells you that rain is likely, you’ll probably want to grab an umbrella!
by Belfort Instrument ~ April 8, 2008
Author: Steve Valentino
Wireless digital weather station is synonymous with timely weather readings whenever and wherever you want. Wireless digital weather station gives you the freedom from staying glued with the television weather channels to get accurate, in-depth weather including temperatures and humidity readings, forecast, lunar cycles and trend graphs. No matter where you are in the world - whether out for a spin in the car, or camping in the wilderness, or even just throwing a birthday bash in the backyard, a wireless digital weather station is just the thing to stay up-to-the-minute with regard to storms, wind, temperature, and so on.
Wireless digital weather station comes handy with unique combination of features including standard options such as temperature, humidity, date and time. The Wireless Digital Weather Station provides the ultimate in flexibility because it’s wireless. It is battery-operated for convenience and gives consumers the freedom to place a sensor inside or outside the house or office premises. They can measure the barometer levels, temperatures, or any other piece of crucial weather data you may need to know about.
There are many leading companies like General Electronics (GE) involved in the manufacture of wireless digital weather stations. Buying them is simple. You can either purchase it online, after choosing your design from the catalogue available on various sites selling these digital weather stations. Wireless digital weather stations are also available nationwide at Target, Home Depot and other retailers. Obviously, shipping may cost extra, so be careful of that factor when comparing prices for the best deals on the best models.
by Belfort Instrument ~ April 8, 2008
Author: Jonathan Goodman
Weather instruments are both utilitarian and look great as decorative pieces indoors and outdoors. Apart from this they make great gifts that you will be remembered for, for a long time. Some of the most common weather instruments are:
* Barometers
* Thermometers
* Hygrometers
* Outdoor clocks
Barometers
A Barometer is used to measure air pressure and shows whether the pressure is rising or falling. When the barometer rises, it indicates sunny and dry conditions while a falling barometer indicates stormy and wet weather. The first ever barometer was built by the Italian scientist Torricelli in 1643.
Thermometers
Thermometers measure the temperature. A majority of thermometers are closed glass tubes that contain alcohol or mercury. As the air around the tube heats the liquid, the liquid expands and move up the tube. A scale on the thermometer shows the corresponding temperature.
There are different kinds of thermometers like the digital thermometer, Galileo thermometer, mercury thermometers and dial thermometers.
Galileo thermometers are available in a variety of designs and they are great conversation pieces. Regardless of whether your decor is antique or modern, a Galileo thermometer will add value to it.
The Galileo thermometer comes with colored glass spheres weighted precisely to respond to changes in temperature by rising or falling in a glass cylinder filled with liquid. The sphere that floats the lowest indicates current air temperature. Each Galileo thermometer sphere is dual calibrated for accuracy.
You will find that as ambient temperature rises the spheres descend one by one. The ones above ambient temperature remain floating at the top of the fluid. The actual temperature that is shown by a numbered medallion that hangs from the bottom of each sphere is of the lowest sphere that is still floating.
To look attractive, the decorative Galileo thermometer is available with different colored spheres.
Another type of thermometer is the dial thermometer that can be of various types. Bimetal thermometers use a bimetal spring to sense the temperature, while liquid or gas filled thermometers use gas or vapor. The dial display shows you the temperature in both Fahrenheit or Celsius, in addition to other readings. Dial thermometers are mostly used in industrial and lab applications.
Digital thermometers are of course the most prevalent today as they are easy to read.
Hygrometers
Hygrometers are used to measure the relative humidity in the air. There are various kinds of hygrometers. These devices are delicate and need to be calibrated so that they show accurate results. Hygrometers are easy to use and are also called humidity sensors. If you have one at home, you can tell whether your house has too much or too little humidity. Once you find out, you can take steps to regulate it. If the relative humidity in your house is too low, you can raise it. If it is too high, you can lower it.
There are devices where you can measure both humidity and temperature, making them a hygrometer cum room thermometer.
Outdoor clocks
There is an amazing range of outdoor clocks available to decorate your patio or backyard. These outdoor clocks are weatherproof, which means you can have them out in both summer and winter. You also get thermometer clocks and wall clocks for outdoor use.
Outdoor clocks are made of resins, metals and woods and you can select one that matches your decor or theme. These decorative timepieces look stylish and charming and make good conversation pieces.
Other interesting weather instruments are the rain gauge that shows the amount of rainfall over a particular period, a wind vane that tells you the direction from which the wind is blowing and an anemometer that that measures the speed of the wind.