Name: Jan Arth G.

Cadavos Subject: Hydrology

Question: Give us the different types of equipment, stations or satellites used by PAGASA
for weather determination and forecast.
I. Different Types of Equipment:
1. For Temperatures:
 Thermometer - A thermometer measures the degree of hotness or coldness of a given
substance. It operates on the principle of thermal expansion of the material used, e.g.,
liquids like mercury and alcohol, metallic materials, etc.
 Maximum-Minimum Thermometer - In order to measure the temperature range, a set of
maximum and minimum thermometers are used. A maximum thermometer has a
constriction above the bulb that permits the mercury to rise in the capillary tube but does
not allow it to descend the capillary tube unless the thermometer is reset. The highest point
that the mercury reaches indicates the maximum temperature for the period. The minimum
thermometer, on the other hand, gives the lowest temperature. It uses colored alcohol
(because of its low freezing point). It is placed at an angle of about 20° from the
horizontal. The black float called index needle is pulled downslope to the lowest
temperature of the day by two forces; a) the surface tension at the top of the alcohol
column and b) the force of gravity.
 Thermograph - A thermograph is an instrument that records air temperature continuously
on graphing paper. It usually consists of a cylinder made to revolve once each week by
means of clockworks inside. A sheet of graph paper is fastened on the outside. A pen-point
that rests on the paper traces the temperature curve, according to the expansion and
contraction of a sensitive metallic coil or strip corresponding to the reading of a
thermometer.
2. For Atmospheric Pressure:
 Mercurial Barometer - A mercurial barometer is a simple barometer made by filling a
glass tube 32 inches long with mercury and inverting it so that the open end of the tube is
below the surface of mercury in a cistern. The height of the mercury column is measured
by sliding a vernier attached on a scale. To obtain accurate measurements, corrections are
made for temperature expansion of the instrument, gravity and latitude. Values are read in
millibars, millimeters or inches of mercury.
 Aneroid Barometer - An aneroid barometer is made by removing the air from a thin,
circular, metallic box. With practically no air on the inside the box would collapse. A
spring is installed to limit the collapse of the box commensurate to the air pressure or
weight of the column of air on the box. If one side of the box is fixed, the other side will
move due to changes in atmospheric pressure. The surface of the metallic box is
corrugated in order for the box to collapse and return uniformly. The movement of the
spring causes a pointer to move over a scale of figure corresponding to the readings of a
mercury barometer.
 Barograph - A barograph is a recording barometer. The pen point that traces the pressure
curve on the paper is made to move up or down by means of a series of levers attached to
aneroid cells (metallic boxes) in tandem. The use of aneroid cells in tandem provide a
 more pronounced response to changes in atmospheric pressure than would be indicated by
a single aneroid cell of the same size.
3. For Atmospheric Humidity:
 Sling Psychrometer - The sling psychrometer consists of a dry and wet-bulb
thermometer. The term bulb refers to that portion of the glass tube where the mercury is
stored. The dry and wet bulbs are exactly alike in construction. The only difference is that
the wet-bulb has a piece of muslin cloth or wick wrapped around its bulb and which is
dipped in water shortly before the psychrometer is read.
 Hygrometer - The other instrument used to measure humidity is the Hygrometer. The
hygrometer is less accurate than the psychrometer. It uses human hair from which the oil
has been removed by using ether. The hair becomes longer as the relative humidity of the
air increases. This change can be made to move an indicator needle which moves over a
scale, the graduations of which reads from 0% to 100%.
 Hygrothermograph - The hygrothermograph records both relative humidity and
temperature on graph paper in the same manner as the thermograph and barograph do.
4. For Precipitation
 8-inch Raingauge - An 8-INCH RAINGAUGE, so called because the inside diameter of
the collector is exactly 8 inches above a funnel that conducts rain into a cylindrical
measuring tube or receiver. The volume of the collector is 10 times the volume of the
measuring tube. Therefore the actual depth of rainfall is increased ten times on being
collected in the smaller measuring [Link] measure the amount of rainfall accumulated in
the measuring tube, (a) a thin measuring stick with the magnified scale printed on its face
is used. The precisely dimensioned (b) measuring tube has a capacity representative of
only 2 inches (50.8 millimeters) on flat level ground. Rainfall exceeding this amount spills
into the (d) overflow can but can be easily measured by pouring it into the measuring tube
for total rainfall.
 Tipping Bucket Raingauge - The tipping-bucket raingauge is a type of rainfall recording
instrument. It is an upright cylinder that has funnel-shaped collector. The precipitation
collected by the collector empties into one side of a "tipping bucket", an inverted
triangular contraption partitioned transversely at its center, and is pivoted about a
horizontal axis. Once one compartment is filled with rain, it tips, spilling out the water and
placing the other half of the bucket under the funnel. The tipping activates a mercury
switch causing an electrical current to move the pen in the recorder. Each tipping is equal
to one-half millimeter of rainfall.
5. For Clouds
 Ceiling Light Projector - A ceiling light projector projects vertically a narrow beam of
light on to a cloud base. The height of the cloud base is determined by using a clinometer
located at a known distance from the projector to measure the elevation angle included by
the illuminated spot on the cloud, the observe, and the projector. From trigonometry, the
height of the cloud base is equal to the distance of the observer from the ceiling light
projector multiplied by the tangent of the elevation angle.
 Ceiling Balloon - Another way of determining the height of the cloud base is by using a
ceiling balloon. A ceiling balloon is a meteorological balloon whose rate of ascent has
been predetermined. It is filled with gas lighter than air, usually hydrogen, and released.
The time of release and the time the balloon disappears into the cloud are recorded. The
time difference multiplied by the rate of ascent will give the height of the cloud base.

 6. Special Instruments
 Pilot Balloon/Theodolite - A Pilot Balloon is a meteorological balloon that is filled with
gas lighter than air. When the pilot balloon is used in conjunction with a theodolite it is
used to determine the speed and direction of winds at different levels of the
[Link] theodolite is similar to an engineer's transit. It consists of a sighting
telescope mounted so that it is free to rotate around a horizontal and a vertical axis and has
graduated scales so that the angles of rotation maybe measured while tracking the pilot
[Link] elevation angles and azimuths of the balloon are recorded from the theodolite
and these data at the end of the flight which may last for more than an hour are plotted to a
plotting board. The wind speed and direction at selected levels are calculated either by
trigonometric methods or graphical [Link] observation is accomplished by
attaching a lit paper lantern to the balloon.
 Radiosonde - Radiosonde, an airborne instrument used for measuring pressure,
temperature and relative humidity in the upper air is the radiosonde. The instrument is
carried aloft by a meteorological balloon inflated with hydrogen. The radiosonde has a
built-in high frequency transmitter that transmits data from the radiosonde meter and
recorded on the ground by a specially designed radiosonde receiver.
 Rawinsonde - A more sophisticated version of this instrument is the rawindsonde. The
rawindsonde is an electronic device used for measuring wind velocity, pressure,
temperature and humidity aloft. It is also attached to a balloon and as it rises through the
atmosphere, it makes the required measurements.
 Rawin - Another special instrument is the Rawin which is short for Radar and Wind. It is
an electronic device that measures pressure, temperature and humidity.
 Wind Finding Radar - Another instrument is the Wind Finding Radar. It determines the
speed and direction of winds aloft by means of radar echoes. A radar target is attached to a
balloon and it is this target that is tracked by ground radar. The bearing and time of
interval of the echoes is evaluated by a receiver.
 Weather Surveillance Radar - A Weather Surveillance Radar is of the long range type
which detects and tracks typhoons and cloud masses at distance of 400 kilometers or less.
This radar has a rotating antenna disk preferably mounted on top of a building free from
any physical obstruction. Radio energy emitted by the transmitter and focused by the
antenna shoots outward through the atmosphere in a narrow beam. The cloud mass,
whether it is part of a typhoon or not, reflects a small fraction of the energy back to the
antenna. This reflected energy is amplified and displayed visually on a radar scope. The
distance or slant range of the target from the radar is determined through the elapsed time
the signal is transmitted and then received as an echo. Its direction is determined by the
direction at which the focused beam is pointing at the instant the echo is received. The
radar is a useful tool in tracking and monitoring tropical cyclones.
II. Satellites
 HIMAWARI-8 - The HIMAWARI-8 is a geo-stationary weather satellite, successor to
Japan Meteorological Agency's Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) series. It
was installed at PAGASA last December 2015. It is the most utilized satellite imagery in
real time weather forecasting, tropical cyclone analysis and for research purposes as it
generates images every 10 minutes.
 FY-2G FENGYUN CAST RECEIVING SYSTEM - The FY-2G receiver was installed
in 2007 as a donation by the Chinese government to the Philippines. A geosynchronous
meteorological satellite generating images twice per hour. It is used as a back up to the
 MTSAT in real time weather forecasting. Products are Composite, Infrared IR-1 and IR-2,
Visible, Water Vapor.
 COMS DATA ANALYSIS SYSTEM - The Communication, Ocean and Meteorological
Satellite (COMS) is the first geostationary multi-purpose satellite of Korea which was
launched in 2010. It was inaugurated at PAGASA in partnership with the Korea
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in May 2017. Images generated every 15
minutes is used in weather forecasting and numerical weather prediction including cloud
detection, estimation of radiation level in cloud-free region, land and sea surface
temperature, fog detection, and rainfall intensity.
III. Different types of station
 SYNOP (Surface Synoptic Station) - A station where observation of almost all
meteorological elements are made at fixed observation times and are transmitted to the
Central Office. These stations are maintained and operated by PAGASA. It is responsible
for the dissemination of public weather forecasts, tropical cyclone bulletins, warnings and
advisories and other related information to protect the lives and property of the general
populace.
 Upper-air - Normally combined with a synoptic station, conducts observation of
atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, or wind speed and direction or a
combination of all of these variables at several layers of the upper atmosphere using
electronic means. International weather data exchange commitments require these
stations to conduct at least two observations daily (0000 UT; 1200 UT), notwithstanding
the high costs of electronic transmitters, Meteorological balloons and other consumables
used during every observation.
 Radar Station - A station where a Doppler weather radar is installed. It could be a
combined synoptic-radar station or an independent (purely) radar station. Radar stations
conduct regular observations twice a day at 2:00 AM and 2:00 PM. However, if there is
an existing tropical cyclone within the "Philippine Area of Responsibility" (PAR) all
radar stations may be required to observe on a 24-hour basis, dependent on the proximity
of the station to the tropical cyclone or the effective range of the radar itself, and transmit
their radar report every hour or every 30 minutes, if possible, to Central Office.
 AgroMet (Agrometeorological Station) - This station gathers and provides on routine
basis simultaneous meteorological and biological information. It is also responsible for
the dissemination of agricultural meteorological advice, warning, forecast, bulletin and
other important information needed by farmers.
 Official Rain (OR) - It is a station where rainfall observations are made twice daily. It is
maintained and operated by PAGASA, and manned by at least a Weather Observation
Aide (Part-Time).
 Cooperative Rain (CR) - A rain station operated by a cooperating agency. Instruments
and supplies are shouldered by PAGASA, while the station site and other services by the
cooperating agency. Monthly weather observation reports are submitted to PAGASA.
 Official Climate (Official Climatological Station) - A station where daily observation
of temperature at 8:00 A.M. and rainfall observations at 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Are
conducted. It is maintained and operated by PAGASA, and manned by at least a Weather
Observation Aide (Part-Time)
 Cooperative Climat (Cooperative Climatological Station) - A Climatological station
operated by a cooperating agency. Meteorological instruments and supplies are supplied
by PAGASA, while the station site and other services by the cooperating agency.
Monthly weather observation reports are submitted to PAGASA.
 PMO (Port Meteorological Office) - A coastal synoptic station with a Port
Meteorological Liaison Officer (PMLO). One of the services offered is inspection and
calibration of meteorological instruments on board ships and retrieval of marine weather
observation data.
 Airport - A synoptic station located at airports that give weather data, information and
advice for aviation activities.
 Hydro (Hydrometeorological Station) - A station that observes meteorological and
hydrological elements. It is operated and maintained by PAGASA or jointly with a
cooperating agency.
 Evap (Evaporation Station) - A station which observes evaporation on a routine basis.
It could be a synoptic station or climatological station equipped with an evaporation pan.