Category Archives: Measurements and instrumentation

The value of future observations

Posted on 7 November, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Alison Fowler The atmosphere and oceans are being routinely observed by a myriad of instruments. These instruments are positioned on board orbiting satellites, aircraft and ships, surface weather stations, and even balloons.  The information collected by these instruments can … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, data assimilation, earth observation, Measurements and instrumentation, Numerical modelling, Remote sensing | Leave a comment

How can a hurricane near the USA affect the weather in Europe?

Posted on 31 October, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By John Methven It may seem bizarre that processes occurring within clouds near the USA, involving tiny ice crystals and water droplets, can have an influence on high-impact weather events thousands of kilometres away in Europe, and our ability to predict them … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental physics, Measurements and instrumentation, Numerical modelling, University of Reading, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

A month’s worth of rain …

Posted on 4 July, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Ben Harvey Phrases like a month’s worth of rain fell in just one day are often seen in media reports of extreme precipitation. But what does this statistic actually mean? How rare is it to see a month’s worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Environmental hazards, Hydrology, Measurements and instrumentation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why does it always rain on me?

Posted on 27 June, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Helen Dacre Last Monday morning I got so wet on my cycle to work that I had to spend 10 minutes under the hand dryer in the toilets to stop myself looking like a drowned rat. Being the keen … Continue reading →

Posted in Measurements and instrumentation, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Polar Prediction School

Posted on 25 April, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Jonny Day During the last 2 weeks Dr Jonny Day spent two weeks lecturing and coordinating a Polar Prediction School for graduate students and early career researchers. The school is a joint initiative from the World Weather Research Programme … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Cryosphere, Measurements and instrumentation, Polar, University of Reading | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Wrap up well for St Valentine’s Day – a good chance of snow!

Posted on 8 February, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Roger Brugge The days are getting longer, the nights are getting shorter, but the temperature keeps falling – and so does the snow. At least in the climatological statistics they do! Looking at the date of occurrence of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Historical climatology, Measurements and instrumentation, University of Reading | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Carbon exchanges in cities and woodlands of southern England

Posted on 27 April, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By Sue Grimmond Cities are major contributors to recent carbon dioxide (CO2) rises in the atmosphere.  Emissions come from multiple sources, including vehicles, domestic heating/cooling, industrial activities and directly from people. While a large number of studies have focused on … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Measurements and instrumentation, Numerical modelling, Urban meteorology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Forecasting eclipse weather

Posted on 16 March, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By Peter Clark                                    Department of Meteorology homepage Our weather is driven by energy radiating from the sun. The annual cycle of the earth’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Eclipses, Measurements and instrumentation, Numerical modelling, Space, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sampling the skies with unmanned aircraft

Posted on 10 November, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Keri Nicoll Unmanned aircraft have been flown for leisure by model aircraft enthusiasts for many decades, but a recent surge in the development of unmanned aircraft technology means that a whole new suite of applications for this technology is … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundary layer, Measurements and instrumentation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Measuring global snow mass – the MicroSnow workshop

Posted on 3 November, 2014 by Stephen Burt

By Mel Sandells One of the limitations for measurement of global snow mass is that the satellite observations at microwave frequencies are affected not only by how much snow is on the ground, but also the size of the snow … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Cryosphere, Measurements and instrumentation, Polar | Tagged , , | Leave a comment