Weather
“Climate is what you expect and weather is what you get!”
Darden Lough © David Taylor
As part of our ongoing work highlighting the impact of climate change we have set up a series of automated weather stations across the National Park. These stations have the following purpose:-
- To raise awareness of climate change at our National Park Information Centres and via our website
- Provide current weather data alongside the webcams for visitors to the National Park
- To provide historical data for monitoring and research purposes
- To potentially contribute to the flood early warning system for communities affected by the water catchment areas found within the National Park.
These stations will also submit data to a global network of weather stations thereby adding to data being collected around the world monitoring weather and climate change. See the Weather Underground website for further details.
The weather stations being used contain the same type of instruments that one would expect to find in a traditional Stephenson Screen weather station, the difference being that everything has become computerised and it has shrunk! Sensors include:-
- Thermometers-To measure air temperature
- Barometer-To measure air pressure
- Humidity Sensor-To measure air humidity
- Anemometer-To measure wind speed and direction
- Rain Gauge-To measure rainfall
- UV Sensor-To measure Ultra Violet Radiation
- Solar Sensor-To measure solar radiation
The Authority is trialling two separate systems produced by Oregon Scientific and Davis Instruments. These can be seen at The National Park Centre Once Brewed on Hadrian’s Wall in the south and at the National Park Centre Ingram to the north of the National Park.
