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Depth Millimeters: Measurement of Rainfall

Measurement of Rainfall can be summarized as follows: 1. Rainfall is measured in millimeters and instruments called rain gauges are used to collect and measure precipitation. 2. There are several types of rain gauges including tipping bucket, weighting, and float gauges which use different mechanisms to record rainfall amounts and intensities. 3. Radar measurement of rainfall can determine rainfall distribution, location, and movement over large areas with reasonable accuracy by detecting raindrops intercepting electromagnetic pulses.

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Deepak Sah
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59 views15 pages

Depth Millimeters: Measurement of Rainfall

Measurement of Rainfall can be summarized as follows: 1. Rainfall is measured in millimeters and instruments called rain gauges are used to collect and measure precipitation. 2. There are several types of rain gauges including tipping bucket, weighting, and float gauges which use different mechanisms to record rainfall amounts and intensities. 3. Radar measurement of rainfall can determine rainfall distribution, location, and movement over large areas with reasonable accuracy by detecting raindrops intercepting electromagnetic pulses.

Uploaded by

Deepak Sah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Measurement of Rainfall

• Rainfall and other forms of precipitation are measured in


terms of depth, the values being expressed in millimeters.
• One millimeter of precipitation represents the quantity of
water needed to cover the land with a 1mm layer of water,
taking into account that nothing is lost through drainage,
evaporation or absorption.
• Instrument used to collect and measure the precipitation is
called rain gauge.
Symon’s rain gauge
2. Recording gauge / graphic raingauge
• The instrument records the graphical
variation of the fallen precipitation, the total
fallen quantity in a certain time interval and
the intensity of the rainfall (mm/hour).
Types
 Tipping bucket type raigauge
 Weighting type rain gauge type
 Float type rain gauge
Tipping bucket type
• This consists of a cylindrical receiver 30 cm diameter
with a funnel inside. Just below the funnel a pair of
tipping buckets is pivoted such that when one of the
bucket receives a rainfall of 0.25 mm it tips and empties
into a tank below, while the other bucket takes its
position and the process is repeated.
Tipping bucket
• The tipping of the bucket actuates on electric circuit
which causes a pen to move on a chart wrapped
round a drum which revolves by a clock
mechanism. This type cannot record snow
Weighting type rain gauge type
• In this type of rain-gauge, when a certain weight of
rainfall is collected in a tank, which rests on a spring-
lever balance, it makes a pen to move on a chart
wrapped round a clock driven drum The rotation of
the drum sets the time scale while the vertical motion
of the pen records the cumulative precipitation.
Float type rain gauge
• In this type, as the rain is collected in a float chamber,
the float moves up which makes a pen to move on a
chart wrapped round a clock driven drum When the
float chamber fills up, the water siphons out
automatically through a siphon tube kept in an
interconnected siphon chamber. The clockwork
revolves the drum once in 24 hours.
• The clock mechanism needs rewinding once in a
week when the chart wrapped round the drum is also
replaced. This type of gauge is used by IMD.
Float type rain gauge
4. Radar measurement of rainfall

• The meteorological radar is the powerful instrument


for measuring the area extent, location and
movement of rainstorm.
• The amount of rainfall overlarge area can be
determined through the radar with a good degree of
accuracy
• The radar emits a regular succession of pulse of
electromagnetic radiation in a narrow beam so that
when the raindrops intercept a radar beam, its
intensity can easily be known.
Raingauge Network
• Since the catching area of the raingauge is
very small as compared to the areal extent
of the storm, to get representative picture of
a storm over a catchment the number of
raingauges should be as large as possible,
i.e. the catchment area per gauge should
be small.
• There are several factors to be considered
to restrict the number of gauge:
– Like economic considerations to a large extent
– Topographic & accessibility to some extent.
Raingauge Network…..
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
recommendation:
– In flat regions of temperate, Mediterranean and tropical
zones
• Ideal  1 station for 600 – 900 km2
• Acceptable 1 station for 900 – 3000 km2
– In mountainous regions of temperate , Mediterranean and
tropical zones
• Ideal  1 station for 100 – 250 km2
• Acceptable  1 station for 250 – 1000 km2
– In arid and polar zone
• 1 station for 1500 – 10,000 km2
• 10 % of the raingauges should be self recording to
know the intensity of the rainfall
2.4 Preparation of Data
• Before using rainfall data, it is necessary to check
the data for continuing and consistency
– Missing data
– Record errors

Estimation of Missing Data


• Given annual precipitation values – P1, P2, P3,… Pm at
neighboring M stations of station X 1, 2, 3 & m respectively
• The normal annual precipitation given by N1, N2, N3,…, Nm,
Ni… (including station X)
• To find the missing precipitation, Px , of station X
Nx  P1 P2 Pm 
Px     ...  
M  N1 N 2 Nm 
Test for consistency record
(Double mass curve techniques)
• Let a group of 5 to 10 base stations in the neighbourhood of the
problem station X is selected
• Arrange the data of X stn rainfall and the average of the
neighbouring stations in reverse chronological order (from recent to
old record)
• Accumulate the precipitation of station X
 and
Px 
the average
values of the group base stations starting from the latest
record.   Pavg 
• Plot the against as shown on the next figure
• A decided break  ofPavgthe
 Px  in the slope  resulting plot is observed that
indicates a change in precipitation regime of station X, i.e
inconsistency.
• Therefore, is should be corrected by the factor shown on the next
slide
Double Mass Curve Analysis Test for consistency record….

5
accumulated annual rainfall of X stn in 10^3 cm

4.5

3.5
Mc c
3
c
a

2.5 Ma a
2

1.5

0.5

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Accumulated annual rainfall of neigbouring stns in 10^3 cm

Pcx – corrected precipitation at any time period t 1 at stationX


Mc
Pcx  Px Px – Original recorded precp. at time period t 1 at station X
Ma Mc – corrected slope of the double mass curve
Ma – original slope of the mass curve
Mass curve of Rainfall
The mass curve of rainfall is a plot of the
accumulated precipitation against time, plotted in
chronological order.

Hyetograph
This is a plot of the intensity of rainfall against the
time interval.

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