astronomy

University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory

University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory rather than just read about it. In short: The University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory, is an atmospheric observatory and weather station located on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading. It forms part of the university's Department of Meteorology.

Key takeaways

University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory, is an atmospheric observatory and weather station located on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading. It forms part of the university's Department of Meteorology. The site at its current location has been a centre for atmospheric research since 1970, but the weather record was originally started by the University College of Reading (a precursor of the university) in 1901 at the London Road campus as a rainfall station with a near complete daily record from January 1908. Automatic meteorological observations are continually recorded at the site and available online

History The first full meteorological observations from Reading were published in the Monthly Weather Report of the Meteorological Office in 1904. The site was at London Road on the best available position at the time, the Library Lawn. Records of barometric pressure, dry bulb, wet bulb, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, cloud amount and form, wind direction and force and weather, both at time of observation and generally throughout the day were kept; the original notebooks are available from about 1910. Earth temperatures at 1 foot and 2 feet (later 4 feet) below the surface were also being made and grass minimum temperatures were added. Sunshine records started in 1956 when a Campbell Stokes sunshine recorder was put on the parapet of the Agricultural Botany building. The station was upgraded in the 1960s and the number of instruments increased, including a bare soil minimum thermometer, a cup counter anemometer and a Casella siphon rainfall recorder. A new Meteorological Site came into operation on January 1, 1968, located on the main University campus between the University boiler house and Wilderness Wood. New instruments were added including a ground level rain gauge and an inline Munro wind direction and speed recorder, the head of which was mounted on a 50 foot lattice tower and the recorder in a special hut near the Meteorological Enclosure. For a while sunshine records continued to be kept at the London Road site, but an excellent position was found on the roof of the new Chemistry Department building at Whiteknights, thanks to the help and enthusiasm of Professor Fowles, the then Head of Department. In 1969-70, due to the proposed development of the Wilderness Road site, a new Meteorological Enclosure had to be found. Late in 1969 a site was found on land east of the Whiteknights Lakes and adjoining Bridges Hall. A quick changeover took place to the new enclosure for records to start, unbroken, on January 1, 1970. Due to difficulties with the re-erection of the wind tower, it was some months before the Munro wind direction and speed measurements moved to the site's final location. The site was managed by various University departments, but was taken over by the Department of Meteorology in 1987, and merged with their small research site, established in the early 1970s. From 2008 the site became known as the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory, reflecting its wider range of uses at a time when new university development plans threatened its existence.

Staff The earliest known meteorological observer was Mr James S Burgess, a technician in the Physics Department from 1918 until his retirement early in 1960. In 1955 he received a special Meteorological Office award for long service recording. Following Burgess's retirement, records briefly ceased (this gap was later filled with data from the Meteorological Office and Sutton's Seed Trial Grounds), until the role was filled in May 1960 by Mr Arthur E Moon, retiring in 1977. At that point George Goodhind took over, who was employed by the Geography Department. Goodhind continued as Meteorological Observer until retirement in 1985, replaced by Ken Spiers who had joined the Geography Department in May 1982 as an assistant observer, moving to the Department of Meteorology as Meteorological Technician in 1987. Spiers retired in 2009 and was replaced by Mike Stroud, who retired in 2018. The site is now managed by the University's Technical Services.

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Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory

In research: University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Atmospheric sciences, Buildings and structures of the University of Reading, Climate of the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
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Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory in simple terms?

Why does University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory.