Types of Wind Instruments

Figure 30.

TYPES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS

In order to get the information you need for a weather map, you will need many people to collect the data on the ground. One piece of data that is collected is the wind speed and direction. As you can imagine, these things are important when it comes to predicting the weather and what to expect.

The most basic tool for measuring wind speed and direction is the anemometer. A weathervane is a simple example of this. These devices have cups on the ends of blades that catch the wind and spin. Certainly, if the wind is blowing rapidly, the propellers will spin more swiftly. When these are calibrated, you could actually predict the wind speed. Meteorologists often use hot wire anemometers, which are very capable of detecting small changes in the wind. Essentially, they use wind power to heat a small wire. A hotter wire means more wind speed. Figure 31 is a simple anemometer:

Figure 31.

As of the 1960s, we can now use Doppler radar to measure wind speed and the direction of the wind during storms. You can imagine how much more accurate these can be and how they are able to detect very specific things within a storm in order to protect people on the ground. These devices use radar, which essentially tell the flow of air anywhere the radar is projected toward. The waves set into the storm are deflected back to the device. Depending on the wind speed and direction, the waves deflected back and detected by the device will vary in wavelength. The device then color codes the information it receives and displays it on a nice map for you see the wind speed. Genius, isn't it?

You can also use laser-based radar called LIDAR and sound based radar called SODAR to detect wind; these are often used in calibrating things like wind turbines and not for weather determination.