Schematic drawing of a simple mercury barometer with vertical mercury column and

reservoir at base

Goethe's device

Barometer
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A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. It can measure the

pressure exerted by the atmosphere by using water, air, or mercury. Pressure tendency
can forecast short term changes in the weather. Numerous measurements of air pressure
are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, high pressure
systems, and frontal boundaries.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
• 2 Types
o 2.1 Water-based barometers
o 2.2 Mercury barometers
o 2.3 Aneroid barometers
o 2.4 Barographs
• 3 Applications
• 4 Compensations
o 4.1 Temperature
 o 4.2 Altitude
• 5 Patents
• 6 References
• 7 Further reading
• 8 See also

• 9 External links

[edit] History
The first barometer was invented in Imperial china, though the inventor is unknown,
there is scientific proof that years before the Europeans had created the barometer, China
was mass producing them.[citation needed]

The first barometer known to Europeans is thought to have been built unintentionally by
Gasparo Berti, sometime between 1640 and 1643.[1] Evangelista Torricelli is generally
credited with inventing the barometer.

[edit] Types
[edit] Water-based barometers

This concept of "decreasing atmospheric pressure predicts stormy weather" was

postulated by Lucien Vidie and is the basis for a basic weather prediction device called a
weather glass or thunder glass. It can also be called a "storm glass" or a "Goethe
barometer" (the writer Goethe popularized it in Germany). It consists of a glass container
with a sealed body, half filled with water. A narrow spout connects to the body below the
water level and rises above the water level, where it is open to the atmosphere. When the
air pressure is lower than it was at the time the body was sealed, the water level in the
spout will rise above the water level in the body; when the air pressure is higher, the
water level in the spout will drop below the water level in the body. A variation of this
type of barometer can be easily made at home.[2]

[edit] Mercury barometers

A mercury barometer has a glass tube of about 30 inches (about 76 cm) in height, closed
at one end, with an open mercury-filled reservoir at the base. Mercury in the tube adjusts
until the weight of the mercury column balances the atmospheric force exerted on the
reservoir. High atmospheric pressure places more force on the reservoir, forcing mercury
higher in the column. Low pressure allows the mercury to drop to a lower level in the
column by lowering the force placed on the reservoir. Since higher temperature at the
instrument will reduce the density of the mercury, the scale for reading the height of the
mercury is adjusted to compensate for this effect.
Torricelli documented that the height of the mercury in a barometer changed slightly each
day and concluded that this was due to the changing pressure in the atmosphere[3]. He
wrote: "We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of elementary air, which is known
by incontestable experiments to have weight".

The mercury barometer's design gives rise to the expression of atmospheric pressure in
inches or millimeters (torr): the pressure is quoted as the level of the mercury's height in
the vertical column. 1 atmosphere is equivalent to about 29.9 inches, or 760 millimeters,
of mercury. The use of this unit is still popular in the United States, although it has been
disused in favor of SI or metric units in other parts of the world. Barometers of this type
normally measure atmospheric pressures between 28 and 31 inches of mercury.

Design changes to make the instrument more sensitive, simpler to read, and easier to
transport resulted in variations such as the basin, siphon, wheel, cistern, Fortin, multiple
folded, stereometric, and balance barometers. Fitzroy barometers combine the standard
mercury barometer with a thermometer, as well as a guide of how to interpret pressure
changes.

On June 5, 2007, a European Union directive was enacted to restrict the sale of mercury,
thus effectively ending the production of new mercury barometers in Europe.

[edit] Aneroid barometers

See also: Barograph

Old aneroid barometer

Modern aneroid barometer

An aneroid barometer uses a small, flexible metal box called an aneroid cell. This
aneroid capsule (cell) is made from an alloy of beryllium and copper.[4] The evacuated
capsule (or usually more capsules) is prevented from collapsing by a strong spring. Small
changes in external air pressure cause the cell to expand or contract. This expansion and
contraction drives mechanical levers such that the tiny movements of the capsule are
amplified and displayed on the face of the aneroid barometer. Many models include a
manually set needle which is used to mark the current measurement so a change can be
seen. In addition, the mechanism is made deliberately 'stiff' so that tapping the barometer
reveals whether the pressure is rising or falling as the pointer moves.

[edit] Barographs

A barograph, which records a graph of some atmospheric pressure, uses an aneroid

barometer mechanism to move a needle on a smoked foil or to move a pen upon paper,
both of which are attached to a drum moved by clockwork.[5] Barographs may be
calibrated for altitude and this type is often used to preserve a record of balloon and
glider flights.

[edit] Applications
See also: Surface weather analysis
See also: Weather forecasting

Barograph using five stacked aneroid barometer cells.

A barometer is commonly used for weather prediction, as high air pressure in a region
indicates fair weather while low pressure indicates that storms are more likely. When
used in combination with wind observations, reasonably accurate short term forecasts can
be made.[6] Simultaneous barometric readings from across a network of weather stations
allow maps of air pressure to be produced, which were the first form of the modern
weather map when created in the 19th century. Isobars, lines of equal pressure, when
drawn on such a map, gives a contour map showing areas of high and low pressure.
Localized high atmospheric pressure acts as a barrier to approaching weather systems,
diverting their course. Low atmospheric pressure, on the other hand, represents the path
of least resistance for a weather system, making it more likely that low pressure will be
associated with increased storm activities. If the barometer is falling then deteriorating
weather or some form of precipitation will fall, however if the barometer is rising then
there will be nice weather or no precipitation.

[edit] Compensations
[edit] Temperature

The density of mercury will change with temperature, so a reading must be adjusted for
the temperature of the instrument. For this purpose a mercury thermometer is usually
mounted on the instrument. Temperature compensation of an aneroid barometer is
accomplished by including a bi-metal element in the mechanical linkages. Aneroid
barometers sold for domestic use seldom go to the trouble.

[edit] Altitude

As the air pressure will be decreased at altitudes above sea level (and increased below sea
level) the actual reading of the instrument will be dependent upon its location. This
pressure is then converted to an equivalent sea-level pressure for purposes of reporting
and for adjusting aircraft altimeters (as aircraft may fly between regions of varying
normalized atmospheric pressure owing to the presence of weather systems). Aneroid
barometers have a mechanical adjustment for altitude that allows the equivalent sea level
pressure to be read directly and without further adjustment if the instrument is not moved
to a different altitude.