Rain Gauge Applications
Applications of Rain Gauges
Rain gauges are an important tool for assessing Earth’s water resources. Hydrological data obtained from measurements and essential for effective water resource development and management. Modern networks of hydrological instruments began in Europe and North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, and today consist of stations measuring precipitation, evaporation, soil moisture, ice, water quality, groundwater level and river water levels.
Accurate rainfall predictions are necessary for forecasting short-term climate variability, extreme weather events (such as flash floods), as well as rainfall distribution, possible droughts and analysing climate change patterns. Hydrological networks are also used to assist in pollution protection, water conservation, groundwater protection and inland navigation. Data collection is vital for assessing water quality and quantity, both on the surface and below ground.
Precipitation Analysis
Through using these hydrological networks, information can be collected on things such as the distribution of water across the globe or water availability versus population. For example, Africa has 11% of the world’s available water but 13% of the world’s population, Asia has 60% of the world’s population but only 30% of the world’s water, while South America has only 5% of the world’s population and 26% of the world’s available water (according to a study by UNESCO).
Analysis of world mean precipitation shows large annual totals in the tropics, mid-latitudes and where there are high mountain ranges, according to a joint report by the World Water Assessment Programme (UN). Of course towards the poles and with increasing altitude precipitation is more like to fall as snow. By contrast to these areas of high precipitation, areas furthest from oceans, the polar regions and n the lee of mountains receive little rain. These constitute the world’s deserts and semi-deserts, such as the Australian Simpson and Gibson deserts or the African Sahara Desert. This leads to extreme disparities around the glove, from floods in East & South East Asia and much of South America and central Africa, to drought in northern Africa and much of Australia.
