Weather Observation Station
Sola Weather Observation Station
History
Sola weather office is located in Sola, Vanua Lava in the Torba Province. The site has been relocated from Port Patterson in December 1948 to Vetburar, and finally to its current location as of the 1st of January, 1972. It is manned by 2 staff working on a 24/7 shift. It is one Global Climate Observing System in Vanuatu, as its data is more than 30 years, thus it can be used for research. Surface observations were done three hourly and also during flight times ,using meteorological instruments and sensory observations. In the future, there will be Automatic Weather Station (AWS) for Sola, through Vanuatu Climate Adaptation Project (VCAP ) funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP ).Sola weather station have instruments that can record meteorological parameters such as atmospheric pressure ,wind speed and direction ,air temperature and relative humidity.Below is an instrument , which is used to measure a particular meteorological parameter.
This is a rain gauge, it is an instrument that is used to measure the amount of rainfall over a period of time, and it is measured in millimetres. The rain gauge consist of a small measuring tube and funnel contained inside a large cylinder. This type of gauge provides very specific readings useful in reporting and forecasting the weather.
Upper Air Monitoring
Upper – Air observation is used to record the vertical profile of the atmosphere, information that is essential to create a global overview of the current and future state of the atmosphere. Bauerfield weather station have the instruments that can record atmospheric variables such as pressure, temperature ,humidity and wind speed and direction throughout the troposphere ( up to 18km above ground level ),and lower stratosphere ( 20 -30km above ground level ). One of the primary instruments for measuring upper – air variables is the radiosonde.
Radiosonde is a small measuring device that comprise a radio transmitter and sensor for pressure, temperature and humidity. It is normally carried aloft by a weather balloon filled with hydrogen. All data is then transmitted back to the ground station, where they are decoded and analysed. Bauerfield station released the radiosonde one time per day at 10 am local time.
The data from radiosonde are then shared to the forecasters and Bureau of Meteorology via Global telecommunications system network, which then provide input for local, regional and global numerical weather prediction models that forecast the future state of the atmosphere from a few hours to days ahead. Radiosondes provide upper –air data that are essential for weather forecast and research.
