Weather 100 - Eskdalemuir

Why Eskdalemuir Observatory ?

It is hoped Eskdalemuir will just be the first site we are able to fully digitise. Currently there is a gap in digitised data from 1914 to 1953 and the paper records are in the form of journals or registers with three distinct types being in use over the period.
Ultimately our aim is to increase the spatial distribution of sites in the United Kingdom with a 100+ year climate record which at the moment are concentrated in central/ southern England.

What units did they use to measure the weather ?

At Eskdalemuir the air pressure was recorded in millibars although in the early period the barometer may have measured in inches and then converted.
At most sites temperatures were recorded in fahrenheit and occasionally kelvin up to the late 1950s.
As part of the final processing temperatures will be converted to Celsius before being added to our database.

Why are there 3 different barometer readings ?

There are normally 2 extra values calculated from each barometer reading (U, S & T on the forms).
U : the reading taken from the station barometer.
S : a correction is then applied to give a reading at station level.
T : finally a further correction is applied to give a value at mean sea level. By doing this values from other stations at varying altitudes can be compared.

What is the difference between 'Dry' and 'Wet' temperatures?

Air temperatures are usually measured with a 'dry bulb' thermometer. However, the 'wet bulb' thermometer was also regularly used. This type was wrapped in wet cloth and measures the temperature as if the air was saturated with water. The difference between the 'wet' and 'dry' measurements then allows a calculation of the humidity - the wet bulb measurement will nearly always be smaller or the same as the dry bulb.

Why have some of the times in the first column been changed with pencil ?

We believe the first observation of the day took place at 0100hrs but the journal was printed with 0300hrs as default.
At other times there are pencil remarks which indicate if the observation was not exactly on the hour - as you may see they were very precise about their timekeeping.

Is it better to leave a field blank if the handwritten value is unclear ?

We'd prefer you 'key what you see' than leave a blank . Each page of the journal will be completed by at least two other people and then compared as part of the review process. It's often the case that your first impression will turn out to be correct so go with that instinct.