106792

Meteorology

The essential elements of the station were the Stevenson Screen (left) in which maximum and minimum thermometers were housed together with wet and dry bulb thermometers to provide a relative humidity reading. In addition, a thermohydrograph recorded maximum and minimum temperatures and humidity on a weekly chart.

In the centre is a black pan evaporimeter which was used to measure evaporation loss from an open water surface in the black pan. These daily readings could be summed weekly and a conversion factor applied to determine approximate soil moisture use by various horticultural crops. On the right is a rain gauge.

Similar meteorological stations were sited at the Nuriootpa and Berri and later Loxton Experimental/Research Stations. Weather data was normally recorded at 9am each morning. In addition, at Berri and probably at Nuriootpa, the evaporation figures were published weekly in the local newspaper to allow growers to do their own calculations as a guide to irrigation scheduling. This information was a fore-runner to more sophisticated methods of measuring soil moisture depletion such as neutron probes.

At Berri in the 50s readings/observations were taken at 9am and 3pm each day. The observations included identification of cloud patterns and wind direction. This information was telephoned to the Bureau of Meteorology immediately after being recorded using a standard format. The information was used by aviation authorities and also in frost prediction and was the forerunner of present day automatic weather recording stations.

(Source: John Steed)