What are the meteorological elements?

Meteorological elements refer to physical quantities that describe the state and process of the atmosphere and are used to observe, analyze and predict weather and climate changes. The following are some common meteorological elements:

Temperature: used to measure the heat of air. Temperature is usually expressed in degrees Celsius (C) or degrees Fahrenheit (F).

Humidity refers to the content of water vapor in the air. Humidity is usually expressed as relative humidity (%RH).

Atmospheric pressure: refers to the atmospheric pressure per unit area. Air pressure is usually expressed in millibars (hPa) or kilopascals (kPa).

Wind speed and direction: Wind speed refers to the speed of airflow, usually expressed in meters per second (m/s) or kilometers per hour (km/h); Wind direction refers to the direction in which the wind blows, usually expressed in degrees or wind direction codes (such as N, S, E, W).

Precipitation: refers to the precipitation per unit area in a certain period of time. Precipitation is usually expressed in millimeters (mm)

Visibility: refers to the distance of visible objects in the atmosphere. Visibility is usually expressed in meters (m).

Cloud amount and cloud type: Cloud amount refers to the coverage of clouds in the sky, usually expressed as one eighth or one tenth; The types of clouds are classified according to their shapes and structures, such as stratus, cumulus and cirrus.

Radiation: including solar radiation and ground radiation. Solar radiation includes visible light, ultraviolet light and infrared light; Ground radiation includes long-wave radiation and short-wave radiation.

In addition, there are other meteorological factors, such as dew point temperature, frost point temperature, atmospheric stability and aerosol concentration, which play an important role in specific meteorological observation and research.

Different meteorological elements have different observation methods and instruments. Meteorological departments and meteorological stations use various instruments and sensors to measure and record these elements and obtain accurate meteorological data, which can be used in various fields of weather forecast, climate research and meteorological science.