Month: April 2021

Why are rain gauges important?
Monitoring rainfall has never been more important as part of commitments to improve water cycle management in ever-challenging climates.
An increasingly large global population is facing a growing number of climate challenges, including heat waves, droughts, floods and natural disasters, making water cycle management and smart monitoring of meteorological conditions extremely important.
Smart water management, including the use of rain gauges for monitoring, can have a range of benefits. These include the prevention of wastage and the provision of better outcomes based on information about the lifecycle of water.
Monitoring rainwater, for example, can provide vital information about the nature of this water and pressure levels. It can also offer data on purification and temperature, and even deliver information on conditions in more remote locations.
The benefits of this for aviation:  Weather monitoring is vital for the aviation sector, especially given the dangers posed to pilots from adverse weather conditions. Important monitoring for the aviation industry can include everything from RADARs used by air traffic control to monitor cloud systems to decision support systems to offer short-term forecasts to help pilots prepare for conditions.
Bayanat Engineering Qatar is a key player when it comes to providing this information and has built airport weather forecasting systems used at airports around the world. This equipment is vital when it comes to keeping pilots safe and ensuring a smooth and pleasurable experience for passengers. Rainfall management can play a key part in this and in overall water management, delivering a multitude of specialist information to help protect both human life and the wider planet.
Rainfall has also long been known to have an impact on aviation safety. It can have an adverse effect on aerodynamics, as well as causing difficulties due to visibility impairment, for example.
Bayanat Engineering was chosen to provide and install 50 rain gauges by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (Qatar Meteorology Department) to help it to ensure that it is up-to-date with meteorological standards and to help it to develop working mechanisms. Automatic weather monitoring stations, or AWOS (Automated Weather Observing Systems), provide continuous meteorological information in real-time. They are commonly used and controlled by providers in the aviation sector. They have functions in terms of climatology and meteorology and offer information that is vital for maintaining safety standards. The measurements taken by these systems depend on specific configuration, but typically include the likes of barometric pressure, wind gusts and wind speed, dew point and temperature, sky conditions, precipitation, freezing rain, thunderstorms and surface conditions on runways.
The role of Bayanat Engineering in Qatar rain gauge supply: Bayanat Engineering Qatar was awarded the project to supply and test the Automatic Rain Gauge initiative. This contract features the supply of 50 units including Dataloggers, rain gauges and 4G modems to monitor rainfall and how intense this is.
Rain gauge system – how does it work?
A rain gauge is a system used by meteorologists to measure the amount of rainfall over a particular area. It is also used in aviation to inform flight-related decisions. There are several types of rain gauges, and most collect precipitation to give a reading – usually in millimetres of height across each square metre. Rainfall is measured over a certain period – usually a day. However, in aviation, readings are often taken at much shorter intervals.
Let’s take a closer look at the types of rain gauges and their uses.
Manual versus automatic rain gauge systems: Rain gauge systems can measure rainfall either automatically or manually. Manual systems tend to be simpler, whereas companies will use automatic systems in instances where more precision is required, such as for aviation purposes.
Manual rain gauges have their limitations in their accuracy. This is because some rainfall will often stick to the gauge’s sides in the form of droplets, thus causing the accurate rain levels to be under-recorded by small amounts.
Rain gauges may also be challenging to use in extreme weather conditions. String storms and cyclones, for example, may cause wind damage to the device. Wind can also cause inaccuracies in readings as it may blow the water out of the gauge after it has landed. Another factor that can impact the accuracy of rain gauges is cold weather. The formation of ice in the gauge can block the entrance, leaving new water unable to enter. Many of the more advanced rain measurement systems are equipped with built-in heating systems to prevent ice build-up.
To summarise, a rain gauge is a standard device to measure rainfall and is an essential tool in informing aviation decisions.
For more information about how a rain gauge could help your engineering systems, contact the team at Bayanat Engineering Qatar today.