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Old March 26th 06, 09:08 PM posted to uk.sci.weather
Paul Hyett Paul Hyett is offline
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First recorded activity by Weather-Banter: Mar 2006
Posts: 46
Default Calculating Rate of Change from Barometer Readings

In uk.sci.weather on Sun, 26 Mar 2006, Jonathan Stott
wrote :
Paul Hyett wrote:
In uk.sci.weather on Sat, 25 Mar 2006, Tudor Hughes
wrote :
It was a gravity wave that produced the fastest pressure change I
have ever seen.. In January 1977 I was working for BP in Sunbury and
happened during a slack moment (there were many) to look at the lab
barometer. The mercury surface was visibly moving and the pressure
fell about 8 mb in 5 minutes. Not being aware of gravity waves I
thought the instrument had sprung a leak.


So what *are* gravity waves?


Not exactly sure, but perhaps it's do to with a sudden displacement of
one surface relative to another (say a sudden depression in the sealevel
caused by an underwater earthquake or something).


Not much of that in Sunbury, I suspect...
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham