Hydrometeorological Monitoring

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HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL MONITORING. Visual weather and Neva level monitoring conducted ever since St. Petersburg was founded as decreed by Peter the Great. Regular hydrometeorological monitoring started for the first time in Russia in 1722. F. C. Mayer and G. W. Kraft, et al. started monitoring various atmospheric processes and meteors regularly from 1 December 1725, measuring such things as barometric pressure and ambient air temperature using barometers and thermometers, correspondingly, as well as wind speed and direction, cloudiness, etc. Weather reports for 1769-92 were published by I. A. Euler, a member of the academy, to become a source for studying climatic changes and fluctuations. After a flood occurred in 1777 weather monitoring and hydrologic monitoring were conducted in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, wind behaviour and water levels and air temperature and ice thickness were measured simultaneously. Russia was the first country in the world to introduce a state system for regular magnetic and meteorological monitoring conducted by the Normal Observatory, in 1834, and later, by the Main Physical Observatory (see Main Geophysical Observatory). St. Petersburg's weather was mainly monitored by weather stations on Vasilievsky Island and Aptekarsky Island in 1835-1933 and in Pavlovsk in 1849-1941. The monitoring is now conducted within the uniform international program including pressure, air humidity and temperature, soil temperature, wind speed and direction, atmospheric precipitation, and solar radiation. The first use of radiosounding began at Pavlovsk in 1930, and is now used to assess temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind at a height of up to 40 kilometres. Meteorological radars have been used for monitoring since 1968. Hydrological monitoring includes water level and flow, flow speed, ice fluctuations, quantity, and condition, freezing and opening of waters, etc. Monitoring was conducted under the direction of the Hydrological Committee from 1903 and the Hydrological Institute from 1919. United in 1929, hydrological and meteorological stations have been conducting hydrometeorological monitoring together and informing the population, government, and industry on actual and anticipated hydrometeorological conditions. There are over 20 weather stations and 60 hydrological stations operating in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, the former including stations near the Youth Palace on Petrogradskaya Side, Sea Port, Kronstadt, Lomonosov, Lisy Nos, and Pulkovo Airport, and the latter including stations near the Institute of Mines, by Liteiny Bridge, on the Malaya Nevka river, in Novosaratovsk, Beloostrov, and Kolpino.

Reference: Климат Ленинграда. Л., 1982.

G. V. Ivanov. Euler I.A.
Kraft Georg Wolfgang
Mayer F.Ch.
Peter I, Emperor
Климат Ленинграда. Л., 1982 Voeykov Main Geophysical Observatory
State Hydrological Institute
Hydrometeorological Monitoring
1722