How We Measure The Weather: A Brief History And Where We're Going Next
4:30-5:30 ESJ (2204)
I went to the excursion, “How We Measure The Weather: A Brief History And Where We’re Going Next,” with the presenter being James Hyde. I found the presentation relatively interesting, as it was mainly going over the history of how weather events were recorded and how we have innovated and developed weather technologies over the years. One interesting fact that I learned from the presentation was that the very first standardized rain gauge was invented in Korea in 1441, which surprised me because I didn’t think that people cared about how much rain they got back then. In retrospect, it does make sense though, as it was extremely important for farmers and just as a general drinking water source for people. Another fact I found interesting was that the heaviest minute of rainfall ever recorded occurred in our hometown of Maryland on July 4, 1956 with 1.23 inches of rain. The rainfall was, in fact, so heavy that the machine being used to record the amount of rain moved up so fast on the graph that it wasn’t able to draw the ink, leaving a gap in the graph. Another fact that I found interesting from the presentation was that originally the Celsius scale was flipped, where 100 degrees was the freezing point for water and 0 degrees was the boiling point, until it was later reviewed and changed to the system we use today. In the end, Hyde talked about what the future of weather measurement looks like, with new technologies such as drones being used to collect weather data in hard to reach places.
Overall I found the presentation to be well formatted and the presenter kept me interested over the course. However, due to the presentation being mainly about the history of meteorology and how it has progressed over time, there wasn’t much of an argument being made. I don’t have any background knowledge on how weather has been measured in the past, so this presentation felt more like an introductory history lesson on human advancement with regards to weather measurements. If anything, the only aspect I can mildly critique is the narrative framing. Hyde included the Maryland rainfall anecdote, likely to relate to the University of Maryland audience and keep us engaged. While effective, it also slightly sensationalized the story, emphasizing the dramatic nature of the event rather than its broader scientific significance. This isn’t a logical fallacy per se, but it is a rhetorical strategy that shapes how the audience experiences the information. Because I do not have expertise in meteorological history, I cannot independently verify every detail, but nothing he presented seemed inaccurate or misleading.