The Whitworth Meteorological Observatory
Introduction
The Whitworth Meteorological Observatory is a fully automated state of the art meteorological observatory located on the campus of The University of Manchester in central Manchester. Measurements of standard meteorological parameters are made continuously with data being made available publicly in real time via the internet. The current observatory was established in 2010 and is a replacement for the original observatory set up and located in Whitworth Park in August 1892. Funding for this new observatory came from the legacy of Sir Joseph Whitworth which established and maintained the original observatory as a source of data for scientific, education and popular interest until its demise in 1958.
Data Usage and Availability
Data from the new observatory will be used in support of NERC and EPSRC funded scientific research projects focusing on urban climatology. They will also be used to support projects by undergraduate and postgraduate research students as part of the School’s curriculum. In harmony with the spirit of the original legacy data from the observatory will be made available publicly. Real time data and graphical summaries of key parameters are available on this website. Detailed datasets can be provided on request. Data will be provided free of charge to members of the public and educational establishments for teaching purposes. Where data are required in support of commercial activities or funded research projects a financial contribution towards the maintenance of the observatory will be sought thus helping to ensure its future. In addition to data from the Whitworth Observatory plots of archive data from a met station on the roof of the Sackville Street Building which has now been decomissioned have also been made available on this website.
Current Status
All major instruments are installed and operating with data being displayed on the web in real time. Some software development to provide automatic average data files and month end summaries etc. is still ongoing. See the station logs for up to date information about instrument status, data availability, data usage and current developments.
Future Plans
Real time data will be displayed on a screen in The Manchester Museum.
Live and archive data from the met station at Holme Moss will be added to the site.
Links to Further Information and Data
History of the Whitworth Meteorological Observatory
Specifications
Real time data display
Current data table
Summary plots
Data Features
For further information or to request observatory datasets please contact Dr. Michael Flynn.