Scottish Meteorological Society facts for kids
The Scottish Meteorological Society was a group started in Scotland in 1855. It was created by David Milne-Home and funded by private money, especially from rich landowners. These landowners wanted to collect weather information to help make farming better.
The Society also built a special building to study weather on Ben Nevis, which is a very tall mountain. This weather station, called an observatory, officially opened in 1883. Later, in 1921, the Scottish Meteorological Society joined together with another group called the Royal Meteorological Society.
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What Was the Scottish Meteorological Society?
The Scottish Meteorological Society was a scientific group focused on studying the weather and climate in Scotland. They aimed to understand weather patterns better, especially to help farmers grow crops more successfully. By collecting detailed weather records, they hoped to improve farming methods and predict conditions that could affect harvests.
Why Was the Society Formed?
The main reason the Society was started was to gather information about the weather. In the 1800s, understanding weather was very important for agriculture. Farmers needed to know about rainfall, temperature, and storms to plan their planting and harvesting. Wealthy landowners saw the value in this and provided money to support the Society's work.
The Ben Nevis Observatory: A Mountain Lab
One of the Society's biggest achievements was building the observatory on Ben Nevis. This was a challenging project because Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The observatory allowed scientists to study weather conditions at a very high altitude, which was important for understanding how weather systems develop. Scientists lived and worked at the observatory, taking measurements every day, no matter the weather. This helped them learn a lot about mountain weather and climate.
Who Were Some Important Members?
Many clever people were part of the Scottish Meteorological Society. They helped advance the study of weather and climate. Here are a few of them:
- W S Bruce
- Alexander Buchan: He is famous for helping to create the weather map, which is now a basic tool for forecasting weather.
- David Milne-Home: He was the person who started the Society and was the chairman of its main group, called the Council.
- Cargill Gilston Knott: He was the President of the Society.
- John Murray: He was a well-known scientist who studied the ocean.
- Robert Traill Omond: He was the first person in charge of the Ben Nevis observatory.
- Dr James Stark: He was the first Secretary of the Society.
- Thomas Stevenson: He helped start the Society and was also a secretary.
- Charles Thomson Rees Wilson
- Clement Lindley Wragge: He received a special award, the Society's Gold Medal, for his work.
