Hydrological research includes a whole range of observations of the state of rivers. Experts determine the condition of the bottom, the water level in the river, and the waves on its surface. The easiest way to find out what the water temperature is in a river is to take special measurements. At stationary gauging stations, such readings are taken, as a rule, twice a day.
Devices for measuring water temperature
To find out the temperature of the water in the river, different types of thermometers are used. They can be mercury, electrical, or electronic. Since the measured indicator on the surface of the river differs from the temperature at depth, in different cases different types of instruments are used - surface and depth thermometers.
The easiest way is to find out what the temperature is in the surface layers of the river. Such measurements are carried out with a traditional mercury device or its more advanced analogue, which is also called a spring thermometer. It is enough to lower a common household measuring instrument into a bucket filled with water collected from the surface of the reservoir.
A spring thermometer is more convenient. It includes a special reservoir surrounded by an insulating material that protects the mercury from the air temperature after removing the device from the water. Such thermal protection can be made of cork or rubber. A spring thermometer is often inserted into a metal frame.
The readings of the device are not taken immediately, but after two or three minutes of the thermometer's stay in water.
To determine the temperature at considerable river depths, a mercury tipping thermometer is used. It has two parts. The primary and secondary thermometers are interconnected and inserted into a thick glass tube. Take readings in the open air, making a correction, which is calculated on the scale of the auxiliary device. Today, electric and electronic thermometers are also increasingly used.
How is the temperature of the water in the river measured?
The temperature of the water in the river is measured at the same time at stationary gauging stations or hydrological stations. If during the day there are strong fluctuations in water and air temperatures, additional observations are also carried out.
The temperature at considerable depths is determined according to a special program, especially if studies are carried out on the formation of surface ice cover or deep ice.
Measurements are carried out with mercury, electrical or electronic devices, which are more accurate. The measurement results are entered into tables, on the basis of which specialists build graphs of water temperature fluctuations at observation points.
The processed and summarized information is transmitted to the regional hydrometeorological centers, where they can be obtained, if desired, on the basis of a request. Such information can be useful for organizations that conduct economic activities on rivers. Individual monitoring centers publish data on the water temperature in large rivers on their websites. An example is the information portal of the Volgograd hydrometeorological center meteo34.ru, where data on the temperature of the Volga in the area of the river port are regularly posted.
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