Eskdalemuir Observatory
Encyclopedia
The Eskdalemuir Observatory is located near Eskdalemuir
, Dumfries and Galloway
, Scotland. Built in 1904, its remote location was chosen to minimise electrical interference with geomagnetic instruments, which were relocated there from Kew Observatory
in 1908 after the advent of electrification in London led to interference with instruments.
The distinguished meteorologist and mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson
served as Superintendent at the Observatory between 1913 and 1918.
The observatory is situated in the highland valley, or dale of the Esk river at an altitude of 242m and so represents the climate of highland in northern Great Britain. It currently monitors:
In the early evening of 21 December 1988, the observatory's seismometer
s recorded the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103
, which exploded over the nearby town of Lockerbie
in an event registering 1.6 on the Richter scale
.
It is presently managed by the British Geological Survey
and the Met Office
.
There is also a second seismic array approx 3 km north which has been run by Güralp Systems Limited since 2002 on behalf of AWE Blacknest providing the UK part of the international monitoring system of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
, which allows covert nuclear tests to be detected via their seismic signatures. It consists of an array covering 10 square km of two intersecting lines of 10 pits containing seismometers, a seismological vault and a recording laboratory.
Eskdalemuir
-External links:*...
, Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, Scotland. Built in 1904, its remote location was chosen to minimise electrical interference with geomagnetic instruments, which were relocated there from Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory was an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatoryfounded by King George III , located within the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, now within Greater London. The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north...
in 1908 after the advent of electrification in London led to interference with instruments.
The distinguished meteorologist and mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson
Lewis Fry Richardson
Lewis Fry Richardson, FRS was an English mathematician, physicist, meteorologist, psychologist and pacifist who pioneered modern mathematical techniques of weather forecasting, and the application of similar techniques to studying the causes of wars and how to prevent them...
served as Superintendent at the Observatory between 1913 and 1918.
The observatory is situated in the highland valley, or dale of the Esk river at an altitude of 242m and so represents the climate of highland in northern Great Britain. It currently monitors:
- Climatological data;
- Solar radiation;
- Atmospheric pollution;
- Geomagnetic fields; and
- Seismological data.
In the early evening of 21 December 1988, the observatory's seismometer
Seismometer
Seismometers are instruments that measure motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other seismic sources...
s recorded the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
, which exploded over the nearby town of Lockerbie
Lockerbie
Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
in an event registering 1.6 on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
.
It is presently managed by the British Geological Survey
British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS headquarters are in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, but other centres...
and the Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
.
There is also a second seismic array approx 3 km north which has been run by Güralp Systems Limited since 2002 on behalf of AWE Blacknest providing the UK part of the international monitoring system of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not entered into force.-Status:...
, which allows covert nuclear tests to be detected via their seismic signatures. It consists of an array covering 10 square km of two intersecting lines of 10 pits containing seismometers, a seismological vault and a recording laboratory.