Misura delle grandezze meteorologiche

Agrometeorology is the discipline which studies the interactions between meteorologic and hydrologic factors on the one hand and agriculture (horticulture, animal breeding, selviculture, etc.) on the other. The field of investigation goes from the layer of soil occupied by the root apparatus of plants to the layer of air in which plants grow and animals live. In this context, knowledge about meteorological parameters is fundamental in order to study the interactions between climate and plants and to construct crop growth models. A meteorological quantity can be measured with instruments which are different for the type of sensor, position of installation, or level of automation, but in order that the data are comparable among them and representative of the measured phenomenon, precise rules for its measurement must be respected. In this chapter meteorological parameters are defined, measurement instruments are identified and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indications regarding their installation and field use are reported. In addition, accuracy requirements for the measurement of meteorological quantities, according to the Commission of the WMO for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO), are presented.