As mountaineers and explorers subdued unvisited lands and the highest peaks of the mountains in the 19th century, they were using a never-to-forget helpful device – the portable barometer. Portable barometers, which played an important role in the predictions concerning changes of weather and determination of altitudes, were inseparable from the toolkit of an adventurer.
The Mechanism and Importance of Barometers
Barometers have long been used to measure atmospheric pressure, an important weather determinant. Many times lowering pressures have indicated deterioration in weather due to storms or heavy rain, while a rise in pressure indicates improvement. This information was crucial to early mountaineers since the change in weather could make an expedition deadly.
Portable barometers used during the 19th century were either mercury barometers or aneroid barometers. Mercury barometers consist of a glass tube filled with mercury that was precise but shallow and bulky to carry. An aneroid barometer has no liquid inside it but works on a compact, flexible metal box known as an aneroid cell. This cell expands and contracts with changes in atmospheric pressure, moving a needle indicating the reading. Their robustness and compactness made them more adaptable on harsh mountainous terrains.
Barometers in Historical Expeditions
One of the most famous uses of a portable barometer was by Sir George Everest in the early 19th century, the surveyor after whom Mount Everest is named. Everest and his team used barometers to calculate the heights of the Himalayas, fundamentally changing geographical understanding at the time.
In another historic example, the barometer was critical during the Challenger expedition (1872-1876), a scientific exercise that laid the groundwork for oceanography. Crew members used barometric readings to map weather patterns and assist in navigation, proving essential in their journey across unexplored mountain ranges and oceans.
Barometers and Safety in Mountaineering
For mountaineers, barometers were not just scientific instruments but survival tools. By the mid-19th century, climbers tackling peaks like the Alps began to rely heavily on barometric readings to decide when to push for the summit. A stable high-pressure reading would indicate a safe window of opportunity, whereas a falling barometer would advise caution, potentially saving lives by forewarning of incoming bad weather.
Legacy and Modern Relevance
While technology has advanced, with digital devices providing detailed weather forecasts and GPS systems offering precise location tracking these days, but the basic principle of the barometer remains in use. Modern climbers may carry electronic barometers integrated into multifunctional devices like smartwatches and smartphones.
The portable barometer serves as a legacy in exploration, a testament to the ingenuity of adventurers whom explored and came to understand some of the most forbidding landscapes in the world.