Greetings from North Bay,
Ontario, Canada!
Welcome to our HomePage for the Weather Lab at Nipissing University.
We are located in the Geography
Department on the first floor (Room A147).
The Weather Lab is under the direction of Dr.
Keith H. Topps of the Geography Department.
Please excuse any gliches as our homepage is constantly under construction.
The Geography Department at Nipissing University maintains fully- automated weather-monitoring facilities in its Weather Lab (Room A147). A complete range of weather elements are monitored every 30 seconds. Sensors record Atmospheric Pressure, Temperature, Relative Humidity, Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Precipitation, and Solar Radiation.
The purpose of the Nipissing University Weather Station is ..... a) To collect reliable, continuous, automated climatic data for the North Bay area; b) to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to use modern equipment to make weather observations and to collect weather data; c) to provide access to local, regional, and global climatic data and weather maps; d) to use data and maps to provide undergraduate students with a basic understanding of weather phenomena and the fundamentals of weather forecasting; e) to provide a source of public information relating to local climatic data.
Program Control, Sensor Operation, and Data Handling are all performed by a CR10 Programmable Datalogger/Controller, supplied by Campbell Scientific Canada Corporation. The datalogger functions as the heart of our automated weather monitoring system. It is programmed to monitor the complete range of instrumentation every 30 seconds and send the data to temporary storage. Totals, means, maximums, and minimums are calculated hourly and daily, and also kept in temporary storage until downloaded to permanent storage.
Communication with the CR10 for programming up-dates and data retrieval is accomplished using a DC112 Modem.
Solar Radiation is monitored using an LI200S PYRANOMETER with an output of 98.3 microamps per 1000 watts per square meter. The low-level output voltage signal ranges from zero to about 12mv depending on the level of solar radiation. The millivolt signal value is converted into calories per square centimeter per minute for intensity, and calories per square centimeter for totals.
Temperature
is measured with a Phys-Chemical Research Corp. PCRC-11 sensor
and a YSI 44002A thermister. The probe is housed in a 41004-5
12-Plate Gill Radiation Shield. The sensor is accurate to +/- 0.4
over a range of -53 to +48 degrees Celsius. 
Relative Humidity is
measured by passing a precise 1.5 Volt excitation signal is
through a PCRC-11 Sensor and monitoring the voltage drop.
Electrical resistance of the conductive path varies with Relative
Humidity. Accuracy is normally better than 5% over the 12 to 100%
range. The sensor is housed in a 41004-5 12-Plate Gill Radiation
Shield. Atmospheric Pressure is
measured using a PTA-427 Barometric Pressure Transducer with a
Vaisala Silicon Capacitive Pressure Sensor. A linear output of
0-5 volts DC is proportional to a range of 800 - 1060 millibars
pressure. Readings are temperature compensated over the range -40
to +60 degrees Celsius, and corrected for North Bay's elevation
above mean sea level. Pressure readings are accurate to +/- 0.3
millibars. Wind Speed and Direction are
sensed using an R.M. Young Model 05103 Wind Monitor. The wind
speed sensor is a four-blade helicold propeller which produces an
AC sine wave voltage signal with frequency directly proportional
to wind speed. The wind direction sensor is a lightweight vane,
with the angle sensed by a precision potentiometer in a sealed
chamber. When a known excitation voltage is applied to the
potentiometer, the output voltage is directly proportional to the
vane angle. 
Rainfall is
measured using a Texas Electronics Model TE525M Tipping Bucket
Rain Gage with magnetic reed switch and 0.1 mm tip resolution. 
Snowfall (measurement system is under construction)
The datalogger is programmed to monitor the complete range of instrumentation every 30 seconds and send the data to temporary storage. Totals, means, maximums, and minimums are calculated hourly and daily, and also kept in temporary storage until downloaded to permanent storage. Computational values are produced for Wet Bulb Temperatures, Dew Point Temperatures, Wind Chill Equivalent Temperatures, Vapour Pressures, and Mixing Ratios. During the Academic Year climatology students maintain a Weather Board in the hallway outside the Weather Lab. Complete manual observations are posted on the hour. Daily summaries are recorded for approximately two weeks previous. Current Surface Weather Maps, Weather Forecast Maps, and a variety of Upper Level Charts (500mb Geopotential Heights, 500-1000mb Thickness, 700mb Vorticity, 200mb Winds, etc.) Weather Radar Images, and/or Satellite Images are normally on display. Both 24-Hour Forecasts and Long-Range Forecasts for Environment Canada are posted regularly. North Bay data may be available upon request.
GEOG 3105 - Climatology (6
credits)
GEOG 4136 - Applied Climatology (3
credits)
GEOG 4137 - Paleoclimatology & Climatic
Change (3 credits)
North Bay Airport - North Bay
Muskoka Airport - Muskoka
Sudbury Airport - Sudbury
Sault Ste Marie Airport - Sault Ste
Marie
Timmins Airport - Timmins
Thunder Bay Airport - Thunder Bay
If you would like to see forecasts
for the North Bay/Nipissing area
or current weather maps please visit my personal homepage. NOW.
The Geography Department at Nipissing offers its students a
choice of
Seven Different Geography Programs.
Click on Programs to view Geography Programs.
View of the "Topographic Face" on the
Surface of Mars
You may wish to visit some of the faculty in our
You may communicate with Nipissing University's Weather Lab by contacting
To send E-Mail to Nipissing's Weather Lab now 
This page was last updated on October 11, 2002.
