Eskdalemuir Observatory

Following the conventions of Kew Observatory, which preceded Eskdalemuir as a national geophysical laboratory, atmospheric electricity measurements formed a key part of the early operations. Atmospheric ion measurements were made by Lewis Fry Richardson. As Eskdalemuir is a relatively clean site distant from major towns and cities, the atmospheric electricity measurements have been analysed for global signals which are typically obscured at urban sites. The measuring technology followed that of Kew in employing a Kelvin water dropper electrometer for potential gradient measurements, changing to a radioactive polonium probe during the 1930s. The Eskdalemuir potential gradient was found to be…