A classical approach to environmental and weather monitoring

I've been thinking about the whole area of Sensors recently, since I
became involved with a project designing and building an automated
"Weather Station" with high school students here in North Africa. The
material below is based on something I wrote a few years ago for a
class I taught on Sensors. I would like your comments, suggestions and
critiques of the ideas put forth here. Please reply to:
terry@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Note: Below is a portion of the, um, document. For the rest, please
take a look at:
http://terryking.us/weather/Sensing%20The%20Elements.htm
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A Classical approach to environmental and weather monitoring

Many ancient philosophies use a set of archetypal classical
elements to explain patterns in nature.

The Greek classical elements are AIR, WATER, EARTH and FIRE.
Although our modern understanding of chemical elements and reactions
supercedes the Greek perspective, I find those classical elements to
still be an appropriate way to consider the World around us, as we
experience it. But remember: This is just another human attempt, like
the Greeks, to use words to describe the World around us.

The Classical Elements also map well to the modern concepts of the
"Components of the Earth" and the way they interact with each other,
and the Phases that matter exists in:

The ATMOSPHERE: The thin layer of (GAS)es (AIR) that surrounds the
Earth.
* Processes in the atmosphere include winds, weather, and the
exchange of gases with living organisms.

The HYDROSPHERE: Usually (LIQUID) (WATER) on or near the surface of
the Earth. Includes water vapor in clouds, ice caps and glaciers, and
water in the oceans, rivers, lakes, and aquifers.
* Processes in the hydrosphere include precipitation, evaporation
and the flow of rivers.

The GEOSPHERE: Physical elements of the (SOLID) (EARTH)'s
surface, crust, and interior.
* Processes in the geosphere include continental drift, volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes.

And, WHY WE CARE: The BIOSPHERE that contains us and the wealth and
diversity of living organisms on the Earth.
* Processes in the biosphere include life and death, evolution,
and extinction.

We are usually most concerned with the environmental variables that
we personally sense, such as air temperature, winds and precipitation.
We seem to be most interested the way those variables change.

Oh, and what about FIRE?? I consider Fire to include all forms of
Electromagnetic Radiation. The pre-eminent influence on all the Spheres
of earthly life arises from the Solar Radiation that comes from the
PLASMA at the surface of the Sun.

This started out as a way of considering what environmental
variables it would be good to monitor in a Weather Station. So, let's
look in detail at these Realms of the Earth Environment:

- AIR - ATMOSPHERE - GAS

- WATER - HYDROSPHERE - LIQUID

- EARTH - GEOSPHERE - SOLID

- FIRE - RADIATION - PLASMA

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Complete document at:
http://terryking.us/weather/Sensing%20The%20Elements.htm

....I'd appreciate comments...
Regards, Terry King ...On The Mediterranean in Carthage

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