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Historic water glass. This simple barometer responds sensitively to changes in atmospheric pressure, through the water in the column. A high level indicates declining air pressure, a lower status is rising air pressure. The water should be in a place with constant temperature, because otherwise the change of temperature influences the column height. The barometer is ca. 22 cm high.
The concept that 'decreasing atmospheric pressure predicts stormy weather' was postulated by Lucien Vidie -- and it is the basis for a weather prediction device called a 'storm glass' or 'Goethe barometer' (who popularized it in Germany). It consists of a glass container with a sealed body, half filled with water. A narrow spout connects to the body below the water level and rises above the water level, where it is open to the atmosphere. When the air pressure is lower than it was at the time the body was sealed, the water level in the spout will rise above the water level in the body; when the air pressure is higher, the water level in the spout will drop below the water level in the body. A variation of this type of barometer can be easily made at home.
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