Earth’s Curvature

and Atmospheric
Refraction
Earth’s Curvature and Atmospheric
Refraction
• Horizontal Line
• A straight line tangent to a level surface
• Level Surface
• A curve surface every element of which is normal to plumb line
• Level Line
• A line in a level surface
• From the figure shown, an object actually at C would appear
to be at B, due to atmospheric refraction, wherein the rays of
light transmitted along the surface of the earth is bent
downward slightly.
Curvature and Refraction
Correction
• Conditions:
H = height in m of the line of sight, at the intervening hill C, above
sea level.
H1 = height in m of the station occupied A, above sea level
H2 = height in m of the station observed B above sea level
D1 = distance in miles of the intervening hill C from A.
D2 = distance in miles of the intervening hill C from B.
Equation for Elevation of the line of
sight
• H = h2 + [D2/(D1+D2)](h1-h2) – 0.067D1D2
Intervisibility of Stations
• Observing Tower
• This built such that the structural members that support the instrument are not used to support the
observers.
• Wooden Tower
• The form of wooden tower to be used in triangulation work should be
built at a low cost, light and slender, easy to construct and should be
sufficiently rigid to withstand storms and different scenarios.
• Bilby Tower
• The bilby tower is made of steel and similar in construction to those used
for windmills. The bilby tower can be erected or dismantled by a survey
crew in just a short time.
• Gas Pipe Tower
• The gas pipe tower is another type of observation platform constructed
entirely of gas pipes and also used in trinagulation work.
• In order to secure well condition triangle or better
intervisibility objects such as church tops, plag poles or towers
etc. are sometime selected as triangulation stations • If the
instruments is impossible to set up over that point a
subsidiary station known as a satellite station or false station is
selected as near as possible to the main station •
Observations are made to the other stations with the same
precision from the satellite station
Problem No. 1
• A man’s eyes 1.75m above sea level can barely see the top of
a lighthouse which is at certain distance away from a man.
What is the elevation of the top of the lighthouse above sea
level if the lighthouse is 20km away from the man. Determine
also the height of the tower at a distance 20km away from the
man that will just be visible without the line of sight
approaching nearer than 1.75m to the water.
Problem No. 2
• Considering the effects of curvature and refraction, the
difference in elevation of points B and C is found out to e
111.356m. From point A in between B and C is the angle of
elevation of B and C are 18°30’ and 8°15’ respectively.
a.) If C is 2000m from A, how far is B from A?
b.) If the elevation of A is equal to 200m Find the elevation of B.
c.) Find also the elevation of C.