Surface weather analysis isotherms (lines of equal temperature), and isotachs (lines of equal wind speed) are drawn. The abstract weather symbols were devised to take up the least room possible on weather maps. A synoptic scale feature is one whose dimensions are large in scale, more than several hundred kilometers in length. Migratory pressure systems and frontal zones exist on this scale. Centers of surface high- and low-pressure areas that are found within closed isobars on a surface weather analysis are the absolute maxima and minima in the pressure field, and can tell a user in a glance what the general weather is
Surface weather observation Surface weather observation Surface weather observations are the fundamental data used for safety as well as climatological reasons to forecast weather and issue warnings worldwide. They can be taken manually, by a weather observer, by computer through the use of automated weather stations, or in a hybrid scheme using weather observers to augment the otherwise automated weather station. The ICAO defines the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA), which is the model of the standard variation of pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity with altitude in the Earth's atmosphere, and is used to reduce a station pressure to sea level pressure. Airport observations