An apparatus, used in studying soil temperatures, for measuring the total supply of heat during a given period.

An instrument designed to record the duration of sunshine at a given location without regard to intensity. See Campbell- Stokes recorder, Jordan sunshine recorder, Marvin sunshine recorder, Pers sunshine recorder.

A precipitation gauge consisting of a receiver in the shape of a funnel which empties into a bucket mounted upon a weighing mechanism. The weight of the catch is recorded as inches of precipitation.

See gust and peak gust.

Balance of the water resources of a region, comparing precipitation and inflow with outflow, evaporation, and accumulation.

The measurement and computation of wind speeds and directions at various levels above the surface of the earth. Methods include pilot balloon observations, rabals, rawin or rawinsonde observations, radar tracking, or acoustic sounding.

A form of data transmission in which the bits of each character are all sent simultaneously, resulting in extremely fast communication but requiring a communication path for each bit. Compare to serial data transmission.

The ratio of the output of an instrument to the input value, i.e. a rain gauge with a sensitivity of 1 tip per 0.01"

See gain.

Rate of wind movement in distance per unit time.

The measuring, transmitting, receiving, and indicating apparatus for obtaining the value of a quantity at a distance.

A general term for instruments which sample atmospheric suspensoids by impaction. Same as impactometer.

A pointed device which indicates the amount of resistance encountered when it is forced into a material such as snow or soil. See ram penetrometer.

A plastic molding component formed by the reaction of phenol and formaldehyde. It can be heavily reinforced or "filled" with glass fibers or other materials. Phenolics are known for their high impact strength, excellent wear characteristics, and dimension ...

The total of direct solar radiation and diffuse sky radiation received by a unit horizontal surface. Global radiation is measured by pyranometers.

A type of instrument shelter. It is a wooden box painted white with double louvered sides and mounted on a stand four feet above the ground.

In general, the transformation of data from a "raw" form to some useable form. In meteorology, this often refers to the conversion of the observed value of an element to the value which it would theoretically have at some selected or standard level. The m ...

The range of operating conditions of a device within which operating influences are negligible. The range is usually narrow. Reference operating conditions are the conditions under which reference performance is stated and the base from which the values o ...

A remote indicator for wind speed and direction used in conjunction with a contact anemometer and a wind vane. The indicator consists of a center light, connected to the contact anemometer, surrounded by eight equally spaced lights which are individually ...

The distance or length of flow of the air past a point during a given interval of time.