A constant which describes the performance of a wind vane in response to a step change in wind direction. It is calculated from the relative amount of overshoot on two successive swings (half cycles) of a decaying oscillation. This specification is dimens ...

An instrument which determines the altitude of an object with respect to a fixed level. There are two general types of altimeters: (a) the pressure altimeter, which gives an approximate measure of altitude from a pressure measurement and an assumed standa ...

A counterclockwise change in wind direction. Backing winds with height are indicative of cold air advection (CAA).

A unit of luminous intensity of a light source.

A medium-sized instrument shelter. It is a white louvered box with a flat double to of and is mounted four feet above the ground on a four-legged stand.

The range through which the input may be varied without initiating a response. Usually expressed as a percentage of full-scale range.

An instrument which indicates the presence of dust particles in the atmosphere. Also spelled coniscope.

A surface weather observation, made at periodic times, of sky cover, state of the sky, cloud height, atmospheric pressure reduced to sea level, temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction. amount of precipitation, hydrometeors and lithometeors. and s ...

The process whereby a position on the scale of an instrument is identified with the magnitude of the signal (or input force) actuating the instrument.

The stage, on a fixed river gauge, corresponding to the top of the lowest banks within the reach for which the gauge is used as an index. Compare to flood stage.

film hygrometer element-An electrical hygrometer element constructed of a plastic strip coated with a film of carbon black dispersed in a hygroscopic binder. Variations in atmospheric moisture content vary the volume of the binder and thus change the resi ...

A type of rain gauge shield consisting of freely hanging, evenly spaced slats arranged circularly around the gauge. The advantage of this shield is that the slats do not easily accumulate snow, permitting its use on unattended gauges. See rain gauge shiel ...

A hygrometer in which the sensitive element is a strand or strands of human hair, the length of which is a function of the relative humidity of the air.

A computed characteristic of a particular river basin, expressed as the time difference between the time-center of mass of rainfall and the time-center of mass of resulting runoff.

The difference between amounts of precipitation and runoff for a given storm. It is that portion of the precipitation that remains in the basin as soil moisture, surface storage, ground water, etc.

A system of estimating and reporting wind speed, originally based on the effect of various wind speeds on the amount of canvas that a full-rigged nineteenth century frigate could carry.

An instrument for rapidly obtaining samples of airborne dust; a type of dust counter. Particles pass through a cylindrical chamber, are drawn at high velocity through a narrow slit, and then impinge upon a microscope cover glass located a short distance f ...

Closed, curved, flexible tube of elliptic cross section which is deformed, according to type, by variations of atmosphere spheric pressure or temperature and so provides a measurement of the particular parameter.

An instrument for determining the dust content of a sample of air. Also spelled conimeter.

The mass density of a parcel of air expressed in units of mass per volume.