The downward flux of atmospheric radiation passing through a given level surface, usually taken as the earth's surface. This result of infrared (long-wave) absorption and reemission by the atmosphere is the principal factor in the greenhouse effect.

A direct-vision nephoscope which is constructed in the following manner: a comb consisting of a crosspiece containing equispaced vertical rods is attached to one end of a column eight to ten feet long and is supported on a mounting that is free to rotate ...

pattern barometer-Mercurial barometer with a fixed scale and cistern and which therefore requires only one adjustment before each reading.

A type of climatic diagram whose coordinates are some form of temperature vs. a form of humidity or precipitation.

Same as balloon cover.

The unit of speed in the nautical system; one nautical mile per hour. It is equal to 1.1508 statute miles per hour or 0.5144 meters per second.

The limiting values of ceiling, visibility, and wind, or runway visual range, established as safety minimum for aircraft landings and take-offs.

General name for an instrument which measures the evaporation rate of water into the atmosphere. See clay atmometer, evaporation pan, evapotranspirometer, Livingston sphere, Piche evaporimeter, radio atmometer.

An instrument which records the duration of sunshine and gives a quantitative measure of the amount of sunshine by the action of the sun's rays upon blueprint paper. A type of sunshine recorder.

A wind blowing in the same direction as the heading of a moving object. thus assisting the object's intended progress. The opposite of a head wind.

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 ...

An instrument for the measurement of both solar and terrestrial radiation.

A sunshine recorder of the type in which the time scale is supplied by a chronograph. It consists of two bulbs, one of which is blackened, which communicate through a glass tube of small diameter. The tube is partially filled with mercury and contains two ...

A description or explanation of the manner in which the height of the ceiling is determined, i.e. aircraft ceiling, balloon ceiling. estimated ceiling, indefinite ceiling, measured ceiling, precipitation ceiling.

An instrument for measuring the intensity of direct solar radiation at normal incidence. See Angstrom compensation pyrheliometer, Eppley pyrheliometer, Michaelson actinograph. silver- disc pyrheliometer, spectropyrheliometer, waterflow pyrheliometer.

The indicating part of an instrument. For example, the hand of a watch or the meniscus of a mercury column.

Fine dust or salt particles dispersed through a portion of the atmosphere; a type of lithometer. The particles are so small they cannot be felt or seen with the naked eye. Many haze formations are caused by the presence of an abundance of condensation nuc ...

Instrument for measuring the depth to which the soil is frozen.

Abbreviation for binary digit. The smallest unit of information, equal to one binary decision, i.e. 1/0, on/off, yes/no.

Pertaining to measurements or devices in which the output varies continuously, i.e. voltage or rotation signals. Compare to digital.