A hygrometer using goldbeater's skin as the sensitive element. Variations of the physical dimensions of the skin caused by its hygroscopic character indicate relative humidity. (Note: Goldbeater's skin is the prepared outside membrane of the large intesti ...

A balloon-borne instrument for the simultaneous measurement and transmission of meteorological data. It includes transducers for the measurement of pressure, temperature, and humidity; a modulator for the conversion of the output of the transducers to a q ...

Readily taking up and retaining moisture.

An instrument for measuring differences of electric potential.

Capacity of a soil or other surface to be penetrated by water sinking into the ground under the force of gravity. It thus expresses the rate of percolation.

A unit of signaling speed representing the number of code elements sent per second; often, bits per second.

That horizontal wind velocity at which the Coriolis acceleration exactly balances the horizontal pressure force. It is directed along contour lines or isobars.

A temperature telemeter.

An instrument which measures the scattering function of particles suspended in a medium in order to determine the visual range through the medium. See visibility meter.

The closeness of agreement among measurements of the same value of the same quantity where the individual measurements are made under different defined conditions, i.e. by different methods or with different measuring instruments.

A contact anemometer connected to an electrical circuit which is so arranged that the average wind speed is indicated.

A hydrometeor consisting of a visible aggregate of minute water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near the earth's surface. Fog differs from cloud only in that the base of fog is at the earth's surface while clouds are above the surface.

A unit of luminance (or brightness) equal to 1/6 candles per square centimeter.

A device for obtaining a continuous record of stage at a point on a stream. The most common recorders consist of a float-actuated pen which traces a record on a clock driven chart.

In folklore, a name for wind.

A buoyant balloon kept from rising freely by means of a line secured to a point on the ground, as opposed to a free balloon. See kytoon.

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

Name sometimes given to a transmissometer.

The center of an area of high pressure, usually accompanied by anticyclonic and outward wind flow. Also known as an anticyclone.

Precipitation composed of liquid water drops more than 0.5 mm in diameter, failing in relatively straight, but not necessarily vertical, paths. Compare to drizzle.