By international agreement, a period during which greatly increased observation of world-wide geophysical phenomena is undertaken through the co-operative effort of participating nations. July 1957-December 1958 was the first such year. However, precedent ...

A clockwise change in wind direction. Veering winds with height are indicative of warm air advection (WAA).

Part of a computer word that has meaning in itself, often, a byte.

The actual time during which physical events take place.

The component of the radiosonde which includes the modulating blocking oscillator and the radiofrequency carrier oscillator.

A photometer that measures the received intensity of a distance tight source.

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

The lowest value of a measured quality at which a sensor meets its accuracy specification.

A device for measuring the river stage. Also called stream gauge.

A set of weekly colored rainbow arcs sometimes discernable inside a primary rainbow.

Snow gauge composed of a metal cylinder, closed at one end, used to obtain a sample of snow from which the water is measured after melting.

A hygrometer in which the rotation of the hygrometric element is a function of humidity.

General name for an instrument which measures the earth's magnetic field intensity.

Same as mercury barometer.

A protective coating applied to circuits.

The maximum deviation of any points from a straight line drawn as a "best fit" through the calibration points of an instrument with a linear response curve. Usually expressed as a percentage of full- scale range.

Same as Aeolian.

National Weather Service. Administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

A device which converts energy from one form into another, i.e. an ac generator transducer which converts the mechanical motion of anemometer cups into an electrical signal.

Rate of wind movement in distance per unit time.