Readily taking up and retaining moisture.

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

Radio Direction Finder.

A strong wind characterized by a sudden onset, a duration on the order of minutes, and a rather sudden decrease in speed.

A mercury barometer designed for use aboard ship. The instrument is of the fixed-cistern type (see Kew barometer). The mercury tube is constructed with a wide bore for its upper portion and with a capillary bore for its lower portion. This is done to incr ...

A thermometer whose sensitive element has been made to resemble a black body by covering it with lamp black. The thermometer is placed in an evacuated transparent chamber which is maintained at a constant temperature. The instrument responds to insolation ...

A form of data transmission in which the bits of each character are sent one at a time along a single communication path. Compare to parallel data transmission.

The total infrared radiation emitted from the earth's surface. To be carefully distinguished from atmospheric radiation, effective terrestrial radiation, and insolation.

Solar and terrestrial radiation directed downwards (towards the earth's surface); incoming radiation.

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

Any twelve-month period, usually selected to begin and end during a relative dry season. Used a basis for processing streamflow and other hydrologic data. The period from October 1 to September 30 is widely used in the U.S.

A precipitation amount of less than 0.005 inches. Also, the record made by any self-registering instrument.

A graphical representation of stage or discharge at a point on a stream as a function of time.

A scale of yellows, greens, and blues for recording the color of sea water, as seen against the white background of a Secchi disk.

The difference between the true value of some quantity and its observed value. Every observation is subject to certain errors. Systematic errors affect the whole of a series of observations in nearly the same way. For example, the scale of an instrument m ...

Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System. A global meteorological model operated by the Department of Defense.

A device which surrounds a rain gauge and acts to maintain horizontal flow in the vicinity of the funnel so that the catch will not be influenced by eddies generated near the gauge. See Alter shield, Nipher shield, Wild fence.

A hygrometer which includes an arrangement for the time recording of atmospheric humidity.

A special form of the aspiration psychrometer. developed by Assmann, in which the thermometric elements are well shielded from radiation. Psychrometric measurements may be taken with the instrument in the presence of direct solar radiation.

Psychrometer to which a small chain or rotary handle is attached so that the observer can rotate the instrument rapidly to properly ventilate the thermometer bulbs.