A large plastic constant-level balloon for duration flying at very high altitudes.

Wind with a speed between 28 and 55 knots (32 and 63 mph); Beaufort scale numbers 7 through 10.

Water vapor content of the air. See absolute humidity, dew point, mixing ratio, relative humidity, specific humidity.

A term used to describe a sensor (or sensors), the associated transducer(s), and the data readout or recording device.

bucket rain gauge-A rain gauge where the precipitation collected by the receiver empties into one side of a chamber which is partioned transversely at its center and is balanced bistably upon a horizontal axis. When a predetermined amount of water has bee ...

Operation mode of a communication circuit in which one end can only transmit and the other end can only receive.

A captive balloon used to maintain meteorological equipment aloft at approximately a constant height. The kytoon is streamlined and combines the aerodynamic properties of a balloon and a kite.

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.

A colorless and odorless gaseous element. The lightest and apparently the most abundant chemical element in the universe. However, it is found only in trace quantities in the observable portion of our atmosphere, only about 0.00005 percent by volume of dr ...

A type of cyanometer. an instrument used to measure the blueness of the sky. The Linke-scale is simply a set of eight cards of different standardized shades of blue. They are evenly numbered 2 to 26. The odd numbers are used by the observer if he or she j ...

The correctable part of the inaccuracy of an instrument.

The time required for an instrument to register a designated percentage (frequently 90%) of a step change in the variable being measured.

A reversing thermometer which is encased in a strong glass outer shell that protects it against hydrostatic pressure. Compare to unprotected thermometer.

Line drawn through geographical points recording equal amounts of precipitation during a given time period or for a particular storm.

A motorlike device containing a rotor and a stator and capable of converting an angular position into an electrical signal, or an electrical signal into an angular position. When several synchros are correctly connected, all of the rotors will align thems ...

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

A systematic summary of the terms (inflow, outflow, and storage) of the storage equation as applied to the computation of soil-moisture changes, ground-water changes, etc. An evaluation of the hydrologic balance of an area. Also called basin accounting, w ...

Precipitation composed of white or translucent ice crystals, chiefly in complex branched hexagonal forms.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A regulatory office of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Precipitation falling from a cloud, usually in wisps or streaks, but evaporating before it reaches the ground.