A radiosonde which transmits the indication of the meteorological sensing elements in the form of a code consisting of combinations of dots and dashes.

A large plastic constant-level balloon for duration flying (in excess of 24 hours) at altitudes above 40,000 feet, used for the determination of wind fields and the measurement of upper atmospheric parameters.

One of the radiation laws which states that the wavelength of maximum radiation intensity for a black body is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature of the radiating black body.

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 ...

The difference between amounts of precipitation and runoff for a given storm. It is that portion of the precipitation that remains in the basin as soil moisture, surface storage, ground water, etc.

Situated on the side from which the wind blows.

The distance that an observer can see vertically into a surface-based obscuring phenomenon such as fog, rain, or snow. The distance estimate must be based upon ceiling balloon ascensions or ceiling light projector measurements.

A hygrometer which uses a transducing element whose electrical properties are a function of atmospheric water vapor content. The humidity strip and carbon-film hygrometer element are examples of such a transducer.

That temperature at which, in a specified latitude, the reading of a particular barometer requires no temperature or latitude correction.

The addition of one or more redundant bits to information to verify its accuracy.

A class of instruments employed to determine the electric potential at a point in the atmosphere, and ultimately the atmospheric electric field.

A thermometer consisting of a clock mechanism the speed of which is a function of temperature.

In general. the severe wind of an intense tropical cyclone (hurricane or typhoon). The term has no further technical connotation, but, unfortunately, is easily conftlsed with the strictly defined hurricane-force wind,

A device attached to a meteorological instrument to provide ventilation; usually a suction fan.

Same as marine rainbow.

A unit of luminous intensity of a light source.

A type of photoelectric photometer used to measure high-altitude winds on the assumption that stellar scintillation is caused by atmospheric inhomogeneities being carried along by wind near the tropopause level.

An evaporation pan in which the evaporation is measured from water in a pan floating in a larger body of water.

An instrument for recording global solar radiation.

A local variation of the wind vector or any of its components in a given direction.