Meteorology: Random Listings 

The total of direct solar radiation and diffuse sky radiation received by a unit horizontal surface. Global radiation is measured by pyranometers.

An instrument developed by K. Angstrom for measuring the effective terrestrial radiation. It consists of four manganin strips, of which two are blackened and two are polished. The blackened strips are allowed to radiate to the atmosphere while the polishe ...

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

The study of waters (including oceans, lakes, and rivers) embracing either: (a) their physical characteristics, from the standpoint of the oceanographer or limnologist; or (b) the elements affecting safe navigation, from the point of view of the mariner. ...

The process of modifying some characteristic of a wave (the carrier) so that it varies in step with the instantaneous value of another wave (the modulating wave) in order to transmit a message. The modified characteristic may be frequency, phase, and/or a ...

Temperature assumed by an unsaturated air parcel when brought adiabatically to a standard pressure (1,000 mb).

A system in which radar techniques are used to determine the range, elevation, and azimuth of a radar target carried a!oft by a radiosonde, so that wind data may be obtained along with the other meteorological data.

Random Access Memory. The memory of a computer which can be read and written into at any location without passing through preceding locations.

An instrument which measures the intensity of radiation by determining the amount of chemical change( or fluorescence produced by that radiation.

An instrument, dropped from high attitude and carried by a stable parachute. used to measure the vertical component of turbulence aloft.

The pressure exerted by the atmosphere as a consequence of gravitational attraction exerted upon the "column" of air lying directly above the point in question.

The ratio of the output of an instrument to the input value, i.e. a rain gauge with a sensitivity of 1 tip per 0.01"

General name for an instrument designed to measure the vertical component of the wind speed. See anemoclinometer.