- Industry: Weather
- Number of terms: 60695
- Number of blossaries: 0
- Company Profile:
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, ...
Air mass having static instability in the lowest layer. Convective clouds and precipitation occur if moisture content is sufficiently high and there is a mechanism present, for example, surface heating or orographic lifting, to initiate convection.
Industry:Weather
Air in which static instability prevails. This condition is determined by the vertical gradients of air temperature and humidity.
Industry:Weather
Air in motion relative to the surface of the earth. Since vertical components of atmospheric motion are relatively small, especially near the surface of the earth, meteorologists use the term to denote almost exclusively the horizontal component. Vertical winds are usually identified as such. Surface winds are measured by anemometer and wind vane; winds aloft by such systems as pilot balloon, radiosonde, or aircraft navigational techniques. See Also circulation, general circulation, turbulence, geostrophic wind, gradient wind, local winds, Beaufort wind scale, draft, cyclone, whirlwind, squall, storm.
Industry:Weather
After U. S. Weather observing practice, a condition in which the ceiling rapidly increases and decreases while the ceiling observation is being made. The average of the observed values is used as the reported ceiling, and it is reported only for ceilings of less than 3000 ft. Variable ceiling is reported in the remarks section of the observation.
Industry:Weather
A wooden enclosure about 16 ft square and 8 ft high with a precipitation gauge in its center; the function of the fence is to minimize eddies around the gauge and thus ensure a catch that will be representative of the actual rainfall or snowfall. See rain-gauge shield.
Industry:Weather
A wind-generated ocean surface wave. Wind generates both gravity waves and capillary waves.
Industry:Weather
A weighing rain gauge in which the weight of the catch is converted to centimeters or inches of precipitation and recorded by pen on a clock-driven chart. The clock cylinder usually rotates one revolution in 24 hours.
Industry:Weather
A westerly wind in central France. It is moderate to strong, generally squally, humid, and thundery in summer, especially on slopes facing west; it is cold in winter and spring and brings snow or hail showers. In Auvergne it brings continuous rain (the Grand Vent or plouazaou). In the Alps it is cold and squally. Houses in regions subject to the traverse are protected by roughcast or double walls, and in the Mont Cantal part of Auvergne, where it is especially violent, zinc sheets are used on the walls; roofs are built of large stone slabs.
Industry:Weather
