Meteorology

Meteorology

A database of terms pertaining to the scientific study of the atmosphere.

Industry: Weather

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Meteorology

snap

Weather; Meteorology

A colloquial term for a brief period of extreme (generally cold) weather setting in suddenly, as in a “cold snap. ”

A band of low pressure located, in the mean, between 50° and 70° latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, this belt consists of the Aleutian low and the Icelandic low. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is ...

radiosonde balloon

Weather; Meteorology

A balloon used to carry a radiosonde aloft. Radiosonde balloons are larger than pilot balloons and ceiling balloons, are generally filled with hydrogen or helium to achieve lift, and burst at ...

scattering matrix

Weather; Meteorology

A 2 × 2 matrix comprising four signal amplitudes that characterizes the scattering from a target in terms of a polarization basis. The basis is defined by two orthogonal vectors, for example, ...

random forecast

Weather; Meteorology

A “forecast” in which one of a set of meteorological contingencies is selected on the basis of chance. The random forecast is often used as a standard of comparison in determining the degree of skill ...

point source

Weather; Meteorology

1. With respect to radiation, a single point in space emitting radiation. The radiation from such a source may be expressed as flux per unit solid angle (W sr −1 ). 2. In experimental studies of ...

polarization

Weather; Meteorology

1. With respect to a transverse electromagnetic wave, the correlation between two orthogonal components of its electric (or, equivalently, magnetic) field. If the ratio of the amplitudes of these two ...