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Observation

Meteorology ObscurationsObservation Point

Observation A weather or meteorological observation is an evaluation of one or more meteorological elements that describes the state of the atmosphere either at the Earth's surface or aloft.

 


39. Daily Observations Max. Min. Temp. Precip. For US Cities
40. Current Hourly Observations For US Cities
41. State Forecasts ...

Components of the Observation Symbol:
1) Fill in the blanks of the diagram to indicate what type of meteorological data is represented by each location. You may label the diagram in one of two ways; 1) by printing out a copy of this activity and ...

Observations of atmospheric chemistry are essential to our understanding. Routine observations of chemical composition tell us about changes in atmospheric composition over time.

observational error"The difference between the true value of some quantity and its observed value. Every observation is subject to certain errors, as follows. 1) Systematic errors affect the whole of a series of observations in nearly the same way.

observation - See weather observation.
ocean - 1. The intercommunicating body of saltwater occupying the depressions of the earth's surface. 2.

Observation Well
In hydrologic terms, a non-pumping well used for observing the elevation of the water table or piezometric surface
Occluded Front ...

OBSERVATION
In meteorology, the evaluation of one or more meteorological elements, such as temperature, pressure, or wind, that describe the state of the atmosphere, either at the earth's surface or aloft.

OBS- Observation, a reporting station's output
OCCLUDED FRONT- The lifting of one front by another.

O0040 Observation Evaluation of meteorological elements, visually and/or by measurement at a specified location, on the Earth's surface or at upper levels of the atmosphere.
O0050 Observational network (M1040) ...

RADARSONDE OBSERVATION An upper air observation used to determine winds and other meteorological data, by tracking the range, elevation, and azimuth of a radar target carried aloft. A type of rawinsonde.

radarsonde observation—A rawinsonde observation in which winds are determined by radar tracking a balloon-borne target.

METAR- A weather observation near ground level. It may include date and time, wind, visibility, weather and obstructions to vision, sky condition, temperature and dew point, sea level pressure, ...

A scale that uses observations of the effects of wind to estimate its speed. Click on Beaufort Wind Scale for the complete scale.
Blizzard
Violent and very cold wind which is loaded with snow, some of which has been raised from snow covered ground.

RAOB - RAdiosonde OBservation
SAB - Satellite Applications Branch (old. NESDIS)
SAFIRE - Spectroscopy of the Atmosphere using Far InfraRed Emission
SAGE - Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (EOS) ...

SPOT Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre. French, polar-orbiting Earth observation satellite(s) with ground resolution of 10 meters.

It is reported as "SA" in an observation and on the METAR. SANDSTORM A strong wind carrying sand particles through the air. They are low level occurances, usually only ten feet in height to not more than fifty feet above the surface.

Radar MeteorologyBranch of meteorology that uses radars for weather observations and forecasts.Radar MosaicA radar product that combines information from multiple radars to give a regional or national view of reflectivity or precipitation.

observational practice, a squall is reported only if a wind speed of 16 knots or higher is sustained for at least two minutes (thereby distinguishing it from a gust). 2.

A facility where weather observations are taken, prepared, and transmitted by a local operator under federal government supervision. SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.

Gaging StationIn hydrologic terms, a particular site on a watercourse where systematic observations of stage/ and or flow are measured.
GaleAn extratropical low or an area of sustained surface winds of 34 (39 mph) to 47 knots (54 mph).

It is reported as "gr" in an observation and on the metar. Small hail and/or snow pellets is reported as "gs" in an observation and on the metar.

that corresponds to a single general circulation model grid column, to use models to compute the cloud formation and radiative transfer processes, and to evaluate the results produced by the models through comparisons with additional observations.

Observed noise is the standard deviation or natural variability computed from observations of that variable and adjusted for sample size, autocorrelation, and time averaging. silviculture Management of forest land for timber.

Not long after the electric telegraph made simultaneous (i.e. 'synoptic') observations possible in near 'real time', it was realised that in regions of 'disturbed' weather, (i.e. close to what we now call a depression), ...

SAWRS (Supplementary Aviation Weather Reporting Station) The SAWRS program addresses the concerns of users who depend on weather observations for air operations.

These are estimated surface pressure observations for the southern hemisphere derived from satellite observations, interpolated from conventional data (ship, buoy, or land surface barometer readings), ...

Surface weather chart: an analyzed synoptic chart of surface weather observations.

rawinsonde - An upper-air weather observation system (from the surface to approximately 30 km altitude) made by balloon-borne instrument package (radiosonde) that provides direct measurement of ambient air temperature, pressure, ...

The average height of the sea surface, based upon hourly observation of the tide height on the open coast or in adjacent waters that have free access to the sea.

One of several lines or planes used as reference for observation and measurement relative to a given location on the surface of the earth.

CHASE POSITION - The area around or nearby a storm where storm chasers perfer to make their observations.

Since a true water barometer would be over 10 m (33 ft) in length, they are not practical for weather observations. (2) A form of barometer aslo known as a "storm glass" or "thunder glass.

Sounding-based Stability Index - an index calculated from balloon observations (e.g., CAPE, Lifted Index, K-Index, Bulk Richardson Number, Total-Totals Index) that provide guidance about the potential organization, type, ...

NOAA WEATHER RADIO (NWR): Continuous, 24 hour a day VHF broadcasts of weather observations and forecasts directly from National Weather Service offices. A special tone allows certain receivers to alarm when watches or warnings are issued.

RAWINSONDE: A method of upper air observation consisting of an evaluation of the wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure,and humidity aloft by means of a balloon-borne radiosonde tracked by radar or a radio theodolite.

ASOS- the Automated Surface Observation System; this system observes sky condition, weather, temperature, dew point, wind direction and speed, pressure and precipitation.

Acoustic sounding - Study of the properties and structure of the atmosphere with the aid of observation of the passage of bursts of high- intensity sound waves sent upward and returned to a reciever.

Key dayThose are the days where the weather shall be foreseeable for the next days or weeks, e.g. dormouse days.
Weather observations show that some weather situations are typical for some seasons, but those days are no reliable forecasts.

Reed's Nautical Companion gives photographs of the sea's surface for each wind force, so that the force can be estimated by simple observation.

This system is a collection of automated weather instruments that collect data. It performs surface based observations from places that do not have a human observer, or that do not have an observer 24 hours a day.

Mobile Mesonet - A group of vehicles equipped with observation stations, usually used for research. Also see mesonet.

Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) - A widely used, standardized set of automated weather instruments that provide routine surface observations. (less accurate than conventional measurements) ...

Mobile storm spotters are strongly advised to maintain a safe distance from any storm that has been identified as an HP storm; close observations (e.g., core punching) can be extremely dangerous. See bear's cage.

See also: Weather, Surface, Temperature, Air, Meteor