- Industry: Weather
- Number of terms: 60695
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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, ...
A 12-channel imaging instrument flown on MSG satellites, providing full disk scanning every 15 minutes. Imaging channels extend over visible, short, mid- and long-wavelength infrared spectral regions. A single high-resolution channel provides 1-km resolution imagery at nadir, while the remaining channels will have nadir resolutions of 3 km.
Industry:Weather
A multichannel, charged particle spectrometer that measures the population of charged particles that compose the earth's radiation belts and the related phenomena resulting from solar activity. SEM packages are flown on the GOES, GMS, and POES series of satellites.
Industry:Weather
SEISS is an enhanced version of the Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) for monitoring energetic particles in the near-Earth environment. SEISS will be flown on the GOES-R series of satellites to monitor the proton, electron, and heavy ion fluxes at geosynchronous orbit.
Industry:Weather
A band of weak eastward flow in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans embedded in the South Equatorial Current near 8°S, caused by a wind stress minimum in the Southern Hemisphere trade winds. In the Pacific Ocean the SECC is controlled by the Asian–Australian monsoon and is strongest during the northwest monsoon (December–April), with speeds approaching 0. 3 m s<sup>−1</sup>; it is barely seen during the remainder of the year. East of the date line it decreases rapidly in strength and is absent from the eastern Pacific during most of the year. In the Atlantic Ocean it is weak, narrow, and variable and has its largest speed of little more than 0. 1 m s<sup>−1</sup> often below the surface at a depth of 100 m.
Industry:Weather
The broad region of uniform westward flow driven by the trade winds that forms the northern part of the Southern Hemisphere subtropical gyres. Being directly wind driven, the SEC responds quickly to variations in the wind field and is therefore strongest in winter (August). In the Atlantic Ocean it is found between 3°N and 25°S with speeds of 0. 1–0. 3 m s<sup>−1</sup>. In the Pacific Ocean it covers the same latitude band but attains 0. 6 m s<sup>−1</sup> and a transport of about 27 Sv (27 × 10<sup>6</sup> m<sup>3</sup>s<sup>−1</sup>) in August; this decreases to 7 Sv in February. In the Indian Ocean it occupies the latitude band 8°–30°S during the northeast monsoon (December–April) and expands northward to 6°S in September during the southwest monsoon, with speeds close to 0. 3 m s<sup>−1</sup> throughout the year.
Industry:Weather
Isolated, long-lived eddies, having spatial scales smaller than mesoscale eddies; usually anticyclonic, having a geopotential maximum and stratification minimum in the center, with a velocity field having an interior maximum. SCV types include thermocline SCVs, subthermocline SCVs, Meddies, Arctic Ocean SCVs, and others.
Industry:Weather
A 16-channel nonscanning radiometer flown on ''Nimbus''-5'' (launched December 1972) for sounding the atmosphere in the infrared spectrum.
Industry:Weather
A five channel scanning radiometer on ''Nimbus''-6'' (launched June 1975) used to measure temperatures over ocean surfaces, water vapor, and liquid water. SCAMS was a precursor to the MSU used operationally on the TIROS-N (NOAA series) satellites since 1978.
Industry:Weather
A principal cloud type (cloud genus), predominantly stratiform, in the form of a gray and/or whitish layer or patch, which nearly always has dark parts and is nonfibrous (except for virga). Its elements are tesselated, rounded, roll-shaped, etc. ; they may or may not be merged, and usually are arranged in orderly groups, lines, or undulations, giving the appearance of a simple (or occasionally a cross-pattern) wave system. These elements are generally flat-topped, smooth, and large; observed at an angle of more than 30° above the horizon, the individual stratocumulus element subtends an angle of greater than 5°. When a layer is continuous, the elemental structure is revealed in true relief on its under surface. Stratocumulus is composed of small water droplets, sometimes accompanied by larger droplets, soft hail, and (rarely) by snowflakes. When the cloud is not very thick, the diffraction phenomena corona and irisation appear. Under ordinary conditions, ice crystals are too sparse even to give the cloud a fibrous aspect; however, in extremely cold weather, ice crystals may be numerous enough to produce abundant virga, and sometimes even halo phenomena. Mamma may be a supplementary feature of stratocumulus, in which case the mammiform protuberances may develop to the point where they seem about to detach themselves from the main cloud. Virga may form under the cloud, particularly at very low temperatures. Precipitation rarely occurs with stratocumulus. Stratocumulus frequently forms in clear air. It may also form from the rising of stratus, and by the convective or undulatory transformation of stratus, or nimbostratus, with or without change of height (Sc stratomutatus or Sc nimbostratomutatus). Stratocumulus is analogous to altocumulus and forms directly from the latter when the elements grow to a sufficient size (Sc altocumulomutatus). The further humidification, accompanied by turbulence and/or convection, of an already humid layer of air near the base of nimbostratus or even altostratus can form stratocumulus (Sc nimbostratogenitus or Sc altostratogenitus). If the ascending currents that produce cumulus or cumulonimbus approach an upper layer of stable air, they slow down, and all or a portion of the mother-cloud tends to diverge gradually and spread horizontally, often producing stratocumulus (Sc cumulogenitus or Sc cumulonimbogenitus). A particular form of Sc cumulogenitus, previously called stratocumulus vesperalis, often occurs in the evening when convection decreases, resulting in the gradual dissipation of both bases and tops of cumuliform clouds. Since stratocumulus may be transformed directly from or into altocumulus, stratus, and nimbostratus, all transitional stages may be observed. By convention, altocumulus is composed of apparently smaller elements (often simply because of its higher altitude); stratus and nimbostratus do not show regular subdivisions or wave form, and they have a more fibrous aspect. When the base of stratocumulus is rendered diffuse by precipitation, the cloud becomes nimbostratus. See cloud classification.
Industry:Weather
A nonscanning, nadir viewing instrument that measures backscattered solar radiation to estimate global ozone distribution. SBUV-1 was tested on ''Nimbus''-7'', launched in October 1978, with a modified version, SBUV- 2, becoming an operational instrument on most of the Advanced TIROS-N satellites.
Industry:Weather
