Glossary extracted starting with automatic seeds, with PTM for the domain met and language EN

photodissociation	The process by which radiation breaks down molecules into their smallest components.
mesoscale convective complex	A nearly circular organized cluster of many interacting thunderstorm cells covering an area of many thousands of square kilometers.
cumuliform	Clouds composed of water droplets that exhibit vertical development
aoc	Army Operations Center, Pentagon
pilotage	A method of navigation in which the pilot, flying at low altitudes, uses visual references and compares symbols on aeronautical charts with surface features on the ground in order to navigate.
emigration	Migration of an organism out of an area for the purpose of changing its residence permanently
gravitation	The mutual attraction between two masses of matter
hydrostatic head	In hydrologic terms, a measure of pressure at a given point in a liquid in terms of the vertical height of a column of the same liquid which would produce the same pressure
dry deposition	The transport of gases and minute liquid and solid particles from the atmosphere to the ground surface without the aid of precipitation or fog
snow flurries	Light snow showers, usually of an intermittent nature with no measurable accumulation.
continental drift	Theory that suggests that the Earth's crust is composed of several continental plates that have the ability to move
principal user processor	PVA
plages	Small, bright, relatively hot spots on the sun.
boiling point	The temperature at which a liquid changes to a vaporous state
flash flood	A flood which is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours.
solar wind	A stream of charged subatomic particles (mainly protons and electrons) flowing into space from the sun.
reverse osmosis	a water treatment method whereby water is forced through a semipermeable membrane which filters out impurities.
coastal flood warning	A warning that significant wind-forced flooding is to be expected along low-lying coastal areas if weather patterns develop as forecast.
quebec	Designator for the letter "Q" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
inselberg	A German term used to describe a steep-sided hill composed of rock that rises from a pediplain.
geology	The field of knowledge that studies the origin, structure, chemical composition, and history of the Earth and other planets.
land application	discharge of wastewater onto the ground for treatment or reuse.
data interval	Depending on individual climate observing programs and climate element, weather observations at a climate station are recorded at three basic intervals:
bog	a type of wetland that accumulates appreciable peat deposits
dhs-iaip	Department of Homeland Security, Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate
stream segment	refers to the surface waters of an approved planning area exhibiting common biological, chemical, hydrological, natural, and physical characteristics and processes
map scale	Ratio between the distance between two points found on a map compared to the actual distance between these points in the real world.
echoes	Vort Max
dissolution	The process of a substance dissolving and dispersing into a liquid.
satellite	SAT
carbon dioxide	A heavy, colorless gas that is the fourth most abundant constituent of dry air, comprising 0.033% of the total.
ultramafic	Rock that is rich in magnesium and iron content.
moisture	Refers to the water vapor content in the atmosphere, or the total water, liquid, solid or vapor, in a given volume of air.
radio frequency	A frequency that is useful for radio usually between 10 kHz and 300,000 MHz.
taxi	(1) The movement of an airplane under its own power on the surface of an airport
backscattering	Portion of solar radiation directed back into space as a result of particle scattering in the atmosphere.
dissolved load	Portion of the stream load that is in solution in the flowing water.
summer	the ITCZ moves northward over the southern North Atlantic and southern Asia.
flaps	Moveable parts of the trailing edge of a wing that are used to increase lift at slower air speeds
solar year	The time it takes the Earth to make one orbit around the Sun
foot	The bottom edge of a sail.
mean solar day	Time it takes to complete one Earth rotation relative to the position of the Sun (for example, from midnight to midnight)
law of basin areas	Morphometric relationship observed in the mean basin area size of stream segments of a particular classification order in stream channel branching
thunder	The sound emitted by rapidly expanding gases along the channel of a lightning discharge
cation exchange capacity	The capacity of a soil to exchange cations with the soil solution
niche	Adaptive role that a species has in a habitat
rwt	Required weekly test
diluting water	distilled water that has been stabilized, buffered, and aerated
fossil fuel	Carbon based remains of organic matter that has been geologically transformed into coal, oil and natural gas
atmosphere	Air enveloping earth due to earth's gravitational pull
mud slide	Fast moving soil, rocks and water that flow down mountain slopes and canyons during a heavy a downpour of rain.
microscale	Atmospheric motions with spatial scales of 2 km or less (e.g
seismograph	Instrument that measures the energy contained in seismic waves from an earthquake or other type of ground displacement.
ars	Agricultural Research Service
capillary action	movement of water through very small spaces due to molecular forces called capillary forces.
dyne	A unit of force that creates an acceleration on a mass of 1 gram equal to 1 centimeter per second
galley	Kitchen.
winter solstice	Approximately December 22 in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun is lowest in the sky and directly overhead at latitude 23.5°S, the Tropic of Capricorn.
scale	A specific relative or proportional size or extent of a phenomena as measured through space and/or time.
medial moraine	Deposit of material found down the center of a glacier
laterization	Soil forming process that creates a laterite layer.
special weather	Beeps
backpressure	a pressure that can cause water to backflow into the water supply when a user's wastewater system is at a higher pressure than the public system.
volcano	An opening in the Earth's crust through which molten magma and gases erupt
phylogenic classification	Classification of organisms based on genetic connections between other species.
rris	Rapid Response Information System
atmosphere	Triple Point
water recycling	the treatment of wastewater making it suitable for reuse.
permanent work	Work that must be performed through repairs or replacement to restore an eligible facility on the basis of its pre-disaster design, use and current applicable standards
cumuliform clouds	Clouds that exhibit significant vertical development; often produced by updrafts in convection currents.
h-alpha	In solar-terrestrial terms, this absorption line of neutral hydrogen falls in the red part of the visible spectrum and is convenient for solar observations
pdd-39	Presidential Decision Directive 39
lodr	Letter of Determination Review
closed low	See Cutoff Low below.
subsidence	sinking down of part of the earth's crust due to underground excavation, such as removal groundwater.
hydrology	The scientific study of the waters of the earth, especially with relation to the effects of precipitation and evaporation upon the occurrence and character of water on or below the land surface.
sleet	See ice pellets.
solar constant	A term used to describe the average quantity of solar insolation received by a horizontal surface at the edge of the Earth's atmosphere
methoxychlor	pesticide that causes adverse health effects when found in domestic water supplies
gradient wind	Any horizontal wind velocity tangent to the contour line of a constant-pressure surface (or to the isobar of a geopotential surface) at the point in question
soil solution	Aqueous liquid found within a soil
mike	Designator for the letter "M" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
zodiac	The position of the sun during the course of the year as it appears to move though successive constellations
military grid reference system	A simplified subset of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid System
highest astronomical tide	The highest level of water that can be predicted to occur under average meteorological conditions and any combination of astronomical conditions
severe thunder watch	Siren
undercut bank	Steep bank found on the inside of stream meanders
airport	An area of land or water that is used or intended to be used for the landing and takeoff of aircraft, and includes its building and facilities if any.
fundamental niche	Describes the total range of environmental conditions that are suitable for a species existence without the effects of interspecific competition and predation from other species.
oxygen demanding waste	organic water pollutants that are usually degraded by bacteria if there is sufficient dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water.
starboard tack	Sailing with the wind blowing onto the starboard side, and the mainsail on the port side.
rcbap	Residential Condominium Building Association Policy
fog	Water droplets suspended in the atmosphere close to the earth's surface (generally from surface to a few hundred feet) that affect visibility. Usually reported when the visibility falls below 1km with humidity 90% or higher.
strata	The layers or beds found in sedimentary rock.
volcanic ash	Small sized particles ejected from explosive volcanoes.
foia	Freedom of Information Act
eop	Emergency Operations Plan
decision support tools	Software programs that very quickly collect and analyze a massive amount of data about the airspace and aircraft within it.
frequent	On average, 1 hour or less between weather events, over a period of at least 3 hours.
contour interval	Difference in elevation between two successive contour lines
water vapor	Water in gaseous form
nitrogen oxides	Consists of two gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
civil danger warning	Siren
turbidimeter	a device that measures the cloudiness of suspended solids in a liquid; a measure of the quantity of suspended solids.
lobe	A tongue-like extension of some material
rate of change	The derivative or change in a parameters value with respect to time
priority date	the date of establishment of a water right
ncdc	located in Asheville, North Carolina.
jet engine	An engine that works by creating a high-velocity jet of air to propel the engine forward.
frictional force	Force acting on wind near the Earth's surface due to frictional roughness
lake	an inland body of water, usually fresh water, formed by glaciers, river drainage etc
aqueous	something made up of water.
hdd	Heating Degree Days- A form of degree day used to estimate energy requirements for heating
free flight	A proposed change in the airspace system being investigated by the FAA
triangulation	The process of determining the distance between points on the earth's surface, or the relative positions of points, by dividing up a large area into a series of connected triangles measuring a base line between two points, and then locating a third point by computing both the size of the angles made by lines from this point to each end of the base line and the lengths of these lines.
fire warning	Fire Warning
hipaa	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
matter	Is the material (atoms and molecules) that constructs things on the Earth and in the Universe.
meteor shower	An event when hundreds of meteors or shooting stars appear in the sky at a specific time.
broken clouds	Clouds which cover between 6/10 and 9/10 of the sky.
ma	Mission Assignment
nrc	Nuclear Regulatory Commission
nadir	The point on any given observer's celestial sphere diametrically opposite of one's zenith.
albedo	The percntage of light reflected by an object.
problem identification form	Used to identify and document problems with ARM systems, physical infrastructure, or instruments.
local controller	The controller stationed at the control tower who gives pilots taxiing and runway directions as well as clearance for takeoffs and landings
aerometeorograph	A self-recording instrument used on aircraft for the simultaneous recording of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity.
indicator organisms	microorganisms, such as coliforms, whose presence is indicative of pollution or of more harmful microorganism.
basalt plateau	Extensive continental deposits of basaltic volcanic rock.
saturated	DIABLO WINDS
watershed	Catchment area of a drainage basin.
parent material	The mineral material from which a soil forms.
cia	Central Intelligence Agency
index contour	Contour line that is accentuated in thickness and is often labeled with the appropriate measure of elevation
capsize	To turn upside down.
x-ray	Designator for the letter "X" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
port	Nautical term for the left side of a yacht when facing forward.
warning stage	The level of a river or stream which may cause minor flooding, and at which concerned interests should take action.
sleet	A type of frozen precipitation, consisting of small transparent pellets.
system boundary	Outer edge of system
fns	Food and Nutrition Services
eqw	Earthquake warning
aurora	It is created by the radiant energy emission from the sun and its interaction with the earth's upper atmosphere over the middle and high latitudes
hazardous material warning	Hazard Material Warning
data	Information that is collected from an experiment
olivine	Common silicate mineral found in rocks formed from mafic magma
disinfection byproducts	halogenated organic chemicals formed when water is disinfected.
discontinuous permafrost	Form of permafrost that contains numerous scattered pockets of unfrozen ground.
chute spillway	the overall structure which allows water to drop rapidly through an open channel without causing erosion
rain	Precipitation that falls to earth in drops more than 0.5 millimeters in diameter.
geophysical focus areas	Six identified focus areas for ARM's data collection and research activities
specific conductance	a measure of the ability of a water to conduct an electrical current
high frequency	The portion of the radio frequency spectrum between between 3 and 30 MHz
atmospheric pressure	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.
immigrant species	Species that migrate into an ecosystem or that are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans
venturi	An increase in the velocity of a fluid or gas due to the constriction of flow.
ecological niche	Is all of the physical, chemical and biological conditions required by a species for survival, growth and reproduction
delaminating	A failure of the bond between either of the hull's outer and inner skins, and the "sandwich" spacing material in between-allowing either of the two outer layers to become unstuck from the core.
nuclear pwr plnt warning	Siren
terminus	End or snout of a glacier.
ndaa	National Defense Authorization Act
la niña	A widespread cooling of the surface waters of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean
??e	Unrecognized code ending in E
ailerons	Control surfaces on the trailing edge of each wing that are used to make the aircraft roll
tsunami	An ocean wave with a long period that is formed by an underwater earthquake or landslide, or volcanic eruption
stadial moraine	See recessional moraine.
ice jam	FLOOD
silurian	Geologic period that occurred roughly 408 to 438 million years ago
transmitter carrier off	Beeps
alert	Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time
diurnal tide	Tides that have one high and one low water per tidal period.
colloids	finely divided solids which will not settle but which may be removed by coagulation or biochemical action.
juliette	Designator for the letter "J" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
nasa	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
underflow	movement of water through subsurface material.
flight progress strips	See flight tracking strip
volcanic vent	An opening on a volcano through which lava is released and rock fragments and ash are ejected.
mitochondria	Organelle in a cell that oxidizes organic (see respiration) energy for use in cellular metabolism.
frost	a covering of minute ice crystals on a cold surface.
flurry	Fluid
high energy event	In solar-terrestrial terms, flares (class two or more) with outstanding Centimetric Bursts and SID
overturned fold	A fold in rock layers where one limb is pushed past the perpendicular
alpha	Designator for the letter "A" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
coalescence	The merging of two water drops into a single larger drop.
landing roll	the distance from the point of touchdown to the point where the aircraft can be brought to a stop or exit the runway.
troposphere	Its the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere
transparent	A condition where a material is clear enough not to block the passage of radiant energy, especially light.
super-saturation	Atmospheric condition where saturation occurs at a relative humidity greater than 100% because of a shortage of deposition or condensation nuclei.
particulate	Dust and very small particles of matter.?, usually airborne.
coastal/lakeshore hazards	Including high surf and coastal or lakeshore flooding, as well as rip currents.
network notice message	Siren
data quality program	Run by the ARM Program Data Quality Office to help coordinate the continued evolution and implementation of efforts to assure the quality of the data collected by its field instrumentation.
spatial tradition	Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates geographic phenomena from a strictly spatial perspective.
advection	Advection (ADVCTN)
weir	a wall or plate placed in an open channel to measure the flow of water; a wall or obstruction used to control flow from settling tanks and clarifiers to ensure a uniform flow rate and avoid short-circuiting.
watt-hour	a unit of energy equal to 3600 joules.
hls	Hurricane Local Statement
ig	FEMA Office of Inspector General
surface irrigation	application of water by means other than spraying such that contact between the edible portion of any food crop and the irrigation water is prevented.
os	FEMA’s Operations Support Directorate
less than 1	less than 1
carbamates	a class of new-age pesticides that attack the nervous system of organisms.
ground traffic	All vehicles that move along the runways, taxiways and pathways of an airport.
waypoint	A predetermined geographical position used for route/instrument approach definition, or progress reporting purposes, that is defined relative to a VORTAC station or in terms as latitude/longitude coordinates.
immigration	Migration of an organism into an area for the purpose of changing its residence permanently
fetch	The area over which the wind blows steadily
carbon cycle	Storage and cyclic movement of organic and inorganic forms of carbon between the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
absorptivity	The efficiency of radiation absorption.
avalanche watch	Avalanche Watch
competition	Interaction where two or more organisms in the same space require the same resource (e.g., food, water, nesting space, and ground space) which is in limiting supply to the individuals seeking it
snow crust	The crisp, almost icy, surface on fallen snow, usually formed by the slight melting and refreezing of the surface snow.
corridor	A defined route through a country's airspace which is permissible for foreign aircraft to use.
collada	A strong, steady wind blowing from the north or northwest in the upper part of the Gulf of California and from the northeast in the lower part.
one-tailed statistical test	Is an inferential statistical test where the values for which one can reject the null hypothesis are located entirely in one side of the center of the probability distribution.
vapor pressure	The pressure exerted by water vapor molecules in a given volume of air
disinfection	the killing of the larger portion of the harmful and objectionable bacteria in the sewage
infrared radiation	The electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between about 0.7 and 1000 micrometers
storm force wind	48 to 63 knots
comet	A large mass of ice and dust that has an orbit around a star.
effluent limitation	restrictions established by a a regulating agency such as a State or the EPA in an NPDES permit on quantities, rates, and concentrations in wastewater discharges.
dba	Dam watch
surface energy budget	The energy or heat budget at the earth's surface, considered in terms of the fluxes through a plane at the earth-atmosphere interface
updraft	and thus implies a very strong updraft
dihedral angle	The upward angle of the wings that is formed where the wings connect to the fuselage.
isobar	A line connecting equal points of pressure.
heat capacity	The ratio of the heat absorbed (or released) by a system to the corresponding temperature rise (or fall).
beam	A boat's greatest width.
soil moisture	the water contained in the pore space of the unsaturated zone.
evacuation watch	Siren
ins	Immigration and Naturalization Service
dam failure	Catastrophic type of failure characterized by the sudden, rapid and uncontrolled release of impounded water
biogeochemical cycling	Cycling of a single element, compound or chemicals by various abiotic and biotic processes through the various stores found in the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
external data	Data whose origin is not from within the ARM Program; may include data observed at ARM facilities, but whose processing and quality control is done by another program or agency and captured by ARM through the ARM External Data Center.
severe weather	Beeps
upflow	an upward flow.
large project	An eligible project, either emergency or permanent work, with a damage dollar value of $52,000 or greater.
dune field	An extensive region covered by numerous sand dunes.
sand	Loose particles of hard, broken rock or minerals
evaporation fog	A type of fog produced from the advection of cold air over warm water or warm or moist land
indicator species	Species that can be used as a early indicator of environmental degradation to a community or an ecosystem
graphic scale	Way of expressing the scale of a map with a graphic.
light	usually the visual portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared (about 8000 Angstroms or 800 nanometers(nm)) and ultraviolet (about 4,000 Angstroms or 400 nm); however, the term is sometimes used as a synonym for all electromagnetic radiation.
jet propulsion system	A method of propelling aircraft that uses the reaction force created when compressed outside air and hot exhaust gases are forced through a jet nozzle.
colder	more nutrient-rich water to the surface
unconfined aquifer	Aquifer that is not restricted by impervious layers of rock.
hydropneumatic	a water delivery system, usually small, that maintains water pressure in the distribution system by means of pressure in a compressed air tank.
gabbro	An intrusive igneous rock that develops from mafic magma and whose mineral crystals are coarse
coriolis force	The Coriolis effect is an apparent deflection of moving objects (air parcels) when they are viewed from a rotating reference frame (the spinning planet Earth).
mercalli scale	A scale for rating the power of an earthquake.
mesotrophic	reservoirs and lakes that contain moderate quantities of nutrients and are moderately productive in terms of aquatic animal and plant life.
tropics	The tropics are a region of the Earth by the Equator
reflected rainbow	A double rainbow is similar to a single rainbow in that it is both an optical and meteorological phenomenon, but the double rainbow portrays the colors in reverse
edwards outcrop	where the Edwards and associated limestone formations are found at the surface
wind	The movement of air relative to the surface of the earth
volcano	Its any place where lave, ash or volcanic gases escape to the surface
buys ballot's law	Describes the relationship of the horizontal wind direction to the pressure distribution
flooding	A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of inland or tidal water, or rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source
hydrometer	an instrument used to measure the density of a liquid.
temperature	The measure of molecular motion or the degree of heat of a substance
non-parametric statistical test	Statistical tests that do not assume the sample data is normally distributed.
nih	National Institute of Health
pressure change	The amount of pressure change at any one location, either increasing or decreasing, during a specific period of time
federal register	The document, published daily by the Federal Government, which presents regulation changes and legal notices issued by Federal agencies
twilight	This is the time before sunrise and after sunset where it is still light outside, but the sun is not in the sky.
ada	Americans with Disabilities Act
residue	the dry solids remaining after the evaporation of a sample of water or sludge.
oligotrophic lake	Lake with a low supply of nutrients in its waters
density	Standard Atmospheric Pressure
dam	a structure of earth, rock, or concrete designed to form a basin and hold water back to make a pond, lake, or reservoir.
sea breeze front	A coastal phenomena, it is restricted to large bodies of water and their immediate coast lines
corona	A pastel halo around the moon or sun created by the diffraction of water droplets
evergreen vegetation	Vegetation that keeps a majority of their leaves or needles throughout the year
subtropical jet	STLT
falsification	Falsification is a procedure used in science to test the validity of a hypothesis or theory
military aviation	The operation of aircraft that belong to the Armed Forces.
emergency public shelter	Generally a public school or other such structure designated by county officials as a place of refuge.
cation	An ion carrying a positive atomic charge.
radiolog hazard warning	Siren
recurrence interval	The average time period that separates natural events of a specific magnitude
condensation nuclei	A particle upon which condensation of water vapor occurs
pft	Permanent full time
eluviation	Illuvial layer forms in the B horizon.
low-pressure area	region of the atmosphere in which the pressures are lower than those of the surrounding region at the same level
zone of accumulation	Area of a glacier where additions of snow exceed losses of ice from melting, evaporation, and sublimation.
public assistance	Supplementary federal assistance provided under the Stafford Act to state and local governments or certain private, nonprofit organizations, other than assistance for the direct benefit of individuals and families
meridian	If a circle is drawn vertically around Earth at its largest point and ran through both poles, one half of that circle running from the North pole to the South pole would be a meridian
latent heat flux	The time rate of flow for the specific enthalpy difference between two phases of a substance at the same temperature, typically water.
nuclear energy	Energy released when the nucleus of an atom experiences a nuclear reaction like the spontaneous emission of radioactivity, nuclear fission, or nuclear fusion.
project formulation	A technique for determining small projects by consolidating like work items into one project, to expedite approval and funding and to facilitate project management
avalanche	A large body of snow, ice or rock and debris sliding down a mountain
instrument shelter	A boxlike structure designed to protect temperature measuring instruments from exposure to direct sunshine, precipitation, and condensation, while at the same time time providing adequate ventilation.
deepening	FIREWHIRL
trough	RIME
tidal cycle	The periodic changes in the intensity of tides caused primarily by the varying relations between the earth, moon, and sun.
atmosphere	A layer of gases surrounding a planet
uniform	Designator for the letter "U" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
emergency public shelter	Generally a public school or other such structure designated by county or city officials as a place of refuge
zenith angle	the angle between the direction of interest (of the sun, for example) and the zenith (directly overhead).
precipitation intensity	divided in (s)light, moderate and heavy (or dense)
cbrs	Coastal Barrier Resources System
hydrocarbon	Organic compound composed primarily of hydrogen and carbon atoms
calme	Absence de vent ou de mouvement de l'air.
hydrosphere	Considered as the water portion of the earth's surface
flood stage	The level of a river or stream where overflow onto surrounding areas can occur
upwelling	The movement of nutrient-rich deep seawater to the ocean's surface.
sole-source aquifer	an aquifer that supplies 50 percent or more of the drinking water of an area.
chromosphere	Portion of the sun above the photosphere; consists of transparent ionized hydrogen and helium at 4000 to 40,000 ·C.
succession	Directional cumulative change in the types plant species that occupy a given area, through time.
commuter	An air carrier operator operating under 14 CFR 135 that carries passengers on at least five round trips per week on at least one route between two or more points according to its published flight schedules that specify the times, day of the week, and places between which these flights are performed
nitrogen	A colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that is the most abundant constituent of dry air
meter	A method of time-regulating arrival traffic flow into a terminal area so as not to exceed a predetermined terminal acceptance rate.
time	Measurable period in which cause and effect occurs and systems function.
water pollution	degradation of a body of water by a substance or condition to such a degree that the water fails to meet specified standards or cannot be used for a specific purpose.
secondary consumer	Organisms that occupy the third trophic level in the grazing food chain
morning	6am to 12 noon.
background level	the concentration of a substance in an environmental media (water or soil) that occurs naturally or is not the result of human activities.
latent heat	The heat that is either released or absorbed by a unit mass of a substance when it undergoes a change of state (e.g., during evaporation, condensation, or sublimation).
erosion	The long axis of these features is aligned with the dominant wind direction.
ripple	Stream bed deposit found streams
plate tectonics	A theory that the Earth's surface is made up of large plates that are continuously moving and that interactions among the plates at their borders cause most major geologic activity
fws	U.S
rmt	Required monthly test
low pressure	Atmospheric circulations that rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere
ozone hole	Is a sharp seasonal decrease in stratospheric ozone concentration that occurs over Antarctica in the spring
halite	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of sodium and chlorine.
pops	Probability of Precipitation.
flight tracking strip	A strip of paper which contains a computer print-out of an aircraft's abbreviated flight plan that is used by air traffic controllers to monitor an aircraft's flight.
sara	Superfund Amendments & Reauthorization Act
cco	Consultation Coordination Officer
vertical velocity	The component of the velocity vector, along the local vertical.
dew	Water that has condensed onto objects near the ground when their temperatures have fallen below the dew point of the surface air.
grassland	Ecosystem whose dominant species are various types of grass
meteorogram	A chart in which meteorological variables are plotted against time.
moss	About 9,500 species of plants that belong to the division bryophyta
tertiary treatment	removal from wastewater of traces or organic chemicals and dissolved solids that remain after primary treatment and secondary treatment.
heat capacity	Is the ratio of the amount of heat energy absorbed by a substance compared to its corresponding temperature rise.
special marine warning	A warning for hazardous weather conditions, usually short and not adequately covered by existing marine warnings
solar radiation	Electromagnetic radiation that originates from the Sun
continental drift	The slow movement of continents which are parts of gigantic plates, across the face of the globe.
liquid	a state of matter, neither gas nor solid, that flows and takes the shape of its container.
meridian	In geography, a line of longitude that passes through Greenwich, England, established as 0 degrees
biotite	Rock forming mineral of the mica group.
hodograph	A plot representing the vertical distribution of horizontal winds, using polar coordinates
stay	A rod or wire that supports the mast in a fore/aft position.
tc id	The TC ID is the identifier assigned by Transport Canada to identify meteorological reports from airport observing sites transmitted in real time in aviation formats.
leaching	extraction or flushing out of dissolved or suspended materials from the soil, solid waste, or another medium by water or other liquids as they percolate down through the medium to groundwater.
sanitary landfill	landfill that is lined with plastic or concrete or located in clay-rich soils to prevent hazardous substances from leaking into the environment.
hydrograph	a chart that measures the amount of water flowing past a point as a function of time.
hf	High Frequency
velocity	The speed of an object, in a certain direction
beach drift	The lateral movement of sediments on a beach when the angles of swash and backwash differ.
gypsum	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of calcium, sulfur, and oxygen.
sea surface temperature	Surface temperature data collected using IR satellite imagery, buoy and ship data.
effective precipitation	the part of precipitation which produces runoff; a weighted average of current and antecedent precipitation "effective" in correlating with runoff
gale force wind	34 to 47 knots
airport capacity	The maximum number of aircraft operations that can be safely accomplished at an airport.
artesian aquifer	a geologic formation in which water is under sufficient hydrostatic pressure to rise above the top of the aquifer in the subsurface
rockfall	Type of mass movement that involves the detachment and movement of a small block of rock from a cliff face to its base
equilibrium	Equilibrium describes the average condition of a system, as measured through one of its elements or attributes, over a specific period of time.
displacement	distance by which portions of the same geological layer are offset from each other by a fault.
diffuse insolation	Solar radiation that is scattered or reflected by atmospheric components (clouds, for example) to the Earth’s surface.
1 or 2	Literally 'one or two' during the forecast period.
observation	PREVAILING WIND
lava flow	Stream of lava flowing from a volcanic vent.
rainshadow effect	Reduction of precipitation commonly found on the leeward side of a mountain
ifg	Individual and Family Grant
protoplasm	Substances making up a cell including its exterior membrane.
net radiation	The difference between upwelling and downwelling, covering longwave and shortwave radiation.
wave setup	Refers to an increase in the mean water level towards the shoreline, caused by wave action
barometric pressure	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
22 - 27	39 - 49
cmc/gem	Canadian global weather model.
meteoric water	groundwater which originates in the atmosphere and reaches the zone of saturation by infiltration and percolation.
forecast area	FAA
lidar	An instrument similar to a radar but uses a laser to generate light pulses rather than radio waves, generally used to measure aerosol content and particle movement.
air traffic management system	see TMS.
herb	A nonwoody angiosperm whose above ground vegetation dies off seasonally.
residual chlorine	the available chlorine which remains in solution after the demand has been satisfied
ecosphere	total of all the ecosystems on the planet, along with their interactions; the sphere of air, water, and land in which all life is found.
long wave trough	A wave in the prevailing westerly flow aloft which is characterized by a large length and amplitude
blowdown	the water drawn from boiler systems and cold water basins of cooling towers to prevent the buildup of solids.
hi	High- In meteorology, a region of high pressure; also known as anticyclone.
trysail	A triangular loose-footed sail fitted aft of the mast, often used to replace the mainsail in heavy weather.
fss	Federal Supply Service
altocumulus	Grey to white clouds that form in groups or globular masses and look like rolls in layers or patches
normal distribution	A common probability distribution displayed by population data
trophic level	Level of organization in the grazing food chain.
host	Organism that develops disease from a pathogen or is being feed on by a parasite.
maximum	MIST
firewhirl	A tornado-like rotating column of fire and smoke created by intense heat from a forest fire or volcanic eruption.
mobile facility	The ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) was first deployed in 2005; it consists of large shipping containers converted into laboratories
gravity waves	These clouds look like ocean waves, or ripples in water
liquid	A substance that can easily flow, but cannot be squeezed together easily.
freezing point/freeze	The process of changing a liquid to a solid
free atmosphere	The part of the atmosphere that lies above the frictional influence of the earth's surface.
illuviation	Deposition of humus, chemical substances, and fine mineral particles in the lower layers of a soil from upper layers because of the downward movement of water through the soil profile
aece	Aeromedical Evacuation Control Element
oligotrophic	having a low supply of plant nutrients
isobar	A line of equal or constant pressure; also known as an isopleth of pressure.
catalina eddy	A weak low pressure circulation that may form off the Southern California coast.
phylum	A group or category used in the taxonomic and/or phylogenic classification of organisms
downwind leg	A flight path parallel to the landing runway in the opposite direction of landing.
background extinction	Normal extinction of species that occurs as a result of changes in local environmental conditions
phenols	organic compounds that are byproducts of petroleum refining; tanning; and textile, dye, and resin manufacturing
ice age	Period of time when glaciers dominate the landscape of the Earth
latitude	The distance in degrees on the earth measured from the equator, running horizontally
phanerozoic	Geologic eon that occurs from 2500 million years ago to today
range-height indicator	RI
clay	Mineral particle with a size less than 0.004 millimeters in diameter
silcretes	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of silica.
dry-bulb temperature	The dry-bulb temperature is the temperature of air measured by a thermometer freely exposed to the air but shielded from radiation and moisture
dropsonde	A radiosonde dropped with a parachute from an aircraft rather than lifted by a balloon to measure the atmosphere below.
environment	The sum total of all the external conditions that effect an organism, community, material, or energy.
continental margin	The area between a continent's shoreline and the beginning of the ocean floor
mercator projection	Map projection system that presents true compass direction
tonight	6pm-6am
asynchronous	Lacking a relationship to a time base or clock
sustainable management	method of exploiting a resource that can be carried on indefinitely
unsaturated zone	the area above the water table where soil pores are not fully saturated, although some water may be present.
mixing zone	a limited volume of receiving water that is allocated for diluting a wastewater discharge without causing adverse effects to the overall water body.
ion	An atom, molecule or compound that carries either a positive (cation) or negative (anion) electrical charge.
levee	a natural or man-made earthen obstruction along the edge of a stream, lake, or river
aphelion	The point on the earth's orbit that is farthest from the sun
pigment	Organic substance found in plant and animal cells that creates coloring.
diatomaceous	consisting of or abounding in diatoms, a class of unicellular or colonial algae having a silicified cell wall that persists as a skeleton after death.
day	month, season, or year.
tmw	Tomorrow
latitude	The location north or south in reference to the equator, which is designated at zero (0) degrees
prognostication	Prognostication
storm tracks	The path or tracks generally followed by a cyclonic disturbance
ionizing radiation	The emission of alpha or beta particles or gamma rays from radioisotopes
facility	Any publicly or privately owned building, works, system or equipment, built or manufactured, or an improved and maintained natural feature
bar screen	in wastewater treatment, a device used to remove large solids from the incoming wastewater stream.
stratiform	Clouds composed of water droplets that exhibit no or have very little vertical development
heavy freezing spray watch	A watch for an increased risk of a heavy freezing spray event to meet Heavy Freezing Spray Warning criteria but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain.
adhesion	the molecular attraction asserted between the surfaces of bodies in contact
couplet	Adjacent maxima of radial velocities of opposite signs.
temperature	Thermistor
hot spot	A volcanic area on the surface of the Earth created by a rising plume of magma.
activated carbon adsorption	the process of pollutants moving out of water and attaching on to activated carbon.
snow line	The lowest elevation area of a perennial snow field on high terrain, such as a mountain range.
heavy snow warning	Issued by the National Weather Service when snowfall of 6 inches (15 cm) or more in 12 hours or 8 inches (20 cm) or more in 24 hours is imminent or occurring
psychrometer	An instrument used to measure water vapor content of the atmosphere
tectonic plate	An extensive layer of lithosphere that moves as a discrete unit on the surface of the Earth's asthenosphere.
cold advection	The horizontal movement of colder air into a location
wildfire watch	Wildfire Watch
isotopic dating	Dating technique used to determine the age of rock and mineral through the decay of radioactive elements.
tvl	Travel
troposphere	Layer in the atmosphere found from the surface to a height of between 8 to 16 kilometers of altitude (average height 11 kilometers)
updraught	Upward moving current of air of small dimensions
crew	The team of sailors that sails the yacht.
atmospheric turbulence	High frequency velocity fluctuations that lead to turbulent transport of momentum, heat, mositure, and passive scalars, and often expressed in terms of variances and covariances.
topset bed	Horizontal deltaic deposit composed of coarse alluvial sediment
dewater	remove or separate a portion of the water in a sludge or slurry to dry the sludge so it can be handled and disposed; remove or drain the water from a tank, trench, or aquifer.
land breeze	A diurnal coastal breeze that blows offshore, from the land to the sea
broken	The amount of sky cover for a cloud layer between 5/8ths and 7/8ths, based on the summation layer amount for that layer.
quicksilver water	a solution of mercury nitrate used in gilding.
fast	Field Assessment Team
sandstone	A type of sedimentary rock that contains a large quantity of weathered quartz grains.
rocketsonde	A type of radiosonde that is shot into the atmosphere by a rocket, allowing it to collect data during its parachute descent from a higher position in the atmosphere than a balloon could reach.
humboldt current	Also known as the Peru Current, this ocean current flows northward along the western side of South America, offshore Chile and Peru
pt	FEMA’s Preparedness, Training and Exercises Directorate
subtropical	The region between the tropical and temperate regions, an area between 35° and 40° North and South latitudes
liquid water path	A measure of the weight of the liquid water droplets in the atmosphere above a unit surface area on the earth, given in units of kg m-2.
temperature	Temperature is a measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to a standard value
sustainability	the long-term capacity of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity, and productivity.
particle size distribution	The number of particles present in any given volume of air within a specified size range.
landing sequence	The order in which aircraft are positioned in flight for landing.
freezing	the change of a liquid into a solid as temperature decreases
habitat	the native environment or specific surroundings where a plant or animal naturally grows or lives
thunder	Sound created by superheated air from lightning.
nic	National information center
appropriative rights	"first in time, first in right” principle of allocating water rights based
granular activated carbon	pure carbon heated to promote "active" sites which can adsorb pollutants
radar reflectivity	A measure of the efficiency of a radar target intercepting and returning radio energy
backing	VERNAL EQUINOX
nose gear	The landing gear nearest the nose of the aircraft; usually under the cockpit.
derived product	A new datastream generated by applying an algorithm or model to existing data.
diffuse spectral irradiance	The narrow spectral range of measurements coming directly from the sky except for solar radiation coming directly from the sun whose wavelength falls within the solar range of 0.4 and 4 µm.
asce	American Society of Civil Engineers
composite volcano	Volcano created from alternate layers of flows and exploded rock
hypothermia	A rapid, progressive mental and physical collapse that accompanies the lowering of body temperature.
pda	Preliminary Damage Assessment
crater	Circular depression in the ground surface created by volcanic activity or asteroid impact.
chezy's equation	the empirical equation used to estimate the hydraulic conditions of flow within a channel cross section
obsidian	Glassy dark colored volcanic rock
aerobic treatment	process by which microbes decompose complex organic compounds in the presence of oxygen and use the liberated energy for reproduction and growth
flood	A condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from: (1) the overflow of inland or tidal waters, (2) the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source, or (3) Mudslides
radar	An electronic instrument, which determines the direction and distance of objects that, reflect radio energy back to the radar site
cape	Convective Available Potential Energy, used to diagnose atmospheric instability
atmosphere	When a parcel of air rises it expands because of a reduction in pressure
rotation	The spinning of a body, such as the earth, about its axis.
noaa	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
remediation	methods used to remove or contain a toxic spill or hazardous materials from a Superfund site; a generic term used to describe cleanup activities.
interstate water	according to law, interstate waters are defined as (1) rivers, lakes and other waters that flow across or form a part of state or international boundaries; (2) waters of the Great Lakes; (3) coastal waters whose scope has been defined to include ocean waters seaward to the territorial limits and waters along the coastline (including inland streams) influenced by the tide.
coriolis force	Apparent effect of the earth's rotation, tending to turn the direction of any object or fluid toward the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
theory	Proposed explanation for the causal mechanisms responsible for a phenomenon or a set of facts
tissue	A group of similar cells that are organized into a structure with a specific purpose.
hazardous seas watch	A watch for an increased risk of a hazardous seas warning event to meet Hazardous Seas Warning criteria but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain.
national audible test	National Audible Test
clomr-f	Conditional Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill
trophic composition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring the proportion of species and proportions of omnivores, insectivores, and omnivores.
metamorphic rock	A rock that forms from the recrystallization of igneous, sedimentary or other metamorphic rocks through pressure increase, temperature rise, or chemical alteration.
true north	Direction of the North Pole from an observer on the Earth.
circle of illumination	A line that bisects areas on the Earth receiving sunlight and those areas in darkness
lifted index [li]	An index designed to measure atmospheric instability
public water system	a system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances. In Texas, a public water system is one that serves at least 15 service connections or serve at least 25 individuals at least 60 days out of the year.
altimeter	An instrument used to determine the altitude of an object with respect to a fixed level
imperiled species	declining, rare, or uncommon species; species federally listed as threatened or endangered, or candidates for such; and species with limited distributions.
precipitation	OXYGEN
fungi	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
greenhouse effect	The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to trap more heat energy at the Earth's surface and within the atmosphere by absorbing and re-emitting longwave energy
transpiration	Transpiration is the process of water loss from plants through stomata
anvil rollover	and thus having a visual appearance resembling a mushroom.
vorticity	A measure of the amount of "spin" (or rotation) in the atmosphere.
sun	Luminous star around which the Earth and other planets revolve around
nmrt	National Medical Response Team
altostratus	Mid-altitude clouds with a flat sheet-like shape.
gneiss	A metamorphosed coarse grained igneous rock
solstice	located at 23°27' S.
exosphere	combimed
cirque glacier	Small glacier that just occupies a cirque.
control surfaces	Parts of an aircraft that are activated by the controls to change the airflow around the surfaces of the aircraft
nivation	Process where snow patches initiate erosion through physical weathering, meltwater flow, and gelifluction.
tac	Technical Assistance Contractor
hydrologic unit	is a geographic area representing part or all of a surface drainage basin or distinct hydrologic feature.
epicenter	The point on the Earth's crust directly above the hypocenter of an earthquake
fall streaks	As rain falls from the cloud, it can evaporate before reaching the surface
shutters	A physical wind barrier that is affixed over the outside of windows and/or doors to protect these vulnerable areas during a tropical storm
middle latitudes	TEMPERATURE
mjo	Stands for Madden-Julian Oscillation, also known as the 30-50 day wave
surface water	water that flows in streams and rivers and in natural lakes, in wetlands, and in reservoirs constructed by humans.
excessive heat warning	Its issued within 12 hours of the onset of the heat conditions listed in the excessive heat watch.
aeronautical chart	A map used in air navigation containing all or part of the following: topographical features, hazards and obstructions, navigation aids, navigation routes, designated airspace, and airports
acid rain	Cloud or rain droplets combine with gaseous pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, to make falling rain or snow acidic.
rock flour	Very finely ground rock fragments that form between the base of a glacier and the underlying bedrock surface.
bpa	Blanket Purchase Agreement
vegetative controls	non-point source pollution control practices that utilize vegetative cover to reduce erosion and minimize loss of pollutants.
tube settler	device using bundles of tubes to let solids in water settle to the bottom for removal by conventional sludge collection means
extent of evacuation	The identification of vulnerable people to evacuate based on estimated damage and/or homes susceptible to hurricane force winds.
toe	911 Telephone outage emergency
radio waves	MID
structural landform	Is a landform created by massive Earth movements due to plate tectonics
fte	Full-Time Equivalent
field capacity	The water remaining in a soil after the complete draining of the soil's gravitational water.
hummocked ice	In hydrologic terms, ice piled haphazardly one piece over another to form an uneven surface.
pmod/wrc	the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos / World Radiation Center, at Davos, Switzerland
precipitation	GROUND FOG
chinook wind	Air that is adiabatically compressed as it is drawn down the leeward slope of a mountain range
chlorine contact chamber	the part of a wastewater treatment plant where treated water is disinfected by chlorine.
speed of sound	The speed at which sound waves travel
partly cloudy	Means the sky has some amount of clouds, but usually between 30 and 70% coverage
cistern	a tank used to collect rainwater runoff from the roof of a house or building.
organism	Any form of life.
eccentricity	Geometric shape of the Earth's orbit
latent heat	LI
stafford act	Robert T
earthquake	A sudden, transient motion or trembling of the earth's crust, resulting from the waves in the earth caused by faulting of the rocks or by volcanic activity.
geography	The study natural and human constructed phenomena relative to a spatial dimension.
project	A logical method of performing work required as a result of the declared event
injection zone	a geological formation receiving fluids through a well.
sublimation	Process where ice changes into water vapor without first becoming liquid
zooplankton	tiny aquatic animals eaten by fish.
hydrologic service area	HSA
haze	(abbrev
lmmp	Limited Map Maintenance Program
baroclinic	A baroclinic atmosphere is one for which the density depends on both the temperature and the pressure; contrast this with barotropic atmosphere, for which the density depends only on the pressure
facultative bacteria	bacteria that can live under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
normal fault	Vertical fault where one slab of the rock is displaced up and the other slab down
peak gust	The highest instantaneous wind speed observed or recorded.
cc	Crisis Counseling
atmospheric pressure	The pressure exerted by the atmosphere at a given point
terminal moraine	Moraine that marks the maximum advance of a glacier.
virgin flow	the streamflow which exists or would exist if man had not modified the conditions on or along the stream or in the drainage basin.
ems	Emergency Medical Services
ultraviolet radiation	Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 and 0.4 micrometers (µm).
thermal low	Area of low pressure in the atmosphere caused by the area having cooler temperatures relative to the air around it.
eicc	Emergency Information and Coordination Center (FEMA)
station	structure on the ground, perhaps containing VOR or TACAN.
flowing artesian well	a special case of an artesian well where a water well drilled into a confined aquifer has enough hydraulic pressure for the water to rise to a height above ground surface and to flow at the surface without pumping.
general circulation models	A numerical representation of the climate system based on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of its components, their interactions, and feedback processes
flood hydrograph	A graph showing, for a given point on a stream, the discharge, height or other characteristic of a flood with respect to time.
valley wind	It is formed during the day by the heating of the valley floor
global positioning system	A navigation system which uses a constellation of artificial earth satellites to make precise determinations of the latitude and longitude of locations on the earth's surface or in the atmosphere.
pressure falling	A decrease in pressure during a specific interval and any one location
chainplates	The metal or composite attachments for shrouds and stays
front	FNTGNS
impervious	the quality or state of being impermeable; resisting penetration by water or plant roots
crs	Community Rating System
semi-confined aquifer	an aquifer partially confined by soil layers of low permeability in which recharge and discharge can still occur.
wildfire watch	Siren
unconfined aquifer	an aquifer containing water that is not under pressure; the water level in a well is the same as the water table outside the well
saturate	To treat or charge something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained
fisa	Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
vaisala lightning detector	A local lightning detector with a radius of around 15 nm.
legume	Angiosperm plant species that is a member of the Fabaceae (Pea or Bean) family
nitric oxide	A gas produced by bacterial action in the soil and by high temperature combustion
obscuring phenomena	Obscuring Phenomena
range	see RGE
flight simulation	A tool of aeronautics in which a flight simulator on the ground is used to create an environment where a pilot sees, hears and feels like he or she is in a real aircraft
subsonic	Velocity less than the speed of sound
frost	White ice crystals that form on a surface, like the ground or leaves of a plant
isohyet	line that connects points of equal rainfall.
proxy data	Data that measures the cause and effect relationship between two variables indirectly.
dip	One of the directional properties of a geologic structure such as a fold or a fault
thrut	Throughout
millibar	The standard unit of measurement for atmospheric pressure used by the National Weather Service
normal radiation	radiation striking a surface that is facing the sun
topography	The relief exhibited by a surface.
contact metamorphism	Is the small scale metamorphic alteration of rock due to localized heating
fresh water	Water found rivers, lakes, and rain, that is distinguished from salt water by its appreciable lack of salinity.
platform	Horizontal sedimentary deposits found on top of continental shield deposits.
graben fault	This fault is produced when tensional stresses result in the subsidence of a block of rock
sediment	Solid material that has been or is being eroded, transported, and deposited
carbon adsorption	a treatment system that removes contaminants from ground water or surface water by forcing it through tanks containing activated carbon treated to attract the contaminants.
pascal's law	When an external pressure is applied to any confined fluid at rest, the pressure is increased at every point in the fluid by the amount of external pressure applied
radius of influence	the radial distance from the center of a wellbore to the point where there is no lowering of the water table or potentiometric surface; the edge of the cone of depression.
specific heat	Is the heat capacity of a unit mass of a substance or heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (g) of a substance 1 degree Celsius.
coral	Simple marine animals that live symbiotically with algae
night	SATURATE
lake	A body standing water found on the Earth's continental land masses
water cycle	natural pathway water follows as it changes between liquid, solid, and gaseous states; biogeochemical cycle that moves and recycles water in various forms through the ecosphere
msehpa	Model State Emergency Health Powers Act
density	The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume it occupies
warm	To have or give out heat to a moderate or adequate degree
heat stroke	Introduced to the body by overexposure to high temperatures, particularly when accompanied by high humidity
ocean trench	Deep depression found at the edge of the ocean floor
freezing rain	Rain which falls as liquid then freezes upon impact, resulting in a coating of ice on exposed objects.
weather	It describes the condition of the air at a particular time and place
santa ana winds	The hot, dry winds, generally from the east, that funnel through the Santa Ana river valley south of the San Gabriel and San Bernadino Mountains in southern California, including the Los Angeles basin
cliff	A tall steep rock face.
foresail	Any sail used between the mast and the forestay.
macroscale	The meteorological scale covering an area ranging from the size of a continent to the entire globe.
blinds	water samples containing a chemical of known concentration given a fictitious company name and slipped into the sample flow of the lab to test the impartiality of the lab staff.
lae	Local area emergency
centripetal force	Force required to keep an object moving in a circular pattern around a center of rotation
compressibility	The ability of air (or a substance) to have its molecules reduced in size or volume by pressure.
ozone	A form of oxygen that has a weak chlorine odor
periodic table	Table that describes some of the chemical properties of the known elements.
metabolism	Describes all of the enzymatic reactions performed by the cells of an organism.
??t	Test message
fluid	Substance, gas or liquid, that has the property of flow.
geopotential	The potential energy of a unit mass relative to sea level, numerically equal to the work that would be done in lifting the unit mass from sea level to the height at which the mass is located; commonly expressed in terms of dynamic height or geopotential height.
eo	Executive Order
carbon dioxide	CO2; A gaseous byproduct caused by burning fossil fuels.
pitch-poling	Putting the bow into a wave and cart-wheeling forward.
silt	Mineral particle with a size between 0.004 and 0.06 millimeters in diameter
benthic	pertaining to the bottom of a body of water, on or within the bottom substrate material.
life raft	An inflatable craft into which the crew of a yacht transfers if the yacht intends to sink.
flat-plate collector	a solar power collector that absorbs the Sun's energy on a flat surface without concentrating or refocusing it.
statute miles	A unit of linear measure (5280 feet)
macs	Multi-Agency Coordination System
heat advisory	A heat advisory is issued when the heat index is expected to exceed 105 °F (100 °F in New York City) or if nighttime lows are expected to be greater than 80 °F for two or more nights.
accuracy rating	A number of quantity defining a limit that errors will not exceed when a device is used under specified operating conditions
sars	Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
laurasia	Northern section of Pangaea.
latent heat	Heat released or absorbed by a substance as it changes its state
achp	Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
convergence	DOG DAYS
drought	An extended period of time with significantly below average rainfall and thus a deficiency in the water supply.
reaching	All angles against the wind that are not beating or dead downwind
canyon	Steep-sided valley where depth is considerably greater than width
reach	in general, a length of stream with relatively homogenous characteristics.
flight profile	The phases of a typical flight that usually consists of the following: preflight, takeoff, departure, en route, descent, approach and landing.
leech	The trailing edge of a sail.
pacific high	High pressure system that develops over the central Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Islands
multiple use	Use of bodies of water for more than one purpose, such as recreational purposes, fishing, and water supply.
seed	Fertilized ovule of a plant that contains an embryo and food products for germination
acid rain	the acidic rainfall which results when rain combines with sulfur oxides emissions from combustion of fossil fuels.
likely	In probability of precipitation statements, the equivalent of a 60 or 70 percent chance.
frontogenesis	The birth or creation of a front
aneroid	Literally "not wet", containing no liquid.
air	comprising 0.93% of the total.
dmo	Practice/Demo
low pressure system	Area of minimum air pressure, and cyclonic air movement.
potential evapotranspiration	Is a measure of the ability of the atmosphere to remove water from the surface through the processes of evaporation and transpiration assuming no limitation on water supply.
bowen reaction series	Model that explains the origin of the various types of igneous rocks
temperature	Temperature (TEMP)
slickensides	a smooth striated polished surface produced on rock by movement along a fault.
shear stress	Stress caused by forces operating parallel to each other but in opposite directions.
fogbows	PHOTOSPHERE
flash flood watch	Flash Flood Watch
required weekly test	Required Weekly Test
flood	High flow, overflow or inundation of a normally dry area which causes or threatens damage.
emergency public information	Information disseminated primarily, but not unconditionally, at the time of an emergency including actions, instructions and direct orders.
tornadoes	TIDE
sunspot	Dark colored region on the Sun that represents an area of cooler temperatures and extremely high magnetic fields.
topography	The configuration of a surface, including its relief and the position of its natural and man-made features.
phenolphthalein alkalinity	the alkalinity in a water sample measured by the amount of standard acid needed to lower the pH to a level of 8.3 as indicated by the change of color of the phenolphthalein from pink to clear.
en route	French for "on the way"
erosion	The removal of weathered sediment or rocks by the forces of wind, water, and ice.
nm	Nautical mile
hurricane	(abbrev
longitude	Longitude co-ordinates for climate stations are generally for the instrument site; however prior to April 1, 1986 at principal stations (airports) the locations given were normally that of the official airport locations
homosphere	The atmosphere up to 80 km (50 mi) in which the proportions of principal gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen, are constant.
inland freshwater wetlands	swamps, marshes, and bogs found inland beyond the coastal saltwater wetlands.
halo	Any of a variety of bright circles or arcs centered on the sun or moon, caused by the refraction or reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the earth's atmosphere and exhibiting prismatic coloration ranging from red inside to blue outside.
soil structure	General term that describes how mineral and particles organic matter of are organized and clumped together in a soil.
wellhead protection area	a protected surface and subsurface zone surrounding a well or well field supplying a public water system to keep contaminants from reaching the well water.
ntc	National Teleregistration Center (FEMA)
attitude	The position of an aircraft as determined by the relationship between its axes and some reference object such as the horizon.
wastewater	water containing waste including greywater, blackwater or water contaminated by waste contact, including process-generated and contaminated rainfall runoff.
threshold pollutant	substance that is harmful to a particular organism only above a certain concentration, or threshold level.
tcim	Threat Countermeasures and Incident Management Directorate
heat	A form of energy transferred between systems by virtue of their temperature differences.
drag	The force that resists the motion of the aircraft through the air
isopleth	General term for a line connecting points of equal value of some quantity
alkalinity	the measurement of constituents in a water supply which determine alkaline conditions
public information officer	A person appointed by a County Emergency Operations Center to be responsible for the formulating and coordinating of the dissemination of emergency public information with both the electronic and written media, ensuring that accurate information is being released to the general public
clastic sedimentary rock	Sedimentary rocks that are formed by the lithification of weathered rock debris that has been physically transported and deposited.
sba	Small Business Administration
nfa	National Fire Academy
assimilative capacity	the capacity of a natural body of water to receive and dilute wastewaters or toxic materials without damage to aquatic life or humans who consume the water.
dead reckoning	See deductive reckoning
transmitter primary on	Beeps
percolation	Vertical movement or infiltration of water from the Earth's surface to its subsurface
tads	Training Aids for Dam Safety
precipitation	Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid (e.g
nadir	straight down (toward the center of the Earth).
in-line filtration	a pretreatment method in which chemicals are mixed by flowing water; commonly used in pressure filtration installations.
troposphere	The portion of the earth's atmosphere from the surface to the tropopause; that is, the lowest 10-20 kilometers of the atmosphere
mie scattering	Produced by spherical particles having the same diameter as the wavelength of visible light; light is scattered equally at all wavelengths.
electromagnetic radiation	Form of energy emitted through space and reaches the earth
epcra	Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
glide slope	(1) The angle between the local horizontal and the glide path of an aircraft
fresh water inflow requirements	freshwater flows required to maintain the natural salinity, nutrient, and sediment delivery in a bay or estuary that supports their unique biological communities and ensures a healthy ecosystem.
fissionable isotope	Isotope that can undergo nuclear fission when hit by a neutron at the right speed
cellular	Composed of cells
gale	1
backscatter	A radar echo that is reflected, or scattered, at 180 degrees to the direction of the incident wave
transom	The flat rear end of a boat, the upper part of which tends to lean forward on modern racers.
shield	A large stable area of exposed very old (more than 600 million years) igneous and metamorphic rock found on continents
fs	Forest Service
through talik	Is a form of localized unfrozen ground (talik) in an area of permafrost
photosphere	The visible surface of the sun.
earthquake	The shaking or movement of a portion of the Earth's surface.
public information officer	A person appointed by a County Emergency Operations Center to be responsible for the formulating and coordinating of the dissemination of emergency public information with both the electronic and written media, ensuring that accurate information is being released to the general public.
potentiometric surface	the surface to which water in an aquifer can rise by hydrostatic pressure
longitudinal axis	The axis extending through the center of the fuselage from the nose to the tail
climatology	The study of climate and its controls and variability.
undercurrent	a current below the upper currents or surface of a fluid body.
air density	The mass per unit volume of air; about 1.275 kilometer per cubic meter at 0° C and 1000 millibars.
detritus	decaying organic matter (mostly leaves and other matter from vegetation).
warm high	COLD LOW
ns	FEMA’s Office of National Security Affairs
assemblage	an organism group of interacting species in a given ecosystem, for example, a fish assemblage or a benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage.
soil temperature	The temperature measured near the surface of the soil.
bed	Sedimentary structure that usually represents a layer of deposited sediment.
residual saturation	saturation level below which fluid drainage will not occur.
trophic pyramid	A graphic model describing the distribution of energy, biomass, or some other measurable quantity between the different trophic levels found in an ecosystem.
vector	A heading issued to an aircraft by ATC to provide navigational guidance by radar.
airstrip	A synonym for "runway".
detritus food chain	Model describing the conversion of organic energy in a community or ecosystem into inorganic elements and compounds through decomposition
chromosphere	A thin layer of relatively transparent gases above the photosphere of the sun
radiation	The process by which energy is propagated through any medium by virtue of the wave motion of that medium
density	The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume it occupies.
whiskey	Designator for the letter "W" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
longitude	Angular distance east or west of the Greenwich Meridian, measured from 0 t 180 degrees east or west.
condensation	the change of state from a gas to a liquid
soil moisture	The moisture of the soil measured near the surface
laterite	Hard subsurface deposit of oxides of aluminum and iron found in tropical soils where the water table fluctuates with seasonal changes in precipitation.
glacial lake	A natural impoundment of meltwater at the front of a glacier.
megawatt	a unit of power equal to 1,000,000 (106) Watts.
nondegradation	an environmental policy that does not allow any lowering of naturally occurring water quality regardless of pre-established health standards.
tide	The periodic rising and falling of the earth's oceans and atmosphere
poles	CENTRIPETAL FORCE
humidex	Humidex is an index to indicate how hot or humid the weather feels to the average person
usfws	U.S
insect	Relatively small and simple animals that have a rigid external skeleton, three body sections, three pairs of legs, and antennae
corrective action report	Used to identify and document problems with ARM systems, physical infrastructure, or instruments.
anti-degradation clause	part of federal and water quality requirements prohibiting deterioration where pollution levels are above the legal limit.
hydraulic roughness	an estimate of the resistance to flow due to energy loss caused by friction between the channel and the water
kilogram	one thousand grams.
boil water warning	Boil Water Warning
ramp	In aviation, a defined area on an airport or heliport intended to accommodate aircraft for purposes of loading or unloading passengers or cargo, refueling, parking, or maintenance.
turbidity	a cloudy condition in water due to suspended silt or organic matter.
sublimation	the transition of water directly from the solid state to the gaseous state, without passing through the liquid state; or vice versa
satellite	STM
latitudes.	Aurora Borealis
random	Process or event that occurs by chance.
coalescence	Process where two or more falling raindrops join together into a single larger drop because of a midair collision.
nipdwr	National Interim Primary Drinking Water Regulations.
freezing rain	Zulu Time (Z)
evacuate immediately	Evacuate Immediat
cost estimating format	A forward pricing methodology for estimating the total cost of repair for large permanent projects, by use of construction industry standards
uncomfortably hot	Temperature 90 °F - 100 °F
fault	A fracture in rock caused by stress.
chute	A spinnaker.
ncep central operations	ND
cloud ice water	The concentration (mass/vol) of ice water particles in a cloud.
snow	snow pellets, snow grains, and ice crystals
effective flood hazard zone	Indicates the lettered flood zone associated with the location shown on the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map and will be usually be populated with one of the following lettered zones described below
red flag warning	A warning issued when conditions are favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires.
mafic magma	Magma that is relative poor in silica but rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron content
upwelling longwave irradiance	The rate at which radiant energy, at a wavelength longer than approximately 4 µm, is being emitted upwards into a radiation field and transferred across a surface area (real or imaginary) in a hemisphere of directions.
npsc	National Process Serving Center (FEMA)
ldc	See less developed country.
basement rock	Very old granite and metamorphic rocks found in continental crust
autodin	Automatic Digital Network
symbiotic	Mutual relationship between two organisms which is necessary for either to survive.
generalist species	Species that can survive and tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions.
hydrostatic pressure	pressure exerted by or existing within a liquid at rest with respect to adjacent bodies.
infiltration rate	the quantity of water that can enter the soil in a specified time interval.
edge wave	A wave of water that moves parallel to the shore
foodweb	a model structure used to represent the links between organisms within an environment, based upon the order in which various organisms consume one another.
sunset	The time the sun disappears below the horizon.
transmitter	The radar equipment used for generating and amplifying a radio frequency (RF) carrier signal, modulating the carrier signal with intelligence, and feeding the modulated carrier to an antenna for radiation into space as electromagnetic waves
subsolar point	The location on the Earth where the Sun is directly overhead
pond	a body of water usually smaller than a lake and larger than a pool either naturally or artificially confined.
earthquake	The sudden motion or shaking of the ground produced by abrupt displacement of rock masses
tropic of capricorn	The most southern point on the earth where the sun is directly overhead, located at approximately 23.5 degrees South latitude.
parcel	A volume of air small enough to contain uniform distribution of its meteorological properties and large enough to remain relatively self-contained and respond to all meteorological processes.
nvoad	National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
stream power	a measure of energy available to move sediment, or any other particle in a stream channel
ej	Environmental Justice
subtropical waters	Also known as the semi-tropics, subtropical waters are in the region between the tropics (23.5 degrees north and south of the equator) and approximately 35 degrees latitude.
chromosome	Organic structure that carries an organism's genetic code (DNA).
tailwater	The water immediately downstream from a dam
till plain	Extensive flat plain of till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of the glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carried.
meteorite	It's a meteor that reaches the Earth's surface.
sector	Airspace that is split up into small manageable pieces that have vertical as well as horizontal boundaries.
transmissometer	An electronic instrument system which provides a continuous record of the atmospheric transmission between two fixed points
hypothesis testing	Process where an alternative and a null hypothesis are statistically tested for the purpose of falsifying a hypothesis.
flood tide	Time during the tidal period when the tide is rising
shear line	A line of maximum horizontal wind shear
heredity	The transmission of behavioral, physiological and morphological characteristics from parent to offspring.
downpours	AIR POLLUTION
heliport	An area of land, water, or structure used for the landing and takeoff of helicopters
circulation	The flow or motion of a fluid in or through a given area or volume
lift	A wind shift during which the wind enters the boat from further back
community water system	In Texas, a public water system which has a potential to serve at least 15 residential service connections on a year-round basis or serves at least 25 residents on a year-round basis.
refraction	The bending of a light ray as it passes from one transparent medium to another (from air to water, for example)
severe cyclonic storm	Severe tropical storm
sulfuric acid	Acid with the chemical formula H2SO4.
explosive eruption	Volcanic eruption where high-viscosity granite-rich magma causes an explosion of ash and pyroclastic material
sedimentation	a large scale water treatment process where heavy solids settle out to the bottom of the treatment tank after flocculation.
caliche	An accumulation of calcium carbonate at or near the soil surface.
backscattered radiation	The scattering of radiant energy into the hemisphere of space bounded by a plane normal to the direction of the incident radiation and lying on the same side as the incident ray.
dew	Condensation in the form of small water drops that forms on grass and other small objects near the ground when the temperature has fallen to the dew point, generally during the nighttime hours.
conduit	a natural or artificial channel through which fluids may be conveyed.
celsius temperature scale	Thermodynamic scale of temperature
protista	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
leachate	Solution containing material leached from a soil.
emergency action termination	Emergenc Action Terminat
air	MLCAPE
slant range	Direct line distance, not along the ground.
ordovician	Geologic period that occurred roughly 438 to 505 million years ago
concrete space	Actual geographic space in the real world
mass movement	General term that describes the downslope movement of sediment, soil, and rock material.
median particle size	value for which half the particles in a sample have a greater diameter and half a lesser diameter.
msl	MSL stands for Mean Sea Level
sun declination	The Declination of the sun is how many degrees North (positive) or South (negative) of the equator that the sun is when viewed from the center of the earth
anabatic wind	An upslope wind due to local surface heating
103 - 117	Very rarely experienced; accompanied by widespread damage.
rrt	Regional Response Team
txf	Transmitter carrier off
station pressure	The atmospheric pressure with respect to the station elevation.
stream gradient	The change in elevation from a stream's headwaters to its mouth expressed in degrees, percentage, or as a distance ratio (rise/run).
centrifugal force	The apparent force in a rotating system that deflects masses radially outward from the axis of rotation
hydrometeorological prediction center	HR
standard briefing	A complete and concise weather report including preparatory instructions and /or advice, NOTAMS, military activities, flow control information, and other items as requested.
photosphere	Visible surface of Sun from which radiant energy is release.
optimum	The level of an abiotic factor or condition in the environment within the tolerance range at which a species or population can function most efficiently or with the greatest positive effect to its physiological or reproductive fitness.
confluent growth	in coliform testing, abundant or overflowing bacterial growth which makes accurate measurement difficult or impossible.
grassed waterway	natural or constructed watercourse or outlet that is shaped or graded and planted in suitable vegetation for the disposal of runoff water without erosion.
aerosol angstrom coefficient	Often incorrectly used synonymously with "aerosol Angstrom exponent", but should instead refer to the aerosol optical depth at the reference wavelength (1 um) in Angstrom’s power-law representation.
strong wind warning	A Strong Wind Warning is a statement which warns of winds averaging from 26 knots and up to 33 knots (or about 45 to 60 kph) in coastal waters
chemical autotroph	Organism that uses the external energy found in chemical compounds to produce food molecules
fahrentheit	and Kelvin
special marine warning	Special Marine Warning
rill	A very small steep sided channel carrying water
gene	Each form produces a unique inheritable characteristic.
nirt	Nuclear Incident Response Team
frerp	Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan
variable sweep wing	Wings that are hinged so they can be slanted forward or backward during flight
national information center	National Info Center
coral	These features are quite common in the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean.
cdrg	Catastrophic Disaster Response Group
continental shelf	Shallow submerged margin of the continents that lies between the edge of the shoreline and the continental slope
reo	Regional Environmental Officer
precipitation	and condensation, while at the same time time providing adequate ventilation.
nowcast	A short-term weather forecast for expected conditions in the next few hours.
taxon	A classification category for a group of organisms.
confluence	DIFFRACTION
segment	a water body or portion of a water body that is individually defined and classified
pressure gradient	The amount of pressure change over a given horizontal distance.
salt marsh	Coastal wetland ecosystem that is inundated for some period of time by seawater
advection	The horizontal transfer of any property in the atmosphere by the movement of air (wind)
retrograde	opposite to the prevailing flow
arctic	Of or relating to the area around the geographic North Pole, from 90° North to the Arctic Circle at approximately 66 1/2 North latitude.
trickling filter	a treatment system in which wastewater is trickled over a bed of stones or other material covered with bacteria that break down the organic waste and produce clean water.
south magnetic pole	Location in the Southern Hemisphere where the lines of force from Earth's magnetic field are vertical
warning coordination meteorologist	WDLY
divergence	This is an area where winds/windfields diverge
hydrology	the science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water.
nonpoint source	source of pollution in which wastes are not released at one specific, identifiable point but from a number of points that are spread out and difficult to identify and control
meteor	Its a shooting star
periods	Longer than 30 minutes in duration.
wet-bulb depression	The value calculated by subtracting a wet-bulb thermometer reading from a dry-bulb thermometer reading
resilience	the ability of an ecosystem to maintain or restore biodiversity, biotic integrity, and ecological structure and processes following disturbance.
ca	Cloud-to-air lightning.
infiltration capacity	The ability of a soil to absorb surface water.
basalt	A dark colored fine grained igneous rock formed from mafic magma.
fire weather watch	Conditions are expected to become favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires.
watertight hatch	Watertight doors
tva	Tennessee Valley Authority
foliar leaching	Process in which water from precipitation removes plant nutrients from the surface of leaves.
sensible heat	Heat that can be measured by a thermometer and thus sensed by humans.
leachate collection system	a system that gathers leachate and pumps it to the surface for treatment.
retrofitting	installing modern pollution control devices at facilities without making major changes to the facility's design.
cloud bank	A well-defined cloud mass that can be observed at a distance
instrument data processing circuit	Data processing module that transforms data from the instrument output format into a designed data structure in netCDF format.
s&e	Salaries and Expenses
hydrologic model	a computer model of a watershed used to evaluate how precipitation contributes to flow in streams
actual evapotranspiration	The rate of water lost from vegetation and soil, ordinarily at a slower rate than the potential rate.
absorption	the uptake of water, other fluids, or dissolved chemicals by a cell or an organism (as tree roots absorb dissolved nutrients in soil).
tower controller	the personnel responsible for issuing takeoff and landing clearances and for monitoring all traffic within a five-mile radius and up to an altitude of 2500 feet.
gc	FEMA’s Office of General Counsel
estuary	thin zone along a coastline where freshwater system(s) and river(s) meet and mix with a salty ocean (such as a bay, mouth of a river, salt marsh, lagoon).
test message	Nothing
infra-red	A method of viewing clouds via satellite to determine positions and condition.
clearance	An authorization by air traffic control for an aircraft to proceed under specified conditions within controlled airspace
vertical temperature profile	A series of temperature measurements taken at various levels in the atmosphere that show the thermal structure of the atmosphere over a specific location
variance	A statistical measure of the dispersion of observation values in a data set
vapour pressure	The pressure exerted by the molecules of a given vapor
hurrican	Beeps
undercarriage	The part of an aircraft that provides support while the aircraft is on the ground
ppa	Plant Protection Act
erg desert	A region in a desert where sand is very abundant.
coriolis force	A force that deflects moving objects to one side because of the Earths rotation
light wind	1 to 9 knots
deranged drainage	Drainage pattern that is highly irregular
sun pillars	An optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals in cirrus clouds
water resources	Water available, or capable of being made available, for use in sufficient quantity and quality at a location and over a period of time appropriate for an identifiable demand.
drought	Abnormal dry weather for a specific area that is sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause serious hydrological imbalance.
environment	Also called inorganic.
salinity	Concentration of dissolved salts found in a sample of water
asos	Automated Surface Observing System
national weather service	A primary office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responsible for all aspects of observing and forecasting atmospheric conditions and their consequences, including severe weather and flood warnings
continents	or the equator, and other imaginary lines
wave-cut notch	A rock recess at the foot of a sea cliff where the energy of water waves is concentrated.
nipc	National Infrastructure Protection Center
fractional water index	FZRA
concentration	amount of a chemical or pollutant in a particular volume or weight of air, water, soil, or other medium.
data archive	Serves as long-term storage for ARM data to keep data easily accessible
mouth	End of a stream
course	The intended direction of flight in the horizontal plane, measured in degrees from north.
tectonics	See plate tectonics.
base level	The subterranean elevation below which a stream cannot vertically erode sediment
hazard	Phenomenon which can cause loss of life, injury, disease, economic loss, or environmental damage.
el nino	A warming of Pacific Ocean waters near the Equator that typically occurs every 3 to 7 years
primary treatment	mechanical treatment in which large solids are screened out and suspended solids in the sewage settle out as sludge
year	PREVAILING VISIBILITY
dismast	To lose, through breakage, part or all of the mast.
bay-mouth bar	A narrow deposit of sand and/or gravel found across the mouth of a bay.
shortwave spectral irradiance	The rate at which radiant energy, at specrally-resolved wavelengths between 0.4 and 4 µm, is being emitted upwards and downwards into a radiation field and transferred across a surface area (real or imaginary) in a hemisphere of directions.
reflection	The process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it.
ntsp	National Plan for Telecommunications Support in Non-Wartime Emergencies
refraction	The bending of light or radar beam as it passes through a zone of contrasting properties, such as atmospheric density, water vapor, or temperature.
theta-e ridge	An axis of relatively high values of theta-e
front	The line that separates warm and cold fronts
hygroscopic	Substances that have the ability to absorb water and therefore accelerate the condensation process.
isoline	Lines on a map joining points of equal value.
latitude	Hail
automated weather observation system	AZ
kirchoff's law	This law suggests that good emitters of radiation are also good absorbers of radiation at specific electromagnetic radiation wavelength bands
force account	An applicant's own labor forces and equipment
17 - 21	29 - 38
deflation hollow	A surface depression or hollow commonly found in arid and semiarid regions caused by wind erosion
solum	Part of the soil that is capable of supporting life.
barrier island	Long, narrow islands of sand and/or gravel that are usually aligned parallel to the shore of some coasts.
solar radiation	The electromagnetic radiation (energy) emitted by the sun.
depletion curve	in hydraulics, a graphical representation of water depletion from storage stream channels, surface soil, and groundwater
thermal	A small, rising parcel of warm air produced when the earth's surface is heated unevenly.
navier-stokes equations	a set of equations that describe the physics governing the motion of a fluid
land slide warning	Land Slide Warning
nsc	National Security Council
reflected	or scattered, at 180 degrees to the direction of the incident wave
focus	See earthquake focus.
scree	An accumulation of weathered rock fragments at the base of a steep rock slope or cliff.
whole-effluent toxicity	the aggregate toxic effect of an effluent measured directly by a toxicity test.
administrative message	Admin Message
outcrop	Area of exposed bedrock at the Earth's surface with no overlying deposits of soil or regolith.
ph	Scale used to measure the alkalinity or acidity of a substance through the determination of the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution
humidity	The amount of water vapor in the air.
ocean	A body of saline water found occupying all or part of the Earth's ocean basins
descent	The action carried out in flying an aircraft from a higher to lower altitude.
external instruments	Instruments that belong to organizations that are outside of the ARM Program.
epicenter	Surface location of an earthquake's focus.
hsc	Homeland Security Council
soil fertility	The ability of a soil to provide nutrients for plant growth.
pressure steady	There is little or no change in pressure at any one location in any three-hour observation interval
flood warning	The expected severity of flooding (minor, moderate or major), as well as where and when the flooding will begin.
latent heat	The energy released or absorbed during a change of state, for example, in changing from a liquid to a gas
pro a	Programmatic Agreement
squall	A sudden increase of wind speed by at least 18 mph and rising to 25 mph or more and lasting for at least one minute.
median	Statistical measure of central tendency in a set of data
volag	Voluntary Agent
population density	Number of individuals of a particular species found in a specified area.
cip	Critical Infrastructure Protection
hv	have
eima	Emergency Information and Media Affairs
roche moutonnee	A feature of glacial erosion that resembles an asymmetrical rock mound
solstice	located at 23°27' N.
desert	Area which averages less than 10" of precipitation per year
scientific theory	A hypothesis that is widely accepted by the scientific community.
mangrove	Treed wetlands located on the coastlines in warm tropical climates.
conservation	to protect from loss and waste
mycorrhizae	Mutualistic association of a fungus with the root of higher plant
perihelion	It is the point in the Earth's orbit when it is closest to the Sun (147.5 million km)
waterfall	a sudden, nearly vertical drop in a stream, as it flows over rock.
lima	Designator for the letter "L" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
tiltrotor	A rotor that is tilted from a horizontal alignment (as a helicopter) for takeoff and landing, to a vertical alignment (as an airplane) for level flight
npt	National periodic test
photon	A discrete unit of radiant energy.
uv rays	visible light, and infrared radiation.
temperature	Temperature is a measure of the heat content of a body (the atmosphere in the case of weather)
electromagnetic radiation	Also called radiation, it is waves of energy propagated though space or through a material media.
fitness	A measure of the health of a species in terms of physiology and future reproductive success.
eutrophication	Physical, chemical and biological changes in a water body as a result of the input nitrogen and phosphorus.
entropy	Entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of energy and matter in a system.
isobar	The line drawn on a weather map connecting points of equal barometric pressure.
ferc	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
central vent	The main passage way by which volcanic magma travels to the Earth's surface.
axis	An imaginary line, through the center of gravity, around which an aircraft rotates
subsidence	Sinking (downward) motion in the atmosphere, usually over a broad area.
chemical	One of the millions of different elements and compounds found naturally and synthesized by humans.
shear wave	A seismic wave that creates wave-like motion perpendicular to the direction of seismic energy propagation
anticyclone	Adiabatic
wmd	Weapon of Mass Destruction
z	Zulu Time
empg	Emergency Management Performance Grant
instability	Or, air above it can cool, which also increases potential instability
isostacy	The buoyant condition of the Earth's crust floating in the asthenosphere
hygroscopic water	Water held within 0.0002 millimeters of the surface of a soil particle
big crunch	Collapse of the Universe into its original form before the Big Bang
velocity	VLLY
diurnal variation	Pertaining to actions or events that occur during a twenty-four hour cycle or recurs every twenty-four hours
roaring forties	The area between 40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude noted for strong winds and large seas.
nahc	National Advisory Health Council
flood	Beeps
its	FEMA’s Information Technology Services Directorate
roll cloud	usually appearing in the morning hours, when the atmosphere is relatively stable
isotropic	A line of constant equal physical properties along all axes.
suspended solids	the small solid particles in water that cause turbidity
absorption	The process in which incident radiant energy is retained by a substance by conversion to some other form of energy.
cumulonimbus	A cumulus type of deep vertical extent, often reaching in excess of 30000ft
body wave	Type of seismic wave that travels through the interior of Earth.
hardwood bottomland	hardwood forested lowlands adjacent to some rivers, especially valuable for wildlife breeding, nesting, and habitat.
kettle hole	Depression found in glacial deposits
gustnadoes	occasionally rotate anticyclonically (clockwise).
rock cycle	General model describing the geomorphic and geologic processes involved in the creation, modification and recycling of rocks.
firm	Flood Insurance Rate Map
sea-floor spreading	The process of oceanic crust creation and sea-floor movement that occurs at the mid-oceanic ridge.
location	A term used in geography that deals with the relative and absolution spatial position of natural and human-made phenomena.
erosion	See 'Coastal Erosion'.
plankton	microscopic floating plant and animal organisms of lakes, rivers, and oceans.
watershed	land area from which water drains toward a common watercourse in a natural basin.
environmental lapse rate	The rate of decrease of air temperature as altitude increases
polar vortex	High pressure system located in the upper atmosphere at the polar regions
atmosphere	PTCHY
watershed approach	a coordinated framework for environmental management that focuses public and private efforts on the highest priority problems within hydrologically defined geographic areas.
floodplain	Any normally dry land area that is susceptible to being inundated by water from any natural source
ndms	National Disaster Medical System
outcrop	exposed at the surface
national priorities list	EPA's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term remedial action under Superfund
seamount	A volcanic mountain found on an ocean basin that has an origin not related to a mid-oceanic ridge or a tectonic subduction zone.
lateral axis	The axis extending through the center of gravity of an aircraft, and parallel to a line connecting the tips of the wings
tertiary	Geologic period that occurred roughly 1.6 to 65 million years ago
chemosphere	A vaguely defined region of the upper atmosphere in which photochemical reactions take place
low water advisory	Issued when critically low water levels present a navigation hazard.
aeronautics	The study of flight and the science of designing, construction and operation of an aircraft.
pitch	A rotational motion in which an airplane turns about its lateral axis
straight-line winds	Any surface wind that is not associated with rotation
capacity	(1) The largest number of passengers an aircraft can safely transport under a given set of circumstances
stockpond	a pond used primarily for watering livestock.
pa	Public Affairs
mmrs	Metropolitan Medical Response System
asd	Assistant Secretary of Defense
tilt	The inclination to the vertical of a significant feature of the pressure pattern or of the field of moisture or temperature
front	In other regions along the front, warm air of lower density moves polewards, sliding over its sloping surface
longitude	Linear or angular distance that is measured west or east of the Prime Meridian in degrees, minutes and seconds.
weathering	Physical, chemical or biological breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller sized particles.
deforestation	Removal of trees from a habitat dominated by forest.
habitat	Location where a plant or animal lives.
demand	the number of units of something that will be purchased at various prices at a point in time
watershed	The area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place (Source: Environmental Protection Agency).
aerosol scattering	The scattering of radiative energy by processes at the aerosol and molecular level.
coevolution	The coordinated evolution of two or more species that interact and exert selective pressures on each other that can cause each species to undergo associated adaptations
molecule	Minute particle that consists of connected atoms of one or many elements.
deuterium	Isotope of hydrogen, with a nucleus containing one proton and one neutron, and an atomic mass number of 2.
surface moisture flux	The vertical flux of surface moisture due to atmospheric turbulent transport.
sfip	Standard Flood Insurance Policy
satellite images	Images taken by a weather satellite that reveal information, such as the flow of water vapor, the movement of frontal system, and the development of a tropical system
indicator parameters	measurable physical or chemical characteristics or attributes of water or soil-pore moisture used to indicate the possible presence of waste constituents, or the effects of waste constituents on waters.
base flows	the component of a flow regime that represents normal flow conditions between precipitation events
soil erodibility	An indicator of a soil's susceptibility to raindrop impact, runoff, and other eroding processes.
ocean prediction center	OR
protein	Organic substances primarily composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and some other minor elements which are arranged in about 20 different compounds known as amino acids
saturation vapor pressure	The maximum vapor pressure in a sample of air at a specific temperature.
inversion	which is marked by the unusually uniform height of the clouds
pressure melting point	Temperature at which minerals deep within the Earth and ice below the surface of a glacier are caused to melt because of the introduction of pressure.
dissolved solids	inorganic material contained in water or wastes
celestial equator	The projection of the plane of the geographical equator upon the celestial sphere.
pressure gradient force	Force due to spatial differences in atmospheric pressure
fahrenheit	Temperature scale where water freezes at 32°F and water boils at 212°F at sea level air pressure.
endogenic	Refers to a system that is internal to the Earth.
imhoff cone	a clear, cone-shaped container used to measure the volume of settleable solids in a specific volume of water.
chord line	An imaginary line connecting an airfoil's leading edge with its trailing edge.
high pressure	Atmospheric circulations that rotate anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere
sea	running water, moving ice, precipitation, or wind.
zulu time	One of several names for the twenty-four hour time that is used throughout the scientific and military communities
duration	In wave forecasting, the length of time the wind blows in nearly the same direction over the fetch, or "generating area."
fermentation	Decomposition and breakdown of organic matter by anaerobic means.
cloud amount	the fraction of the sky dome covered by clouds
contact recreation	activities involving a significant risk of ingestion of water, such as wading by children, swimming, water skiing, diving and surfing
hurricane/tropical storm probabilities	Issued to allow citizens to realistically assess the threat of a hurricane or tropical storm hitting their community
reclaimed water	domestic wastewater that is under the direct control of a treatment plant owner/operator which has been treated to a quality suitable for a beneficial use.
subsistence flows	the component of an instream flow regime that represents infrequent, naturally occurring low flow events that occur for a seasonal period of time
accuracy	The degree of conformity of an indicated value to an accepted standard value, or ideal value
storm surge	The increase in sea water height from the level that would occur under calm conditions
aeration	the mixing or turbulent exposure of water to air and oxygen to dissipate volatile contaminants and other pollutants into the air.
wmd-cst	Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team
obliquity	Tilt of the Earth's polar axis as measured from the perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun
day	it reaches its maximum early to mid afternoon
carbohydrate	Is an organic compound composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms
asos	Automated Surface Observing Systems
carbon dioxide concentration	The amount of carbon dioxide, a heavy, colorless greenhouse gas, per unit of volume.
cold low	and cut-off low
heat	Heat is defined as energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of the temperature difference between them
radar reflectivity	The sum of all backscattering cross-sections (e.g., precipitation particles) in a pulse resolution volume divided by that volume
celestial sphere	The apparent sphere of infinite radius having the earth as its center
shelter in-place warning	Siren
oscar	Designator for the letter "O" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
throughflow	The roughly horizontal flow of water through soil or regolith.
nephelometric	method of measuring turbidity in a water sample by passing light through the sample and measuring the amount of light deflected.
short wave	A progressive wave of smaller amplitude, wave length, and duration than a long wave
triassic	Geologic period that occurred roughly 208 to 245 million years ago
numerical model	One or more mathematical expressions that approximate the behavior of a system such as the Earth-atmosphere system.
adjudication	a court proceeding to determine all rights to the use of water on a particular stream system or ground water basin.
direct shortwave irradiance	Radiant energy, across the wavelength range of 0.4 and 4 µm, that is transferred directly from the sun to the receiver.
hvy	Heavy
statute mile	Commonly known as a ground mile
subcritical flow	flow characterized by low velocity and a Froude number less than 1
dhs-bts	Department of Homeland Security, Border and Transportation Security Directorate
aviation weather center	NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY (NSSL)
percolation	the movement of water through the subsurface soil layers, usually continuing downward to the groundwater or water table reservoirs.
radiometer	an instrument that measures radiance, or the radiation emitted by an object.
hygroscopic nuclei	Tiny particles of matter that have a special chemical affinity for water molecules, so that condensation may take place on these nuclei at relative humidities under 100 percent.
january thaw	a period of mild weather popularly supposed to recur each year in late January
drainage divide	Topographic border between adjacent drainage basins or watersheds.
solar wind	Mass of ionized gas emitted to space by the Sun
sferic or spheric	A broadband electromagnetic impulse that occurs as a result of natural atmospheric lightning discharges
runoff	surface water entering rivers, freshwater lakes, or reservoirs.
confined aquifer	Aquifer between two layers of relatively impermeable earth materials, such as clay or shale.
thermistor	A resistor whose resistance changes with temperature
saturation	Atmospheric condition where water is changing its phase to liquid or solid
synthetic organic chemicals	man-made organic chemicals
mountain breeze	A katabatic wind, it is formed at night by the radiational cooling along mountainsides
high clouds	Clouds found between 3-8 kilometers (10000-25000 feet) in polar regions and 6-18 kilometers (20000-60000 feet) in tropical regions
mermaid	a fabled marine creature usually represented as having the head, trunk, and arms of a woman and a lower part like the tail of a fish.
charles' law	States that when the pressure is held constant, the volume of a gas varies directly with the temperature
draft	the act of drawing or removing water from a tank, reservoir or groundwater supply.
cross-contamination	a condition created when a drill hole, boring, or improperly constructed well forms a pathway for fluid movement between a saturated zone which contains pollutants and a formerly separated saturated zone containing uncontaminated groundwater
cta	Combined Travel Authorization
nonthreshold pollutant	substance or condition harmful to a particular organism at any level or concentration.
transmitter carrier off	Transmitter Carrier Off
liana	Species of plant that uses the support of wood plants to elevate its leaves above the forest canopy.
trajectory	The curve that a body, such as a celestial object, describes in space
ice crystals	but they are composed mainly of water droplets
helm	The steering station of a yacht; the tiller or wheel by which the rudder is controlled.
percolating waters	waters passing through the ground beneath the Earth's surface without a definite channel.
litter	Accumulation of leaves, twigs and other forms of organic matter on the soil surface
infiltration	the penetration of water through the ground surface into sub-surface soil or the penetration of water from the soil into sewer or other pipes through defective joints, connections, or manhole walls.
water quality	the chemical, physical, biological, radiological, and thermal condition of water.
divergent evolution	Creation of two or more unique species from one ancestral species through the differential evolution of isolated populations.
eddy	A localized chaotic movement of air or liquid in a generally uniform larger flow.
freezing rain	Rain that falls as liquid and freezes upon impact to form a coating of glaze on the colder ground or other exposed surfaces
meteor	A body of matter that enters the Earth's atmosphere from space
wind waves	Short period and irregular waves created by the flow of air over the water.
toxicity test	the means to determine the toxicity of a chemical or an effluent using living organisms
florida state university	Archived from the original on 2008-05-10
fdt	Floodway Data Table
lfa	Lead Federal Agency
oceanic crust	Basaltic portion of the Earth's crust that makes up the ocean basins
photosphere	The intensely bright portion of the sun visible to the unaided eye; the "surface" of the sun
secondary succession	Succession on a previously vegetated surface
infiltration rate	Rate of absorption and downward movement of water into the soil layer.
gamma radiation	A type of ionizing, electromagnetic radiation that readily penetrates the body tissues of organisms
striations	Grooves of scratches found in surface rock that are the result of glacial abrasion.
track	The actual flight path of an aircraft over the surface of the earth.
santa ana winds	The hot, dry winds, generally from the east, that funnel through the Santa Ana river valley south of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains in southern California, including the Los Angeles basin
assay	a test for a specific chemical, microbe, or effect.
tropics/tropical	The region of the earth located between the Tropic of Cancer, at 23.5 degrees North latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn, at 23.5 degrees South latitude
volatility	the tendency of a liquid to evaporate.
fen	a type of wetland that accumulates peat deposits, but not as much as a bog
ph	numeric value that describes the intensity of the acid or basic (alkaline) conditions of a solution
opposing forces	Forces that are pushing or pulling in the opposite direction
altostratus	ASAP
fixed-tilt array	a set (array) of solar power collectors that do not pivot to follow the track of the Sun in the sky
overbank flow	Movement of flood waters outside a stream channel during period of high discharge.
infiltration	The absorption and downward movement of water into the soil layer.
median streamflow	the rate of discharge of a stream for which there are equal numbers of greater and lesser flow occurrences during a specified period.
newton	A unit of force that creates an acceleration on a mass of 1 kilogram equal to 1 meter per second with no friction and under the conditions of a vacuum.
flux	the rate at which a substance flows
nuee ardente	A glowing cloud of dense hot volcanic gas and ash that moves downslope at high speeds, incinerating the landscape.
wind chill index	The calculation of temperature that takes into consideration the effects of wind and temperature on the human body
current velocity	the velocity of water flow in a stream, measured in units of length per unit of time, such as feet per second (fps).
deposit	something dropped or left behind by moving water, as sand or mud.
forminifera	Microscopic organisms of the group protozoa that are found living mainly in marine environments
r&r	Resource and Recovery
lichen	Organism that consists of a symbiotic joining of a species of fungi and a species of algae.
applicant liaison	A State government customer representative responsible for providing applicants with state-specific information and documentation requirements
glacial drift	A generic term applied to all glacial and glaciofluvial deposits.
spring	The season between winter and summer
divide	The topographic ridge that separates drainage basins.
lomr-f	Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill
elo	Environmental Liaison Officer
eenet	Emergency Education Network
void	the pore space or other openings in rock
tidal range	The difference in water level between high tide and low tide at a given place.
barchan dune	Crescent shaped sand dune that has its long axis transverse to the wind and its crescent tips pointed downwind.
dwi	Disaster Welfare Inquiry
re-radiation	the re-emission of electromagnetic radiation that had been previously absorbed by a substance.
negative vorticity advection	NW
high risk	slight risk, convective outlook.
equator	The geographic circle at 0 degrees latitude on the earth's surface
inversion	A layer in the atmosphere where the temperature increases with height.
frontal passage	It is the passage of a front over a specific point on the surface
basaltic magma	Mafic magma that forms basaltic igneous rocks.
refraction	the bending of electromagnetic radiation by its passage through a medium of a high refractive index
desertification	Conversion of marginal rangeland or cropland to a more desert like land type
solar electric	technology for converting sunlight directly into electricity.
electromagnetic spectrum	See spectrum.
dew point	DPNG
pva	Positive Vorticity Advection
radiant energy	Energy in the form of electromagnetic waves and photons
conglomerate	Coarse grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded rock fragments cemented in a mixture of clay and silt.
outwash	a deposit of sand and gravel formed by streams of meltwater flowing from a glacier.
emergenc action terminat	Beeps
benthos	The plant and animal organisms that live on the sea floor
electron	A sub-particle of an atom that contains a negative atomic charge.
gis	Geographic Information System
us&r	Urban Search & Rescue
airflow	The motion of air molecules as they flow around an object, such as a wing.
cg	(Some claim to have observed a relationship between staccato lightning and positive CGs, but this relationship is as yet unproven.)
cell	A cell is the smallest self-functioning unit found in living organisms
aquatic	growing in, living in, or frequenting water.
pollutant	Particles, gases, or liquid aerosols in the atmosphere which have an undesirable effect on humans or their surroundings
adr	Administrative message
subpolar glacier	Glacier in which the ice found from the its surface to base has a temperature as cold as -30° Celsius throughout the year
unclassified waters	those waters for which no classification has been assigned and which have not been identified in Appendix A of 31 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 307.10 of Title 31 (relating to definitions).
neutral solution	Any water solution that is neutral (pH approximately 7) or has an equal quantity of hydrogen ions (H+) than hydroxide ions (OH-)
rwa	Reimbursable Work Authorization
environmental gradient	Spatial gradient where abiotic and biotic factors vary.
anistropic aquifer	an aquifer in which permeability varies with direction of flow
macronutrient	Nutritional element required by an organism in relatively large quantities.
knot	A nautical unit of speed equal to the velocity at which one nautical mile is traveled in one hour
wetland	area that is regularly wet or flooded and has a water table that stands at or above the land surface for at least part of the year, such as a bog, pond, fen, estuary, or marsh.
backing winds	Winds which are changing direction in an anti-clockwise fashion.
aquiculture	the raising or fattening of fish in enclosed ponds
nautical twilight	The time period when the sun is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon at either sunrise or sunset
lines	A nautical term for ropes.
plume	the area taken up by contaminant(s) in an aquifer.
conduction	The transfer of energy (electrical, heat) within and through a conductor by means of internal particle or molecular activity.
soil-heat flux	The rate of flow of heat energy into, from, or through the soil.
dest	Domestic Emergency Support Team
upwind leg	A flight path parallel to the runway in the direction of landing.
deck	Horizontal surface or platform of a yacht.
biotic potential	Maximum rate that a population of a given species can increase in size (number of individuals) when there are no limits on growth rate.
acidic	the condition of water or soil that contains a sufficient amount of acid substances to lower the pH below 7.0.
predation	Biological interaction between species where a predator species consumes a prey species.
temperature	The measurement of how hot or cold something is.
epirb	Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
polar	temperatures below 32°F most of the time, with little or no precipitation.
ww3	A global wave model, run to 126 hours, initialized using GFS variables
epic	Emergency Public Information and Communications Advisory Committee
gravity	GRAVITY
solar system	The collection of celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun.
toxicity reduction evaluation	a study conducted to determine the source(s) of toxicity in a discharge effluent so that these sources can be controlled sufficiently to allow a discharger to comply with their permit limits.
spring	ICELANDIC LOW
interference	Form of competition where an individual directly prevents the physical establishment of another individual in a portion of a habitat.
longitude	The position of the Earths surface east or west of the Greenwich meridian.
coral bleaching	Situation where coral lose their colorful symbiotic algae
precipitable water	PWAT
geyser	a periodic thermal spring that results from the expansive force of super heated steam.
chemical weathering	attack and dissolving of parent rock by exposure to rainwater, surface water, oxygen, and other gases in the atmosphere, and compounds secreted by organisms
snow	Frozen precipitation in the form of white or translucent ice crystals in complex branched hexagonal form
case management	A systems approach to provision of equitable and fast service to applicants for disaster assistance
precambrian shield	Another term for shield.
nest	Nuclear Emergency Support Team
storm tracks	The path or tracks generally followed by a cyclonic disturbance.
rain forest	A forest which grows in a region of heavy annual precipitation
grass	Type of plant that has long slender leaves that extend from a short stem or the soil surface.
cem	Civil emergency message
overflow rate	one of the guidelines for design of the settling tanks and clarifiers in a treatment plant.
fire warning	Siren
rain gage	A device, usually a cylindrical container, for measuring rainfall.
geostationary satellite	A satellite that orbits the Earth at the same rate and in the same direction as the Earth rotates so that the satellite is always directly over the same point (the sub-satellite point) on Earth’s equator
aneroidogram	The record of an aneroid barograph.
miller cylindrical projection	Map projection that mathematically projects the Earth's surface onto a cylinder that is tangent at the equator
equator	The imaginary great circle of 0 degrees latitude on the Earth's surface, separating the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere.
radar	it is the ability to read two distinct targets separately
ocean basin	Part of the Earth's outer surface that is comprised of the ocean floor, mid-oceanic ridges, continental rise, and continental slope
frontal fog	Is a type of fog that is associated with weather fronts, particularly warm fronts
fda	Food and Drug Administration
sensible heat flux	Process where excess heat energy is transferred into the atmosphere
outfall	the place where a wastewater treatment plant discharges treated water into the environment.
local control	The control tower at each airport.
throughput	The amount of aircraft flying through the National Airspace System in a given period.
centripetal force	An inward-directed force that confines an object to a circular path and is equal in magnitude to the centrifugal force but in the opposite direction.
intermittent	this is generally used to describe rain which is not falling continuously
ofm	FEMA’s Office of Financial Management
trickle irrigation	method in which water drips to the soil from perforated tubes or emitters.
62 - 74	Breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress.
astronomical tide	Refers to the periodic rise and fall of water along the coast due to gravitational interactions between the moon, sun and the earth.
ecoregion	a geographic area over which the macroclimate is sufficiently uniform to permit development of similar ecosystems on sites with similar geophysical properties.
terminal velocity	Maximum speed that can be achieve by a body falling through a fluid like water or air.
bosun's chair	A seat, usually made of canvas, used to hoist a person up the mast.
hsas	Homeland Security Advisory System
altitude	First, find your azimuth
uasi	Urban Areas Security Initiative, provides direct funding for high threat areas
evacuate immediat	Siren
fractonimbus	Dark shreds of stratus clouds that break away from the stratus, and sit under the base of precipitating nimbostratus.
standard temperature	For aviation purposes, 59∞F (15∞C).
carbonation	Is a form of chemical weathering where carbonate and bicarbonate ions react with minerals that contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
sinkhole	A pit like hole in found in areas of karst
spectral width	A measure of the spread of the Doppler spectrum and consequently is sensitive to the spread in the particle size spectra
monoplane	An airplane with one set of wings
wetting and drying	Physical weathering process where rocks are mechanically disintegrated by the accumulation of successive layers of water molecules in between the mineral grains of a rock
overnight	Midnight to 6am.
hertz	HZ
solstice	located at 23°27' S.
terminal velocity	The constant speed obtained by a falling object when the upward drag on the object balances the downward force of gravity.
perennial plant	Plant species that lives for more than two years.
conveyance loss	water loss in pipes, channels, conduits, and ditches by leakage or evaporation.
crystallization	The process of a substance going directly from a vapor form (water vapor) to a solid (ice) at the same temperature, without going through the liquid phase (water)
head	In hydrologic terms, the difference between the pool height and tailwater height
seed bank	Collection of seeds available for germination in the soil.
hudson bay low	An area of low pressure over or near the Hudson Bay area of Canada that often introduces cold air to the north central and northeast United States.
cmat	Consequence Management Advisory Team
aurora borealis	Nowcasting
graphical model	A compilation or display of data in a form (e.g., a map) that can be readily useful.
t&e	Threatened and Endangered
flooding	Temporary inundation of land areas not normally covered by water.
improved property	A structure, facility or item of equipment that was built, constructed or manufactured
carbonate	Compound consisting of a single atom of carbon and three atoms of oxygen
inversely proportional	Cause and effect relationship between two variables where a positive or negative change in the quantity of one causes a predictable opposite change in quantity in the other.
thermal gradient	temperature difference between two areas.
good visibility	5 SM or greater.
visible radiation	the range of radiation wavelengths which is visible to the human eye; goes from red to violet and then enters the ultraviolet part of the spectrum
seepage	percolation of water through the soil from unlined canals, ditches, laterals, watercourses, or water storage facilities.
cam cleat	A mechanical cleat used to hold a line automatically
sediment trapping efficiency	the ratio of sediment retained within the reservoir to the sediment inflow to the reservoir.
ionosphere	A complex atmospheric zone of ionized gases that extends between 50 and 400 miles (80 to 640 kilometers) above the earth's surface
swash	A thin sheet of water that moves up the beach face after a wave of water breaks on the shore.
flow duration curve	a measure of the range and variability of a stream's flow
rayleigh scattering	Caused by spherical particles whose diameter is much smaller than the wavelength of scattered radiation; responsible for the blue of the daytime sky.
liner	a relatively impermeable barrier designed to keep leachate inside a landfill; an insert or sleeve for sewer pipes to prevent leakage or infiltration.
virus	Is a fragment of DNA or RNA that depends on the infection of host cells for their reproduction
oxisol	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
hair hygrometer	Hygrometer that uses the expansion and contraction of hair to determine atmospheric humidity.
absolutely unstable air	An atmospheric condition that exists when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate.
ert-a	Advance Element of the Emergency Response Team (FEMA)
negative	Aviation term for "no"; expressing or implying a denial or refusal.
delta	Large deposit of alluvial sediment located at the mouth of a stream where it enters a body of standing water.
sand storm	A strong wind carrying sand particles through the air
empennage	The parts of the airplane located at the tail end
azimuth angle	1
precipitate	a solid which has come out of an aqueous solution
solar day	Time required for the Earth to complete one rotation relative to the Sun.
specialist	An emergency management employee with demonstrated technical expertise in a defined specialty
grid point model	A model where the prognostic field variables are represented on a grid, as gridpoints. It is generally less accurate than a spectral model for the reasons explained under 'spectral model'. However, it is less data/hardware hungry, ie more efficient to run.
joc	Joint Operations Center
native species	Species that normally exists and reproduces in a specific region of the Earth
mers	Mobile Emergency Response Support
soil erosion	Transport of soil mineral particles and organic matter by wind, flowing water, or both
night	it reaches its maximum about dawn
radial velocity	Component of motion toward or away from a given location
fima	Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration
haploid	Cell that contains only one set of chromosomes
publicly-owned treatment works	a wastewater treatment plant that is owned by a state, unit of local government or Indian tribe, usually designed to treat domestic wastewaters
silicate	Group of minerals that have crystal structures based on a silica tetrahedron (SiO4).
starch	Complex carbohydrate composed of thousands of glucose units
flood	It results from days of heavy rain and/or melting snows, when rivers rise and go over their banks.
shear	The strength of winds at different heights of the atmosphere.
natural ionizing radiation	Ionizing radiation that comes from natural sources in the environment.
ribbon lightning	Appears to be a broad stream of fire
tree	A large woody plant that has a trunk which supports branches and leaves.
apogee	The point farthest from the earth on the moon's orbit
arm mobile facility	See Mobile Facility.
fog	Fine Line
astronomical twilight	The time period when the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon at either sunrise or sunset
emissivity	The ratio of total radiative output from a body per unit time per unit area at a specific temperature and wavelength to that of a black body under the same environmental conditions.
keel	A ballasted appendage projecting below the boat that keeps it from capsizing, which also supplies the hydrodynamic lateral force that enables the boat to sail upwind.
propeller	A device on an aircraft, consisting typically of two or more blades twisted to describe a helical path as they rotate with the hub in which they are mounted, and serving to propel the aircraft by the backward thrust of air
facilitation	Modification of a system that makes subsequent modifications easier.
dot	Department of Transportation
forebay	the water behind a dam.
hydrolysis	Chemical weathering process that involves the reaction between mineral ions and the ions of water (OH- and H+), and results in the decomposition of the rock surface by forming new compounds, and by increasing the pH of the solution involve through the release of the hydroxide ions.
soil porosity	The volume of water that can be held in a soil
ballast	Weight in the keel of a boat to add stability (righting moment).
geologic erosion	normal or natural erosion caused by geological processes acting over long geologic periods and resulting in the wearing away of mountains, the building up of floodplains, coastal plains, etc.
local storm report	LST
hazard material warning	Siren
ice cap	Large dome-shaped glacier found covering a large expanse of land
thermometer	The instrument that measures temperature.
regional metamorphism	Large scale metamorphic modification of existing rock through the heat and pressure of plutons created at tectonic zones of subduction.
warm	Temperature 80 °F - 90 °F
pretreatment	processes used to reduce, eliminate, or alter the nature of wastewater pollutants from non-domestic sources before they are discharged into publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
latent heat of vaporization	Heat required to change the phase of water from liquid to vapor; 540 to 600 calories per gram, depending on the temperature of the water.
knots	or nautical miles per hour
cape verde islands	A group of volcanic islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa
leeward	Downwind side of an elevated area like a mountain
revolution	The trip the Earth makes around the sun.
coriolis force	An apparent force due to the Earth's rotation
sargasso sea	An area of the North Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Azores
deposition	Process by which water changes phase directly from a vapor into a solid without first becoming a liquid.
stationary front	A front which is nearly stationary or moves very little since the last synoptic position
high-pressure system	An area of relative pressure that has diverging winds and a rotation opposite to the earth’s rotation
national meteorological center	Now incorporated into the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, it was the division of the National Weather Service that produced, processed, handled, and distributed meteorological and oceanographic information to users throughout the Northern Hemisphere, specifically U.S
rain	Precipitation that falls to earth in drops more than 0.5 mm in diameter.
no	A warming of the Pacific Ocean currents along the coasts of Peru and Ecuador near the Equator that is generally associated with dramatic changes or shifts in the weather patterns of the region
dos	Department of State
high wind warning	High Wind Warning
offshore	The coastal waters zone between 12 and 60 'nautical' miles (about 22 -110 km) from the coast.
woe	located in Geneva, Switzerland.
luvisol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
wing	A part of an airplane that is attached to the fuselage
eddy	Swirling air currents that varies from the main air current.
stream load	Refers to the material or sediment carried by a stream
hic	Hydrologist In Charge
neap tide	Tide that occurs every 14 to 15 days and coincides with the first and last quarter of the moon
water availability model	a numerical surface water flow model used to determine the availability of surface water for water right permitting.
key species	species that are targeted for instream flow assessment or more generally taxa of interest; may include lotic-adapted species, imperiled species, sport fishes, or other species related to study objectives.
evaporation	the process of converting a substance (such as water) from its liquid phase to its gaseous phase.
permian	Last geologic period in the Paleozoic era
drainage basin	Land surface region drained by a length of stream channel.
vapor trail	A cloudlike streamer or trail often seen behind aircraft flying in clear, cold, humid air
gully reclamation	use of small dams of manure and straw; earth, stone,or concrete to collect silt and gradually fill in channels of eroded soil.
antenna feed	See feed.
hurricane force wind watch	A watch for an increased risk of a hurricane force wind event for sustained surface winds, or frequent gusts, of 34 knots 64 knots (74 mph) or greater, but its occurrence, location, and/or timing is still uncertain.
prp	Preferred Risk Policy
brine	highly salty and heavily mineralized water containing heavy metal and organic contaminants.
sbccom	Soldier & Biological Chemical Command (U.S
rainsplash	Soil erosion caused from the impact of raindrops.
epa	Environmental Protection Agencies
fair visibility	5/8 to 5 SM.
snow cover	The areal extent of ground covered by the snow
www	World Wide Web
engineering change order	An engineering task or project directly resulting from an Engineering Change Request
dam watch	Siren
ppb	See parts per billion.
isohel	A line drawn through geographic points having equal duration of sunshine or another form of solar radiation during a specified time period.
accretion	Growth of a cloud or precipitation particle by the collision and union of a frozen particle with a super-cooled water drop.
absorption	The process whereby a portion of the radiation incident on an object is converted to heat.
anabranch	a secondary channel of a stream which leaves and then rejoins the main channel
target	An aircraft appearing on an air traffic controllers radar scope.
photoelectric	pertaining to the conversion of light (radiant energy) to electricity.
reef	A ridge of rocks found in the tidal zone along a coastline
bowman	The crewmember in charge of sail changes and keeping a lookout on the bow at the start.
organism abundance and condition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring species abundance and condition, including proportion of individuals as hybrids and proportion of individuals with disease, tumors, physical damage, or physical anomalies.
heavy water	water in which all the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by deuterium.
gas	Phase
revolution	See Earth revolution.
frost	Deposition of ice at the Earth's surface because of atmospheric cooling.
composites	Plants of the compositae family (Asteraceae)
hygroscopic nuclei	piece of dust or other particle around which water condenses in the atmophere
wall cloud	Inflow features with (often warm) air moving towards them
aggressive water	water which is soft and acidic and can corrode plumbing, piping, and appliances.
strong gale	1
true altitude	The exact distance above mean sea level.
return flow	surface water that returns to the natural environment after diversion for beneficial uses, such as for irrigation.
snow squall	A heavy snow shower accompanied by sudden strong winds, or a squall.
x-band	a frequency band of microwave radiation in which radars operate.
stratosphere	Atmospheric layer found at an average altitude of 11 to 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface
snowflakes	An ice crystal or an aggregate of ice crystals which fall from clouds.
ice	A water substance in the solid phase.
tule fog	Radiation fog in the Central Valley
ring of fire	See Circum-Pacific Belt.
ndsitc	National Dam Safety Information Technology Committee
biodiversity	the variety of plant, animal, and microorganism species present in the ecosystem and the community structures the form.
rating curve	a graph showing the relationship between water surface elevation and discharge of a stream or river at a given location
star	A large and very massive, self-luminous celestial body of gas that illuminates via the radiation derived from its internal source of energy.
aurora australis	Southern hemisphere equivalent of the aurora borealis.
stream discharge	A river or stream's rate of flow over a particular period of time
late night	12 midnight-6am
water surface elevation	the elevation of a water surface above or below an established reference level, such as sea level.
winter	The coldest season of the year
logbook	A register book that lists a pilot's flight time, instructor endorsements, and completed training topics.
entrainment	One of three distinct processes involved in erosion
wind	This includes landforms with some of the following geomorphic features: sand dunes, deflation hollows, and desert pavement
react	Radio Emergency Associated Communication Team
aerosol optical properties	The optical properties of aerosols, including asymmetry factor, phase-function, single-scattering albedo, refractive index, and backscatter fraction.
hydrograph separation	In hydrologic terms, the process where the storm hydrograph is separated into baseflow components and surface runoff components.
patchy	Used to describe the spatial coverage of rain, as in 'patchy rain'
gross primary productivity	Total amount of chemical energy fixed by the processes of photosynthesis.
sea surface temperature	ST
ambient medium	material surrounding or contacting an organism (e.g., outdoor air, indoor air, water, or soil through which chemicals or pollutants can reach the organism.
positive feedback	Change in the state of a system that enhances the measured effect of the initial alteration.
isogonic lines	Lines of equal magnetic declination for a given time
national silent test	National Silent Test
sky brightness temperature	A descriptive measure of radiation in terms of the temperature of a hypothetical black body emitting an identical amount of radiation at the same wavelength.
salinity	FRICTION
streamflow	the discharge that occurs in a natural channel.
sling psychrometer	Psychrometer that uses a rotating handle and a whirling motion to ventilate its wet-bulb thermometer.
cbod	Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand. A BOD test in which a nitrification inhibitor is added, so that only the carbonaceous oxygen demanding compounds are measured.
centripetal force	The force required to keep an object moving in a curved or circular path
open system	system in which energy and matter are exchanged between the system and its environment, for example, a living organism.
meander bend	a windings or sinuous section of a stream channel
caldera volcano	Explosive type of volcano that leaves a large circular depression
transform fault	Massive strike-slip fault continental in size
dryline media llc	All rights reserved
thunderstorm	A mesoscale weather system produced by strong convection currents that reach to great altitudes within the troposphere
municipal sludge	semi-liquid residue remaining from the treatment of municipal water and wastewater.
prevailing wind	The direction from which the wind blows most frequently in any location.
direction	speed, character (gusts and squalls), and shifts
cbrne	Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or High-Yield Explosive
warm air advection	Usually refers to warmer air moving into an area, based on 1000-500mb thickness or 850hPa temperature.
facilitation model of succession	This model of succession suggests that the change in plant species dominance over time is caused by modifications in the abiotic environment that are imposed by the developing community
ultisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
ape	Area of Potential Effect
barograph	A recording instrument that provides a continuous trace of air pressure variation with time.
federal aviation administration	see FAA
colonization	Movement of individuals or propagules of a species to a new territory.
longitude	the East-West angular distance of a locality from the Prime Meridian
clarifier	a tank in which solids settle to the bottom and are subsequently removed as sludge.
dew point	generally during the nighttime hours.
local action statement	A release prepared by a National Weather Service Forecast Office in or near a threatened area giving specific details for its area of responsibility
osmosis	the passage of a liquid from a weak solution to a more concentrated solution across a semi-permeable membrane that allows passage of the solvent (water) but not the dissolved solids.
emergency public information	Information disseminated primarily, but not unconditionally, at the time of an emergency frequently includes actions, instructions and direct orders.
isohyet	A line connecting points of equal precipitation amounts.
micronutrient	Nutritional element required by an organism in relatively very small quantities.
positive vorticity advection	CWA
civil emergency message	Civil Emergenc Message
oxbow	a U-shaped bend in a river or stream that may or may not be cut off from the mainstem.
public assistance coordinator	An emergency management employee who is responsible for providing continuity of service to an applicant in the Public Assistance program
opc	Ocean Prediction Centre, part of NOAA.
compass	An instrument that uses the earth's magnetic field to point to the direction of the magnetic North Pole; used by navigators to determine the direction a yacht is heading and to set a course.
alvusion	a sudden or perceptible change in a river's margin, such as a change in course or loss of banks due to flooding.
thermosphere	ISALLOBAR
hand-off	An action taken to transfer the radar identification and radio communications of an aircraft from one controller to another as an aircraft enters the receiving controller's airspace
ceq	Council of Environmental Quality
solar constant	The flux of solar radiational energy falling on a surface that is positioned at the top of the atmosphere and oriented perpendicular to the solar beam when Earth is at its average distance from the sun.
civil twilight	The time period when the sun is no more than 6 degrees below the horizon at either sunrise or sunset
el niã±o	HUMIDITY
dol	Department of Labor
black carbon concentration	The concentration of carbon in its very absorbing, elemental, non-organic, non-oxide form (e.g
allogenic recharge	recharge that occurs in a sinking stream, entering an aquifer through sinkholes or fault planes
unknown emergenc tune tv	Siren
radar product generator	RPLC
spheroidal weathering	A type of below ground chemical weathering where the corners of jointed rocks become rounded over time
flight plan	A pilot's intended routing and schedule for a flight, giving the pilot and aircraft identification; course, speed, and altitude to be flown; and estimated times of arrival at intermediate stops and the destination; submitted, orally or in writing, to air traffic control or a flight service station
coalescence	The merging of cloud droplets into a single larger droplet.
geomorphology	The field of knowledge that investigates the origin of landforms on the Earth and other planets.
air	This is considered the mixture of gases that make up the earth's atmosphere
cyclogenesis	Cyclic Storm
m&ie	Miscellaneous and Incidental Expenses
firm database	A database containing digital flood hazard information shown on the FIRM, designed for use with specialized Geographic Information System (GIS) software
network notification message	Network Notice Message
filter	a device used to remove solids from a mixture or to separate materials
threshold velocity	Velocity required to cause entrainment in the erosional agents of wind, water or ice
diffused solar radiation	Solar radiation received by the Earth's atmosphere or surface that has been modified by atmospheric scattering.
cs	Customer Service
coriolis effect	A force per unit mass that arises solely from the earth's rotation, acting to deflect fluid parcels that are in motion
equator	which is designated at zero (0) degrees
preflight	The check and preparation of the aircraft before takeoff.
multi-cell	A thunderstorm made up of two or more single-cell storms.
primary wave	See P-wave.
pediplain	An arid landscape of little relief that is occasionally interrupted by the presence of scattered inselbergs
sunrise	The daily appearance of the sun on the eastern horizon as a result of the earth's rotation
cooling degree day	A measurement used to determine how much fuel will be needed to cool indoor environments
heterotroph	Organism that must consume energy rich organic molecules for survival
sea stack	A steep pillar of rock located in the ocean a short distance from the coastline
mineral	Component of rocks
arctic air	it is usually stationary
flash freeze warning	Siren
magneto	A small generator of alternating current with permanent magnets, used in the ignition system of most modern aircraft engines because it produces a hotter spark at high engine speeds than a typical automobile battery system, and it does not depend on an external source of energy.
jfhq	Joint Forces Headquarters (Homeland Security)
pathogen	Microscopic parasite organism that causes disease in a host
blunder	An aviation occurrence (usually pilot error or a mechanical failure) that is totally unexpected by an air traffic controller and leads to potentially unsafe results, such as a pilot navigating an approach to the wrong runway.
atmospheric greenhouse effect	Greenhouse Gases
convection	Motions in a fluid that transport and mix the properties of the fluid
mb	POTNL
evaporation	The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.
emergency alert system	A system designed to permit government officials to issue up-to-date and continuous emergency information and instructions to the public in case of a threatened or actual emergency
input	Addition of matter, energy, or information to a system
single-station forecasts	Weather forecasts based on observations at one location.
tropical storm warning	A Tropical Storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected in the next 24 hours.
solifluction	Form of mass movement in environments that experience freeze-thaw action
boiling point	the temperature at which a liquid boils
method blank	laboratory grade water taken through the entire analytical procedure to determine if samples are being accidentally contaminated by chemicals in the lab
water quality criteria	scientifically derived ambient limits developed and updated by EPA, under section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act, for specific pollutants of concern
c&d	Construction and Demolition
troposphere	the lowest region of the atmosphere between the surface of the earth and the stratosphere
air	Upwelling
sample	A sample is a subset group of data selected from a larger population group
saltwater intrusion	The invasion of saltwater into freshwater aquifers in coastal and inland areas
delay	In aviation, a delay is considered any action taken by a controller that prevents an aircraft from proceeding normally to its destination for an interval of 15 minutes or more.
antenna	A conductor or system of conductors for radiating and/or receiving radio energy
pfor	Principal Federal Official Representative
national response team	representatives of 13 federal agencies that, as a team, coordinate federal responses to nationally significant incidents of pollution and provide advice and technical assistance to the responding agencies.
hyetograph	A graphical representation of rainfall intensity with respect to time.
length of visible light	The time of Civil Sunset minus the time of Civil Sunrise.
ice	The solid form of water
sheet	A line that controls sails and adjusts their angle of attack and their trailing edge.
sediments	These sediments are added on to the edges of the continents through tectonic collision with other oceanic or continental plates.
disturbance	This has several applications
noaa	the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
speed of light	Velocity of light in a vacuum
blizzard	This is the only form of precipitation that is determined by windspeed
equator	running horizontally
fire vortex	During a natural or prescribed fire, the flames drastically heat the surface which allows for hot air near the surface to rise
adiabatic process	A thermodynamic change of state in a system in which there is no transfer of heat or mass across the boundaries of the system
solid	A firm substance that has a definite shape.
usca	United States Code Annotated
spectral model	A model in which the prognostic field variables are represented as sums of a finite set of spectral modes rather than at gridpoints
weighing-bucket rain gauge	A device that is calibrated so that the weight of cumulative rainfall is recorded directly in terms of millimeters or inches.
extreme danger	Above 130 °F
sop	Standard Operating Procedures
low	The center of an area of low pressure, usually accompanied by cyclonic and inward wind flow
muskeg	Poorly drained marshes or swamps found overlying permafrost.
bruine verglaçante	Bruine dont les gouttes se congèlent à l'impact sur le sol ou sur des objets situés sur le sol ou à proximité.
recruitment	survival of young plants and animals from birth to a life stage less vulnerable to environmental change.
glacial surge	A rapid forward movement of the snout of a glacier.
strike-slip fault	Fault that primarily displays horizontal displacement.
peclet number	the relationship between properties of the mesh, fluid velocity, and eddy viscosity for a hydraulic computer model.
project officer	An emergency management employee with demonstrated experience and training in management of large and complex repair projects
subtropical	The region between the tropical and temperate regions, an area between 35 and 40 degrees North and South latitude
chalk	Form of limestone
volcano warning	Siren
climatic year	a period used in meteorological measurements
theodolite	An optical instrument used to track the motion of a pilot balloon, or pibal, by measuring the elevation and azimuth angles.
airspace	Space in the air above the surface of the earth or a particular portion of such space, usually defined by the boundaries of an area on the surface projected upward.
parasite	Consumer organism that feeds on a host for an extended period of time
genus	A group in the classification of organisms
local winds	The movement of air across the land that are particular for that region and occur regularly.
lithosphere	The solid, outer portion of the earth's crust coupled to the rigid upper mantle
bioremediation	a process that uses living organisms to remove pollutants.
fix	A geographical position determined by visual reference to the surface, by reference to one or more radio NAVAIDS, by celestial plotting or by another navigational device
inflow design flood	The flood flow above which the incremental increase in water surface elevation due to failure of a dam or other water impounding structure is no longer considered to present an unacceptable threat to downstream life or property
capillary forces	forces that cause ground water to rise above the surface of the saturated zone into the spaces between soil particles in the unsaturated zone.
antarctic ozone hole	A large area of significant stratospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic continent that typically develops annually between late August and early October, and generally ends in mid-November
fema	Federal Emergency Management Agency
autogenic recharge	recharge that occurs by falling directly on an aquifer's outcrop at the surface
data object description	The basic information, definitions, and metadata required to process "raw" measurement data to standard NetCDF files.
conditional symmetric instability	CT
creek	a small stream of water which serves as the natural drainage course for a drainage basin
soil moisture recharge	The process of water filling the pore space found in a soil (storage).
capillary action	Movement of water along microscopic channels
direct spectral irradiance	The narrow spectral range of measurements coming directly from the sun whose wavelength falls within the solar range of 0.4 and 4 µm.
nitrogen cycle	Product of organic matter decomposition
cercla	Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act
system relationship	Is the association that exist between the elements and attributes of a system based on cause and effect.
element	A molecule composed of one type of atom
mid latitudes	The areas between about 30 degrees and 55 degrees latitude
hydraulic model	a computer model of a segment of river used to evaluate hydraulic conditions
coriolis effect	The effect that the Earth's rotation has on objects on Earth such as prevailing winds and ocean currents
central north pacific basin	The region north of the Equator between 140W and the International Dateline
recharge	refers to water entering an underground aquifer through faults, fractures, or direct absorption.
chlorophyll	Green pigment found in plants and some bacteria used to capture the energy in light through photosynthesis.
emissivity	The fractional amount of radiation emitted by a given object or substance in comparison to the amount emitted by a perfect emitter.
brwfs	Bermuda Regional Wave Forecasting System. A local wave model initialized using the WW3/GFS models or the GFDL model in possible tropical cyclone conditions
coal	Sedimentary rock composed of the compacted, lithified and altered remains of plants
steady state equilibrium	In this type of equilibrium the average condition of the system remains unchanged over time.
stagnation	lack of motion in water that holds pollutants in place.
canadian high	High pressure system that develops in winter over central North America.
fire weather	Weather conditions leading to an increased risk of wildfires.
core	The core is a layer rich in iron and nickel found in the interior of the Earth
port tack	Sailing with the wind blowing onto the port side and the mainsail on the starboard side.
turbulence	Irregular, apparently random motions of a fluid such as air or water.
?glide slope beam	A directed radio wave emanating from a glideslope transmitter located near the approach end of the runway of an instrumented airport to provide an indication of the minimum approach angle that will clear all obstacles to the runway.
saturated zone	the area below the water table where all open spaces are filled with water under pressure equal to or greater than that of the atmosphere.
saharan air layer	Dry and/or dusty air in the lower atmosphere (~600-850 hPa or ~4,500-1,500 m), usually emanating from the Sahara region of Africa
maxi	A boat designed to the maximum rating allowed under the International Offshore Rule, or more recently, the international measurement system.
passive remote sensing	Form of remote sensing where the sensor passively captures electromagnetic radiation reflected or emitted by an object.
hydraulic conductivity	the rate at which water can move through a permeable medium.
migration	the movement of oil, gas, contaminants, water, or other liquids through porous and permeable rock.
head race	In hydrologic terms, a channel which directs water to a water wheel; a forebay.
embeddedness	a measure of the degree that gravel and larger substrates are surrounded by fine particles (silt and sand).
cwa	Clean Water Act
backshore	Area behind the shore
fbi	Federal Bureau of Investigation
nivation hollow	Ground depression found in periglacial areas that is created by nivation.
tsunami	Large ocean wave created from an earthquake or volcanic eruption
detritivore	Heterotrophic organism that feeds on detritus
compass	Navigation instrument that uses the Earth's magnetic field to determine direction.
pebble	A rounded piece of rock that is larger than gravel.
doi	Department of the Interior
a strong wind warning	A Strong Wind Warning is a statement which warns of winds averaging from 26 knots and up to 33 knots in coastal waters.
advection	Transport of an atmospheric property by the wind.
infrastructure management board	ACRF management team that manages the overall budget, planning, user request screening, activity implementation, and impact assessments for the ARM Climate Research Facility.
silicate magma	Magma that is felsic in composition.
ccp	Casualty Collection Point
galaxy	An assemblage of millions to hundreds of billions of stars.
surface condition	State of the surface, including vegetation, land use, surface type, roughness, and such; often provided in model output.
annular space	the space between two concentric cylindrical objects, one of which surrounds the other, such as the space between the walls of a drilled hole and a casing.
gs	see ground speed
moho discontinuity	The lower boundary of the crust
layline	An imaginary line projecting at an angle corresponding to the wind direction from either side of a racecourse marker buoy that defines the optimum sailing angle for a yacht to fetch the mark or the finish line
contamination	the introduction into water of sewage or other foreign matter that will render the water unfit for its intended use.
spring melt/thaw	the process whereby warm temperatures melt winter snow and ice
emergency operations center	The county facility that serves as a central location for the coordination and control of all emergency preparedness and response.
uniformitarianism	Is a theory that rejects the idea that catastrophic forces were responsible for the current conditions on the Earth
gradient	The steepness of a slope as measured in degrees, percentage, or as a distance ratio (rise/run).
organism	any form of animal or plant life.
ukmet	United Kingdom forecast model.
declination	Location (latitude) on the Earth where the Sun on a particular day is directly overhead (90° from horizon) at solar noon
land slide warning	Siren
sandbar	A long and narrow body of sand, usually parallel to beaches (see photo)
calorimeter	an instrument that measures heat.
solonetzic soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
deposition	the laying down of material by erosion or transport by water or air.
avhrr	Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
hard freeze warning	Widespread temperatures at or below 28 °F (−2 °C) during the growing season
radiation	in the context of the RReDC, synonymous with electromagnetic radiation, or the energy produced by an oscillating electrical (and magnetic) field, transmitted by photons
experiment	A controlled investigation designed to evaluate the outcomes of causal manipulations on some system of interest.
condensation	The process by which water vapor undergoes a change in state from a gas to a liquid
intermountain high	An area of high pressure that occurs during the winter between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra-Cascade ranges
sediment rating curve	Numerical expression or graphical curve that describes the quantitative relationship between stream discharge and the sediment transported by a particular stream.
water quality standards	laws or regulations, promulgated under Section 303 of the Clean Water Act, that consist of the designated use or uses of a waterbody or a segment of a waterbody and the water quality criteria that are necessary to protect the use or uses of that particular waterbody
seismology	A branch of science focused on the study of earthquakes and seismic activity.
water resources assessment	Determination of the sources, extent, dependability and quality of water resources for their utilisation and control.
fossil	Geologically preserved remains of an organism that lived in the past.
mid-latitudes	cloud bases are usually found between 8,000 and 18,000 feet
terminal	A building or buildings designed to accommodate the enplaning and deplaning activities of air carrier passengers.
groundwater reservoir	an aquifer or aquifer system in which ground water is stored
molecular viscosity	Frictional resistance arising from the interaction of molecules composing a fluid such as air or water.
isotherm	Lines on a map joining points of equal temperature.
well	a bored, drilled, or driven shaft or a dug hole whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension and whose purpose is to reach underground water supplies or oil or to store or bury fluids below ground.
trough	An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure; the opposite of a ridge
station pressure	SEA MILE
national audible test	Beeps
frost	A covering of ice produced by water vapor freezing on exposed surfaces when the air temperature falls below the frost point.
interfacial tension	the strength of the film separating two immiscible fluids (e.g., oil and water) measured in dynes per, or millidynes per, centimeter.
exosphere	The outermost zone in the Earth's atmosphere
biplane	An airplane having two wings on each side of the fuselage, one usually slightly forward and above the other.
top	The high end of the mast.
specific gravity	The ratio of the mass of a body to the mass of an identical volume of water at a specific temperature.
stream flow	The flow of water in a river or stream channel.
hail	Gravitational Force
thpo	Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (refers to activities on native American tribal lands)
nmfs	National Marine Fisheries Service
accretion	a gradual increase in land area adjacent to a river.
reflected wave	A water wave that reflects off the shore or another obstacle and is redirected towards the sea or lake.
golf	Designator for the letter "G" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
spring tide	Semi-monthly tide of increased height due to the new or full moon.
irisation	Colors appearing on clouds, sometimes mingled, sometimes in the form of bands nearly parallel to the margins of the clouds
crabbing	A common course correction technique of turning into the wind in order to establish and maintain flight along a straight track or bearing.
radiation	Electromagnetic Spectrum
combined sewer overflow	the discharge of a mixture of storm water and domestic waste when the flow capacity of a sewer system is exceeded during rainstorms.
thermometers	FAIR
la niña	The extensive cooling of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean
hmru	Hazardous Materials Response Unit
lateral moraine	Moraine that is found along the sides of a glacier
pressure characteristic	The pattern of the pressure change during the specified period of time, usually the three hour period preceding an observation
parcel.	Air Pollution
controls	Devices which allow the pilot to direct the movements of an aircraft
severe thunder warning	Siren
evaporation pan	Meteorological instrument that is used to measure evaporation rates.
ifmis	Integrated Financial Management Information System
water table	level below the earth's surface at which the ground becomes saturated with water
deionized water	water free of inorganic chemicals.
wilfdire warning	Wilfdire Warning
phosphorous	a plant nutrient that can cause an overabundance of bacteria and algae when high amounts are present, leading to a depletion of oxygen and fish kills
running	Dead downwind.
spodosols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
moraine	A hill of glacial till deposited directly by a glacier.
mar	Modernization and Associated Restructuring of the NWS.
celestial equator	Days and nights are most nearly equal in duration
payload	Anything that a flight vehicle carries beyond what is required for its operation during flight.
push times	A span of time during an airport's operations that many flights are arriving and departing within the same time frame.
settleable solids	in sewage, suspended solids that will settle when the sewage is brought to a quiet state for a reasonable length of time, usually two hours.
geoid	True shape of the Earth, which deviates from a perfect sphere because of a slight bulge at the equator.
flight test	A tool of aeronautics in which a real aircraft is flown to gather data which will accurately describe the capabilities of that aircraft
seas	HYDROLOGY
coagulation	in water treatment, the use of chemicals to make suspended solids gather or group together into small flocs.
mean column velocity	the average velocity of fluid flow measured in a column extending from the surface of the water to the bed of the channel
high wind watch	Its issued when conditions are favorable of the development of high winds.
altostratus	An extended cloud formation of bluish or gray sheets or layers.
latosol	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
radiant energy	Empirical
required monthly test	Required Monthly Test
instability	are favorable).
cws	Checkwriter System
arid	A term used for an extremely dry climate
rigging	The wires, lines, halyards, and other items used to attach the sails and the spars to the boat
power	the amount of work or energy expended in a given amount of time
el niño southern oscillation	ENTR
wind-chill factor	The cooling effect of any combination of temperature and wind, expressed as the loss of body heat
vertical axis	The axis extending straight up and down through the center of gravity of an aircraft
opa	Otherwise protected areas
convective condensation level	The height at which a parcel of air, if heated sufficiently from below, will rise adiabatically until it is just saturated.
power outage advisory	Siren
weather	The state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place.
gymnosperm	Plant that bears naked seeds
herbivore	Heterotrophic organism that consumes plants for nutrition
it	Information technology
thermocline	A vertical negative temperature gradient in some layer of a body of water which is appreciably greater than the gradients above and below it
photogrammetry	The science of using aerial photographs and other remote sensing imagery to obtain measurements of natural and human-made features on the Earth.
calm	An absence of wind flow or any other air motion.
milky way galaxy	Aggregation of about 400 billion stars in a flattened, disk-shaped structure in space
hydrolysis	the decomposition of organic compounds by interaction with water.
nam-wrf	North Americal Mesoscale Model/Weather Research and Forecasting, a regional gridpoint model, run to 84 hours, used in weather prediction
eccentricity	The deviation of an ellipse from a perfect circular shape.
segregated ice	A form of periglacial ground ice that consists of almost pure ice that often exists as an extensive horizontal layer
pedogenesis	Process of soil formation.
solar noon	Point of time during the day when the Sun is aligned with True North and True South.
electromagnetic energy	Energy stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation
shear	Its just a variation in the wind speed and/or direction over a short distance.
counter-radiation	Redirection of the Earth's longwave radiation back to the surface because of the greenhouse effect.
unconfined groundwater	Groundwater that is not restricted by impervious layers of rock.
flood warning	The expected severity of flooding (minor, moderate or major) as well as where and when the flooding will begin
hail	TIL
esf	Emergency Support Function
hydraulic gradient	the direction of groundwater flow due to changes in the depth of the water table.
bed forms	three-dimensional configurations of bed material, which are formed in streambeds by the action of flowing water.
high	(abbrev
air	comprising 0.033% of the total.
siltstone	Fine grained sedimentary rock composed of lithified silt particles.
environmental indicator	a measurement, statistic or value that provides evidence of the effects of environmental management programs or of the state or condition of the environment.
hydrostatic pressure	Force caused by water under pressure.
aft	Toward the rear of the vessel.
solar energy	See insolation.
leaching	Process in which water removes and transports soil humus and inorganic nutrients in solution.
biological amplification	Increase in concentration of toxic fat-soluble chemicals in organisms at successively higher trophic levels of a grazing food chain or food web because of the consumption of organisms at lower trophic levels.
earth revolution	Refers to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun
phreatic zone	the area in an aquifer in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water
specific heat	the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a kilogram of a substance (water) by 1 degree Celsius.
plastic deformation	Irreversible change in the shape of a material without fracture as the result of the force of compression or expansion.
tolerance range	Limits of tolerance a species has to an abiotic factor or condition in the environment.
interception	Is the capture of precipitation by the plant canopy and its subsequent return to the atmosphere through evaporation or sublimation
regional airline	A commuter airline.
drm	Disaster Recovery Manager
devonian	Geologic period that occurred roughly 360 to 408 million years ago
separate sewer	a sewer system that carries only sanitary sewage, not stormwater runoff
hygroscopic coefficient	Maximum limit of hygroscopic water around the surface of a soil particle.
bia	Bureau of Indian Affairs
pollutant	A substance that has a harmful effect on the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms.
nmn	Network notification message
mediterranean scrubland	See chaparral.
breakpoint chlorination	addition of chlorine to the point where all organic matter and ammonia compounds have been destroyed and any additional chlorine becomes a free chlorine residual available for disinfection.
slurry	a watery mixture of insoluble matter resulting from some pollution control techniques.
fresh water	Water that is relatively free of salts.
meridians	and because they run vertically over the earth, they are not parallel
em	Emergency Management
cc	Cloud-to-cloud lightning.
cenozoic	Geologic era that occurred from 65 million years ago to today.
kelvin-helmholtz instability	Occurs upon the interface between two fluids
diploid	Cell that contains two sets of chromosomes
velocity	The speed of movement of an object in one direction.
pbx	Private Branch Exchange
granite	Medium to coarse grained igneous rock that is rich in quartz and potassium feldspar
r horizon	Soil horizon found beneath the C horizon
excessive heat watch	Its issued when the following conditions occur within 12-36 hours: a heat index of at least 105 degrees for more than 3 hours per day for 2 consecutive days or a heat index more than 115 degrees for any period of time.
dune	A mound of sand that forms ridges along a coast
volcano warning	Volcano Warning
atmospheric pressure	The pressure exerted by the earth's atmosphere at any given point, determined by taking the product of the gravitational acceleration at the point and the mass of the unit area column of air above the point.
wind ripples	Wind ripples are miniature sand dunes between 5 centimeters and 2 meters in length and 0.1 to 5 centimeters in height
muscovite	Rock forming mineral of the mica group.
zooplankton	Small heterotrophic organisms found inhabiting aquatic ecosystems
maunder minimum	A 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when sunspots were rare.
pressure	The force per unit area exerted by the weight of the atmosphere above a point on or above the earth’s surface
insolation weathering	Form of physical weathering
convective sigmet	see WST
datalink	The continuous transmission of the most recent data to/from the airborne and ground systems.
radcon	Radiological Control Team
trpcl	Tropical
purge	to force a gas through a water sample to liberate volatile chemicals or other gases from the water so their level can be measured.
ftca	Federal Tort Claims Act
seaward	Positioned or located away from land but towards an ocean or sea.
obliquity	Obliquity is the angle between a planet's equatorial plane and its orbital plane.
aerosol	the suspension of very fine particles of a solid or droplets of a liquid in a gaseous medium
ridge	An elongated area of high atmospheric pressure that is associated with an area of maximum anticyclonic circulation
moist adiabatic lapse rate	See saturated adiabatic lapse rate.
transparency	The ability of a medium to allow light to pass through it.
stern	The rear of the boat.
storm motion	The speed at which a thunderstorm travels.
air pressure	The cumulative force exerted on any surface by the molecules composing air.
ccc	Commodity Credit Corporation
actinometer	An instrument which measures the intensity of radiation by determining the amount of chemical change or fluorescence produced by that radiation.
demo message	Nothing
primary pollutant	Air pollutants that enter the atmosphere directly
global radiation	Global (short wave) radiation includes both that radiation energy reaching the ground directly from the sun, and that received indirectly from the sky, scattered downwards by clouds, dust particles etc.
2	56 - 63
showers	Showers are often short lasting (but may last half an hour) but can be heavy. They usually begin and end suddenly.
utc	Universal Time Coordinate
nfirs	National Fire Incident Reporting System
upwelling	The rising of cold water from the deeper areas of the ocean to the surface
antenna gain	See gain.
tephra	Fragmented rock material ejected by a volcanic explosion
pore ice	A form of periglacial ground ice that is found in the spaces that exist between particles of soil.
turning point	In hydrologic terms, a temporary point whose elevation is determined by additions and subtractions of backsights and foresights respectively.
sheeting	A form of physical weathering of rock where surface sheets of material fracture and exfoliate because of pressure release
sunshine	used interchangeably with the more precise term bright sunshine, when the sun casts an obvious shadow or when a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder is recording, usually above 210 W/m2.
deplane	The process of passengers exiting the aircraft.
continent	A large land mass rising abruptly from the deep ocean floor, including marginal regions that are shallowly submerged
cockpit	A recessed area in the deck in which the crew works.
quickwater	the part of a stream that has a strong current; an artificial current or bubbling patch of water just astern of a moving boat.
earthlight	The faint illumination of the dark part of the moon's disk produced by sunlight reflected onto the moon from the earth's surface and atmosphere.
groundwater runoff	the portion of runoff which has passed into the ground, has become ground water, and has been discharged into a stream channel as spring or seepage water.
piezometer	a nonpumping well, generally of small diameter, for measuring the elevation of a water table.
isothermal layer	Vertical layer in the atmosphere where temperature remains unchanged
absorption	when the substance of interest is captured by another substance, reducing the amount available
seismic wave	Successive wave-type displacement of rock usually caused by an earthquake.
finite element	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into elements in each of which the solution of the governing equations is approximated by a continuous function.
calorie	Quantity of energy
reg	A rocky desert landscape
hypolimnion	bottom layer of cold water in a lake
dalton's law	States that the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the gases
isg	White House Incident Support Group
airborne	Supported only by aerodynamic forces; aloft or flying.
condensation	EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
condensation	The process by which water changes phase from a vapor to a liquid.
sludge	solid matter that settles to the bottom of sedimentation tanks in a sewage treatment plant and must be disposed of by digestion or other methods or recycled to the land.
temperature	extreme temperatures, frost, or the impact of wind borne sand or water
pressure gradient force	The pressure gradient force is not actually a 'force' but the acceleration of air due to pressure difference (a force per unit mass)
saturation	the condition of a liquid when it has taken into solution the maximum possible quantity of a given substance at a given temperature and pressure.
trajectory synthesis	Software that gives the controller a four dimensional view of how the many lines of incoming aircraft can be positioned into one line of arrival aircraft.
immediat evacuate	Siren
denitrification	Conversion of nitrates into gaseous nitrogen and nitrous oxide.
dissociation	Chemical process where a compound or molecule breaks up into simpler constituents.
static equilibrium	Static equilibrium occurs where force and reaction are balanced and the properties of the system remain unchanged over time.
water year	a division based on a general pattern of annual wet and dry periods rather than a calendar year
forward sweep wing	A wing that is swept toward the front of the airplane, unlike most fast airplanes which have wings that are swept toward the back of the airplane
metamorphism	Process that creates metamorphic rocks.
recarbonization	process in which carbon dioxide is bubbled into water being treated to lower the pH.
eap exercise	An activity designed to promote emergency preparedness; test or evaluate EAPs, procedures, or facilities; train personnel in emergency management duties; and demonstrate operational capability
transmitter carrier on	Transmitter Carrier On
herbicide	a chemical used to kill nuisance plants
sub-basin	in general, a portion of a river basin.
magnetic south	See South Magnetic Pole.
lignite	Low grade coal
si unit	Short for International System of Units, and denotes the standard unit used internationally for different measures of variables.
gall-peters projection	Map projection system that reduces the area distortion found in Mercator projections.
intermodality	The integrated use of multiple transportation systems such as rail and aircraft.
grab sample	a sample taken at a given place and time
marsh	an area periodically inundated and treeless and often characterized by grasses, cattails, and other monocotyledons
chemical energy	Energy consumed or produced in chemical reactions.
hydrologic equation	In hydrologic terms, the water inventory equation (Inflow = Outflow + Change in Storage) which expresses the basic principle that during a given time interval the total inflow to an area must equal the total outflow plus the net change in storage.
nautical mile	The unit of geographical distance used on "salt-water" charts
latent heat of vaporization	The amount of heat energy required from the environment to change the state of a liquid to a gas
range resolution	The ability of radar to distinguish between targets on the same azimuth but at different ranges.
irrigation return flow	water which is not consumptively used by plants and returns to a surface or ground water supply
hydrometeorology	An interdisciplinary science involving the study and analysis of the interrelationships between the atmospheric and land phases of water as it moves through the hydrologic cycle.
argon	A colorless, odorless inert gas that is the third most abundant constituent of dry air, comprising 0.93% of the total.
polar cell	Three-dimensional atmospheric circulation cell located at roughly 60 to 90° North and South of the equator
petroleum derivatives	chemicals formed when gasoline breaks down in contact with water.
hypocenter	The point of an earthquake's origin deep within the Earth
keystone species	Species that interacts with a large number of other species in a community
nat	National audible test
gas	Evaporation (or Mixing) Fog
vent	Le vent est défini comme un déplacement de l'air
interceptor sewer	very large sewer lines that collect the flow from main and trunk lines and carry them to treatment plants.
pirep	The aviation communications code word and commonly used contraction for pilot report.
intrusive igneous rock	A mass of igneous rock that forms when magma from the mantle migrates upward and cools and crystallizes near, but not at, the Earth's surface
dental fluorosis	disorder caused by excessive absorption of fluorine and characterized by brown staining of teeth.
tropical	often between 20°N and 20°S, very hot and humid with temperatures always greater than 65°F and rain most of the year.
reserves	amount of a particular resource in known locations that can be extracted at a profit with present technology and prices.
melting point	The temperature at which a solid substance undergoes fusion, changing from a solid to a liquid state
food contamin warning	Siren
conusa	Continental United States Army
cumuls mediocris	Medium sized convective cumulus cloud showing little vertical growth and does not produce precipitation
pacific high	A semipermanent anticyclone located in the Eastern North Pacific.
filling	DEGREE
gsa	General Services Administration
confluence	The rate at which adjacent flow is converging along an axis oriented normal to the flow at the point in question.
middle cloud	is gray and often dark
line echo wave pattern	LFC
surface weather chart	see Surface Analysis Chart
gps	Global Position System
magma plume	A rising vertical mass of magma originating from the mantle.
irrigation efficiency	the percentage of water applied, and which can be accounted for, in the soil moisture increase for consumptive use.
heating degree day	One heating degree day is given for each degree that the daily mean temperature is below 65 degrees a given temperature
vapor pressure	Pressure exerted by water vapor molecules in a given quantity of atmosphere.
pumping test	a test conducted to determine aquifer or well characteristics.
hydraulic fill dam	In hydrologic terms, a dam constructed of materials, often dredged, that are conveyed and placed by suspension in flowing water
flashiness	a measure of a river or stream's tendency to carry a high percentage of its flow volume in large, infrequent events rather than more moderate flows that occur frequently.
sand sea	A large region of sand and sand dunes in a desert
monera	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
buoyancy	the tendency of a body to float or rise when immersed in a fluid; the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it.
cloudy with sunny/clear periods	Generally 6-7 oktas with occasional periods of 4 oktas or less.
visible radiation	Electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths in the range of about 0.40 (violet) to 0.70 (red) micrometers.
hurricane statement	Hurrican
municipal sewage	sewage from a community which may be composed of domestic sewage, industrial wastes or both.
air	CAT
dpa	Defense Production Act of 1950
intertropical convergence zone	The axis dividing the southeast trades from the northeast trades, toward which the surface winds tend to converge
climatic optimum	Warmest period during the Holocene epoch
fertilizer	Substance that adds inorganic or organic nutrients to soil for the purpose of increasing the growth of crops, trees, or other vegetation.
glacier	A large piece of ice that survives for many years, slowly carving out the face of earth.
resonance	The state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system.
volume coverage pattern	Vector
fractional rig	A rig where the headstay does not go to the bottom of the mast.
watches	Teams within which the crew operates, taking turns to work, sleep and eat.
delta	Designator for the letter "D" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
wind	Usually only one wind speed is given in a weather forecast, unless it is expected to be very gusty
inorganic	Non-living thing
saltation	Transport of sediment initiated by moving air or water where particles move from a resting surface to the transport medium in quick continuous repeated cycles.
lan	Local Area Network
reflectance	the fraction or percent of a particular frequency or wavelength of electromagnetic radiation that is reflected from the surface of a substance without being absorbed or transmitted.
bloom	a proliferation of algae and/or higher aquatic plants in a body of water; often related to pollution or excessive nutrients, especially when they accelerate growth.
lysimeter	Meteorological instrument used to measure potential and actual evapotranspiration.
skids	A runner used on an aircraft landing gear instead of tires.
backsiphonage	reverse seepage of water in a distribution system.
??s	Unrecognized code ending in S
ionosphere	THICKNESS
autumn	The season of the year that occurs after summer and before winter
km	Kilometers
loam	A soil that contains a roughly equal mixture of clay, sand, and silt
horizon	The distant line along which the earth and sky appear to meet
science board	An ACRF group made up of the ARM Science Team Executive Committee working group science chairs and climate research community appointees, that ensures that the user facility is conducting the best quality science by reviewing proposals and making recommendations to U.S
hurrican warning	Siren
hydraulic gradient	The slope of the water table or aquifer
mdc	See more developed country.
distilled water	water that has been treated by boiling and condensation to remove solids, inorganics, and some organic chemicals.
visible light	Shower (SHWR)
cgs	but this relationship is as yet unproven.)
littoral transport	The process of sediment moving along a coastline
sustained overdraft	long term withdrawal from the aquifer of more water than is being recharged.
results act	Government Performance and Results Act
erosion	the wearing away of the land surface by wind, water, ice or other geologic agents
emergency operations center	The location or facility where responsible officials gather during an emergency to direct and coordinate emergency operations, to communicate with other jurisdictions and with field emergency forces, and to formulate protective action decisions and recommendations during an emergency.
thematic mapper	Remote sensing device found on Landsat satellites that scans images in seven spectral bands from visible to thermal infrared.
polycyclic landform	Landform that shows the repeated influence of one or more major geomorphic processes over geological time
bed load	Portion of the stream load that is carried along the stream bed without being permanently suspend in the flowing water.
mudstone	Fine grained sedimentary rock composed of lithified silt and clay particles.
aneroid capsule	A thin metal disc partially evacuated of air used to measure atmospheric pressure by measuring its expansion and contraction.
la nina	The pattern of cool water in the eastern Pacific last seen from 1998 to 2000
hypothesis	A tentative assumption that is made for the purpose of empirical scientific testing
pressure	The force exerted by the interaction of the atmosphere and gravity
qpf	Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
isolated	Individual features that are isolated from each other, but may affect the area intermittently.
discharge	the volume of water that passes a given point within a given period of time
cleat	A fitting, typically with projecting ends, that holds a line against the tension from the sails, rigging or mooring.
pathogen	microorganisms which can cause disease.
flocculation	large scale treatment process involving gentle stirring whereby small particles in flocs are collected into larger particles so their weight causes them to settle to the bottom of the treatment tank.
preservative	a chemical added to a water sample to keep it stable and prevent compounds in it from changing to other forms or to prevent microorganism densities from changing prior to analysis.
dalton’s law	A scientific law that states that the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each constituent gas.
plate tectonics	refers to the folding and faulting of rock and flow of molten lava involving lithospheric plates in the earth's crust and upper mantle.
chance	A 30, 40 or 50 percent chance of occurrence of measurable precipitation.
flood	A flood occurs when water inundates (covers) land which is normally dry.
state revolving funds	a program, capitalized in part by federal funds, that provides low-interest loans for construction of publicly owned wastewater treatment and water recycling facilities, for implementation of nonpoint source and storm drainage pollution control management programs, and for the development and implementation of estuary conservation and management programs.
sea	over a lake, or along coastal areas.
compound	A compound is the atoms of different elements joined together.
telephone outage emergency	Siren
mesotrophic lake	Lake with a moderate nutrient supply
continental slope	Steeply sloping portion of continental crust found between the continental shelf and continental rise.
perigee	The point nearest the earth on the moon's orbit
humidity	A general term used to describe the amount of water vapor found in the atmosphere.
river	a natural stream of water of considerable volume.
tombolo	A coastal feature that forms when a belt sand and/or gravel is deposited between an island and the mainland
air quality standards	The maximum level which will be permitted for a given pollutant
emergency broadcast system	A system designed to permit government officials to issue up-to-date and continuous emergency information and instructions to the public in a threatened or actual emergency.
fahrenheit scale	Scale for measuring temperature
fish	Group of vertebrate animals that inhabit aquatic habitats.
earth albedo	Is the reflectivity of the Earth's atmosphere and surface combined
tpc	Tropical Prediction Center
cut-off low	A closed cold core low completely removed from the primary westerly flow
high-speed stream	In solar-terrestrial terms, a feature of the solar wind having velocities that are about double average solar wind values.
biohazard warning	Siren
first law of thermodynamics	See Law of Conservation of Energy.
ecotone	Boundary zone between two unique community types.
bow	The front of the boat.
parallel	A line parallel to the equator and connecting all places of the same latitude.
comfortable	Temperature 60 °F - 80 °F
ocean	The intercommunicating body of salt water occupying the depressions of the earth's surface, or one of its major primary subdivisions, bounded by the continents, or the equator, and other imaginary lines
vertical motion	VSB
industrl fire warning	Siren
thermodynamic laws	Laws that describe the physical processes, relationships, and phenomena associated with heat.
ieee	the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
aerated lagoon	a holding and/or treatment pond that speeds up the natural process of biological decomposition of organic waste by stimulating the growth and activity of bacteria that degrade organic waste.
freeboard	the vertical distance between the lowest point along the top of a surface impoundment dike, berm, levee, treatment works or other similar feature and the surface of the liquid contained therein.
system element	System elements are the kinds of things or substances composing the system
ofa	Other federal agencies
fia	Federal Insurance Administration
seal	the impermeable material, such as cement grout bentonite, or puddling clay placed in the annular space between the borehole wall and the casing of a water well to prevent the downhole movement of surface water or the vertical mixing of artestian waters.
trace	Generally, an unmeasurable or insignificant quantity
inchoate water right	an unperfected water right.
altimeter	The instrument that indicates flight altitude (in feet), by sensing pressure changes.
ffa	Flash flood watch
flight characteristic	In aviation, a distinguishing feature of a flight vehicle relating to its predisposition to stall or yaw, or its ability to remain stable or controllable at a given speed.
drf	Disaster Relief Fund
usn	U.S
in-situ flushing	introduction of large volumes of water, at times supplemented with cleaning compounds, into soil, waste, or groundwater to flush hazardous contaminants from a site.
photosynthesis	The process whereby plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to manufacture their food and generate oxygen as a byproduct.
cold air damming	Cap (or Capping Inversion)
mesoscale convective system	MD
seepage lake	A lake that gets its water primarily from the seepage of groundwater.
inmarsat-c	A digital store and forward messaging service, using satellites for transmission.
geomorphic threshold	The amount of slow accumulated change a landform can take before it suddenly moves into an accelerated rate of change that takes it to a new system state.
epri	Electric Power Research Institute
relief	The range of topographic elevation within a specific area.
origin	The arbitrary starting point on a graph or grid coordinate system
esdp	Engineering Study Data Package
weather depiction chart	A simplified version of a surface weather chart used for flight planning and determination of general weather conditions
avn	Aviation Model generated every 12 hours by NCEP.
latitude	Millibar (mb)
frp	Federal Response Plan
taku	Name for a katabatic type of cold wind that occurs in Alaska.
global warming	The theory that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing the Earths surface temperature to warm.
milankovitch theory	Theory proposed by Milutin Milankovitch that suggests that changes in the Earth's climate are cause by variations in solar radiation received at the Earth's surface
flood plain	Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source
shortwave radiation	Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 and 0.7 micrometers (µm)
urban runoff	storm water from city streets and adjacent domestic or commercial properties that carries pollutants of various kinds into the sewer systems and receiving waters.
zonal flow	1
strips	See flight progress strips.
msc	Map Service Center
solar eclipse	An eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon is in a direct line between the sun and the earth, casting some of the earth's surface in its shadow
maximum	The greatest value attained by a function, for example, temperature, pressure, or wind speed
strike	For any particular location, a hurricane strike occurs if that location passes within the hurricane's strike circle, a circle of 125 n mi diameter, centered 12.5 n mi to the right of the hurricane center (looking in the direction of motion)
outbreaks	used to describe rainfall as in 'outbreaks of rain'
climatology	The study of climate
celsius temperature scale	The most commonly used temperature scale where the freezing point is 0 degrees and the boiling point is 100 degrees.
gap	A spatial opening in a plant community
cbra	Coastal Barrier Resources Act
lsw	Land slide warning
sequencing	A method of efficiently placing aircraft safely into a line of smoothly flowing air traffic.
vortices	See wingtip vortices
discharger	any person who discharges waste that could affect the quality of state waters
rec	Regional Emergency Coordinator
hazmat	Hazardous materials
extratropical cyclone	Mid-Latitudes
scattering	The process by which small particles suspended in the air diffuse a portion of the incident radiation in all directions
hydrometeorology	The study of the atmospheric processes that affect the water resources of the earth, including the study of the atmospheric and land phases of the hydrological cycle with emphasis on the interrelationships involved.
"cyclone"	British Broadcasting Corporation
supercell	normally on the southwest side
downwelling current	Ocean current that travels downward into the ocean because of the convergence of opposing horizontal currents or because of an accumulation of seawater.
sitrep	Situation Report
circulate	to move in a circle, circuit or orbit; to flow without obstruction; to follow a course that returns to the starting point.
ibwc	International Boundary and Water Commission
mutualism	Interspecific interaction where both species experience and increase in their fitness after interacting with the other species
vortex	A rapid spiraling motion of air or liquid around a center of rotation.
rope	Damage still is possible during this stage.
leachate	water containing contaminants which leaks from a disposal site such as a landfill or dump.
environment	aggregate of external conditions that influence the life of an individual organism or population.
hounds	The attachment points for the shrouds up the mast.
rime	Deposit of ice crystals that occurs when fog or super cooled water droplets comes in contact with an object with a temperature below freezing (0° Celsius)
translucent	Not transparent, but clear enough to allow light to pass through.
specific humidity	Measurement of atmospheric humidity
richter scale	A logarithmic measurement scale of earthquake magnitude
forcing	A term used to describe the situation where a change or an event in one part of the atmosphere causes a strengthening change in another part of the atmosphere
water solubility	the maximum possible concentration of a chemical compound dissolved in water.
maca	Military Assistance to Civil Authorities
magnetic field	A space where magnetic lines of force exist.
dry bulb temperature	The dry bulb temperature is the value taken from a thermometer when the bulb of the thermometer is dry
detention time	the time required for a volume of water to pass through a tank at a given rate of flow; in storage reservoirs, the length of time water will be held before being used.
photochemical smog	Photochemical smog is a condition that develops when primary pollutants (oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds created from fossil fuel combustion) interact under the influence of sunlight to produce a mixture of hundreds of different and hazardous chemicals known as secondary pollutants
cumulus humilis	Cumulus clouds with little or no vertical development characterized by a generally flat appearance
map projection	Cartographic process used to represent the Earth's three-dimensional surface onto a two-dimension map
filtration	the mechanical process which removes particulate matter by separating water from solid material, usually by passing it through sand.
blackbody	BRK
non-aqueous phase liquid	contaminants that remain undiluted as the original bulk liquid in the subsurface, such as spilled oil.
standard solution	any solution in which the concentration is known.
carbon dioxide	A gas (CO2) present in the atmosphere which plays an important role in the greenhouse effect.
estuarine zone	area near the coastline that consists of estuaries and coastal saltwater wetlands.
ppt	See parts per thousand.
tropical prediction center	Trace (of precipitation)
national silent test	None
est	Emergency Support Team (FEMA)
impulse	IMPT
airworthy	The state of being capable of flight, usually referring to an airplane's mechanical condition.
pte	Preparedness, Training and Exercises
grid north	The direction north as measured on the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system.
compass	A device used to discover geographic direction, usually having a magnetic needle(s) that is horizontally mounted or suspended and free to pivot until aligned with the magnetic field of the earth.
diversion	to remove water from a water body
laminar flow	Movement of water within a stream that occurs as uninterrupted parallel flows
sublimation	The process of a solid (ice) changing directly into a gas (water vapor), or water vapor changing directly into ice, at the same temperature, without ever going through the liquid state (water)
esa	Endangered Species Act
stevenson's screen	A type of instrument shelter
thalweg	the line of maximum depth in a stream
cloma	Conditional Letter of Map Amendment
hanging dam	In hydrologic terms, a mass of ice composed mainly of frazil or broken ice deposited underneath an ice cover in a region of low flow velocity.
salinity	amount of dissolved salts in a given volume of water.
shortwave	SHSN
varve	A thin yearly deposit of sediment found on the bottom of a lake
nautical miles	A unit of length used in sea and air navigation, based on the length of one minute of arc of a great circle
nonporous	something which does not allow water to pass through it
levees	Yazoo tributaries tend to flow on the floodplain parallel to the main stream channel.
satellite	Saturation (of air)
absolute altitude	Actual height above the surface of the earth, either land or water.
dacron	A white woven sailcloth made of polyester fiber
middle latitudes	Prevailing Wind
north pole	Surface location defined by the intersection of the polar axis with Earth's surface in the Northern Hemisphere
chemical weathering	Breakdown of rock and minerals into small sized particles through chemical decomposition.
sunset	Moment of time when the Sun's edge completely disappears below the Earth's horizon.
hydraulic grade line	In hydrologic terms, a line whose plotted ordinate position represents the sum of pressure head plus elevation head for the various positions along a given fluid flow path, such as along a pipeline or a ground water streamline.
eukaryote	Organisms whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus and many specialized structures located within their cell boundary
biomass	The weight of living tissues usually measured per unit area over a particular time interval
nhc	National Hurricane Center
force of acceleration	Force resulting in the speed of a moving body to increase.
macroscale	Meteorological expression referring to synoptic events occurring on a scale of thousands of kilometers, such as warm and cold fronts.
molecule	the smallest division of a compound that still retains or exhibits all the properties of the substance.
flood routing	A process of determining progressively over time the amplitude of a flood wave as it moves past a dam or downstream to successive points along a river or stream.
perihelion	The point of the earth's orbit that is nearest to the sun
siltation	the deposition of finely divided soil and rock particles upon the bottom of stream and river beds and reservoirs.
strike	One of the directional properties of a geologic structure such as a fold or a fault
heating degree-day	A measure of space heating needs on days when the average outdoor air temperature falls below 65 ·F (18 ·C); computed by subtracting the day’s average temperature from 65 ·F.
melting	the changing of a solid into a liquid.
data quality office	Formed in July 2000 to coordinate ARM's Data Quality Program.
perchloroethylene	a chlorinated solvent commonly used in dry cleaning
roll cloud	A relatively rare, low-level, horizontal, tube-shaped cloud
sfha	Special Flood Hazard Area
minimum streamflow	the specific amount of water reserved to support aquatic life, to minimize pollution, or for recreation
op	FEMA’s Office of Policy and Regional Operations
stratovolcano	See composite volcano.
friction	In meteorology, it is the turbulent resistance of the earth on the atmosphere
volcano	An elevated area of land created from the release of lava and ejection of ash and rock fragments from and volcanic vent.
filling	Used in describing the history of a low-pressure system or an area of cyclonic circulation, it means an increase in the central pressure of the system
phloem	Food conducting tissue in vascular plants.
bor	Bureau of Reclamation
foxtrot	Designator for the letter "F" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
national info center	Siren
residual	amount of a pollutant remaining in the environment after a natural or technological process has occurred.
rotation	acting as a deflecting force
radiometer	General name for an instrument used to measure radiation over a specific wavelength range.
ozone	One of the several gases that make up the Earth's atmosphere
cdbg	Community Development Block Grant
static water level	elevation or level of the water table in a well when the pump is not operating; the level or elevation to which water would rise in a tube connected to an artesian aquifer or basin in a conduit under pressure.
nonpotable	not suitable for drinking
hazard potential	A situation which creates the potential for adverse consequences such as loss of life, property damage or other adverse impacts
regimes of flight	A way of placing aircraft into different categories based on their speeds
temblor	An earthquake
jetter	one (as a geyser) that sends out a jet.
immiscibility	the inability of two or more substances or liquids to readily dissolve into one another, such as soil and water.
cmt	Crisis Management Team
headgate	the gate that controls water flow into irrigation canals and ditches
aerial	Of or pertaining to the air, atmosphere, or aviation
remote sensing	The gathering of information from an object or surface without direct contact.
futureflight central	A full-scale, one-of-a-kind air traffic control simulation facility located at NASA's Ames Research Center
magnetic heading	The direction in which the longitudinal axis of the airplane is pointing according to a magnetic compass.
evi	Evacuate immediately
xp	Transmitter primary on
coastal zone	Relatively nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the edge of the continental shelf.
microscale	The smallest scale of meteorological phenomena that range in size from a few centimeters to a few kilometers
indigenous weather	Indigenous Australians have long held their own seasonal calendars based on the local sequence of natural events.
pitted topography	Landscape characterized by numerous kettle holes on a glacial outwash plain.
non-towered airport	An airport not directed by air traffic control; pilots fly into and out of these airport using standard operating procedures to avoid one another.
stability	The degree of resistance of a layer of air to vertical motion.
resource partitioning	The evolutionary process of species living in the same ecosystem dividing up resources so that each species develops dissimilar resource requirements to avoid competition
cumulus	Puffy white cloud belonging to a class characterized by dense individual elements in the form of puffs, mounds or towers, with flat bases and tops that often resemble cauliflower
cornell university	Archived from the original on June 13, 2007
dust	Small particles of earth or other matter suspended in the air
wind	Air in motion relative to the Earth’s surface.
stream	a general term for a body of flowing water.
cement grout	a mixture of water and cement in the ratio of not more than 5-6 gallons of water to a 94 pound sack of portland cement which is fluid enough to be pumped through a small diameter pipe.
trihalomethanes	chemical compounds in which three of the four hydrogen atoms of methane (CH4) are replaced by halogen atoms
phytoplankton	Small photosynthetic organisms, mostly algae and bacteria, found inhabiting aquatic ecosystems
latitude	Angular distance north or south of the equator, measured from 0 to 90 degrees north or south.
equinox	Two days during the year when the declination of the Sun is at the equator
hmw	Hazardous material warning
recumbent fold	A fold in which the axial plane is almost horizontal.
noi	Notice of Interest
mostly sunny	When the 1/8th to 2/8ths of the sky is covered by with opaque (not transparent) clouds Same as Mostly Clear, except only applicable during daylight hours.
recharge rate	the quantity of water per unit of time that replenishes or refills an aquifer.
unknown watch tune tv	Siren
fissure	Opening or crack in the Earth's crust.
turbulence	The irregular and instantaneous motions of air which is made up of a number of small of eddies that travel in the general air current
coefficient of determination	Statistic that measures the proportion of the variation in the dependent variable that is associated with the statistical regression of an independent variable
electromagnetic radiation	which emits heat and light, is one form
commercial aviation	The business of operating aircraft that carry passengers by commercial companies
visible satellite	Satellite data which is available during daylight hours, it is a view of the earth from a satellite, available when sunlight lights the surface of the earth
hard water	water containing a high level of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals
fcc	Federal Communications Commission
damages	Disaster Assistance Management Accountability System
conduction	The transfer of heat through a substance by molecular action or from one substance by being in contact with another.
microwave radiation	Electromagnetic radiation generally in the frequency range between 300 MHz and 300 GHz (wavelengths between 1mm and 1m).
hydrologic cycle	Often called the water cycle, it is the vertical and horizontal transport of water in all its states between the earth, the atmosphere, and the seas.
mhz	Megahertz, One million cycles per second, used especially as a radio frequency unit.
jetliners	A commercial jet aircraft for carrying passengers and/or cargo.
toxaphene	chemical that causes adverse health effects in domestic water supplies and is toxic to fresh water and marine aquatic life.
standing rigging	The non-moving rods and lines that support the mast and sails.
gamete	A haploid reproductive cell.
thermal pollution	an increase in air or water temperature that disturbs the climate or ecology of an area.
gyroscope	A comparatively heavy wheel mounted on a spinning axis which is free to rotate about one or both of two axes perpendicular to each other and to the spinning axis
required monthly test	Beeps
underdrain	a concealed drain with openings through which the water enters when the water table reaches the level of the drain.
erb	Economic Resources Board
sectional chart	An aeronautical chart designed for visual navigation of slow or medium speed aircraft
beta particle	Electron emitted from the nucleus of a radioactive isotope
preliminary report	Now known as the "Tropical Cyclone Report"
middle latitudes	Middle Latitudes (Mid-latitudes)
radiation	Energy transported through electromagnetic waves
limiting factor	Abiotic condition that most controls the growth of a species
forestay	A mast support that runs from the top of the mast, or near the top of the mast, to the bow.
cloud deck	The top of a cloud layer, usually viewed from an aircraft.
dsppm	Dam Safety Program Performance Measures
gas	A state of matter where molecules are free to move in any direction they like
geostationary orbit	Satellite that has an orbit that keeps it over the same point on the Earth at all times
altocumulus	AC
soil creep	Slow mass movement of soil downslope
m	Statute Mile
guild	a group of species or organisms that use the same environmental resources (habitat, food source, etc.) or life history strategy (such as reproduction) in the same way.
value-added product	Physical models using ARM instrument data as inputs used to fulfill some of the unmet measurement needs of the ARM Program and to improve the quality of existing measurements.
headwaters	Upper portion of stream's drainage system.
zenith	NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH (NCAR)
heterogenic aquifer	an aquifer that has a variety of forms or characteristics, such as differering permeabilities
homing	The procedure of using the direction-finding equipment of one radio station with the emission of another radio station, where at least one of the stations is mobile, and whereby the mobile station proceeds continuously towards the other station.
moisture holding capacity	the amount of liquid that can be held against gravity, by waste materials or soil, without generating free liquid.
waterlogging	saturation of soil with irrigation water so the water table rises close to the surface.
epa	Environmental Protection Agency. The federal regulatory agency responsible for protecting environmental quality throughout the nation
guy	A rope used to adjust the position of a spinnaker pole.
interglacial climate	Conditions that favor the melting of glacial ice (if present).
eplo	Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer
hydroelectric plant	electric power plant in which the energy of falling water is used to spin a turbine generator to produce electricity.
wave period	This is the time taken between when any part of a wave passes a fixed point and when the same part of the next wave passes that point.
freeze-thaw action	Processes associated with daily and seasonal cycles of freezing and melting.
sioc	Strategic Information and Operations Center
downwelling shortwave irradiance	The total diffuse and direct radiant energy that comes from some continuous range of directions, at wavelengths between 0.4 and 4 µm, that is being emitted downwards.
ims	Information Management System
hazardous seas warning	A warning for wave heights and/or wave steepness values meeting or exceeding locally defined warning criteria.
fuselage	The part of the airplane to which the empennage and wings are attached
rainbow	They are one of the most common but most spectacular sky displays
extreme cold warning	(deprecated) Dangerously low temperatures are expected for a prolonged period of time
beaufort scale	A scale of wind speed based originally on visual assessment of the effects of wind on seas.
glaciers	Glacier
ams	Aerial Measuring System
lifted index	A common measure of atmospheric instability
germination	The beginning of vegetative growth of a plant from a seed.
potential energy	Perfect Gas
in-cloud lightning	Ice
surface creep	The sliding and rolling movement of soil particles on the Earth's surface because of wind
frost	Deposit of soft white ice crystals or frozen dew drops on objects near the ground; formed when surface temperature falls below freezing point.
baseline change request	A web-based tool that is used to discuss, review, and approve an "engineered product" or other changes to infrastructure components as it is turned over to ARM Operations.
dead end	the end of a water main that is not connected to other parts of the distribution system.
ia	Individual Assistance
uncomfortably cold	Wind chill 0 °F - 30 °F
federal aviation administration	Fahrenheit Scale
turbidity	The thickness or opaqueness of water caused by the suspension of matter
slate	A fine grained metamorphic rock with well developed bedding planes derived from the slight recrystrallization of shale.
hurricane	Storm Top
movement	A term used in geography that deals with the migration, transport, communication, and interaction of natural and human-made phenomena across the spatial dimension.
ncar	located in Boulder, Colorado.
toxic hot spot	location in enclosed bay, estuary, or any adjacent waters that has toxic pollution problems in the water or sediment in excess of applicable standards.
ceiling	The height of the lowest layer of broken or overcast cloud layer.
weathering	The decay and breakup of rocks on the earth's surface by natural chemical and mechanical processes
australian height datum	The datum (adopted by the National Mapping Council of Australia) to which all vertical control for mapping is to be referred to.
inclement weather	Rough, severe or stormy weather.
oceanography	it is the horizontal distance between the highest parts of two successive wave crests above the still water level, separated by a trough that is below the still water level, and it is measured in meters.
salinity	A measure of the quantity of dissolved salts in sea water
zulu	Equivalent to UTC or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
ffs	Flash flood statement
rcc	Radiometer Calibration & Characterization (RCC) software is used to automate the BORCAL process
flume	a natural or artificially made channel that diverts water.
proterozoic	Geologic eon that occurred from 570 to 2500 million years ago
gully	a deeply eroded channel caused by the concentrated flow of water.
fhbm	Flood Hazard Boundary Map
distance ratio	Method for measuring the gradient of a slope
trough	TROP
paleozoic	Geologic era that occurred from 570 to 245 million years ago.
jetty	a structure (as a pier or mole of wood or stone) extending into a sea, lake, or river to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbor.
spectrum	Is a graph that describes the quantity of radiation that is emitted from a body at particular wavelengths.
lentic system	a nonflowing or standing body of fresh water, such as a lake or pond
aspiration thermograph	A thermograph in which ventilation is provided by a suction fan.
subsea permafrost	Form of permafrost that exists beneath the sea in ocean sediments.
avalanche warning	Avalanche Warning
marble	Metamorphic rock created by the recrystallization of calcite and/or dolomite.
flash freeze warning	Flash Freeze Warning
nawas	National Warning System
air	comprising 20.946%.
gleysol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
diffraction	The result of light waves interfering with other after passing through a narrow aperture, causing them to bend or spread.
scary looking cloud	SLD
radarsat	Satellite program established by the Canadian Space Agency for the purpose of remotely sensing the Earth's resources
southern hemisphere	and is associated with a high atmospheric pressure.
takeoff	The process of using the thrust of the engines to accelerate an airplane down a runway until enough lift is generated so that the aircraft breaks contact with the ground.
dfo	Disaster Field Office
boarding gate	The entrance to the jetway ramp that leads to a passenger's aircraft.
frequency	The number of periodic oscillation, vibrations or waves per unit of time; usually expressed in hertz
helmsman	The crewmember who steers the yacht; usually also the skipper; also called the "driver".
departure leg	The flight path which begins after takeoff and continues straight ahead along the runway centerline.
mutation	Change in the structure of a gene or chromosome.
lifelines	Cables that are held in place by stanchions and go around the boat to prevent people from falling overboard
geopotential height	Gravity-weighted height of a pressure surface, usually in a model that uses pressure as the vertical coordinate.
tropic of cancer	The most northern point on the earth where the sun is directly overhead, located at approximately 23.5 degrees North latitude.
kevlar	Man-made, yellow/brown aramid fiber that is used to make sails or composites for building hulls
fcm	Federal Communications Manager
sunrise	The time the sun appears above the horizon.
firn line	See firn limit.
mercury barometer	A mercury-filled tube used to measure air pressure; the standard barometric instrument, which features great precision.
scour	the erosive action of running water in streams, which excavates and carries away material from the bed and banks
second law of thermodynamics	This law states that heat can never pass spontaneously from a colder to a hotter body
apparent freezing point	Same as freezing point.
acre-foot	The volume of water required to cover one acre to a depth of one foot; 43,560 cubic feet.
easting	First measurement of a grid reference used to specific the location of a point on a rectangular coordinate system
eluviation	Movement of humus, chemical substances, and mineral particles from the upper layers of a soil to lower layers by the downward movement of water through the soil profile
specialist species	Species that have a relatively narrow ecological niche
heat advisory	Its issued within 12 hours of the onset of the following conditions: a heat index of at least 105 degrees but less than 115 degrees for less than 3 hours per day or if nighttime lows remain above 80 degrees for 2 consecutive days.
equator	from 0° to the North Pole.
montreal protocol	Treaty signed in 1987 by 24 nations to cut the emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the atmosphere
decelerate	To slow down
usgs	United States Geological Survey
shortwave radiance	A measure of the intrinsic radiant energy flux intensity, at wavelengths between 0.4 and 4 µm, emitted by a radiator in a given direction, expressed in units of energy per unit time per unit solid angle.
airport identifier	A specific combination of four letters or a combination of letters and numbers, assigned by the FAA, to each airport as a recognition sign.
dfco	Deputy Federal Coordinating Officer
tsunami	An ocean wave generated by a submarine earthquake, volcano or landslide
quick looks	Daily and weekly plots of ARM data that give users a browsable quick view of a subset of data available at the ARM Archive.
particularly dangerous situation	PDS Watch
usg conplan	United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan
coral reef	Ridge of limestone found generally below the ocean surface
island arc	A line of volcanic islands found of the ocean that have been created by the convergence of two tectonic plates and the subsequent subduction of one of the plates beneath the other
relocated	A term used in an advisory to indicate that a vector drawn from the preceding advisory position to the latest know position is not necessarily a reasonable representation of the cyclone’s movement
offshore forecast	A marine weather forecast for the waters between 60 and 250 miles off the coast.
hydrology	The study of the waters of the earth, especially with relation to the effects of precipitation and evaporation upon the occurrence and character of water in streams, lakes, and on or below the land surface.
algorithm	the set of simple instructions that combine to accomplish a task
horizontal wind	The horizontal wind in terms of either speed and direction, or the zonal (u) and meridional (v) components.
fhwa	Federal Highway Administration
desert	There are many different definitions which describe a desert
heading	The direction in which the longitudinal axis of the airplane points with respect to true or magnetic north
triple point	The point at which any three atmospheric boundaries meet
snow creep	A continuous, extremely slow, downhill movement of a layer of snow.
dam break warning	Siren
sat-phone	A satellite telephone
reptile	Group of terrestrial vertebrate animals that includes turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and alligators.
latitude	The position of the Earths surface north or south of the equator.
amc	Air Mobility Command, U.S
radio waves	Long-wavelength, low-frequency electromagnetic waves.
civil danger warning	Civil Danger Warning
environmental impact statement	a document that analyzes the effects of major federal projects on the environment
upwelling shortwave radiance	The rate at which radiant energy, at a wavelength between 0.4 and 4 µm, is being emitted upwards into a radiation field and transferred across a surface area (real or imaginary) in a hemisphere of directions.
gooseneck	The mechanical device connecting the boom and the mast.
colorado low	A low pressure disturbance that forms in the lee of the Rocky Mountains, usually in southeastern Colorado.
veering	A clockwise shift in the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere at a certain location
cut-off high	A warm high which has become displaced and is on the polarward side of the jet stream
meridian	A circular arc that meets at the poles and connects all places of the same longitude.
aircraft turbulence	Irregular motion of an aircraft in flight, especially when characterized by rapid up-and-down motion, caused by a rapid variation of atmospheric wind velocities
population parameter	A value used to represent a certain quantifiable characteristic of a population
chelate	Organic substances that cause the chemical process of chelation.
watermaster	An employee of a water department who distributes available water supply at the request of water right holders and collects hydrographic data.
drawdown	the drop in the water table or level of groundwater when water is being pumped from a well; the amount of water used from a tank or reservoir; the drop in the water level of a tank or reservoir.
fair	This is a subjective description
magnetic declination	The horizontal angle between true north and magnetic north or true south and magnetic south.
incursions	See runway incursions
opaque	A condition where a material, such as a cloud, blocks the passage of radiant energy, especially light
canopy	the overhanging cover formed by branches and foliage.
dropsonde	A weather reconnaissance device designed to be dropped from an airplane
absolute temperature	Equilibrium
dmat	Disaster Medical Assistance Team
digester	in wastewater treatment, a unit in which anaerobic bacterial action is induced and accelerated in order to break down and stabilize organic matter removed from the treatment process.
surface pressure	The surface pressure is the pressure reading on a barometer, but has not been adjusted to mean sea-level pressure
pressure unsteady	A pressure that fluctuates by 0.03 inches of mercury or more from the mean pressure during the period of observation, which is usually a three-hour interval.
tho	Temporary Housing Officer
deepening	DPTH
law enforce warning	Siren
producer	An organism that can synthesize the organic nutrients in requires for growth through processes like photosynthesis.
pluie verglaçante	Pluie dont les gouttes se congèlent à l'impact sur le sol ou sur des objets situés sur le sol ou à proximité.
upslope fog	Fog produced by air flowing over topographic barriers
longitude	Longitude is a west-east measurement of position on the Earth
floodway / regulatory floodway	The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base (1%-annual-chance) flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.
autovon	Automatic Voice Network
ozone layer	Atmospheric concentration of ozone found at an altitude of 10 to 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface
potable	suitable, safe, or prepared for drinking
tuberculation	development or formation of small mounds of corrosion products on the inside of iron pipe
pos	Power outage advisory
tornadoes	COLD CORE
aadpa	FEMA acronym for Assistant Associate Director for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
escarpment	the topographic expression of a fault.
ncp	National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan
weathering landform	Is a landform created by the physical or chemical decomposition of rock through weathering
drought	Climatic condition where water loss due to evapotranspiration is greater than water inputs through precipitation.
gravity	The natural force that pulls an object toward the earth
hydrologic model	In hydrologic terms, a conceptual or physically-based procedure for numerically simulating a process or processes which occur in a watershed.
catastrophism	General theory that suggests that certain phenomena on the Earth are the result of catastrophic events
nautical mile	A unit of length used in marine navigation equal to a minute of arc of a great circle on a sphere
index of refraction	A measure of how optically dense a substance is
rafales	Les rafales sont des variations soudaines, rapides et brèves de la vitesse du vent
water vapor imagery	WV
pc-tare	Personal Computer-Time and Attendance Report
leeward	The side of an object or obstacle, such as a ship’s sail, a mountain or a hill, furthest away from the wind, and therefore, protected from the direct force of the wind
undertow	the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking on the shore.
chinook wind	The name of a North American wind that occurs on the leeward side of mountains
equinox	Either of two points where the sun's rays will shine directly over the equator at noon, and all locations on earth will theoretically experience twelve hours of daylight
shale	Fine grained sedimentary rock composed of lithified clay particles.
stable air	Air that is colder than its surroundings and is resistant to upward movement.
seiche	A standing oscillation in an enclosed or semi-enclosed body of water that continues after the end of the original force.
hydrograph	A graph describing stream discharge over time.
correlative rights	rights that are coequal or that relate to one another, so that any one owner cannot take more than his share.
berm	Low hill of sand that forms along coastal beaches.
smoke	Small particles produced by combustion that are suspended in the air
period	Geologic time unit that is shorter than an era but longer than a epoch.
adams	FEMA’s Automated Disaster Assistance Management System
interface	the common boundary between two substances such as water and a solid, water and a gas, or two liquids such as water and oil.
precambrian	Span of geologic time that dates from 4.6 billion to 570 million years ago
realized niche	Describes the part of the fundamental niche that a species actually occupies.
urbanization	Expansion of cities into rural regions because of population growth
prokaryote	Organisms whose cells have their genetic material in the form of loose strands of DNA found in the cytoplasm
interstices	the void or empty portion of rock or soil occupied by air or water.
airfoil	An object with a special shape that is designed to produce lift efficiently when the object is moved through the air
transmitter carrier on	Beeps
unconformity	A break in the sequence of sedimentary strata
sugar	Type of carbohydrate chemically based on carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.
required weekly test	Beeps
fire whirl	During a natural or prescribed fire, the flames drastically heat the surface which allows for hot air near the surface to rise
frostbite	The partial freezing of exposed parts of the body, causing injury to the skin and sometimes to deeper tissues.
northern hemisphere	The half of the earth located above the equator, from 0° to the North Pole.
state of emergency	A declaration made by the Chief Elected Official of a state, county or city government which entails a heightened level of activation and mobilization of staff to protect property and lives
dpas	Defense Priorities and Allocation System
center of gravity	The force of gravity acts on every individual part of an object, like an airplane
ground incursions	Any occurrence at an airport involving an aircraft, vehicle, person, or object on the ground that creates a collision hazard or results in loss of safe operation with an aircraft taking off or landing.
pull	To use force to bring something closer
zone of aeration	a region in the Earth above the water table
tropical depression	A tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near the surface of less than 39 miles (63 kilometers) an hour
extreme cold	Wind chill below 0 °F
local area emergenc	Siren
ga	See general aviation
enrichment	the addition of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater effluent or agricultural runoff to surface water
cross-connection	any actual or potential connection between a drinking water system and an unapproved water supply or other source of contamination.
sco	State Coordinating Officer
dripstone	deposits of calcium carbonate that include stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and cave pearls.
swell	Surface gravity waves on the ocean that are not growing or being sustained any longer by the wind
single-column modeling	An approach to the development and testing of cloud formation and parameterizations
airmass	A widespread body of air, the properties of which can be identified as 1) having been established while that air was situated over a particular region of the earth's surface (airmass source region), and 2) undergoing specific modifications while in transit away from the source region.
desalination	the process of salt removal from sea or brackish water.
chlorofluorocarbons	Chemicals that release chlorine atoms that destroy ozone high in the atmosphere.
anticyclones	Atmospheric circulations that rotate anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere
molecule	The absolute tiniest part of a substance , that can still be called by that name
magnetic variation	Difference between true north and magnetic north, varying with position; magnetic variation drifts with time.
induction	Inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances
mass	Refers to the amount of material found in an object (usually of unit volume).
fathom	The common unit of depth in the ocean for countries using the English system of measurement
era	Geologic time unit that is shorter than an eon but longer than a period.
asdso	Association of State Dam Safety Officials
trough	An elongated area of low pressure at the surface or aloft.
dispersal	An organism leaving its place or birth or activity for another location.
holistic	Concerned with a complete system.
langley	Named for Samuel P
tec	Technical Evaluation Contractor
science	Science is a way of acquiring knowledge
static water depth	the vertical distance from the centerline of the pump discharge down to the surface level of the free pool while no water is being drawn from the pool or water table.
gyro-compass	A compass consisting of a motor-operated gyroscope whose rotating axis, kept in a horizontal plane, takes a position parallel to the earth's rotation and thus points to the geographical north pole instead of the magnetic pole.
humus	Dark colored semi-soluble organic substance formed from decomposition of soil organic matter.
gas	A substance, often invisible, made up of small particles that can expand and contract, and move easily.
attenuation	the process whereby the magnitude of a flood event is reduced by slowing, modifying, or diverting the flow of water.
municipal discharge	discharge of effluent from treatment plants that receive wastewater from households, commercial establishments, and industries.
periglacial	Landforms created by processes associated with intense freeze-thaw action in an area high latitude areas or near an alpine or continental glacier.
wavelengths	Diurnal
downwind	The point of sail when the wind blows from aft of the yacht's beam.
windchill	The felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind.
naturalized conditions	an estimate of natural conditions obtained by attempting to remove effects of human activities from a set of measured conditions.
particulate matter	Particles of dust, soot, salt, sulfate compounds, pollen, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere.
on-site sewage treatment	any individual residential sewage treatment and wastewater dispersal system, such as a septic system.
nst	National silent test
instability	Instability (INSTAB or INSTBY)
international date line	The line of longitude located at 180Â° East or West (with a few local deviations) where the date changes by a day
köppen climate classification	System that uses monthly precipitation and temperature data and total annual precipitation data to classify a location's climate into one of five main categories: Tropical Moist Climates; Dry Climates; Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters; Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters; and Polar Climates
1	41 - 47
terrestrial radiation	Long wave radiation that is emitted by the earth back into the atmosphere
greenhouse effect	The heating effect of the Earth's atmosphere
influent	water, wastewater, or other liquid flowing into a reservoir, basin, or treatment plant.
incident radiation	incoming radiation; i
lava	Molten rock (magma) that extrudes through a volcano
human geography	Field of knowledge that studies human-made features and phenomena on the Earth from a spatial perspective
law of stream lengths	Morphometric relationship observed in the cumulative size of stream segment lengths in stream channel branching
correlation coefficient	Statistic that measures the degree of linear association between two variables
small craft advisory	An advisory issued for marine interests, especially for operators of small boats or other vessels
continental air mass	An air mass with continental characteristics
emac	Emergency Management Assistance Compact
nrcs	National Resources Conservation Service
rayonnement	Processus par lequel l'énergie se propage dans un milieu grâce au mouvement ondulatoire de ce milieu
project worksheet	A form used to document the damage and develop the scope of work for repair of a damage site
southern hemisphere	and is associated with a low atmospheric pressure .
maritime tropical air mass	MT
cardinal points	The four main navigational directions (North, East, South, and West) found on a compass or a map.
coastal flood watch	Siren
water quality-based toxics control	an integrated strategy used in NPDES permitting to assess and control the discharge of toxic pollutants to surface waters
biogeochemical cycling	the flow of chemical substances to and from the major environmental reservoirs (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere).
scientific model	An approximation or simulation of a real system that omits all but the most essential variables of the system.
fault scarp	The section of the fault plane exposed in a fault
thermograph	A recording instrument that gives a continuous trace of temperature with time.
psychrometer	WHIRLWIND
blackwater	wastewater from toilet, latrine, and agua privy flushing and sinks used for food preparation or disposal of chemical or chemical-biological ingredients.
urban heat island	Observed condition that urban areas tend to be warmer than surrounding rural areas.
exotic stream	A stream that has a course that begins in a humid climate and end in an arid climate
occluded front	A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing cold air mass sandwiches a warm air mass between another cold air mass pushing the warm air into the upper atmosphere.
collection efficiency	The fraction of droplets approaching a surface that actually deposit on that surface.
validation	The pre-funding verification that proposed or completed work projects meet statutory and regulatory compliance
schist	A medium to coarse grained metamorphic rock with well developed bedding planes derived from the foliated recrystrallization of platy like minerals like mica.
fall	Season between summer and winter
talus	An accumulation of angular rock debris from rockfalls.
outer core	Outer region of the Earth's core
skimming	using a machine to remove oil or scum from the surface of the water.
diorite	A coarse grained igneous rock of intrusive origin that is darker and chemically more mafic than granite.
precipitation	Frontal Zone
eat	Emergency action termination
earth	The third planet from the sun and is our home.
flood	an overflow or inundation that comes from a river or other body of water and causes or threatens damage
algal bloom	a phenomenon whereby excessive nutrients within a river, stream or lake cause an explosion of plant life which results in the depletion of the oxygen in the water needed by fish and other aquatic life
atmoradiograph	A device for measuring the frequency of occurrence of atmospherics whose intensity is greater than a predetermined level.
granitic magma	Felsic magma that generates mainly granitic rocks.
biome	Largest recognizable assemblage of animals and plants on the Earth
circum-pacific belt	A zone circling the edge of the Pacific Ocean basin where tectonic subduction causes the formation of volcanoes and trenches
fault plane	The plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault.
cm	Consequence Management
subduction zone	An area where two plates come together and one slides under another
meridional transport	Transport of atmospheric and oceanic energy from the equator to the poles.
salt water	The water of the ocean, distinguished from fresh water by its appreciable salinity.
simulator	A device that creates an environment that is as close as possible to reality
kw	kilowatt, or 1000 Watts, a unit of power.
horizon	One of several lines or planes used as reference for observation and measurement relative to a given location on the surface of the earth
magnetosphere	Regions of the upper atmosphere encompassed by the Earth’s magnetic field; deflected by solar wind into a teardrop-shaped cavity.
gas	Subsidence
evapotranspiration	Combined loss of water to the atmosphere via the processes of evaporation and transpiration.
foliation	Process where once randomly distributed platy minerals in a rock become reoriented, because of metamorphism, in a parallel manner.
0	Calm
wind shift	The term applied to a change in wind direction of 45 degrees or more, which takes place in less than 15 minutes
atmosphere	Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC)
alcc	Airlift Control Center
reflection	Process of returning sound or light waves back to their source.
fzw	Freeze warning
clouds	Critical Thickness
quarry water	the moisture content of freshly quarried stone, esp
rd	Regional Director
energy flux	The rate of energy flow from, into, or through a substance.
flight log	A flight planning document in which a pilot calculates factors such as speed, course, altitude, and fuel consumption for an upcoming flight.
foreshock	Small earth tremors that occur seconds to weeks before a significant earthquake event.
fire cloud	A dense convective cloud that develops above wild land and grass land fires, as well as out of control prescribed fires
doppler radar	A type of weather radar that determines whether atmospheric motion is toward or away from the radar
trim	To adjust the sail to make it the right shape and angle to the wind.
macdis	Military Assistance for Civil Disturbances
bay	A body of sheltered water found in a crescent shaped coastal configuration of land.
celestial sphere	ECOLOGY
dam watch	Dam Watch
affirmative	Aviation term for "yes"; to declare or confirm that something is true.
rr	Response and Recovery; also FEMA’s Response and Recovery Directorate
supercooled water	water that has been cooled below the freezing point, but is still in a liquid state.
fog	The visible aggregate of minute water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near the earth's surface
progressive succession	Succession where the developing plant community becomes complex and contains more species and biomass over time.
usfa	United States Fire Administration
ukmet/ukmo	The UK Meteorological Office's spectral global weather model, run to 144 hours, used in weather prediction
derecho	A squall line may be labeled a derecho if it is followed by an extended area of damaging winds
runway visual range	An instrumentally-derived value, based on standard calibrations, that represents the horizontal distance a pilot may see down the runway from the approach end.
planetary boundary layer	Top of the planetary boundary layer; also known as depth or height of the mixing layer.
tngt	Tonight
shroud	A cable or rod that supports the mast sidewise
supercritical flow	flow characterized by high velocity and a Froude number greater than 1
tailplane	Another word for a horizontal stabilizer.
txo	Transmitter carrier on
septic system	an on-site system designed to treat and dispose of domestic sewage
sfo	Senior FEMA Official
flood	The filling with water of a normally dry area of land caused by an increased water level in a stream, river or drainage ditch or by the ponding of rainwater.
specific heat	The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 Celsius degree.
impaired water body	a water body that has been determined under state and federal law as not meeting water quality standards, or having the potential to do so in the future.
backing wind	A wind that changes its direction in a counter clockwise motion
stratigraphy	Subdiscipline of geology that studies sequence, spacing, composition, and spatial distribution of sedimentary deposits and rocks.
topographical	Maps and charts accurately representing surface features of a region.
near-surface soil moisture flux	A quantity measured near the surface of the soil, according to the formula B = λ(dq/dz), where λ is the conductivity of the soil that the heat or moisture is moving through.
explosive deepening	A decrease in the minimum sea-level pressure of a tropical cyclone of 2.5 mb/hr for at least 12 hours or 5 mb/hr for at least six hours
evaporation	The physical process by which a liquid, such as water is transformed into a gaseous state, such as water vapor
latent heat	Heat released or absorbed per unit of mass when a substance changes phase
diffraction corona	See corona.
confining bed or unit	a body of impermeable or distinctly less permeable material stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers.
hurricane local statement	A public release prepared by local National Weather Service offices in or near a threatened area, giving specific details for its county/parish warning area, about (1) weather conditions, (2) evacuation decisions made by local officials, and (3) other precautions necessary to protect life and property.
hurricane season	A six-month period from June 1 to Nov
winter storm warning	Siren
visibility	The greatest distance toward the horizon at which prominent objects can be identified with the naked eye.
overland flow	a land application technique that cleanses wastewater by allowing it to flow over a sloped surface
eutrophic	having a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients (nitrates and phosphates)
septic tank	underground receptacle for wastewater from a home
ascii	American Standard Code for Information Interchange
hurricane hunters	The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the U.S
fy	Fiscal Year
lithosphere	Is the solid inorganic portion of the Earth (composed of rocks, minerals, and elements)
general measurement strategy	An approach to collecting useful information to help the Science Team fulfill the project mission.
dog days	The name given to the very hot summer weather that may persists for four to six weeks between mid-July through early September in the United States
nfip	National Flood Insurance Program
backwashing	reversing the flow of water through a home treatment device filter or membrane to clean and remove deposits.
force	A push or a pull in a certain direction, that can be measured
arra	American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (can also be shortened to \"Recovery Act\").
special considerations	Factors that must be addressed before federal grant money can be obligated to repair or restore damaged facilities
température du thermomètre sec	La température du thermomètre sec est la valeur lue sur un thermomètre lorsque son réservoir est sec
boom	A spar to which a sail's lower edge or "foot" is attached
relax	Usually used to describe a trough which is weakening, e.g
food web	A model describing the organisms found in a food chain
entrain	to trap bubbles in water either mechanically through turbulence or chemically through a reaction.
g force	The acceleration of gravity (g), which is approximately 9.81 meters/second2
sea arch	A coastal landform composed of rock that resembles an arch
csepp	Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program
population crash	Sudden decline in the number of individuals found in a population because of a scarcity of environmental resources that are required for survival, growth, and reproduction.
cog	Continuity of Government
headwaters	In hydrologic terms, streams at the source of a river.
caution	Above 80 °F Under 90 °F
control tower	See ATCT (Airport Traffic Control Tower)
paternoster lakes	A linear series of mountain valley lakes that are formed from glacial erosion
avionics	a general term for the development and production of electrical and electronic equipment for use in aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles.
divergence	Cooling Degree-Day
visibility	The greatest distance an observer can see and identify prominent objects.
surface albedo	The fraction of incoming solar radiation at a surface (i.e., land, cloud top) that is effectively reflected by that surface.
force	Process that changes the state of rest or motion of a body.
shortwave net radiation	The difference between upwelling and downwelling broadband shortwave radiation.
latitude	or as the corresponding geostrophic wind.
cytoplasm	All of the protoplasm in a cell except for what is contained in the nucleus.
blm	Bureau of Land Management
contagis disease warning	Siren
eei	Essential Elements of Information
permeability	A measure of the ability of soil, sediments, and rock to transport water horizontally and vertically
mesa	A flat topped hill that rises sharply above the surrounding landscape
temperature inversion	(surface-based or elevated) : a layer of the atmosphere in which air temperature increases with height
detritus	Shed tissues, dead body parts, and waste products of organisms
well monitoring	measurement by on-site instruments or laboratory methods of well water quality.
isostatic rebound	The upward movement of the Earth's crust following isostatic depression.
decomposer	A type of detritivore
clinometer	An instrument used to measure angles of inclination
greenhouse gas	Gases in the atmosphere that are more transparent to the short wavelength radiation (mostly visible light) from the sun, than to the long wavelength radiation (infrared radiation) leaving the Earth
unknown warning tune tv	Siren
sedimentary rock	Rocks formed by the deposition, alteration and/or compression, and lithification of weathered rock debris, chemical precipitates, or organic sediments
inhibition model of succession	This model of succession suggests that the change in plant species dominance over time is caused by death and small scale disturbances and variations is plant species longevity and ability to disperse
combined seas	The combined height of swell and wind waves.
emi	Emergency Management Institute
icold	International Commission on Large Dams
sewage	The waste and wastewater produced by residential and commercial sources and discharged into sewers.
goes	Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
sial layer	The part of the crust that forms the continents and is composed of relatively light, granitic rocks.
fault	A crack in the Earth's crust where there is displacement of one side relative to the other
magnetic field	The space influence by magnetic force
races	Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
latent heat of condensation	The amount of heat energy release to the environment when a gas changes its state to a liquid
hull	The body of a yacht.
flood stage	The level at which a stream, river or other body of water begins to or will begin to leave its banks.
course	The direction a yacht is sailing.
nfic	National Fire Information Council
convective condensation level	The level above the surface marking the base of a cumuliform cloud that is forming due to surface heating and rising thermals.
kinetic energy	The energy within a body that is a result of its motion.
transverse bands	Bands of clouds oriented perpendicular to the flow in which they are embedded
sand filters	devices that remove suspended solids from a wastewater treatment plant effluent or water treatment plant product.
mesohabitat	basic structural elements of a river or stream such as pools, backwaters, runs, glides, and riffles.
vorticity	or the maximum of the vorticity field of a fluid.
transmitter backup on	Beeps
middle latitudes	The latitude belt roughly between 35 and 65 degrees North and South
fesc	Federal Emergency Support Coordinator
law of stream number	Morphometric relationship observed in the number of stream segments of a particular classification order in stream channel branching
mast	The vertical spar that holds up the sails.
high latitudes	With specific reference to zones of geomagnetic activity, "high latitudes" refers to 50º to 80º geomagnetic.
freeze warning	Freeze Warning
reflection rainbow	A double rainbow is similar to a single rainbow in that it is both an optical and meteorological phenomenon, but the double rainbow portrays the colors in reverse
engineering work request	Used to request engineering resources, as soon as possible, when operational, science, or engineering needs require a quick engineering response where no design or redesign is required.
tailrace	The channel that is downstream of the draft tube that carries the water discharged from a turbine
preliminary data	Data that have not necessarily been subjected to review, quality control and/or documentation by a responsible investigator
electromagnetic spectrum	it can be found between microwave radiation and visible light
horizon	but is not directly overhead.
flora	plant population of a region.
fin	Another word for the vertical stabilizer.
amprometric titration	a way of measuring concentrations of certain substances in water using the electric current that flows during a chemical reaction.
phreatophytes	plants that send their roots into or below the capillary zone to use ground water.
air	Continental Tropical Air Mass (cT)
partly sunny	Means the sky has some amount of clouds, but usually between 30 and 70% coverage
ozone	O3, a triatomic form of oxygen; a pungent, unstable blue gas that in the upper atmosphere forms a protective layer against excess ultraviolet radiation, and is also an ingredient of photochemical smog in the lower atmosphere
notification	To inform appropriate individuals about an emergency condition so they can take appropriate action
fsn	FEMA Switch Network
foreset bed	Deltaic deposit of alluvial sediment that is angled 5 to 25° from horizontal
casing	a tubular structure intended to be watertight installed in the excavated or drilled hole to maintain the well opening and, along with cementing, to confine the ground waters to their zones of origin and prevent the entrance of surface pollutants.
surface wave	Type of seismic wave that travels across the Earth's surface
exploitation	Form of competition where the indirect effects of the two or more species or individuals reduce the supply of the limiting resource or resources needed for survival.
osha	Occupational Safety and Health Administration
refraction	The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
scientific method	A systematic form of inquiry that involves observation, speculation, and formulation and testing of hypotheses.
mainsheet trimmer	A device that controls the position and shape of the mainsail, the large triangular sail behind the mast.
subatomic particles	Extremely small particles that make up the internal structure of atoms.
absolute instability	A condition that exists where the environmental lapse rate exceeds the dry adiabatic lapse rate
high pressure system	CYCLONIC FLOW
manning's roughness	a coefficient in Manning's equation that accounts for energy loss due to the friction between the channel and the water
secondary carnivore	See tertiary consumer.
oceanography	it is the abrupt change or jump of a variable at a line or surface.
wave-cut platform	A flat or slightly sloping bedrock surface that forms in the tidal zone
horst fault	A fault that is produced when two reverse faults cause a block of rock to be push up.
metadata system	The components of the ARM data system that collect and report data stream metadata
pyramid of numbers	Graphical model describing the number of organisms that exist at each trophic level in a community or an ecosystem
clew	The lower corner of a mainsail, jib or genoa and either lower corner of a spinnaker attached to the sheet.
cirrostratus	Thin and generally sheet-like clouds composed of ice-crystals, thin enough to see the sun and moon faintly behind them
ultraviolet	Electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength shorter than visible light and longer than x-rays
hypsithermal	An extended mild episode between about 5000 and 7000 years ago when global mean temperature was somewhat higher (perhaps 1 Celsius degree) than at present.
chloroplast	Organelle in a cell that contains chlorophyll and produces organic energy through photosynthesis.
aerosol concentration	Number of aerosols per unit volume.
longitude	The location east or west in reference to the Prime Meridian, which is designated as zero (0) degrees longitude
admin message	Beeps
fog	A dense mass of small water droplets or particles in the lower atmosphere.
derecho	A line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving thunderstorms that moves across a great distance
polygenetic landform	Landform that shows the influence of two or more major geomorphic processes
p assist o	Public Assistance Officer
smog	Pollution formed by the interaction of pollutants and sunlight (photochemical smog), usually restricting visibility, and occasionally hazardous to health.
barometer	an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.
coastal dune	Sand dune that forms in coastal areas
simulation	The use of a computer to calculate and visualize the effects of a given process.
theta-w	A value in Celsius/Fahrenheit, which acts as a marker for how warm or cold an airmass is. A warm, tropical airmass may have a theta-w of 18-20C or more, while a cold polar or continental maritime airmass may have a theta-w of 4C or less (for the Bermuda area).
radionuclide	a radioactive particle, man-made or natural, with a distinct atomic weight number
emissions	The gas given off when an engine burns fossil fuels during combustion.
ozone layer	A place in the stratosphere (about 10-50 kilometers up) where the high ozone (O3 molecules) concentration shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
prevailing winds	Direction from which the wind blows most frequently during a given period in a specific area or region.
temperature	SCATTERED
isallobar	The line of equal change in atmospheric pressure during a certain time period
test message	Test Message
convection current	The movement of a gas or a fluid in chaotic vertical mass motions because of heating.
evacuation watch	Evacuation Watch
radiosonde	an instrument package that moves through the atmosphere, usually attached to a balloon, and transmits data over a radio frequency.
subsidence/descent	Downward vertical motion in the atmosphere, typically associated with fair weather
moisture content	the amount of water lost from soil upon drying to a constant weight, expressed as the weight per unit of dry soil or as the volume of water per unit bulk volume of the soil.
polar axis	Is a line drawn through the Earth around the planet rotates
overdraft	pumping water from a groundwater basin or aquifer in excess of the supply flowing into the basin; results in a depletion or "mining" of the groundwater in the basin.
estuary	Somewhat enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river where nutrient rich fresh water meets with salty ocean water.
elastic wave	An energy wave that causes elastic deformation in a material without its structure and shape being deformed.
airliner	A passenger-carrying aircraft operated by an airline. Also known as a commercial transport.
electrodialysis	a process which uses an electrical current and an arrangement of permeable membranes to separate soluble minerals from water
air pollution	The soiling of the atmosphere by contaminants to the point that may cause injury to health, property, plant, or animal life, or prevent the use and enjoyment of the outdoors.
second law of thermodynamics	All systems tend toward disorder.
tsunami	A wave generated by seismic activity
altitude	A measure of height of an object, usually with reference to the earth's surface, or sea level.
australian height datum	An average of the level of the sea around Australia in between high and low tide
lfd	Letter of Final Determination
relative humidity	and specific humidity
subtropical depression	A subtropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S
applicant	The state agency, local government or eligible private nonprofit organization which submits a request for assistance to the State; the State is the Grantee of all federal grants for public assistance and administers subgrants made to applicants.
h0	On a buoy report, Significant Wave Height is the average height (meters) of the highest one-third of the waves during a 20 minute sampling period.
camber	(1) The curvature of an airfoil section relative to its chord; usually expressed as the ratio of the height of the curved line (mean line) between the leading and trailing edges to the length of a straight line between the same two points
air	often seen in anticyclones
broach	When a keelboat sailing on a run capsizes from a strong puff of wind or gets knocked down by a wave
engineering change request	A method of formally requesting that a change be made to the infrastructure
limestone	Sedimentary rock composed of carbonate minerals, especially calcium carbonate
rtf	Response Task Forces
specific humidity	The ratio of the mass of water vapor in a given parcel to the total mass of air in the parcel.
emergency action notification	Emergenc Action Notice
landing gear	Another word for undercarriage
error	An aviation occurrence that deviates from what is expected and is easily and safely corrected.
hhs	Department of Health and Human Services
consolidated formation	naturally occurring geologic formations that have been lithified (turned to stone)
vortac	A navigational aid providing VOR azimuth (direction), TACAN azimuth, and distance measuring equipment (DME) at one site.
organelle	Is a specialized structure found in cells that carry out distinct cellular functions.
iceberg warning	Iceberg Warning
storet	a national U.S
po	Purchase Officer
detection limit	the lowest level that can be determined by a specific analytical procedure or test method.
equator	The geographic circle at 0 degrees latitude on the earth’s surface
peeling	Changing from one spinnaker to another.
migration	Movement of organisms in an intentional way between two points in space
lapse rate	The change in temperature with altitude in the atmosphere.
saline water	water containing more than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids of any type
solar thermal electric	technology for using the sun's energy to produce steam to run turbines that generate electricity.
shower	Precipitation that is intermittent, both in time, space or intensity.
longwave radiation	See infrared radiation.
visibility	A measure of the opacity of the atmosphere, and therefore, the greatest distance one can see prominent objects with normal eyesight
bright band	A narrow, intense radar echo due to water-covered ice particles at the melting level where reflectivity is at its greatest.
cae	Child abduction emergency
celsius scale	A temperature scale where zero is assigned to the temperature where water freezes and 100 to the temperature where water boils (at sea level).
visible light	The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to which the eye is sensitive, i.e., light with wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.7 micrometers
nps	National Park Service
viscosity	The amount of the resistance to flow in a fluid due to intermolecular friction.
abyssal plain	The flat, gently sloping or nearly level region of the sea floor.
atmosphere	EL
hurricane clips	A structural bracing device used on the installation of roofs which reinforce the joints of a house and give a stronger connection to wood-to-wood roofing trusses than just nails
vested water right	the right granted by a state water agency to use either surface or ground water.
exogenic	Refers to a system that is external to the Earth.
vow	Volcano warning
sea breeze	A coastal local wind that blows from the ocean onto the land and often begins during some time during the day at many coastal locations
solid	A state of matter where molecules where the mass of the substance does not have the property of flow.
ert	Emergency Response Team
arcus	A low, horizontal arc cloud formation created by the outflows of thunderstorms
frost creep	Slow mass movement of soil downslope that is initiated by freeze-thaw action
hwvr	However
interglacial	Period of time during an ice age when glaciers retreated because of milder temperatures.
storms	SNOW DEVIL
evaporation	The process of changing a liquid (like water) to a vapor
extrusive igneous rock	Igneous rock that forms on the surface of the Earth
yankee	Designator for the letter "Y" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
montmorillonite	A type of clay that has a large capacity to shrink and expand with wetting and drying.
warm front	A front where warm air is replacing cold air
surface-based layer	i.e., a layer in which the lowest portion is based at or very near the earth's surface
point bar	Stream bar deposit that is normally located on the inside of a channel bend.
thru	Through
anaerobic	a life or process that occurs in, or is not destroyed by, the absence of oxygen.
arrival traffic	Incoming aircraft to an airport
well plug	a seal installed in a borehole or well preventing movement of fluids.
hinge crack	In hydrologic terms, a crack caused by significant changes in water level.
nsa	National Security Agency
flight data controller	An air traffic control position located in Local Control (airport control tower) whose job is to review flight plans, issue approval to pilots and generate the flight data strip before handing the pilot off to Local Control for pushback and taxiing instructions.
precipitate	Solidification of a previously dissolved substance from a solution.
vor station	A ground station that transmits VOR signals.
civil emergenc message	Siren
meteorology	The study of the atmosphere and atmospheric phenomena as well as the atmosphere's interaction with the earth's surface, oceans, and life in general
cloud cover	Forecasting terms:
squall lines	and MCCs (among others)
nws	NAUTICAL MILE
lindane	a pesticide that causes adverse health effects when present in domestic water supplies and is toxic to freshwater fish and aquatic life.
drainage well	a well drilled to carry excess water off agricultural fields
high surf warning	A High Surf Warning is issued when breaking wave action results in an especially heightened threat to life and property within the surf zone
gar	Governor’s Authorized Representative
altitude	TROPOSPHERE
hurricane / typhoon	A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind (using the U.S
dspmt	Dam Safety Program Management Tools
microsecond	One millionth of a second.
air	Contour Line
pression de vapeur	Pression exercée par les molécules d'une vapeur donnée
bouy	A marker used for navigation, mooring, or racing around.
nitric acid	Acid with the chemical formula: HNO3.
snowfall	The rate at which snow falls, usually expressed in inches of snow depth over a six hour period.
drumlin	A hill shaped deposit of till
threat	The threat parameter 'Threat' is issued in tropical update bulletins when effects from a tropical system are possible within 72 hours.
resource	Anything obtained from the environment to meet the needs of a species.
sidereal day	Time it takes to complete one Earth rotation relative to the position of a fixed star
fonsi	Finding of No Significant Impact
skipper	The person in charge of a vessel.
secondary treatment	second step in most waste treatment systems, in which bacteria break down the organic parts of sewage wastes; usually accomplished by bringing the sewage and bacteria together in trickling filters or in the activated sludge process
soil water	The water found occupying the pore spaces between soil particles.
slip-face	The lee side of a dune where material accumulates and slides or rolls downslope.
heating degree days	(abbrev
growing season	Considered the period of the year during which the temperature of cultivated vegetation remains sufficiently high enough to allow plant growth
inundation map	Delineates areas that would be flooded as a result of a dam failure
continental shelf	The zone around the continents extending from the low-water mark seaward, typically ending in steep slope to the depths of the ocean floor.
radial	A magnetic bearing extending from a VOR/VORTAC navigation facility.
hoar frost	Deposits of ice having a crystalline appearance, generally assuming the forms of scales, needles, feathers or fans
noaa weather radio	A 24-hour continuous broadcast of existing and forecasted weather conditions.
diurnal	Means daily, especially pertaining to actions which are completed in 24 hours and are repeated every 24 hours.
flood	High water flow or an overflow of rivers or streams from their natural or artificial banks, inundating adjacent low lying areas.
showalter stability index	A measure of the local static stability of the atmosphere
half-life	Time required for one half of the nuclei in a radioisotope to emit its radiation
paleoclimatology	Scientific study of the Earth's climate during the past.
monocline	A fold in layered rock that creates a slight bend.
good forecast quality	The forecast temperature is usually 1.5 to 2.5 degrees C warmer or cooler than the observed forecast.
hydraulic permeability	In hydrologic terms, the flow of water through a unit cross-sectional area of soil normal to the direction of flow when the hydraulic gradient is unity.
pyroclastic material	Pieces of volcanic rock thrown out in a volcanic explosion.
ecs	Emergency Communications Staff
vapor plumes	flue gases that are visible because they contain water droplets.
hydrologic cycle	natural pathway water follows as it changes between liquid, solid, and gaseous states; biogeochemical cycle that moves and recycles water in various forms through the ecosphere
afos	Automation of Field Operations and Services
detrital rock	Sedimentary rock that is composed of particles transported to their place of deposition by erosional processes
doms	Directorate of Military Support, Department of Defense
uscg	U.S
national periodic test	National Periodic Test
peridotite	Coarse grained ultramafic igneous rock composed mainly of olivine and pyroxene
wind	and therefore, protected from the direct force of the wind
instream cover	overhanging or instream structure, such as tree roots, undercut streambanks, boulders, or aquatic vegetation that offer protection for aquatic organisms.
victor airway	An airway system based on the use of VOR facilities
standard atmosphere	A standard atmosphere has been defined by the International Civil Aeronautical Organization (ICAO)
ppc	Prevention Preparedness Council
precipitation	All liquid or solid phase aqueous particles that originate in the atmosphere and fall to the earth's surface.
weather	day to day variation in atmospheric conditions
nitrogen oxides	NO and NO2: gaseous pollutants produced by the combustion of fossil fuels.
dead downwind	Sailing straight with the wind.
till	Heterogeneous sediment deposited directly by a glacier
green flash	A brilliant green coloration of the upper edge of the sun, occasionally seen as the sun's apparent disk is about to set below a clear horizon.
equator	extending from 0° to the South pole.
dmort	Disaster Mortuary Response Team, National Disaster Medical System
katafront	A front where the warm air descends the frontal surface, except in the low layers of the atmosphere.
lipid	Is an organic compound composed of carbon atoms that have two hydrogen atoms attached
renewable energy	there is no formal definition for this term
airway	A path or a continuous designated space of air through which aircraft are directed to fly by air traffic control
orogenic belt	A major range of mountains on the continents.
technology-based treatment requirements	NPDES permit requirements based on the application of pollution treatment or control technologies including BTP (best practicable technology), BCT (best conventional technology), BAT (best available technology economically achievable), and NSPS (new source performance standards).
shrub	A woody plant species that is smaller than a tree
bsrn	the worldwide Baseline Surface Radiation Network, or the program that manages it.
penumbra	Outer, lighter area of a sunspot.
mist	Small droplets suspended in air near the surface
electromagnetic radiation	Radiation
basic	Substance having a pH greater than 7.
angle of attack	The angle of a wing to the oncoming airflow
boundary conditions	definition or statement of conditions or phenomena at the boundaries of a model; water levels, flows, and concentrations that are specified at the boundaries of the area being modeled.
aphelion	The time of the year when the Earth is farthest from the sun (about 4 July).
greenhouse effect	Although nearly transparent to solar radiation, the atmosphere is much less transparent to infrared radiation
swamp	a type of wetland dominated by woody vegetation but without appreciable peat deposits
heavy snows	WATER
hypersonic	Velocity greater than five times the speed of sound.
region	A term used in geography that describes an area of the Earth where some natural or human-made phenomena display similar traits.
friction velocity	A measure of the surface stress reflecting the effects of surface roughness and wind velocity.
wellfield	area containing one or more wells that produce usable amounts of water or oil.
unstable	A turbulent, convective state in the atmosphere resulting from a rapid decrease in air temperature with height above the ground.
control system	A system that is intelligently controlled by the activities of humans
autonomously	self-governing or capable of being done without supervision or permission from superiors.
oxbow lake	Is portion of abandoned stream channel filled with stagnant water and cut off from the rest of the stream
advection	The horizontal transport of air or atmospheric properties
tiller	Traditionally the piece of wood the helmsman holds to control the rudder
cdc	Centers for Disease Control, U.S
species association	A particular grouping of species in an area.
ozonosphere	Another name for the ozone layer.
bmp	Best Management Practices
crosswind leg	A flight path at right angles to the runway off its takeoff end.
teu	Technical Escort Unit
code for normals	Normals for some elements are derived from less than 30 years of record but can still be considered useful
national municipal plan	a U.S
cohesion	a molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass whether like or unlike
hurricane watch	Threat of a strike within 24-36 hours
child abducted emergenc	Siren
radial velocity	A type of velocity that expresses motion toward or away from a given location
fluid dynamics	The study of how fluids move
carbon monoxide	A colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels
dac	Disaster Application Center
conservation biology	Multidisciplinary science that deals with the conservation of genes, species, communities, and ecosystems that make up Earth's biodiversity
capillary water	Water that moves horizontally and vertically in soils by the process of capillary action
fbfm	Flood Boundary and Floodway Map
purgeable organics	volatile organic chemicals which can be forced out of the water sample with relative ease through purging.
aviation operation system	NASA research and technology on ground, satellite, and aerospace vehicle systems and human operations to improve the operational safety, efficiency, and capacity of aerospace vehicles operating in the air transportation system.
transmitter primary on	Transmitter Primary On
ice shelf	Large flat layer of ice that extends from the edge of the Antarctic ice cap into the Antarctic Ocean
spinnaker pole	A pole that is attached to the lower front of the mast to hold one corner of a spinnaker out from the yacht
inshore	The waters within 12 sea miles (about 22kms) of the coast.
euphotic zone	surface layer of an ocean, lake, or other body of water through which light can penetrate
radiation	The emission of energy from an object in the form of electromagnetic waves and photons.
furrow irrigation	irrigation method in which water travels through the field by means of small channels between each group of rows.
thermal high	Area of high pressure that is shallow in vertical extent and produced primarily by cold surface temperatures.
mistral	Term used to describe a katabatic wind in southern France.
icc	Increased Cost of Compliance
blizzard warning	Siren
mode	Statistical measure of central tendency in a set of data
flux	The rate of transfer of fluids, particles or energy per unit area across a given surface.
wave length	The least distance between particles moving in the same phase of oscillation of a wave
normal lapse rate	Average rate of air temperature change with altitude in the troposphere
conplan	Concept of Operations Plan
omb	Office of Management and Budget
organ	Group of cells and tissues that have a particular function for an organism.
surface impoundment	an indented area in the land's surface, such a pit, pond, or lagoon.
tsunami	The name Tsunami is used to describe a series of waves travelling across the ocean
wind	Alternative spelling eolian.
open sea	That part of the ocean that extends from the continental shelf
continental glacier	Largest type of glacier with a surface coverage in the order of 5 million square kilometers.
navigational fix	A geographical position determined by visual reference to the surface, by reference to one or more radio NAVAIDS, by celestial plotting or by another navigational device
diversity	See Species Diversity.
in-situ vitrification	technology that treats contaminated soil in place at high temperatures, at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
porgy holes	A porgy is a well-known local food fish
case management file	A centralized data bank of all applicant activities
antarctic ocean	Although not officially recognized as a separate ocean body, it is commonly applied to those portions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans that reach the Antarctic continent on their southern extremes.
wind chill	Its the feel like temperature on a cold day when you factor in the winds.
general aviation aircraft	General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights
steppe	Russian term for mid-latitude grasslands.
nemis	National Emergency Management Information System
jiise	Joint Interagency Intelligence Support Element
transmitter backup on	Transmitter Backup On
incident angle	the angle that a ray (of solar energy, for example) makes with a line perpendicular to the surface
valley breeze	An anabatic wind, it is formed during the day by the heating of the valley floor
fixed energy	A process, like photosynthesis, where organisms repackage inorganic energy into organic energy.
anrc	American National Red Cross
hydraulic jump	A steady disturbance in the lee of a mountain, where the airflow passing over the mountain suddenly changes from a region of low depth and high velocity to a region of high depth and low velocity.
flood	Inundation of a land surface that is not normally submerged by water from quick change in the level of a water body like a lake, stream, or ocean.
years	of abnormal dryness or wetness
ice nuclei	Particles that act as nuclei for the formation of ice crystals in the atmosphere.
plane of the ecliptic	Hypothetical two-dimensional surface in which the Earth's orbit around the Sun occurs.
norad	North America Aerospace Defense Command
boulder	Large fragment of rock that has a diameter greater than 256 millimeters (200 millimeters in the United Kingdom).
halo	A ring of light that appears to encircle the sun or moon
volatilization	The process where a solid or liquid substance is converted into a gas.
course line	(1) a line extending in the direction of the course
kelp beds	significant aggregations of a large, fast growing marine algae throughout the water column.
sand wedge	A form of ice wedge that contains accumulations of wind blown sand in long vertical layers
aurora borealis	Its often called the "northern lights"
landsat	Series of satellites launched by NASA for the purpose of remotely monitoring resources on the Earth
wmo	The World Meteorological Organisation, based in Geneva, Switzerland
biological weathering	The disintegration of rock and mineral due to the chemical and/or physical agents of an organism.
electromagnetic radiation spectrum	All the types of radiation put in order from smallest wavelength to largest wavelength
nitrogen dioxide	A gas produced by bacterial action in the soil and by high temperature combustion
warm desert	Desert found in the subtropics or interiors of continents at the middle latitudes where precipitation is low and surface air temperatures are high.
hydraulic flow	Atmospheric flow that is similar in character to the flow of water over an obstacle.
instantaneous radiative flux	An approach that involves collecting data on the distribution of radiation and the radiatively active constituents of the atmosphere and radiative properties of the lower boundary
hr	Hour
pilot heads-up display	A cockpit visual display that shows the pilot the directed procedure of roll-out, turn-off, and taxiing.
greywater	wastewater from clothes washing machines, showers, bathtubs, handwashing, lavatories and sinks that are not used for disposal of chemical or chemical-biological ingredients.
ground speed	The speed of an aircraft relative to the surface of the Earth.
daylight savings time	The setting of time so it is one hour ahead starting in the spring and one hour back beginning in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere
valley	A linear depression in the landscape that slopes down to a stream, lake or the ocean
nro	National Reconnaissance Organization
rain gage	any instrument used for recording and measuring time, distribution, and the amount of rainfall.
trophic structure	the feeding relationships among species within a food web.
osc	On-Scene Commander (FBI), On-Scene Coordinator (EPA)
biota	the plant (flora) and animal life (fauna) of a region or ecosystem.
plucking	Erosive process of particle detachment by moving glacial ice
sies	Strategic Industries and Economic Security
hud	U.S
bathythermograph	A device used to obtain a record of temperature against depth (pressure) in the ocean
gaia hypothesis	The Gaia hypothesis states that the temperature and composition of the Earth's surface are actively controlled by life on the planet
specific heat	The ratio of the heat absorbed (or released) by the unit mass of the system to the corresponding temperature rise (or fall).
radiosonde	a balloon carrying instruments for measuring conditions in the upper atmosphere
physical geography	Field of knowledge that studies natural features and phenomena on the Earth from a spatial perspective
bacteria	However, these organisms are biochemically and genetically very different from bacteria
newton	The unit of force giving a mass of about one kilogram (2.205 pounds) an acceleration of about one meter (1 yard) per second per second.
rainbow	An arc of concentric colored bands that spans a section of the sky when rain is present and the sun is positioned at the observer's back.
furious fifties	An area between 50 degrees and 60 degrees latitude noted for very strong winds and huge seas.
nutrient	as a pollutant, any element or compound, such as phosphorous or nitrogen, that fuels abnormally high organic growth in aquatic ecosystems
hyder flare	In solar-terrestrial terms, a filiment-associated two-ribbon flare, often occurring in spotless regions
freeze warning	Its issued during the growing season when the temperature falls below 32 degrees over a large area for an extended period of time
crest	When a river or creek floods, its crest is the highest level reached before the water goes back down.
fco	Federal Coordinating Officer
bioaccumulation	uptake and retention of substances by an organism from its surrounding medium (usually water) and from food.
snow flurries	Brief occurrences of very light snow, which produce little or no accumulation.
national estuary program	a program established under the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 to conserve and manage estuaries, restore and maintain their chemical, physical, and biological integrity, and control point and nonpoint pollution sources.
lidar	A meteorological instrument using transmitted and reflected laser light for detecting atmospheric particles, as pollutants, and determining their elevation, concentration, etc.
artesian well	a water well drilled into a confined aquifer where enough hydraulic pressure exists for water rise in the well to a height above the top of the aquifer in the subsurface
air density	The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume it occupies
slaking	See wetting and drying.
fars	Financial Accounting and Reporting System
retrogressive succession	Succession where the plant community becomes simplistic and contains fewer species and less biomass over time.
heat balance	The equilibrium which exists on the average between the radiation received by the earth and atmosphere from the sun and that emitted by the earth and atmosphere
magnetic poles	Either of the two points on the earth's surface where the magnetic meridians converge
hygrometer	An instrument which measures the humidity of the air.
bacteria	Simple single celled prokaryotic organisms
bedrock	Rock at or near (beneath soil and regolith) the Earth's surface that is solid and relatively unweathered.
knockdown	See Broach.
water column	an imaginary column extending through a water body from its floor to its surface
vorticity	This is basically a measure of how much a column of air is spinning. Depending on direction of spin and speed of spin, a variety of surface conditions can be surmised, such as the development of low or high pressure at the surface.
front	Frontal Passage (FROPA)
metasomatic metamorphism	Form of metamorphism that causes the chemical replacement of elements in rock minerals when gases and liquids permeate into bedrock.
bank-caving	Collapse of stream bank material into a stream channel.
peak watt	the maximum amount of power produced or demanded in a time interval, measured in watts.
national response center	The 24-hour a day federal operations center receives notifications of all releases of oil and hazardous substances into the environment
reference map	Map that shows natural and human-made objects from the geographical environment with an emphasis on location
patterned ground	Term used to describe a number of surface features found in periglacial environments
arc	American Red Cross
microorganism	Extremely small organism that can only be seen using a microscope.
chemical reaction	Reaction between chemicals where there is a change in the chemical composition of the elements or compounds concerned.
routing parameters	coefficients that, along with mathematical routing equations, can be used to estimate the attenuation and lag (time delay) associated with the movement of flow through a length of stream channel.
atmometer	General name for an instrument which measures the evaporation rate of water into the atmosphere
point-to-point flights	Flights using smaller commercial aircraft, flying from one small city to another.
county warning area	CWFA
season	A way of dividing up the calendar year according to regular occurrences such as the equinoxes and solstices
cimss	This acronym stands for the 'Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies'
stream long profile	Vertical and horizontal profile of the stream
geographic isolation	See spatial isolation.
bank-full capacity	the rate of water flow that completely fills a channel; the flow rate at which the water surface is level with the flood plain.
federal airway routes	Also known as Victor (V) routes, this airspace (below FL 180) established in the form of a corridor, the center line of which is defined by particular radials off radio navigational aids.
back-building thunderstorm	A thunderstorm in which new development takes place on the upwind side (usually the west or southwest side), such that the storm seems to remain stationary or propagate in a backward direction.
jfo	Joint Field Office
capillary zone	soil area above the water table where water can rise up slightly through the cohesive force of capillary action
lapse rates	especially when very cold air aloft overlies warmer surface air.
emergenc action notice	Siren
eye	The roughly circular area of comparatively light winds that encompasses the center of a severe tropical cyclone
kame terrace	a terrace of stratified sand and and gravel deposited by streams between a glacier and an adjacent valley wall.
steady-state mass balance	the mathematical concept that the sum of upstream pollutant loads, each determined by the product of their concentration times flow, equals a resultant downstream load after mixing.
fog	A cloud with its base at the Earth's surface.
hspd	Homeland Security Presidential Directive
longwave radiation	A term used to describe the infrared energy emitted by the earth and atmosphere at wavelengths between about 5 and 25 micrometers
dmtf	Debris Management Task Force
texture	The relative quantities of the different types and sizes of mineral particles in a deposit of sediment
ntu	nephlometric turbidity units.
bulb	The lead-torpedo shape on the bottom of the keel.
celestial sphere	CELESTIAL SPHERE
horizon	GREENHOUSE EFFECT
evacuation time	The lead time that a populated coastal area must have to safely relocate all residents of vulnerable areas from an approaching hurricane
monomictic	lakes and reservoirs that are relatively deep, do not freeze over during winter, and undergo a single stratification and mixing cycle during the year (usually in the fall).
alkaline	the condition of water or soil that contains a sufficient amount of alkali substance to raise the pH above 7.0.
header	A wind shift during which the wind enters the boat more forward.
carbon dioxide flux	The rate of flow for carbon dioxide, a heavy, colorless greenhouse gas.
température du thermomètre mouillé	La température du thermomètre mouillé est normalement égale ou inférieure à la température du thermomètre sec; l'écart entre les deux valeurs est fonction de la teneur en humidité de l'air.
bar	An obstacle formed at the shallow entrance to the mouth of a river or bay.
icods	Interagency Committee on Dam Safety
effective emissivity	A correction factor, dependent on the radiational characteristics of the earth-atmosphere system, that permits application of black body radiation laws to the earth-atmosphere system.
current	the portion of a stream or body of water which is moving with a velocity much greater than the average of the rest of the water
advanced wastewater treatment	any treatment of sewage that goes beyond the secondary or biological water treatment stage and includes the removal of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen and a high percentage of suspended solids.
steam fog	See evaporation fog.
upper mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior extending from the base of the crust to 670 kilometers below the surface
pyroxene	A group of single chained inosilicate minerals whose basic chemical unit is the silica tetrahedron (SiO4)
humidity recovery	The change in relative humidity over a given period of time; generally between late evening and sunrise
topographic map	Map that displays topography through the use of elevation contour lines
radiance	A measure of the intrinsic radiant energy flux intensity emitted by a radiator in a given direction, expressed in units of energy per unit time per unit solid angle.
contrail	for condensation trail.
hq	Headquarters
nadir	ZODIAC
effusive eruption	Volcanic eruption where low-viscosity basaltic magma is released
hrs	hours
pup	Principle User Processor
geostationary operational environmental satellite	GRAD
rig	The general term used to describe a yacht's mast and sail combination.
kaolinite	A type of clay that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions
phytoplankton	free-floating, mostly microscopic aquatic plants.
microwave radiation	Form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 0.1 to 100 centimeters.
wave height	The vertical distance between a wave crest and the preceding or following wave trough.
warm front	The boundary between two air masses, one cool and the other warm, moving so that the warmer air replaces the cooler air.
organic matter	Mass of matter that contains living organisms or non-living material derived from organisms
hydrogeology	the geology of groundwater, with particular emphasis on the chemistry and movement of water.
closest point of approach	Point where hurricane eye makes closest contact to shore without making landfall.
thunder	Sound created when lightning causes the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases along its strike path.
safe yield	the annual amount of water that can be taken from a source of supply over a period of years without depleting that source beyond its ability to be replenished naturally in "wet years."
interbasin transfer	the physical transfer of water from one watershed to another; regulated by the Texas Water Code.
gravity	The force of attraction of the earth on an object
eap	Emergency Action Plan
upwelling	The process by which water rises from a lower to a higher depth, usually as a result of divergence and offshore currents
paleoclimate	Climatic conditions in the geological past reconstructed from a direct or indirect data source.
isotach	A line connecting equal wind speeds.
boundary layer	The bottom layer of the troposphere that is in contact with the surface of the earth
3	Gentle breeze
plan position indicator	Also known as a PPI Scope, it is a radar indicator scope displaying range and azimuth of targets in polar coordinates.
doppler effect	A shift in the frequency of an electromagnetic or sound wave due to the relative movement of the source or the observer.
shield volcano	Volcano created from alternate layers of lava flows
stall	A condition in which an improper angle of attack and a lack of airspeed combine to disrupt the airflow around an airfoil enough to result in the loss of lift which forces the aircraft to drop.
consequences	Potential loss of life or property damage downstream of a dam caused by floodwaters released at the dam or by waters released by partial or complete failure of the dam
extinction	Disappearance of a species from all or part of their geographic range
sunspots	Relatively cooler areas on the sun's surfaces
general aviation	A term denoting all civil (nonmilitary) aviation other than common commercial transport; includes personal flying, business flying, instructional flying, and commercial flying such as aerial photography and agricultural spraying.
reverse fault	This vertical fault develops when compressional force causes the displacement of one block of rock over another.
sedimentary cycle	biogeochemical cycle in which materials primarily are moved from land to sea and back again.
artesian zone	a zone where water is confined in an aquifer under pressure so that the water will rise in the well casing or drilled hole above the bottom of the confining layer overlying the aquifer.
synoptic track	Weather reconnaissance mission flown to provide vital meteorological information in data sparse ocean areas as a supplement to existing surface, radar, and satellite data
high clouds	These clouds have bases between 16,500 and 45,000 feet in the mid latitudes
nonsymbiotic mutualism	Mutualistic interaction where the mutualists live independent lives yet cannot survive without each other
over flights	A flight over a given area, especially a flight of military aircraft over foreign territory.
sundog	A colored luminous spot produced by refraction of light through ice crystals that appears on either side of the sun
run-up area	An area located just before the takeoff line of a runway where aircraft await clearance.
stabilizer	A surface that helps to provide stability for an aircraft
aviation	The operation of heavier-than-air aircraft also considered to be the design, development, and manufacture of aircraft
air traffic controller	A person at an air traffic control tower or radar approach control facility who coordinates the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic within designated airspace.
ucar	located in Boulder, Colorado.
administrative order	a legal document signed by U.S
mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior composed of mostly solid rock that extends from the base of crust to a depth of about 2,900 kilometers.
dce	Defense Coordinating Element
category i	According to the FARs, this is a category applied to aircraft that distinguishes each according to size, weight and propulsion
equator	An imaginary line on earth halfway between the North Pole and South Pole.
reoc	Regional Emergency Operations Center
radar feeds	Electronic data transmitted at regular intervals to a radar scope or system.
hyphae	Thread like structures found on a fungus.
nstac	National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee
soil science	The study of soils from an interdisciplinary perspective.
distillation	water treatment method where water is boiled to steam and condensd in a separate reservoir
rudder	A control surface on the trailing edge of the vertical part of the tail that is used to make the aircraft yaw
flow	the rate of water discharged from a source expressed in volume with respect to time.
mp	Management Profile
tailings pond	An excavated or diked area that is intended to contain liquid and solid wastes from mining and milling operations.
collaborating program	A program joining with the ARM Program to pursue a specific set of objectives by providing resources and participating in active planning and execution of the effort, such as a field campaign.
ecosphere	See biosphere.
microburst	A small, concentrated downburst affecting an area less than 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) across
gps	Global Positioning System
perigee.	Apparent Force
holding pond	a small basin or pond designed to hold sediment laden or contaminated water until it can be treated to meet water quality standards or be used in some other way.
semiconductor	a material that has much lower resistance to the flow of electrical current in one direction than in another
mixed liquor	a mixture of activated sludge and water containing organic matter undergoing treatment in an aeration tank.
species composition	that portion of an Index of Biotic Integrity that is a metric measuring the number and identity of species.
centrifugal force	A force directed outward, away from the center of a rotating object; equal in magnitude to the centripetal force but in the opposite direction.
calcification	A dry environment soil-forming process that results in the accumulation of calcium carbonate in surface soil layers.
aerosol absorption	The process in which radiation energy is retained by aerosols.
drainage pattern	Geometric pattern that a stream's channels take in the landscape
meltwater	Water produced from the melting of snow and/or glacial ice.
dust devil	A strong and long-lived whirlwind that ranges from a half of a meter wide and a few meters tall to more than 10 meters wide and more than 1,000 meters tall
barotropy	The state of a fluid in which surfaces of constant density or temperature are coincident with surfaces of constant pressure
macrophyte	macroscopic plants in the aquatic environment
trips	Travel, Reporting and Information Processing System
power outage advisory	Power Outage Advisory
low-level jet	A regular, strong, nighttime, northward flow of maritime tropical air over the sloping Great Plains of the central United States
pascal	The unit of pressure produced when one newton acts on about one square meter.
organic chemicals	chemicals containing carbon.
lh	Local Hire
mammal	Group of warm blooded vertebrate animals
chelation	Chemical weathering process that involves the extraction or metallic cations from rocks and minerals by chelates.
weight	The force of gravity acting on an object
abandoned water right	a water right which was not put to beneficial use for a number of years, generally five to seven years.
podzolization	Soil forming process that produces a strongly leached soil with a distinctive iron hardpan layer in the B horizon
sheet flow	See overland flow.
industrial fire warning	Industrl Fire Warning
landslide	Term used to describe the downslope movement of soil, rock, and other weathered materials because of gravity.
jetty	A structure built out into the water to restrain currents and/or stabilize a shoreline
moa	Memorandum of Agreement
crest	the top of a dam, dike, or spillway, which water must reach before passing over the structure; the summit or highest point of a wave; the highest elevation reached by flood waters flowing in a channel.
dredging	removal of mud from the bottom of water bodies
flood stage	The level at which a rising river or creek will begin to flood nearby buildings or streets
hydration	A form of chemical weathering that involves the rigid attachment of H+ and OH- ions to the atoms and molecules of a mineral.
enzyme	Are types of proteins that are used to facilitate and regulate chemical reactions within cells.
briefer	An air traffic control position that provides pilots with information such as weather conditions and other flight data prior to the pilot's flight.
doppler radar	it is the component of motion that is parallel to the radar beam.
millibar	A unit of atmospheric pressure
savanna	A tropical or sub-tropical plant community characterized by trees and shrubs scattered among a cover of grasses, herbs and forbs
starboard	Nautical term for the right half of the yacht when facing forward.
conduction	The transfer of heat by molecular activity from one substance to another, or through a substance
kelvin-helmholtz waves	Occurs upon the interface between two fluids
combined sewer	a sewer system that carries both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff
trend	gives very accurate meteorological information at a specific airport and is indispensable for landing of aircraft within the next 2 hours
plateau basalt	An accumulation of horizontal flows of basaltic lava
freeze warning	Siren
syncline	A fold in rock layers that forms a trough-like bend.
cellulose	A type of carbohydrate
windward	The direction from which the wind is blowing
finite volume	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into a mesh of nodes and corresponding volumes around each node
rain day	A rain day occurs when a daily rainfall of at least 0.2 mm is recorded.
omega	A term used to describe vertical motion in the atmosphere
meander	Sinuous shaped stream channel
evapotranspiration	The total amount of water that is transferred from the earth's surface to the atmosphere
infra-red satellite	This satellite data is useful at night as it does not depend on sunlight
heat of vaporization	the amount of heat necessary to convert a liquid (water) into vapor.
datastream	Similar files that are in a time-sequenced series.
stratus cloud	Low cloud in a layer or blanket
system	A system is a set of interrelated components working together towards some kind of process.
model	A simplified representation of a physical process.
albedo	Also known as "brightness," refers to the reflectivity - the percent of radiant energy returning from a surface compared to that which strikes it.
species diversity	Number of different species in a given region.
outgassing	The release of gas from cooling molten rock or the interior of the Earth
equator	Line of latitude at 0 degrees -- equal distance from both poles.
pump station	mechanical device installed in sewer or water system or other liquidcarrying pipelines to move the liquids to a higher level.
synoptic chart	Any map or chart that depicts meteorological or atmospheric conditions over a large area at any given time.
enso	Stands for El Niño-Southern Oscillation
heat	A form of energy transferred between two systems by virtue of a difference in temperature
meltwater	water that comes from the melting ice of a glacier or a snowbank.
vadose zone	the zone between land surface and the water table where the moisture content is less than saturation (except in the capillary fringe) and pressure is less than atmospheric
gas chromatograph	an instrument that identifies the molecular composition and concentrations of various chemicals in water and soil samples.
th	Temporary housing
earthquake focus	Point of stress release in an earthquake.
thermodynamics	Study of the processes that involve the transformation of heat into mechanical work, of mechanical work into heat, or the flow of heat from a hotter body to a colder body.
snow advisory	Its issued when a snowfall is expected to exceed 2 inches but no more than 5 inches.
nexrad	NEXt Generation RADar
pressure	Pressure (PRES)
distributional limit	Spatial boundary that defines the edge of a species geographical range.
speciation	The process by which new species originate through mutations, natural selection, and evolution.
photosynthetic autotroph	An organism that produces food molecules inorganically by using light and the chemical process of photosynthesis
propulsion system	A mechanism on an aircraft used to propel the aircraft through the air by providing thrust
nuage	Ensemble visible composé de minuscules particules, comme des gouttelettes d'eau et/ou des cristaux de glace, en suspension dans l'air
front	Transition zone between air masses with different weather characteristics.
wind	Air moving horizontally and/or vertically.
hague line	The North Atlantic boundary between the U.S
flood plain	Level land that may be submerged by flood waters.
circulation cells	Large areas of air movement created by the rotation of the earth and the transfer of heat from the equator toward the poles
inflow	entry of rainwater into a sewer system from sources other than infiltration, such as basement drains, manholes, storm drains, and street washing.
freeze	It occurs when the temperature falls below 32 degrees over a large area for an extended period of time.
heating degree-day	Heat
hydrograph	In hydrologic terms, a graph showing the water level (stage), discharge, or other property of a river volume with respect to time.
range	A statistical measure of the dispersion of observation values in a data set
mitigation	The effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters
weather advisories	Updated weather reports available to pilots during the en route phase of a flight.
avalanche watch	Siren
stage	The elevation of the water surface in a stream channel.
methane	Methane is very strong greenhouse gas found in the atmosphere
travel time	In hydrologic terms, the time required for a flood wave to travel from one location to a subsequent location downstream.
bilge	The lowest part of a boat's hull.
raindrop impact	Force exerted by a falling raindrop on a rock, sediment, or soil surface.
troposphere	The lowest layer of the atmosphere located between the earth's surface to approximately 11 miles (17 kilometers) into the atmosphere
rift	A break in the Earth's crust created by geological stress
equator	Imaginary circle having 0° latitude that runs horizontally around the center of the earth
phsa	Public Health Service Act
ionosphere	A region in the atmosphere above 50 kilometers from the surface where relatively large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist
eis	Environmental Impact Statement
talus slope	A slope that is composed of talus.
inversion	An increase in temperature with height
instruments	Tools used to observe, measure and control
centripetal force	An inward-directed force that confines an object to a curved path; the result of other forces.
absorption	The process in which incident radiant energy is retained by a substance
entisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
littoral zone	area on or near the shore of a body of water.
dyke	Thin vertical veins of igneous rock that form when magma enters and cools in fractures found within the crust
floodplain	land next to a river that becomes covered by water when the river overflows its banks .
oxygen	The second most abundant gas in air, comprising 21% by volume
albedometer	An instrument used for the measurement of the reflecting power (the albedo) of a surface
damo-ds	Domestic Strategy and Support Directorate
lagoon	a shallow pond where sunlight, bacterial action, and oxygen work to purify wastewater
surface stress	The vertical flux of momentum near the surface as the the ambient flow interacts with the land/water surface.
fax	Facsimile
overthrust fault	Fault produced by the fracturing of rock in a fold because of intense compression.
rotor cloud	An altocumulus cloud formation that can be found in the lee of a mountain or similar barrier
911 telephone outage emergency	Telephone Outage Emergency
aerosol particle size	Linear size (e.g
geostationary satellite	A satellite that rotates at the same rate as the earth, remaining over the same spot above the equator.
radioactive decay	Natural decay of the nucleus of an atom where alpha or beta particle and/or gamma rays are released at a fixed rate.
fire warning	A fire is currently burning in the area and evacuation is recommended.
eustacy	Variations in sea-level that are related to changes in the volume of seawater in the oceans.
adiabatic process	A process that takes place without a transfer of heat between the system (e.g., an air parcel) and its surroundings
hygroscopic	Absorbing or attracting moisture from the air.
tundra	High latitude biome dominated by a few species of dwarf shrubs, a few grasses, sedges, lichens, and mosses
ideal gas laws	The thermodynamic laws applying to perfect gases.
evaporite	Type of sedimentary rock that is formed from the concentration of dissolved salts through evaporation.
runway	A defined rectangular area on a land airport prepared for the landing and takeoff run of aircraft along its length.
sima layer	The part of the crust that forms the ocean basins and lower layers in the crust and is composed of relatively heavy, basaltic rocks.
coriolis force	A fictitious force used to account for the apparent deflection of a body in motion with respect to the earth, as seen by an observer on the earth
plates	Rigid slabs that make up the Earth's crust; see "plate tectonics"
cfu	colony forming units. Concentrations of water quality indicator organisms such as fecal coliform bacteria are measured in cfu/100 ml.
kilo	Designator for the letter "K" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
bulkhead	A structure or partition built to retain or prevent sliding of the land.
stratiform	STN
muggy	A subjective term for warm and excessively humid weather.
jib	A foresail that fits in between the forestay and the mast.
feedback loop	Process where the output of a system causes positive or negative changes to some measured component of the system.
pressure rising	An increase in pressure during a specific interval and any one location
hz	1) Haze- An aggregation in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles, or both, giving the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colors
tsb	Technical Support Branch (TPC).
esker	Long twisting ridges of sand and gravel found on the Earth's surface
planetary albedo	The fraction (or percent) of solar radiation that is scattered and reflected back into space by the Earth-atmosphere system.
epilimnion	warm, less dense top layer in a stratified lake
bank stability	occurs when the channel bank configuration does not change significantly over time.
tsunami	A Japanese term for an unusually large ocean wave caused by undersea earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption
orographic	Related to, or caused by, physical geography (such as mountains or sloping terrain).
spillway	the channel or passageway around or over a dam through which excess water is diverted.
hailstones	Transparent or partially opaque particles of ice that range in size from that of a pea to that of golf balls.
discharge permit	a permit issued by a state or the federal government to discharge effluent into waters of the state or the United States
cartography	Field of knowledge that studies map construction
winch	A device used to give a mechanical advantage when hauling on the lines.
madden-julian oscillation	The MJO is characterized by an eastward progression of large regions of both enhanced and suppressed tropical rainfall
caa	Clean Air Act
usfs	United States Forest Service
gust	A rapid fluctuation of wind speed with variations of 10 knots or more between peaks and lulls.
smma	Standard Mitigation Measures Agreement
usbr	U.S
ground ice	General term used to describe all bodies of ice in the ground surface of the permafrost layer
earthqke warning	Siren
nehrp	National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
detergent	synthetic washing agent that helps remove dirt and oil
hydrology	Field of physical geography that studies the hydrosphere.
isotherm	A line connecting points of equal temperature.
in-situ stripping	treatment system that removes or strips volatile organic compounds from contaminated groundwater or surface water by forcing an air stream through the water and causing the compounds to evaporate.
fis	Flood Insurance Study
net primary productivity	Total amount of chemical energy fixed by the processes of photosynthesis minus the chemical energy lost through respiration.
diffuse shortwave irradiance	All of the solar radiation, across the wavelength range of 0.4 and 4 µm, coming directly from the sky except for solar radiation coming directly from the sun and the circumsolar irradiance within approximately three degrees of the sun.
m/s	Meters Per Second
drc	Disaster Recovery Center
glacial polish	The abrasion of bedrock surfaces by materials carried on the bottom of a glacier
sill	Horizontal planes of igneous rock that run parallel to the grain of the original rock deposits.They form when magma enters and cools in bedding planes found within the crust
consumptive use	the quantity of water not available for reuse
flash flood warning	Siren
natural flow	the rate of water movement past a specified point on a natural stream
delta wing	A sweepback wing that looks like a triangle from above
precipitation	Pre-Frontal Squall Line
paleosol	A soil exhibiting features that are the result of some past conditions and processes.
nws	National Weather Service
instream use	use of water that does not require withdrawal or diversion from its natural watercourse; for example, the use of water for navigation, recreation, and support of fish and wildlife.
flight time	The time from the moment an aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of flight until the moment it comes to rest at the next point of landing.
confined aquifer	an aquifer that lies between two rock layers of very low permeability
convection	The transfer of heat or moisture in a medium by the movement of a mass or substance
cfw	Coastal flood watch
kelvin temperature scale	A temperature scale in which 0 degrees is absolute zero, or the point at which all molecular motion ceases
instrument approach procedures	A series of predetermined maneuvers using flight instruments with specified protection from obstacles beginning at the initial approach fix to a point from which a landing can be completed and thereafter, if a landing is not completed.
reconnaissance	In aviation, to fly over and look closely at an area below to gather information about it.
gelifluction	Form of mass movement in periglacial environment where a permafrost layer exists
okta	A term used to describe amounts of cloud in the sky. The sky is effectively divided into 8 equal portions. The amount of cloud in the sky is then described as 1 okta (1/8th) to 8 oktas (8/8th), 1 okta being just a few clouds dotting the sky, 8 oktas being overcast conditions.
precipitation	indicating it may occur within 12 to 24 hours.
yaw	A rotational motion in which the aircraft turns around its vertical axis
precession of the equinox	Wobble in the Earth's polar axis
mean sea-level	The average height of the ocean surface as determined from the mean of all tidal levels recorded at hourly intervals.
winter weather advisory	Winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous
cooperating program	A program or agency supporting a specific ARM effort, such as a field campaign, wherein ARM provides the resources.
nitrite	Form of nitrogen commonly found in the soil
breach	An opening through the dam resulting in partial or total failure of the dam
leeward side	The side of an object that is facing away from the direction that the wind is blowing.
associate controller	A person who assists the radar controller.
channel	a natural or artificial watercourse that continuously or intermittently contains water, with definite bed and banks that confine all but overbanking streamflows.
aerodynamics	(1) A field of fluid dynamics that studies how gases, including air, flow and how forces act upon objects moving through air
igneous rock	Rocks formed by solidification of molten magma either beneath (intrusive igneous rock) or at (extrusive igneous rocks) the Earth's surface.
hertz	(abbrev
high surf advisory	A High Surf Advisory is issued when breaking wave action poses a threat to life and property within the surf zone
bathymetry	The measurement of water depths in oceans, seas, and lakes; also information derived from such measurements.
mph	Miles per hour
usaf	U.S
technology	The science or study of the practical or industrial arts, applied sciences, etc.
ice fog	Fog that is composed of minute ice particles
dae	Disaster Assistance Employee
braided stream	Shallow stream channel that is subdivided into a number of continually shifting smaller channels that are separated by bar deposits.
calving	The loss of glacier mass when ice breaks off into a large water body like an ocean or a lake.
transpiration	the transfer of water from the leaves of plants to water vapor in the atmosphere.
code ø	A tight luff, upwind spinnaker developed by EF Language during the 1997-98 Whitbread race, also called "the Whomper".
land breeze	NOR'EASTER
international system of units	SIG
cyclonic circulation	it means a decrease in the central pressure of the system
depart	The exit of an aircraft by taking off.
classification	Process of grouping things into categories.
solar altitude	The angle of the sun 90 degrees or less above the horizon.
global warming	Increased warming of the atmosphere due to increases in the amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
game fish	a species such as trout, salmon, or bass, caught for sport.
blowout depression	Saucer shaped depressions created by wind erosion
homologous flares	In solar-terrestrial terms, solar flares that occur repetitively in the same active region, with essentially the same position and with a common pattern of development
backwash	The return water flow of swash
proportional	Cause and effect relationship between two variables where a positive or negative change in the quantity of one causes a predictable similar quantity change in the other.
flocculation	Chemical processes where salt causes the aggregation of minute clay particles into larger masses that are too heavy to remain suspended water.
calcium carbonate	CACO3 - a white precipitate that forms in water lines, water heaters and boilers in hard water areas; also known as scale.
breccia	Coarse grained sedimentary rock composed of cemented angular rock fragments.
albedo	The ratio of the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected by a body to the amount incipient upon it, commonly expressed as a percentage
geopotential height	The altitude of a layer in the atmosphere
algicide	substance or chemical used specifically to kill or control algae.
monsoon	SIDEREAL TIME
ice jam	An accumulation of broken river ice caught in a narrow channel, frequently producing local flooding
sewerage	the entire system of sewage collection, treatment, and disposal.
progged	Forecasted
cloud condensation nuclei	CD
child abduction emergency	Child Abducted Emergenc
plug flow	type of flow that occurs in tanks, basins, or reactors when a slug of water moves through without ever dispersing or mixing with the rest of the water flowing through.
shelter in-place warning	Shelter In-place Warning
biohazard warning	Biohazard Warning
debris clouds	often rotating around a common center.
human factors	The interaction between people and machine or the interaction among people that adds the real-time element to any simulated operation.
needle ice	A form of periglacial ground ice that consists of groups ice slivers at or immediately below the ground surface
fecal coliform	the portion of the coliform bacteria group which is present in the intestinal tracts and feces of warm-blooded animals
evolution	Is a process by which species come to possess genetic adaptations to their environment
rock slide	Large scale mass movement of rock materials downslope.
hypothesis	A proposed explanation for some observation or phenomenon which is tested through the scientific method.
stratopause	The boundary zone or transition layer between the stratosphere and the mesosphere
nitrogen cycle	Model that describes the movement of nitrogen in its many forms between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
wave refraction	The re-orientation of a wave so that it approaches a shoreline at a more perpendicular angle
cbirf	Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force
sporadic permafrost	Form of permafrost that exists as small islands of frozen ground in otherwise unfrozen soil and sediments.
universal time coordinate	One of several names for the twenty-four hour time that is used throughout the scientific and military communities
wasteload allocation	term used in conjunction with the TMDL Program, a WLA is the portion of a receiving water's loading capacity that is allocated to one of its existing or future point sources of pollution
awips	Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
ebs	Emergency Broadcast System
antenna pattern	Same as radiation pattern.
bearing	A system that measures in reference to the cardinal points of a compass in 90 degree quadrants.
primary succession	Succession on soil or sediments that do not contain an active seed bank.
sleet warning	Its issued when accumulations of sleet in excess of a half inch are expected
antenna	An arrangement of wire, metal rods, etc
surface tension	Tension of a liquid's surface
drifts	Normally used when referring to snow or sand particles are deposited behind obstacles or irregularities of the surface or driven into piles by the wind.
black body	Is a body that emits electromagnetic radiation, at any temperature, at the maximum possible rate per unit surface area
fts	Federal Telecommunications Equipment
northing	Second measurement of a grid reference used to specific the location of a point on a rectangular coordinate system
glaciofluvial	Geomorphic feature whose origin is related to the processes associated with glacial meltwater.
relocated	A term used in an advisory to indicate that a vector drawn from the preceding advisory position to the latest known position is not necessarily a reasonable representation of the cyclone's movement.
tragedy of the commons	the idea that no one takes responsibility for things that everybody owns.
transmissivity	refers to the rate at which limestone allows the transmission of water
fire weather advisory	A fire weather advisory is issued when dry conditions in the advisory area result in a situation where forest or brush fires are possible.
gravity	Is the process where any body of mass found in the universe attracts other bodies with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance that separates them
hub	An airline's base of operations
cloud-to-air lightning	cA
nitrogen	A colorless, tasteless element that comprises four-fifths of the atmosphere by volume, denoted by N2.
false origin	Location of the starting coordinates picked to the south and west of the true origin of a rectangular coordinate system
calcium carbonate	Compound consisting of calcium and carbonate
npdp	National Performance of Dams Program
headsail	A sail flown between the mast and the bow of the yacht.
atmospheric window	A region of the electromagnetic spectrum, from 8 to 12 micrometers, where the atmosphere is transparent to radiation.
mudballs	round material that forms in filters and gradually grows when not removed by backwashing.
sunset	The daily disappearance of the sun below the western horizon as a result of the earth's rotation
average	AVHRR
feldspar	A group of common aluminum silicate minerals that contains potassium, sodium, or calcium.
cjcs	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
ecology	The study of the factors that influence the distribution and abundance of species.
radar hand-off controller	A person who supports the radar and associate controllers during peak air traffic flow.
data block	The information sent by an aircraft's transponder to an air traffic controller's radar scope that moves adjacent to the aircraft's image on the screen
ead	Executive Associate Director, Response and Recovery Directorate (FEMA)
nitrogen fixation	Biological or chemical process where gaseous nitrogen is converted into solid forms of nitrogen
protozoa	Heterotrophic eukaryotic unicellular organisms that belong to the kingdom protista.
parallel runways	Runways that are the same distance apart from each other at all points.
spreading center	An area where two plates are pulling away from each other
transmittance	the fraction or percent of a particular frequency or wavelength of electromagnetic radiation that passes through a substance without being absorbed or reflected.
fixed ground water	water held in saturated material that it is not available as a source of water for pumping.
ground controller	An operator in the Tower that is responsible for directing and approving the movement of aircraft and ground vehicles on the airport surface.
data management system	Controls the data flow and minimizes data loss
giardia lamblia	a protozoa found in the feces of infected humans and animals that can cause severe gastrointestinal ailments
sublimation	The transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the vapour phase, or vice versa, without passing through the liquid phase.
ozone	A nearly colorless gas and a form of oxygen (O2)
push	To use force to move something ahead or to the side
inosilicate	Subclass of the silicate class of minerals
sinking	controlling oil spills by using an agent to trap the oil and sink it to the bottom of the body of water where the agent and the oil are biodegraded.
transpiration	The process by which water in plants is transferred as water vapor to the atmosphere.
hurrican watch	Siren
total column ozone	A measurement of ozone concentration in the atmosphere.
rotation	See Earth rotation.
diurnal	Pertaining to actions or events that occur during a twenty-four hour cycle or recurs every twenty-four hours
gross secondary productivity	Total amount of chemical energy assimilated by consumer organisms.
ctas	Center-TRACON Automation System, sophisticated software developed by NASA and the FAA that uses complex algorithms to produce many flight predictions for incoming aircraft
coastal wetland	Wetland habitat found along a coastline and is covered with ocean salt water for all or part of the year
ea	Environmental Assessment
clean water act	federal legislation enacted in 1972 to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the surface waters of the United States
state of matter	Form of matter
faa	Federal Aviation Administration
lower mantle	Layer of the Earth's interior extending from 670 to 2,900 kilometers below the surface crust
pyramid of biomass	Graphic model describing the distribution of biomass in an ecosystem or community at the trophic level
mesopause	Thin boundary layer found between the mesosphere and the thermosphere
aeolian	Pertaining to the action or effect of the wind
emergency	Any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal Assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
flood warning	Official advance notice that a flood may happen soon at a certain place or near a certain river.
continental shelf break	Boundary zone between the continental shelf and slope.
approach	The flight phase during which an aircraft has its landing gear extended and is descending and slowing its speed for landing.
supersonic	Velocity greater than the speed of sound
snow garland	Snow appearing as a beautiful long thick rope draped on trees, fences and other objects
private nonprofit organization	Any non-governmental agency or entity that currently has either an effective ruling letter from the U.S
seep	a spot where water contained in the ground oozes slowly to the surface and often forms a pool; a small spring.
earth sciences tradition	Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates natural phenomena from a spatial perspective.
sked	A position report issue every 6 hours.
tail numbers	The registration number of an aircraft, often painted on its tail.
dia	Defense Intelligence Agency
arrl	American Radio Relay League
thrust	The force generated when air is pushed rearward by jet engines or propellers, thus pushing an aircraft forward.
inferential statistics	Statistical test that makes generalizations about a population based of the numeric information obtained from a sample based on the laws of probability.
magma	Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface
carcah	Chief, Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes
zenith	The point which is elevated 90 degrees from all points on a given observer's astronomical horizon
observation	CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE
doj	Department of Justice
headward erosion	In hydrologic terms, erosion which occurs in the upstream end of the valley of a stream, causing it to lengthen its course in such a direction.
usace	U.S
condensation	When a vapor becomes a liquid due to some change
productivity	Rate of energy fixation or storage of biomass by plants
bulkhead	A partition to strengthen the frame of a yacht.
photon	the fundamental particle or quantum of electromagnetic radiation (radiant energy).
breakaway wall	A wall that is not part of the structural support of a building and is intended through its design and construction to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system.
wind wave	An ocean or lake wave resulting from the action of wind on the water's surface
firn	Névé on a glacier that survives the year's ablation season
nutrient cycle	The cycling of a single element by various abiotic and biotic processes through the various stores found in the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
primary producer	Organisms that occupy the first trophic level in the grazing food chain
dbz	VIP.
spit	A long and narrow accumulation of sand and/or gravel that projects into a body of ocean water
usda	U.S
anticyclone	A dome of air that exerts relatively high surface pressure compared with surrounding air; same as a high
radiation	it is waves of energy propagated though space or through a material media.
sac	Special Agent-in-Charge
evaporation fog	Fog produced when sufficient water vapor is added to the air by evaporation.
radioisotopes	Also see beta particle and gamma rays.
c horizon	Soil horizon normally found below the B horizon and above the R horizon
wake	The region of turbulence immediately to the rear of a solid body caused by the flow of air over or around the body.
quality measurement experiments	A special class of value-added product that regularly compares two or more data sets intended to understand the individual datastreams either as functions of the performance of an instrument or the accuracy of a model prediction.
visual flight	A flight made by referencing the horizon and other outside landmarks.
aqueous solubility	the maximum concentration of a chemical that will dissolve in pure water at a reference temperature.
liquefaction	Temporary transformation of a soil mass of soil or sediment into a fluid mass
ppm	See parts per million.
statute mile	Smog
inverse square law	Intensity of radiation decreases as the inverse square of distance traveled.
primary consumer	Organisms that occupy the second trophic level in the grazing food chain
pedon	A basic soil sampling unit
prior appropriation	a doctrine of water law that allocates the rights to use water on a first in time, first in right, basis.
absolute	THERMOSPHERE
ecological diversity	See ecosystem diversity.
vortex	Cyclonic flow in a relative small area.
hhr	Health and Human Resources
hertz	An international unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second, and named after a German physicist.
acid rain	Precipitation that carries to earth sulfuric and nitric acid accumulated from air pollutants.
fold	Wavelike layers in rock strata that are the result of compression.
hurricane force wind	64 knots and greater
cambrian explosion	Great diversification of multicellular life forms in the Earth's oceans that started during the Cambrian about 570 million years ago.
niner	The International Phonetic Numeral for the number "nine".
national periodic test	Beeps
coop	Continuity of Operations
discontinuity	Comparatively large contrast in meteorological elements over a relatively small distance or period of time
retrograde	the movement of a pressure system in a direction opposite to the mean flow in which it is embedded
oil	Hydrocarbon based liquid commonly found in the pores of sedimentary rocks of marine origin.
erosion	The movement of soil or rock from one area to another by the action of the sea, running water, moving ice, precipitation, or wind.
jar test	a laboratory procedure that simulates a water treatment plant's coagulation/flocculation units with differing chemical doses, mix speeds, and settling times to estimate the minimum or ideal coagulant dose required to achieve certain water quality goals.
clearance delivery	The controller stationed at the ATCT who gives to pilots the approval of their flight plan, then hands them off to the local controller for push-back and taxiing procedures.
noise abatement procedures	A course of action taken in order to reduce aircraft engine noise over populated areas.
effective porosity	the portion of pore space in saturated permeable material where the movement of water takes place.
basin	A topographic rock structure whose shape is concave downwards.
low latitudes	The southern hemisphere low-latitudes are considered to be the areas of the Earth north of about 30 degrees latitude
epiphyte	Type of vegetation that gets its physical support from the branches of other plants
gene frequency	Frequency of alleles at an individual or population level.
hazard mitigation	Any cost-effective measure that will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event
supercooling	The reduction of the temperature of any liquid below the melting point of that substance's solid phase
finite difference	a method of solving the governing equations of a numerical model by dividing the spatial domain into a mesh of nodes
atmosphere	STANDARD SURFACE PRESSURE
noaa	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Service
pressure altitude	The altitude in standard atmosphere at which a given pressure will be observed
downwelling longwave irradiance	The total diffuse and direct radiant energy, at wavelengths longer than approximately 4 µm, that is being emitted downwards.
unknown statement tune tv	Siren
ec	Emergency Coordinator
reservoir	a pond, lake, tank, or basin (natural or human made) where water is collected and used for storage
seismograph	An instrument that detects and records vibrations caused by earthquake shock waves
frw	Fire warning
batholith	A large mass of subsurface intrusive igneous rock that has its origins from mantle magma.
magnetic north	See North Magnetic Pole.
main gear	The landing gear underneath the fuselage of an aircraft.
cinc	Commander-In-Chief
total carbon	The total concentration of carbon in all its organic and non-organic forms.
natural gas	Hydrocarbon based gas, mainly composed of methane, commonly found in the pores of sedimentary rocks of marine origin.
log	Logistics
bedding plane	A layer in a series of sedimentary beds that marks a change in the type of deposits.
langelier saturation index	an index reflecting the equilibrium pH of a water with respect to calcium and alkalinity; used in stabilizing water to control both corrosion and scale deposition.
limestone	rock that consists mainly of calcium carbonate and is chiefly formed by accumulation of organic remains.
wipeout	See Broach.
convection	SUBTROPICAL
iceberg warning	Siren
eutrophication	an excess of plant nutrients from natural erosion and runoff from the land in an aquatic ecosystem supporting a large amount of aquatic life that can deplete the oxygen supply.
electrofishing	a biological collection method that uses electric current to facilitate capturing fishes.
analog	Pertaining to measurements or devices in which the output varies continuously, i.e
ceilometer	An instrument that automatically records cloud height.
oep	Office of Emergency Preparedness
wilfdire warning	Siren
maritime polar air mass	MR
isopleth	A line connecting equal points of value
longitude	TEMPERATE CLIMATE
hodograph	A polar coordinate graph which shows the vertical wind profile of the lowest 7000 meters of the atmosphere
shortwave irradiance	The rate at which radiant energy, at wavelengths between 0.4 and 4 µm, is being transferred across an area of a surface (real or imaginary) in a hemisphere of directions.
normalized difference vegetation index	NE
endangered species	one having so few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct in all or part of its region.
landscape impoundment	body of reclaimed water which is used for aesthetic enjoyment or which otherwise serves a function not intended to include contact recreation.
vernal equinox	Taking place in the Northern Hemispheric spring, it is the point at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator
mesoclimate	the climate that is peculiar to a small natural feature such as a hill or a small lake
parasitism	Biological interaction between species where a parasite species feeds on a host species.
pedogenic regime	The particular soil forming process that operates in a certain climate
inversion	See temperature inversion.
wind	Air movement in the atmosphere.
ice jam	The accumulation of ice at a specific location along a stream channel
hnd	Hundred
variables of state	Temperature, pressure and density of air.
bora	Term used to describe a katabatic wind in Yugoslavia.
test pilot	A pilot that is specially trained to test aircraft
eastern north pacific basin	The portion of the North Pacific Ocean east of 140W
catex	Categorical Exclusion
taxonomic classification	Classification of organisms based on structural and physiological connections between other species.
total cloud water	The total concentration (mass/vol) of ice and liquid water particles in a cloud.
aerosol extinction	The removal of radiant energy from an incident beam by the process of aerosol absorption and/or scattering.
peat	Partially decomposed remains of plants that once flourished in a waterlogged environment.
ultraviolet radiation	Short-wave, energetic electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun
solar day	SKEW T-LOG P DIAGRAM
strike	Strike zone diagram For any particular location, a hurricane strike occurs if that location passes within the hurricane's strike circle, a circle of 125 n mi diameter, centered 12.5 n mi to the right of the hurricane center (looking in the direction of motion)
cold-core anticyclone	Shallow high-pressure systems that coincide with a dome of relatively cold, dry air.
unstable equilibrium	In an unstable equilibrium the system returns to a new equilibrium after disturbance.
bottomset bed	Horizontal deltaic deposit of alluvial sediment composed of fine silt and clay.
crepuscular rays	Contrasting, alternating bright and dark rays in the sky
base leg	A flight path at right angles to the landing runway off its approach end that extends from the downwind leg to the intersection of the extended runway centerline.
hawaiian high	See Pacific High.
aerobic	life or processes that require, or are not destroyed by, the presence of oxygen.
ecotone	a transition zone between two distinctly different ecosystems or communities.
dynamic metamorphism	Form of metamorphism that causes only the structural alteration of rock through pressure
climate	General pattern of weather conditions for a region over a long period time (at least 30 years).
photovoltaic cell	a single semiconducting element of small size (for example, 1 cm2) that absorbs light or other bands of the electromagnetic spectrum and emits electricity.
deposition nuclei	Six-sided microscopic particle that allows for deposition of water as ice crystals in the atmosphere
stable/stability	Occurs when a rising air parcel becomes denser than the surrounding air
physical weathering	Breakdown of rock and minerals into small sized particles through mechanical stress.
greenwich mean time	GND
vascular plant	Plant that has vascular tissues to transport water, nutrients, and other metabolic products.
tide	The regular rise and fall of the Earth's oceans caused by the actions of the moon's and sun's gravitation acting on the rotating Earth.
cryosol soil	Soil order (type) of the Canadian System of Soil Classification
folding	The deformation of rock layers because of compressive forces to form folds.
ciao	Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office
longwave radiance	The rate at which light energy in the longwave portion of the spectrum is emitted in a particular direction per unit of projected surface area perpendicular to the direction of radiation.
sky	The vault-like apparent surface against which all aerial objects are seen from the earth.
emergency broadcast system	A federally established network of commercial radio stations that voluntarily provide official emergency instructions or directions to the public during an emergency.
utc	Abbreviation for Universal Time Coordinated and formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
kame	A steep conical hill composed of glaciofluvial sediments
nitrogen	The most abundant gas in air, comprising 78% by volume
law enforcement warning	Law Enforce Warning
adsorption	the adhesion of a substance to the surface of a solid or liquid
riffle	Bar deposit found on the bed of streams
wien’s displacement law	The higher the temperature of a radiating object, the shorter is the wavelength of maximum radiation intensity; applies to blackbodies.
climate	It describes the average weather conditions in a certain place or during a certain season
experiment	A set of controlled procedures designed to test an idea or hypothesis
empa	Emergency Management Planning and Assistance
fire tornado	During a natural or prescribed fire, the flames drastically heat the surface which allows for hot air near the surface to rise
local area emergency	Local Area Emergenc
dam break warning	Dam Break Warning
staysail	A small sail flown between the mast and the inner forestay.
hyporheic zone	the zone under a river or stream comprising substrate whose interstices are filled with water.
seawater	The mixture of water and various dissolved salts found in the world's oceans and seas.
mean temperature	The average of a series of temperatures taken over a specific period of time, such as an evening, a day or month.
downburst	Violent and damaging downwards flow of air hitting the surface of the Earth violently, usually in a severe thunderstorm.
inceptisols	Soil order (type) of the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Classification System
bernoulli's theorem	A statement of the conservation of energy for a steady, nonviscous, incompressible level flow
magnetosphere	Zone that surrounds the Earth that is influenced by the Earth's magnetic field.
glacial valley	Valley that was influenced by the presence of glaciers
rhyolite	A fine grained extrusive igneous rock that is rich in quartz and potassium feldspar
fresh water	water containing less than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids of any type
invertebrate	Animal that does not have a backbone
spatial	pertaining to space, or pertaining to distance such as spatial variation (variation over distance).
commensialism	Biological interaction between tospecies where one species benefits in terms of fitness while they other experiences no effect on its fitness.
yield	the quantity of water expressed either as a continuous rate of flow (cubic feet per second, etc.) or as a volume per unit of time
short circuiting	when some of the water in tanks or basins flows faster than the rest; shortcircuiting may result in shorter contact, reaction, or settling times than calculated or presumed.
algae	simple rootless plants that grow in sunlit waters in proportion to the amount of available nutrients
instrument mentor	The technical point of contact for ACRF instrument systems
gusts	Gusts are sudden, rapid and brief changes in the wind speed
genetic diversity	Genetic variability found in a population of a species or all of the populations of a species
seed	Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams
brackish	mixed fresh and salt water.
water vapor path	A measure of the total amount of water vapor present in the column
headwater	The water immediately upstream from a dam
microclimate	the local climate near the ground that is peculiar to a small area (usually, the radius is less than a kilometer, and can be as small as a centimeter)
thunderstorm advisory	Some specialised agencies, together with mariners and many members of the public, require notification of the expected occurrence of thunderstorms well in advance
chocolatta north	A West Indian gale that blows from the northwest.
chlorine demand	the difference between the amount of chlorine added to water, sewage, or industrial wastes and the amount of residual chlorine remaining at the end of a specific contact period
alluvium	sediments deposited by erosional processes, usually by streams.
dco	Defense Coordinating Officer
lunar eclipse	When the earth is in a direct line between the sun and the moon
arctic air mass	An air mass that develops around the Arctic, it is characterized by being cold from surface to great heights
wave runup	This is the rush of water up a beach after a wave reaches the shoreline.
sprinkle	Popular term for a very light shower of rain.
mass wasting	General term that describes the downslope movement of sediment, soil, and rock material.
balanced forces	Opposing forces that are pushing or pulling against each other with equal force
flood statement	Flood
river basin	the area drained by a river and its tributaries.
wet bulb temperature	The wet bulb temperature differs from the dry bulb temperature by an amount dependent on the moisture content of the air and is normally the same as or lower than the dry bulb temperature.
closed talik	Is a form of localized unfrozen ground (talik) in an area of permafrost
photodissociation	The splitting of a molecule by photon normally from the Sun.
mineralization	Decomposition of organic matter into its inorganic elemental components.
wilting point	The point at which the rate of water leaving a plant's leaves is greater than the water uptake by the roots
seismic	Shaking displacement usually caused by an earthquake.
shear	Variation in wind speed (speed shear) and/or direction (directional shear) over a short distance within the atmosphere
northern hemisphere	from the vernal equinox to the summer solstice is Spring (March 21 to June21)
tropical savanna	See savanna.
soil texture	The relative quantities of the different types and sizes of mineral particles in a soil.
subtropical	The region between the tropical and temperate regions, an area between 35° and 40° North and South latitude
flood stage	The level of a river or stream at which considerable inundation of surrounding areas will occur.
rotational motion	The turning of an object, like an airplane, around an axis, or a propeller around a hub
apogee	PERIHELION
cyanobacteria	Bacteria that have the ability to photosynthesize.
cleavage	The tendency of some minerals or rocks to break along planes of weakness
atmosphere	The gaseous or air portion of the physical environment that encircles a planet
sand	Mineral particle with a size between 0.06 and 2.0 millimeters in diameter
ecology	The study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment.
infrared radiation	radiation with wavelengths greater than those of the visible light (at about 8000 Angstroms or 800 nanometers(nm)) but shorter than those of microwaves (at about 1,000,000 Angstroms or 800,000 nm)
neutral	Any substance with a pH around 7.
thermocline	fairly thin zone in a lake that separates an upper warmer zone (epilimnion) from a lower colder zone (hypolimnion).
obliquity	The angle between earth's orbit plane and the plane of the earth's equator, the tilt of the earth
volume	The occupation of space in three dimensions
windward	Against the wind.
dhs	Department of Homeland Security
cod	Chemical Oxygen Demand. A measure of the oxygen equivalent of the organic matter content of a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidation. Differs from the BOD test in that COD uses oxygen derived from chemicals, while BOD uses oxygen derived from air dissolved in water.
geohydrology	a term which denotes the branch of hydrology relating to subsurface or subterranean waters; that is, to all waters below the surface.
completion	sealing off access of undesireable water to the well bore by proper casing and/or cementing procedures.
radio waves	ELEV
ferricretes	Sedimentary rock created by the chemical precipitation of iron.
aquitard	geological formation that may contain groundwater but is not capable of transmitting significant quantities of it under normal hydraulic gradients
knots	KY
illuminance	solar radiation in the visible region of the solar spectrum to which the human eye responds.
drd	Deputy Regional Director
aec	Agency Emergency Coordinators
pole	The spinnaker pole.
plankton	Minute plant (phytoplankton) and animal organisms (zooplankton) that are found in aquatic ecosystems.
moc	MERS Operations Center (FEMA)
sun dog	Either of two colored luminous spots that appear at roughly 22° on both sides of the sun at the same elevation
ean	Emergency action notification
smsd	State Management of Small Disasters
bifc	Boise Interagency Fire Center
saturation	When the air is holding the maximum amount of water that it can hold
aquatic life use	a beneficial use designation in which the water body provides suitable habitat for survival and reproduction of desirable fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms.
thermometer	An instrument used for measuring temperature
tdy	Temporary duty
chezy's roughness	a coefficient in Chezy's equation that accounts for energy loss due to the friction between the channel and the water.
haines index	This is also called the Lower Atmosphere Stability Index
transport capacity	the capacity of a river to carry sediment in suspension or to move sediment along the riverbed.
photometer	Any of a number of atmospheric phenomena which appear as luminous patterns in the sky
water withdrawal	The removal of water from some type of source, like groundwater, for some use by humans
convectional lifting	The vertical lifting of parcels of air through convective heating of the atmosphere
dryline	Dry Microburst
continental rise	Thick layers of sediment found between the continental slope the ocean floor.
swell	Ocean waves that have traveled out of their generating area
greenhouse effect	Warming of the atmosphere by slowing the release of heat to space, due to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
practice/demo	Demo Message
industrial revolution	Major change in the economy and society of humans brought on by the use of machines and the efficient production of goods
organotins	chemical compounds used in antifoulant paints to protect the hulls of boats and ships, buoys, and pilings from marine organisms such as barnacles.
transonic	Velocity between nine tenths (.9) and one and four tenths (1.4) times the speed of sound.
spatial isolation	Reproductive isolation of two or more populations of a species by distance or physical barriers
epoch	Geologic time unit that is shorter than a period.
frost advisory	Its issued during the growing season when a widespread frost is expected over an extensive area
stability	The capability of a system to tolerate or recover from disturbance or an environmental stress.
climap project	Multiuniversity research project that reconstructed the Earth's climate for the last million years by examining proxy data from ocean sediment cores.
localizer beam	An instrument landing system (ILS) navigation facility located near an airport's runway that provides horizontal guidance to the runway centerline for aircraft during approach and landing
hydropower	electrical energy produced by falling water.
icy	surface on fallen snow, usually formed by the slight melting and refreezing of the surface snow.
ecosystem diversity	The variety of unique biological communities found on the Earth
nitrate	Form of nitrogen commonly found in the soil and used by plants for building amino acids, DNA and proteins
fma	Flood Mitigation Assistance
maunder minimum	Period from 1645 to 1715 during which the Sun had very little sunspot activity.
polychlorinated biphenyls	toxic industrial chemical compound substances that were used in the manufacture of plastics and as insulating fluids in electrical transformers and capacitors
double rainbow	A double rainbow is similar to a single rainbow in that it is both an optical and meteorological phenomenon, but the double rainbow portrays the colors in reverse
pressure	TWILIGHT
wind shear	Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere
geographic range	Spatial distribution of a species
barrier winds	Refers to the westerly flow of air along the northern slope of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska that precedes the arrival of colder air from the north.
jttf	Joint Terrorism Task Force
confluence	A rate at which wind flow comes together along an axis oriented normal to the flow in question
inert waste	waste that does not contain hazardous waste or soluble pollutants at concentrations in excess of applicable water quality objectives, and does not contain significant quantities of decomposable waste.
habitat indicator	a physical attribute of the environment measured to characterize conditions necessary to support an organism, population, or community in the absence of pollutants
til	Until
outlook briefing	A weather briefing requested by a pilot six or more hours prior to departure, that provides the pilot with weather information pertinent to the proposed flight that serves to help the pilot determine the feasibility of the flight.
txb	Transmitter backup on
cercla	Comprehensive Environmental Resource Compensation and Liability Act
convergence	DMNT
flight route	The path or course taken by the aircraft in order to reach its destination.
elastic deformation	Change in the shape of a material as the result of the force of compression or expansion
water purveyor	a public utility, mutual water company, county water district, or municipality that delivers drinking water to customers.
negative vorticity advection	Anvil (or Anvil Cloud)
destination airport	The airport to which an aircraft is flying.
winter weather advisory	Its issued for winter weather situations that could lead into hazardous conditions.
wfo	Weather Forecast Office
caldera	A large circular depression in a volcano.
mass number	Total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom
msclea	Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies
output	Movement of matter, energy, or information out of a system
read-back	Repeating a message in order to confirm its correctness.
descend	To come down under control from a higher to a lower altitude.
o horizon	Topmost layer of most soils
greenhouse gases	Gases responsible for the greenhouse effect
regolith	Loose layer of rocky material overlying bedrock.
interferometer	an instrument for determining the spectral distribution of irradiance
propagule	Structure that develops into a plant.
lowest astronomical tide	The lowest tide level that can be predicted to occur under average meteorological conditions and any combination of astronomical conditions
comprehensive eap exercise	An in-depth exercise of an EAP that involves the interaction of the dam owner with the state and local emergency management agencies in a stressful environment with time constraints
mean temperature	The average of temperature readings taken over a specified amount of time
radar	An instrument used for detecting the presence and distance of objects, such as rain drops, by scattering radio energy.
wmo	the World Meteorological Organization.
halo	The ring of light that seems to encircle the sun or moon when veiled by cirrus clouds
forest	Ecosystem dominated by trees
ecliptic	The sun's apparent path across the sky that tracks a circle through the celestial sphere.
atmosphere	or the total water, liquid, solid or vapor, in a given volume of air.
tidal marsh	low, flat marshlands traversed by channels and tidal hollows, subject to tidal inundation; normally, the only vegetation present is salt-tolerant bushes and grasses.
msha	Mine Safety and Health Administration
representative fraction	The expression of map scale as a mathematical ratio.
length of day	The time of Actual Sunset minus the time of Actual Sunrise
touchdown zone	(1) For fixed wing aircraft, the first 3000 feet of runway, beginning at the threshold
ascend	To move upward in a flight vehicle, often directly upward in a near-vertical trajectory, as opposed to the more gradual trajectory of a climb.
cation exchange	Chemical trading of cations between the soil minerals and organic matter with the soil solution and plant roots.
scarification	Extensive movements of soil, sediment, and rock material caused by humans.
ice pellets	Precipitation of transparent or translucent pellets of ice, which are spherical or irregular shaped, having a diameter of 5 mm or less
wave period	The time elapsed for a wave to travel the distance of one wavelength.
ebb current	Movement of a tidal current away from shore or down a tidal river or estuary.
tarn	A small mountain lake that occurs inside a cirque basin.
winter	Season between fall and spring
point source	source of pollution that involves discharge of wastes from an identifiable point, such as a smokestack or sewage treatment plant
chem hazard warning	Siren
sun rays	Parallel rays of sunlight that penetrate through holes in clouds as columns of sunlit air are divided by darker shaded regions
hydrologic basin	the drainage area upstream from a given point on a stream.
inversion	A term meaning the reversal of something, in meteorology the a reversal of the normal atmospheric temperature gradient with height.
stream bank	Sides of the stream channel.
cockpit	A compartment in the front of the airplane where the flight crew performs their job of flying the aircraft.
quality-assured data	Typically, the final form of data to be submitted to the ARM data system
discharge	See stream discharge.
heat stroke	A condition resulting from excessive exposure to intense heat, characterized by high fever, collapse, and sometimes convulsions or coma.
altitude	and its height is about 80 kilometers.
chlorination	the adding of chlorine to water or sewage for the purpose of disinfection or other biological or chemical results.
stable equilibrium	In a stable equilibrium the system displays tendencies to return to the same equilibrium after disturbance.
elevators	Control surfaces on the horizontal part of the tail that are used to make the airplane pitch
front	The transition zone between two distinct airmasses
station elevation	EL NIÃO
hanging wall	The topmost surface of an inclined fault.
extreme caution	Above 90 °F Under 105 °F
polar-orbiting satellite	A satellite whose orbit passes over both of the earth’s poles
infrared radiation	Iridescence
lava	Molten magma released from a volcanic vent or fissure.
rain	A form of precipitation consisting of liquid water droplets having diameters between 0.5 and 5.0 mm (0.02 and 0.2 in).
wettability	the degree to which a fluid will spread into or coat a solid surface in the presence of other fluids into which it will not dissolve.
marker beacons	A radio navigation aid used in the approach zone of an instrumented airport
prey	Organism that is consumed by a predator.
impoundment	a body of water such as a pond, confined by a dam, dike, floodgate or other barrier
maritime effect	The effect that large ocean bodies have on the climate of locations or regions
spectral irradiance	the amount of radiant energy flux expressed in terms of the solar spectrum
key habitats	flow-sensitive habitats as well as habitats that support key species.
groundwater storage	the storage of water in groundwater reservoirs.
irradiance	The rate at which radiant energy in a radiation field is transferred across an area of a surface (real or imaginary) in a hemisphere of directions.
data management facility	Manages ARM datastream and provides for the collection, processing, analysis, and delivery of ARM data.
??w	Unrecognized code ending in W
conjunctive management	integrated management and use of two or more water resources, such as an aquifer and a surface water body.
mississippian	Geologic period that occurred roughly 320 to 360 million years ago
airplane	An aircraft that uses the force of air on its wings (called lift) to fly.
oceanic plate	A rigid, independent segment of the lithosphere composed of mainly basalt that floats on the viscous plastic asthenosphere and moves over the surface of the Earth
valley breeze	Local thermal circulation pattern found in areas of topographic relief
erg	a metric unit of energy (dyne-cm)
absolute zero	Considered to be the point at which theoretically no molecular activity exists or the temperature at which the volume of a perfect gas vanishes
melting	The physical process of a solid becoming a liquid
unimproved airport	An airport with runways made of grass, dirt, or gravel, instead of concrete or asphalt.
drainage reuse	reuse of agricultural drainage on salt-tolerant crops.
entrance region	right entrance region.
usgs	U.S
central pressure	The atmospheric pressure at the center of a high or low
solar noon	the time at which the position of the sun is at its highest elevation in the sky
towers	Tops normally are rounded while bases are more horizontal.
dilution ratio	the critical low flow of the receiving water at the point of recycled water discharge divided by the flow of the discharge. Is used in the biomonitoring test to simulate in-stream conditions that organisms will be exposed to during critical low-flow times.
sea-level	The average surface elevation of the world's oceans.
wettable powder	dry formulation that must be mixed with water or other liquid before it is applied.
cold vapor	method to test water for the presence of mercury.
index of biotic integrity	a multi-metric measure of biological condition developed from collection of data for fish or other organisms
proton	A sub-particle of an atom that contains a positive charge.
sexual reproduction	Any process of reproduction that does involve the fusion of gametes.
terrain	A tract of ground regarding its topographical features or fitness for some use.
declaration	The act based on the President's decision that a major disaster qualifies for federal assistance under the Stafford Act
transport	One of three distinct processes involved in erosion
eas	Emergency Alert System
landmark	An object on land which is easily seen and recognizable by the pilot during flight.
rain	Precipitation in the form of liquid water droplets greater than 0.5 mm
density	An example is a baroclinic pattern.
backstay	A mast support that runs from the top of the mast to the stern of the yacht; it may be adjustable in order to bend the mast backward or to increase tension on the forestay.
fusion	changing from a solid to a liquid state
obscuration	Obscuration
tide anomaly	Actual water level minus the prediction.
continental effect	The effect that continental surfaces have on the climate of locations or regions
h&h	Hydraulics and Hydrology
fetch	SYNOPTIC CHART
water well	any artificial excavation constructed for the purpose of exploring for or producing ground water.
leoc	Local Emergency Operations Center
aspirator	A device attached to a meteorological instrument to provide ventilation; usually a suction fan.
haze	A suspension of fine dust and/or smoke particles in the air
sublimation	The process whereby water changes phase from a solid into a vapor without first becoming liquid.
elastic rebound theory	Theory that describes how earthquakes arise from the horizontal movement of adjacent tectonic plates along a linear strike-slip fault
isotope	Form of an element where the number of neutrons in its atomic nucleus is different than the number of protons.
avalanche warning	Siren
ebris flow	A type of mass movement where there is a downslope flow of a saturated mass of soil, sediment, and rock debris.
biosphere	The transition zone between the earth and the atmosphere within which most terrestrial life forms are found
polar high	Surface area of atmospheric high pressure located at about 90° North and South latitude
longshore drift	The movement and deposition of coastal sediments because of longshore currents.
aerobatics	Flight that commonly involves barrel rolls, spins, and other high-performance maneuvers.
monsoon	a seasonal change in wind direction bringing dry air or heavy rain
halos	Rings or arcs that seem to encircle the sun or moon
resolution	In relation to radar, it is the ability to read two distinct targets separately
riparian water right	the legal right held by an owner of land contiguous to or bordering on a natural stream or lake, to take water from the source for use on the contiguous land.
concentrator	a collector that enhances solar energy by focusing it onto a smaller area through mirrored surfaces or lenses.
plantae	Group, at the kingdom level, in the classification of life
er	Emergency Relief (FHWA Assistance Program)
geopressured reservoir	a geothermal reservoir consisting of porous sands containing water or brine at high temperature or pressure.
sand dune	A hill or ridge of aeolian sand deposits with a minimum height of less than one meter and a maximum height of about 50 meters
exfoliation dome	A physical weathering feature associated with granite that is the result of the erosion of overburden material and pressure-release
summer	Season between spring and fall
fwpca	Federal Water Pollution Control Act
subtropical jet stream	Relatively fast uniform winds concentrated within the upper atmosphere in a narrow band
methyl orange alkalinity	A measure of the total alkalinity in a water sample in which the color of methyl orange reflects the change in level.
gross sediment transport	The total amount of sediment transported along a shoreline in a specific time period.
heat wave	A period of abnormally hot weather lasting several days.
drought	although there is no universally accepted definition of drought, it is generally the term applied to periods of less than average precipitation over a certain period of time
shoreline	The line that separates a land surface from a water body
jic	Joint Information Center
nima	National Imagery and Mapping Agency
ph scale	A measure of the range of acidity and alkalinity of a substance, on a scale from 0-14, with acids being on the lower end and bases on the higher end
base flow	Rate of discharge in a stream where only the throughflow and groundwater flow from subsurface aquifers contribute to the overall flow.
chemosynthesis	Process in which specific autotrophic organisms extract inorganic compounds from their environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the use of sunlight
overcast	Overcast (OVC)
greenwich mean time	Same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); the international time standard kept at Greenwich, England.
sun	Its responsible for most of the earth's weather, even though it is 93 million miles away
soil erosion	the processes by which soil is removed from one place by forces such as wind, water, waves, glaciers, and construction activity and eventually deposited at some new place.
hail contamination	A limitation in NEXRAD rainfall estimates whereby abnormally high reflectivities associated with hail are converted to rainfall rates and rainfall accumulations
private pilot	A pilot who has completed the Federal Aviation Administration's requirements for the private certificate, including a minimum of 40 hours of flight time and passing a knowledge exam and flight test.
ultraviolet radiation	Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between approximately .2 to .4 microns.
riparian zone	a stream and all the vegetation on its banks.
ambient background concentration	a representative concentration of the water quality in a receiving water body, determined from monitoring
altocumulus castellanus	A type of altocumulus cloud with tower-like projections that billow upwards from the base of the cloud
soil organic matter	Organic constituents of soil.
knot	A unit for the measurement of speed in the nautical system
solute	any substance derived from the atmosphere, vegetation, soil, or rock that is dissolved in water.
boil water warning	Siren
clear	The state of the sky when no clouds or obscurations are observed or detected from the point of observation.
shpo	State Historic Preservation Office
atmosphere	the mass of air surrounding the earth and bound to it more or less permanently by the earth's gravitational attraction
river flood advisory	Streams or rivers reaching action stage is occurring, imminent, or highly likely
stormwater discharge	precipitation that does not infiltrate into the ground or evaporate due to impervious land surfaces but instead flows onto adjacent land or water areas and is routed into drain/sewer systems.
map	An abstraction of the real world that is used to depict, analyze, store, and communicate spatially organized information about physical and cultural phenomena.
pressure gradient force	Phase
infrared	visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays.
automated system	Performance of an operation by a mechanical or computerized method.
today	6am-6pm
aquifer	a geologic formation that will yield water to a well in sufficient quantities to make the production of water from this formation feasible for beneficial use; permeable layers of underground rock or sand that hold or transmit groundwater below the water table.
field capacity	the amount of water held in soil against the pull of gravity.
aircraft	A machine used for flying
mica	Silicate mineral that exhibits a platy crystal structure and perfect cleavage
genetic adaptation	Changes in the genetic makeup of organisms of a species due to mutations that allow the species to reproduce and gain a competitive advantage under changed environmental conditions.
dew point	A measure of the absolute humidity at the surface
law of the minimum	This biological law suggests that organisms are normally limited by only one single physical factor that is in shortest supply relative to demand.
sonic detection and ranging	SOI
solar conversion technologies	collective name for all methods for converting the sun's energy into usable energy.
tlc	Territorial Logistics Center
erratic	A large rock boulder that has been transported by glaciers away from its origin and deposited in a region of dissimilar rock.
senescence	the aging process
india	Designator for the letter "I" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
mt	Mitigation Directorate
groundwater law	the common law doctrine of riparian rights and the doctrine of prior appropriation as applied to ground water.
flood stage	The level of a river or stream where overflow onto surrounding areas can occur.
cold desert	Desert found in the high latitudes and at high altitudes where precipitation is low
wind shear	The change of wind speed or direction with distance, usually vertical.
absolute zero	The zero point of the Kelvin temperature scale (0 K)
two-tailed statistical test	Is an inferential statistical test where the values for which one can reject the null hypothesis are located either side of the center of the probability distribution.
pressure	A force being exerted on part of a surface
tropical rainforest	Forested biome found near the equator and dominated by evergreen vegetation.
cirque	Glacially eroded rock basin found on mountains
density	The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it.
thematic map	Map that displays the geographical distribution of one phenomenon or the spatial associations that occur between a few phenomena
blizzard warning	Blizzard Warning
thermodynamic equilibrium	This type of equilibrium describes a condition in a system where the distribution of mass and energy moves towards maximum entropy.
vertical stabilizer	The vertical part of the tail
recessional moraine	Moraine that is created during a pause in the retreat of a glacier
potential energy	Is the energy that a body possesses by virtue of its position and that is potentially transformable into another form of energy.
"global circulation"	Veðurstofa Íslands
black ice	Thin, new ice on fresh or salt water that appears dark in color because of its transparency
car	Capability Assessment for Readiness
cat	Crisis Action Team
immediate needs funding	An advance of grant funds to assist with payment of emergency work within the first 60 days after a disaster strikes
extratropical	A term used in advisories and tropical summaries to indicate that a cyclone has lost its "tropical" characteristics
thermokarst	Landscape dominated by depressions, pits, and caves that is created by the thawing of ground ice in high latitude locations
system state	Current value of a system's elements, attributes, and/or relationships.
carbonates	the collective term for the natural inorganic chemical compounds related to carbon dioxide that exist in natural waterways.
water year	The term U.S
nnob	National Network Operations Branch
immediate evacuation	Immediat Evacuate
permafrost	Zone of permanently frozen water found in high latitude soils and sediments
thermosphere	A thermal classification, it is the layer of the atmosphere located between the mesosphere and outer space
disc	Disaster Information System Clearinghouse
water vapor	Water in a vapor (gaseous) form; also refered to as atomospheric moisture
isac	Information Sharing and Analysis Center
supply	a schedule that shows the various quantities of things offered for sale at various prices at a point in time
lahar	A very rapid type of downslope mass movement that involving mudflows from volcanic ash.
secondary wave	See S-wave or shear wave.
dtra	Defense Threat Reduction Agency
lithification	Process by which sediments are consolidated into sedimentary rock.
inversion	A departure from the usual increase or decrease of an atmospheric property with altitude
ics	Incident Command System
black body	A hypothetical object that absorbs all of the radiation that strikes it; also emits radiation at a maximum rate for its given temperature.
aes	Aeromedical Evacuation System
second-growth forest	Stand of forest that is the result of secondary succession.
convective available potential energy	Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
plants	In this interaction, one species produces and releases of chemical substances that inhibit the growth of another species.
atmosphere	The envelope of air surrounding the earth and bound to it more or less permanently by virtue of the earth's gravitational attraction
thrftr	Thereafter
carbon dioxide	Common gas found in the atmosphere
multicell thunderstorm	These thunderstorms are organized in clusters of at least 2-4 short-lived cells
albedo	The fraction or percent of radiation striking a surface that is reflected by that surface.
lag	Lowest adjacent grade (to a structure)
ecosystem	An ecosystem is a system where populations of species group together into communities and interact with each other and the abiotic environment.
hpc	Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
cfr	Code of Federal Regulations
earthflow	A rapid type of downslope mass movement that involves soil and other loose sediments
bog	A habitat that consists of waterlogged spongy ground
continuous permafrost	Form of permafrost that exists across a landscape as an unbroken layer.
groundwater hydrology	the branch of hydrology that deals with groundwater; its occurrence and movements, its replenishment and depletion, the properties of rocks that control groundwater movement and storage, and the methods of investigation and utilization of ground water.
tower	A terminal facility that uses air/ground communications, visual signaling, and other devices to provide ATC services to aircraft operating in the vicinity of an airport or on the movement area
carbon dioxide	Coalescence
foc	FEMA Operations Center
waypoint	A specific location as defined by GPS, the Global Positioning System.
crystal habit	The size and shape of the crystals in a crystalline solid
air masses	Frontal Inversion
potential energy	The energy that a body possesses by virtue of its position with respect to other bodies in the field of gravity.
enplane	The process of passengers boarding an aircraft.
treatment	any method, technique, or process designed to remove solids and/or pollutants from solid waste, waste-streams, and effluents.
condensation	The process by which water vapor becomes a liquid.
data quality report	Used to identify and document problems with ARM systems, physical infrastructure, or instruments.
succulent vegetation	Group of plants that have the ability to survive in deserts and other dry climates by having no leaves
scattered	Individual features that are widely distributed in extent and are likely to affect the area frequently.
rift	Zone between two diverging tectonic plates
mweac	Mount Weather Emergency Assistance Branch
hydraulic head	In hydrologic terms, (1) The height of the free surface of a body of water above a given point beneath the surface
environment	The external conditions and surroundings, especially those that affect the quality of life of plants, animals and human beings.
ares	Amateur Radio Emergency Services
friction	that the flow is straight with no curvature and there is no divergence or convergence with no vertical acceleration.
flood plain	The lowland that borders a river, usually dry but subject to flooding when the river is high.
convergence	This is an area where winds/windfields converge
homosphere	The lower layer in a two part classification of the atmosphere based on the general homogeneity of chemical composition
flow-sensitive habitats	habitats that show hydraulic response to relatively small changes in streamflow
plagioclase feldspar	A type of feldspar that is rich in sodium and calcium
sdf	Special Direct Facility
aerosol loading	An increase in aerosol concentration.
temperate climate	Climates with distinct winter and summer seasons, typical of regions found between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles
flush	to open a cold-water tap to clear out all the water which may have been sitting for a long time in the pipes; to force large amounts of water through a system to clean out piping or tubing and storage or process tanks.
victor	Designator for the letter "V" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
suspended load	Portion of the stream load that is carried almost permanently suspended in flowing water.
independent variable	Variable in a statistical test that is thought to be controlling through cause and effect the value of observations in another dependent variable modeled in the test.
sludge digester	tank in which complex organic substances like sewage sludge are biologically dredged
light	A humanly visible form of electromagnetic radiation
uc	Unified Command
twilight	The average time of civil twilight, which is the time between civil dawn and sunrise in the morning, and between sunset and civil dusk in the evening.
barotropic	A barotropic atmosphere is one in which the pressure depends only on the density and vice versa, so that isobaric surfaces (constant pressure surfaces) are also isopycnic surfaces (constant density surfaces).
mesozoic	Geologic era that occurred from 245 to 65 million years ago.
hardpan	a shallow layer of earth material which has become relatively hard and impermeable, usually through the deposition of minerals
bank	the sloping land bordering a stream channel that forms the usual boundaries of a channel
noaa	National Oceanic and Atmosphereic Administration
in the vicinity	Not necessarily affecting the area but visible to the naked eye.
straight wing	A wing that sticks straight out (approximately perpendicular) from the fuselage
geodesy	The science that measures the surface features of the Earth.
earthquake	Is a sudden motion or trembling in the Earth
critical low flow	low flow conditions below which some standards do not apply
ddrm	Deputy Disaster Recovery Manager
glacial uplift	Upward movement of the Earth's crust following isostatic depression from the weight of the continental glaciers.
backscatter depolarization ratio	The ratio of cross polarized to co-polarized elastic backscatter.
gene pool	Sum total of all the genes found in the individuals of the population of a particular species.
ozone	A form of oxygen containing 3 molecules, usually found in the stratosphere, and responsible for filtering out much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
overbank flows	the component of an instream flow regime that represents infrequent, high flow events that exceed the normal channel
emittance	The rate at which a black body radiates energy across all wavelengths.
standard deviation	A statistical measure of the dispersion of observation values in a data set
human-land tradition	Academic tradition in modern Geography that investigates human interactions with the environment.
field campaign	A scheduled period of time, or a field campaign, when the frequency of observations is changed to augment routine data acquisition at a site or to satisfy a particular data requirement.
continental divide	The elevated area that occurs on a continent that divides continental scale drainage basins.
hypothesis	A proposed explanation for an observable phenomenon. An important step within the ìscientific method.î I think we need to leave in the relevant definition of hypothesis or take it out all together.BPhypoxia
thermal low	Also known as heat low, it is an area of low pressure due to the high temperatures caused by intensive heating at the surface
roll	A rotational motion in which the aircraft turns around its longitudinal axis
retrogression	In meteorology, it is the movement of a weather system in a direction opposite to the direction of the basic flow in which it is embedded
statex	Statutory Exclusion