AMS Style for Common Meteorological Terms

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

abovementioned

airborne

airflow

air mass (n), airmass (a)

air parcel

airspeed

airstream

alongfront

along-isopycnal

alongshore

alongside

analog

Ångström (proper name)

angstrom (Å, unit)

aquaplanet

Arakawa C grid

Arctic (capped in most contexts)

Arctic Circle

arctic flow

artificial intelligence

atmospheric river (all)

autocorrelation

B

backscatter

backup (n), back up (v)

baiu

baiu-mei-yu

bandpass

bandwidth

basic state (n), basic-state (a)

base flow (n), baseflow (adj)

Bayes’s theorem

beamfilling

beamwidth

benchmark

best track (all)

blackbody

boundary layer

Boussinesq equations

box-and-whisker plot

boxplot

breakup (n), break up (v)

bright band (n), brightband (a)

broad band (n), broadband (a)

broadscale (a)

Brunt–Väisälä frequency

buildup (n), build up (v)

built-up (a)

bull’s-eye

by-product

C

C3 (plants)

category (lc; of hurricanes)

centerline

changepoint

changma

cirrus (sing. and pl.)

clear-cut

climate change

cloud base (n), cloud-base (a)

cloud-free (a)

Cloudnet

cloud-resolving (a)

cloud top (n), cloud-top (a)

cloud water

collocated

collocation

Coriolis force

correlated-k distribution

correlated-k model

cosmic ray (n); cosmic-ray (a)

cross-check

cross correlation (n); cross-correlation (a)

cross-flow

cross section (n)

cross-sectional (a)

cross-shore

cross-spectrum

cross-track (a)

crosswind

cumulus (sing. and pl.)

current meter (n); current-meter (a)

cutoff (n), cut off (v)

D

database

datalogger

data plot

data point

dataset

date line

decadelong

decision-maker/making (all)

deep learning

deep water (n), deep-water (a)

degree-day

dewpoint

disdrometer, distrometer

Doppler radar

downgrade

downgradient

downslope

dry-adiabatic (a)

dry-bulb (a)

dryline

E

e-folding

El Chichón

El Niño

eigenfunction

eigenvalue

eigenvector

eigenwave

email

ensemble Kalman filter

enstrophy

Eos (AGU publication)

Eta Model (NCEP model)

eta model (generic model)

Euro-Atlantic

evapotranspiration

exceedance

extratropical

extratropics

eyewall

F

f plane (n); f-plane (a)

falloff (n), fall off (v)

fall speed

far field (n), far-field (a)

fine-grid (a)

fine structure

fine-tune

finite difference (n); finite-difference (a)

fixed point (n), fixed-point (a)

flowmeter

form drag

Fortran (current name)

FORTRAN (older versions)

free-fall

freshwater

G

gain–loss

gauge

Gaussian

global ocean

gravity wave

graybody

grayscale

greenhouse gas

Grey probe

grid box (n), gridbox (a)

grid cell (n), gridcell (a)

grid point (n), gridpoint (a)

gridscale (a)

groundwater

Gulf Coast

Gulf Stream

H

Hadley cell

hailfall

hailstone

hailstorm

half-width

heatwave (all)

high-pass filter

high pressure system

Hotplate (for UCAR proprietary use; hot plate for generic use)

hotspot (all)

Hovmöller or Hovmoeller

I

ice shelf water

in between (adv, prep); in-between (n, adj)

in-depth

indices

Indo-Pacific

inertia–gravity wave

inertio-gravity wave

interannual

international date line

internet

isopycnal

isopycnic

J

Januaries

jetlike

Julys

K

K-means

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)

kona low

L

Lagrangian coordinates

land cover (n), land-cover (a)

land use (n), land-use (a)

landmass

land surface (n, a)

La Niña

large scale (n), large-scale (a)

leapfrog

least squares (n, a)

lee side (n), leeside (a)

lee wave (n), lee-wave (a)

left-hand side, lhs

length scale

lidar

life cycle

lift-off

limited area (n); limited-area (a)

lognormal

log pressure

long-standing

long-term (a)

long wave (n, hydrodynamic); long-wave (a, hydrodynamic); longwave (radiation)

lookup table

loran

Loran C

low-bandpass filter

low-pass filter

low pressure system

M

machine learning

Macintosh

Madden–Julian oscillation

makeup (n), make up (v)

Maritime Continent

matchup

maxima

mei-yu

mei-yu-baiu

meltwater

mesoalpha, mesobeta, etc.

meso-α scale (n); meso-α-scale (a)

meso-β scale (n); meso-β-scale (a)

meso-γ scale (n); meso-γ-scale (a)

NCEP Meso Eta Model

Micro Rain Radar

middle atmosphere

minima

mixed layer (n, a, oceanographic)

-moment (statistics)

Monte Carlo

monthlong

mountain wave (n); mountain-wave (a)

Mumbai (formerly Bombay)

N

namelist

narrow band (n); narrowband (a)

NCEP–NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis

NCEP–NCAR reanalysis

near-bottom (a)

near-field (a)

near-infrared

near–real time (n); near-real-time (a)

nearshore (a)

near-stream (a)

near-surface (a)

neural network

nighttime

Niño-3 (Niño-4, Niño-1+2, Niño-3.4)

nor’easter (type of storm)

North Atlantic Current

north-central

North Equatorial Current

Northern Hemisphere

nth order (n), nth-order (a)

O

offline (computer or instrument application)

offshore

omnidirectional

onboard (a), on board (adv)

one-half

online (computer or instrument application)

onshore

open water (n, a)

P

Pacific decadal oscillation

pan-Arctic

pan evaporation

pathlength

phase locking (n), phase-locking (a)

photochemical

planetary waves

plane wave (n, a)

Plexiglas

polar regions

power law (n), power-law (a)

pressure jump

pressure–velocity

primitive equation

Q

quasi-biennial oscillation

quasigeostrophic

R

radiative transfer

rainband

raindrop

rainfall

rain gauge

rain rate (n), rain-rate (a)

rainwater

random forest

raob

rapid scan (a)

Rayleigh’s law

real time (n), real-time (a)

red noise

reduced-gravity (a)

remote sensing

right-hand side, rhs

rigid lid (n), rigid-lid (a)

rolloff (n)

root-mean-square

root-mean-square error

runoff (n), run off (v)

run-up (a), run up (v)

S

Saffir–Simpson

saltwater

scatterplot

sea breeze (n), sea-breeze (a)

sea ice

sea level (n, a)

sea level pressure

sea surface temperature

seafloor

seamount

seawater

semiempirical

setdown (n), set down (v)

setup (n), set up (v)

shapefile

shelf break (n), shelfbreak (a)

ship track

shoreline

short wave (n, hydrodynamic); short-wave (a, hydrodynamic); shortwave (radiation)

sidar

sidelobe

skew T–logp

snowband

snow cover (n), snow-cover (a)

snowfall

snow line

snowmelt

snowpack

so-called

sodar

SOFAR

Southern Ocean

Southern Oscillation

Southern Oscillation index

South Pacific

South Pole

spatiotemporal

spindown

spinup (n, a), spin up (v)

spun-up (a)

squall line (n), squall-line (adj)

square root

stand-alone

state of the art (n); state-of-the-art (adj)

steady state (n), steady-state (adj)

step function

storm track (n), storm-track (adj)

streamflow

streamfunction

streamline

Student’s t test

subantarctic

Subantarctic Front

subtropical

sun glint (n), sun-glint (adj)

superadiabatic

super rapid scan (a)

surface-intensified (adj)

surfzone

synoptic scale (n); synoptic-scale (adj)

T

t test (n), t-test (adj)

tangent linear

testbed (n)

three-dimensional

tide gauge

timeline

time scale (n), time-scale (adj)

time step

trade winds

trade-off

transatlantic

Tropic Circle

tropics

twofold

U

UNIX

U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976

underway (adj); under way (adv, in the sense of “in progress”)

upgradient

V

vertical–meridional

von Kármán

W

water table (n), water-table (adj)

water year (n), water-year (adj)

wave band

wave crest

wave field (n), wavefield (adj)

waveform

wave front

waveguide

wavelength

wavenumber

wave packet

wave train

wavevector (always closed)

web page

website

weeklong

wet-adiabatic (adj)

wet-bulb (adj)

wind field

wind sea (n); wind-sea (a)

wind shear

wind speed

wind stress

windstorm

wind wave (n), wind-wave (a)

World Ocean

X

x axis (n), x-axis (adj)

Y

yearday

yearlong

year-round

Z

zero crossing

zero order