Weather Station Definitions

Details of Terminology

Definitions for terminology and the weather station’s sensor data are detailed below.

Australian Height Datum (AHD): The AHD was established in May 1971, when the mean sea level for the time period 1966 to 1968 was assigned a zero elevation value for thirty tide gauges established around the Australian coastline.
Temperature (Air): Air temperature within the meteorological screen.
Dew Point Temperature: Temperature to which air would have to be cooled at constant pressure and constant water vapour concentration for saturation to occur (and dew to form).
Barometric Pressure: Barometric pressure measured at the instrument.
Barometric Pressure: Barometric pressure corrected to the official airfield elevation. An aircraft altimeter set to this pressure will read zero when the aircraft lands at the airfield.
Barometric Pressure (QFE*Kqff): Barometric pressure corrected to mean sea level, assuming an isothermal atmosphere from the meteorological station and mean sea level.
Barometric Pressure (Aviation Standard): Barometric pressure corrected to mean sea level, assuming a temperature profile equivalent to the temperature profile of the International Standard Atmosphere from the meteorological station and mean sea level.
Rainfall (10 minute): Accumulated rainfall during a 10-minute interval.
Rainfall (Year to Date): Accumulated rainfall since the January 1 of the current year.
Calculated Evaporation (10 minute): The water that would have evaporated from a water surface in a 10-minute interval given the temperature and humidity conditions recorded at the meteorological station using the Penman calculation.
Calculated Evaporation (Year to Date): The water that would have evaporated from a water surface since January 1 of the current year given the temperature and humidity conditions recorded at the meteorological station using the Penman calculation.
Relative Humidity: The ratio of the actual concentration of water vapour in the air to the concentration of water vapour that would be present, given the temperature, if the air were saturated. Water vapour may be measured in partial pressures (eg. hPa/hPa) or in absolute humidity (g water vapour per m³ air) or mixing ratio (mass or water vapour per mass of dry air, usually g/kg).
Wind Speed (10-minute average): Wind speed averaged over the last 10 minutes.
Wind Direction (10-minute average): Wind direction averaged over the last 10 minutes.
Wind Speed (10-minute SD): Standard deviation of wind speed over the last 10 minutes.
Wind Direction (10-minute SD): Standard deviation of wind direction over the last 10 minutes.
Wind Speed (max wind gust): Maximum wind speed recorded over the last 10 minutes.
Wind Direction (10min SD): Maximum wind gust direction over the last 10 minutes.
Solar Radiation (Average): Ten minute average short wave radiation flux density (J m⁻² s⁻¹).
Soil Temperature (100mm depth): Temperature of soil at a depth of 100mm.
Soil Temperature (200mm depth): Temperature of soil at a depth of 200mm.
Soil Temperature (300mm depth): Temperature of soil at a depth of 300mm.
Soil Temperature (400mm depth): Temperature of soil at a depth of 400mm.
Soil Moisture (100mm depth): Moisture in the soil at a depth of 100mm.
Soil Moisture (200mm depth): Moisture in the soil at a depth of 200mm.
Soil Moisture (300mm depth): Moisture in the soil at a depth of 300mm.
Soil Moisture (400mm depth): Moisture in the soil at a depth of 400mm.
Soil Salinity (100mm depth): Salinity of the soil at a depth of 100mm.
Soil Salinity (200mm depth): Salinitye of the soil at a depth of 200mm.
Soil Salinity (300mm depth): Salinity of the soil at a depth of 300mm.
Soil Salinity (400mm depth): Salinity of the soil at a depth of 400mm.