wind rose
Definition
Noun: 1. A diagram showing wind patterns: A wind rose is a graphic tool used in meteorology and climatology. It visually summarizes the frequency, speed, and direction of winds at a specific location over a period of time. The diagram typically uses concentric circles and radiating spokes to represent this data.
Usage
The term "wind rose" is used as a countable noun. It refers to a specific type of scientific chart or diagram. * Meteorologists use a wind rose to analyze the prevailing wind patterns for a city. * The wind rose for the coastal station shows that winds most frequently come from the southwest. * Before building the airport, engineers studied the wind rose for the area.
Advanced Usage
- In historical context: The term "wind rose" originally referred to a diagram on early maps (like portolan charts) that simply showed the cardinal directions (North, East, South, West) and their intermediate points. The modern meteorological diagram evolved from this.
- In data visualization: A wind rose is a specialized form of a polar histogram or radial plot, where data is binned by both direction and magnitude.
Variants and Related Words
- Wind Rose Diagram: A more explicit, full term for the chart.
- Wind Pattern Analysis: The process for which a wind rose is a key tool.
- Climatological Wind Rose: Specifies a wind rose created using long-term climate data, often spanning 30 years.
Synonyms
- Wind Diagram: A general, less technical synonym.
- Wind Direction Frequency Diagram: A descriptive synonym that explains its function.
Related Concepts (Not Synonyms)
- Compass Rose: A diagram on a map showing directions (North, South, East, West). This is the historical precursor to the meteorological wind rose.
- Wind Barb: A symbol on weather maps showing wind speed and direction at a single point in time, unlike the wind rose which shows aggregated data over time.
- Wind Vane / Weather Vane: An instrument that shows the current wind direction.
Noun
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weather map showing the frequency and strength of winds from different directions
