Stevenson screen

views updated May 21 2018

Stevenson screen A widely used shelter that contains meteorological instruments, arranged in such a way that they give standard readings. The screen consists of a box, with sides ventilated by louvres, a ventilated floor and upper part, and an air space between an inner and outer roof. The box contains thermometers for measuring temperature, which are protected from direct solar radiation and from radiation from surrounding objects, and a wet-bulb thermometer for measuring humidity. The screen was invented by the Scottish civil engineer Thomas Stevenson (1818–87), the father of Robert Louis Stevenson, the author. It came into use in the late 1860s.

Stevenson screen

views updated May 14 2018

Stevenson screen A widely used shelter that contains meteorological instruments, arranged in such a way that they give standard readings. The screen consists of a box, with sides ventilated by louvres, a ventilated floor and upper part, and an air space between an inner and outer roof. The box contains thermometers for measuring temperature, which are protected from direct solar radiation and from radiation from surrounding objects, and a wet-bulb thermometer for measuring humidity. The screen was invented by the Scottish civil engineer Thomas Stevenson (1818–87, the father of Robert Louis Stevenson, the author). It came into use in the late 1860s.

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Stevenson screen

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