| Section S | S index | 431-439 of 1376 terms |
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single-station analysis—The analysis (or reconstruction) of the weather pattern from more or less continuous meteorological observations made at a single geographic location; or the body of techniques employed in such an analysis. The extension of these techniques to produce a weather forecast is known as single-station forecasting.
Berry, F. A., E. Bollay, and N. R. Beers, 1945: Handbook of Meteorology, 858–879.
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singular point—1. Of a differential equation, a point at which the coefficients are not expandable in a Taylor series. 2. Of a function of a complex variable, a point at which the function does not have a derivative. 3. (Also called singularity.) Of a flow field, a point at which the direction of flow is not uniquely determined, hence, a point of zero speed, for example, a col.
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singular value decomposition—A numerical procedure to bring a matrix on diagonal form with its singular values on the diagonal. For a given matrix  the method finds orthogonal matrices  = [u1, . . . , un] and  = [v1, . . . , vn] so that T = Σ with Σ = diag(σ1, . . . , σn). The columns of and are the left and right singular vectors of , respectively, the σi are the singular values, and ui = σivi.
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singularity—1. Same as singular point. 2. A characteristic meteorological condition that tends to occur on or near a specific date more frequently than chance would indicate. See January thaw.
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sink processes for trace gases—Any process (chemical or physical) that removes a particular chemical species from the atmosphere. The abundance of a species in the atmosphere can be determined from a consideration of the various sources of the compound to the atmosphere and the sink processes that remove it.
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sink—A route or reservoir by which a measurable quantity may exit a system, such as by accumulation (in a reservoir) or chemical conversion. Compare source.
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