[at-mom-i-ter] 
| an instrument for measuring the rate at which water evaporates. |
| at·mom·e·ter (āt-mŏm'ĭ-tər) n. An instrument that measures the rate of water evaporation. [Greek atmos, vapor; see atmosphere + -meter.] at'mo·met'ric (-mō-mět'rĭk) adj., at·mom'e·try n. |
| atmometer (āt-mŏm'ĭ-tər) Pronunciation Key
An instrument that measures the rate of evaporation of water into the atmosphere. Atmometers usually measure the evaporation of water from a free water surface (such as a pan of water set into the ground so that the water's surface is even with the ground's surface) or from a porous, water-saturated surface (such as filter paper placed over a graduated cylinder of water). In the first type, the difference between the ground surface and the water level is used to calculate the volume of water that has evaporated in a given period of time. In the second type, the water volume is read directly from the graduated cylinder. Also called evaporimeter. |
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