Anomaly

anomaly

1. The deviation of (usually) temperature or precipitation in a given region over a specified period from the long-term average value for the same region.

   
   

   
   See anomalous, abnormal.

   
   
2. In geophysics, the local deviation from the long wavelength trend, as magnetic anomaly or gravity anomaly.

   
   
3. In oceanography, the difference between conditions actually observed at a station and those that would have existed had the water all been of a given arbitrary temperature and salinity.

   
   

Copyright 2022 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.