sferics

English

Etymology

From atmospherics.

Noun

sferics

1. plural of sferic

Noun

sferics pl (plural only)

1. Electromagnetic pulses caused by atmospheric phenomena, such as lightning. plural of sferic
   • 1920: Wilbur H. Paulsen (American Meteorological Society pub.), Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

     A Sferics Locating System has been developed to determine the geographical location of lightning strokes...

   • 1965 (pub.): Mitre Corporation, Research & Experimentation 1960-1964

     ...an artificial sferics generator was used as a known source of EM pulses.

   • 1987: Barbara Tufty, 1001 Questions Answered About Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Other Natural Air Disasters

     Researchers have thought that possibly these sferics could be used to track hurricanes—but so far, they have been only marginally successful.

   • 1998, Donald R. MacGorman, W. David Rust, The Electrical Nature of Storms‎:

     Sferics are classified normally by the frequency of the receiver used to detect them.

   • 1999, Rudolf F. Graf, William Sheets, The Encyclopedia of Electronic Circuits‎:

     This circuit generates a bipolar pulse waveform that closely approximates the main features of sferics.

   • 2003: Rakov, Vladimir A. Rakov, Martin A. Uman, Lightning: Physics and Effects

     The second common theoretical approach of the propagation of sferics involves viewing the Earth-ionosphere cavity as a waveguide...

2. Radio interference caused by sferics; atmospherics.
   • 1959, D. L. Carpenter, Identification of Whistler Sources on Visual Records and a Method of Routine Whistler Analysis‎:

     In the identification of sources of short whistlers, the spectral characteristics of the sferics can often be used to establish many sferics as doubtful...

   • 1963, Thomas Pynchon, V.‎:

     As it turned out, the whistler was only the first of a family of sferics whose taxonomy was to include clicks, hooks, risers, nose-whistlers and one like a warbling of birds called the dawn chorus....

Usage notes

When referring to the electromagnetic phenomenon, this term can be used either as the normal plural of sferic or in pluralia tantum construction.

Alternative forms

• spherics