| 词源 |
Beaufort scale. The Beaufort scale, a means to measure wind velocity, was devised in 1806 by Sir Francis Beaufort (1774– 1857), noted surveyor and hydrologist, who later became a rear admiral and served as hydrographer to the British navy from 1829 to 1855. Beaufort’s scale consists of numbers from 0 to 12 that indicate the strength of the wind ranging from “light,” force 0, to “hurricane,” force 12, or in Beaufort’s words, “that which no canvas could withstand.” My learned correspondent Eric Halsey points out that the best thing about the scale is that it can be used without instruments. When the tops of the trees begin to stir, for example, the wind is 5 knots. |