An instrument that measures the rate at which water evaporates from the ground or water surfaces into the air.
From Greek 'atmos' (vapor) + '-meter' (from Greek 'metron' meaning measure). Created in the 1800s when scientists wanted to quantify evaporation rates for agricultural and meteorological purposes.
Farmers and meteorologists still use atmometers today to figure out how much water their crops need—it's basically a scientific way to measure the air's thirst for moisture!
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