diurnal variation
1
6.8
- noun
- /daɪˈɜrnəl ˌvɛrɪˈeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
variación diurna
- Due to substantial diurnal variation in stature, one should avoid taking stature measurements at different times of the day.
Examples
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Variability may be experienced over one day, when it is known as diurnal variation.
Academic text (2012) -
The diurnal variation in temperature can lead to cold nights and warm days in the summer.
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I posted a link above with a graph of the diurnal variation of New Hampshire loads during June.
Blog text (5) -
In non-air conditioning regions and seasons, though, the diurnal variation of solar would appear to be poorly adapted to residential loads.
Blog text (5) -
The diurnal variation of total area covered by thunderstorms (bottom panel of figure 7) shows a modulation amplitude that is at least twice as large as the modulation of the Carnegie curve.
Academic text (1998) -
Farmers need to consider diurnal variation when planning irrigation schedules for their crops.
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Scientists study diurnal variation to understand how animals adapt their behaviors to the changing conditions throughout the day.
Synonyms
A change in an amount or condition from one day to the next
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'regular changes during each day' is directly and transparently composed from 'diurnal' (daily) and 'variation' (changes). This is a straightforward, compositional phrase—equivalent to 'daily variation'—and the same logic appears across languages, so learners who know both constituents will infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Diurnal variation pictures regular changes that happen during each day: diurnal means 'of the day' and variation means 'a change'. So it refers to patterns that repeat every day, like higher temperatures in the afternoon and lower ones at night.