Meteorologist

Last updated
Meteorologist
Project Vortex- filming a potentially tornadogenic storm.jpg
Meteorologist studying tornadoes during VORTEX projects
Occupation
SynonymsWeather forecaster
Activity sectors
Meteorology
Description
Education required
Minimum B.Sc. in meteorology
Fields of
employment
Research, teaching and operational
Related jobs
Climatologist

A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. [1] Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while those using mathematical models and knowledge to prepare daily weather forecasts are called weather forecasters or operational meteorologists. [2]

Contents

Meteorologists work in government agencies, private consulting and research services, industrial enterprises, utilities, radio and television stations, and in education. They are not to be confused with weather presenters, who present the weather forecast in the media and range in training from journalists having just minimal training in meteorology to full fledged meteorologists.

Description

Meteorologists study the Earth's atmosphere and its interactions with the Earth's surface, the oceans and the biosphere. Their knowledge of applied mathematics and physics allows them to understand the full range of atmospheric phenomena, from snowflake formation to the Earth's general climate. [3]

Operational meteorologist at the US Storm Prediction Center, 2006 Norman OK meteorologist.png
Operational meteorologist at the US Storm Prediction Center, 2006

Research meteorologists are specialized in areas like: [3]

Operational meteorologists, also known as forecasters: [3] [4]

Meteorologists can also be consultants for private firms in studies for projects involving weather phenomena such as windfarms, tornado protection, etc. They finally can be weather presenters in the media (radio, TV, internet).

Training

In 1894, a group of US Weather Bureau forecasters at work PSM V45 D348 Forecasters at work in washington.jpg
In 1894, a group of US Weather Bureau forecasters at work

To become a meteorologist, a person must take at least one undergraduate university degree in meteorology. [3] For researchers, this training continues with higher education, while for forecasters, each country has its own way of training. [3] For example, the Meteorological Service of Canada and UK Met Office have their own training course after the university, while Météo-France takes charge of all the training once the person has passed the entrance examination at the National School of Meteorology after high school. [5] In United States, forecasters are hired by the National Weather Service or private firms after university, and receive on-the-job training, while researchers are hired according to their expertise. [6]

In some countries, such as in United States, there is a third way where a graduate in meteorology and communication at the college or university level can be hired as media meteorologists. They are to be distinguished from weather presenters who have only a communication degree. [7]

Some notable meteorologists

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meteorology</span> Interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere focusing on weather forecasting

Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not begin until the 18th century. The 19th century saw modest progress in the field after weather observation networks were formed across broad regions. Prior attempts at prediction of weather depended on historical data. It was not until after the elucidation of the laws of physics, and more particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, the development of the computer that significant breakthroughs in weather forecasting were achieved. An important branch of weather forecasting is marine weather forecasting as it relates to maritime and coastal safety, in which weather effects also include atmospheric interactions with large bodies of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado</span> Violently rotating column of air in contact with both the Earths surface and a cumulonimbus cloud

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the center around which, from an observer looking down toward the surface of the Earth, winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 180 kilometers per hour, are about 80 meters across, and travel several kilometers before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 480 kilometers per hour (300 mph), are more than 3 kilometers (2 mi) in diameter, and stay on the ground for more than 100 km (62 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunderstorm</span> Type of weather with lightning and thunder

A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are sometimes called thundershowers. Thunderstorms occur in a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. They are usually accompanied by strong winds and often produce heavy rain and sometimes snow, sleet, or hail, but some thunderstorms produce little precipitation or no precipitation at all. Thunderstorms may line up in a series or become a rainband, known as a squall line. Strong or severe thunderstorms include some of the most dangerous weather phenomena, including large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes. Some of the most persistent severe thunderstorms, known as supercells, rotate as do cyclones. While most thunderstorms move with the mean wind flow through the layer of the troposphere that they occupy, vertical wind shear sometimes causes a deviation in their course at a right angle to the wind shear direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind speed</span> Rate at which air moves from high- to low-pressure areas

In meteorology, wind speed, or wind flow speed, is a fundamental atmospheric quantity caused by air moving from high to low pressure, usually due to changes in temperature. Wind speed is now commonly measured with an anemometer.

The timeline of meteorology contains events of scientific and technological advancements in the area of atmospheric sciences. The most notable advancements in observational meteorology, weather forecasting, climatology, atmospheric chemistry, and atmospheric physics are listed chronologically. Some historical weather events are included that mark time periods where advancements were made, or even that sparked policy change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Fujita</span> Japanese-American meteorologist (1920–1998)

Tetsuya Theodore Fujita was a Japanese American meteorologist whose research primarily focused on severe weather. His research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons revolutionized the knowledge of each. Although he is best known for creating the Fujita scale of tornado intensity and damage, he also discovered downbursts and microbursts and was an instrumental figure in advancing modern understanding of many severe weather phenomena and how they affect people and communities, especially through his work exploring the relationship between wind speed and damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl-Gustaf Rossby</span> Swedish-born American meteorologist

Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby was a Swedish-born American meteorologist who first explained the large-scale motions of the atmosphere in terms of fluid mechanics. He identified and characterized both the jet stream and the long waves in the westerlies that were later named Rossby waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vilhelm Bjerknes</span> Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (1862–1951)

Vilhelm Friman Koren Bjerknes was a Norwegian physicist and meteorologist who did much to found the modern practice of weather forecasting. He formulated the primitive equations that are still in use in numerical weather prediction and climate modeling, and he developed the so-called Bergen School of Meteorology, which was successful in advancing weather prediction and meteorology in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Meteorological Society</span> American non-profit and society

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance the atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Bjerknes</span> Norwegian meteorologist

Jacob Aall Bonnevie Bjerknes was a meteorologist. He is known for his key paper in which he pointed the dynamics of the polar front, mechanism for north-south heat transport and for which he was also awarded a doctorate from the University of Oslo.

The Bergen School of meteorology is a school of thought which is the basis for much of modern weather forecasting.

The Enhanced Fujita scale rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, France, China, and Mongolia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy P. Marshall</span> American structural and forensic engineer

Timothy Patrick Marshall is an American structural and forensic engineer as well as meteorologist, concentrating on damage analysis, particularly that from wind and other weather phenomena. He is also a pioneering storm chaser and was editor of Storm Track magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Wurman</span> American meteorologist

Joshua Michael Aaron Ryder Wurman is an American atmospheric scientist and inventor noted for tornado, tropical cyclone, and weather radar research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Reichelderfer</span>

Francis Wilton Reichelderfer, also known as “Reich”, presided over a revolutionary era in the history of the Weather Bureau. He trained as a U.S. Navy pilot and from 1922 -1928, was appointed Chief of Navy Aerology because of his meteorological and aviation experience. In 1931, he was assigned to the Bergen School of Meteorology. From 1938 to 1963, Reich directed the Weather Bureau and brought modern technology to weather forecasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VORTEX projects</span> Field experiments that study tornadoes

The Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment are field experiments that study tornadoes. VORTEX1 was the first time scientists completely researched the entire evolution of a tornado with an array of instrumentation, enabling a greater understanding of the processes involved with tornadogenesis. A violent tornado near Union City, Oklahoma was documented in its entirety by chasers of the Tornado Intercept Project (TIP) in 1973. Their visual observations led to advancement in understanding of tornado structure and life cycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving P. Krick</span> American meteorologist and inventor

Irving P. Krick was an American meteorologist and inventor, the founding professor of Department of Meteorology at California Institute of Technology (1933–1948), one of the U.S. Air Force meteorologists who provided forecasts for the Normandy Landings in 1944, a controversial pioneer of long-term forecasting and cloud seeding, and "a brilliant American salesman" who in 1938 started the first private weather business in the United States.

The following is a glossary of tornado terms. It includes scientific as well as selected informal terminology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of meteorology</span> List of definitions of terms and concepts commonly used in meteorology

This glossary of meteorology is a list of terms and concepts relevant to meteorology and atmospheric science, their sub-disciplines, and related fields.

References

  1. Glickman, Todd S. (June 2009). Meteorologist (electronic). Meteorology Glossary (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. Glickman, Todd S. (June 2009). Weather forecaster (electronic). Meteorology Glossary (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Meteorologist: Job Description". targetjobs.co.uk. 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  4. National Weather Service (2019). NOAA (ed.). "Careers in Meteorology" . Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. "Admission et concours" (in French). Météo-France. 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2019. Ce concours peut se passer après le lycée, pour le grade de technicien ou après une licence ou des classes préparatoires pour devenir ingénieur. Le candidat qui a réussi le concours peut même être payé pendant ses études s'il travaille à terme pour Météo-France pendant 10 ans. Il a le statut de fonctionnaire.
  6. "Careers in the National Weather Service". NWS JetStream. NOAA. 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. "Career Opportunities in Meteorology" (PDF). National Weather Service. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  8. Raymond, Reding (2017). Beaufort: l'amiral du vent: une vie de Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) (in French). Le Croît vif. ISBN   9782361995591. OCLC   1013596077.
  9. Robert Marc, Friedman (1993). Appropriating the weather : Vilhelm Bjerknes and the construction of a modern meteorology . Cornell University Press. ISBN   9780801481604. OCLC   30264429.
  10. Jacob Bjerknes - the Synthesizer Archived 15 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine (University of Washington)
  11. Jacob Bjerknes (Norsk biografisk leksikon)
  12. Daniel Draper, The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, University of Harvard
  13. "Who was George Hadley? – Famous Geographers". The Geo Room. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  14. Sur, Abha (14 October 2001). "The Life and Times of a Pioneer". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  15. Fleming, James Rodger. "Sverre Petterssen, the Bergen School, and the forecasts for D-Day." Proceedings of the International Commission on History of Meteorology 1.1 (2004): 75-83.
  16. Buttle, Cameron (5 June 2019). "The RAF weathermen who helped save D-Day". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. "Time Magazine Cover: Carl-Gustaf Rossby". December 17, 1956. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  18. "A Tribute to the Works of T. Theodore Fujita". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society . American Meteorological Society. 82 (1). 1 January 2001. doi: 10.1175/1520-0477-82.1.fmi .
  19. "Schreiner Welcomes Tornado Chaser Dr. Joshua Wurman". Schreiner University. Retrieved 2023-12-03.