Ameteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field ofmeteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth'satmospheric phenomena including theweather.[1] Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while those using mathematical models and knowledge to prepare daily weather forecasts are calledweather forecasters oroperational meteorologists.[2]
Meteorologists work ingovernment agencies, private consulting andresearch services, industrial enterprises, utilities, radio andtelevision stations, and ineducation. They are not to be confused withweather 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.
Meteorologists study the Earth's atmosphere and its interactions with the Earth's surface, the oceans and thebiosphere. Their knowledge of appliedmathematics andphysics allows them to understand the full range of atmospheric phenomena, fromsnowflake formation to the Earth's generalclimate.[3]
Research meteorologists are specialized in areas like:[3]
Climatology to estimate the various components of the climate and their variability to determine, for example, the wind potential of a given region orglobal warming.
Air quality where they are interested in the phenomena of transport, transformation and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants and may be called upon to design scenarios for the reduction of polluting emissions.
Operational meteorologists, also known as forecasters:[3][4]
Collect weather data in some countries, but it is mostly done by technicians elsewhere.
Analyze data and numerical weather prediction model outputs to prepare daily weather forecasts.
Provide weather advice and guidance to private or governmental users.
Collaborate with the researchers for integrating science and technology into the forecast process, in particular for indices and model outputs, for weather-dependent users such asfarming,forestry,aviation,maritime shipping and fisheries, etc.
Meteorologists can also be consultants for private firms in studies for projects involvingweather phenomena such aswindfarms, tornado protection, etc. They finally can beweather presenters in the media (radio, TV, internet).
In 1894, a group of USWeather 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, theMeteorological Service of Canada and UKMet Office have their own training course after the university, whileMétéo-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 theNational 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 fromweather presenters who have only a communication degree.[7]
Jacob Bjerknes, son of the former, who attended the Norwegian school and who studied theEl Niño phenomenon. He linked the latter to the Southern Oscillation.[10][11]
Daniel Draper, inventor of a number of important weather measurement devices including a self-recording wind direction and velocity instruments, self-recording dry and wet bulb thermometers, a hygrograph, a self-recording rain gauge, a sun thermometer, and a weighing mercurial barograph.[12]
George Hadley, first to introduce the effect of the rotation of the Earth in the explanation of the trade winds and atmospheric circulation.[13]
Anna Mani, Indian physicist and meteorologist who made contributions to the field of meteorological instrumentation, conducted research, and published numerous papers on solar radiation, ozone, and wind energy measurements.[14]
James Stagg, RAF meteorologist who was responsible for three teams of meteorologists predicting a lull for June 6, 1944, which allowed the landings in Normandy.[16]
Carl-Gustaf Rossby, was a Swedish meteorologist foremost known for identifying and characterizing the waves seen injet streams as well as in thewesterlies in the earth's atmosphere, known asRossby waves, or planetary waves. Rossby was featured on the cover ofTime magazine on December 17, 1956, for his contributions to the field.[17] The highest award of theAmerican Meteorological Society, of which Rossby was also a recipient in 1953, is named after him (Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal).
Ted Fujita, a Japanese meteorologist well known for his studies on tornadoes and downburst, and the invention of the Fujita scale. He first studied the nuclear bomb dropped onNagasaki, which helped his future research ondownbursts. He did very detailed studies on multiple tornado events, giving detailed descriptions on how tornadoes form and become strong.[18]
Josh Wurman, is a researcher in meteorology, for instance as a lead scientist of theVORTEX2 project. He is also a meteorologist on the Discovery Channel'sStorm Chasers series.[19]
^"Admission et concours" (in French).Météo-France. 2016. RetrievedNovember 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.
^Raymond, Reding (2017).Beaufort: l'amiral du vent: une vie de Sir Francis Beaufort (1774–1857) (in French). Le Croît vif.ISBN9782361995591.OCLC1013596077.
^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.[1]
