| Weather prediction starts with observations, | | | | who need to know more have been placed near the |
| techniques and equipment. Barometers are for | | | | end of the home page for quick reference. You will |
| making air pressure measurements and | | | | see pages about cloud generation processes, |
| thermometers show temperature, usually on the | | | | convection and lapse rates, thunderstorm creation, |
| Fahrenheit or Celsius scale. We use many types of | | | | turbulence, stability, inversions, air quality and global |
| hygrometers for determining humidity, as there are a | | | | warming.Overall, the most noticeable implement used |
| lot of ways of stating and the air's moisture content. | | | | in forecasting is the weather map. Meteorologists can |
| Winds are measured using an anemometer for speed | | | | see how winds will blow systems around (advection) |
| and weather vanes or socks give the direction. Rain | | | | and change their shape (deformation). If you were to |
| and snow gauges allow us to find out how much | | | | visit the link below, you would learn that wind flows |
| precipitation has fallen. See how to convert from one | | | | clockwise around a high pressure system (in the |
| type to another. Our national governments and | | | | northern hemisphere) and why, as well as how |
| airport authorities use all of these devices on site to | | | | atmospheric pressure relates to observable conditions |
| provide for safer aviation. a picture of our planet and | | | | (sunny, rainy etc.) And why.You have heard of the |
| the current weather systems will be included. Sorting | | | | troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and |
| out technical issues like wavelength and resolution will | | | | thermosphere above us. They are all very different |
| help trained image interpreters draw useful | | | | from each other, but consistent over the entire |
| information from the photographs. Things emit, | | | | planet. Some maps show important large scale |
| absorb, transmit and reflect radiation and the people | | | | features such as air masses and jet streams. In order |
| figure this all out, such as which ones are sources and | | | | to be accurate, they have to incorporate influences |
| which are obstacles. In fact they need the help of | | | | such as the curvature and rotation of the earth.Again |
| computers to do so. radar shows us current and | | | | the presence or absence of moisture is crucial in all |
| recent weather in fine detail. Radar uses a fancy | | | | aspects of forecasting. For instance, we use that |
| radio set that detects moving objects. Both digital | | | | information for storm prediction and many more |
| and analog equipment is required to make picture | | | | complicated things. That is because the latent heat |
| creation possible. The use of wave physics is | | | | stored in water vapor serves as a potent energy |
| important here as well, as the subject can be quite | | | | source to drive mechanical processes, which can then |
| technical. One machine quickly alternates between | | | | extract more heat from the vapor and so on. |
| broadcasting and receiving signals, in the form of | | | | Another construct, vorticity, further enhances the |
| pulses, so passive targets can be detected. | | | | twisting and lifting power of the atmosphere.The |
| Technicians have to learn to deal with all types of | | | | waves and streamlines on an assortment of weather |
| problems and flaws naturally occurring in the system. | | | | maps carry special meanings for meteorologists as |
| Doppler radar adds another dimension of useful | | | | well. Again, an intuitive knowledge of physics greatly |
| information to the picture. More details are available | | | | helps the forecaster understand, explain and |
| at... are weather balloons used for? To measure what | | | | prognosticate the situation. word or two about |
| is happening above. Atmospheric motions involve a | | | | myselfI sometimes go by the nickname weather |
| great deal of wet and dry air undergoing elevation | | | | man, or even piano man. I have a B. Sc. in physics |
| and pressure changes. It gets further complicated if | | | | and meteorology - University of Alberta in Edmonton, |
| heat or vapor flows in and out of an area, such as | | | | Canada. Much of my work has been in the field of |
| when the wind blows on or offshore, so a solid | | | | atmospheric modeling. I also have been a musician of |
| understanding of thermodynamics is required to | | | | one kind or another all my life. I got into web design. |
| comprehend it properly.Meteorologists use standard | | | | I took on a few different roles in environmental |
| maps and graphs (with names like tephigram, skew-t | | | | consulting and government services, and accumulated |
| or nomograms) to make the calculations. While | | | | quite a bit of expertise. All the while, I was thinking it |
| involved in this serious analysis, an advanced concept | | | | would be in my best interests to create an internet |
| called wet-bulb potential temperature can be a | | | | presence, and perhaps supplement my living with it. I |
| forecaster's best friend.This specialized field of | | | | discovered a complete web business designing |
| employment requires a four-year university degree | | | | program with excellent course materials to get me |
| plus extensive job-specific training. Links to pages | | | | started. Some were even free. From that point on, it |
| explaining the more advanced concepts for those | | | | was a matter of following the directions I received. |