report data about sky conditions, surface visibility, precipitation, temperature and wind up to 12 times an hour. During severe weather, we usually launch weather balloons more frequently to collect additional data about the storm environment.ĪSOS (automated surface observing systems) constantly monitor weather conditions on the Earth’s surface. In its two-hour trip, the radiosonde floats to the upper stratosphere where it collects and sends back data every second about air pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction. At least twice per day, radiosondes are tied to weather balloons and are launched in 92 locations across the United States. Radiosondes are our primary source of upper-air data. NOAA also uses data from satellites operated by other agencies and countries. NOAA operates three types of weather satellites. Polar orbiting satellites orbit the Earth close to the surface, taking six or seven detailed images a day. Geostationary satellites stay over the same location on Earth high above the surface taking images of the entire Earth as frequently as every 30 seconds. Deep space satellites face the sun to monitor powerful solar storms and space weather. Weather Satellites monitor Earth from space, collecting observational data our scientists analyze. Doppler radar detects all types of precipitation, the rotation of thunderstorm clouds, airborne tornado debris, and wind strength and direction. and partial coverage of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam. With 159 radar towers across the United States, NOAA’s National Weather Service has comprehensive coverage of the continental U.S. “We need to diagnose the current state of the atmosphere as best we can before we can attempt to forecast.”Ĭurrently the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) uses six tools to best predict and track storms.ĭoppler Radar is the meteorologist’s window into observing severe storms. “You go to the doctor, you tell the doctor your symptoms and the doctor makes a diagnosis before he makes a prognosis,” Carbin told LiveScience. To accurately, or as accurately as possible, create these forecasts, meteorologists use combined observations from atmospheric sensors, weather balloons, radar, satellites, and aircraft, monitoring with complex computer models to predict when a storm will form, where it will strike, and its severity.įorecasting a storm is a lot like practicing medicine, said meteorologist Greg Carbin at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Okla. No matter what type of weather, a hurricane, tornado or thunderstorm – predicting how strong a storm will be is part science and part art – and wouldn’t be possible without sophisticated measurement and forecasting technology. With improved predictability of impending severe weather, people would be able to prepare, or get out of harm’s way, could potentially improve agricultural yields, reduce aircraft delays, ship goods to market in a more efficient manner, and more. That term stuck through the centuries, so experts on the atmosphere became known as meteorologists.Earlier severe storm warnings, more detailed seasonal precipitation forecasts, and improved weather prediction capabilities are all critically important to public safety, national security, and economic growth. Aristotle got the title of his book from the Greek word “ meteoron,” which meant “a thing high up” and referred to anything observed in the atmosphere. In about 340 B.C.E., the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote a book called Meteorologica, which contained all that was known at the time about weather and climate. Many people wonder why the study of the atmosphere is called meteorology. An important area of meteorological research these days is climate change and the effects it may cause. They also compare various kinds of weather data from local, regional, and global sources.īeyond weather forecasting, meteorology is concerned with long-term trends in climate and weather, and their potential impact on human populations. They note the physical conditions of the atmosphere above them, and they study maps, satellite data, and radar information. Meteorologists are observers and researchers. And some meteorologists certainly do that! Predicting the weather is a complicated process, which requires both sophisticated new tools and some old-fashioned techniques. Meteorologists are often thought of as people who forecast the weather. Meteorology concerns itself with the science of atmospheric properties and phenomena-science that includes the atmosphere’s physics and chemistry. Is it raining or sunny? Are there big, puffy clouds that look like marshmallows, or dark, angry clouds threatening sleet? No matter how the sky appears, you are looking at Earth’s lower atmosphere, the realm that is studied by the science of meteorology.
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