Chapter
1
MH-2051
Contents
✓ General Introduction of the subject
meteorology
✓ Theoretical foundation Meteorology,
✓ Nature and scope of different branches
of Meteorology
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
HISTORY OF METEOROLOGY:
Meteorology is a science that study about the atmosphere and
its phenomena.
The term itself goes back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle
who, about 340 b.c., wrote a book on natural philosophy entitled
Meteorologica.
✓ This work represented the sum of knowledge on weather and
climate at that time, as well as material on astronomy,
geography, and chemistry.
✓ Some of the topics covered included clouds, rain, snow,
wind, hail, thunder, and hurricanes.
Cont. . .
✓ In those days, all substances that fell from the sky, and
anything seen in the air, were called meteors, hence
the term meteorology,
➢which actually comes from the Greek word
meteors, meaning “high in the air”.
✓ Today, we differentiate between those meteors
➢that come from extraterrestrial sources outside our
atmosphere (meteoroids) and particles of water and
ice observed in the atmosphere (hydrometeors).
Cont. . .
In fact, the birth of meteorology as a genuine natural
science did not take place until the invention of weather
instruments,
✓ such as the thermometer at the end of the sixteenth
century, the barometer (for measuring air pressure) in
1643, and the hygrometer (for measuring humidity) in
the late 1700s.
With observations from instruments available, attempts
were then made to explain certain weather phenomena
✓ Employing scientific experimentation and the physical
laws that were being developed at the time.
Cont. . .
As more and better instruments were developed in the
1800s, the science of meteorology progressed.
✓ The invention of the telegraph in 1843 allowed for
the transmission of routine weather observations.
✓ The understanding of the concepts of wind flow and
storm movement became clearer, and in 1869 crude
weather maps with isobars (lines of equal pressure)
were drawn.
Cont. . .
Around 1920, the concepts of air masses and weather
fronts were formulated in Norway.
By the 1940s, daily upper-air balloon observations of
temperature, humidity, and pressure gave a three-
dimensional view of the atmosphere, and
✓ high flying military aircraft discovered the existence
of jet streams.
Cont. . .
Meteorology took another step forward in the 1950s,
when high-speed computers were developed to solve
the mathematical equations that describe the behavior
of the atmosphere.
Today, computers plot the observations, draw the lines
on the map, and forecast the state of the atmosphere at
some desired time in the future.
Branches of Meteorology
Some of the branches are based on time and spatial scale,
✓ Micro scale meteorology: is the study of atmospheric phenomena of
about 1 km or less.
➢ Horizontal extension is less than 1 km and time period is few
minutes while vertical extension, up to 10 meters.
✓ Meso scale meteorology: is the study of atmospheric phenomena that
has horizontal scales ranging from micro scale limits to synoptic scale
limits and
➢ a vertical scale that starts at the Earth's surface and includes the
atmospheric boundary layer, troposphere, tropopause and the lower
section of the stratosphere.
➢ Horizontal extension is from 1 km to 100 km. Vertical extension is
from 1 to 10 kms time is about 1 day or little more.
Cont. . .
✓ Synoptic scale meteorology: is generally large area
dynamics referred to in horizontal coordinates and with
respect to time.
➢Horizontal extension i.e. diameter of this scale systems
is about 100 to 5000 kms and vertical extension is
about 10 km. Time scale is from days to weeks .
✓ Planetary scale (Global) meteorology: Horizontal scale is
> 5000 kms and vertical scale is > 10 kms. Time scale is
large number of days.
Cont. . .
Based on principles
✓ Boundary layer meteorology: is the study of processes in the air layer
directly above earth's surface, known as the atmospheric boundary layer
(ABL).
➢ The effects of the surface heating, cooling, and friction –cause the
turbulent mixing within the air layer.
✓ Dynamic meteorology: This particular branch of meteorology attempts to
describe the atmospheric processes through mathematical equations which
together are called a numerical model.
✓ Physical meteorology: Study the physical processes of the atmosphere.
➢ such as solar radiation, its absorption and scattering in the earth-
atmosphere system, the radiation back to space and the transformation
of solar energy into kinetic energy of air.
Cont. . .
Based on applications
✓ Agriculture meteorology: Is the application of meteorological
information and data for the enhancement of crop yields and
reduction of crop losses because of adverse weather.
✓ Applied meteorology: Like agriculture, there are many human
activities which are affected by weather and for which
meteorologists can provide valuable inputs.
❖ Applied meteorologists use weather information and adopt the
findings of theoretical research to suit a specific application.
➢for example, design of aircraft, control of air pollution.
Cont. . .
✓ Weather forecasting: is the application of science and technology to
predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location.
✓ Aviation meteorology: deals with the impact of weather on air traffic
management.
➢ It is important for air crews to understand the implications of weather
on their flight plan.
✓ Hydrometeorology: is the branch of meteorology that deals with the
hydrologic cycle, the water budget, and the rainfall statistics of storms.
➢ A hydro meteorologist prepares and issues forecasts of accumulating
(quantitative) precipitation, heavy rain, heavy snow, and highlights
areas with the potential for flash flooding.
✓ Military meteorology: is the research and application of meteorology for
military purposes.
Meteorologists
Meteorologists are scientists who study meteorology.
Meteorologists are best known by the public for weather
forecasting.
✓ Some radio and television weather forecasters are professional
meteorologists.
A meteorologist is an individual with specialized education who
uses scientific principles to
✓ Explain, understand, observe or forecast the earth's atmospheric
phenomena and/or how the atmosphere affects the earth and
life on the planet.
Cont. . .
✓ This specialized education would be a bachelor's or
higher degree in meteorology or in atmospheric science.
✓ This individual has strong, fundamental knowledge
concerning how the atmosphere behaves, along with a
substantial background of coursework in mathematics,
physics, and chemistry.
Meteorologists also provide a variety of services not only
to the general public in the form of weather forecasts but
also to city planners, contractors, farmers, and large
corporations.
Cont. . .
The following list shows some of the more popular types of
meteorologist
✓ Broadcast Meteorologists report the weather for television. This is a
popular career choice as it is entry-level, which means you only need a
Bachelor's degree to do it.
✓ Forecasters are responsible for preparing and issuing weather forecasts,
as well as watches and warnings, to the public
✓ Climatologists look at long-term weather patterns and data to help assess
past climate and to predict future climate trends.
✓ Research Meteorologists include storm chasers and hurricane hunters.
Master's degree or P.h.D is often required to work in weather research.
Cont. . .
✓ Incident Meteorologists: work with firefighters and emergency
management personnel by providing onsite weather support
during wildfires and other natural disasters.
✓ Tropical Meteorologists: focus on tropical weather -- tropical
storms and hurricanes
✓ Consulting Meteorologists: are hired on by retailers, film crews,
large corporations, and other non-weather companies to provide
weather guidance and expertise on a variety of projects.
Those with a passion for meteorology and education can help to
create future generations of meteorologists by becoming a
Meteorology Teacher or Professor.
Cont. . .
In case of meteorological objects, there are three
aspects of meteorology
✓ Observation: collection of data through synoptic
✓ Analysis: understanding of the past or current
weather events through statistical
✓ Forecasting: prediction of the coming weather
events by using different forecasting models and
techniques.
t e r 1 !
c h a p
nd of
E