Not until the 1900's did people begin to describe and model the atmospheric system that causes weather and its changes. Today, satellites, computers, and telecommunications help scientists observe, analyze, and forecast changes in the atmospheric system. These scientists are Meteorologists.

Meteorologists deal with the motions, processes, and influences of the atmosphere, which is the air that surrounds the earth. The research of meteorologists has helped in aircraft design, air pollution control, safe travel, water conservation, urban planning, disease control, and other concerns.

SPECIALTY FIELDS INCLUDE:

Forecasters who, at large stations, may issue forecasts for a region of one or more states for up to three days. These forecasts are for the public and for marine, commercial, and aviation interests. Small stations prepare local forecasts that warn of frosts, floods, forest fires, air pollution, or storms.

Physical Meteorologists - Study the electrical and chemical properties of the atmosphere; they also:

Examine trace gases and particles of both natural and human origin;

Observe the processes by which the radiant energy of the sun, in passing through the atmosphere, becomes kinetic energy in the form of air moving over the earth;

Examine the processes by which water vapor becomes clouds, rain, snow and hail;

Conduct research to find out how the atmosphere affects the transmission of light, sound, and radio waves.

Dynamic Meteorologists - Are concerned with the movements of weather systems and what controls them. They also:

Work with hydrodynamics (the forces of fluids in motion) and with thermodynamics (the forces of heat);

Study jet stream winds that circle the globe at 300 miles an hour, or small-scale air currents that exchange heat and moisture in the lower atmosphere;

Develop large-scale numerical models that help forecasters predict winds, temperature, and rainfall.

Synoptic Meteorologists describe weather variables over a large area at a certain time; they collect and analyze data from ground and air weather stations all over the world; and monitor the movement of low and high pressure areas, air masses and fronts, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Large weather centers such as the National Meteorological Center at Suitland, Maryland generate large-scale weather analyses and predictions. Meteorologists at these centers use computers to prepare global charts. A communications system transmits charts and forecasts to field forecasters. With these products forecasters can make both short-term and long-term local and regional forecasts.

Climatologists - Study weather records gathered over long periods of time in order to understand the long-term (or seasonal) weather patterns for a specific region. They look for the causes of atmospheric flow patterns that create a climate and thereby make it possible to forecast changes or trends. Their studies are useful to farmers and to those who plan heating and cooling systems and building designs; as well as Environmentalists who use these studies to get the best use of land and to conduct programs to insure a healthful environment. They may also work with hydrologists in dam construction and flood control.

Instrumentation Specialists - Develop instruments and systems to measure and record weather variables. They design instruments to measure the size and number of droplets in a cloud, or the number and kind of particles in a polluted region. They devise ways to measure wind, pressure, humidity, and temperature miles above the earth. Some of these tools are microwave and laser radars, radio probes, and infrared and ultraviolet radiometers. They include sensors mounted on ships, airplanes, ocean buoys, rockets, balloons, and satellites. Instrumentation Specialists set up equipment such as hydrodynamic laboratories and wind tunnels in which meteorologists can simulate atmospheric activity.

Applied or Engineering Meteorologists - Give analyses, forecasts, warnings, and advice tailored to specific requirements of industry, business and government.

Electric, gas and oil companies get advice on the shipping or piping of energy supplies;

Airlines check with meteorologists to plan safe, fast flights;

Construction firms must know weather forecasts in order to set up work schedules and meet contracts;

Meteorologists help farming interests protect crops;

Cities must be aware of oncoming storms in order to move people to safety;

Industry wants to know the best places to build plants and how to control smoke and air pollution

The public depends on forecasters for news of everyday weather as well as for warnings of storms.

WHERE EMPLOYED

In 1984, about 5,500 meteorologists worked in the United States Government, in private industry, and in education. The largest single employer of civilian meteorologists is the National Weather Service, which has about 1,800 workers in stations in all parts of the United States and many overseas sites. Several thousand members of the Armed Forces do weather forecasting and other meteorological work. The U.S. Department of Defense employs meteorologists, and the United Nations sponsors research and operational programs.

Some meteorologists are teachers and researchers in colleges. A few meteorologists work for State and local agencies.

Employers in industry include airlines, weather consulting firms, and companies that design and make meteorological instruments. They also work for companies in aerospace, engineering, light and power supply, and radio and television, as well as private research groups.

PRIVATE SECTOR GROWTH:

The growth of the private sector as an alternate employer to government is the big trend affecting new graduates. Accu-Weather Inc. based in State College, Penna. is one of the larger private forecasters with some 125 employees, 58 of whom are professional meteorologists. The firm now boasts about 700 clients, including 200 radio and TV stations. The company's sophisticated in-house computer system for analyzing weather data is said to give it two to seven hours lead time over conventional systems, a considerable advantage for clients preparing for catastrophic storms.

The private sector still, however, relies heavily upon the giant data collecting and research apparatus of the Federal Government. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employs graduate scientists to conduct basic research, as does its forecasting arm, the National Weather Service (NWS). In all, 80% of meteorologists still work for branches of the government. A small percentage, 5% to 10%, hold university research and teaching positions.

One reason for continued government dominance of the weather business is the high-priced technology used in modern forecasting, not affordable elsewhere. Advanced methods have improved the accuracy of short-term forecasting: five to six-day predictions are now as accurate as two-day predictions were a decade ago.

ENTRY METHODS

Job seekers interested in work with the Federal Government should write to the nearest regional office of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for job information. The two locations in New York State are:

Jacob K. Javits Federal Building

26 Federal Plaza

New York, New York 10278

212-264-0422

James N. Hanley Federal Building

100 South Clinton Street

Syracuse, New York 13260

315-423-5660

New workers may start in the National Weather Service or in another agency. They may be assigned to a weather forecast center or an airport for on-the-job training in weather analysis, observation, and data gathering.

Meteorologists in industry start as routine forecasters. Most beginning jobs consist of data gathering, computation, or analysis.

Meteorologists with a master's or a doctoral degree may get jobs in research and development. The best jobs for these people are in government agencies.

Employers include the following:

National Weather Service

National Environmental Satellite Data & Information Service

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Federal Aviation Administration

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of Agriculture