Product Code Database
Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e., weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture, construction, weather warnings, and disaster management.
Along with climatology, atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, and aeronomy, meteorology forms the broader field of the atmospheric sciences. The interactions between Earth's atmosphere and its (notably El Niño and La Niña) are studied in the interdisciplinary field of hydrometeorology. Other interdisciplinary areas include biometeorology, space weather, and planetary meteorology. Marine weather forecasting relates meteorology to maritime and coastal safety, based on atmospheric interactions with large bodies of water.
Meteorologists study meteorological phenomena driven by solar radiation, Earth's rotation, , and other factors. These include everyday weather like , precipitation, and wind patterns, as well as severe weather events such as tropical cyclones and severe . Such phenomena are quantified using variables like air temperature, air pressure, and humidity, which are then used to forecast weather at local (microscale), regional (mesoscale and synoptic scale), and global scales. Meteorologists collect data using basic instruments like , , and (for surface-level measurements), alongside advanced tools like weather satellites, weather balloon, reconnaissance aircraft, weather buoy, and weather radar. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ensures international standardization of meteorological research.
The study of meteorology dates back Millennium. Ancient civilizations tried to predict weather through folklore, astrology, and . Aristotle's treatise Meteorology sums up early observations of the field, which advanced little during early medieval times but experienced a resurgence during the Renaissance, when Alhazen and René Descartes challenged Aristotelian theories, emphasizing scientific methods. In the 18th century, accurate measurement tools (e.g., barometer and thermometer) were developed, and the first meteorological society was founded. In the 19th century, telegraph-based weather observation networks were formed across broad regions. In the 20th century, numerical weather prediction (NWP), coupled with advanced satellite and radar technology, introduced sophisticated forecasting models. Later, revolutionized forecasting by processing vast datasets in real time and automatically solving modeling equations. 21st-century meteorology is highly accurate and driven by big data and supercomputing. It is adopting innovations like machine learning, ensemble forecasting, and high-resolution global climate modeling. Climate change–induced extreme weather poses new challenges for forecasting and research, while inherent uncertainty remains because of the atmosphere's chaos theory nature (see butterfly effect).
Ancient Indian Upanishads contain mentions of clouds and . The Samaveda mentions sacrifices to be performed when certain phenomena were noticed. Varāhamihira's classical work Brihatsamhita, written about 500 AD, provides evidence of weather observation.
Cuneiform inscriptions on tablets included associations between thunder and rain. The Babylon differentiated the 22° and 46° halos.
The Ancient Greece were the first to make theories about the weather. Many natural philosophers studied the weather. However, as meteorological instruments did not exist, the inquiry was largely qualitative, and could only be judged by more general theoretical speculations. Herodotus states that Thales predicted the solar eclipse of 585 BC. He studied Babylonian equinox tables.
|
|
