The science of the atmosphere known as meteorology examines the physical, dynamic, and chemical conditions of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Describe meteorology.
What is Meteorology? Meteorology is defined as “the science of the atmosphere… embracing both weather and climate” in the Met Office’s Meteorological Glossary. It is focused on the interactions between the Earth’s atmosphere and the subsurface surface as well as the physical, dynamic, and chemical states of the Earth’s atmosphere (and those of the planets).
The word is derived from the Greek words logia, which means to talk, research, and explain, and meteors, which means lofty or “in the air.”
An Overview of Meteorology’s History
One of the earliest attempts to comprehend the earth’s atmosphere and the water cycle was made in the 350 BC work Meteorologica, authored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who is frequently credited as one of the founding fathers of meteorology.
Today’s proverbs and sayings about the weather are in some ways a form of early meteorology that was observed. Expressions like “red sky at night shepherd’s delight” were merely based on anecdotal observations that, more often than not, favorable weather would follow a red sky in the evening, with no particular thought given to why this should be the case.
In fact, these expressions frequently do not hold very tightly but yet show that humans have observed and recorded the skies throughout history and that these observations and records still carry important lessons for meteorology today.
Current meteorology
Meteorologists have advanced from being able to only observe and record weather conditions at specific points on the earth’s surface to being able to analyze the large-scale changes in weather systems globally. This is due to advancements in communications and observing techniques like satellite imagery and radar.
Together with cutting-edge computing techniques, this has allowed us to make significant progress in our knowledge of the physical processes that determine our weather and has helped us construct a variety of numerical models that serve as the basis for contemporary forecasts. Met Office meteorologists can adapt forecasts and weather alerts to the needs of people and organizations by fusing our world-class models with a wealth of local and empirical information and a broad observational network.
Although there is always some degree of uncertainty with the weather, contemporary meteorology focuses just as much on understanding the current situation and how it might change as it does on providing precise forecasts.
Today, we may be aware that an incoming frontal system causes the sky to turn red in the morning, but the timing and position of any heavier rain, the chance of any cloud breaks, and the precise temperatures that this will bring may still be uncertain. And for that reason, we love talking about the weather.
Are meteors involved in meteorology in any way?
For obvious reasons, a lot of people mistake meteorology for the study of meteors. Because both words derive from the same Greek word, meteors, which means “in the air,” they are similar to one another.
When Aristotle coined the term “meteorology,” astronomy and the weather were thought to be closely associated, and as a result, almost everything that fell from the sky could be classified as a meteor, including rain, snow, hail, and other meteorological phenomena.
Since that time, meteorology has changed to focus on weather and climate rather than meteors, which are now the subject of astronomers’ research.
However, the connection continues. Meteorologists can still be interested in meteors. The Met Office is crucial in predicting weather when a meteor shower occurs, and we also offer thorough forecasts of space weather, which is concerned with the times when magnetic fields, radiation, particles, and other space-bound stuff interact with Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Additionally, meteorology can occasionally be confused with metrology, which is the study of measuring.
