Introduction and History of Meteorology

METEOROLOGY
The study of the Earth’s atmosphere
atmospheric phenomena, and

atmospheric effects on our weather.
Its root – meteor…. Variation from Greek word meteoron

Meteoron – a term dealing with any objects that originate in the sky
Misconception
- It is the study of meteors
(since it was originally conceptualized to mean anything from the sky,
thus that would include meteors from outer space
Meteorology is a subdiscipline of the atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric Science
a term that covers all studies of the atmosphere.
 Climatology – focuses on how atmospheric changes define and alter the

world’s climates.
 Aeronomy -is the study of the upper parts of the atmosphere,

where unique chemical and physical processes occur
 Meteorology - focuses on the lower parts of the atmosphere,

primarily the troposphere, where most weather takes place.
WHAT DO METEOROLOGISTS DO?
- Do operational weather forecasting (Weather Forecasters)
 observe, explain and forecast our weather by using scientific
principles
- Do atmospheric research
 Research that covers several subdisciplines of meteorology to
include:
 Climate modeling
 Remote sensing – satellite images and data
 Air quality particularly about air pollution
 Atmospheric physics (cyclones, typhoons etc.)
 Climate change – consequences
 Relationship between the atmosphere and the Earth’s
climates, oceans and biological life
Scales of Meteorology
Meteorologists often focus on a specific scale in their work.
1. MICROSCALE
 Focuses on phenomena that range in size from a few cm to a few km
 Phenomena that have short life spans (less than a day)
 Phenomena that affect very small geographic areas, their temperatures & terrains
 Involves the study of chemistry
Ex. Tracking of air pollutants. How these pollutants transform and reacts to the
environment
Microscale meteorologists
- study the processes that occur between soil, vegetation and surface water near ground level.
- measure the transfer of heat, gas, and liquid between these surfaces
2. MESOSCALE
 Phenomena range in size from a few km to ~1,000 km (620miles)
 Two important phenomena: (both created by convection – an important
meteorologic principle
a. Mesoscale convective Complexes (MCC)
b. Mesoscale convective Systems (MCS)
Ex. Thunderstorms / Mountain Winds

Effects of volcanic eruptions.
 Involves the study of physics

3. MACR0 SCALE (SYNOPTIC SCALE)
 Phenomena cover an area of several hundreds or even thousands of km
 Studies large-scale weather systems
a. high- and –low pressure systems
b. weather systems as diverse as hurricanes, bitter cold outbreaks, cyclones
 Study systems in conjunction with the Coriolis force and friction
Ex. Thunderstorms, Hurricanes etc… / Mountain Winds

Effects of volcanic eruptions.
 Involves the study of physics

4. GLOBAL SCALE
 Weather patterns related to the transport of heat, wind and moisture from the
tropics to the poles
 Study global atmospheric circulation, large-scale movement of air that
helps distribute thermal energy (heat) across surface of the Earth
Ex. Hadley Cells
 Study global long-term climate patterns that disrupt global atmospheric

circulation.
Ex. Pattern of El Nino, La Nina
Other branches of meteorology focus on phenomena in specific locations, such as

equatorial areas, the tropics, maritime regions, coastal areas, the poles, and mountains.
The upper atmosphere is also studied separately.
A BRIEF HISTORY of Meteorology
 The term itself goes back to about 340 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle
he 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.
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 meteoros, 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).
• Aristotle’s attempt to explain atmospheric phenomena in a
philosophical and speculative manner are mostly speculations.
• Why speculations? – he did not do any field experiments or any

measurements.
• Even though many of his speculations were found to be erroneous,

Aristotle’s ideas were accepted without reservation for almost two
thousand years.
 The birth of meteorology as a genuine natural

science did not take place until the invention of
weather instruments,
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.
What instruments were invented that led to the Birth of Meteorology true natural
science – no more speculations
1. Thermometer at the end of the sixteenth century

And in 1714, Daniel Fahrenheit, a German physicist, developed the
mercury thermometer.
2. Barometer (for measuring air pressure) in 1643 (17th century)

Invented by Torricelli to accurately measure the pressure of air when
He observed that changes in air pressure were connected to changes in
weather
3. Hygrometer (for measuring humidity) in the late 1700s (18th century).
The invention of the thermometer and barometer made it possible to accurately

measure two important atmospheric variables : Pressure and Temperature
1843: The invention of the telegraph by Samuel Morse allowed for the transmission of
routine weather observations.
1869: Weather patterns are now presented in crude drawings of

weather maps with isobars (lines of equal pressure) and
isotherm (line of equal temperature). This developed when
the understanding of the concepts of wind flow and storm
movement became clearer,
1920: The concepts of air masses and weather fronts were

formulated in Norway.
These are the building blocks of modern weather forecasting. Using basic laws
of physics, it was discovered that huge cold and warm air masses move and
meet in patterns that are the root of many weather systems.
1940: 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.
•After World War II, surplus
military radars became
available,
•Many were transformed into
precipitation-measuring tools.
•In the mid-1990s, these

conventional radars were
replaced by the more
sophisticated Doppler radars,
which have the ability to peer
into a severe thunderstorm
and unveil its winds and
weather, as illustrated in the
picture
1950s: High-speed computers were developed to solve the mathematical equations
that describe the behavior of the atmosphere.
Developed numerical means for predicting the weather.
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.

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METEOROLOGY

The study of the Earth’s atmosphere

atmospheric phenomena, and

Its root – meteor…. Variation from Greek word meteoron

 Climatology – focuses on how atmospheric changes define and alter the

 Aeronomy -is the study of the upper parts of the atmosphere,

 Meteorology - focuses on the lower parts of the atmosphere,

Ex. Thunderstorms / Mountain Winds

 Involves the study of physics

Ex. Thunderstorms, Hurricanes etc… / Mountain Winds

 Involves the study of physics

Ex. Hadley Cells

 Study global long-term climate patterns that disrupt global atmospheric

Other branches of meteorology focus on phenomena in specific locations, such as

Today, we differentiate between those meteors that come from extraterrestrial

• Why speculations? – he did not do any field experiments or any

• Even though many of his speculations were found to be erroneous,

 The birth of meteorology as a genuine natural

1. Thermometer at the end of the sixteenth century

2. Barometer (for measuring air pressure) in 1643 (17th century)

3. Hygrometer (for measuring humidity) in the late 1700s (18th century).

The invention of the thermometer and barometer made it possible to accurately

1869: Weather patterns are now presented in crude drawings of

1920: The concepts of air masses and weather fronts were

1940: Daily upper-air balloon observations of temperature,

•In the mid-1990s, these

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