Do environmental firms hire meteorologists?
Meteorologists have played a central role in much of the air quality research and control efforts in the United States over the past several decades. Atmospheric conditions play a key role in predicting the diffusion and transport (collectively called dispersion) of pollutants. If a new power plant is to be built, it is necessary to know the impact of the pollutants that it will release. Since one can’t measure pollution concentrations before the plant is built, numerical models of pollution dispersion simulate the atmosphere’s influence upon the plume once it leaves the proposed smoke stack. In an effort to control regional ozone, meteorologists work with chemists to create numerical “photochemical grid models” in which the known pollutant emissions are used to predict the ozone levels. Once these models are verified, then one can predict the consequences of planned emission controls, such as cutting automobile hydrocarbon emissions by 10 percent or power plant oxides of nitrogen releases by 30 percent. The complex models are necessary because the actual results of such controls can often be quite different from what might be expected.