With the end of World War II, thousands of returning military meteorologists were looking for work. At that time the only significant employers were the (then) Weather Bureau and universities. Many introduced to the science during the war wanted to stay active in the field. Thus was born the private sector. Many small companies pro […]

Actually, these two groups, with whom the public has the most contact, comprise a minority of the nation’s meteorological practitioners. About 1,000 meteorologists are actively working in the media. The National Weather Service employs approximately 5,000 professionals. At least 6,000 meteorologists are working in the rapidly expanding private sector.
handy-weather-366.jpg   Growth chambers used in studying the […]

The first university in the United States to have a formal meteorology degree program was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The department was founded in 1928 by Swedish scientist Carl-Gustaf Rossby. There are dozens of institutions of higher learning that offer formal degree programs. A complete listing of these universities, their faculties, facilities, and course […]

According to The Jobs Rated Almanac, the number of new positions for trained meteorologists will continue to grow over the next decade. This would appear especially true for students with advanced degrees in the atmospheric sciences and who are highly trained in computer-related skills. While there are a few low-level jobs for those with only […]

Ultimately the answer to the above question is the same as for any career—if you would enjoy the work, then it’s a good career. Here are some questions you may wish to ask yourself if you are considering a career in meteorology:
Am I curious about the physical world about me, and why it is the […]

In the United States it is estimated that there are about 30,000 to 35,000 men and woman whose professional activities involve some aspect of the atmospheric sciences. Some of the professionals might call themselves atmospheric scientists, environmental engineers, or atmospheric physicists or chemists, but they all deal with the atmosphere in some way or another. […]

According to the most recent Jobs Ranked Almanac, the career of meteorologist now ranks 7th out of 250. This is a big move up from 38th place in the 1988 edition. The rankings are based on factors such as environment, employment outlook, stress, security, physical demands, and income. The really interesting part about the field […]

The massive plumes of smoke from over 600 oil wells set afire by retreating Iraqi troops in Kuwait presented a spectacular image of environmental destruction. Yet, when put in its global perspective, the 12,000 tons per day of smoke accounted for less than 10 percent of the emissions from burning biomass worldwide. The 1,800,000 tons […]

Smoke injected high into the atmosphere cools the planet. This has been repeatedly demonstrated after many volcanic eruptions. The massive smoke pails generated by huge forest fires in British Columbia in 1982 cooled temperatures in the United States by 4°F to 7°F. In 1983, scientist Richard Turco investigated what the effect would be of massive […]

Scientists have long suspected giant meteorite impacts have had a significant impact on the Earth’s climate and ecology. Currently they have identified about 110 preserved meteor impact craters on our planet’s surface, some of which date back as far as 600 million years. Two very large craters located in Canada and South Africa may trace […]