Earth and Environment Atlas

How The Planet Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Discipline

Meteorology

mee-tee-er-OL-uh-jee
Atmospheric Science

The study of the atmosphere over hours and days: the fronts, pressure systems and moisture that add up to today's weather and tomorrow's forecast. The discipline's founding text is Aristotle's own Meteorology, written around 350 BC, whose description of the water cycle, evaporation rising to form clouds that return as rain, remained the standard account for roughly two thousand years before instruments and mathematics replaced philosophy as the field's working method. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Central Question
Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena, with a focus on weather forecasting. 1
Scope
Meteorology studies the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere on timescales from minutes to weeks: weather systems, precipitation, wind and short-term atmospheric hazards. 1
Significance
Meteorological forecasting protects lives and property from severe weather and underpins aviation, agriculture and daily public planning worldwide. 1
FAQs

What is the difference between meteorology and climatology?

Meteorology studies the atmosphere over minutes to weeks and drives weather forecasting; climatology studies its long term patterns over years and longer.

Meteorology studies the atmosphere over short timescales, from minutes to a couple of weeks, and is the science behind day to day weather forecasting. Climatology studies the atmosphere's long term behavior instead, the patterns and averages built up over years, decades and longer. Weather is what the atmosphere is doing right now; climate is what it tends to do over time, and the two disciplines split along that same line.
Connections

Associated With

Environmental Health, Concepts

Air quality and climate effects on health draw on meteorology and climate science.

Source Environmental Health (Wikipedia)

Has Scientist

Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Scientists
Cleveland Abbe, Scientists
Edward Norton Lorenz, Scientists
F. Sherwood Rowland, Scientists
Gilbert Walker, Scientists
Jacob Bjerknes, Scientists
Joanne Simpson, Scientists
Joe Farman, Scientists
Jule Gregory Charney, Scientists
Luke Howard, Scientists
Norman A. Phillips, Scientists
Paul Crutzen, Scientists
Robert FitzRoy, Scientists
Rudolf Geiger, Scientists

Directed the Institute for Forest Meteorology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen from 1948.

Source Rudolf Geiger (Wikipedia)
Susan Solomon, Scientists
Tetsuya Fujita, Scientists
Tor Bergeron, Scientists
Verner Suomi, Scientists
Vilhelm Bjerknes, Scientists
Source Vilhelm Bjerknes (Wikipedia)
William Ferrel, Scientists
Wladimir Koppen, Scientists
Source Wladimir Koppen (Wikipedia)

Includes

Lake-Effect Rain, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Lake-Effect Rain); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Lake-Effect Rain (Wikipedia)
Low-Pressure Area, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Low-Pressure Area); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Low-Pressure Area (Wikipedia)
Meiyu Front, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Meiyu Front); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Meiyu Front (Wikipedia)
Mist, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Mist); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Mist (Wikipedia)
Moon dog, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Moon dog); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Moon dog (Wikipedia)
Nitrogen dioxide, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Nitrogen dioxide); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Nitrogen dioxide (Wikipedia)
Noctilucent Cloud, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Noctilucent Cloud); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Noctilucent Cloud (Wikipedia)
Nocturnal tornado, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Nocturnal tornado); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Nocturnal tornado (Wikipedia)
Novaya Zemlya effect, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Novaya Zemlya effect); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Novaya Zemlya effect (Wikipedia)
Orographic Precipitation, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Orographic Precipitation); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Orographic Precipitation (Wikipedia)
Outflow, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Outflow); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Outflow (Wikipedia)
Palmer Drought Severity Index, Concepts
Source Palmer Drought Severity Index (Wikipedia)
Parhelic circle, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Parhelic circle); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Parhelic circle (Wikipedia)
Pea soup fog, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Pea soup fog); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Pea soup fog (Wikipedia)
Post-Tropical Cyclone, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Post-Tropical Cyclone); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Post-Tropical Cyclone (Wikipedia)
Precipitation, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Precipitation); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Precipitation (Wikipedia)
Pressure system, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Pressure system); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Pressure system (Wikipedia)
Rayleigh Scattering, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Rayleigh Scattering); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Rayleigh Scattering (Wikipedia)
Ring of Fire (Meteorology), Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Ring of Fire (Meteorology)); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Ring of Fire (Meteorology) (Wikipedia)
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Concepts
Source Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (Wikipedia)
Saharan air layer, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Saharan air layer); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Saharan air layer (Wikipedia)
San Francisco fog, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (San Francisco fog); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source San Francisco fog (Wikipedia)
Sky, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Sky); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Sky (Wikipedia)
Sky Brightness, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Sky Brightness); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Sky Brightness (Wikipedia)
Smog, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Smog); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Smog (Wikipedia)
Southeast Asian haze, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Southeast Asian haze); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Southeast Asian haze (Wikipedia)
Stratosphere, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Stratosphere); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Stratosphere (Wikipedia)
Subsun, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Subsun); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Subsun (Wikipedia)
Sun glitter, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Sun glitter); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Sun glitter (Wikipedia)
Sunbeam, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Sunbeam); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Sunbeam (Wikipedia)
Sunglint, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Sunglint); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Sunglint (Wikipedia)
Terminator (Solar), Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Terminator (Solar)); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Terminator (Solar) (Wikipedia)
Thunder, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Thunder); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Thunder (Wikipedia)
Thunderstorm, Phenomena
Tornado, Phenomena
Tropical Cyclone, Phenomena
Tropospheric scatter, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Tropospheric scatter); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Tropospheric scatter (Wikipedia)
Tule fog, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Tule fog); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Tule fog (Wikipedia)
Twinkling, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Twinkling); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Twinkling (Wikipedia)
Weather front, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Weather front); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Weather front (Wikipedia)
Whirlwind, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Whirlwind); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Whirlwind (Wikipedia)
White squall, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (White squall); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source White squall (Wikipedia)
Wind, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Wind); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Wind (Wikipedia)
Wind direction, Phenomena

Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Wind direction); earth5 pass discipline judgment: Meteorology.

Source Wind direction (Wikipedia)

Showing 51 to 94 of 94 in Includes, page 2 of 2.

Sources
1. Meteorology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e., weather), with a focus on weather forecasting.
  • History, Aristotelian meteorology section
    Aristotle is considered the founder of meteorology. One of the most impressive achievements described in the Meteorology is the description of what is now known as the hydrologic cycle.
View the Source
Rudolf Geiger (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHas Scientist: Rudolf GeigerView the Source
Fujita Scale (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Fujita ScaleView the Source
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind ScaleView the Source
Palmer Drought Severity Index (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Palmer Drought Severity Index, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Palmer Drought Severity Index, Lead paragraph
The Palmer drought index, sometimes called the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), or the Palmer Z index or simply the Palmer index, is a regional drought index commonly used for monitoring drought events and studying areal extent and severity of drought episodes.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.