A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather . Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while those using mathematical models and knowledge to prepare daily weather forecasts are called weather forecasters or operational meteorologists .
6-487: Haines Index (also known as the Lower Atmosphere Severity Index ) is a weather index developed by meteorologist Donald Haines in 1988 that measures the potential for dry, unstable air to contribute to the development of large or erratic wildland fires. The index is derived from the stability (temperature difference between different levels of the atmosphere) and moisture content ( dew point depression ) of
12-496: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Meteorologist Meteorologists work in government agencies , private consulting and research services, industrial enterprises, utilities, radio and television stations , and in education . They are not to be confused with weather presenters , who present the weather forecast in the media and range in training from journalists having just minimal training in meteorology to full-fledged meteorologists. Meteorologists study
18-654: The Earth's atmosphere and its interactions with the Earth's surface, the oceans and the biosphere . Their knowledge of applied mathematics and physics allows them to understand the full range of atmospheric phenomena, from snowflake formation to the Earth's general climate . Research meteorologists are specialized in areas like: Operational meteorologists, also known as forecasters: Meteorologists can also be consultants for private firms in studies for projects involving weather phenomena such as windfarms , tornado protection, etc. They finally can be weather presenters in
24-554: The lower atmosphere . These data may be acquired with a radiosonde or simulated by a numerical weather prediction model. The index is calculated over three ranges of atmospheric pressure: low elevation (950-850 millibars (mb) ), mid elevation (850-700 mb), and high elevation (700-500 mb). A Haines Index of 6 means a high potential for an existing fire to become large or exhibit erratic fire behavior, 5 means medium potential, 4 means low potential, and anything less than 4 means very low potential. This meteorology –related article
30-502: The media (radio, TV, internet). To become a meteorologist, a person must take at least one undergraduate university degree in meteorology. For researchers, this training continues with higher education, while for forecasters, each country has its own way of training. For example, the Meteorological Service of Canada and UK Met Office have their own training course after the university, while Météo-France takes charge of all
36-624: The training once the person has passed the entrance examination at the National School of Meteorology after high school. In United States, forecasters are hired by the National Weather Service or private firms after university, and receive on-the-job training, while researchers are hired according to their expertise. In some countries, such as in United States, there is a third way where a graduate in meteorology and communication at
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