Meteorology
Who
Anyone with an interest in the weather that goes beyond “bloody hell, it’s
raining again”. A good scientific grounding, especially in maths and
physics, will also help.
What
For one brief, thrilling moment, YouCan envisaged this as being the study of
meteorites, with undergraduates standing around deserts in Arizona hoping
for rocks to fall from the sky.While that, sadly, isn’t the case, the
reality is no less lofty, being as it is the study of the atmosphere. This
focuses on the physical science behind weather systems and climate, covers
some geology and may feature field trips and lab work as well as lectures
and tutorials.
Where
The University of East Anglia, the University of Edinburgh, the University of
Leeds and the University of Reading all offer versions of this course,
although only Reading runs with the simple title of meteorology.Other
institutions combine it with geophysics, atmospheric science and
oceanography.Check details of each course via institutions’prospectuses or
websites.
How
At least BBC at A-level, preferably in subjects such as maths, physics,
chemistry, biology, geography, geology and environmental science.This is a
scientific discipline and you will struggle without a good grounding in
these subjects.
Why
Knowing when to carry an umbrella is a skill for life; should you wish to make
a more lucrative application of your meteorology knowledge, the Met Office
and the Environment Agency may have use of it, as may a variety of other,
independent organisations, with climate change becoming more and more of a
worry for businesses.
Websites
- The Met Office www.metoffice.gov.uk
- The International Journal of Meteorology www.ijmet.org
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP logged and may be used to prevent further submission. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by the Independent Minds Terms of Service.
- Print Article
- Email Article
-
Click here for copyright permissions
Copyright 2009 Independent News and Media Limited








