What is a doplar radar and what does it do?
The
doplar radar sends out electromagnetic waves to determine how
far away an object is. It also measures how fast an object moves.
The electromagnetic waves bounce off water droplets that are in
the air and sends the information back to a big computer. The
computer screen shows any rain that is in a particular area. The
darker the green on the computer screen, the more it is raining
in that area.
What weather instruments are the most useful?
Many instruments are useful. Some of the most useful instruments are:
Weather stations around the world use a variety of instruments to predict the weather.
What kind of schooling is needed to become a meteorologist?
You need to have a Bachelor of Science degree. To become a meteorologist, you must take many years of math classes and take physical science classes.
What specific things do you need to know?
You need to have a good understanding of physics and advanced math, including calculus.
What kinds of jobs are at the weather station?
There is a large variety of jobs. The primary jobs are the data collectors and the forecasters. At least, those jobs are the important ones for predicting weather.
Do people normally get mad at you when your predictions are inaccurate?
We try our best to make the weather predictions accurate; however, we can not control nature.
Why do weather forecasters need to study the clouds?
Weather forecasters study clouds because certain types often appear before storms. Clouds are used to help predict warm and cold fronts. Clouds also influence the heating and cooling of the earth.
Is a storm front really the front of a storm?
Actually, no it isn't. A storm front is the boundary line between cold air and warm air.
Do you still use old weather instruments, or do you use computers to predict the weather?
We use a mixture of both.
From your point of view, do you think that weather is really interesting? Why?
I think weather is interesting because it is always changing, and it has an impact on people's lives.
Is working at the weather station ever boring?
There are many things to keep yourself occupied. We have to learn new techniques for predicting the weather. For example, doplar radar is fairly new to meteorologist, and we had to learn how to use it. The weather can also change rapidly which means we need to make new predictions. Can you imagine being bored in a thunderstorm, a hurricane, or a tornado?
