Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Taking the Earth’s Temperature

Q. What is your meteorological specialty?
A. Atmospheric modeling. Several times a day, I obtain data about atmospheric conditions, which is entered into a computer for processing. Our forecasters and those at other organizations then develop the actual forecasts from the results. We offer the information I collect to both the public and private sector at no charge.
What data do you collect?
Various measurements that are based on elements of physics. Think of a lattice in a garden as representing the atmosphere, with data available where the slats intersect to form a grid. We collect measurements relating to temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure, moisture and the like, to fill the lattices across the globe. Every day, we grab about four billion bits of information.
When were you first attracted to weather as a career?
In ninth grade, my guidance counselor said students needed to start thinking about a college major. My earth science class was just finishing a chapter on weather, and I was good in math and science, so meteorology seemed the obvious choice. My family also watched the meteorologist Don Kent on Channel 4 in Boston. He was an influence.

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