Understanding the Weather

Atmospheric scientists—also known as meteorologists—apply principles of chemistry, physics and math to understand the dynamic processes occurring in the Earth's atmosphere. The best known application of meteorology is weather forecasting, but atmospheric scientists also study air pollution control, trends in Earth's climate such as global warming, ozone depletion or drought, and how weather affects the agriculture, transportation, defense, fishing, and utilities industries.

Careers and Employers
Most people are familiar with broadcast meteorologists who report the weather on local news programs or the ever-popular Weather Channel. However, the three main employers of meteorologists are goverment agencies, private industrial or consulting firms, and universities. The Federal Government employs 1 out of every 3 meteorologists making it the largest employer.

Specific job titles and employers include: marine analyst; National Imagery and Mapping Agency; operational meteorologist, U.S. Air Force; programmer analyst, Raytheon ITSS NASA; meteorologist, National Weather Service; associate scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research; hydraulic engineer, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers; meteorologist, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; research scientist, Analytical Services and Materials, Inc.

Salaries
Median annual earnings of atmospheric scientists in May 2006 were $77,150. The middle 50 percent earned between $55,530 and $96,490. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,090, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $119,700.

The average salary for meteorologists employed by the Federal Government was $84,882 in 2007. Many meteorologists in the Federal Government with a bachelor’s degree received a starting salary of $35,752, or slightly higher in areas of the country where the prevailing local pay level is higher.

Information from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

Curriculum
Required courses include calculus, physics, ordinary and partial differential equations, statistics, computer science and chemistry as well as other physical science courses appropriate for the particular interest area selected by the student. The Penn State meteorology program allows students to specialize in storm systems studies, climate change processes, atmospheric chemistry, cloud systems or weather analysis and prediction.

The Penn State meteorology department has a well-equipped weather station where students are introduced to the tools of atmospheric science and weather prediction. They learn to combine surface and radiosonde observations, radar and satellite imagery, and computer forecasts to understand and analyze atmospheric behavior. The Campus Weather Service provides students interested in forecasting with on-the-job experience.