What Kinds of Questions Do Scientists Who Study the Atmosph - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

What Kinds of Questions Do Scientists Who Study the Atmosphere* Ask?

(*Scientists who study that atmosphere are atmospheric scientists; they include research meteorologists, who study the weather. Aside from the weather, atmospheric scientists study many other aspects of the atmosphere, such as global and regional climate change, the ozone layer in the stratosphere, air pollution, the microphysics of clouds, etc.)

What

is the

structure

of the atmosphere?

That is, how does it vary

spatially

?

horizontally?

vertically?

Are there coherent

, repeatable

patterns?

What

is

the

behavior

of the atmosphere?

That is, how does it vary

temporally

(i.e., with time)?

Are there coherent

, repeatable

patterns?

Why

does the atmosphere have the

patterns of structure

and behavior

that

we observe?

How

can we predict future states of the atmosphere (that is, make forecasts) and solve other practical problems?Slide2

What Do Atmospheric Scientists Do? (cont’d)

For questions of type (1) and (2), need observationsHuman senses often not sensitive enoughNeed instrumentsTechnology often requires that engineers contributeQuestions of type (3) promote understanding of the atmosphereDevelop models of the atmospherePhysical models (physical analogs, such as the dishpan model)offer significant insight into some phenomena, but analogs are limited

Conceptual models

descriptive and qualitative; also limited

Quantitative models

Statistical (based solely on observations)

useful but

limited (predictions based on patterns of past behavior only)

Physical (based on both observations and physical principles expressed mathematically)

have lead to the greatest advances in understanding and ability to make forecastsSlide3

What Do Atmospheric Scientists Do? (cont’d)

Questions of type (4) are about application of understanding to solve practical problemsRequires answers to questions (1)-(3)Scientists must communicateideas and information:data and other information (observations and calculations, including model output)graphsmapssymbolsimages

concepts, implications

diagrams, images

language

(writing, speaking)

m

athematics

with:

other atmospheric scientists

other scientists more generally

p

lanners, decision-makers, funding agencies

other users of information about the atmosphere

(businesses, the

public)