We explain what meteorology is, its object of study, and its relationship to climatology. Also, elements and factors of climate.
What is meteorology?
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary science that studies the physics of the atmosphere. Its name comes from the Greek words metéöron (“high in the sky”) and lógos (“knowledge”). Its objective is to understand and predict atmospheric phenomena, that is, to gain an idea about the weather.
To this end, meteorologists focus their attention on various atmospheric factors, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, cloud types, etc., using various instruments and techniques to develop a specialized diagnosis. You must read about Climatology once.
Origin of Meteorology
The origins of meteorology date back to the very beginning of humankind, who quickly understood that natural changes around them occurred cyclically, allowing for a certain margin of prediction.
At that time, humans associated climatic and meteorological conditions with the will of the gods or the movement of the stars, as their conception of the world was magical or religious. However, more rigorous studies of the subject have existed since ancient Greece, such as Aristotle’s treatise Meteorologica, written around 340 BC.
The emergence of new knowledge and new measuring instruments during the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century laid the foundations for meteorology as a formal discipline, guided by technology and the scientific method.
Blaise Pascal, René Descartes, Edmund Halley, Robert Hooke, George Hadley, Luke Howard, and Francis Beaufort, among many others, made decisive contributions to this field. Maybe you should definitely read about Climate once.
Object of Study of Meteorology
Meteorology is dedicated to the study of the different layers of the atmosphere, that is, the heterogeneous ball of gases that surrounds the Earth’s surface. Of particular interest are the effects of the sun’s rays on the atmosphere, as well as the energy absorbed by the Earth and dissipated into outer space, since all of these directly impact the evolution of the weather.
Also of interest are the phenomena that occur at each atmospheric level, such as the electrical phenomena of the ionosphere, and the effects that all of the above has on human life.
Thus, the different branches of meteorology attempt to describe and, to a certain extent, predict the behavior of air masses in the atmosphere and their possible natural disturbances, such as meteorites or the solar wind.
Meteorology and Climatology
The difference between meteorology and climatology is the same as that between weather and climate. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time, something we consult to determine whether or not it’s a good idea to carry an umbrella. These are the phenomena studied by meteorology.
The weather is changeable, so if we consider weather conditions over a specific period, we are instead looking at the climate of our region. Climate, on the other hand, changes more slowly, repeating its cycles, part of a global climate system.
In other words, climatology studies the long-term phenomena inherent to climate. Meteorology is also a discipline that serves as a service to the latter, since weather records are what ultimately serve to determine the climate of a specific region.
Weather Stations
Weather stations are the places where meteorologists set up their measuring instruments, such as anemometers, thermometers, barometers, rain gauges, etc., to record the state of the atmosphere at a given time.
These stations usually form a network throughout the studied territory, allowing them to compare notes and create a common record of the weather, from which they can also make the projections or predictions that are so useful to the population.
Climate Elements and Factors
The main factors or elements that make up a region’s climate are:
- Temperature: That is, how high its peak temperatures are and how low its peak temperatures are at a given time of year, since the seasons greatly influence this.
- Insolation: That is, the amount of solar radiation that penetrates the outer layers of the atmosphere and transfers light and heat to both the mass of gases and the Earth’s surface.
- Atmospheric pressure: This is the force exerted by the mass of atmospheric gases on the Earth’s surface and on itself, being greater in regions closest to the surface and less in those closest to space.
- Precipitation: This is the amount of water that falls in rain, measured in millimeters. The more rain, the greater the humidity.
- Atmospheric humidity: This is the amount of water vapor present in the air mass. It is, logically, greater near large bodies of water, since it evaporates continuously, and less in dry regions of the planet, and in atmospheric layers far from the surface.
- Wind: This is the strength of the wind and its direction. Winds from the tropics are warm, while those from the polar regions are cold. Similarly, those from the ocean are humid, and those from the non-ocean are dry.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- “Meteorology” on Wikipedia.
- “Weather station” on Wikipedia.
- “Meteorology and climatology” in the CSIC Astrobiology Center (Spain).
- “Meteorology” on CONICET Mendoza (Argentina).
- “Meteorology” on National Geographic.
- “Meteorology (science)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
