subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, Jan 09 2009 

Published: August 19, 2008 12:00 am    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Challenges ahead for meteorology

By Julianna Parker

Meteorology is moving toward new applications and easier access by consumers, said John Snow, dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences.

Snow spoke Tuesday at the Norman Chamber of Commerce's Weather Committee meeting. His presentation, titled "The Future of Meteorology: Research, Design and Practice," predicted meteorology's challenges and victories in the next few decades.

Areas that meteorologists need to improve include predicting the evolution of the intensity of a hurricane and predicting wind changes on a smaller scale to help people fighting wild fires, Snow said.

Advances are coming in the near future. One example Snow gave was dual polarization radar. The radar that scans the atmosphere from two angles instead of one is already out there, and many academics and professionals in Norman area already working on it.

But the new technology has much more potential than just predicting weather better, Snow said. It could be used to track birds, bats and insects in the air as well. That would help track outbreaks of avian-borne illnesses.

Geographic Information Systems will be used more in the near future, Snow said.

"It's becoming ubiquitous," he said. Many in the general public already are using GIS by pulling weather information off their cell phones.

Snow said there will be a switch from a "push" of information from meteorologists to consumers, to a "pull" by the consumer, where users will be able to configure their own portfolio of information.

Those untapped resources are just one example of new avenues to which meteorology should be applied in the future, Snow said.

"We have to be not only able to change, but willing to change," he said of the meteorological field.

There is often a tension between pure science and practical engineering, he said. Meteorology is more than just interesting, Snow said.

Meteorology is important because of the good it will do for businesses, government and the general public.

"The value is the diagnostic and prognostic views of the atmosphere for decision making," Snow said. The consumer, or those who use the meteorological predictions, will be able to make decisions that save lives and property, promote healthy business, support environmental quality and foster a sustainable society.

It's the application of meteorological advances that makes the difference, and meteorologists need to focus on those applications in the coming decades.

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com

print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.

Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.


monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

FT RN NEEDED
@ Lindsay Municipal Hospital
Night shift. LMH offers
competitive salary along with benefits and retirement pl
...>MORE

A T T E N T I O N
SALES PROFESSIONALS!
Rebath of Oklahoma
is ready to explode in this market!

Are you driven, self-mo
...>MORE

Seeking Therapist
Licensed or License Eligible
Agency Provides LPC Supervision
Must be able to work Ardmore
or Wynnewood ar
...>MORE

Great things are happening at
SSM Home Care in Oklahoma.
We have several positions open:

• RN (Fulltime and PRN )
...>MORE

MAYS HOSPICE CARE, INC.
“The Gift of Time”
We are looking for caring, compassionate
individuals to fill the following positions
...>MORE


Evening LPN
Brookhaven Extensive Care
1050 Rambling Oaks, Norman
292-2273 FAX 292-4040
swright@
...>MORE

Full-time LPN or RN
NEEDED! • Salary + Benefits.
OB/GYN Experience a plus
Call 360-1264 or
Fax Resume’ to 321-8683 or E-mail<
...>MORE

Career Opportunity
Full-time and Part-time
To work with developmental
disabilities in the home and on the job in a vocational tra
...>MORE

Norman Public Schools
Maintenance Department

• Apprentice Electrician
(Night Shift)
• Journeyman Electrician
(Ni
...>MORE

Broadway Living Center
Has Full Time &
Part Time
Positions Available For
CMA's • LPNs
To Join a Great Team
Offering Co
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Homes

See all ads

Premium Extras

Poultry & Small Caged Animal Auction
Every Monday Night at 7pm
Sell your small caged animals and poultry for free. That’s right 0%
Commission! 1030
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index