Meteorology as a career choice

Ranjan K Baruah *

We are aware of how disasters affect our lives. Global warming or climate change has already brought challenges in front of us. There is no doubt that weather, climate and water extremes are becoming more frequent and intense in many parts of the world as a result of climate change.

More of us are exposed than ever before to multiple related hazards, which are themselves evolving as a result of population growth, urbanization and environmental degradation.

To minimize the worst impact of natural disasters meteorology needs to be strengthened and it brings more opportunity for people associated with meteorology. This year’s World Meteorological Day which is observed on 23 March has the theme Early Warning and Early Action, and spotlights the vital importance of Hydrometeorological and Climate Information for Disaster Risk Reduction.

We know that greater coordination between national meteorological and hydrological services, disaster management authorities and development agencies is fundamental to better prevention, preparedness and response. Being prepared and able to act at the right time, in the right place, can save many lives and protect the livelihoods of communities everywhere.

The beginnings of meteorology in India can be traced to ancient times. Meteorology, as we perceive it now, may be said to have had its firm scientific foundation in the 17th century after the invention of the thermometer and the barometer and the formulation of laws governing the behaviour of atmospheric gases.

It was in 1636 that Halley, a British scientist, published his treatise on the Indian summer monsoon, which he attributed to a seasonal reversal of winds due to the differential heating of the Asian landmass and the Indian Ocean. India is fortunate to have some of the oldest meteorological observatories of the world.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) was established in 1875. IMD provides National Meteorological Service to the country and is the principal government agency in all matters relating to Meteorology, Seismology and allied subjects.

As it is a branch of atmospheric sciences hence mainly focuses on predicting weather and climate. Experts in the field are called meteorologists or atmospheric scientists. Students who want to become meteorologists must be from engineering background or science background with Physics and Maths as their subjects.

A meteorologist uses various equipment for weather forecasts. They also get updates from satellites which help them in accurate forecasts as weather forecasts are useful for a variety of purposes. Some of the special areas are aerology, climatology, aeronomy, agricultural meteorology, applied meteorology, etc. Meteorology can be of great significance when it comes to coping up with climate change.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), under the ministry of earth sciences recruits aspirants for various designations through selection. There are universities and institutes that offer courses related to meteorology. There are special institutes like Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences; Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (CAOS); Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, etc.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the roots of which were planted at the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.

Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950, WMO became the specialised agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences a year later. (https://public.wmo.int)

Aspirants may get jobs in research institutes or colleges and universities apart from other agencies like National Remote Sensing Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation , Council of Scientific and Industrial Research , Indian Council of Agriculture Research , etc .

Students who wish to come to this field must have patience as the field is not very popular yet. Most of our students want to join a job which gives more money but this field is more into research or teaching which needs patience to be successful . Employability skills apart from qualification are essential to be successful as a meteorologist.