Meteorology Major

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Meteorology is the study of atmospheric phenomena. The Meteorology Major provides the background necessary for understanding atmospheric behavior over a broad range of time and space scales. These include small features such as turbulent eddies and tornadoes; mesoscale features such as squall lines, hurricanes and blizzards; and even larger features such as continental weather, climate regimes and waves in the jet stream.

The science of meteorology has experienced dramatic changes. New observing techniques based on remote sensing have improved our understanding of weather phenomena and their interrelationships. Images of the earth from satellites have given us a truly global weather perspective. Doppler radar enables us to look at the circulations within thunderstorms to try to identify whether they might generate a tornado. Coupled with this increased observational capability, the introduction of sophisticates numerical weather prediction models has greatly improved our ability to forecast the weather.

The Meteorology Major requires a strong foundation in physics, geospatial science and mathematics and an aptitude for problem solving. Many of the decisions Air Force officers make, from planning deployments and air strikes in a time of war, to launching the space shuttle, flying a sortie or simply deciding what uniform to wear on a particular day, are affected by the weather. While graduates in the Meteorology Major are academically qualified to enter the weather career field, they are excellent candidates to become pilots and navigators as they have a better understanding of the environment in which they fly.