Published Tuesday, February 11, 2003 in the San Jose Mercury News

By Jan Null
Special to the Mercury News
 

I last talked about job prospects in meteorology, and now you've decided you want to chuck all those stock options and become a meteorologist yourself. What do you do now?

If you are still in high school, you will need a well-balanced college preparatory program that includes physics and chemistry. Take every math and computer science course available. And don't forget course work that will help with communication skills, because a forecast is worthless if the user can't understand what you are trying to say.

The first two years of a college curriculum in meteorology are similar to those for an engineering degree, with lots of math and physics. These are the building blocks for an undergraduate degree in meteorology, available at about 60 schools across the nation.

Some of these schools have broad-based meteorology programs, while others specialize on areas like air pollution, agricultural or synoptic meteorology. These specialty areas may be a factor in choosing a school, or choosing a focus may wait for postgraduate work.

There are four schools in California that offer degrees in meteorology, and all of them have excellent programs. Nearby, there are bachelor of science in meteorology degrees available from both San Jose and San Francisco state universities. Likewise, bachelor of science degrees are available from the University of California-Davis and the University of California-Los Angeles.

Across the nation, some of the more prominent meteorology departments are at the University of Washington, University of Oklahoma, Penn State, Florida State and University of Michigan.

For a summary of educational and job prospects in meteorology, go to http://ggweather.com/101/careers.htm.

Q Are we in a drought? It appears that it will not rain at all this year. It seems like all our rain has come in November and December the past two years. What does the long-term forecast look like? Don Smith - Sunnyvale

A In fact, most of the Bay Area is at or above normal rainfall for the season to date, and forecast charts indicate a series of weather systems bringing more rain during the next week. But drought is more than just the amount of rain. It is dependent on things like water storage, groundwater conditions, the snowpack and how it impacts particular water users. From all indications, the water supply for the region is in good shape.

Q I have heard two explanations for the contrails behind high-flying airplanes. One is that the water in the exhaust turns into ice crystals. The other is that the particulates in the exhaust are a nidus for moisture to condense. Which is, or are both, correct? Myron Gananian - Menlo Park

A It is actually a combination of both. Water vapor that is exhausted from jet engines is sometimes just substantial enough to make the air saturated and for condensation to occur. Additionally, the exhaust contains tiny particles that can act as condensation nuclei that aid in the formation of contrails, which are nothing more than a skinny man-made cirrus cloud. The time that they linger in the upper atmosphere is dependent on the humidity of the surrounding air and the direction and strength of winds that will dissipate the contrail.

Q What elements are necessary to cause the sky to turn to a beautiful red/orange/rose color as the sun is setting, giving us a glorious sunset, vs. other nights without such color? Denise Olazar - Sonoma

A The key to some of the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets is a layer of middle clouds -- such as alto stratus or alto cumulus -- about 5,000 and 20,000 feet in altitude that does not obscure the horizon and sun. When this happens, the red, orange and yellow colors at sunrise or sunset are reflected off the bases of the clouds, making a spectacular display.

Another factor that can contribute to redder sunrises and sunsets is the presence of smoke in the air. The size of smoke particles is very effective at scattering the shorter blue and green wavelengths of light, leaving reds and oranges.

Jan Null, founder of Golden Gate Weather Services, is a retired lead forecaster with the National Weather Service. Send questions to him c/o WeatherCorner, San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190. You also can telephone questions at (510) 657-2246, fax them to (510) 315-3015 or e-mail them to weather corner@ggweather.com or fill out a form online at http://ggweather.com/ questions.htm. Please indicate in your e-mail what city you live in.