Computer software for teaching climatology and meteorology
- Some free software can be
obtained from CALMET (computer aided learning in meteorology) via ftp at: ftp.met.ed.ac.uk. Then change to
directory calmet, then
read the file README. There are multiple choice questions, interactive
software for PC's and X windows, and Toolbook-based
learning modules, some designed from a southern hemisphere perspective.
- The Cooperative Program for
Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) has prepared a series of
CD-ROMs containing multimedia, fully interactive training modules on
various topics in meteorology, such as
- severe storms (for
Chapter 9)
- synoptic meteorology
(for Chapter 13)
- satellite meteorology
- Doppler radar
interpretation
- fire weather
- hydrology
These CD-ROMs are fairly pricey and are biased towards the USA. For more
details, see http://www.wticorp.com.
- The US University Coorporation for Atmospheric Research
's UNIDATA program
coordinates the development and distribution of various meteorological
analysis packages, such as McIDAS and GEMPAK.
Several training / weather analysis packages exist for this software. For
instance, Unidata, in cooperation with Comet,
has prepared several case studies to be used within GEMPAK. Currently 3
case studies are out:
- the
March 1993 storm of the century in the eastern USA.
- an
inclement frontal disturbance, again in the eastern USA, in December '95.
- a
tropical cyclone, Erin, in the Gulf of Mexico
in August '95.
The software, supplementary modules and support is free Unidata
University members. The
data for the case studies are available on 8mm exabyte
tape, which contain 1-2Gb of data, and can be
requested from csl@comet.ucar.edu.
Again, the support material is biased towards the US, but the software is applicable
anywhere.
- A series of 64 computer
animations of various atmospheric processes, ranging from the growth of a cloud
droplet to the evolution of a frontal disturbance, has been compiled by
J.R. Eagleman (1995). The floppy disks run under
Windows and are entitled Meteorology, the atmosphere in action,
published by Trimedia Publ. Company.
- A
program called RAOB to plot temperature, humidity and wind profiles,
and to analyse atmospheric stability, is
available for from John Shewchuk, via email at wxx@raob.com.
- More meteorological software
can be found here.