Introducing the Weather Man: Unveiling the Science of Meteorology Online

A weather man (or woman) predicts the weather.  When you need weather information you can get it from a weatherman.

Part scientist, part entertainer.

Have you ever wondered how meteorologists predict the weather?  Here at StuffintheAir, we help you unravel the fascinating world of meteorology.

You can plan your day based on weather information collected by satellites, weather balloons, and radar systems.  Meteorologists make predictions and monitor the weather using data collected by weather instruments and processed by computer models.

And they tell others about it.  I did these things before creating this website.  It has been a joy.

What is the purpose of StuffintheAir?  Click to visit the homepage of this website to learn about modern meteorological processes.  It provides definitions and descriptions of certain weather concepts as well as scientific concepts.

And things.  It is not only fascinating to observe phenomena in the sky, but they may play a crucial role in determining weather patterns and climate.

Here are 12 fascinating things every meteorologist likes to share:

1. From fluffy cumulus clouds to towering cumulonimbus clouds, each type tells a different story about the weather.
2. Water droplets refract, disperse, and reflect sunlight, resulting in rainbows.
3. Typically seen in polar regions, auroras display a wonder of natural light in the sky.
4. Thunderstorms are characterized by dramatic and powerful electrical discharges called lightning.
5. Rings of light encircling the sun or moon caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.
6. Ice crystals also cause sundogs, bright spots on either side of the sun.
7. At or near the surface of the Earth, fog is composed of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere.
8. Massive clouds of dust that can obscure visibility and transport particles for long distances.
9. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground.
10. Tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rain are hurricanes.
11. Some planets, including Earth, have jet streams, which are fast-moving, narrow air currents.
12. Fronts of weather: Boundaries between two different air masses where all the action happens in some regions.

We predict the weather and help you plan

What is interesting about this site and how I can find it? On the left, you will find a column of short titles.  There is a link to a webpage that provides further information on each subject.  Furthermore, each page contains links to many additional pages providing additional information on the sub-topic titled in the text. Almost every page of the website displays this list in the same position.

In addition, you will find a link entitled "Site Map" near the bottom of the left-column links. This link will take you to a complete and organized listing of all major weather (and related science) pages on Stuff in the Air.  As the website now has over a thousand pages, it would be impractical to list the entire list on one page.

Several of these web pages provide access to photographs and articles related to physical science. You can access them on the website and, at one time, subscribe to the newsletter, Blowin’ in the wind (See a link to the archives on the right).  You could have collected scientific and related information on a regular basis when the newsletter was being published.

You can also find a detailed list of photos and links to additional images. Among them are:

• Snow and cloud pictures
• Pictures of ecosystems and pollution
• Smog images
• Ocean pictures
• Forest scenes
• Photographs of fog and atmosphere
• Illustrations of toxic wastes

And to be added,

• Pictures for El Niño 
• Ozone layer pictures
• Photographs of other meteorological and environmental conditions
  
• Maybe even some more pictures of the StuffintheAir staff (including me).  

Would you like to see them all at once? Click on the word "images" at the top of Google and enter site:stuffintheair.com. There should be hundreds of results. You can view the entire page of any one of them by clicking on it.

A Weather man Online service

This weatherman created this business in order to assist students in learning about weather and exploring career opportunities in meteorology.  In addition to educators of such students, other members of the public may also find answers to important questions.

You may think of my rudimentary explanations as kid meteorology. In other words, they do not rely on complicated mathematics to convey their message. There are even some pages that provide lesson plans for teachers of young students.

As a result of the qualitative descriptions, readers are provided with a synoptic (big-picture) overview of a highly technical subject that makes it easy for them to grasp the concepts regardless of their scientific background.

Where more technical detail is appropriate, supplemental links are provided to outside sources where university math formulae may be used.

Additional drawings and photographs can be accessed through other links. A number of informative graphics are included, such as satellite images, radar and other concrete examples.

Thirdly, most pages contain affiliate or advertising links. The purpose of this effort is to earn enough money to maintain the website.

Interested readers purchase the products and services offered by merchants who fulfill orders and requests in a fair and honest manner. Please do not feel obligated to place an order (I am certain you will not). Nevertheless, you may find some of these interesting.

Please review the privacy policy accessible at the bottom of the purple links on the left if your private or personal information is of concern.

This is the 32nd page added to a site that now receives thousands of visitors every day.  This weather man constructed it from scratch.

Thank you very much for your interest.  Here is a quick link to the air homepage for an introduction to the website.   

Would you like to view the privacy statement on this website?  Furthermore, you can find additional navigational options at the bottom of each page.

Chief, cook and bottle-washer: Despite this being an "About Us" page, there really is no "Us" here...

The weatherman's name is:

Barry J. Lough, B.Sc., P.Phys.,  P.Met., EP
47 Riverstone Close SE
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2C 4B8
Main Phone: (403) 203-0833

My educational background includes a B. Sc. in physics and meteorology, and as a physicist and meteorologist, I am able to apply physics formulas to weather and related environmental issues.  After completing the Physics degree, I got more interested in meteorology during an internship in air traffic control than my intended career path.

This degree was earned at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.  The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta offers a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology program.   At the time, it was one of three meteorology schools in the Canadian university system.

The program covers topics like atmospheric dynamics, synoptic meteorology, atmospheric physics, and climatology.  The program prepares students for careers in the private sector, government agencies, or research institutions, such as weather forecasting, climate change, or air quality.   Students in the Meteorology program at the University of Alberta continue to have the chance to work with world-class faculty and participate in cutting-edge research.

Air Quality and Alberta - much to be said about how clean this place keeps itself.  Check it here!

I have worked in the weather forecasts division of Environment & Climate Change Canada as a meteorologist. Meteorologists come in all kinds:

• Meteorologists who work for weather stations or in the military provide weather forecasts and warnings.
• Meteorologists who broadcast weather on TV, radio, or online.
• In academic or government research institutions, research meteorologists study specific areas of weather and climate.
• Scientists who study long-term weather patterns and climate change.
• Meteorologists who study weather and environment and predict air quality.
• Forensic Meteorologists investigate weather conditions for legal cases and insurance claims.
• Meteorologists for the aviation industry provide weather information and forecasts.
• A weather man who studies weather and climate in the oceans.
• Scientists who study how the atmosphere interacts with water, focusing on precipitation and water cycles.
• Meteorologists study how weather and climate affect agriculture.
• Provide weather forecasts and analysis for the energy sector, including renewables.
• Weather-related information and warnings during natural disasters are provided by emergency management meteorologists.

As an environmental consultant, I have primarily worked in air quality modeling in Canada.  It was then that your friendly weather man worked for the air group, (regulatory and compliance consultants) at the Calgary office of SEACOR Environmental (a company that grew steadily before being acquired by SLR Management), then Duke Energy Gas Transmission (a US company that provides natural gas transmission and storage services), and now Calvin Consulting Group Ltd. (i.e. CCGL), which is also in Calgary.

Calvin Consulting is a Canadian firm which provides consulting services include strategy development and change management.   Their goal is to improve the environmental and air quality performance of organizations of all sizes across various industries.  The company team of experienced consultants understands the challenges organizations face and they are committed to delivering effective solutions to air quality and regulatory compliance problems.  Overall, creating sustainable operating tactics which have neutral-to-positive environmental impact for clients is what they do.

For air quality needs such as dispersion modeling, regulatory compliance, or emissions reporting, please contact Barry at their Calgary office.  Please use the email below or call 403-547-7557.

If you prefer, send an email.

Please scroll down about half way on this page for detailed information from my resume.  you can find my summary of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (ENTP) personality profile on the cartoon scientist webpage.

Occasionally, I have considered becoming a television weather man because I enjoy entertaining folks as well.

Here is a bit more information about the businessperson in me.

I am in my later 50's (in 2024) and married with two grown daughters. When I am not working, I am thinking about the music industry. I am a part-time musician with Back in the Day, a 60s, 70s and 80s rock cover band.  In addition to duelling piano shows, I also perform solo gigs. Furthermore, I have played drums in Calgary's non-profit Calysto Steelband.  My online  company provides wanted information for the public as well as supplemental income for my family and, eventually, employment for others.

Here is an example of music performance, if this interests you:

...and the Youtube channel homepage is at https://www.youtube.com/user/radiosonde1/featured

This is a photograph of me performing in a Karaoke bar in Barbados quite a number of years ago.  I am holding the microphone in my left hand.

One of our Calysto Steelband photos was published in the local newspaper shortly after the trip.

Here is some random stuff

Here is a new page that provides quick access to Google Internet searches. You may use it for the entire Internet or just this website.

He is not a weather man, but the author of this poem:

And the Sun and the Moon and the Stars and the Sky

And the Sun and the Moon and the Stars and the Sky
When the bolide approaches some will cry.

And the Comets and the Meteoroids and the Dust and the Space
Astronomers view objects in this infinite chaotic place.

And the Rockets and the Satellites and the Stations and the Shuttle
The elite will disappear and the rest be left to cuddle.

And the Saints and the Demons and the Devil and the God
An unexpected coming and we may join Queen Maud.

And the Protons and the Neutrons and the Electrons
...and the Doctor Thomson
Our knowledge is elementary my dear Watson.

And the Protista and the Fungi and the Monera and the Plantae
Our ancestors survived mass extinctions in the kingdom Animalia.

And the Spared and the Warred and the Cared and the Scared
In Doctor Einstein's universe E=mc².

And the Inventions and the Technology and the Weapons and the Tools
Could a spaceship be big enough to fit all the fools?

When the bolide approaches some may have fun.
And the Sky and the Stars and the Moon and the Sun

~Raymond C. Roberts

Would you like to have your comments published on this website?  Give this a go...

Need a Weather Man?

An expert in the field of air? Meet the man behind The Science of Meteorology Online, The Weather Man.

We demystify meteorology here at StuffintheAir.

Browse our huge collection of weather topics in the left column, or check out our comprehensive Site Map to find exactly what you're looking for.

Do you have concerns about air pollution in your area??

Perhaps modelling air pollution will provide the answers to your question.

That is what I do on a full-time basis.  Find out if it is necessary for your project.

Have your Say...

on the StuffintheAir         facebook page

Other topics listed in these guides:

The Stuff-in-the-Air Site Map

And, 

See the newsletter chronicle. 

Thank you to my research and writing assistants, ChatGPT and WordTune, as well as Wombo and others for the images.

GPT-4, OpenAI's large-scale language generation model (and others provided by Google and Meta), helped generate this text.  As soon as draft language is generated, the author reviews, edits, and revises it to their own liking and is responsible for the content.