Met service

mattford · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 2:50 am Post subject: Met service

Well the rain has just kicked in this afternoon in London. By the look of the weather radar I wouldn't be surprised if we get some floods - There's a big bright red blob heading towards us!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweather/radar.shtml

Does anyone have any experience looking for meteorology work in New Zealand? This is the kind of subject I would love to study in depth some day. I imagine the NZ job market in this area is quite small although you would be close to the research stations in the Antarctic. I wonder if you could go into it without a PhD level qualification. Has anyone here been on any Antarctic trips?

I was going to sit outside and have a pint by the river tonight but now I definitely think I'll be sat indoors .. Rolling Eyes

Matt

Moorf · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 3:11 am Post subject:

Hi Matt... it's awful here too and I live on the seafront so no pint on the prom for us tonight either!

Spookily enough, we were looking at trips to the Antartic from NZ yesterday! Some great photography trips that we are interested in.... AND, I am a total weather freak - 2nd to becoming a storm chaser I'd love to work at a met office!

Some good links on the following link - and I am sure I saw somewhere that Auckland Uni does Antartic study courses etc....

Helen
PS - Thx for joining my RealContacts network!!

mattford · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 4:00 am Post subject:

I think a lot of the meteorology training is based in Wellington (at least the wind will give them something to study there! - oh erm - is it possible to get sick of hearing "windy Wellington" jokes?) but apparently there are courses in Christchurch and Auckland too.. Have just sent off an email to MetService NZ asking them about applications. Got my fingers crossed

And I've not even got my PR yet! Well no harm in planning ahead...

It fascinates me how unpredictable the weather can seem and how much effort goes into getting accurate forcasts for 24-48 hours, but after that you're just guessing! Even so there are still global/regional patterns that emerge.

And still nobody really knows much about that weird lightning you get above clouds that shoots up into the upper atmosphere (http://elf.gi.alaska.edu/).. It was only discovered less than 20 years ago!

Apparently we got more tornadoes in the UK per land area than anywhere else in the world (http://www.torro.org.uk/severeweather/tornadofaqs.htm). I've never seen one myself but it would be an awesome sight. No doubt UK tornadoes would peter out long before their american counterparts though - We probably have the "wrong kind of air" or something Laughing

Hmm a bit off the NZ topic..

aurora · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject:

If you manage to get a job in the Met Bureau, you'll automatically qualify for met positions at Scott Base (NZ's only Antarctic base).

The positions in Antarctica last for 12 months at a time.