Atmospheric Science
Atmospheric science is a catch-all term for the study of planetary atmospheres. The main areas of scientific interest are: meteorology (the study of weather), climatology (the study of weather conditions averaged over time), and aeronomy (the study of the upper atmosphere). There is considerable overlap with other scientific disciplines.
Most of the work conducted in these fields has unsurprisingly concerned the Earth’s atmosphere, where observations can be made from the ground or using weather balloons, probes and satellites. However, exploration of the Solar System has afforded opportunities for studying the atmospheres of other planets and satellites, while astronomers can obtain information on such bodies from earth-based observations.
Articles about atmospheric science
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We still don't know a lot about what is right underneath our feet, let alone what’s lurking miles down.
Delve deeper into structure of the earth
Scientists agree that human activities are causing climate change, but the finer details are still unknown.
Delve deeper into climate change
It affects our lives almost every day, and yet we still know very little about the causes and effects of our planet's weather systems.
Delve deeper into weather
Water is vital for our survival, but how much do we really know about it?
Delve deeper into water
The origins of life – where and how did life begin?
Delve deeper into origin of life
The search for alien life catches many people's imagination and has always been a very public branch of science. So with all this investigation, why has our search revealed nothing? Are we truly alone in the Universe?
Delve deeper into extraterrestrial life
We don’t know what causes lightning, how much of it there is, nor how to predict it. As global temperatures increase, so does lightning; as lightning increases, so do global temperatures. Its impact on atmospheric chemistry is still being explored.
Delve deeper into lightning
Blog posts about atmospheric science
Our blog posts are often written by scientists about their ongoing research