Aviation Meteorology

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the general terms and definitions that falls under the ‘common set’ in the intersection of the sets Meteorology and Aerospace Engineering. It begins with the universal explanations for the meteorological phenomena under the ‘common set’ followed by the categorization of clouds and their influences on the aerial vehicles, the instrumentation used in Aeronautics to determine the required Meteorological quantities, factors affecting aviation, effects of aviation on the clouds, and the corresponding protocols involved in deciphering the ‘common set’ elements. It also talks about the relation between airport construction and Geology prior to concluding with the uses and successes of Meteorology in the field of Aerospace.

INTRODUCTION

Meteorology is the study of forecasting the changes in weather due to a large scale atmospheric circulation. It is also referred to as the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere as a result of Sun‟s energy received in the form of radiation, resulting in the occurrence of all the weather phenomena. The Earth’s Atmosphere covers an average altitude of 100 km vertically above MSL (Mean Sea Level). The atmosphere comprises of various gases, dominated by Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon dioxide and substances like the Ozone, water vapour, and other trace elements, with percentage compositions Furthermore, the variables that influence the atmosphere are temperature, pressure, humidity, cloudiness and winds. The atmosphere plays a major role in protecting the Earth‟s life forms from the solar radiations, cosmic rays and meteoroids. It is also responsible for maintaining the Earth‟s global temperature by insolation, reflection and circulation, and for the scattering of sunlight, which enables us to perceive various colours. Oceans have a diurnal variation of just 2 to 3C and they consist of two separate layers of water, warm and cold. The layer of separation is called thermocline. The upper (warm) layer is a heat reservoir and is 150 to 200 meters deep. This is the cause for the genesis of several aquatic circulations like the cyclones, the hurricanes and the typhoons.
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