Mötesplats Rydberg: Elna Heimdal-Nilsson - Weather and Climate

Tuesday 8 Sep 2015, 15:15 → 16:15 Europe/Stockholm

Rydbergsalen (Fysiska institutionen-Physics Department)

Weather is something that directly affect us all on a daily basis, while climate is somehow a more vague but indeed important concept. We are familiar with the weather and in particular its consequences for our everyday life. The weather forecast help us to plan what to wear, what to do and were to go. We are guided by a group of physicists forecasting the weather: the meteorologists. What many of you probably did not know is that a number of the meteorologists that appear on tv, whose voices we hear on the radio, or faces we see printed in the newspapers, are students from our very own department! In this popular scientific lecture I will outline the concepts of weather and climate, how they are connected and their implications on different time and length scales. Some common meteorological phenomena will be explained: Why does the wind blow and the rain fall? What does different types of clouds tell about the coming weather? Can clouds be made by human activity? In addition weather forecasting and the accuracy of the prognosis will be discussed. I will also take this opportunity to inform you on the meteorology education given here at the physics department, and tell the stories of a few of our successful students and their careers.