Meteorology: useful websites

This page lists useful, free internet resources for meteorology. See databases for meteorology for a list of key online sources purchased by the University to help you find information in this subject.

Key sites

• British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC)
  Assists UK atmospheric researchers to locate, access and interpret atmospheric data. The BADC has substantial data holdings of its own available online and also provides information and links to data held by other centres.
  
  
• Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
  The Australian government meteorological office provides weather forecasts and warnings, climate information and hydrological services. Access to weather and climate charts, radar and satellite images. There is also a link to the National Meteorological Library catalogue.
  
  
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
  This site holds information about the Centre's Research, Services, Publications and Jobs. A selection of Forecast charts and meteograms are available, and archived global Numerical Weather Prediction data can be ordered.
  
  
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  NOAA is a US government organisation with responsibility for assessment, prediction and stewardship of skies and seas. Its National Weather Service provides forecasts and dangerous weather warnings. The NOAA web site hosts many data and research centres, including National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center, NOAA Climate Analysis Branch, National Snow and Ice Data Centerand Space Weather Prediction Center. The NOAA Central Library lists a large range of resources and a link to WINDandSEA: The Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Internet Guide.
  
  
• Intute: Earth Sciences gateway
  Provides access to high quality Internet-based resources in the physical sciences (incorporates PSIgate Earth sciences gateway). It forms part of the online subject resource called Intute which covers resources from the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. The following gateways are also relevant to the study of meteorology: Chemistry and Physics.
  Please note: Updates to Intute ceased in July 2011. Links on the website will no longer be checked.
  
  
• Scirus
  Scirus is a science-specific search engine available on the Internet. It was launched by Elsevier Science a publisher of scientific information and focuses only on web sites containing scientific content.
  
  
• UK Meteorological Office
  The web site of the Meteorological Office is a prime source for weather-related information. Site content includes links to other weather sites on the web, current up-to-date Weather details, Research, Satellite Imagery and has a comprehensive Library Service.
  
  
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
  A United Nations specialist agency, the web site of the WMO has information on research news and developments, publications, major issues and current information about global weather.

Guides and tutorials

• Internet for Earth Science
  One of a series of tutorials written for the Intute Virtual Training Suite. This tutorial aims to improve Internet information skills, knowledge of key Internet sites, Internet search skills and critical thinking skills. The links basket option provides a useful listing of sites relevant to meteorology. Another tutorial is available for Internet Physicist.
  
  
• Evaluating websites: a guide
  Hints on assessing the reliability of information you find on the Internet.
  
  
• The web
  A brief guide to finding information which includes links to the main search engines.

General sites

• Climate of the interior west: climate glossaries and weather tools
  A list of online glossaries giving explanations of climate related terms, includes a weather calculator and units converter. Page is maintained by the NOAA Climate Analysis Branch.
  
  
• El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Information
  Hosted by the NOAA Climate Analysis Branch which is a subsidiary body of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There is information about the  Current conditions of El Nino and El Nino Forecasts. There is also a collection of other ENSO related web links.
  
  
• Galaxy - Meteorology
  Galaxy is a subject based searchable Internet directory compiled by human Internet Librarians. The meteorology page contains an organised list of links divided into categories such as  Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate Change and  Climate Prediction,  Paleoclimatology and more. The following subject pages are also relevant to the study of meteorology:  Earth Science,  Mathematics and  Physics.
  
  
• National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center
  The National Hurricane Center (in the USA) maintains a continuous watch on tropical cyclones over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific. This site offers Satellite Imagery and details of historic tropical cyclones: Archive of Hurricane Seasons.
  
  
• ScienceResearch.com
  A portal allowing cross-searching of numerous scientific journals and public science databases.
  
  
• Weatherbase
  Weatherbase provides data for weather averages for 16,439 cities worldwide and a glossary. The data has been collected from a variety of public domain sources, including the National Climatic Data Center, and is presented in a uniform format.
  
  
• SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System
  The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is a digital library portal for researchers in astronomy and physics.  It consists of three bibliographic databases; Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics, and arXiv e-prints. This site is hosted by the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Nottingham.

Atmospheric science

• Centre for Atmospheric Science
  This is a joint venture between the departments of Chemistry, Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and Geography at the  University of Cambridge. It hosts the sites for the Atmospheric Chemistry Modelling Support Unit, European Ozone Research Coordinating Unit, IUPAC Sub-committee on gas kinetic data evaluation and the NERC UTLS Ozone Programme.
  
  
• UK Air Quality Archive
  Developed on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), it provides data and statistics relating to UK air quality since the 1960s with current air quality bulletins, information on air quality management and links to research reports
  
  
• University of Wyoming, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
  The Department's weather page links to global surface observations. There is US meteorological information, including surface maps, frontal analyses and forecasts, daily climate maps and meteorological buoys.
  
  
• Wetterzentrale
  A German language site with an extensive collection of data and charts from various meteorological services. Data includes current observations, forecasts and analyses with some archives extending back 100 years. Coverage is good for Germany and much of northern Europe. There are charts for 30 year averages for world temperature, radiation and precipitation. The site can be run through Internet browser translation functions.

Global change

• British Antarctic Survey
  The British Antarctic Survey aims to undertake world-class research into the Antarctic and related regions. This site outlines their Research areas and holds Career information.
  
  
• Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)
  The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center which includes the World Data Center for Atmospheric Trace Gases, is the primary global-change data and information analysis centre of the US Department of Energy (DOE). The website contains a Search facility.
  
  
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
  The role of the IPCC is to assess the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. The site contains the panel's activities and reports.
  
  
• Ozone and Air Quality
  NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) provide the results and ongoing data studies for the study of ozone and other gases, aerosols, radiances and ultraviolet radiation, and what has been learned about atmospheric pollution and air quality from the international science missions making these measurements.
  
  
• The Science of Climate Change
  This site, hosted by the UK Government Office for Science, presents an overview of the science of climate change in a clear and scientific manner.
  
  
• Climate change: a summary of the science
  This guide by the Royal Society summarises current scientific evidence and indicates areas of debate and uncertainty as well as where the science is well established.

Oceanography

• British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)
  National facility for looking after and distributing data concerning the marine environment, including biological, chemical, physical and geophysical data.
  
  
• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
  Permanent global system for observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables to support operational ocean services worldwide.
  
  
• National Oceanographic Library - web resources
  Useful listing of oceanographic related web pages.
  
  
• Ocean Data Portal
  Directory of ocean data and information related websites.

Remote sensing

• The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
  The CEOS is an international organization, coordinating international civil spaceborne missions observing and studying the Earth.
  
  
• University of Dundee - Satellite-related WWW sites
  Links to web sites covering satellite data and information and aerial photography as well as some general weather and research links.

Organisations & Institutions

• American Meteorological Society
  The AMS is the world’s largest scientific society for the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. The web site provides information on membership, and allows AMS meetings and conferences to be searched online by keyword.  It also includes a link to The Front Page, a blog about atmospheric scientific research and current atmospheric events, written by the editors of the Bulletin of the AMS.
  
  
• Climatological Observers Link
  This is the amateur meteorologists and enthusiasts' weather observer network for the UK. The website links to UK weather data, including climatological averages, past data and a monthly weather diary.
  
  
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)
  This site holds information about EUMETSAT.
  
  
• The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
  The NERC web site acts as a host for its research centres such as The British Antarctic Survey and collaborative centres including National Oceanography Centre, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. There are links to Publications, and information about Research and Career opportunities.
  
  
• The Oceanography Society
  Contains information about Membership and Job Announcements.
  
  
• The Royal Meteorological Society
  Gives information about membership, also contains up-to-date news about the Society's activities and has details about its  journals.
  
  
• Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)
  TORRO is a privately supported research body. The web site contains details about TORRO news, conferences, research interests and articles and publishes an Online Newsletter detailing monthly severe weather events.

Please note: our site descriptions are based on information available on the site described at the time it was evaluated.

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