Is Meteorology Science? Essay

Many books and academic articles describe Meteorology, the study of the Earth’s atmosphere, as a science. While this may have been unquestionably accepted by many students and even scientists, it may well be worth to examine the subject more closely and ask, is Meteorology really science? Encyclopedia Britannica (2006) defines science as â€Å"any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation†. Science does not regard unverified personal beliefs and opinions but instead rely on systematic methods of analysis. The scientific method, as this method is called, is generally attached to all fields of science through which facts and conclusions are derived. Accuracy and consistency also matter and thus, measurement is important in science. Science in its Latin origin scire means â€Å"to know† and as such reflects the objective of scientific studies: to know and understand phenomena that can be observed or detected. For Meteorology to qualify as a science, it should meet the premises that make up science itself. Meteorology can be considered as science in that it involves a study of the physical world. Meteorology studies the physical and observable aspects of the atmosphere such as the formation of rains, thunderstorms and clouds, and weather events such as rainbows, mirages and halos. Meteorology can be considered as science because it does not rely on personal beliefs and opinion but rather on measurable data and analytic observations. In Meteorology, analytic observations are developed based on the measurement of such variables as wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. These observations and measurements are used to predict weather conditions. Meteorology can be considered as science in that it involves scientific methods. Meteorologists adhere to a meticulous system before they give weather forecasts. They make observations through satellites and radars so as to be able to collect the necessary data such as Is Meteorology Science? Page_#2 variations in temperature and pressure. These data will be analyzed and made into charts, maps and graphs which will be used to predict weather conditions (Encarta 2006). While Meteorology meets some of the requisites of science, it also has its loopholes that can disqualify it from being considered a science. In science, subjects must be examined, tested and verified. Meteorology comes short in this foundation because meteorologists cannot test the correctness of their hypothesis, which is commonly regarded as the weather forecast, unless the weather phenomenon has already occurred. Meteorology cannot be considered a science because it is lacking in the accuracy and consistency in the variable measured. The direction of the wind, for example is not precisely measurable and cannot be certainly predicted (Mill). Moreover the atmosphere itself, the main subject of Meteorology has no known boundary from the outer space. Meteorology cannot be considered a science because it falls short of the thoroughness in the scientific method. The scientific investigation does not precisely end with a conclusion or a finding but rather in a prediction which can be regarded merely as a theory. A guess, interpretation, theory and hypothesis are not science (Colby). As contented herein, Meteorology can be considered science in that it has met basic elements that make up science. However, it also has certain flaws that can disqualify it from being considered as such. Regardless of this, it is noteworthy that that the applications of Meteorology especially in weather forecasting have already been considered as among the contribution science can make and as such, Meteorology, with its ambiguity in some of its scientific elements can well be considered as an imperfect science. References Colby, K. M. , & Stoller, R. J. (1988). Cognitive Science and Psychoanalysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved October 2, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=10104147 â€Å"Meteorology†. (2006). Retrieved September 30, 2006, from Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2006: http://encarta. msn. com/text_761571037__1/Meteorology. html Mill, John Stuart. (n. d). The Logic of the Moral Sciences. Retrieved September 30, 2006, from http://www. la. utexas. edu/research/poltheory/mill/sol/sol. b06. c03. html â€Å"Science†. (2006). In Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved September 20, 2006, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-9066286.