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Erik Larson: Chasing My Passion

The world is full of interesting questions. Small questions such as, "How tall is Mt Everest?" and great big questions like, "How will the climate change in 100 years?". I was drawn to science at an early age because I wanted answers to all of my questions about the world around me and I felt that science provided the best source for these answers. I followed my interests and studied math and science as I went through school, and in college, I focused more in-depth on these subjects by majoring in physics and biology. I am an atmospheric scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Weather And Climate: The Difference?

Earth's atmosphere is a very thin layer of gas compared to the size of our planet. If the Earth were an apple, the atmosphere would be like the skin on the apple. This thin atmosphere is critical to the survival of Earth's plants and animals. It provides the right gases for our bodies to breathe and also keeps the surface temperature on Earth warm. Without the atmosphere, the whole earth would freeze over. Not only is this thin layer of gas necessary for our survival, but it is also an exciting and dynamic place. Research on Earth's atmosphere can roughly be broken up into studying the...

My Job At NOAA

[Note From Editor : This is the concluding part of the 3-part series by Erik Larson. Don't miss Part 1 and Part 2 ] To investigate the climate, I run sophisticated computer models and analyze their output. A climate model is a set of math equations that describe atmospheric properties like temperature and winds. Computers calculate answers to these equations similar to a calculator and use the answers to predict the change in weather or climate. For example, if it is hot at your house today and the wind is blowing from the west, then that hot air will be carried to the east. If we know the...

Have A Question For Erik?

We hope you enjoy the series of articles by Erik. The first article is up this week, and you will see other articles coming up over the next two weeks. It is a great opportunity for you to learn about the wonderful work that atmospheric scientists do, and what led them to follow their passion. Perhaps you have a fascination for our natural world and may want to work in this area someday. Or you have questions on climate change and how scientists track what is causing the changing weather patterns. Well, here is your chance to ask Erik! If you have any questions for Erik, be sure to ask him in...

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