Senior-Level Technician

Graduates of this course are expected to:

• Know and understand the main physical and dynamical processes and phenomena associated with weather at all scales
• Analyze and interpret synoptic weather charts and diagrams depicting current weather conditions.
• Identify the physical and dynamical processes creating the weather conditions and be able to predict what conditions will evolve from the effects of these processes
• Interpret and use NWP products in the prediction of the weather
• Interpret satellite imagery and use these in analysis and forecasting
• Prepare terminal and other forecasts for aviation and prepare documentation for use in flight planning and aircraft movement
• Know the weather conditions which are hazardous to the movement of aircraft and be able to predict these conditions
• Familiarise themselves with the relevant ICAO and WMO standards, recommended practices and codes relating to aviation

Topics covered in this course are:

• Basic physics
• Mathematics
      -  Differential and integral calculus
      -  Vector analysis
      -  Elementary differential equations
• Elementary statistics
• Introduction to meteorology and analysis
• Introduction to oceanography
• Climatology
• GIS
• Atmospheric thermodynamics and cloud physics
• Heat Balance of the earth-atmosphere system
• Basic atmospheric optics, electricity and ozone
• Dynamics of motion systems
      -  The conservation laws
      -  Circulation and vorticity equations
      -  The planetary boundary layer
• Introduction to numerical weather prediction
• The general circulation
• Synoptic meteorology of mid-latitude systems
• Synoptic meteorology of  the tropics
• Interpretation of satellite imagery
• Principles of  weather radar
• Tropical meteorology
• Aeronautical meteorology
• Interpretation and operational use of numerical weather prediction products in weather analysis
• Preparation of aviation forecasts and documentation; briefings
• Preparation of local and regional forecasts