On behalf of our sponsors, parent organization, and our staff, welcome to the COMET website. Here you will find information on who we are, what we do, and links to our various online resources.
The COMET® Program is a world-wide leader in support of education and training for the environmental sciences, delivering scientifically relevant and instructionally progressive products and services. We are a talented team of dedicated individuals producing quality educational materials since 1989. We're proud of our accomplishments of the past 20+ years and look forward to continue serving our diverse user community for years to come.
Dr. Tim Spangler, Director - see the Director's Page for Tim's latest news
E-mail: tspang@ucar.edu
MetEd and our most recent publications
The MetEd website, one of COMET's primary undertakings, hosts hundreds of hours of education and training material for the geosciences. Below are our most recently published modules with links to the site.
Quality Management Systems: Implementation in Meteorological Services
This one-hour online learning module provides an overview of the key concepts, benefits and principles of an effective quality management system (QMS) based on the ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard. It also introduces guidelines for the successful...
Suomi NPP: A New Generation of Environmental Monitoring Satellites
The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership or Suomi NPP satellite, launched in 2011, is the first of a new series of missions under NOAA's JPSS program. Suomi NPP has two major goals: global observing of the Earth's atmosphere, land, and ocean surface;...
Imaging with VIIRS: A Convergence of Technologies and Experience, 2nd Edition
This module introduces the VIIRS imager that was launched on the Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite in October 2011 and will fly on future U.S. JPSS weather satellites. The VIIRS imager has many advanced features that improve both spectral...
Weather Radar Fundamentals
This 2-hour module presents the fundamental principles of Doppler weather radar operation and how to interpret common weather phenomena using radar imagery. This is accomplished via conceptual animations and many interactive radar examples in which the user...
Topics in Dynamic Meteorology: Thermal Wind
This module explores the dynamic links between temperature, pressure, and wind in the atmosphere. The qualitative description of the relationships is augmented with "Math Sidebars" that provide a quantitative treatment. Numerous applications to climatology...
Satellite Feature Identification: Atmospheric Rivers
The Satellite Feature Identification: Atmospheric Rivers module presents the global moisture transport phenomenon known as the Atmospheric River (AR). ARs are responsible for transporting the majority of maritime moisture from low to middle latitudes. Advanced...
Atmospheric Dust
Atmospheric dust storms are common in many of the world's semi-arid and arid regions and can impact local, regional, and even global weather, agriculture, public health, transportation, industry, and ocean health. This module takes a multifaceted approach...
The U.S. Naval Observatory: Mission, Products, and Services
Founded in 1830, the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is among the oldest scientific agencies in the United States. Initially tasked with restoring, repairing, and rating nautical instruments, the USNO today provides precise time and celestial measurements...
Gridded Forecast Verification and Bias Correction
To become a better forecaster, it is not enough to simply know that a forecast did not verify. One must determine what happened and identify methods for improvement through forecast verification. The forecast verification process helps answer questions...
Arctic Meteorology and Oceanography
Diminishing sea ice has opened the Arctic to navigation and operations like never before. Forecasters are increasingly predicting weather in support of those operations. This module is intended to provide forecasters with a brief introduction to the Arctic,...
