The MetEd website, COMET’s signature offering, is a free collection of hundreds of training resources intended for the geoscience community. We deliver over 240,000 hours of online education each year in disciplines such as aviation weather, climate, convective weather, emergency management, hydrology, numerical modeling, satellite meteorology and winter weather, among many others.
A variety of MetEd lessons are translated in multiple languages. COMET partners with many international stakeholders and is sponsored by global agencies such as, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), National Science Foundation (NSF), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and many more.
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Latest MetEd Publications
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Drought Definitions and Characteristics
In this microlearning resource, learn about the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), used as one method for defining drought. Explore drought characteristics, including duration, severity, and drought return period, and see how these characteristics interact in the context of future drought. This resource was produced in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the 2021 SECURE Water Act Interactive Web Portal. Access the portal to view the assessment report as well as temperature, precipitation, and drought dashboards and other supplemental material. Launch Resource (No login required!)
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Changing Climate Conditions and Impacts
View short summaries of projected temperature, precipitation, streamflow, drought, and other changes in a warming climate and their importance for anticipating future water supply and demand. This microlearning resource also highlights the types of impacts already being observed and planned for related to water supplies and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, species loss, hydropower, flood control, recreation, and ecological resilience. This resource was produced in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the 2021 SECURE Water Act Interactive Web Portal. Access the portal to view the assessment report as well as temperature, precipitation, and drought dashboards and other supplemental material. Launch Resource (No login required!)
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Communicating Subseasonal to Seasonal Impacts: ENSO
In this lesson, build your capabilities communicating outlook information in the context of the El Niño Southern Oscillation and its varied influence on sub-seasonal and seasonal climate conditions. Learners will assess the role (and limitations) of La Niña and El Niño general patterns on local weather and climate at sub-seasonal and seasonal scales. Two exercises, one for La Niña and one for El Niño, provide opportunities to hone your skills in communicating probabilistic climate outlook and impact information to partners and stakeholders. Resources linked from the lesson provide background information about ENSO and long-term outlooks.
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Using Heat Forecast Tools to Provide Decision Support for Extreme Heat Threats
This lesson provides several opportunities for the learner to take on the role of a forecaster conversing with a partner about the local extreme heat threat. The learner practices applying the most appropriate heat forecast tool(s) to better understand and convey the heat threat based on the information needs of the partner and the weather situation at hand. The lesson includes supporting resources that highlight how Heat Index, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, and HeatRisk perform in a variety of weather conditions, along with tips for navigating the limitations of each tool.
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National Water Model Services: Training Videos II
The National Water Model (NWM) is a hydrologic modeling framework that simulates observed and forecast streamflow, supporting river forecasting operations across the US. NWM services continue to evolve with new and updated services and visualizations. This training provides a series of six short training videos about new NWM services and how they are used in decision support in the National Weather Service.
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Streamgage Basics: Troubleshooting in the Field
This lesson prepares a hydrologic technician to troubleshoot a streamgage in the field. If a streamgage is reporting bad data or no data, it is crucial that a technician addresses the issue and troubleshoots the gage so that it can start reporting accurate data. The focus of this lesson is on problems that cannot be easily solved in the office. On site, a hydrotech may need to be thoughtful and resourceful when going through the troubleshooting process to identify potential causes and address the issue. In this lesson, the learner uses a simulated gage house and diagnostic tools, including a voltmeter, wattmeter, and a battery load tester, to practice several different scenarios of gage troubleshooting.
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Aviation Hazards: Low Ceilings and Reduced Visibility
This lesson introduces aviation forecasters to the impact of low ceilings and reduced visibility on aviation functions within the US National Airspace System (NAS) and how National Weather Service (NWS) programs coordinate the production of relevant aviation ceiling and visibility forecast products. In the lesson, learners will examine the roles of aviation forecasters at several key aviation program offices, including Weather Forecast Offices, Center Weather Service Units, the Aviation Weather Center and the Aviation Weather Center National Meteorologists. Learners will assess a real low ceiling and reduced visibility forecast situation from February 2023 over the United States, and apply their knowledge of observations and forecast tools to coordinate the issuance of initial ceiling and visibility products. Learners will also need to apply their knowledge to collaborate with relevant external program offices as needed to clarify and update the products. By the end of the lesson, learners will understand not only the impact of low ceilings and reduced visibility on the NAS, but also the breadth and depth of collaborative work required to provide forecast product continuity and clear decision support services.
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Satellite Applications for Marine Fog
GOES-R and JPSS satellite products offer improved capabilities for detecting and monitoring pre-fog conditions in marine environments as well as subsequent fog formation and evolution. Imagery and sounding products are particularly useful for supplementing conventional observations due to their spatial coverage and relatively high refresh rates. This lesson provides opportunities for exploring and interacting with different satellite products to discover how they can help address forecast challenges specific to marine fog events including (1) characterizing the pre-fog environment and building confidence in fog forecasts, (2) initial detection and monitoring of fog formation, and (3) monitoring fog evolution. This lesson addresses the following primary performance component from the WMO Competency Framework for Satellite Skills and Knowledge: 2.3 Identify fog and discriminate between fog and low cloud.
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Streamgage Basics: Troubleshooting in the Office
This lesson prepares a hydrologic technician to troubleshoot streamgage data from the office. One of the key responsibilities of a hydrotech is to ensure that accurate data is reported on the web. Troubleshooting from the office is an important skill to develop so that potentially erroneous data can be identified and addressed. Since not all issues require a site visit, it is up to the hydrotech to use the resources available in the office to determine if a site visit is necessary. If it is necessary, the hydrotech should use available resources to be as prepared as possible when they go into the field to troubleshoot. The hydrotech may need to be thoughtful and resourceful in order to ensure that accurate streamgage data is reported on the web.
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TAF Essentials: Encoding and Standards
This lesson introduces aviation forecasters to how to interpret, encode and issue Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs). TAFs are a critical product in decisions and flight planning for all aircraft movement and safety, forming the backbone of airport forecast information across the US National Airspace System (NAS). All TAFs must be prepared, issued and distributed according to the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as outlined in the National Weather Service Instruction Package 10-813. In this lesson, learners will first examine required TAF issuance times and what elements constitute a TAF. Next, they will learn how those TAF elements are properly coded and formatted. Finally, they will learn about forecast change group usage and unscheduled TAF issuance, including categorical amendment criteria (CAC). By the end of the lesson, learners will understand technical components of TAF formatting and issuance and how that ties to the policies and procedures that regulate their usage.