What is MetEd?
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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Communicating Information about Coastal Flooding with the NOAA High Tide Flooding Outlooks
As sea levels rise and the frequency of coastal flooding increases, the need to forecast, plan and communicate information for these events is growing. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) has a set of interactive high tide flooding (HTF) products that can help users plan for and mitigate impacts. The Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook shows users where and when high tide flooding is likely in the coming months. The Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook shows users where and when HTF has occurred in past years and illustrates future frequency. By integrating the Outlooks into regular use and communicating information about high tide flooding, coastal communities can better prepare and respond to potential flooding days, reducing negative impacts from high tide flooding and sea-level rise. In this lesson, you will use both the Monthly and Annual Outlook to work through a communication scenario where you are speaking at a local town hall event to inform the audience about flooding and sea level rise. Through this, you will practice: identifying which Outlook is useful for a given task, explaining the differences between how the Outlooks calculate HTF days, and using the Outlooks together in a realistic situation. Note, we advise that you take the previous two lessons in this series first, Preparing for Coastal Flooding with the NOAA Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook and Planning for Coastal Flooding with the NOAA Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook. Those lessons will prepare you to use the two Outlooks alone, and this lesson builds off them.
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Forecasting Marine Conditions in the Strait of Gibraltar
This lesson focuses on the challenges of forecasting and monitoring for strong winds and dangerous waves within the Strait of Gibraltar, an area well-known for complex weather patterns and critical marine conditions. The lesson provides guidance to learners on forecasting these meteorological and oceanographic phenomena. Learners are provided with guidance on the background of these features, the observational and numerical model tools to predict these phenomena, and a forecast process for analysis. The lesson culminates in an applied case study of a significant marine weather event from April 1–6, 2022 in the Strait of Gibraltar. In the case, the learner is guided through the assessment of the current situation, reviewing the wind and wave forecasts, and monitoring the developing conditions using different observations, including satellite and in-situ data. By the end of the lesson, the learner will know the process of forecasting and monitoring extreme marine weather events in areas well known for complex weather patterns and critical marine conditions such as the Strait of Gibraltar. This resource is made by the General Directorate of Meteorology of Morocco and is not produced by UCAR/COMET.
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An Approach to Impact-based Weather Forecasts in Africa
In partnership with The COMET Program, the Institute of Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR) of Kenya developed a 60-minute lesson on basic steps to follow when compiling an impact-based weather forecast in Africa. The learner first takes on the role of a forecaster during a dust storm event over Kenya, followed by a separate tropical cyclone event in the Mozambique Channel. In both cases the forecaster will need to recognize user needs and use a risk matrix to categorize weather impacts. This resource is made by the Institute of Meteorological Training and Research in Kenya and is not produced by UCAR/COMET. How to access the ASMET Certificate of Completion Go to My Meted Click blue certificate button Fill out the required user survey ASMET certificate will become available
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Satellite Analysis of Wind and Heavy Rainfall Potential: Tropical Pacific
This lesson explores the application of satellite imagery and derived products leading up to a high wind and heavy rainfall event over the northwest tropical Pacific. In the lesson learners will assume the role of weather forecaster in the West Pacific, learning to apply satellite products to typical analysis and forecast challenges that focus on convection and associated synoptic weather features. The lesson's convective weather event takes place over Guam and the Mariana Islands region during late November 2020. Multiple interactions will allow learners to practice using a variety of complementary geostationary (Himawari and GOES-R) and low-Earth orbiting (JPSS, Metop and GCOM-W) satellite products for analyzing synoptic weather features and convection, and for tracking and assessing the potential for convectively-driven strong winds and heavy rainfall. This lesson intends to encourage greater use of satellite products for improved real time analysis and forecasting. This lesson also addresses the following performance components and skills, techniques, and knowledge requirements from the 2018 WMO Guidelines on Satellite Skills and Knowledge for Operational Meteorologists: 3. Identify and interpret broadscale, synoptic and mesoscale systems. 3.c Use RGB products (airmass RGB, microphysics RGB, etc.) to identify atmospheric systems and use for operational forecasting. 5. Interpret derived fields and derived products. 5.a Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of single channel, multi-channel, RGB products and satellite-derived products/fields and how they complement other meteorological information. 6. Identify and Interpret Oceanic and Water Features and Systems 6.2 Interpret sea-surface wind data.
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Effective Space Weather Messaging
In this lesson, learners will practice using space-weather products and information to appropriately communicate space-weather events and their potential impacts. Learners will practice identifying partner concerns and tailoring their explanations to address those concerns by constructing messages relevant to a specific partner. Learners will also practice answering basic space-weather questions from a variety of partners. Before starting this lesson, it is recommended that learners complete: “Space Weather Basics, 3rd Edition” For more detailed information about space weather, learners can complete “The Sun, The Earth and Near-Earth Space, 2nd Edition.” While primarily designed for National Weather Service and Center Weather Service Unit meteorologists, this lesson is valuable for anyone who: interprets information from the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) communicates potential space weather impacts to partners
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Satellite Applications for High-Latitude Maritime Wind Hazards
Given the large variety of satellite products, it's important to understand how specific products can help forecasters improve their observation, analysis, and assessment of wind-related hazards in marine and coastal environments. This training focuses on analyzing and forecasting oceanic storms that produce potentially hazardous wind and flooding conditions, with an emphasis on the impacts associated with the extratropical transition and re-intensification of Typhoon Merbok over the North Pacific and Bering Sea in September 2022. By focusing on satellite product capabilities and limitations, this lesson encourages expanded use of these products for improved real-time analysis and forecasting. This lesson also addresses the following performance components and skills, techniques, and knowledge requirements from the 2018 WMO Guidelines on Satellite Skills and Knowledge for Operational Meteorologists: 3. Identify and interpret broadscale, synoptic and mesoscale systems 4. Identify and interpret atmospheric phenomena 5. Interpret derived fields and derived products 7. Compare satellite data with numerical weather prediction (NWP) outputs
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Planning for Coastal Flooding with the NOAA Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook
As sea levels rise and the frequency of coastal flooding increases, the need to forecast and plan for these events is growing. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook shows users where and when high tide flooding (HTF) has occurred in past years and is likely in coming years. By integrating the Annual Outlook into planning activities, coastal communities can better prepare and respond to potential future flooding, reducing negative impacts from increasing high tide flooding and sea-level rise. In this lesson, you will use the Annual Outlook to work through a long-term planning scenario. Through this, you will gain an understanding of the Annual Outlook's capabilities, learn how to interpret the projections it provides, and how to use it in a realistic situation.
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Effectively Communicating Aviation Forecasts
The ability to communicate your forecast to different individuals and groups is an important skill to develop and continue practicing. In aviation this is especially important as airplanes help with the transport of goods, services, and individuals. The aviation community varies widely in their needs as well, which can make things even more difficult. This lesson introduces aviation weather forecasters to best practices in effectively communicating graphical, text-based and aviation hazard messaging. In the lesson, learners will assume the role of a weather forecaster and practice communicating forecast products and information to a variety of external users and key aviation program offices, including National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO), Center Weather Service Units (CWSU), and the Aviation Weather Center (AWC). The learner will start the lesson by identifying communication best practices with internal NWS aviation program offices and with a variety of external users. Then, the learner will apply these skills in two case studies by ensuring product continuity and practicing effective communication skills for different user needs and thresholds. Throughout the lesson, the learner will need to identify and construct effective messaging which is in line with Decision Support Service practices.
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Satellite Remote Sensing Capabilities for Ocean Color
This short training provides an overview of current satellite capabilities for ocean color (which platforms and instruments, and spatial and temporal resolutions). Four videos, each focused on a specific application, highlight examples of products able to provide useful ocean surface observations. The applications covered include Dissolved Matter and Sediment, Oil Spills, Phytoplankton, and Sargassum. This short training can serve as an introductory baseline to support other, more detailed offerings (e.g., the MetEd lesson Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms and Sargassum with Satellite Products). Additionally, brief information is included related to planned future satellite systems for ocean color remote sensing. This lesson also addresses the following performance components and skills, techniques, and knowledge requirements from the 2018 WMO Guidelines on Satellite Skills and Knowledge for Operational Meteorologists: 6.4 Identify and interpret oil slicks and their evolution 6.5 Identify and interpret pollution (including runoff and algal blooms)
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Aviation Hazards: Low-level Wind Shear & Low-level Turbulence
This lesson introduces aviation forecasters to the impact of low-level wind shear and low-level turbulence on aviation functions within the US National Airspace System (NAS) and how National Weather Service (NWS) programs coordinate the production of relevant non-convective low-level wind shear (LLWS) and low-level turbulence (LLT) forecast products. In the lesson, learners will examine the roles of aviation forecasters at several key aviation program offices, including National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO), Center Weather Service Units (CWSU), and the Aviation Weather Center (AWC). Learners will explore the definitions of LLWS and LLT, the differences between their impacts, and analyze, interpret, and forecast both using NWP output. Learners will then assess a real LLWS/LLT forecast situation from 2022, and apply their knowledge to forecast the impacts and issue products. They will see how coordination occurs between relevant external program offices and understand the update process for LLWS/LLT products. By the end of the lesson, learners will understand not only the impact of LLWS/LLT on the NAS, but also the breadth and depth of collaborative work required to provide forecast product continuity and clear decision support services.