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Meteorologist vs atmospheric scientist

The differences between meteorologists and atmospheric scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an atmospheric scientist has an average salary of $112,366, which is higher than the $68,815 average annual salary of a meteorologist.

The top three skills for a meteorologist include doppler, remote sensing and satellite imagery. The most important skills for an atmospheric scientist are MATLAB, remote sensing, and linux.

Meteorologist vs atmospheric scientist overview

MeteorologistAtmospheric Scientist
Yearly salary$68,815$112,366
Hourly rate$33.08$54.02
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs6,21446,693
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

Meteorologist vs atmospheric scientist salary

Meteorologists and atmospheric scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

MeteorologistAtmospheric Scientist
Average salary$68,815$112,366
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $114,000Between $74,000 And $169,000
Highest paying CityChicago, ILRichland, WA
Highest paying stateIllinoisWashington
Best paying companyUnivision CommunicationsSonoma Technology, Inc.
Best paying industry--

Differences between meteorologist and atmospheric scientist education

There are a few differences between a meteorologist and an atmospheric scientist in terms of educational background:

MeteorologistAtmospheric Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMeteorologyMeteorology
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Wisconsin - Madison

Meteorologist vs atmospheric scientist demographics

Here are the differences between meteorologists' and atmospheric scientists' demographics:

MeteorologistAtmospheric Scientist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 76.3% Female, 23.7%Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 7.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 78.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between meteorologist and atmospheric scientist duties and responsibilities

Meteorologist example responsibilities.

  • Interpret highly complex satellite imagery and Doppler radar images.
  • Produce & deliver on-camera, weather reports.
  • Prepare and deliver current and extend weather forecasts, utilizing the latest WSI TruVuMax computer system.
  • Develop custom reports for severe weather outbreaks, tropical cyclone impacts, and river flooding potential.
  • Determine weather predictions using Doppler radar and satellite systems.
  • Provide weather information to producers, newsdesk, and television staff.
  • Show more

Atmospheric scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Organize and execute field campaigns for collecting FTIR spectrometer data.
  • Redesign NMT lightning interferometer signal processing system.
  • Redesign signal processing and display system for NMT wideband multi-polarization radar.
  • Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.
  • Redesign signal processing and display system for NMT wideband multi-polarization radar.

Meteorologist vs atmospheric scientist skills

Common meteorologist skills
  • Doppler, 14%
  • Remote Sensing, 11%
  • Satellite Imagery, 10%
  • FAA, 9%
  • Radar Data, 5%
  • Atmospheric Administration, 5%
Common atmospheric scientist skills
  • MATLAB, 54%
  • Remote Sensing, 26%
  • Linux, 12%
  • Technical Reports, 4%
  • Analysis Products, 4%

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