National Weather Service
Professional Development Series
Professional Competency Unit

Climate

PCU 2: Demonstrate Understanding of Climate Variability Sufficient to Apply to Local Services

Producers: Deirdre Kann, WFO ABQ, and COMET

Description of Job Duty Competency to be Achieved

NWS field staff must be familiar with important aspects of climate variability currently used in climate monitoring and prediction.

Description of Need

NWS staff must understand how climate fluctuations affect local weather variability in order to:

  1. Incorporate this understanding into local products and services.
  2. Explain climate issues to the public.

Specific Job Task Skills and Knowledge

1. Demonstrate familiarity with the definition, description, teleconnections and predictability of the following components:

  • ENSO
  • AO/NAO
  • PDO
  • MJO
  • Monsoonal systems
  • Land surface processes
  • Drought genesis and maintenance
  • Volcanic effects
  • Solar and lunar variabilities
  • Anthropogenic effects and global change
  • Internal modes of variability
  • Thermohaline circulation

    • Instructional Components

    Instructional Component 2.1 Residence Tranining at COMET 2005 Schedule

    Instructional Component 2.2 Teletraining (Not available at this time)

    Instructional Component 2.3 Web based Training (Link to available Online Training Materials)

    Return to Climate PDS page

    Last updated on 8/30/2004