Aerologie

Aerologie, also known as aerology in English, is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere. It encompasses the physical properties, composition, and processes of the atmosphere and their interactions with the surface, oceans, space environment, and living systems. The field aims to understand how energy and matter circulate through the air to produce weather, climate, and atmospheric phenomena, and how chemical reactions within the atmosphere influence air quality and environmental change. Aerologie overlaps with meteorology, atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, and aeronomy, the latter often referring to the upper-atmosphere region.

The scope includes the vertical structure of the atmosphere (from the troposphere to the thermosphere), atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, radiation balance, cloud physics and precipitation, atmospheric chemistry, and the exchange of momentum, heat, and trace gases with the surface. Researchers study atmospheric waves, turbulence, and microphysical processes, as well as anthropogenic effects such as pollution, greenhouse gases, and aerosol interactions. The field addresses both weather processes and long-term climate behavior, including variability, extreme events, and atmospheric health.

Methods and data are drawn from a range of sources. Observations come from weather stations, radiosondes, aircraft, ships, lidar and radar systems, and satellites. These data feed numerical weather prediction models, climate models, and data-assimilation techniques to forecast weather, analyze climate trends, and simulate atmospheric processes. Experimental and theoretical work in laboratories supports understanding of microphysics, chemistry, and radiative transfer.

Historically, aerologie developed from early meteorology and observational campaigns, maturing into a core component of atmospheric sciences. It provides essential insights for weather forecasting, aviation safety, environmental policy, and climate research.