Greetings! My name is Ryan Turkington and I am currently a Senior at Plymouth State College in Plymouth, New Hampshire. On May 17, 1997, I expect to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology, with a minor in Technical Mathematics. I was born in Portland, Maine on August 4, 1974 and have lived in Windham, Maine for my entire life (with the exception of being a temporary resident of Plymouth on and off for the last four years). Currently, I am trying to pursue a career in writing computer applications to better assist operational meteorologists. Hopefully, I will find a job somewhere in New England that will fulfill my interests.

My original motivation for pursuing a Meteorological career were my interests in summer thunderstorms and 'noreasters that have frequented southern Maine throughout the years. My interests started when I was four years old and has never abated since. Once I started attending Plymouth State College, my interests in Meteorology became more broad. I now enjoy Numerical Weather Prediction, Mesoscale Meteorology, and Synoptic Meteorology. Other interests that I have are writing computer applications, hiking, and spending time with my close friends.

The main reason that I wrote this tutorial was because I did not completely understand the concept of balanced flows in the atmosphere. When I first took Dynamic and Synoptic Meteorology, I was exposed to these concepts, yet I never really absorbed the material. I thought that if I wrote a web tutorial to assist people with this difficult concept, that they would better comprehend the material and that I would come to understand them as well. Fortunately, I now comprehend the concept of balanced flows. I only hope that this tutorial is beneficial for you as well.

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