Editing Storm chasing (section)

==Nature of and motivations for chasing==
Storm chasing is chiefly a recreational endeavor, with chasers usually giving their motives as photographing or video recording a storm, or for various personal reasons.<ref>{{cite news |last = Blass |first = Eileen |title = The thrill of the chase, the fury of the storm |newspaper = USA Today |year = 2008 |url = https://www.usatoday.com/weather/tornado/chase2001/2001-06-18-chase-paper.htm |access-date = 8 April 2014 |archive-date = 6 July 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120706033754/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tornado/chase2001/2001-06-18-chase-paper.htm |url-status = live }}</ref> These can include the beauty of the views afforded by the sky and land, the mystery of not knowing precisely what will unfold, the journey to an undetermined destination on the open road, intangible experiences such as feeling one with a much larger and more powerful natural world,<ref>{{cite journal |last= Hoadley |first= David |author-link= David K. Hoadley |title= Commentary: Why Chase Tornadoes? |journal= Storm Track |volume= 5 |issue= 3 |pages= 1 |date= Mar 1982 |url= http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/whychas.htm |access-date= 21 February 2012 |archive-date= 12 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120312034043/http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/whychas.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> the challenge of correctly [[weather forecasting|forecasting]] and intercepting storms with optimal vantage points,<ref>{{cite journal |last= Marshall |first= Tim |author-link= Timothy P. Marshall |title= A Passion for Prediction: There's more to chasing than intercepting a tornado |journal= Weatherwise |volume= 46 |issue= 2 |pages= 22–6 |date= Apr–May 1993 |url= http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/passion.htm |doi= 10.1080/00431672.1993.9930229 |access-date= 21 February 2012 |archive-date= 18 May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110518182905/http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/passion.htm |url-status= live |url-access= subscription }}</ref> and pure [[thrill seeking]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Clary |first= Mike |title= The Thrill of Confrontation… Chasing Tornadoes |journal= Weatherwise |volume= 39 |issue= 3 |pages= 136–45 |year= 1983 |doi= 10.1080/00431672.1986.9927045 }}</ref> Some chasers do it for money or competition, although chasers typically work together as well.

Although scientific work is sometimes cited as a goal, direct participation in such work is almost always impractical during the actual chase except for chasers collaborating in an organized university or government project.<ref name="recreational chasing">{{cite journal |last=Robertson |first=David |title=Beyond Twister: A Geography of Recreational Storm Chasing on the Southern Plains |journal=[[Geographical Review]] |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=533–53 |date=Oct 1999 |doi=10.2307/216101 |jstor=216101|bibcode=1999GeoRv..89..533R }}</ref> Many chasers also act as [[Storm spotting|storm spotter]]s, reporting their observations of hazardous weather to relevant authorities. These reports greatly benefit real-time warnings with [[ground truth]] information, as well as science as a whole by increasing the reliability of severe storm databases used in [[Tornado climatology|climatology]] and other research (which ultimately boosts forecast and warning skill).<ref>{{cite journal |last= Edwards |first= Roger |author-link= Roger Edwards (meteorologist) |title= What You See Really Does Matter |journal= Storm Track |volume= 17 |issue= 3 |pages= 10–11 |date= Mar–Apr 1994 |url= http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/stroger.html |access-date= 21 February 2012 |archive-date= 4 October 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131004173731/http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/stroger.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Additionally, many recreational chasers submit photos and videos to researchers as well as to the U.S. [[National Weather Service]] (NWS) for spotter training.<ref name="spotting history">{{cite journal |last= Doswell III |first= Charles A. |author-link= Charles A. Doswell III |author2=A.R. Moller |author3=H.E. Brooks |title= Storm Spotting and Public Awareness since the First Tornado Forecasts of 1948 |journal= Weather Forecast. |volume= 14 |issue= 4 |pages= 544–57 |date= Aug 1999 |doi= 10.1175/1520-0434(1999)014<0544:SSAPAS>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode = 1999WtFor..14..544D |citeseerx= 10.1.1.583.5732 }}</ref>

Storm chasers are not generally paid to chase, with the exception of television media crews in certain television market areas, video [[Stringer (journalism)|stringers]] and photographers ([[freelancer]]s mostly, but some staff), and researchers such as [[Postgraduate education|graduate]] [[meteorologist]]s and professors. An increasing number sell storm videos and pictures and manage to make a profit. A few operate "chase tour" services, making storm chasing a recently developed form of [[List of adjectival tourisms|niche tourism]].<ref>{{cite conference |first = Heather |last = Cantillon |author2 = R.S. Bristow |title = Tornado chasing: an introduction to risk tourism opportunities |book-title = Proc. 2000 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium |publisher = U.S.D.A., Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station |year = 2001 |location = Newtown Square, PA |url = http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_ne276/gtr_ne276_234.pdf |id = Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-276 |conference =  |access-date = 21 February 2012 |archive-date = 20 October 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111020061716/http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_ne276/gtr_ne276_234.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last = Xu |first = Shuangyu |author2=C. Barbieri |author3=S.W. Stanis |author4=P.S. Market |title = Sensation-Seeking Attributes Associated with Storm-Chasing Tourists: Implications for Future Engagement |journal = International Journal of Tourism Research |volume = 14|issue = 3|pages = 269–284|doi = 10.1002/jtr.860 |year = 2012 }}</ref> Financial returns usually are relatively meager given the expenses of chasing, with most chasers spending more than they take in and very few making a living solely from chasing. Chasers are also generally limited by the duration of the season in which severe storms are most likely to develop, usually the local spring and/or summer.

No degree or certification is required to be a storm chaser, and many chases are mounted independently by amateurs and enthusiasts without formal training. Local National Weather Service offices do hold storm spotter training classes, usually early in the spring.<ref>{{cite web |title = NWS Skywarn |publisher = National Weather Service |date = 10 May 2011 |url = http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/ |access-date = 21 February 2012 |archive-date = 24 February 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120224221217/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/ |url-status = live }}</ref> Some offices collaborate to produce [[severe weather]] workshops oriented toward operational meteorologists.

Storm chasers come from a wide variety of occupational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Though a fair number are professional meteorologists, most storm chasers are from other occupational fields, which may include any number of professions that have little or nothing to do with meteorology. A relatively high proportion possess college degrees and a large number live in the central and southern United States.<ref name="ST FAQ"/>