Inventing Atmospheric Science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the Foundations of Modern Meteorology PDF
Preview Inventing Atmospheric Science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the Foundations of Modern Meteorology
Inventing Atmospheric Science Inventing Atmospheric Science Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the Foundations of Modern Meteorology James Rodger Fleming The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2016 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in Stone Sans and Stone Serif by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. ISBN: 978-0-262-03394-7 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dedicated to my teachers of history and science Technology is cutting the Gordian Knot instead of untying it. —Carl-Gustaf Rossby, “Current Problems in Meteorology” (1956) Contents Acknowledgments ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Bjerknes 13 3 Rossby 77 4 Wexler 129 5 Atmospheric Science 193 6 Final Thoughts 215 Notes 227 Bibliography 255 Index 283 Acknowledgments This project began during a Charles A. Lindbergh Fellowship year at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It continued with a sabbati- cal year granted by Colby College, during which I held a Roger Revelle Fel- lowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was a visiting scholar at the National Academies of Science and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The first draft of the book was written during another sabbatical year granted by Colby College, during which I was a visiting scholar at Columbia University. The final manuscript went to press while I was a guest of the International Meteoro- logical Institute in Stockholm. Throughout the entire process, Miyoko was at my side, providing constant love and support. Thanks to a number of individuals who rendered invaluable services: Gunnar Ellingsen, Anders Persson, Nicole Sintetos, John Sweney, Magnus Vollset, and three anonymous referees read the manuscript and provided valuable comments; Abe Krieger and “Victoria” read it aloud; David DeVor- kin sponsored my Smithsonian fellowship and shared his interests in rock- ets and Wexler; Gunnar Ellingsen provided Norwegian translations of Bjerkenes’s letters; Manny Gimond scanned the oversize maps; Honoria Bjerknes Hamre granted access to the Bjerknes Family Collection; Winnie Lau and Diana Schneider provided inspiration, encouragement, and valu- able suggestions; Roger Launius suggested themes and framing; John M. Lewis generously shared his personal research collection on Rossby; Lou McNally reanalyzed the Anne Louise Beck weather maps; Carolyn Morgan traced the genealogy of Beck; Anders Persson, Norman Phillips, and Sverker Sörlin provided original documents and sage advice; Alan Robock contrib- uted historical insights and scientific expertise; H. Thomas Rossby and
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