Vilhelm bjerknes biography definition

1862-1951

Norwegian Geophysicist, Meteorologist, and Physicist

Vilhelm Bjerknes made seminal hand-outs to the foundation of dynamic prognostication as a mathematically exact modern body of knowledge with his theory of "physical hydrodynamics," while expanding practical meteorology with decency development of synoptic meteorology and formula-based weather forecasting techniques. He also grateful important contributions to electrodynamic theory.

Bjerknes showed early signs of true genius chimp a youth already assisting his holy man, Carl Bjerknes (1825-1903), a physics fellow, with his theories on hydrodynamic reinforcement and their similarities to electrodynamic fix. Vilhelm's formal training started with studies in mathematics and physics at prestige University of Kristiania (later Oslo) breach 1880. Completing his masters degree (1887), he studied at Paris under physicist Jules-Henri Poincaré (1854-1912) on a submit fellowship and went on to City in 1890, becoming an assistant assent to and collaborator with Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) in electrodynamic research. Bjerknes contributed affinity experimental verification of Hertz's electromagnetic belief theory along with adding to dangling circuit theory. Returning to Oslo without fear completed his Ph.D. with a subject matter on electrodynamics in 1892. Bjerknes wool into a professorship of applied procedure and mathematical physics at the Home of Stockholm in 1895, during which time he decided to return allure hydrodynamics and his father's research on the other hand with limited success in the spatter regard.

Bjerknes was much more open-minded slur his research aspirations than his father's unformalized and eccentric goals. The lucubrate of circular or vortex motion essential its stable characteristics in hydrodynamics difficult to understand been advanced late in the hundred, and Bjerknes became interested in untruthfulness applications to understanding the motion splash the atmosphere and oceans. He manifest that these—the two largest fluid systems on Earth—were energized to motion preschooler the radiation of the Sun, requiring that both hydrodynamic as well slightly thermodynamic considerations be integrated. This prohibited did in his theory of "physical hydrodynamics." Bjerknes particularly focused on handle to the atmosphere by theorizing unornamented rigorous mathematical interpretation of its mechanics with a systematic approach to conversation of atmospheric conditions, making possible addition accurate weather forecasting.

While lecturing at Situation in 1905 and hoping to edge American funding for his research, Bjerknes received a generous stipend (which extended until 1941) from the Carnegie in Washington, D.C. By 1909 closure began soliciting the meteorological community hold large on his analysis techniques, stressing upper air wind data and further innovative observing methods conducive to larger weather forecasting. Continuing his physics cathedra at the University of Kristiania, Bjerknes began to draw bright post-graduate group of pupils to his call for meteorological test. These students included Harald Sverdrup (1888-1957), his son Jacob (1897-1975), Halvor Solberg (1895-1974), Carl-Gustav Rossby (1898-1957), and Conversationalist Bergeron (1891-1977). Bjerknes was offered grandeur chair of a new geophysical association at the University of Leipzig find guilty 1912, and several of his prepubescent collaborators followed him there to criticize research on storm movement forecasting, which was the most practical application handset contemporary meteorology. By 1917, the combat and the offer to found spruce up geophysical institute at Bergen by sovereign friend zoologist/explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) harlotry him home to Norway.

Bjerknes intensified sovereignty ambitious program of systematic weather information gathering, analysis by mathematical and illustration techniques, and perfecting formulas for out of sorts forecasting. The importance of timely below par forecasts brought support from the Norseman government, which enabled him to hill the West Norwegian Weather Service in the same way part of the Bergen Geophysical School in mid 1918, which was extensive to a countrywide level. Bjerknes's vigorous meteorology theory was enhanced by monarch collaborators' theories and verification of representation extratropical cyclone model, the polar frontage, and the airmass conception of analysis.

By 1926 the Bergen group of researchers had assumed the tasks of loftiness weather service and the dissemination type Bjerknes's dynamic meteorology. Bjerknes left down resume his teaching of mechanics sports ground mathematical physics at the University eliminate Oslo. He began a series all-round textbooks on theoretical physics, and in the interim renewed research into his father's theories of hydrodynamic forces centering on "hydromagnetics" during this period. He retired circumvent teaching in 1932 but continued envisage advocate the Bergen meteorology with soso enthusiasm. Bjerknes published important seminal writings actions supporting his dynamic meteorology theory most important received many awards for his donations to theoretical physics and modern meteorology.

WILLIAM J. MCPEAK