Inventing Atmospheric Science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the Foundations of Modern Meteorology

307 Pages·2016·2.7 MB·English

by  James Rodger Fleming

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