Joseph Smagorinsky

Joseph Smagorinsky
Joseph
Smagorinsky
Year
2003
Subject
Earth Science
Award
Benjamin Franklin Medal
Affiliation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Citation
WIth Norman A. Phillips, for their major contributions to the prediction of weather and climate using numerical methods. Their seminal and pioneering studies led to the first computer models of weather and climate, as well as to an understanding of the general circulation of the atmosphere, including the transports of heat and moisture that determine the Earth's climate. In addition, Smagorinsky played a leading role in establishing the current global observational network for the atmosphere, and Phillips' leadership fostered the development of effective methods for the use of observations in data assimilation systems.

Building on Phillips' low-resolution model, Joseph Smagorinsky soon developed even more sophisticated and successful models. He then pursued building institutional structures that foster "orchestrated" team efforts to obtain new, previously unobtainable results.

Smagorinsky also played a leading role in the planning and execution of several international observational and modeling projects, collectively known as the Global Atmospheric Research Program, coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations, and the International Council of Scientific Union.

Between 1947 and 1953, Smagorinsky earned a B.S., M.S. and a Ph.D. in meteorology at New York University. He was a member of the Presidential Scientific Advisory Committee Panel on Pollution and the National Research Council, Committee on Atmospheric Science and is a member of the American Meteorological Society.

Information as of April 2003