Robert Simpson (meteorologist)
Robert Simpson | |
---|---|
Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, NHC director | |
Spouse | Joanne Simpson |
Awards | Department of Commerce Gold Medal, Cleveland Abbe Award |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Meteorology |
Institutions | Director of the National Hurricane Research Project Director of the National Hurricane Center |
Theses |
|
Doctoral advisor | Herbert Riehl |
Other academic advisors | W. S. Nelms |
Robert H. Simpson
Early life
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Robert Simpson survived the devastating landfall of the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane at age six; one of his family members drowned. Simpson graduated with honors from the Corpus Christi high school in 1929. Fascinated by the weather, he went on to get a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Southwestern University in 1933, and a Master of Science degree in physics from Emory University in 1935.[2] Finding no work as a physicist during the Great Depression, he taught music in Texas high schools.[3]
Early career
On April 16, 1940, he was hired by the
Following
Late career
For the next four years, Simpson navigated NHRP through the shoals of bureaucratic uncertainty. Once NHRP was assured longevity in 1959, Simpson left the Project to finish his doctorate in meteorology at the
In 1967, Simpson became Deputy Director of the National Hurricane Center. Simpson reorganized NHC, making it separate from the Miami Weather Bureau office, and established the position of 'hurricane specialist' for NHC's senior forecasters. He directed NHC from 1968 to 1974, during which time he co-developed the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS) with
Retirement
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Robert_H._Simpson_in_2013.jpg/220px-Robert_H._Simpson_in_2013.jpg)
He retired from government service in 1974, turning NHC over to his Deputy Director Neil Frank. The Simpsons returned to Washington, where they established a weather consulting firm, Simpson Weather Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia. At this time he became a Certified Consulting Meteorologist. Both he and his wife joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in the Environmental Sciences department. In that capacity, he participated in several international scientific experiments, such as GATE, MONEX, ITEX, and Toga COARE. He co-authored the book "The Hurricane and Its Impacts" with Herbert Riehl,[10] and recently was senior editor and contributing author to "HURRICANE! Coping with Disaster."[11]
He was an Honorary Member of the
Bibliography
- Robert Simpson, "Structure of an Immature Hurricane," Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 35 No. 8 (October 1954): 335-350.
- Robert Simpson, "Hurricanes," Scientific American (1954): 32-37.
- Robert Simpson, "Liquid Water in Squall Lines and Hurricanes at air temperatures lower than -40°C," Mon. Wea. Rev. (1963): v.91 687-693.
- Robert Simpson and Joanne Malkus, "Why Experiment on Tropical Hurricanes?," Trans. NY Acad of Sci (1966): v.28 n.8.
- Robert Simpson and Neal Dorst, Hurricane Pioneer: Memoirs of Bob Simpson (2014), Boston: American Meteorological Society. ISBN 978-1-935704-75-1
References
- ^ "Directors of the National Hurricane Center 1943 to present" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ United States Weather Bureau.
- ^ a b An interview of Dr. Simpson by Ed Zipser Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mauna Loa Observatory.
- ^ Robert Simpson, "Evolution of the Kona Storm; a Subtropical Cyclone," Journal of Meteorology Vol. 9 (February 1952): 24-35.
- ^ Robert H. Simpson, "Exploring Eye of Typhoon Marge 1951," Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 33 No. 7 (September 1952): 286-298.
- ^ Rob Gutro (1 June 2005). "Meet Dr. Joanne Simpson: Chief Scientist Emeritus for Meteorology, Earth Sun Exploration Division". Goddard Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008.
- ^ Robert Simpson, "The Disaster Potential Scale," Weatherwise (1963): v.27 169-180.
- ^ "101st Birthday of Bob Simpson". Press Release. NOAA Press. November 19, 2013. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ Herbert Riehl and Robert Simpson, The Hurricane and Its Impact (1981): 'LSU Press: Baton Rouge, LA', 398 pp.
- ^ Robert Simpson, R. Anthes, M. Garstang, J. Simpson (eds.), Hurricane! Coping with Disaster (2003): 'AGU: Washington, DC', 399 pp.
- OCLC 1330888409. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "HRD wishes a happy 100th birthday to its founder, Dr. Robert Simpson". Hurricane Research Division. 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- ^ "Robert Simpson, co-developer of hurricane scale, dies at 102". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
External links
- An Interview with Dr. Robert Simpson - The Mariners Weather Log, April 1999
- An interview of Dr. Simpson by Ed Zipser
- Robert Simpson at Find a Grave