Norman Phillips at Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of Operational NWP

Norman A. Phillips (July 9, 1923 – March 15, 2019) was an American meteorologist notable for his contributions to geophysical fluid dynamics. In 1956, he developed a mathematical model that could realistically depict monthly and seasonal patterns in the troposphere, which became the first successful

general circulation model A general circulation model (GCM) is a type of climate model. It employs a mathematical model of the general circulation of a planetary atmosphere or ocean. It uses the Navier–Stokes equations on a rotating sphere with thermodynamic terms f ...

of climate. Phillips was born in

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. His parents, Alton Elmer Anton Phillips and Linnea (Larson) Phillips, were the children of Swedish immigrants to the United States. He enrolled at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1940, intending to study

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, but the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the influence of

Carl-Gustaf Rossby Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby ( 28 December 1898 – 19 August 1957) was a Swedish-born American meteorologist who first explained the large-scale motions of the atmosphere in terms of fluid mechanics. He identified and characterized both the jet ...

inspired him to join the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

in 1943. After graduating from the meteorological cadet program at

Chanute Field Chanute may refer to: *Chanute, Kansas, United States **Chanute High School *Octave Chanute (1832–1910), American civil engineer and aviation pioneer *Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, United States *Octave Chanute Award, awarded by the Western S ...

as fourth in a class of 391, he served in the

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and then at

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

until October 1946. He returned to the University of Chicago after the war, earning his bachelor's degree in 1947, his master's in 1948, and his PhD in 1951. Shortly before completing his PhD, Phillips accepted a position on the research staff of the Electronic Computer Project at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. In 1956, he was recruited by the Department of Meteorology at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, eventually becoming department head. In 1974, Phillips left MIT to join the National Weather Service at the National Meteorological Center, where he served as the principal scientist of the NMC Development Division. When he retired, the

Nested Grid Model The Nested Grid Model (usually known as NGM for short) was a numerical weather prediction model run by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, a division of the National Weather Service, in the United States. The NGM was, as its name sugg ...

was popularly known as "Norm's Great Model." Phillips died at Grace House in

Windham, New Hampshire Windham is a suburban town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,817, up from 13,592 in 2010. History The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scots-Irish immigran ...

on March 15, 2019. He published his last academic paper, on the Foucault pendulum, at the age of 90.

Awards

In 1956, his seminal paper, "The general circulation of the atmosphere: a numerical experiment," was recognized with the first

Napier Shaw Sir William Napier Shaw (4 March 1854 – 23 March 1945) was a British meteorologist. He introduced the tephigram, a diagram for evaluating convective instability in the atmosphere. He also served as president of the International Meteorological ...

Memorial Prize from the

Royal Meteorological Society The Royal Meteorological Society is a long-established institution that promotes academic and public engagement in weather and climate science. Fellows of the Society must possess relevant qualifications, but Associate Fellows can be lay enthus ...

. Phillips was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

in 1976. He and his colleague

Joseph Smagorinsky Joseph Smagorinsky (29 January 1924 – 21 September 2005) was an American meteorologist and the first director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). Early life Joseph Sma ...

were awarded a

Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) The Franklin Institute Awards (or Benjamin Franklin Medal) is an American science and engineering award presented by the Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia. The Franklin Institute awards comprises the Benjamin Franklin Medals ...

in 2003. Phillips was also an honorary member of the

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the Atmospheric sciences, atmospheric, Oceanography, oceanic, and Hydrology, hydr ...

, and a recipient of their highest honor, the

Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal The Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal is the highest award for atmospheric science of the American Meteorological Society. It is presented to individual scientists, who receive a medal. Named in honor of meteorology and oceanography pioneer Carl- ...

Works

* Phillips, Norman A. (April 1956). "The general circulation of the atmosphere: a numerical experiment." ''Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society'' 82 (352): 123–154. . .

References

* Cox, John D. (2002). ''Storm Watchers''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 210. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Norman A. 1923 births 2019 deaths American meteorologists University of Chicago alumni National Weather Service people American people of Swedish descent Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II