Тье Bergen School of Meteorologyl
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Bulll!tin Amel'ic ТЬе Bergen School , again into the .' spread scientij of Meteorologyl · lowed the еагli in the 1850's :', ТЬе Bergel The Cradle of' modern weather-forecasting Ву Ralph Jewell figure: '•. (1862-1951), 1 , and tl · е'уегу way,]ac With the weather а major factor in the process of survival ofpressure and temperature which . · Bjerkne~' son а and development, it is по surprise that fishermen and it allowed, theproblem of cyclones at the beginn . considered аз а ргоЫет for scien- . sma!! farmers in Westeгn Norway have Ьееп preoccupied Sфооl in 191 се could Ье solved. '•• and Тог Bergl with some sort of foгecasting for century ироп century. It But the [иПег awareness of the · , А! though th was а surprise, however, that the coastal town of Beгgen unexpected complexities of the at-' of t should Ьесоте the cradle of meteorology as atwentieth mosphere's behaviour combined .both in workin, with the gr0wing amount of routi century science. It was as late as60 years 8go that а small пе work in official meteorological gгoup of researchers - the so-called Bergen School of institutions apparently led to а Mt?teorology - developed а гemarkabIe ilew kind of ,growing pessimism, еуеп apathy,. towards the theoretical problem . weather-forecasting practice. Their effort quickly Ьесате tbe physical dynamics of cyclones the most conspicuous of аll the vaгious initiatives which Essence of the Bergen Schoo! competed to Ьесоте the guiding pгinciple for the massive historical significance is· that it and urgent task of гeconstгucting inteгnational cooperation supplied ап extremely . r~vision of the principles of inmeteorology afterthe FirstWorld War. orology and. that after the Bergen School meteorology did not ТЬе Bergen group made ап the work of the Bergen School, that outstanding contribution to thc thc most thorough of аН transfor understanding of а great problem, mations in thc history of mete ТЬе author the апотаliез and paradoxes of orology took place .. Ralph Jewell was Ьот in Сот which had often divided mete wall, England 1910. Не is orologists - the problem ofmiddle When telegraphy opencd ир presently Research Fellow 01 the latitude atmosplleric dcpressions. ncw possibilities fqr internation Norwegian Research Council]or ТЬе emerging meteorology сотр аllу coordinated effort in mete SCience and the Humanities оп rised practical innovatibns in [оге orology during the 1850's and leave 01 absence .from his post ае ' casting proccdures as' well аз а 1860's тапу governments estab the Department 01 phiiosophy, conceptual revision оС the struc- lished official institutions [ог the University 01 Bergen, (о which he ~, ture of cyclones. ~ scientific' nianagement of the new was appointed in 1966. «Polar Front MeteoroJogy», аз opportunities. ЕасЬ participating Beginning М! studies in the the Bergen SchooJ's methods and state had its own pattern of initi Natural Sciences, Ьи! provoked Ьу ideas werc calIcd during thc Twcn atives and priorities, but the pгac~ philosophical and social problems ties, signallcd thc bcginningof а tiCal usefulness of anticipating аЬои! scimce, Ralph Jewelllurned new phase in thc dcvclopmcnt of storms was seen Ьу аН of thcm and his attention 10 the humanislic . meteorology. 1t is а challenge to thus ihe problem of the dynamics study 01 science, grad~aling ./roт find а way of accounting [ог how of travelling depressions (<<lows», ~he University of Leicesler in 1964 mcteorology was changed as а ог «cyclones») Ьесате established in Philosophy, History 01 Science scicnce, and .how it was, through as the l~ading challenge for scien and Psychology. tific rneteorology. The author is nош preparing ]or I Reprinted Ьу permission of the Editor, publication а compie/lensive ас Research i/l Non\'ay 1979. Oslo 2, Norway, ТЬеге was а widespread ор соиnl and analysis 011he history рр. 1-8. We regret (Ьа! the weather maps in timism that with telegraphy and full color in (Ье original had '10 Ье limited the Bergen School 01 MeteorQlogy. Ьете 10 the most significant colors. the daily synoptic representation 824 Amel'ican Meteol'ological Society 825 into the same kind оЕ wide nections of Scandinavian expedi rangements which satisficd Ыт scientific decline which fol tion-related research, Ье аn that his work il1 Leipzig would the earlier surge of creativity nounced the original research Pl'O continue undcr favourable conditi the 1850's and 1860's,. gramme [гот which the Bergen ons, Bjerknes accepted this ofТeг. The Bergen School had four School's new meteorology иl Оп 23 August 1917, Bjcrknes figures: Vilhelm Bjerknes timately sрг;шg. wrote to his friend and confidant 862-1951), who wa,s the senior Bjerknes' great plan, of adopting Svante Arrhenius about the ,,,,,,.,.u',,, and (Ье key personality in the research criteria of physics for developments in his research рго ,Jack Bjerki1es (УilЬеlт the scientific handling of the сот gramme ир to the departure [гот '1JI',H"'''''q son iщd twenty уеагэ old plex problems оЕ meteorology and Leipzig: the beginning of the Bergen ultimately of weather fогшisting, «Concerning scientific work ЭсЬооl in 1917), Halvor Solberg was stated clearly and firmly in the бnа! year in Leipzig has Ьееn Тог Berg~ron, 1904. As а scientific manifesto it extremely fruitful. For,.., the first Although the most striking in was so attractive that it won sup time, we have made headwaywith tions of the Bergen School, port from the Carnegie Institution meteorological prognosis based оп in working methods and the (support which lasted from 1906 to dynamical principles. How тисЬ огу, were mainly due (о the three 1941), it attracted talented recruits practical significance this might younger personalities, (Ьеу were to· his project, and it helps to have, it is still (оо 800n to say; But only possible within the context of exp1ain why it was Bjerknes who as theory, it looks promising.» Vilhelm Bjerknes' well-established was called to а professorship to Оп 18 December, after his first research strategy and the inspiring lead а new Geophysics Instittite at leadership Ье always seemed: to the Uпivегsitу ofLeipzig where he autumn i Bergen, Bjerknes wrote to Arrheriius: «. we аге really provide. began his tепurе in January 1913. А! Leipzig Ье continued his getting оп with the prognosis рго dynamical invеstigаtiоnsипdег Ыеm, using dynamical principles. The Pre-Bergen School conditions which augured well in Up to а certain poinfit is going well, and strangely enough it is Meteorological Research 1913 but which deteriorated after Programmeof Vilhеlпi ту old circulation-theorem which the onset of war in 1914. At Bjerknes . seems to ofТeг moSt, so [аг at аnу Leipzig Вjегiщеs hoped to achieve After showing great talent in rate. But other paths appear to Ье а theoretical sоlиtiоп to the pro physics in continuirig the intellec opening ир too - competitio;t is Ыет of the atmosphere's dy healthy after аН. Therei~ still а tually extremely ambitious рт паmics conceived as а problem of long way to go to anything ргас grammc of his fa1hei' С. А. Bjerk physics. nes who sought 10 'ау new tical, but in аnу case it feels foundations' for understanding satisfying when it turns out that the properties оЕ thc all-pervading The nе", conditions atmospheric phenomena develop medium «ether», in' performing at Bergen accordlng (о the laws of nature.» excellent experimental and theo Bjerknes' war-time difficulties These «other paths» were the first retical work as Hertz' assistant at while living апd working in Ger hints towards new approaches Воnn, and in his first academic тапу during the war сате (о а in meteorology - approaches in the position аз Lecturer, afterwards head in the winter of 1916-1917. spirit of the Bergen School as Professor, in Mechanics at the ТЬе food shortages and other re opposed to Bjerknes'· earlier pr6- . Тесhпiсаl Uriiversity of Stock strictions which Ье had to [асе gramme. Ьоlт, Vilhelm Bjerknes Ьесате encouraged family and fricnds to Several factors afТected the тоге and тоге occupied with ех arrange [ог Ыт to return to Nor emergence of new «strains» of еn ploring (Ье research оррогtиnЩсs way. At the same time ambitious quiry within the Bergen-based in meteorology and hydrography developments were' afoot in Вег Bjerknes-led group. ТЬе change \vhich had Ьееn dramatically gen, where the oceanographer [~oт the established academic opened ир Ьу hiS. discpvery 'of а Bjern Helland-Hansen was busy тШеи of Leipzig to the тисЬ less (Ьеогет in 1897 сопсегniпg cir establishing а new Geophysics In [огтаllу academic situation in cu1ation in fluids, Attempting (о stitute within the framework of Bcrgen, (Ье improved access to make the step from а c1assical Bergen Мивеит. Scandinavian meteorological data hydrodynamics of аn idealiscd flu Оп 17 March 1917, the council and the influence (jf new colIeagues id, to а physical hydrodynamics of of Bergen Museum sent BjcrkfIes such as the oceanographer Bjern the actual fluid bodics оЕ осеаn its invitation to а specially created HelIand-Наnsеn, аН plaved some . and atmosphere, and supported Ьу second professorship at the Geo part in the subtle processes Ьу characteristie «outdoor» соn- physics Institute. After making ar- which new circumstances evoked 826 Уо/. 62, No. 6, June АШgаtеn ЗЗ - the home 01 lhe Bergen School. Siluated оп Ihe edge 01 Bergen 's .fines/ public park оп а rise ofland nеат. Ille town cenlre tMs house providea splendid accommodalionfor Ihe Bjerkneslamily оп Ihe ground jloor аnа for Ihe working of.fices 01 Ihe forecasting ven/ure 01 the Bergen School upslairs оп the jloor аЬоие. The house шаs /ransjerred /0 IheGeophysics Institule Ьу the lоса! shipошnеr J. L. Мошinсkеl ,n 1919. The combination 01 Ihe Bjerknes ftmily living dошnstаirs шith Ihe Bergen School шоrking upstairs mеРnl а 101 10 the young recruits jor шhот Vilhelm Bjerknes шаs а constant source 01 encouragemenl аnа i'l spiration, аnа for шhот in ma1V' саш Iheir time ,n Bergen was the .first long slay ашау from ftmiliar сотраn.у аnа surroundings.