John R. Philip
Encyclopedia
John Robert Philip FRS
(18 January 1927, Ballarat 26 June 1999, Amsterdam
) was an Australian soil physicist, internationally recognized for his contributions to the understanding of movement of water, energy and gases. While he never performed his own experimental work, he was recognised for his skills in mathematics that could be used to explain physical processes and solve real world problems.
His interests were not limited to Environmental mechanics and things mathematical, but included a keen interest in the arts. He was a published poet and a panelist on the Sulman Prize
for Architecture. His poetry appears in anthologies edited by Judith Wright
and in The Oxford Book of Australian Verse.
. He derived the theory for one dimensional infiltration and developed equations which described the infiltration on both a short term and long term scale, with the revelation that when ponded infiltration in uniform soils occurs, the flow will approach the saturated hydraulic conductivity
:
where S is sorptivity
and A is the steady-state infiltration rate.
Other areas of research include:
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(18 January 1927, Ballarat 26 June 1999, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) was an Australian soil physicist, internationally recognized for his contributions to the understanding of movement of water, energy and gases. While he never performed his own experimental work, he was recognised for his skills in mathematics that could be used to explain physical processes and solve real world problems.
His interests were not limited to Environmental mechanics and things mathematical, but included a keen interest in the arts. He was a published poet and a panelist on the Sulman Prize
Sulman Prize
The Sir John Sulman Prize is one of Australia's longest running art prizes, having been established in 1936.It is now held concurrently with the Archibald Prize, Australia's best known art prize, and also with the Wynne Prize, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales , Sydney.-Criteria:The Sir John...
for Architecture. His poetry appears in anthologies edited by Judith Wright
Judith Wright
Judith Arundell Wright was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights.-Biography:...
and in The Oxford Book of Australian Verse.
Education and positions
He was a recipient of a Scholarship for Scotch College, Melbourne, where he matriculated at age 13. He studied for his Bachelor of Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne (1943-1946).- Appointed to the CSIR Irrigation Research Station, Griffith.
- CSIRO's Plant Industry in Deniliquin (1951).
- Engineer for the Queensland Water Supply Commission.
- CSIRO Division of Plant Industry.
- Foundation chief of the new Centre for Environmental Mechanics (1971-1992).
- Foundation director of the CSIRO Institute of Physical Sciences (1980-1983).
- Retired 1992.
Research
The major and most recognised area of Philip's research was his work on the theory of infiltrationInfiltration (hydrology)
Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. Infiltration rate in soil science is a measure of the rate at which soil is able to absorb rainfall or irrigation. It is measured in inches per hour or millimeters per hour. The rate decreases as the soil becomes...
. He derived the theory for one dimensional infiltration and developed equations which described the infiltration on both a short term and long term scale, with the revelation that when ponded infiltration in uniform soils occurs, the flow will approach the saturated hydraulic conductivity
Hydraulic conductivity
Hydraulic conductivity, symbolically represented as K, is a property of vascular plants, soil or rock, that describes the ease with which water can move through pore spaces or fractures. It depends on the intrinsic permeability of the material and on the degree of saturation...
:
where S is sorptivity
Sorptivity
John Philip described sorptivity as a measure of the capacity of the medium to absorb or desorb liquid by capillarity.Calculation of the true sorptivity required numerical iterative procedures dependent on soil water content and diffusivity....
and A is the steady-state infiltration rate.
Other areas of research include:
- Examining heat and mass transfer in soils.
- Philip also considered the importance of relationships between organisms and the environment. This included theories on plant canopies, with particular focus on investigation of crop stomatal or surface resistances. Philip was also responsible for the construction of the Soil plant atmosphere continuumSoil plant atmosphere continuumThe Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum is the pathway for water moving from soil through plants to the atmosphere.The transport of water along this pathway occurs in components, variously defined among scientific disciplines:...
which is used to explain the transfer of water within transpiration paths, a concept which has since been expanded upon. - Philip also studied advection, the horizontal movement of atmospheric properties e.g. temperature and while his analysis and solutions were not completed, his initial work has been important for development of solutions to problems such as long-term flux assessments.
Achievements
- Fellow of Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
(1967) - CSIRO Fellow Emeritus
- Fellow of the Royal Society of London(1974)
- Fellow of the American Geophysical UnionAmerican Geophysical UnionThe American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
- Member of the All-Union (Russian) Academy of Agricultural Sciences (1991)
- Recipient of the Robert E. HortonRobert E. HortonRobert Elmer Horton was an American ecologist and soil scientist, considered by many to be the father of modern hydrology....
Medal (1992) - Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering (1995)
- Officer of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(1998) - Jaeger Medal of the Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
(1999) - Honorary Doctorate: University of Melbourne, the Agricultural University of Athens, the University of Guelph
External links
- Bio of John Philip
- Environmental Mechanics from AGU
- Biographical Memoirs at Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...