Jørgen Holmboe
Encyclopedia
Jørgen Holmboe was a Norwegian-American meteorologist.
, Norway
, on an island a short distance from the northernmost point in Norway. He was the son of priest Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe, Jr. and his wife Thea Louise Schetelig. He had several brothers and sisters. His great-grandfather Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe
was a priest and national politician.
He received his early education from his father, who was a minister, attended secondary school in Tromsö, and took his university entrance examinations in Bodö
. He entered the University of Oslo
in 1922. In 1925, he was appointed research assistant to Professor Vilhelm Bjerknes, who had moved from Bergen
where as founding director of the Geophysical Institute
he had led development of the Bergen School of Meteorology
. In 1930, he passed his Candidate Real examinations and took a position as meteorologist in the Norwegian Weather Service in Tromsö. In 1932, he was transferred to Bergen, and, from 1933 to 1935, he served as meteorologist with the Lincoln Ellsworth Antarctic Expedition
.
In 1936, he was invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he served as assistant professor. In 1940, he was asked to join in establishing a meteorology program at University of California, Los Angeles
. The program was initially part of the physics department; it became a separate department in 1946. Holmboe was chairman for the first year after the Department of Meteorology was established and served as chairman again for the period from 1949 through 1958. In 1944, Holmboe became a naturalized American citizen. Holmboe was elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society
and the American Geophysical Union
and foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
.
Biography
Jørgen Holmboe was born near HammerfestHammerfest
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, on an island a short distance from the northernmost point in Norway. He was the son of priest Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe, Jr. and his wife Thea Louise Schetelig. He had several brothers and sisters. His great-grandfather Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe
Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe
Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe was a Norwegian priest and politician.-Personal life:He was born in Trondenes as the son of bailiff Jens Holmboe and his wife Anna Margrethe Irgens . He had several brothers and sisters...
was a priest and national politician.
He received his early education from his father, who was a minister, attended secondary school in Tromsö, and took his university entrance examinations in Bodö
Bodo
- Locations :* Bodø, A city in Norway*Bodo, Alberta, a hamlet in Central Alberta, Canada, close to the Saskatchewan border.*Bodo , a town and commune in Côte d'Ivoire*BoDo, a district of Boise, ID; the name of which stems from Boise Downtown....
. He entered the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
in 1922. In 1925, he was appointed research assistant to Professor Vilhelm Bjerknes, who had moved from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
where as founding director of the Geophysical Institute
Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen
Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen is a marine research facility located in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1917 by Bjørn Helland-Hansen, the institute studies the field of oceanography dealing with the variation patterns of the weather in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norway....
he had led development of the Bergen School of Meteorology
Bergen School of Meteorology
The "Bergen School of Meteorology" is a school of thought which is the basis for much of modern weather forecasting.Founded by the meteorologist Prof...
. In 1930, he passed his Candidate Real examinations and took a position as meteorologist in the Norwegian Weather Service in Tromsö. In 1932, he was transferred to Bergen, and, from 1933 to 1935, he served as meteorologist with the Lincoln Ellsworth Antarctic Expedition
Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
.
In 1936, he was invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he served as assistant professor. In 1940, he was asked to join in establishing a meteorology program at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. The program was initially part of the physics department; it became a separate department in 1946. Holmboe was chairman for the first year after the Department of Meteorology was established and served as chairman again for the period from 1949 through 1958. In 1944, Holmboe became a naturalized American citizen. Holmboe was elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The 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...
and foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
Selected works
- On the Theory of Cyclones (paper jointly with J. Bjerknes. 1944)
- Dynamic Meteorolology (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1952)
- On the instability of stratified shear flow (Universitetsforlaget. 1966)
- Instability of baroclinic three-layer models of the atmosphere (Universitetsforlaget. 1968)
Additional Source
- A Biography of Jorgen Holmboe, 1902-1979 (by Jason Zarate)http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=sio/arch