Arnt Eliassen (9 September 1915 – 22 April 2000) was a Norwegian

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

who was a pioneer in the use of

numerical analysis Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic computation, symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of ...

and

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

s for

weather forecasting Weather forecasting or weather prediction is the application of science and technology forecasting, to predict the conditions of the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere for a given location and time. People have attempted to predict the weather info ...

Career

The early pioneer work was done at the

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

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, together with

John von Neumann John von Neumann ( ; ; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, in ...

. His areas of research included free and thermally driven circulations,

frontogenesis Frontogenesis is a meteorological process of tightening of horizontal temperature gradients to produce fronts. In the end, two types of fronts form: cold fronts and warm fronts. A cold front is a narrow line where temperature decreases rapidly. A ...

, and shear and gravitational–acoustic wave propagation in stratified media. Eliassen received 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- ...

in 1964 for his many important contributions to dynamical meteorology. He received the

Balzan Prize The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the b ...

in 1996 "For his fundamental contributions to dynamic meteorology that have influenced and stimulated progress in this science during the past fifty years". Two years later, he was awarded the Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal for "his outstanding fundamental contributions to dynamical meteorology".

Personal

Eliassen was a brother of architect

Trond Eliassen Trond Eliassen (10 October 1922 – 13 November 2024) was a Norwegian architect. Biography Eliassen was born in Kristiania to architect Georg Eliassen and artist Helfrid Beda Andrea Strömberg, and is a brother of meteorologist Arnt Eliassen. ...

. He is the father of the meteorologist Anton Eliassen. He resided at

Bekkestua Bekkestua is a town in the Municipalities of Norway, municipality of Bærum, Norway, with a busy bus terminal and a Bekkestua (station), station on one of Oslo's westbound Oslo T-bane, T-bane lines, Kolsåsbanen. It also has its own library, police ...

References

1915 births 2000 deaths Scientists from Oslo Academic staff of the University of Oslo Norwegian meteorologists Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal recipients Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina {{norway-scientist-stub