Ronald B. Smith (born June 15, 1944) is an American atmospheric scientist and the Damon Wells Professor of Geology and Geophysics at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He is known for his pioneering research in mountain meteorology, orographic precipitation, and

gravity waves In fluid dynamics, gravity waves are waves in a fluid medium or at the interface between two media when the force of gravity or buoyancy tries to restore equilibrium. An example of such an interface is that between the atmosphere and the oc ...

. Smith has also contributed significantly to

mesoscale meteorology Mesoscale meteorology is the study of weather systems and processes at horizontal scales of approximately to several hundred kilometres. It is smaller than synoptic scale meteorology, synoptic-scale systems (1,000 km or larger) but larger than Mi ...

and regional climate studies.

Education

Smith earned his Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

in 1966, followed by a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1969. He completed his Ph.D. in

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in 1975.

Academic career

Smith joined the faculty at

in 1976 as an assistant professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. He became a full professor in 1986 and has served as Chair of the department (1991–1997) and Director of the Yale Center for Earth Observation ( YCEO) since 1993. He also holds adjunct appointments in mechanical engineering and environmental studies.

Research

Smith is the Principal Investigator (PI) of The DOMinica EXperiment ( DOMEX), a project designed to study orographic precipitation in the tropics using Dominica as a "natural laboratory." The experiment took place between April and May 2011 with research flights conducted by the Wyoming King Air aircraft equipped with advanced instrumentation such as cloud radar and lidar. Key findings included: * Mechanically forced convection over windward slopes generating heavy rainfall. * Differences between diurnal thermal convection during weak trade winds versus mechanically forced convection during strong trade winds. * Impacts of aerosols on cloud droplet size distributions. Smith is also the PI of the DEEPWAVE Project,DEEPWAVE Project
/ref> which investigates

gravity wave In fluid dynamics, gravity waves are waves in a fluid medium or at the interface between two media when the force of gravity or buoyancy tries to restore equilibrium. An example of such an interface is that between the atmosphere and the oc ...

s generated in the

troposphere The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere of Earth. It contains 80% of the total mass of the Atmosphere, planetary atmosphere and 99% of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From the ...

that propagate upward to the

mesosphere The mesosphere (; ) is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. This characteristic is used to define limits: it be ...

near

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. This project uses observational data from aircraft to study wave dynamics and their influence on atmospheric circulation. Smith’s broader research focuses on mesoscale meteorology, mountain meteorology, and regional climate dynamics. His key contributions include: * **Mountain Meteorology:** Advanced understanding of how mountains influence atmospheric flow, including the generation of gravity waves and severe downslope winds. * **Orographic Precipitation:** Led field experiments such as DOMEX to study rainfall patterns in tropical mountain regions. * **Gravity Waves:** Investigated gravity wave dynamics through projects like DEEPWAVE over New Zealand. * **Remote Sensing:** Used satellite data to analyze landscape changes and climate sensitivity. Smith’s work integrates theoretical advances with observational data from aircraft and satellites.

Awards

Smith has received numerous accolades for his contributions to atmospheric science: * ** Jule G. Charney Award** (2011) – For fundamental contributions to mountain meteorology through theoretical advances and insightful observations. * **Harwood F. Byrnes/Richard B. Sewall Teaching Prize** (2012) – For excellence in undergraduate teaching at Yale. * Fellow of the

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is a scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance the atmosph ...

Selected publications

* Smith, R.B. (1989). "Hydrostatic flow over mountains." *Advances in Geophysics*, Academic Press. * Smith, R.B., & Lin, Y.-L. (1982). "The addition of heat to a stratified airstream with application to the dynamics of orographic rain." *Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society*, 108(455), 353–378. * Smith, R.B., & Lin, Y.-L. (1984). "A theory of lee cyclogenesis." *Journal of Atmospheric Sciences*, 41(8), 1159–1168.

Legacy

Ronald B. Smith is widely regarded as a pioneer in mountain meteorology and mesoscale atmospheric dynamics. His work has advanced understanding of how topography influences weather systems and continues to shape research on regional climate processes.

External links

Ronald B. Smith's profile at Yale University

Open Yale Course: The Atmosphere, Ocean, and Environmental Change

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ronald B 1944 births Living people American atmospheric scientists Yale University faculty Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Princeton University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Fellows of the American Meteorological Society