Smagorinsky, pioneer in field of meteorology, dies at 81

Joseph Smagorinsky, founder of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in Princeton, died Sept. 21 at Stonebridge Skilled Nursing Facility in Skillman, N.J., after a decade-long battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 81.

A pioneer in the field of computerized meteorology, Smagorinsky developed models on early systems when "meteorology was in its transition from an art to a science," said his daughter, Anne.

Smagorinsky contributed to the field of meteorology for more than half a century, since founding the GFDL in 1955. "He built that lab from nothing, bringing in some of the most hallmarked and renowned scientists from around the world," his son, Fred, said.

Smagorinsky received some of the highest accolades in his field, including the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Earth Science in 2003 and prizes from the University of Munich as well as the World Meteorological Association.

After retiring from the GFDL in 1983, he was elected president of the American Meteorological Society in 1986, served on the board for another five years and worked as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences during the same period.

Smagorinsky, the first of his family born in the United States, grew up in the lower east side of Brooklyn and attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. After returning from serving in the Air Force during World War II, Smagorinsky earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in meteorology from New York University.

Before joining the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1953, Smagorinsky worked at the Institute of Advanced Study alongside the renowned mathematician John Louis von Neumann, who developed the first computer to model scientific data, said Samuel Philander, director of the Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies program.

"It is because he started early that his perusal of computer data, during this time of limited resources, was visionary in scope," Philander said.

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Following the laboratory's relocation from Washington, D.C., to Princeton in 1968, Smagorinsky began an effort to collaborate with the University, advising Ph.D. candidates and lecturing in the geophysics department.

His later work focused on modeling computerized data, including founding the GFDL, "which later focused on broader time scales, moving from weather prediction to climate patterns," Philander said.

Smagorinsky was also known for the international scope of his research. "Even during the Cold War he collaborated [on climate research] with the Soviet Union, under the permission of the State Department," Philander said.

During the past decade Smagorinsky spent much of his time independently researching the atmospheric kinetic energy spectrum. He was composing a paper that his family is now attempting to bring to completion.

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"He loved fixing gadgets, anything that involved working with his hands," his son Fred said. Smagorinsky was also a big fan of Tiger football and basketball. "He attended every game he could," Fred said.

In 2002, Smagorinsky and his wife moved from Princeton to a smaller house in Hillsborough, N.J. They moved to Stonebridge earlier this year.

Smagorinsky is survived by his wife Margaret and children Fred, Anne, Peter, Julia and Teresa. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 22 in Guyot Hall.