Jacob Bjerknes
Bjerknes, Jacob
Born Nov. 2, 1897, in Stockholm. Norwegian meteorologist. Son of V. F. K. Bjerknes.
Bjerknes graduated from the University of Oslo in 1924. From 1918 to 1920 he worked in the weather service in Bergen, and from 1920 to 1931 in Switzerland. From 1931 to 1939 he was a professor at the University of Bergen. In 1940 he became a professor at the University of California. Bjerknes made basic studies of the structure of atmospheric fronts and their connection with precipitation, discovered the structure of cyclones, explained them in terms of waves on atmospheric fronts, and clarified the role of cyclonic activity in the general circulation of the atmosphere. His later works are devoted to the problem of the influence of the ocean on the circulation of the atmosphere and climate.
WORKS
Meteorological Conditions for the Formation of Rain. Kristiania, 1921. (Together with H. Solberg.)“Theorie der auss ertropischen Zyklonenbildung.” Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 1937, vol. 54, p. 462.
“On the Theory of Cyclones.” Journal of Meteorology, 1944, vol. 1, p. 1.