“Models in Meteorology and Climatology” Fifty Years on

Abstract

A review is presented of contributions made by the author and graduate students over the fifty years since the publication of a chapter on “Models in meteorology and climatology” by the author in 1967. Advances in the applications of general circulation models, remote sensing, and climate change and paleoclimatology are briefly described in the context of the development of climate science. Publication of the first use of a GCM to simulate Ice Age climate is noted. The application of optical and passive microwave remote sensing to mapping snow cover, glaciers, sea ice and frozen ground are discussed. Our focus was particularly on Arctic conditions. Many of the algorithms were developed in association with the National Snow and Ice Data Center that the author directed from 1976 to 2008.