Brian Hoskins
Encyclopedia
Professor
Sir
Brian John Hoskins CBE
FRS, (born 17 May 1945) is a British
dynamical meteorologist and climatologist based at the Imperial College London
. A mathematician by training, his research has focused on understanding atmospheric motion from the scale of fronts
to that of the Earth, using a range of theoretical and numerical models. He is perhaps best known for his work on the mathematical theory of extratropical cyclones and frontogenesis
, particularly through the use of potential vorticity
. He has also produced research across many areas of meteorology, including the Indian monsoon
and global warming
, recently contributing to the Stern review
and the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
.
but has also been an effective ambassador for its use in Government, industry and society. He has contributed unstintingly to developing environmental science in the UK and internationally. Under his leadership his group at the University of Reading
has expanded to become one of the largest and most successful Meteorology departments in the world. Similarly over the last four years Sir Brian has been instrumental in establishing the Grantham Institute for Climate Change
at Imperial College London
, as a world renowned centre for climate change
research. Furthermore he has held numerous other influential positions, such as Council member for the Natural Environment Research Council
that funds and supports most of the environmental research in the UK, and numerous roles for the Met Office
, most recently as non-executive director and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
Sir Brian has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that climate change policy is informed by the best science. He made major contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
scientific assessments and shared in it being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2007, and contributed greatly to the Stern review
of the economics of climate change. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
which recommended that the UK should aim for a 60% reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. More recently he was appointed to the Government's new Climate Change Committee, which has been highly influential in the Government's decision to commit to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Sir
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
Brian John Hoskins CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRS, (born 17 May 1945) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dynamical meteorologist and climatologist based at the Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. A mathematician by training, his research has focused on understanding atmospheric motion from the scale of fronts
Weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating two masses of air of different densities, and is the principal cause of meteorological phenomena. In surface weather analyses, fronts are depicted using various colored lines and symbols, depending on the type of front...
to that of the Earth, using a range of theoretical and numerical models. He is perhaps best known for his work on the mathematical theory of extratropical cyclones and frontogenesis
Frontogenesis
Frontogenesis, in meteorology, refers to the formation or strengthening of an atmospheric front. During frontogenesis, the temperature gradient tightens and as a result the thermal wind becomes imbalanced. To maintain balance, the geostrophic wind aloft and below adjust, such that regions of...
, particularly through the use of potential vorticity
Potential vorticity
Potential vorticity is a quantity which is proportional to the dot product of vorticity and stratification that, following a parcel of air or water, can only be changed by diabatic or frictional processes...
. He has also produced research across many areas of meteorology, including the Indian monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, recently contributing to the Stern review
Stern Review
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is a 700-page report released for the British government on 30 October 2006 by economist Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and also chair of the Centre...
and the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
Climate Change 2007, the Fourth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , is the fourth in a series of reports intended to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning climate change, its potential effects, and options for...
.
Career
Sir Brian has not only relentlessly pursued the scientific study of meteorologyMeteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
but has also been an effective ambassador for its use in Government, industry and society. He has contributed unstintingly to developing environmental science in the UK and internationally. Under his leadership his group at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
has expanded to become one of the largest and most successful Meteorology departments in the world. Similarly over the last four years Sir Brian has been instrumental in establishing the Grantham Institute for Climate Change
Grantham Institute for Climate Change
The Grantham Institute for Climate Change is one of four Global Institutes at Imperial College London. The Institute was founded in 2007 with a £12m donation from the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, an organisation set up by Hannelore and Jeremy Grantham.The Institute...
at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, as a world renowned centre for climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
research. Furthermore he has held numerous other influential positions, such as Council member for the Natural Environment Research Council
Natural Environment Research Council
The Natural Environment Research Council is a British research council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences.-History:...
that funds and supports most of the environmental research in the UK, and numerous roles for the Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
, most recently as non-executive director and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
Sir Brian has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that climate change policy is informed by the best science. He made major contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
scientific assessments and shared in it being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
in 2007, and contributed greatly to the Stern review
Stern Review
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is a 700-page report released for the British government on 30 October 2006 by economist Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and also chair of the Centre...
of the economics of climate change. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom was created under Royal Warrant in 1970 to advise the Queen, Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues...
which recommended that the UK should aim for a 60% reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. More recently he was appointed to the Government's new Climate Change Committee, which has been highly influential in the Government's decision to commit to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
- B.A. (1st Class Honors) and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, UK, in 1966 and 1970, respectively. - Reader in atmospheric modelling (1976–1981) and professor of meteorology (1981–present) at the University of ReadingUniversity of ReadingThe University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
, UK. - Head of the Department of Meteorology (1990–1996) at the University of ReadingUniversity of ReadingThe University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
, UK. - President of the Royal Meteorological SocietyRoyal Meteorological SocietyThe Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
(1998–2000). - Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
council member (1999–present) and research professor (2001–present). - First Director of Grantham Institute at Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
(2008–present).
Awards
- KnighthoodKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
(2007) - Symons Gold Medal (2007) of the Royal Meteorological SocietyRoyal Meteorological SocietyThe Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
- Elected to the U.S. National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(2002) http://www4.nationalacademies.org/nas/naspub.nsf/(urllinks)/NAS-5B2PBV?opendocument&Start=1&Count=1000&ExpandView - Commander of the British Empire (1998)
- Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesThe Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
(1998) - EGS Vilhelm Bjerknes Medallist (1997) http://www.copernicus.org/EGS/egs_info/medalists/hoskins97.htm
- Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(1988) http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/view_fellow.cfm?FID=705&N=h - Carl-Gustav Rossby Research Medal (1988) of the American Meteorological SocietyAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
- The Chree Medal and Prize of the Institute of PhysicsInstitute of PhysicsThe Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
(1987) - Fellow of the American Meteorological SocietyAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
(1985) - Royal Meteorological SocietyRoyal Meteorological SocietyThe Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
L.F. Richardson Prize (1972) and Buchan Prize (1976)
Service
- President, Royal Meteorological SocietyRoyal Meteorological SocietyThe Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
1998-2000 - Member, Royal Commission on Environmental PollutionRoyal Commission on Environmental PollutionThe Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom was created under Royal Warrant in 1970 to advise the Queen, Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues...
http://www.rcep.org.uk/about/members.htm#8 - President, International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences 1991-95
- Chair, Royal Society Global Environmental Research Committee
- Chair, Meteorological Office Science Advisory Committee and Member, Meteorological Office Board
- Vice-Chair, Joint Scientific Committee for the World Climate Research ProgrammeWorld Climate Research ProgrammeThe World Climate Research Programme was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 1993. It is a component of the...
- Member, Scientific Advisory Committee for European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsEuropean Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsThe European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by 19 European Member States and 15 Co-operating States...
(Chair 1985-88)