Charney, Jule Gregory

Jule Gregory Charney, (born Jan. 1, 1917, San Francisco—died June 16, 1981, Boston), American meteorologist who contributed to the development of numerical weather prediction and to increased understanding of the general circulation of the atmosphere by devising a series of increasingly sophisticated mathematical models of the atmosphere.

Shortly after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, Charney joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and participated in the first efforts to apply digital computers to the problem of weather prediction. The recipient of numerous awards, he became professor of meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1956.

Charney was a leader among those who worked to formulate the equations governing atmospheric motions, excluding from his formulations possible solutions (e.g., sound waves) that do not affect large-scale weather patterns while retaining the complex phenomenon of cyclone formation. This work provided the theoretical basis for the routine use of computers in forecasting.