Isidoro Orlanski

Isidoro Orlanski was born in Rivera, Buenos Aires, in 1939 to Jewish immigrants Samuel and Sara Orlanski, who fled Wolkowysk, Poland during the early 20th century pogroms. With the help of the Jewish Colonization Association, which enabled Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe to farm in Argentina, the Orlanski family settled in rural Argentina before moving to Buenos Aires in the early 1940s.{{cite web |last=Partarrieu |first=Gastón |date= |title=Nuestros Pueblos: Rivera (Col. Barón Hirsch) |website=Museo Dr. Adolfo Alsina |publisher=Museo Regional Carhué |url=https://www.museocarhue.gob.ar/archivo-historico/investigaciones/nuestros-pueblos-rivera-col-baron-hirsch |access-date=2025-01-13 |language=es}}

In 1959, Orlanski enrolled in the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences (Spanish: Facultad de Ciencias Exactas) at the University of Buenos Aires, where he studied physics. In 1964, Orlanski earned a degree in physics from University of Buenos Aires. In 1965, he received a grant to pursue graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.{{Cite web |date=2012-04-26 |title=Siempre está volviendo |url=https://nexciencia.exactas.uba.ar/siempre-esta-volviendo |website=nexciencia.exactas.uba.ar |language=es}} Orlanski completed his PhD in 1967 supervised by Jule Charney.{{Cite journal |last=Orlanski |first=Isidoro |date=1968 |title=Instability of Frontal Waves |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=178–200 |doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1968)025<0178:IOFW>2.0.CO;2 |issn=0022-4928|doi-access=free |bibcode=1968JAtS...25..178O }} His thesis, titled Instability of Frontal Waves, earned the Carl Gustav Rossby Award.{{cite web |url=https://paocweb.mit.edu/education/graduate/the-carl-gustaf-rossby-award/ |title=Carl Gustav Rossby Award 1968 |website=MIT PAOC |accessdate=2024-11-22}}

Orlanski moved to the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL),{{Cite web |title=Isidoro Orlanski Homepage |url=https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/isidoro-orlanski-homepage/ |website=Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory |publisher=NOAA |access-date=2025-02-10}} where he initially worked with Joseph Smagorinsky. The GFDL, under the leadership of Smagorinsky, was developing numerical models for weather forecasting and climate assessment.{{Cite journal |last=Smagorinsky |first=Joseph |date=2008 |title=GFDL |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=89 |issue=9 |pages=1317–1325 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/89/9/2008bams2599_1.pdf |doi=10.1175/2008BAMS2599.1 |language=en |access-date=2025-01-19}} He relocated with the lab to Princeton University in New Jersey where he became a lecturer in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science.{{cite web |url=https://aos.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1176/files/resource-links/aosprogramhistory.pdf |title=The AOS Program's Fortuitous Beginnings |website=Princeton University |accessdate=2024-11-22}}

By 1980, GFDL had grown to 134 staff members, with Orlanski being appointed the lab's Deputy Director.{{cite web |url=https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/52156 |title=GFDL Activities: Review of Twenty-Five Years of Research 1955–1980 |website=NOAA |accessdate=2024-11-22}} While on sabbatical in Argentina in 1985, Orlanski established an organization for numerical modeling that became the Centro de Investigaciones para el Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA).{{cite web |url=https://aos.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1176/files/news_and_events/AOS-CICS-Newsletter-Spring-2008-rev.pdf |title=AOS & CICS Newsletter, Vol. 2 Number 2: Orlanski Trip to Argentina |website=Princeton University |accessdate=2024-11-22}} Orlanski retired from GFDL in 2007 but continued teaching at Princeton University until 2017, retiring as a lecturer with the rank of Senior Meteorologist, Emeritus.

Orlanski worked in the field of mesoscale meteorology.{{Cite book |last1=Markowski |first1=Paul |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470682104 |title=Mesoscale Meteorology in Midlatitudes |last2=Richardson |first2=Yvette |date=2010-02-05 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-470-74213-6 |language=en |doi=10.1002/9780470682104}} He introduced the terms meso-alpha, meso-beta, and meso-gamma to classify the horizontal scales of atmospheric processes.{{cite journal |last=Orlanski |first=Isidoro |date=1975 |title=A Rational Subdivision of Scales for Atmospheric Processes |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=56 |issue=5 |pages=527–530 |issn=0003-0007 |jstor=26216020}} The primary purpose of Orlanski’s classification of mesoscale phenomena was to assist modelers in designing limited-area models for mesoscale prediction.{{cite journal |last1=Craig |first1=George C. |last2=Selz |first2=Tobias |date=2017 |title=Mesoscale Dynamical Regimes in the Midlatitudes |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=410–417 |doi=10.1002/2017GL076174 |doi-access=free }} This framework was used in the design of field experiments for mesoscale observations, as well as in defining the spatial and temporal scales necessary for forecast models.{{Cite journal |last1=Ulanski |first1=Stan L. |last2=Heymsfield |first2=Gerald M. |date=1986 |title=Meso-β Scale Perturbations of the Wind Field by Thunderstorm Cells |journal=Monthly Weather Review |volume=114 |issue=4 |pages=780–793 |doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1986)114<0780:MSPOTW>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1986MWRv..114..780U |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/114/4/1520-0493_1986_114_0780_mspotw_2_0_co_2.xml |access-date=2025-02-10}} It took over two decades for both numerical models and observational technologies to achieve an acceptable level of accuracy in this domain.{{cite journal |last1=Das |first1=Someshwar |last2=Ashrit |first2=Raghavendra |last3=Iyengar |first3=Gopal R. |date=2008 |title=Skills of Different Mesoscale Models Over Indian Region During Monsoon Season: Forecast Errors |journal=Journal of Earth System Science |volume=117 |issue=5 |pages=603–620 |doi=10.1007/s12040-008-0056-4 |bibcode=2008JESS..117..603D |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-008-0056-4 |access-date=2025-01-13}} Orlanski's research on boundary conditions for unbounded hyperbolic flows has applications beyond meteorology.{{Cite journal |last1=Marchesiello |first1=Patrick |last2=McWilliams |first2=James C. |last3=Shchepetkin |first3=Alexander |date=2001 |title=Open Boundary Conditions for Long-Term Integration of Regional Oceanic Models |journal=Ocean Modelling |volume=3 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1016/S1463-5003(00)00013-5 |bibcode=2001OcMod...3....1M |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1463500300000135 |access-date=2025-02-10|url-access=subscription }}

• Carl Gustav Rossby Award (MIT, 1968) – For best PhD thesis in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences program.
• RAICES Prize (2011) – Awarded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Argentina for contributions to science and scientific development in Argentina.{{cite web |url=https://aos.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1176/files/news_and_events/AOS-CICS-Newsletter-Fall-2011.pdf |title=AOS & CICS Newsletter, Fall 2011, Volume 5, Number 3 |website=Princeton University |accessdate=2024-11-22}}
• Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.{{cite web |url=https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/about-ams/ams-organization-and-administration/list-of-fellows/ |title=List of Fellows |website=American Meteorological Society |accessdate=2024-11-22}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Orlanski |first=Isidoro |date=1968 |title=Instability of Frontal Waves |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |language=en |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=178–200 |doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1968)025<0178:IOFW>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1968JAtS...25..178O |issn=0022-4928|doi-access=free }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Orlanski |first1=Isidoro |last2=Bryan |first2=Kirk |date=1969 |title=Formation of the thermocline step structure by large-amplitude internal gravity waves |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/JC074i028p06975 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |language=en |volume=74 |issue=28 |pages=6975–6983 |doi=10.1029/JC074i028p06975|bibcode=1969JGR....74.6975O |url-access=subscription }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Orlanski |first=Isidoro |date=1975 |title=A Rational Subdivision of Scales for Atmospheric Processes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26216020 |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=56 |issue=5 |pages=527–530 |jstor=26216020 |issn=0003-0007}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Orlanski |first=Isidoro |date=1976 |title=A simple boundary condition for unbounded hyperbolic flows |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0021999176900231 |journal=Journal of Computational Physics |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=251–269 |doi=10.1016/0021-9991(76)90023-1 |bibcode=1976JCoPh..21..251O |issn=0021-9991|url-access=subscription }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Orlanski |first1=Isidoro |last2=Katzfey |first2=Jack |date=1991 |title=The Life Cycle of a Cyclone Wave in the Southern Hemisphere. Part I: Eddy Energy Budget |url=http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/1520-0469(1991)0482.0.CO;2 |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |language=en |volume=48 |issue=17 |pages=1972–1998 |doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1991)048<1972:TLCOAC>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1991JAtS...48.1972O |issn=0022-4928|url-access=subscription }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Orlanski |first1=Isidoro |last2=Chang |first2=Edmund K. M. |date=1993 |title=Ageostrophic Geopotential Fluxes in Downstream and Upstream Development of Baroclinic Waves |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |language=en |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=212–225 |doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<0212:AGFIDA>2.0.CO;2 |bibcode=1993JAtS...50..212O |issn=0022-4928|doi-access=free}}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Orlanski |first1=Isidoro |last2=Solman |first2=Silvina |date=2010 |title=The Mutual Interaction between External Rossby Waves and Thermal Forcing: The Subpolar Regions |journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=1693–1711 |doi=10.1175/2010JAS3267.1 |bibcode=2010JAtS...67.2018O |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/67/6/2010jas3267.1.pdf |access-date=2025-01-13 |language=en}}

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Category:1939 births

Category:Living people

Category:American meteorologists

Category:University of Buenos Aires alumni

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Category:Fellows of the American Meteorological Society