George Simpson (meteorologist)
| Sir George Simpson | |
|---|---|
George Simpson making scientific observations in the magnetic hut during the Terra Nova Expedition.
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| Born | George Clarke Simpson 2 September 1878 Derby |
| Died | 1 January 1965 (aged 86) |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions |
University of Manchester Meteorological Office |
| Notable awards |
The Chree Medal and Prize (1951) Fellow of the Royal Society |
Sir George Clarke Simpson KCB CBE FRS (2 September 1878 – 1 January 1965) was a British meteorologist.
George Clarke Simpson was born in Derby, England, the son of Arthur Simpson, a proprietor of a department store in East Street, and Alice Lambton Clarke.
Simpson was educated at Derby School, Owens College, Manchester and the University of Göttingen.
In 1902 he visited Lapland to investigate atmospheric electricity. In 1905 he became the first person to lecture in meteorology at a British university when he was appointed lecturer at the University of Manchester. In 1906, he joined the Indian Meteorological Service as an Imperial Meteorologist at their headquarters in Simla and inspected many of the meteorological stations in India and Burma. In 1910, he and his colleague Charles Wright were the meteorologists for Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition. Given the nickname 'Sunny Jim' by the other expedition members, he constructed one of the continent's first weather stations, conducting balloon experiments to test the atmosphere and determine how altitude affects temperature. Simpson recorded the temperature and wind observations at the base camp at Cape Evans. He also held command of this station for several months when Scott and his party left for the journey to the South Pole in November 1911.
Returning from Antarctica after the death of Scott and the other polar party members in August 1912, Simpson went back to Simla to re-join the ‘Indian Meteorogical Services’ which had its head office in Kolkata and its branch office in Simla. Whilst in Simla, George Simpson lived at Khud Cottage, today also known as Madan Kunj. It was here at Khud Cottage that Simpson compiled the notes he had made on the Antarctic exploration.
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