Ted Fujita
| Tetsuya Theodore Fujita | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 23, 1920 Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Died | November 19, 1998 (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Residence | Japan, United States |
| Citizenship | Japan, United States (1968) |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions | University of Chicago |
| Alma mater |
Kyushu Institute of Technology (B.S., 1943) University of Tokyo (D.Sc., 1950) |
| Thesis | Analytical Study of Typhoons (1952) |
| Doctoral advisor | Shigekata Syono |
| Doctoral students | Roger M. Wakimoto, Gregory S. Forbes |
| Other notable students | Brian Smith |
| Known for | tornadoes, tornadic storm morphology, Fujita scale, multiple-vortex tornadoes, downbursts, microbursts, mesoscale meteorology |
| Notable awards | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star (1991) |
| Children | Kazuya Fujita |
Tetsuya Theodore "Ted" Fujita (藤田 哲也 Fujita Tetsuya?, October 23, 1920 – November 19, 1998) was a prominent Japanese-American severe storms researcher. His research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons revolutionized the knowledge of each.
Fujita was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He studied at Kyushu Institute of Technology and was an associate professor there until 1953, when he was invited to the University of Chicago on the invitation of Horace R. Byers who had become interested in his research, particularly his independent discovery of the cold-air downdraft.
Fujita is recognized as the discoverer of downbursts and microbursts and also developed the Fujita scale, which differentiates tornado intensity and links tornado damage with wind speed.
Fujita's best-known contributions were in tornado research; he was often called "Mr. Tornado" by his associates and by the media. In addition to developing the Fujita scale, Fujita was a pioneer in the development of tornado overflight and damage survey techniques, which he used to study and map the paths of the two tornadoes that hit Lubbock, Texas on May 11, 1970. He established the value of photometric analysis of tornado pictures and films to establish wind speeds at various heights at the surface of tornado vortices. Fujita was also the first to widely study the meteorological phenomenon of the downburst, which can pose serious danger to aircraft. As a result of his work, pilot training worldwide routinely uses techniques he pioneered to provide instruction to students.
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