Tetsuya Theodore "Ted" Fujita (藤田哲也 Fujita Tetsuya, October 23, 1920–November 19, 1998) was one of the great severe storms researchers of the twentieth century. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, his research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons revolutionized humankind's knowledge of each.

Overview

He 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 most well known contributions were in tornado research — he was often called "Mr. Tornado" by his associates and by the media. Much of what we now know about tornadoes was either discovered or advanced by his efforts. In addition to the Fujita scale, he was a pioneer in the development of tornado overflight and damage survey techniques. 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.

In another major addition to tornado knowledge, he was instrumental in developing the concept of multiple vortex tornadoes, which feature multiple small funnels (suction vortices) rotating within a larger parent cloud. His work established that, far from being rare events as was previously believed, most powerful tornadoes were composed of multiple vortices. He also advanced the concept of mini-swirls in intensifying tropical cyclones.

A master of mesoscale analysis throughout his career, it was his independent development of advanced techniques as a young scientist in Japan which prompted Horace Byers to invite him to University of Chicago upon overviewing his work. He continued to advance mesoscale meteorology with a keen ability glean details and synthesize vast information in developing revolutionary theories.

Memoirs

• Fujita, Tetsuya Theodore (1992). Memoirs of an An Effort to Unlock the Mystery of Severe Storms. WRL Research Paper Number 239.

External links and sources

• A Tribute To Dr. Ted Fujita (Stormtrack)
• Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (The Tornado Project)
• The Online Tornado FAQ (Storm Prediction Center)
• Tornadoes and Severe Weather - In Memory of Tetsuya T. Fujita (Dr. Fujita)
• A Tribute to the Works of T. Theodore Fujita (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society)
• Fujita publications (Texas Tech University)
• Fujita Memorial Museum (in Japanese)

1920 births | 1998 deaths | Meteorologists | Japanese scientists | Japanese Americans | People from Shizuoka Prefecture

Tetsuya Theodore Fujita | Tetsuya Théodore Fujita | 藤田哲也 (気象学者) | Ted Fujita