Dr. André Robert (April 28, 1929 - November 18, 1993) was a Canadian meteorologist who pioneered the modelling the Earth's atmospheric circulation.[1]
Born in New York, NY in 1928, Robert moved to Grand-Mère, Quebec in May 1937. He received his BSc from Laval University in 1952 and his MSc from University of Toronto in 1953. He began employment with the Meteorological Service of Canada as a weather forecaster, then in 1959 shifted his interest to research in atmospheric models for short and medium-range numerical weather prediction.[1]
For his PhD (awarded in 1965), Robert worked at McGill University on the spectral model using spectral harmonics for the representation of atmospheric fields in global climate and numerical weather prediction models.
Between 1963 and 1970, Robert developed the semi-implicit time integration algorithm for an efficient integration of the primitive equations for numerical weather prediction and climate models. Several weather centres around the world adopted this algorithm for their models (Canada in 1974, Australia in 1976, ECMWF in 1977, USA in 1980).
In 1980 Robert successfully combined his semi-implicit scheme with existing Lagrangian techniques which allows the use of much longer time steps and hence produces a very efficient integration of meteorological equations.
Robert retired from the Canadian Meteorological Centre in Montreal in 1987 and took a Faculty position at UQAM. There he worked with colleagues to develop a fully elastic atmospheric model that relaxed the hydrostatic approximation used by all large-scale climate and numerical weather prediction models, thus paving the way to a universal model formulation usable at all scales. The resulting model came to be known by the name of Mesoscale Compressible Community model (MC2).
Robert's career was devoted to developing and implementing numerical techniques to solve the interacting time-dependent partial differential equations governing the chronological development of atmospheric behavior in an efficient manner, while still retaining accuracy; in contrast to many scientists who were concerned only with precision.
Bibliography of André Robert
Rivest, C., A. Staniforth and A. Robert, 1994 : Spurious resonant response of semi-Lagrangian discretizations to orographic forcing: diagnosis and solution. Mon. Wea. Rev., accepted for publication.
Robert, A., 1993 : Incompressible homogeneous fluids. Recherche note. 27 p. incl. fig.
Robert, A., 1993 : Le schéma semi-lagrangien. Recherche note. 6 p.
Robert, A., 1993 : Application of a semi-Lagrangian model formulation to non-stationary supersonic flow. Recherche note. 9 p. incl. fig.
Robert, A., 1993 : Bubble convection experiments with a semi-implicit formulation of the Euler equations. J. Atmos. Sci. 50(13), 1865-1873.
Tanguay, M., E.Yakimiv, H.Ritchie, and A.Robert, 1992 : Advantages of spatial averaging in semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian schemes, MWR, 120(1), 115-123.
Jakimow, G., E. Yakimiw and A. Robert, 1992 : An implicit formulation for horizontal diffusion in gridpoint models. Mon. Wea. Rev. 120(1), 124-130.
Tanguay, M., A. Robert and R. Laprise, 1990 : A semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian fully compressible regional forecast model. Mon. Wea. Rev. 118(10), 1970-1980.
Yakimiw, E. et A. Robert, 1990 : Validation experiments for a nested grid-point regional forecast model. Atmos-Ocean 28(4), 466-472.
Tanguay, M. et A. Robert, 1990 : An efficient Optimum interpolation analysis. Atmos-Ocean 28(3), 365-377.
Desharnais, F. and A. Robert, 1990 : Errors near the poles generated by a semi-Lagrangian integration scheme in a global spectral model. Atmos-Ocean 28(2), 162-176.
Bergeron, G., J. Côté and A. Robert, 1990 : Resolution sensitivity experiments with a spectral model of the shallow water equations. Recherche note. 14 p. plus fig. and tables.
Tanguay, M. and A. Robert, 1986 : Elimination of the Helmholtz equation associated with the semi-implicit scheme in a grid point model of the shallow water equations. Mon. Wea. Rev. 114(11), 2154-2162.
Yakimiv, E. and A.Robert, 1986 : Accuracy and stability analysis of a fully implicit scheme for the shallow-water equations, MWR, 114(1), 240-244.
Robert, A. and E. Yakimiw, 1986 : Identification and elimination of an inflow boundary computational solution in limited area model integrations. Atmos-Ocean 24(4), 369-385.
Robert, A., T.L. Yee and H. Ritchie, 1985: A semi-Lagrangian and semi-implicit numerical integration scheme for multilevel atmospheric models. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 113, pp. 388-394.
Robert, A., 1983: The design of efficient time integration schemes for the primitive equations. Proceedings of the Seminar on Numerical Methods for Weather Prediction. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Vol. 2, pp. 193-200.
Robert, A., T.L. Yee and H. Ritchie, 1983: Application of the semi-implicit and semi-Lagrangian integration scheme to a limited area model. Proceedings of the Seminar on Numerical Methods for Weather Prediction. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Vol. 2, pp. 201-212.
Robert, A., 1982: A semi-implicit and semi-Lagrangian numerical integration scheme for the primitive meteorological equations. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, Vol. 60, pp. 319-325.
Robert, A., 1981: A stable numerical integration scheme for the primitive meteorological equations. Atmos.-Ocean, Vol. 19, pp. 319-325.
Robert, A., 1979: The Semi-implicit method. Numerical Methods used in Atmospheric Models. WMO, GARP Publication Series No. 17, Chapter 8, pp. 419-437.
Robert, A., 1975: Sensitivity experiments for the development of NWP models. Proceedings of the eleventh Stanstead Seminar. Department of Meteorology, McGill University, pp. 68-81.
Robert, A., 1974: Garp activities related to computational considerations. WMO Working Group on Numerical Experimentation, Report No. 4, pp. 2-23.
Robert, A., 1973: Computational resolution requirements for accurate medium-range numerical predictions. Symposium on difference and spectral methods for atmosphere and ocean dynamics problems. Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, U.S.S.R., pp. 82-102.
Robert, A., J. Henderson and C. Turnbull, 1972: An implicit time integration scheme for baroclinic models of the atmosphere. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 100, No. 5, pp. 329-335.
Robert, A., 1971: Truncation errors in a filtered barotropic model. Proceedings of the Ninth Stanstead Seminar. Department of Meteorology, McGill University, pp. 13-28.
Kwizak, M. and A. Robert, 1971: A semi-implicit scheme for grid point atmospheric models of the primitive equations. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 99, No. 1, pp. 32-36.
Robert, A., F.G. Shuman and J.P. Gerrity, 1970: On partial difference equations in mathematical physics. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 98, No. 1, pp. 1-6.
Robert, A., 1969: An unstable solution to the problem of advection by the finite-difference Eulerian method. Office Note No. 30, National Meteorological Center, Washington, D.C.
Robert, A., 1969: Forecast experiments with a spectral model. Proceedings of Seminars on the middle-atmosphere. Stanstead, Québec. Department of Meteorology, McGill University, pp. 69-82.
Robert, A., 1968: Résultats de quelques applications récentes de la méthode spectrale. La Météorologie. Paris, France. pp. 453-469.
Robert, A., 1968: The treatment of moisture and precipitation in atmospheric models integrated by the spectral method. Journal of Applied Meteorology. Vol. 7, pp. 730-735.
Robert, A., 1968: The integration of a spectral model of the atmosphere by the implicit method. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Numerical Weather Prediction. Tokyo. pp. 19-25.
Robert, A., 1968: Integration of a spectral barotropic model from global 500-mb charts. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 96, pp. 83-85.
Robert, A., 1967: The incorporation of precipitation into a spectral model of the atmosphere. Proceedings of the Seminar on the middle-atmosphere. Stanstead, Québec. Department of Meteorology, McGill University, pp. 91-114.
Robert, A., 1966: The integration of a low order spectral form of the primitive meteorological equations. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan. Vol. 44, pp. 237-245.
Robert, A., 1965: The integration of the spectral form of the primitive equations. Proceedings of the Symposium on the dynamics of large-scale atmospheric processes. Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., Moscow, pp. 66-69.
Robert, A., 1965: The behaviour of planetary waves in an atmospheric model based on spherical harmonics. McGill University. Publication in Meteorology No. 77.
Robert, A., 1963: A baroclinic model for the Canadian numerical weather prediction program. Seminars on the Stratosphere and Mesosphere and Polar Meteorology. Stanstead, Québec. Department of Meteorology, McGill University, pp. 83-88.
Robert, A., 1963: Baroclinic experiments with a four-level statistical dynamical model. Meteorological Memoir No. 15.
Robert, A. and M. Kwizak, 1963: An evaluation of simple non-geostrophic forecasts. Meteorological Memoirs No. 13.
Laprise, R., 1994 : André Robert 1929-1993 (biographie). Le Climat 12(1), 81-94.
Laprise, R., 1994: André Robert 1929-1993 (biography). CMOS Newsletter 22(4), 12-17.
Merilees, P., and R. Laprise, 1994: André Robert 1929-1993 (biography). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 75(3), 456.
Laprise, R., 1995: André Robert 1929-1993 (biography). Trans. Royal Soc. Canada VI, 271-273.