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Norbert Untersteiner papers, 1958-1988

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Untersteiner, Norbert, 1926-2012
Title
Norbert Untersteiner papers
Dates
1958-1988 (inclusive)
Quantity
8.70 cubic feet (9 boxes)
Collection Number
6256 (Accession No. 6256-001)
Summary
Papers of a University of Washington professor of atmospheric science and researcher into polar ice
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Request at UW

Languages
English, German, Norwegian, Russian
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Biographical Note

A pioneer in polar-science research, Norbert Untersteiner was born on February 24, 1926 in Merano, Italy, but grew up in Salzburg, Austria. He studied physics at the University of Innsbruk and received his PhD in 1950. He first came to the University of Washington in 1957 as scientific leader of Ice Station Alpha, one of two floating stations in the Arctic Ocean during that time. He then returned to teach in Vienna. In 1962 Untersteiner returned to the University of Washington as a faculty member, becoming a professor of atmospheric science and geophysics in 1967. He developed the thermodynamic sea-ice model in 1963 which he later extended with Gary Maykut, still used by scientists today. In 1968 he established the University's snow and ice graduate curriculum. In 1969 he helped to develop and later lead the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX), which became the template for all subsequent fieldwork in the Arctic. After AIDJEX ended in 1978, the University of Washington formed the Polar Science Center, which later became part of its Applied Physics Laboratory. Untersteiner worked as the scientific advisor for arctic and polar affairs at the Office of Naval Research in 1978, then director of the Ocean Programs Office at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration two years later. He returned to the University of Washington in 1981 where he directed the Polar Science Center until 1988. There he helped to establish the International Arctic Buoy Program, designed for long-term climate monitoring. He chaired the department of atmospheric science from 1988 to 1997. He then moved to the University of Alaska Fairbanks until 2005. Untersteiner died in Seattle on March 14, 2012.

Sources: "Norbert Untersteiner" in Physics Today, 2012, https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/PT.3.1615

"UW's Norbert Untersteiner was pioneer in polar-science research" in The Seattle Times, 22 March 2012, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/uws-norbert-untersteiner-was-pioneer-in-polar-science-research/

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Content Description

Correspondence, reports, articles, meeting minutes, and notes from a University of Washington professor of atmospheric sciences. Materials include Project Husky files, including scientific and technical reports.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 2 series:

  • Series 1, Personal Papers
  • Series 2, Sea Ice Studies- Project Husky

Acquisition Information

Received from Amy Trost, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, 2014-06-30.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Untersteiner, Norbert, 1926-2012--Archives

Geographical Names

  • Arctic regions--Research--Sources

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • University of Washington. University Archives


2020 (Last modified: 3/2/2020)

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