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Teaching and Research Interests
My major
teaching and research interests are in Applied Climatology -
the use of climatic information and ideas for the benefit of
society. With the concern for global climate change, this is
usually expressed as investigations of the possible impact of
future climates on specific aspects of society.
Currently I am involved primarily with issues
of water availability and long-term variations in
precipitation and evapotranspiration. The concern is centered on
North Carolina conditions, but does
include the whole of the
Southeast
USA and indeed, through my membership in the IGU
Commission on Water Sustainability, the whole world. I am also
involved in the linkages between climate and health, including
concerns with changes in heat wave frequency and
hurricane-related flooding, using both the historical
observational record and model projections for future
conditions. This
interest is also linked to my teaching of the weather hazards
module of a distance learning course run by UNC School of
Public Health as part of the Certification Program for
Emergency Management personnel.
A long-standing involvement with studies of
solar radiation transfer and the availability of solar energy
as an alternate power source has recently evolved into a study
of how light is depicted by artists working in different
climatic regions. This activity is expanding into
publications, a seminar course, and has led to an
exhibition at the local
Art
Gallery linking the
scientific and artistic depiction of light on the
landscape.
Finally,
my broad training as a physical geographer is reflected in my
exploration of the physical landscape of
North
Carolina and the ongoing development
of a Web site illustrating, describing and explaining aspects
of that landscape. This is linked to the "Geography of North
Carolina" course which I team teach with Professor John
Florin.
Biographical Information
I was born
and raised in
England and was
awarded B.Sc. and M.Phil. Degrees, both in Geography, the
latter specializing in climatology, from the
University of
London,
Kings
College.
My Ph.D., again in Geography with a climate specialization,
was from
McMaster
University,
Hamilton,
Ontario,
Canada. Since 1971
I have been a Geography faculty member (and member of the
Ecology Curriculum) at UNC, and since 1997 an Adjunct
Professor at
North Carolina
State
University.
From 1980 to 1982 I was on leave working in
Washington
DC as the
Assistant Director of the National Climate Program. I returned
to
Washington in 1993 to work
on the development of Regional Climate Centers and the
creation of a National Climate Service (still under discussion
in various circles in the Capital). For a while in the 1970's
I was State Climatologist of North Carolina, and now act as
co-ordinator of the NC State Climate Program.
Some Recent Publications
Robinson, P.J., 2005: “Lightscapes:
The science and art of lighting the landscape”
Ackland
Art
Museum,
Chapel Hill,
NC. August 24 - November 27,
2005
Robinson, P.J. and Chen, F. 2005: “Climate
and changes in water availability in
North
Carolina in the Twentieth Century” in:
Robinson, P.J., Jones J.A. and Wo. M-K. (eds) Managing water
resources in a changing pyysicla and social environment,
Rome, International
Geographical Union. (in press)
Robinson, P.J., 2005: “Weather and
Climate of North Carolina”, Chapel Hill,
University
of
North Carolina
Press (in press)
Robinson, P.J., 2005: “Ice and snow in
paintings of Little Ice Age winters”, Weather, 60 (2), 37-41.
Robinson, P. "Atmospheric Water
Availability for
North
Carolina": in "The Rational Use and Conservation
of Water
Resources in a Changing Environment " by Jones, J.A.A.J.&
Vardanian, T.G., Volume 1,
Yerevan:
Yerevan
State
University Press, 2004,
pp. 195-200.
Robinson, P.J. 2004: “Weather and
Climate” The
North Carolina Atlas Revisited
Robinson, P.J. 2003: “Atmospheric
circulation and inland flooding in Twentieth Century North
Carolina,
USA: Implications
for climate change impacts?” Natural Hazards, 29,
155-172
Robinson, P.J. 2001: "On the definition of a heat wave". J.
Appl. Meteorol.
40, 762-775.
Robinson, P.J., 2000: “Climate”; in Orr,
D.M. and A.W. Stuart (eds.) The North
Carolina Atlas, Chapel Hill,
University
of
North
Carolina Press,
21-30.
Robinson, P.J. 2000: "Temporal
trends in
United States dew
point temperatures".
International Journal of Climatology, 20,
985-1002.
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