John Stewart Turner

Abstract

Black and white portrait showing John Stewart Turner, an older man with a receding hairline, wearing thick-framed glasses, a light-colored textured suit jacket, a white shirt, and a light-colored tie with a dotted pattern. He smiles slightly and looks directly forward. Below the portrait, his handwritten signature reads J S Turner.

This biography summarizes the life and contributions of John Stewart Turner, a remarkable scientist who provided revolutionary and enduring insights into the physics of fluid flow processes, especially focusing on their roles in the atmosphere, oceans and geological phenomena. He pioneered two new fields: double-diffusive convection and geological fluid mechanics. His approach was to use a combination of simple, yet very insightful laboratory experiments in conjunction with careful mathematical analysis based on perceptive physical reasoning. Stewart explored the range of double-diffusive phenomena that occur in a fluid when it is stratified by two components with different diffusivities, such as heat and salt in the ocean, and made profound discoveries in geological flows such as magmas and vents in the deep sea. He was an extremely supportive mentor to students and junior colleagues and applied these traits to his family, who were the centre of his life.