Allan Robinson; developed ways to understand oceans

The Bourne resident died Sept. 25 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, after cardiac arrest. He was 76.

Described by family members and colleagues as a deep thinker, Dr. Robinson was born in Lynn in 1932. Even as a child, he showed interest in the sciences. Graduating in 1950 from Marblehead High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard in 1954.

As a junior at Harvard, he met Marguerite Stern, a freshman at Radcliffe. The two wed in June 1955 and eventually had three daughters.

Dr. Robinson balanced family and academic pursuits, remaining at Harvard to complete a master’s in physics in 1956, and a PhD in the discipline in 1959. He remained affiliated with the university for the next five decades, throughout his career as a researcher and professor.

Colleagues described him as a pioneer in theoretical and numerical ocean modeling, the practice of making determinations about ocean water circulation through the use of computer simulation. His work is said to have fostered the emergence of interdisciplinary work in ocean science and fluid dynamics.

During the 1960s and ’70s, he spearheaded a number of ship-based ocean explorations designed to study the accuracy of his ocean current models, compared with data from the currents and water properties he collected at sea. The work gave the scientific world the first comprehensive overview of how ocean circulation is affected by pockets of ocean weather that create the high and low pressure systems that affect the climate on land.

By the 1980s, Dr. Robinson was working on a system that could use data about such weather pockets, known as eddies, to predict the effect on oceans. The system, called HOPS for Harvard Ocean Prediction System, also proved extremely useful to the US military.

In 1986, during the latter part of the Cold War, an unprecedented influx of Russian nuclear attack submarines prompted a US Navy officer in charge of surveillance to commission Dr. Robinson to use the HOPS to help him track the submarines.

In a Jan. 20, 2000, interview with the Harvard Gazette, Dr. Robinson recalled his initial exchange with that Navy officer:

“It was immediately apparent what was happening . . . ‘I not only can tell you what the problem is, I can find the ‘holes in the sea’ where subs could be hiding,’ ’’ he recalled telling the Navy officer.

The HOPS, according to historians, ultimately helped Navy commanders spot a significant number of enemy submarines during the Cold War. For his pioneering work, Dr. Robinson was awarded the 1991 Distinguished Educator’s Award in Ocean Science from the Office of Naval Research.

“Allan was one of the founding fathers of geophysical fluid dynamics,’’ said Pierre F.J. Lermusiaux, associate professor of mechanical engineering and ocean science and engineering at MIT. “He guided generations of students and research scientists, enabling them to make their own significant contributions. He was driven by a passionate pursuit of quantitative understanding of the sea.’’

Paul C. Martin, a research professor of pure and applied physics at Harvard, recalled that Dr. Robinson’s “fascination with the ocean was legendary and consuming.’’

This passion was coupled with a dedicated teaching record. During his tenure at Harvard, he served as adviser to nearly 30 doctoral students and 25 postdoctoral fellows. He was most recently a Gordon McKay Professor of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Emeritus, in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Dr. Robinson had also received honorary doctorates from the University of Liège in Belgium and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

He also wrote or edited 150 research articles and books, and served as editor in chief of the academic journal Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans.

In a 1999 special issue of the publication, Dr. Robinson was honored as a colleague who “set an exceptionally high standard in ocean science.’’

“For more than 50 years,’’ Martin said, “through his research, his teaching, and his governmental advising, [Dr. Robinson] added immensely to understanding of ocean processes and their consequences. He will be missed.’’

Besides his wife, of Brookline, Dr. Robinson leaves his daughters Sarah of Brookline, Perrine Robinson-Geller of Millburn, N.J., and Laura of Santa Monica, Calif.; and a sister, Gladys Meltzer of Albany, N.Y.

A memorial service will be held at Harvard in the spring.