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National Medal of Science awarded to JIMO researcher for pioneering work on the effects of CO2 on global climate change
Charles David Keeling, noted JIMO researcher, was awarded the National Medal of Science in a White House presentation on 13 June 2002 for his lifetime achievement in scientific research. His significant studies of the carbon cycle and the increase of atmospheric CO2, have been a pivotal marker in the study of global climate change. Keeling's scientific contributions have affected the scientific, economic and social challenges which confront us today and well into the future.
Keeling was the first to model the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The "Keeling curve" (Figure) encapsulates 45 years of time of series measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide taken atop Mauna Loa, Hawaii. His data confirmed that the increased accumulation of carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels and other industrial products, contributed to the greenhouse effect. Under Keeling's current JIMO research, which is a continuum of his lifetime study of the global carbon cycle, he is developing measurement techniques in analyzing Ar/N2 ratios.
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The "Keeling Curve" confirms a steady increase in carbon dioxide levels contributing to the greenhouse effect. |
Besides his interests in atmospheric chemistry and geochemistry, his comprehensive study of the effects of tidal mixing on climate change spans a 1,000-year period. According to Keeling, strong oceanic tides are the engines behind the warming-cooling cycle that may help determine future climate change.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Keeling received his B.A. degree n chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1948 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1954. Keeling joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1956. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.
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The Joint Institute for Marine Observations (JIMO), located in La Jolla, CA, is a joint institute between NOAA and the University of California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The overall goal of JIMO is to create a center of excellence in which the state of the art observation capabilities such as platforms (surface, subsea, and air/spaceborne), sensors, and systems architecture of both NOAA and Scripps are utilized to fill pressing research needs. Themes supported by the JIMO program reflect the Scripps Institution's unique strengths. These strengths include coupled ocean-atmosphere climate research, blue water and littoral oceanography, marine biology, biological oceanography, marine geology and geophysics, and ocean technology. |
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