AGU ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

Looking for Editor-in-Chief

Our section is looking for a new Editor-in-Chief for this newsletter beginning January 2011. Duties include: collecting and distributing announcements of activities related to Atmospheric Sciences, Section news, interviews, scientific news, reports from meetings, and job announcements. You will manage a team of Contributor Editors and will decide about the contents of each issue. If you desire to contribute to the AGU as an active part of our community in a engaging and interesting role, this is a good opportunity. You will participate in the Atmospheric Sciences Section and work with top researchers and leaders in the community. Also, you will develop communication skills and enjoy visibility among an AGU Section with more than 10,000 affiliates. We encourage your application. Open to everyone, this is an excellent opportunity for an advanced Ph.D. candidate or postdoctoral researcher. Part-time professionals might also consider applying. To apply, send a statement of your background and interest in doing the job, along with a CV to Prof. Alan Robock ([email protected]).

war, effects of volcanic eruptions on climate, It is not the role of the societies to advocate Interview with Alan regional atmosphere-hydrology modeling, specific policies in response to scientific and soil moisture variations. He serves as findings. But we need to make sure that our Robock Editor of Reviews of Geophysics, the most science is not misrepresented in policy Hans von Storch highly cited journal in the Earth Sciences. His discussions. And we need to defend scientists honors include being a Fellow of the who are attacked for just doing their job. For American Meteorological Society and a example, it is important to issue a Fellow of the American Association for the condemnation of Virginia Attorney General Advancement of Science (AAAS). Professor Kenneth Cuccinelli’s ongoing attack on Robock is a Lead Author of the upcoming academic freedom at the University of Fifth Assessment Report of the Virginia, and in particular on the work of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Michael Mann. It is also the role of our which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in societies to advocate for funding for our 2007. He currently serves as Past-President of scientific research and for improved science the Atmospheric Sciences Section of AGU and education throughout the school system from Chair of the Atmospheric and Hydrospheric kindergarten through universities. Sciences Section of AAAS. Some people see political adversaries at work, who want to undermine the authority You have important positions in both of science, and advocate different world AGU and AAAS. What is the role of such views, for instance creationists or climate organizations in times of climate change and change deniers. How should science deal the sometimes difficult interaction of with such challenges? A young Alan Robock, in Kauai in 1990. policymaking, politics and science? We have to deny the deniers. However, we Dr. Alan Robock is a Professor II I am currently the Past President of the are not trained as politicians or in public (Distinguished Professor) of climatology in AGU Atmospheric Sciences Section and the relations. And we do not have the massive the Department of Environmental Sciences at Chair of the AAAS Atmospheric and budget available to those whose interest is in Rutgers University. He graduated from the Hydrospheric Sciences Section. The primary confusing the public about global warming, University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1970 role of these societies is to produce excellent so they can continue to sell products that use with a B.A. in Meteorology, and from the peer-reviewed journals to publish the results the atmosphere as a sewer and produce Massachusetts Institute of Technology with of our science. In addition, the other major global warming. The one thing we can all do an S.M. in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1977, both in role of AGU is to provide the Fall Meeting as individuals is continue to produce good Meteorology. Before graduate school, he and other smaller meetings to enable science. I think we also have an obligation to served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the scientists to meet, share their recent results, explain our science to community groups, Philippines. He was a professor at the and organize new scientific projects. In schools, friends, and in the media. I offer University of Maryland, 1977-1997, and the addition, it is the role of both societies to courses and lectures at my university for non- State Climatologist of Maryland, 1991-1997, inform the public and policymakers about the scientists. I never say "no" when asked to give before coming to Rutgers. At Rutgers he science we have produced in a form that they a talk at a school, at a senior-living center, at a directs the Rutgers Undergraduate can understand. One mechanism is seminars Rotary Club, or on television. For example, I Meteorology Program. Professor Robock has in Washington, DC, for Congressional staffers appeared on CNN twice in November, 2009, published more than 290 articles on his and others working on policy issues. The during the Copenhagen conference. Although research in the area of climate change, AAAS Annual Meeting also serves this the network found it necessary to provide including more than 165 peer-reviewed purpose, by presenting new science in a way people to debate the science with me, it was papers. His areas of expertise include that non-experts can understand. easy to counter them and I felt good geoengineering, climatic effects of nuclear (continues on the next page)

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about the opportunity to educate a much because the use to which scientific knowledge general circulation modeling centers, with larger audience than I usually address. will be put cannot be known in advance, it is models, computers, and technical support, Through our societies, IPCC, and difficult to define a priori what is good. In my are crucial to science, but they also need to be individually, we just have to continue to tell value system, scientists should work hard on combined with curiosity-based work by people about what we know. For our topics about which they are curious, and individual investigators and small groups. individual careers we have to publish in peer- publish their work so that all can be able to Instinct is important to recognize new reviewed literature. But for the good of the access the new knowledge. But if you find concepts when analyzing data and model planet, we also have to inform the general that your work can be used for what you outputs. I am always inspired when I think of public. consider to be evil purposes, then it is your Ed Lorenz recognizing chaos when he got obligation not to do the work. If you find diverging results after repeating a calculation How do you see the role of the IPCC, for dangers to society as a result of your work, it started with slightly different initial the public, for science and for policymakers? is your obligation to warn society of them. If conditions. It is the role of IPCC to assess the latest you find positive contributions you can make What would you consider the most two science and give an objective, non-political from your work, it is good to work on those significant achievements in your career? view of what we know and what we do not aspects. know, so that the public and policymakers The most significant achievement is my What do you think about the relationship can make informed decisions in response to work on nuclear winter. In the 1980s, by between science and media? climate change. The IPCC has a rigorous running climate model simulations, doing writing and reviewing process, which insures With a few exceptions, the media does a studies of the impacts of forest fire smoke on that all information is evaluated and poor job of educating the public about surface temperature, and by writing about considered without prejudice. Working science. I think that is because they do not see policy implications, I am proud to have been Group I, The Scientific Basis, for which I am a that as their job. Their job is to sell part of the team that warned the world of the Lead Author for the Fifth Assessment Report newspapers (or whatever the current medium danger of the use of nuclear weapons. and which is now being written, has is), and they do this by sensationalizing their Nuclear winter theory led to a vigorous produced very detailed reports, with no stories. They exaggerate new results, rather discussion of the direct effects of the use of errors that have been discovered. Minor errors than treating them as incremental hypotheses. nuclear weapons and a realization that the in the last Working Group II report have been They try to find conflict rather than nuclear arms race was crazy and dangerous, exploited by global warming deniers, but the agreement. And they are taught in journalism and that the use of nuclear weapons would be entire report provides an excellent summary school that you need to show both sides of suicide. This led directly to the end of the of the global consensus on climate change, each issue. This is a fair way to treat political nuclear arms race, several years before the and there are no other legitimate views that views, for example, but not to treat our field end of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev, should be taken seriously. As for the impact of endeavor, where by and large there is a then leader of the Soviet Union, described in on science, IPCC does not generate or drive consensus and agreement on basic an interview in 1994 how he felt when he got science – it only assesses science, but understanding. In addition, science control of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, "Perhaps questions it brings up do inspire curiosity- journalists are disappearing from major there was an emotional side to it…. But it was driven research. For example, the global media outlets, and not being replaced. For rectified by my knowledge of the might that climate modeling community is now some reason, editors think they need had been accumulated. One-thousandth of conducting the Coupled Model specialists to report on sports, but that general this might was enough to destroy all living Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5), the results reporters can report on science. The result is things on earth. And I knew the report on of which will form the basis for much of the quite uninformed news articles, often with ‘nuclear winter.’" And in 2000 he said, analysis in the Fifth IPCC Assessment, which errors, and a diminishing understanding of "Models made by Russian and American will be completed in 2013. science by the public. Therefore, we need to scientists showed that a nuclear war would seek independent means of getting scientific result in a nuclear winter that would be Is there a politicization of atmospheric information to the public, and not depend on extremely destructive to all life on Earth; the science? the media. knowledge of that was a great stimulus to us, When our science has policy implications, to people of honor and morality, to act in that What is the subjective element in those affected, such as oil and coal companies, situation." [Robock and Toon, 2000] scientific practice? Does culture matter? act politically. However, I have not found the What is the role of instinct? I am now working with Brian Toon and process of science among scientists in my other colleagues to warn the world that the discipline to be politicized. Ideas advance on Subjectivity cannot be removed from current reduced American and Russian their merits, not based on who writes them or science. To start with, we make subjective arsenals can still produce nuclear winter, and due to any outside influence. The editorial judgments about what research to undertake. that even a nuclear war between India and process works, by using peer-review, and We make subjective decisions about stopping Pakistan could produce climate change serves to improve scientific content and certain lines of research. And we make unprecedented in recorded human history. communication of new ideas. As we all know, subjective choices about how much time to We are frustrated that people are not paying things sometimes slipthrough that later prove spend on our work, and on how to divide our as much attention to our results as people did to be wrong, but the scientific process, by work time on research, teaching, previously, but I was honored in September, continuing to evaluate and question accepted administration, and public outreach. Both 2010, by an invitation from Fidel Castro to ideas with new ideas and data, corrects such scientific culture and different national come to Cuba and give a talk about nuclear issues. cultures affect how we behave, and how winter. He listened for an hour to my talk and scientific research programs are organized What constitutes "good" science? then wrote extensively about the need to rid and funded. My feeling is that large the world of nuclear weapons. For the story Because new scientific knowledge that will organized projects such as those that develop (continues on the next page) be created is by definition unknown, and satellite and other observing programs or

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of my trip, please visit: spread too thin at the beginning, they will not http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Cuba/ learn as well how to be a scientist. Only after Douglas R. Worsnop: becoming a scientist in a discipline can they The other most significant accomplishment contribute to an interdisciplinary team. Kaufman Award winner is my contribution to the understanding of the effects of volcanic eruptions on climate, Anna B. Harper including the winter warming phenomenon. Congratulations to Dr. Douglas Worsnop These results are summarized in my most for receiving the Yoram J. Kaufman Award for highly cited paper, Robock [2000], and since Unselfish Cooperation in Research. As then I have continued to work with my evidenced by his credentials, Worshop’s students on this topic by producing an update research career and collaborations cover a ice-core-based time series of volcanic forcing range of disciplines and span many miles. He for the past 1500 years and to better is the Vice President of Aerodyne Research, understand the effects of high latitude Inc. (ARI), the Director of their Center for eruptions. Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry, and a Finland When you look back in time, what were Distinguished Professor in Physics at the the most significant, exciting or surprising University of Helsinki. Worsnop is co-author developments in atmospheric science? of more than 200 publications, as of January 2010. He was named an AGU Fellow in 2007. In 1974,when I was a graduate student at MIT and my Masters’ advisor, Norman Worsnop earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Phillips, left, I talked with other faculty Harvard University in 1982, and then spent members looking for an advisor and Ph.D. three years in Freiburg, Germany, as a dissertation topic. Ed Lorenz told me, Humboldt Fellow in physics. International "Climate would be a good field to get into collaborations have benefited his personal these days." It was brilliant advice and I was life, as well, because he met his wife while in lucky enough to follow it. I found in my Ph.D. Germany. In 1985, they moved back to the U.S. and Worsnop started working at dissertation that increasing CO2 would affect future climate and published the first Aerodyne Research, Inc., a private company transient climate model simulation of the that provides R&D services and advanced instrumentation in areas such as atmospheric effects of CO2 on climate [Robock, 1978]. What is surprising and exciting to me is how this and environmental science, energy and topic has slowly, and now more rapidly Signed photo of Fidel Castro Ruz and Alan Robock, propulsion technologies. One landmark grown to become a dominant issue for the September 14, 2010, taken in Havana after the milestone in his career was developing the nuclear winter lecture by Alan Robock. planet. It is the subject of international Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), which enables ambient field measurements of negotiations, political campaigns, criminal References theft of private emails, and multi-million the chemical composition of sub-micron sized Robock, A. (1978), Internally and externally dollar lobbying and disinformation particles. His work with the AMS has created caused climate change. J. Atmos. Sci., 35, campaigns by multi-national corporations. the opportunity for numerous collaborations. 1111-1122. Another topic is the increasing skill of As one nomination letter stated, "The AMS Robock, A. (2000), Volcanic eruptions and weather forecasts. When I was younger and community is an amazing collection of climate. Rev. Geophys., 38, 191-219. told people I was a meteorologist, they said, people who work in Doug’s spirit: together "You guys are always wrong." Now they say, Robock, A., and O. B. Toon (2010), Local they improve the instrument, develop the "Will it rain tomorrow?" Although we clearly nuclear war, global suffering. Scientific science, share ideas, work openly and support understand that there is fundamental limit to American, 302, 74-81. each other." predictability, accurate weather forecasts have Worsnop also enjoys advising and become more and more an assumed part of mentoring graduate students and post- people’s lives for several days into the future. The opinions presented in the interview doctoral scientists, something not usually do not necessarily represent those of the available for people in the private sector, but Would you recommend that students go interviewer or the AGU. into an interdisciplinary degree program? his passion for these things has prompted him to pursue opportunities beyond No. To work in an interdisciplinary or Aerodyne’s walls. multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary field, first you need to have a discipline. Certainly Another nomination reads: "Doug progress in science depends on various Worsnop stands for everything that the late members of a team contributing their own Yoram Kaufman symbolized: altruism, expertise, but each person needs to be an enthusiasm, curiosity-driven science and the expert in a field. I would tell students to go willingness to share it, and an unstoppable deep into a narrow area, learn how to be a will to spend time with young and scientist, learn various techniques, such as established scientists in order to help them do data analysis, instrumental design, and real and exciting science." modeling, learn how to write papers and Worsnop made time in his busy schedule proposals, and most importantly learn how to to tell us a little more about himself, as he ask scientific questions. If a person becomes (continues on the next page)

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