Newswise — In the coming weeks, former Vice President Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," (www.climatecrisis.net), will be released nationally and in the San Diego region beginning June 9. The movie focuses on problems associated with global warming-driven changes and draws attention to climate change issues.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has been at the forefront of climate change research for more than 50 years, beginning with the early studies of Charles David Keeling on carbon dioxide concentrations and the vision of former Scripps Director Roger Revelle of the future of the planet and the impact of greenhouse gases.
In an effort to engage the public and help them understand the issues featured in "An Inconvenient Truth," Scripps has compiled a list of qualified graduate students and faculty who have volunteered to be contacted regarding questions related to the film. Their expert insights can help raise awareness of the importance of the film and also exemplify scientists' willingness to contribute to public understanding of these critical issues.
SCRIPPS/UCSD EXPERTS
FACULTY
TIM BARNETT: Tim Barnett, a research marine geophysicist in the Climate Research Division at Scripps, has conducted extensive research on climate impacts associated with global warming. His studies focus on the physics of climate change and long-range climate forecasting. Barnett investigates global atmospheric and oceanic conditions to understand global climate fluctuations (including El Niño forecasting), the effects of land processes on climate change, and the recognition of greenhouse gas signals (such as sea-level rise). He also specializes in the detection of human-caused signals associated with global warming.
DANIEL CAYAN: Daniel Cayan is a research meteorologist in the Climate Research Division at Scripps. Cayan leads federal- and state-sponsored projects to develop and provide climate information to decision makers about the impacts of climate variability and climate change in the California region. His research is focused on understanding how climate affects the water cycle and related issues in the western United States.
RALPH KEELING: Ralph Keeling is a professor whose research centers around studying the causes of recent changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and their relation to climate changes. He has made pioneering measurements of changes in atmospheric oxygen concentrations and is continuing a program to measure changes in carbon dioxide begun by his father, the late Charles D. Keeling. This latter program includes the well-known Mauna Loa record, the "Keeling Curve."
NANCY KNOWLTON: Nancy Knowlton is director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps. Her research interests include coral reefs and climate change, including coral bleaching and the acidification of the oceans, as well as general coral reef biology/ecology.
NAOMI ORESKES: Naomi Oreskes is a professor of history and director of the Program in Science Studies at UCSD. She studies the historical development of scientific knowledge, methods and practices in the earth and environmental sciences. Oreskes' most recent work deals with the science of climate change. Her 2004 essay "The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change," which is referenced in "An Inconvenient Truth," led to op-ed pieces in The Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle, and has been widely cited, including in The New Yorker, USA Today, and the Royal Society's publication, "A Guide to Facts and Fictions About Climate Change."
ENRIC SALA: Enric Sala, deputy director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps, can comment on the biological effects of global warming on coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs, wetlands and polar seas.
RICHARD SOMERVILLE: Richard Somerville is a distinguished professor at Scripps. His research interests are in atmospheric and environmental science, particularly climate theory and numerical weather prediction. He is a general expert on global climate change and is a specialist in computer modeling of the climate system. Somerville has presented testimony before the U.S. Congress, has briefed U.N. climate change negotiators and has advised federal agencies on research, education and outreach.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
SARAH GLASER: Sarah Glaser's research involves ocean food webs, particularly those involving commercial fishes such as tuna. She can answer questions about the effects of climate change on commercial fisheries and general climate impacts on marine communities.
NEIL GORDON: Neil Gordon's studies focus on how cloud properties might change with surface warming brought about by climate change. He can discuss the role that clouds and water vapor play in amplifying or mitigating human-produced climate change.
TAKURO KOBASHI: Takuro Kobashi can answer questions regarding past climate change, specifically "abrupt" climate changes, how climate varied in the past, the last "Greenhouse world" around 50 million years ago (when the polar region did not have ice sheets) and past climatic impacts on human society.
GUILLAUME MAUGER: Guillaume Mauger's research focuses on the interactions of pollution (aerosols) and clouds. He can answer questions about clouds, aerosol-cloud interactions and global dimming.
MEGAN MCKENNA: Megan McKenna's research focuses on how marine organisms deal with their changing physical environment, with a specific focus on noise pollution. Her knowledge is general on the topic of climate change but she can address related topics, particularly those with relevance to marine biology.
ALEX RUANE: Alex Ruane's area of expertise includes diurnal cycles of water and energy and climate policy.
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