Somerville, Richard (19..-....)

Richard C. J. Somerville is Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Research Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, U. S. A. He is a theoretical meteorologist and an expert on computer simulations of the atmosphere. He received the Ph. D. in meteorology from New York University in 1966 and has been a professor at Scripps since 1979. Somerville is a theoretical meteorologist. His research is focused on critical physical processes in the climate system, especially the role of clouds and the important feedbacks that can occur as clouds change with a changing climate. Using a broad spectrum of observations, ranging from satellite images of storm systems to detailed measurements of microscopic cloud particles, Somerville compares computer simulations with reality. His work has led to many innovations and important improvements in climate models. He is an authority on the prospects for climate change in coming decades. Richard Somerville's interests include all aspects of climate, including climate science outreach and the interface between science and public policy. He comments frequently on climate and environmental issues for the media. He was an organizer of the Bali Climate Declaration by Scientists, in which more than 200 expert climate scientists from more than 20 countries urged climate change negotiators in 2007 to agree on large and rapid reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions. Somerville has received awards from the American Meteorological Society for both his research and his popular book, The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, a new edition of which was published in 2008. Among many honors, he is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Meteorological Society. Richard Somerville is a Coordinating Lead Author for the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize equally with Al Gore.

References :

· Much additional information is available at Richard Somerville’s web site http://richardsomerville.com. On this site, available downloads include lists of Somerville’s publications, a curriculum vitae, contact information, sample writings, and ordering information for The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change. This web site also provides many links, including links to streaming video of several recent lectures by Richard Somerville.

· A short biography is attached. It contains a link to my web site http://richardsomerville.com which contains many links and downloads.

· (ii) A list of my three most relevant papers (also on http://richardsomerville.com )

· Reflections on the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Bali http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/reflections-the-un-climate-change-negotiations-bali

· 2007 Bali Climate Change Declaration by Scientists http://www.ccrc.unsw.edu.au/news/2007/Bali.html/

· The Ethics of Climate Change http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=1365

· The 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (AR4): www.ipcc.ch

· The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, second edition (2008), by Richard C. J.Somerville: http://forgivingair.com (also available from amazon.com)