Washington, D.C.-—The American Geophysical Union (AGU) announced on June 30 that Christopher Field will receive the Roger Revelle Medal. Field is director of Carnegie’s Department of Global Ecology.
The medal is awarded annually in recognition of “outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate or related aspects of the Earth system.”
For more than two decades, Field has forged new approaches to understanding the large-scale function of the Earth system. He has made major contributions to physiological ecology, ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, and climate science. He has testified before U.S. Congressional and Senate committees on climate-change impacts and his research is covered widely by the international media. He has authored more than 200 scientific publications that have been cited over 49,000 times.
Field is also co-chair of Working Group 2 of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Working Group 2 examines climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. A summary report for policymakers and the underlying scientific and technical assessment were approved at the 10th session of the group held in Japan in March of this year.
Carnegie president Richard A. Meserve remarked: “Chris’s vision, passion, and commitment have yielded major contributions to climate science. He exemplifies Andrew Carnegie’s original purpose to support exceptional, creative individuals to pursue their vision for the benefit of humankind.”
Field received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and his Ph.D. from Stanford. He was awarded the BBVA Climate Change Award in January 2014, the Max Planck Research Prize in 2013, and the Heinz Award in 2009. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, and a leader in a wide range of other national and international organizations.
Established in 1991, the Revelle Medal is named in honor of Roger Revelle, who made substantial contributions to the awareness of global change. Revelle served as an AGU section president for the Ocean Sciences section 1956–1959.
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The Department of Global Ecology was established in 2002 to help build the scientific foundations for a sustainable future. The department is located on the campus of Stanford University, but is an independent research organization funded by the Carnegie Institution. Its scientists conduct basic research on a wide range of large-scale environmental issues, including climate change, ocean acidification, biological invasions, and changes in biodiversity.