Corryn Wetzel
Early Tuesday morning, three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their decades of work exploring the hidden forces that govern Earth’s complex atmosphere. Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi received the award for their independent, groundbreaking research, which provides the basis for current climate models and has contributed to alarming man-made climate change at an early stage.
« The discoveries recognized this year show that our knowledge of the climate rests on a solid scientific foundation, based on a thorough analysis of the observations, ”said Thors Hans Hansson, chairman of the Nobel Committee on Physics. « This year’s award winners have all helped us to gain deeper insights into the properties and evolution of complex physical systems. » Associated atmosphere with rising temperatures on the earth’s surface. Rob Picheta and Katie Hunt report for CNN that his first climate model was based on a computer that had half a megabyte of memory and took up an entire room, and provided the basis for the climate models used by science today. A decade later, Klaus Hasselmann from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg created a reliable mathematical model that links weather and climate. Around 1980 advanced scientist Giorgio Parisi from the Sapienza University in Romeâ ???? Understanding hidden patterns in apparently chaotic physical systems – from tiny atoms to giant planets.
« Today’s climate researchers stand on the shoulders of these giants who laid the foundation for our understanding of the climate system. » Says Ko Barrett, senior climate consultant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told reporters for the New York Times. « It is important to understand that climate science is built on the foundations of physics » She says.
Together, the pioneering work of Manabe, Hasselmann, and Parisi unraveled the secrets of the tiniest parts of the natural world in our atmosphere to help us better understand large and complex physical systems. Their discoveries form the basis for current climate models that help predict the major warming and weather events that scientists expect to intensify in the years to come. In August, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report showing global temperatures are rising and are likely to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Warmer temperatures change the climate system and can lead to more extreme droughts, floods and fires. The committee’s decision will be made just weeks before the world leaders meet for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The winners will also receive 10 million Swedish kronor – over $ 1.1 million – with half going to be shared Manabe and Hasselman and the other half goes to Parisi, reports Linda Geddes from the Guardian. Last year’s Nobel Prize in Physics went to Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, and Andrea Ghez for their work that contributed to our understanding of the universe, including the black holes. Yesterday’s Physiology or Medicine award went to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their work on our perception of warmth and touch. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be awarded on Wednesday, Literature Thursday, and the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday. The Nobel Prize in Economics will be announced on October 11th.
Corryn Wetzel
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Corryn Wetzel is a freelance science writer based in Brooklyn. Her work has also appeared in Audubon Magazine, National Geographic, and others.
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