Roger A. Pielke
Encyclopedia
Roger A. Pielke, Sr. is an American meteorologist with interests in climate variability and climate change
, environmental vulnerability, numerical modeling
, atmospheric dynamics, land/ocean
- atmosphere
interactions, and large eddy/turbulent boundary layer
modeling. He particularly focuses on mesoscale weather
and climate
processes but also investigates on the global, regional, and microscale. Pielke is an ISI
Highly Cited Researcher.
at Pennsylvania State University
in 1969 and 1973, respectively.
From 1971-1974 he worked as a research scientist at the NOAA
Experimental Meteorology Lab, from 1974-1981 he was an associate professor at the University of Virginia
, served the primary academic position of his career as a professor at Colorado State University
from 1981–2006, was deputy of Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
at Colorado State University from 1985–1988, from 1999-2006 was Colorado State Climatologist, at Duke University
was a research professor from 2003–2006, and was a visiting professor at the University of Arizona
from October–December 2004. Since 2005, Pielke has served as Senior Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
(CIRES) at UC-Boulder and an emeritus professor of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. He retired from CSU and in post-retirement is a CIRES researcher.
Pielke has served as Chairman and Member of the American Meteorological Society Committee on Weather Forecasting and Analysis, as Chief Editor of Monthly Weather Review
, was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
in 1982 and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
in 2004, has served as Editor-in-Chief of the US National Science Report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
, as Co-Chief Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
, and as Editor of Scientific Online Letters on the Atmosphere.
However, Pielke has criticized the IPCC
for its conclusions regarding CO2
and global warming
and accused it of selectively choosing data to support a selective view of the science.
In 2010 Pielke revisited a question provided by Andrew Revkin
"Is most of the observed warming over the last 50 years likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas
concentrations", Pielke stated that the answer "remains No", and that "there are other equally or even more important significant human climate forcings
".
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, environmental vulnerability, numerical modeling
Computer simulation
A computer simulation, a computer model, or a computational model is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system...
, atmospheric dynamics, land/ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
- atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
interactions, and large eddy/turbulent boundary layer
Planetary boundary layer
The planetary boundary layer , also known as the atmospheric boundary layer , is the lowest part of the atmosphere and its behavior is directly influenced by its contact with a planetary surface. On Earth it usually responds to changes in surface forcing in an hour or less...
modeling. He particularly focuses on mesoscale weather
Mesoscale meteorology
Mesoscale meteorology is the study of weather systems smaller than synoptic scale systems but larger than microscale and storm-scale cumulus systems. Horizontal dimensions generally range from around 5 kilometers to several hundred kilometers...
and climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
processes but also investigates on the global, regional, and microscale. Pielke is an ISI
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
Highly Cited Researcher.
Background
Pielke was awarded a B.A. in mathematics at Towson State College in 1968, and then an M.S. and Ph.D. in meteorologyMeteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1969 and 1973, respectively.
From 1971-1974 he worked as a research scientist at the NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
Experimental Meteorology Lab, from 1974-1981 he was an associate professor at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, served the primary academic position of his career as a professor at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
from 1981–2006, was deputy of Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere provides a mechanism to link the scientific and technical resources of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and Colorado State University.The CIRA research themes are:* Global and...
at Colorado State University from 1985–1988, from 1999-2006 was Colorado State Climatologist, at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
was a research professor from 2003–2006, and was a visiting professor at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
from October–December 2004. Since 2005, Pielke has served as Senior Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences is a research institute that is sponsored jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado at Boulder.- Quick facts :* Established in 1967 as...
(CIRES) at UC-Boulder and an emeritus professor of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. He retired from CSU and in post-retirement is a CIRES researcher.
Pielke has served as Chairman and Member of the American Meteorological Society Committee on Weather Forecasting and Analysis, as Chief Editor of Monthly Weather Review
Monthly Weather Review
The Monthly Weather Review is a scientific journal published by the American Meteorological Society.Topics covered by the journal include research related to analysis and prediction of observed and modeled circulations of the atmosphere, including technique development, data assimilation, model...
, was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
in 1982 and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
in 2004, has served as Editor-in-Chief of the US National Science Report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the scientific study of the Earth using geophysical and geodesic techniques. The IUGG was established in 1919. Some areas within its scope are environmental preservation, reduction of the effects of...
, as Co-Chief Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
The Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences is a scientific journal published by the American Meteorological Society...
, and as Editor of Scientific Online Letters on the Atmosphere.
On climate change
Pielke has a somewhat nuanced position on climate change, which is sometimes taken for skepticism, a label that he explicitly renounces. He has said:- the evidence of a human fingerprint on the global and regional climate is incontrovertible as clearly illustrated in the National Research Council report and in our research papers (e.g. see
[ http://blue.atmos.colostate.edu/publications/pdf/R-258.pdf]). http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=186#comment-4426
However, Pielke has criticized the IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
for its conclusions regarding CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and accused it of selectively choosing data to support a selective view of the science.
In 2010 Pielke revisited a question provided by Andrew Revkin
Andrew Revkin
Andrew C. Revkin is a journalist and author who has spent a quarter of a century covering subjects ranging from the assault on the Amazon to the Asian tsunami, from the troubled relationship of science and politics to climate change at the North Pole. From 1995 through 2009, he covered the...
"Is most of the observed warming over the last 50 years likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
concentrations", Pielke stated that the answer "remains No", and that "there are other equally or even more important significant human climate forcings
Radiative forcing
In climate science, radiative forcing is generally defined as the change in net irradiance between different layers of the atmosphere. Typically, radiative forcing is quantified at the tropopause in units of watts per square meter. A positive forcing tends to warm the system, while a negative...
".
Publications
Professor Pielke has published more than 300 scientific papers, 50 chapters in books, and co-edited 9 books. A listing of papers can be viewed at the Pielke Research Group website.- Pielke, R.A., 1984: Mesoscale Meteorological Modeling. 1st Edition, Academic Press, New York.
- Pielke, R.A., 1990: The Hurricane. Routledge Press, London.
- Cotton, W.R. and R.A. Pielke, 1995: Human impacts on weather and climate, Cambridge University Press, New York.
- Pielke, R.A., 1995: A primer on weather and climate.
- Pielke, R.A. and R.P. Pearce, Editors, 1994: Mesoscale modeling of the atmosphere. American Meteorological Society Monograph, Volume 25.
- Pielke, R.A., Jr. and R.A. Pielke, Sr., 1997: Hurricanes: Their nature and impacts on society. John Wiley and Sons, England.
- Pielke, R.A., Jr. and R.A. Pielke, Sr., Editors, 2000: Storms, Volumes I and II, Routledge Press, London.
- Pielke, R.A, Sr.., 2002: Mesoscale meteorological modeling. 2nd Edition, Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
- Kabat, P., Claussen, M., Dirmeyer, P.A., J.H.C. Gash, L. Bravo de Guenni, M. Meybeck, R.A. Pielke Sr., C.J. Vorosmarty, R.W.A. Hutjes, and S. Lutkemeier, Editors, 2002: Vegetation, water, humans and the climate: A new perspective on an interactive system. Global Change - The IGBP Series Springer
External links
- Research Group profile
- Climate Science - the weblog of the Roger A. Pielke Sr. Research Group
- List of publications