Originally published October 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 12, 2007 at 5:46 PM
Northwest scientists played roles in Nobel Peace Prize
Dozens of scientists from the Northwest, primarily from the University of Washington and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration...
Seattle Times environment reporter
Dozens of scientists from the Northwest, primarily from the University of Washington and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, have played various roles in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the Nobel Peace Prize today.
The United Nations panel, which includes thousands of scientists worldwide who have produced detailed reports on global warming, shared the prize with former Vice President Al Gore for work on climate change.
Some scientists, such as David Battisti, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences who has researched how natural El Niño cycles and climate variability fit with climate change, contributed raw science to the understanding of global warming.
Others, such as UW Professor Mike Wallace, reviewed chapters of many complex IPCC reports, scrutinizing them to make sure they included only the most defensible science.
"I'm part of a large community of scientists who have worked on various problems related to global warming, but other people have really put in the work and gone to innumerable meetings and done an enormous amount of research and writing," Wallace said.
"Those people justly deserve a lot of credit for gradually turning public opinion in the direction of acknowledging the existence of global warming," he said. "For them, it's been an extremely thankless job."
A few, such as Phil Mote and Ed Miles, both with UW's Climate Impacts Group, have been lead authors on portions of the IPCC's reports. Miles wrote a chapter about marine policy in the mid-1990s; Mote wrote one of the 11 most recent chapters released earlier this year, which discussed changes in snow, ice and tundra.
Dominique Bachelet, an Oregon State University biology professor who works in Olympia as a scientist for the Nature Conservancy, also authored chapters of earlier IPCC reports.
"I think a lot of us who study the issue would be delighted if we could have just gone about studying the issues and left the policy stuff to politicians," said Mote, who this weekend is scheduled to give a lecture in Seattle titled "Global Climate Change: Hoax or Catastrophe."
"So I'm really pleased that the Nobel committee recognized the importance of the issue," he said. "It elevates it in a way nothing else could."
Craig Welch: 206-464-2093 or cwelch@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 01:12 AM
Round 2: Snow slams Mid-Atlantic, points north
UPDATE - 12:53 AM
Officials: Afghan avalanches kill 157 people
UPDATE - 12:46 AM
Political supporters clash in streets of Sri Lanka
UPDATE - 12:32 AM
Storm dumps rain, hail, snow in SoCal
UPDATE - 12:30 AM
World stocks rise as Europe debt crisis fears ease

nwautos
Associated Press Study: Fatal crashes down in Washington Last year Washington's roads were the scene of the fewest fatal crashes since 1955. According...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Five reasons to stick with a job you hate -- for now
Post a comment
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Husky Football Blog | Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
- State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
- Idol Confessions | "American Idol" hopeful from Seattle didn't make it to Hollywood afterall
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- Nicole Brodeur | Chrisceda Clemmons' house wasn't the only casualty
- Brier Dudley's Blog | Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail "Buzz"
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
278 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
249 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
248 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
231 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
210 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
127 - Bus-tunnel attack while guards watched prompts review of Metro security
113 - White House mocks Sarah Palin from podium
91
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- How clean are those pre-washed salad greens?
- Answers to biggest Olympic TV questions
- Jerry Brewer | Huskies softball pitcher Danielle Lawrie: A star on the field, not in her mind
- Rick Steves' Europe | What's new in Rome and Venice for 2010








