Stephen E. Schwartz
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Stephen E. Schwartz (born 1941) is an atmospheric scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He has served since 2004 as the Chief Scientist of the Atmospheric Science Program of the United States Department of Energy. The program is charged with developing a comprehensive understanding of how the atmosphere processes energy related trace chemicals, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur, aerosols and carbon dioxide. The current focus is on aerosols and carbon dioxide.
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[edit] Education
Schwartz graduated Magna cum laude from Harvard University, earned his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellow at University of Cambridge.
[edit] Professional
He is a member of a number of professional organizations and has been elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science and Fellow of International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry. He was named ISI Highly Cited researcher in 2006.
[edit] Scientific Contributions
[edit] Acid Rain
Schwartz was a leading scientist in the area of atmospheric sulfur and acid rain. Schwartz authored "the study some credit with spurring acid rain legislation in the 1990s."[1]
[edit] Global Warming
In 2007, Schwartz published a new estimate of climate sensitivity to rising carbon dioxide.[2] Schwartz estimated climate sensitivity based on the heat capacity and the time constant of the climate system. Heat capacity was estimated with ocean heat content and the time constant by perturbations and relaxations in the surface temperature record. His estimate of climate sensitivity was about one-third of the most recent estimate by the IPCC. Schwartz's estimate has been criticized by climate researchers Grant Foster, James Annan, Gavin Schmidt and Michael Mann. In their analysis, Schwartz's method produces climate lag times that are "unrealistically low in comparison to the known behaviour of the models in response to changes in GHG forcing." [1]
Despite his lower estimate for sensitivity, Schwartz is still concerned about global warming. Schwartz explained his research by saying "it means that the climate is less sensitive to [carbon dioxide] than currently thought, which gives some breathing room, but a lower sensitivity does not solve the long-term problem that would result from continued buildup of [carbon dioxide]."[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Lawrence Solomon (September 01, 2007). The aerosol man. National Post. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Stephen E. Schwartz (September 17, 2007). HEAT CAPACITY, TIME CONSTANT, AND SENSITIVITY OF EARTH'S CLIMATE SYSTEM. Brookhaven National Laboratory. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Anna Gustafson (September 06, 2007). Things are heating up. The North Shore Sun. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
