Tyler Volk

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Tyler Volk
TylerVolk.photo.for.NYU.web.jpg
Born
U.S.A.
Education New York University (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Doctoral advisor Martin Hoffert
Website

Tyler Volk is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Biology at New York University.

Contents

His areas of interest include principles of form and function in systems (described as metapatterns), environmental challenges to global prosperity, CO2 and global change, biosphere theory and the role of life in earth dynamics.

Books

Tyler Volk has authored seven books, most recently, Quarks to Culture: How We Came to Be [1]

Quarks to Culture explores the rhythm within what Tyler Volk calls the "grand sequence," a series of levels of sizes and innovations building from elementary quanta to globalized human civilization. The key is "combogenesis," the building-up from combination and integration to produce new things with innovative relations. Themes unfold in how physics and chemistry led to biological evolution, and biological evolution to cultural evolution. Volk develops an inclusive natural philosophy that brings clarity to our place in the world, a roadmap for our minds." [2] Quarks to Culture was reviewed in Science in January 2018. [3]

His previous books include: CO2 Rising: The World’s Greatest Environmental Challenge, [4] What is Death?: A Scientist Looks at the Cycle of Life, [5] Gaia's Body: Toward a Physiology of Earth, [6] and Metapatterns: Across Space, Time, and Mind. [7]

Environmental studies and teaching

With Dale Jamieson, Christopher Schlottmann, and others, Volk helped plan and develop the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Program launched at New York University in Fall 2007. In Fall 2014, Environmental Studies [8] became a department in NYU’s Faculty of Arts and Science. Volk was awarded NYU’s “Golden Dozen” teaching award for academic years 2003-2004 [9] and 2007-2008. [10] In academic year 2008-2009 Volk received an all-university Distinguished Teaching Award. [11]

Biosphere science

Volk works toward knowledge about life on a global scale; past, present, and future. His collaborative research contributed to understanding the biosphere, with "biosphere" defined as the integrated system of atmosphere, ocean, soil, and life. [12] Volk's modeling of the global carbon cycle quantified biological versus physical-chemical impacts on the distribution of carbon and other elements in world's oceans. [13] [14]

Throughout deep time, biological evolution has been as important as purely physical forcings in shaping Earth's thermal and chemical states. [15] For instance, the evolution of plankton with shells of calcium carbonate increased the steady-state level of atmospheric CO2 and therefore pushed Earth's climate toward additional greenhouse warmth. [16] The evolution of flowering plants (angiosperms) had the opposite effect, cooling the Earth by enhancing chemical weathering rates on the continents and thereby lowering the steady-state levels of CO2. [17]

Volk's work with colleague David Schwartzman showed that an overall “biotic enhancement of weathering,” including activities by ancient bacterial mats and crusts, cooled the Earth by 30 or more degrees C (best estimates) relative to the baseline of an abiotic Earth. [18] Without an initial downward forcing of global temperature by the microbes, certain proteins would not have had enough stability for higher forms of life to evolve, such as plants. [19]

At the American Geophysical Union's Chapman Conference on the Gaia Hypothesis (Valencia, Spain, 2000), Volk served on the program committee and his presentation was published in 2004, “Gaia is life in a wasteworld of by-products.” [20] Clarifying a distinctive version of the Gaia-biosphere, Volk introduced concepts such as “biochemical guilds,” by-products, and “cycling ratios” across several works. [21] He debated terms such as “regulation” and issues about the structure of “Gaia” with James Lovelock, Tim Lenton, and David Wilkinson. [22] [23] Volk also publicly debated Axel Kleidon on the role of entropy in the biosphere. [24]

NASA advanced life support

Working for NASA on futuristic space projects, Volk built math models for the cycling of elements in what were called "closed ecological life support systems" (CELSS). From 1986-1998, he was active in this research subfield of advanced life support, helping NASA plan the systems that might someday keep astronauts alive on the Moon and Mars. With colleague John Rummel, he developed some of the first computer models to connect the flows and chemical transformations of crop production, human metabolism, and waste processing. [25] [26] Volk then turned attention to the modeling of crop growth and development for enhanced productivity, collaborating with experimentalists at Utah State University and at NASA centers in Florida, Texas, and California, in particular publishing with crop physiologists Bruce Bugbee of Utah State University and Raymond Wheeler of Kennedy Space Center, [27] as well as with his Ph.D. students Francesco Tubiello and James Cavazonni. [28] [29]

Related Research Articles

Gaia philosophy is a broadly inclusive term for relating concepts about, humanity as an effect of the life of this planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lovelock</span> English scientist (1919–2022)

James Ephraim Lovelock was an English independent scientist, environmentalist and futurist. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon cycle</span> Natural processes of carbon exchange

The carbon cycle is that part of the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of Earth. Other major biogeochemical cycles include the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many rocks such as limestone. The carbon cycle comprises a sequence of events that are key to making Earth capable of sustaining life. It describes the movement of carbon as it is recycled and reused throughout the biosphere, as well as long-term processes of carbon sequestration (storage) to and release from carbon sinks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate variability and change</span> Change in the statistical distribution of climate elements for an extended period

Climate variability includes all the variations in the climate that last longer than individual weather events, whereas the term climate change only refers to those variations that persist for a longer period of time, typically decades or more. Climate change may refer to any time in Earth's history, but the term is now commonly used to describe contemporary climate change, often popularly referred to as global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, the climate has increasingly been affected by human activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paleoclimatology</span> Study of changes in ancient climate

Paleoclimatology is the scientific study of climates predating the invention of meteorological instruments, when no direct measurement data were available. As instrumental records only span a tiny part of Earth's history, the reconstruction of ancient climate is important to understand natural variation and the evolution of the current climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaia hypothesis</span> Scientific hypothesis about Earth

The Gaia hypothesis, also known as the Gaia theory, Gaia paradigm, or the Gaia principle, proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxygen cycle</span> Biogeochemical cycle of oxygen

Oxygen cycle refers to the movement of oxygen through the atmosphere (air), biosphere (plants and animals) and the lithosphere (the Earth’s crust). The oxygen cycle demonstrates how free oxygen is made available in each of these regions, as well as how it is used. The oxygen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle of oxygen atoms between different oxidation states in ions, oxides, and molecules through redox reactions within and between the spheres/reservoirs of the planet Earth. The word oxygen in the literature typically refers to the most common oxygen allotrope, elemental/diatomic oxygen (O2), as it is a common product or reactant of many biogeochemical redox reactions within the cycle. Processes within the oxygen cycle are considered to be biological or geological and are evaluated as either a source (O2 production) or sink (O2 consumption).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biogeochemistry</span> Study of chemical cycles of the earth that are either driven by or influence biological activity

Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment. In particular, biogeochemistry is the study of biogeochemical cycles, the cycles of chemical elements such as carbon and nitrogen, and their interactions with and incorporation into living things transported through earth scale biological systems in space and time. The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or influence biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus cycles. Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.

A metapattern is a pattern of patterns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere</span> Atmospheric constituent and greenhouse gas

In Earth's atmosphere, carbon dioxide is a trace gas that plays an integral part in the greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, photosynthesis and oceanic carbon cycle. It is one of three main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of Earth. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reach 427 ppm (0.04%) in 2024. This is an increase of 50% since the start of the Industrial Revolution, up from 280 ppm during the 10,000 years prior to the mid-18th century. The increase is due to human activity.

Throughout Earth's climate history (Paleoclimate) its climate has fluctuated between two primary states: greenhouse and icehouse Earth. Both climate states last for millions of years and should not be confused with the much smaller glacial and interglacial periods, which occur as alternating phases within an icehouse period and tend to last less than 1 million years. There are five known icehouse periods in Earth's climate history, namely the Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Late Paleozoic and Late Cenozoic glaciations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonate–silicate cycle</span> Geochemical transformation of silicate rocks

The carbonate–silicate geochemical cycle, also known as the inorganic carbon cycle, describes the long-term transformation of silicate rocks to carbonate rocks by weathering and sedimentation, and the transformation of carbonate rocks back into silicate rocks by metamorphism and volcanism. Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere during burial of weathered minerals and returned to the atmosphere through volcanism. On million-year time scales, the carbonate-silicate cycle is a key factor in controlling Earth's climate because it regulates carbon dioxide levels and therefore global temperature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geological history of oxygen</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary boundaries</span> Limits not to be exceeded if humanity wants to survive in a safe ecosystem

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Paul G. Falkowski is an American biological oceanographer in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His research work focuses on phytoplankton and primary production, and his wider interests include evolution, paleoecology, photosynthesis, biogeochemical cycles and astrobiology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmospheric carbon cycle</span> Transformation of atmospheric carbon between various forms

The atmospheric carbon cycle accounts for the exchange of gaseous carbon compounds, primarily carbon dioxide, between Earth's atmosphere, the oceans, and the terrestrial biosphere. It is one of the faster components of the planet's overall carbon cycle, supporting the exchange of more than 200 billion tons of carbon in and out of the atmosphere throughout the course of each year. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remain stable over longer timescales only when there exists a balance between these two flows. Methane, Carbon monoxide (CO), and other human-made compounds are present in smaller concentrations and are also part of the atmospheric carbon cycle.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred T. Mackenzie</span> American sedimentary biogeochemist (1934–2024)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine biogeochemical cycles</span>

Marine biogeochemical cycles are biogeochemical cycles that occur within marine environments, that is, in the saltwater of seas or oceans or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. These biogeochemical cycles are the pathways chemical substances and elements move through within the marine environment. In addition, substances and elements can be imported into or exported from the marine environment. These imports and exports can occur as exchanges with the atmosphere above, the ocean floor below, or as runoff from the land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine biogenic calcification</span> Shell formation mechanism

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References

  1. ↑ Volk, Tyler (May 2017). Quarks to Culture: How We Came to Be. USA: Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0231179607.
  2. ↑ Volk, Tyler (April 2017). Quarks to Culture. ISBN   978-0-231-54413-9 . Retrieved April 10, 2017.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Wood, Barry (19 Jan 2018). "Quarks, culture, combogenesis". Science. 359 (6373): 281. doi:10.1126/science.aar8252.
  4. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2008). CO2 Rising: The World's Greatest Environmental Challenge . USA: The MIT Press. ISBN   978-0-262-22083-5.
  5. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2002). What is Death?: A Scientist Looks at the Cycle of Life. USA: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   0-471-37544-6.
  6. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1998). Gaia's Body: Toward a Physiology of the Earth. USA: Copernicus Books/Springer-Verlag. ISBN   0-262-72042-6.
  7. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1996). Metapatterns: Across Space, Time, and Mind. Columbia University Press. ISBN   9780231067515.
  8. ↑ "NYU Department of Environmental Studies".
  9. ↑ "NYU Teaching Awards 2004".
  10. ↑ "NYU Teaching Awards 2008".
  11. ↑ "Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients".
  12. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2009), How the biosphere works," in Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in Age of Crisis, E. Crist and B. Rinker (eds.), The MIT Press, pp. 27-40.
  13. ↑ Volk, Tyler; Hoffert, Martin (1985), "Ocean carbon pumps: analysis of relative strengths and efficiencies in ocean-driven atmospheric CO2 changes", in E. T. Sundquist and W. S. Broecker (ed.), The Carbon Cycle and Atmospheric CO2: Natural Variations Archean to Present, vol. Geophysical Monograph 32, American Geophysical Union, Wash., D.C., pp. 99–110
  14. ↑ Volk, Tyler; Liu, Z. (1988). "Controls on CO2 sources and sinks in the earthscale surface ocean: temperature, nutrients". Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 2: 73–89. doi:10.1029/gb002i002p00073.
  15. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1998). Gaia's Body: Toward a Physiology of the Earth. USA: Copernicus Books/Springer-Verlag. ISBN   0-262-72042-6.
  16. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1989). "Sensitivity of climate and atmospheric CO2 to deep-ocean and shallow-ocean carbonate burial". Nature. 337 (6208): 637–640. doi:10.1038/337637a0.
  17. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1989). "Rise of angiosperms as a factor in long-term climatic cooling". Geology. 17 (2): 107–110. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0107:roaaaf>2.3.co;2.
  18. ↑ Schwartzman, David W.; Volk, Tyler (1989). "Biotic enhancement of weathering and the habitability of Earth". Nature. 340 (6233): 457–460. doi:10.1038/340457a0.
  19. ↑ Schwartzman, David (1999). Life, Temperature, and the Earth . Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-10212-4.
  20. ↑ Volk, T. (2004). “Gaia is life in a wasteworld of by-products,“ in Scientists Debate Gaia, S. H. Schneider, et al. (eds.), Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 27—36.
  21. ↑ Volk, Tyler (1998). Gaia's Body: Toward a Physiology of the Earth. USA: Copernicus Books/Springer-Verlag. ISBN   0-262-72042-6.
  22. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2003). "Seeing deeper into Gaia theory: A reply to Lovelock's response". Climatic Change. 57: 5–7. doi:10.1023/a:1022193813703.
  23. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2003). "Natural selection, Gaia, and inadvertent by-products: A reply to Lenton and Wilkinson's response". Climatic Change. 58: 13–19. doi:10.1023/a:1023463510624.
  24. ↑ Volk, Tyler (2007). "The properties of organisms are not tunable parameters selected because they create maximum entropy production on the biosphere scale: A by-product framework in response to Kleidon". Climatic Change. 85 (3–4): 251–258. doi:10.1007/s10584-007-9319-3.
  25. ↑ Volk, Tyler; Rummel, John D. (1987). "Mass balances for a biological life support system simulation model". Advances in Space Research. 7 (4): (4)141-(4)148. doi:10.1016/0273-1177(87)90045-7. hdl: 2060/19880002890 . PMID   11537263.
  26. ↑ Rummel, John D.; Volk, Tyler (1987). "A modular BLSS simulation model". Advances in Space Research. 7 (4): (4)59-(4)67. doi:10.1016/0273-1177(87)90033-0. hdl: 2060/19880002878 . PMID   11537271.
  27. ↑ Volk, Tyler; Bugbee, Bruce; Wheeler, Raymond M. (1995). "An approach to crop modeling with the energy cascade". Life Support & Biosphere Science. 1: 119–127.
  28. ↑ Tubiello, Francesco N.; Volk, Tyler; Bugbee, Bruce (1997). "Diffuse light and wheat radiation-use efficiency in a controlled environment". Life Support & Biosphere Science. 4: 77–85.
  29. ↑ Cavazzoni, James; Volk, Tyler; Stutte, Gary (1997). "A modified Cropgro model for simulating soybean growth in controlled environments". Life Support & Biosphere Science. 4: 43–48.
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