Walter C. Oechel

Last updated
Walter C. Oechel
Born (1945-01-15) January 15, 1945 (age 77)
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Donatella Zona
Scientific career
Fields Ecophysiology, systems ecology, biosphere-atmosphere interaction, and global change.

Walter C. Oechel (born January 15, 1945) is a researcher who studies the areas of plant eco-physiology, systems ecology, global change, and biosphere-atmosphere interaction. [1] At the San Diego State University he is as a Distinguished Professor of Biology, [2] as well as at the Open University, UK. [3] He is also co-director of the Center for Climate and Sustainability Studies (C2S2) and the director of the Global Change Research Group at SDSU. [4]

Research

Oechel has published over 250 papers and his H index is 71. His journal papers have been cited more than 22,000 times. He started his research in eco-physiology with Boyd Strain and WD Billings and moved on to ecosystem studies, global change research, and biosphere-atmosphere interaction. He discovered loss of CO2 from Arctic ecosystems due to global warming [5] and limits to CO2 fertilization effects in the Arctic. [6] With NSF funding, he developed the first university owned and operated EC flux aircraft anywhere in the world, the Sky Arrow 650TCN Environmental Research Aircraft for CO2, H2O, energy and latter CH4.

During the 1980s, Oechel led a team studying global warming at Toolik Lake and Barrow, Alaska to measure the greenhouse gases emitted by high Arctic vegetation, where they found evidence that the ground was emitting more gases than it was absorbing, changing the previous understanding of how the Arctic works in the global climate system. [7]

In 2009 he released a further study showing that wetlands developing in Alaska emitted even more greenhouse gases than the previously frozen tundra. [8] Part of the principle behind these studies is that the Arctic ice had been pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over the millennia, which was released as ice melted due to global warming. [9] He has also shown that the world's oceans add more to the total greenhouse gas emissions than human activity does, adding substantially to global warming issues. [10] The National Science Foundation in 2004 wrote that,

Oechel's extensive work on CO2 on every continent except Antarctica has had important implications for understanding global warming. His efforts impact virtually every aspect of research on climate change and ecosystems science. His use of cutting-edge technology has provided near real-time ecophysiological data on the Web for many K-20 classrooms, and he has developed K-12 interactive science education among United States and Mexico border schools. [11]

That year he was named a Distinguished Teaching Scholar by the National Science Foundation, receiving the Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars, NSF's highest award for combinative teaching and research excellence. [11] Later, Oechel and Donatella Zona coinvented an on-demand heating system for atmospheric measuring towers in order for Arctic scientists to take measurements year-round. [3]

This system allowed the discovery of large fall emissions in methane loss from the Arctic, especially during the fall "Zero Curtain" period. It also allowed the discovery that upland, non-inundated tundra can be a more active emitter of methane than wet, inundated areas changing the perception of the importance of the cold season and upland tundra on annual methane emission balances. Oechel has studied the importance of marine coastal and riverine systems on the global C balance in Arctic, temperate, and tropical regions.

In 2014, Oechel was named one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds", rated by Thomson Reuters, topping the "agricultural sciences" category. [1] In 2015, Oechel co-developed a study with Harvard, NASA, and other institutions that showed methane was also being released into the atmosphere during the winter months from the ground of the Arctic than previously believed, increased the amount of presumed greenhouse gases released globally per year. [12]

Oechel has appeared on national news shows discussing the problem of climate change, such as, ABC News [13] and The Washington Post. [14]

Related Research Articles

Greenhouse effect Atmospheric phenomenon causing planetary warming

The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when energy from a planet's host star goes through its atmosphere and warms the planet's surface, but the atmosphere prevents the heat from returning directly to space, resulting in a warmer planet. Light arriving from our Sun passes through Earth's atmosphere and warms its surface. The warmed surface then radiates heat, which is absorbed by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Without the natural greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be well below freezing. Current human-caused increases in greenhouse gases trap greater amounts of heat, causing the Earth to grow warmer over time.

Global warming potential (GWP) is the heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide. GWP is 1 for CO2. For other gases it depends on the gas and the time frame.

Tundra Biome where plant growth is hindered by frigid temperatures

In physical geography, tundra is a type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sámi word тӯндар meaning "uplands", "treeless mountain tract". There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, and Antarctic tundra.

Scientific consensus on climate change Evaluation of climate change by the scientific community

There is a strong scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and that this warming is mainly caused by human activities. This consensus is supported by various studies of scientists' opinions and by position statements of scientific organizations, many of which explicitly agree with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis reports.

This glossary of climate change is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to climate change, global warming, and related topics.

Climate change Current rise in Earths average temperature and its effects

Contemporary climate change includes both global warming and its impacts on Earth's weather patterns. There have been previous periods of climate change, but the current changes are distinctly more rapid and not due to natural causes. Instead, they are caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide and methane. Burning fossil fuels for energy production creates most of these emissions. Certain agricultural practices, industrial processes, and forest loss are additional sources. Greenhouse gases are transparent to sunlight, allowing it through to heat the Earth's surface. When the Earth emits that heat as infrared radiation the gases absorb it, trapping the heat near the Earth's surface and causing global warming.

Clathrate gun hypothesis

The clathrate gun hypothesis is a proposed explanation for the periods of rapid warming during the Quaternary. The idea is that changes in fluxes in upper intermediate waters in the ocean caused temperature fluctuations that alternately accumulated and occasionally released methane clathrate on upper continental slopes, these events would have caused the Bond Cycles and individual interstadial events, such as the Dansgaard–Oeschger interstadials.

Greenhouse gas emissions Sources and amounts of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere from human activities

Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, causing climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and large oil and gas companies, many state-owned by OPEC and Russia. Human-caused emissions have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 50% over pre-industrial levels. The growing levels of emissions have varied, but it was consistent among all greenhouse gases. Emissions in the 2010s averaged 56 billion tons a year, higher than ever before.

Climate change in the Arctic Impacts of climate change on the Arctic

Major environmental issues caused by contemporary climate change in the Arctic region range from the well-known, such as the loss of sea ice or melting of the Greenland ice sheet, to more obscure, but deeply significant issues, such as permafrost thaw, social consequences for locals and the geopolitical ramifications of these changes. The Arctic is likely to be especially affected by climate change because of the high projected rate of regional warming and associated impacts. Temperature projections for the Arctic region were assessed in 2007: These suggested already averaged warming of about 2 °C to 9 °C by the year 2100. The range reflects different projections made by different climate models, run with different forcing scenarios. Radiative forcing is a measure of the effect of natural and human activities on the climate. Different forcing scenarios reflect, for example, different projections of future human greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change in Russia Emissions, impacts and responses of Russia related to climate change

Climate change in Russia has serious effects on Russia's climate, including average temperatures and precipitation, as well as permafrost melting, more frequent wildfires, flooding and heatwaves. Changes may affect inland flash floods, more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion reduced snow cover and glacier melting, and may ultimately lead to species losses and changes in ecosystem functioning.

Arctic methane emissions Release of methane from seas and soils in permafrost regions of the Arctic

Arctic methane release is the release of methane from seas and soils in permafrost regions of the Arctic. While it is a long-term natural process, methane release is exacerbated by global warming. This results in a positive feedback cycle, as methane is itself a powerful greenhouse gas.

Greenhouse gas Gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range

A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3). Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface would be about −18 °C (0 °F), rather than the present average of 15 °C (59 °F). The atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan also contain greenhouse gases.

Katey Walter Anthony American ecologist

Katey M. Walter Anthony is an Alaskan aquatic ecologist and biogeochemist researching carbon and nutrient cycling between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and the cryosphere and atmosphere.

Sergey Zimov

Sergey Aphanasievich Zimov is a Russian geophysicist who specialises in arctic and subarctic ecology. He is the Director of Northeast Scientific Station, a senior research fellow of the Pacific Institute for Geography, and one of the founders of Pleistocene Park. He is best known for his work in advocating the theory that human overhunting of large herbivores during the Pleistocene caused Siberia's grassland-steppe ecosystem to disappear and for raising awareness as to the important roles permafrost and thermokarst lakes play in the global carbon cycle.

Atmospheric methane Methane present in Earths atmosphere

Atmospheric methane is the methane present in Earth's atmosphere. Atmospheric methane concentrations are of interest because it is one of the most potent greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. Atmospheric methane is rising.

Climate change feedback Feedback related to climate change

Climate change feedbacks are important in the understanding of global warming because feedback processes amplify or diminish the effect of each climate forcing, and so play an important part in determining the climate sensitivity and future climate state. Feedback in general is the process in which changing one quantity changes a second quantity, and the change in the second quantity in turn changes the first. Positive feedback amplifies the change in the first quantity while negative feedback reduces it.

Increasing methane emissions are a major contributor to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, and are responsible for up to one-third of near-term global heating. During 2019, about 60% of methane released globally was from human activities, while natural sources contributed about 40%. Reducing methane emissions by capturing and utilizing the gas can produce simultaneous environmental and economic benefits.

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (SR15) was published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 8 October 2018. The report, approved in Incheon, South Korea, includes over 6,000 scientific references, and was prepared by 91 authors from 40 countries. In December 2015, the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference called for the report. The report was delivered at the United Nations' 48th session of the IPCC to "deliver the authoritative, scientific guide for governments" to deal with climate change.

Greenhouse gas emissions by Russia Greenhouse gas emissions originating from Russia and efforts to reduce them

Greenhouse gas emissionsbyRussia are mostly from fossil gas, oil and coal. Russia emits about 2 billion tonnes CO2eq of greenhouse gases each year; about 4% of world emissions. Annual carbon dioxide emissions alone are about 11 tons per person, more than double the world average. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore air pollution in Russia, would have health benefits greater than the cost. The country is the world's biggest methane emitter, and 4 billion dollars worth of methane was estimated to leak in 2019/20.

Jill L. Bubier is a professor emerita of environmental science at Mount Holyoke College (MHC). Her research examines how Northern ecosystems respond to climate change.

References

  1. 1 2 "Daily Business Report — July 16, 2014, San Diego Metro Magazine". 16 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Joyce, Ed (21 March 2007). "Global Warming Effects Here Now".
  3. 1 2 "NewsCenter - SDSU - Methane Emissions in Arctic Cold Season Higher Than Expected".
  4. ↑ "Troubling Signs of Climate Change Seen in Arctic". ABC News. 7 January 2006.
  5. ↑ Oechel et al. 1993 and 2000, Nature
  6. ↑ Oechel et al. 1994, Nature
  7. ↑ Science, American Association for the Advancement of (11 June 2004). "News this Week". 304 (5677): 1576 – via science.sciencemag.org.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ↑ Witze, Alexandra (4 August 2009). "Drowned tundra emits more carbon". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2009.778 – via www.nature.com.
  9. ↑ Levy, Sharon (22 March 2011). Once and Future Giants: What Ice Age Extinctions Tell Us About the Fate of Earth's Largest Animals. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199831548 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Wohlforth, Charles (4 May 2005). The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change. Macmillan. ISBN   9781429923743 – via Google Books.
  11. 1 2 "NSF Names Eight Distinguished Teaching Scholars - NSF - National Science Foundation".
  12. ↑ Service, City News (21 December 2015). "San Diego State Study Could Change Global Climate Models".
  13. ↑ "Is It Too Late to Stop the Warming?". ABC News. 27 March 2006.
  14. ↑ "Bad news: Scientists say we could be underestimating Arctic methane emissions". The Washington Post .
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