Michael E. Mann

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Michael E. Mann
Born December 28, 1965 (1965-12-28) (age 46)
Amherst, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Education A.B. applied mathematics and physics (1989), MS physics (1991), MPhil physics (1991), MPhil geology (1993), PhD geology & geophysics (1998)[1]
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley, Yale University
Occupation Climatologist
Employer Pennsylvania State University
Known for Temperature record of the past 1000 years, hockey stick controversy, Climategate
Awards Phillip M. Orville Prize
NOAA Outstanding Scientific Publication
John Russell Mather Paper of the Year
American Geophysical Union Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing
Member of IPCC that shared 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with several hundred other scientists. [2]
Website
Mann's home page
RealClimate

Michael E. Mann (born December 28, 1965) is an American physicist and climatologist, currently director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. He was a Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He has received a number of honors and awards including selection by Scientific American as one of the fifty leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002. He was a member of the IPCC that shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. In 2012 he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and was awarded the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union. He is well known as one of the originators of a graph of temperature trends over the last thousand years, called the "hockey stick graph" because of its shape. The graph was highlighted in the 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Dr Mann is author of more than 140 peer-reviewed and edited publications, and has published two books: Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming in 2008 and The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines, due out in early 2012. He is also a co-founder and avid contributor to the award-winning website "RealClimate.org".

Contents

[edit] Early life

Mann was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. He obtained an A.B. in applied mathematics and physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989, graduating from there with honors. He then studied at Yale University, obtaining an MS in physics in 1991, an MPhil in physics the same year, an MPhil in geology and geophysics in 1993, and a PhD in geology and geophysics in 1998.[1]

[edit] Career

University of Virginia

[edit] Academic posts and publications

From 1999 to 2005 Mann taught at the University of Virginia, in the Department of Environmental Sciences. He then moved to Penn State University.[3] In 2009 he was promoted to professor at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Meteorology and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, and since 2005 has been director of the university's interdepartmental Earth System Science Center.[4] He has been organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences 'Frontiers of Science' and has served as a committee member or advisor for other National Academy of Sciences panels. He served as editor for the Journal of Climate and has been a member of numerous international and U.S. scientific advisory panels and steering groups. He is the lead author or co-author of over 90 scientific publications, the majority of which have appeared in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. He was a lead author on the “Observed Climate Variability and Change” chapter of the IPCC Third Assessment Report (2001).[5] Between 1999 and 2010 he served as principal or co-principal investigator on five research projects funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and four more funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). He was also co-investigator on other projects funded by the NOAA, NSF, Department of Energy, United States Agency for International Development, and the Office of Naval Research.[5]

[edit] Hockey stick graph

Main article: Hockey stick controversy

Mann is best known for his work on the temperature record of the past 1000 years, which has involved reconstructing climatic fluctuations over the past several millennia, based on evidence from tree rings, ice cores, corals and other physical proxies. In 1998 Mann, Raymond S. Bradley and Malcolm K. Hughes co-authored a study titled Global-scale temperature patterns and climate forcing over the past six centuries which included a graph showing an abrupt rise in global temperatures in the late 20th century after centuries of relative stability. In 1999 they extended their study to cover ten centuries, in a paper titled Northern hemisphere temperature during the past millennium: inferences, uncertainties and limitations. The equivalent graph from the 1999 paper was dubbed the "hockey stick" for its shape. His most recent work has focused on the contribution that changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation have made to the pre-industrial climate.[6]

Mann was a lead author of a chapter in the IPCC Third Assessment Report in 2001.[7] The hockey stick graph was prominently featured in the report, and became an iconic symbol of that report and of the scientific consensus on climate change. The methodologies which underlie the hockey stick, as well as numerous papers with similar results, have since become the focus of much controversy. Individuals and groups opposed to the scientific consensus have attempted to use this controversy to advance their views.[8] A 2006 report by the United States National Academy of Sciences supported the conclusions represented by the graph, especially during the period subsequent to 1600 AD, but was critical of the manner in which results from earlier periods were communicated.[9] Mann has said his findings have been "independently verified by independent teams using alternative methods and alternative data sources."[10] More than a dozen subsequent scientific papers produced reconstructions broadly similar to the original graph, and almost all agreed that the warmest decade in the last thousand years was probably that at the end of the 20th century.[11]

[edit] Awards

Mann was awarded the Phillip M. Orville Prize in 1997 for an outstanding dissertation in the earth sciences at Yale University. His co-authorship of a scientific paper published by Nature won him an award from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in 2002, and another co-authored paper published in the same year won the NOAA's outstanding scientific publication award. He was named by Scientific American as one of fifty "leading visionaries in science and technology." The Association of American Geographers awarded him the John Russell Mather Paper of the Year award in 2005 for a co-authored paper published in the Journal of Climate. The American Geophysical Union awarded him its Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing in 2006 to recognize his contributions in reviewing manuscripts for its Geophysical Research Letters journal. Mann's work and that of several hundred other scientists who contributed to the IPCC's Third Assessment Report received recognition with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.[2] In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He was awarded the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2012.[2]

[edit] Climatic Research Unit emails

Main articles: Climatic Research Unit email controversy and Attorney General of Virginia's climate science investigation

In November 2009, hackers obtained a number of Mann's e-mails with climate researchers at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, and published them on the Internet, sparking a controversy dubbed "Climategate" by the media.[12] Pennsylvania State University (PSU) commissioned two reviews related to the emails and Mann's research, which reported in February and July 2010. They cleared Mann of misconduct, stating there was no substance to the allegations, but criticized him for sharing unpublished manuscripts with third parties.[5][13]

Based on the CRU email leak, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli attempted to obtain documents from the University of Virginia relating to several Mann grant applications. The request, which sparked widespread academic condemnation,[14] was denied in August 2010 by a judge for failure to state sufficient cause.[15][16] Cuccinelli has tried to re-open his case by issuing a revised subpoena.[17]

In October, 2010, Mann wrote an op ed in the Washington Post in which he described several past, present and projected attacks on climate science and scientists by politicians, drawing a link between them and "the pseudo-science that questioned the link between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer, and the false claims questioning the science of acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer." Calling them "not good-faith questioning of scientific research [but] anti-science", he called for all his fellow scientists to stand against the attacks.[18]

The Office of the Inspector General (0IG) of the National Science Foundation carried out a detailed investigation, which it closed on 15 August 2011. It agreed with the conclusions of the university inquiries, and exonerated Mann of charges of scientific misconduct.[19][20][21]

[edit] RealClimate

Mann, along with Gavin Schmidt, Stefan Rahmstorf, and others, co-founded the RealClimate website, launched in December 2004. The website's purpose is to provide a site for commentaries by working climate scientists, "for interested public and journalists." It is part of The Guardian's Environmental Network.[22]

[edit] Selected publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae", Pennsylvania State University, accessed August 18, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c PSU People page for Mann
  3. ^ Pearce, Fred, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming, (2010) Guardian Books, ISBN 978-0-85265-229-9.
  4. ^ "Curriculum Vitae for Michael E. Mann". Pennsylvania State University. http://www.meteo.psu.edu/~mann/Mann/cv/cv.html. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  5. ^ a b c "Final Investigation Report Involving Dr. Michael E. Mann". The Pennsylvania State University. June 4, 2010. http://live.psu.edu/fullimg/userpics/10026/Final_Investigation_Report.pdf. Retrieved July 2, 2010. 
  6. ^ Gill, Victoria (2009-11-26). "Past climate anomalies explained". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8381317.stm. 
  7. ^ J.R. Christy, R.A. Clarke, G.V. Gruza, J. Jouzel, M.E. Mann, J. Oerlemans, M.J. Salinger, S.-W. Wang (2001). "Observed Climate Variability and Change". Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521807670. http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_tar/?src=/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/048.htm. 
  8. ^ Fred Pearce (9 February 2010). "Part three: Hockey stick graph took pride of place in IPCC report, despite doubts | Environment". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/09/hockey-stick-graph-ipcc-report. Retrieved 2010-03-08. 
  9. ^ Brumfiel G. (June 2006). "Academy affirms hockey-stick graph". Nature 441 (7097): 1032–3. Bibcode 2006Natur.441.1032B. doi:10.1038/4411032a. PMID 16810211. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v441/n7097/full/4411032a.html. 
  10. ^ Warner, Frank (2010-01-03). "Penn State climate professor: 'I'm a skeptic'". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 2010-07-06. http://www.webcitation.org/5r1sXRN45. Retrieved 2010-07-06. "And in a wide-ranging interview, Mann says that not all global warming science is settled. It's not yet certain, for example, that the heat is reducing the world population of polar bears or that it increases the number of hurricanes, he said." 
  11. ^ Fred Pearce (9 February 2010). "Part four: Climate change debate overheated after sceptics grasped 'hockey stick' | Environment". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/09/hockey-stick-michael-mann-steve-mcintyre. Retrieved 2010-03-08. 
  12. ^ Adam, Karla and Eilperin, Juliet. "Academic experts clear scientists in 'climate-gate'", The Washington Post, April 15, 2010.
  13. ^ Foley, Henry C.; Alan W. Scaroni and Candice A. Yekel (3 February 2010). "RA-10 Inquiry Report: Concerning the Allegations of Research Misconduct Against Dr. Michael E. Mann, Department of Meteorology, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University". The Pennsylvania State University. http://www.research.psu.edu/orp/Findings_Mann_Inquiry.pdf. Retrieved 7 February 2010. 
  14. ^ Walker, Julian (2010-05-19). "Academics fight Cuccinelli's call for climate-change records". The Virginian-Pilot. http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/academics-fight-cuccinellis-call-climatechange-records. 
  15. ^ A judge puts a damper on Mr. Cuccinelli's U-Va. witch hunt Washington Post, August 31, 2010.
  16. ^ Fitzgerald Brendan, Court sets aside Cuccinelli investigation of UVA climate scientist, August 30, accessed December 21, 2010
  17. ^ The Cavalier Daily, October 6, 2010, Cuccinelli orders new investigation
  18. ^ Michael Mann, Washington Post, October 8, 2010, Get the anti-science bent out of politics
  19. ^ National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General, Case Number: A09120086
  20. ^ Efstathiou Jr., Jim (22 August 2011). "Climate-Change Scientist Cleared in Closing of U.S. Data-Altering Inquiry". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-22/climate-change-scientist-cleared-in-u-s-data-altering-inquiry.html. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
  21. ^ "Climate scientist cleared of research misconduct". physicsworld.com, A website from the Institute of Physics. 30 August 2011. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47043. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
  22. ^ Pearce, Fred, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming, (2010) Guardian Books, ISBN 978-0-85265-229-9, pp. VII, XVIII.
    "RealClimate: About". RealClimate. 1 December 2004. http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/about/. Retrieved 2010-09-13. 
    "Welcome climate bloggers". Nature 432 (7020): 933–200. 2004. Bibcode 2004Natur.432Q.933.. doi:10.1038/432933a. PMID 15616516.  edit

[edit] External links

External images
Michael Mann with tree rings
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