Oceanographer Carl Wunsch Receives BBVA Award
How does the global ocean regulate the climate—and how does global warming impact the ocean? American scientist Carl Wunsch (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was one of the first to recognize that a global observing system is needed to answer these questions. He developed innovative methods that have had a decisive impact on ocean research over the past decades. His pioneering achievements have now been honored with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change and Environmental Sciences category.
Crucial contributions to ocean observation programs
“Wunsch’s research has been instrumental in the design of ongoing global ocean observation programs, which underpin current estimates of an alarming increase in ocean heat content in response to increasing greenhouse gases,” said Bjorn Stevens, director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) and chair of the selection committee, at the award announcement in Madrid. Among the research programs initiated by Wunsch are the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE, 1990–1998), providing the first-ever “snapshot” of the global ocean circulation, and the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite mission (1992–2006), which for the first time accurately measured global sea level.
“Wunsch’s approach epitomizes the power of collaborative science to answer fundamental questions on the future trajectory of the climate system and its consequences for life on the planet,” said Stevens.
MPI-M Director Jochem Marotzke, who worked closely with Wunsch as a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1990s, added: “This award highlights Carl Wunsch’s groundbreaking achievements, which play a foundational role for our understanding of the ocean’s role in the climate system. Over a long period, his work has initiated pioneering international research activities and inspired countless ocean researchers. I, too, am personally indebted to him for many valuable impulses.”
About the BBVA Awards
The BBVA “Frontiers of Knowledge” Awards were established in 2008 to recognize outstanding contributions in various scientific, technological, and artistic fields, as well as knowledge-based responses to the central challenges of the 21st century. The main objectives of the BBVA Foundation are the promotion of world-class scientific research and cultural creation, and its transmission to society.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Jochem Marotzke
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
jochem.marotzke@mpimet.mpg.de
Prof. Dr. Bjorn Stevens
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
bjorn.stevens@mpimet.mpg.de