05/02/2005
ARM Principal Investigator Receives Prestigious Award
Summary
In January 2005, Dr. Graeme Stephens who is a research professor at Colorado State University and a Principal Investigator in DOE’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, received the Jule G. Charney Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The Charney Award is given to individuals in recognition of highly significant research or development achievement in the atmospheric or hydrologic sciences. The award is given in honor of Jule Charney, who played a major role in establishing the theoretical framework on which numerical weather prediction is based. Dr. Stephens was given the award for “pioneering advances in understanding and measuring radiation processes and their role in climate.” He has been funded by the ARM since 1990. Dr. Stephens is particularly involved in research related to the role of clouds in climate, and their effect on the Earth’s radiation budget. One of his most recent papers entitled “Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review” (Journal of Climate, Jan. 2005) emphasizes the important link between cloud dynamics and the Earth’s climate.