ESSC: Earth System Science Center

News and Events

Volcano, credit NPS Tree rings may underestimate climate response to volcanic eruptions
A new study by Dr. Michael Mann and his colleagues posits that tree rings, often used as a proxy for temperature changes, may not capture intense short-term changes like cooling due to large volcanic eruptions. This study, published in Nature Geoscience, compares temperature reconstructions from tree-ring data to climate models driven by past volcanic eruptions.
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More information about this study >>
Read news summary from the Summit County Citizen's Voice >>
Image Credit: National Parks Service

Climate scientists not cowed by relentless climate change deniers
Physics Today discusses the coordinated effort to undermine climate science by attacking and intimidated climate scientists. Dr. Michael Mann comments on the attacks which he discusses in his new book The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars.
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Volcanic eruptions emerge as lead cause for Little Ice Age
New research into the onset and timing of the Little Ice Ago posits that a series of volcanic eruptions in the tropics helped trigger the climatic shift. Dr. Michael Mann comments on the study.
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Richard Alley on Challenges, Choices and Climate Change
This article from Forbes profiles ESSC scientist Dr. Richard Alley and gets his thoughts on the current state of the climate and ways we can and should combat climate change.
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Richard Alley to speak on climate change
ESSC scientist Dr. Richard Alley will be speaking at the School of International Affairs (SIA) about climate change on January 19, 2012. This talk is part of the SIA's Colloquium on Global Issues. The talk will be at 11:15am in 116 Lewis Katz building on Penn State's main campus.
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Michael Mann touts skeptics, targets "deniers"
The C-Ville Weekly covers the recent keynote speech given by Dr. Michael Mann at Enviroday 2012 at the University of Virginia. Mann discussed his upcoming book and the influence of media on the public's perception of science and scientists.
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Mann, Pollard elected Fellow of American Geophysical Union
Dr. Michael Mann and Dr. David Pollard are among the scientists in 2012 class of elected Fellows of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). They are both being recognized for their groundbreaking research into climate change.
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Scientist says greenhouse gases causing global warming
The News & Advance (Lynchburg, VA) covered the lastest lecture by Michael Mann on climate change and the need for urgent action to combat emissions.
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Climate balancing: Sea-level rise vs. surface temperature change rates
Recent research suggests geoengineering approaches which seek to reduce incoming solar energy as a way to combat rising greenhouse gas levels are an imperfect solution to the challenges of climate change. This research suggest that strategies for combating climate change need to balance the problems of sea-level rise as well as surface temperature changes. ESSC scientists Dr. Klaus Keller and Dr. Ryan Sriver participated in the research and comment on the findings.
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Michael Mann: The climate scientist who the deniers have in their sights
Dr. Michael Mann is profiled in this article from the Independent (UK). The article discusses the attacks against Mann's work since the publication of the first of his"hockey stick" journal articles in 1998.
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Wild weather hits Latin America
CBS News covers the recent spate of extreme weather in Latin America. Dr. Michael Mann comments on the role of climate change in weather events.
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Rise of atmospheric oxygen more complicated than previously thought
Rock cores from the 2007 Fennoscandia Arctic Russia - Drilling Early Earth Project (FAR DEEP) campaign suggest that the emergence of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere most likely occurred over a series of events rather than one singular event. This research was undertaken by a group headed by ESSC scientists Dr. Lee Kump and Dr. Michael Arthur.
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What do U.S. students know about climate change?
In this article in the American Geophysical Union's EOS, Dr. Kevin Theissen discusses the state of climate change communication in undergraduate education. He acknowledges the roles of books such as Dr. Michael Mann and Dr. Lee Kump's Dire Predictions in increasing climate science literacy.
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Mann to recieve Hans Oeschger Medal from European Geosciences Union
ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann has been awarded the 2012 Han Oeschger Medal from the European Geosciences Union (EGU). This medal recognizes his accomplishments within the field of climate science. This prestigious award was established in 2001 to honor outstanding scientists whose work is related to past, present, and future climates.
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Sticking to Climate Science
ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann responds to Scientific American's recent interview of Dr. Richard Muller.
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Alley to receive Heinz award
ESSC Scientist Dr. Richard Alley will receive a Heinz Award for his work in climate and polar ice studies as well as outreach through program like "Earth: The Operators' Manual." The Heinz Awards, given by the Heinz Family Foundation, recognizes those who have made a significant contribution benefitting the environment.
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A discernable human influence: Schneider and climate change
Miller-McCune covers the impact of Dr. Stephen Schneider on climate science and communication following a memorial symposium in late August. ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann comments on the support and vision that Schneider provided for the community.
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Federal auditors find no evidence to support 'Climategate' accusations
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has ended its investigation of ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann after declaring, "No direct evidence has been presented that indicates [he] fabricated the raw data he used for his research or falsified his results." This is the latest organization to declare the climate-change research to be valid.
Read Grist article >>
Read article from Penn State's Daily Collegian >>
Read NSF report [PDF] >>

Climate-change science makes for hot politics
ESSC scientist Dr. Richard Alley lays out some basic facts and physics in this Washington Post article about the politicization of climate-change science among front-runners for the Republical presidential nomination.
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Record-breaking heat might be here to stay
July was a record-breaking month for many areas of the United States, including a record-hot July in Wilmington, DE. Dr. Michael Mann comments in this Delaware News Journal story that this sultry pattern may become more frequent with greenhouse gas-induced climate change.
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The Capital Green Scene interview: Dr. Michael Mann
WVCR's Capital Green Scene interviewed Dr. Michael Mann about the "hockey stick" graph and the rest of his research on climate change. He also discusses the attacks on climate change research and researchers over the last several years.
Listen to the interview>>

Sulphur from Chinese power stations 'masking' climate change
A recent scientific paper in Proceedings of the National Academies of Science argues that increasing sulfur emissions from power plants in China have led to a flattening of the global surface temperature curve over 1998-2008. Dr. Michael Mann comments on the study in these two reports.
Read Science News article >>
Read Guardian article >>

Climate-change politics: The sceptic meets his match
This article from Nature News highlights the systematic attacks of the Heartland Institute and its leader Joe Bast on the science of climate change. Despite efforts to cherry-pick contrarian results to cast doubt on the credibility and consensus of the science, more scientists (85% in 2008) agree that human activity plays a role in climate change. ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann comments.
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The front line of climate wars
ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann recently gave a lecture at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. His talk focused on the reality of climate change and the continuing research on quantifying impacts. He also addressed the attacks he has endured as a result of his work on climate change.
Read Albany Times-Union article >>
Read Millbrook Independent article >>
Photo courtesy the Albany Times-Union.

Tracking, predicting, and planning for sea-level rise
ESSC Scientist Dr. Raymond Najjar was interviewed for a WHYY's Radio Times program on rising sea levels and impacts. He answered questions based on his research into climate change scenarios, sea-level rise, and impacts on estuaries.
Listen to the show >>

Experts warn epic weather ravaging US could worsen
AFP writes about this year's extreme weather and the likelihood of extremes under the current climate change scenario. Dr. Michael Mann offers his insight on the effects of warming on extreme events.
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Salt marsh sediments help gauge climate-change-induced sea level rise
Scientists, including ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann, have recently released a new 2,000 year record of changes in sea level. This new record, derived from salt water sediment cores taken from the salt water marshes of North Carolina, should provide further insight into past and future climate change.
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Read the article and access the supplementary information >>
Read the National Science Foundation press release >>

Penn State expert determined to find life on Earth-like planets
This profile of ESSC Scientist Dr. James Kasting details his latest work in applying knowledge gained about early Earth to identifying other Earth-like planets capable of supporting life. He has written a book to explain some of this research. The book, called "How to Find a Habitable Planet," can be found here.
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Photo Courtesy Penn State Public Relations

Carbon release to atmosphere 10 times faster than in the past
Graduate student Ying Cui, ESSC Scientist Dr. Lee Kump, and their colleagues have published a new study in Nature Geoscience that estimates that the current rate of carbon release to the atmosphere is 10 times greater than during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 55.9 million years ago). The PETM is often regarded as an analog for current and future changes in climate, but the faster release of carbon in the modern era could mean that ecosystems may not be able to adapt to changes.
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Read Journal article (subscription required) >>

ESSC Scientist Richard Alley to host new PBS program
Starting April 10, 2011, PBS will feature ESSC scientist Dr. Richard Alley in a new program "Earth: the Operator's Manual." Alley will be hosting and has written a companion book to the series.
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Image Courtesy ETOM website

EESI Environmental Scholar Keeps His Eye on Hurricanes
EESI Environmental Scholar Michael Kozar and his graduate research are profiled in this article. Kozar is enrolled in the Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate program within the department of Meteorology. He is presently working with ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann and MIT scientist Dr. Kerry Emanuel on a master's thesis dealing with Atlanic tropical cyclones over the past millenium.
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DOE grant joins climate modeling with local, regional empirical data
A new Department of Energy (DOE) grant will bring together resources of observational climate data and climate model developers in the hopes of improving climate models and projections. Several Penn State scientists and students will be involved with the project, including ESSC researchers Dr. Klaus Keller and Dr. Chris Forest.
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Faculty receive WUN support for global research partnerships
Four Penn State faculty members, including ESSC Scientist Dr. Lee Kump, have been selected to receive funding from the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Research Development Fund. Dr. Kump will run an ocean acidification workshop in conjunction with researchers from other universities.
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ESSC Director elected to AAAS Office
ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann has recently been elected to a 4-year term as Member-at-Large of the Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences Section of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
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Keller uses Earth system analysis to improve climate decisions
In this profile from the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI), ESSC scientist Dr. Klaus Keller discusses his research into climate change decision making. Through his Center for Climate Risk Management (CLIMA), Keller balances climate science, ethics, and economics into a risk management strategy.
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Could climate change have led to the fall of Rome?
ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann recently appeared on NPR's All Things Considered to discuss a recent Science article. The article, written by a team of Swiss scientists, used tree-ring data to show that the end of the Roman Empire coincided with a period of changes in the climate system. Dr. Mann comments on the study and how scientists are able to reconstruct past climates using tree-ring data.
Read more and listen to the interview>>

Dr. Michael Mann appears on CBC with George Stroumboulopoulos
Dr. Michael Mann recently appeared on CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight in a piece about climate change and polar bears. Dr. Mann spent 5 days in Churchill in mid-November 2010 working with Polar Bears International.
Watch Now >>

Polar Bears, Climate Change, and How Each of Us Can Help
ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann recently appeared in this webcast for Polar Bears International (starts at 0:38). Panelists are Dr. Steven C. Amstrup, Dr. Michael Mann, Raine Maida, Chantal Kreviazuk, and George Stroumboulopoulos.

Penn State provides processing power for new international "weather-at-home" experiment
A new project by the U.K. Met Office and the website climateprediction.net kicks off this week. The program is expanding on the existing "Weather@home" project where anyone with a computer and internet access can contribute to climate research. ESSC scientist Dr. Chris Forest has set up one server at Penn State with another on the way to help store and process the data generated.
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Dr. Michael E. Mann: Get the anti-science bent out of politics
ESSC Director Dr. Michael Mann's recent op-ed in the Washington Post remarks on the scientific implications from recent attacks on climate science by politicians.
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NSF Awards Major Climate Change Education Grant to Consortium
The National Science Foundation has awarded a Climate Change Education grant to a consortium of zoos, universities, and other institutions. This group, led by the Chicago Zoological Society, includes the Earth System Science Center.
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Forest selected as a lead author for IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
ESSC scientist Dr. Chris Forest has been selected to be one of the lead authors in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He will be working on Chapter 9 of Working Group I: "Evaluation of Climate Models." Dr. Richard Alley, another ESSC scientist, will be working as a review author of Chapter 13 in Working Group I: "Sea Level Change."
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Wildlife study says summer heat waves to rise locally
Ed Perry of the National Wildlife Federation appeared with ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann and others to present the latest update to the Federation's regional outlook titled, "More Extreme Heat Waves: Global Warming’s Wake Up Call."
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Greenland ice sheet faces 'tipping point in 10 years'
The Guardian reports on testimony before Congress by ESSC scientist Dr. Richard Alley and other notable scientists. Alley noted that a rise in temperature between 2C and 7C could result in the loss of Greenland's ice sheet and a notable rise in sea level.
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Image Credit: NASA/Earth Observatory

Interviews with ESSC Director Michael E. Mann
Dr. Michael Mann gave several interviews recently about the final findings of two lengthy investigations into his conduct and that of his colleagues. Both recent reports revealed that nothing improper was done by either Mann or his colleagues.
Listen to the BBC News interview >>
Watch the Clean Skies interview >>
Watch the CNN interview >>
Watch the Climate Science Watch interview >>

ESSC Director responds to RA-10 Investigation findings
Penn State's RA-10 Investigation into Dr. Michael E. Mann has concluded. He responds, "I am pleased that the last phase of Penn State's investigation has now been concluded, and that it has cleared me of any wrongdoing. These latest findings should finally put to rest the baseless allegations against me and my research." Mann was also cleared by the investigation by an independent British panel.
Read entire statement >>
Read RA-10 Final Report >>
Read The Daily Collegian article about the Muir Russell report >>
Read the editorial in The New York Times >>

Mann and Kozar release 2010 Atlantic hurricane season prediction
ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann and graduate student Michael Kozar have recently released their prediction for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November. Mann and Kozar predict an extremely active season due to warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and projections of near-neutral or slightly cool ENSO conditions.
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Image Credit NASA/VisibleEarth

Climate Scientists Claim 'McCarthy-Like Threats,' Say They Face Intimidation, Ominous E-Mails
ABC News correspondent Dan Harris reports on e-mail and other threats that climate scientists have received recently at the hands of those looking to chill the discourse on climate change. ESSC director Dr. Michael Mann is interviewed for the story.
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