Gavin Schmidt

He was educated at The Corsham School, earned a BA (Hons) in mathematics at Jesus College, Oxford, and a PhD in applied mathematics at University College London.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=46

|title=Contributor's Biography page

|work=RealClimate

|date=6 December 2004

|access-date=2008-03-20

}} Schmidt worked on the variability of the ocean circulation and climate, using general circulation models (GCMs). He has also worked on ways to reconcile paleo-data with models. He helped develop the GISS ocean and coupled GCMs to improve the representation of the present day climate, while investigating their response to climate forcing.{{cite journal

|author=Hansen, J.

|display-authors=etal

|date=2007

|title=Dangerous human-made interference with climate: A GISS modelE study.

|journal=Atmos. Chem. Phys.

|volume=7

|issue=9

|pages=2287–2312

|doi=10.5194/acp-7-2287-2007

|arxiv=physics/0610115

|bibcode=2007ACP.....7.2287H

|s2cid=14992639

|doi-access=free

}}

{{cite journal

|author=Koch, D., G.A. Schmidt, C.V. Field

|date=2006

|title=Sulfur, sea salt and radionuclide aerosols in GISS ModelE.

|journal=J. Geophys. Res.

|volume=111

|issue=D06206

|pages=D06206

|doi=10.1029/2004JD005550

|bibcode=2006JGRD..111.6206K

|doi-access=free

}}

{{cite journal

|author=Schmidt, G.A.

|display-authors=etal

|date=2006

|title=Present day atmospheric simulations using GISS ModelE: Comparison to in-situ, satellite and reanalysis data

|journal=J. Climate

|volume=19

|issue=2

|pages=153–192

|doi=10.1175/JCLI3612.1

|bibcode=2006JCli...19..153S

|doi-access=free

}}

As of 2024, Schmidt heads NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.{{Cite web |last=Freedman |first=Andrew |date=2024-03-21 |title=Scientist: 2023 heat may put world in "uncharted territory" |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/03/21/climate-extreme-heat-2023 |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Axios |language=en}} He was named for the director position in June 2014 as its then deputy director, becoming to the third person to hold this post, which had been vacant after the retirement of James E. Hansen.{{cite web |date=June 9, 2014 |title=NASA Names Schmidt Director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/june/nasa-names-schmidt-director-of-the-goddard-institute-for-space-studies/#.U5dRIPlnVJJ |access-date=2024-03-22 |website=www.nasa.gov |publisher=NASA}} In an interview with Science News, Schmidt said that he wanted to continue the institute's work on climate modeling and to expand its work on climate impacts and astrobiology.{{cite web|last1=Kintisch|first1=Eli|title='Unflappable' Science 'Warrior' Chosen to Lead Key NASA Climate Lab|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/unflappable-science-warrior-chosen-lead-key-nasa-climate-lab|website=news.sciencemag.org/|access-date=2014-06-10|date=June 9, 2014}}

His main research interest is climate variability, both its internal and the response to climate forcing, investigated via ocean-atmosphere general circulation models. He also uses these to study palaeoclimate by working on methods to compare palaeo-data with model output. Schmidt helps to develop the GISS ocean and coupled GCMs (ModelE). This model has been "isotopically enabled" to carry oxygen-18 tracers, allowing the model to simulate the pattern of δ¹⁸O observed in ice cores, cave records and ocean sediments.

Schmidt has appeared on various occasions in the media, often he is asked about his expertise on climate related study findings, current events or gives lectures. Schmidt worked with the American Museum of Natural History, the College de France, and the New York Academy of Sciences for education and outreach. Schmidt and eight other colleagues founded in 2004 the RealClimate blog. The blog provides critical commentary on climate science with the scope on outreach to the public and for journalists.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/about/

|title=RealClimate: About

|date=1 December 2004

|access-date=2009-10-31

}} Additionally, the blog features frequent guest posts by experts in their field. Articles and commentary have defended scientific research against allegations made about the hockey stick graph.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2005/02/dummies-guide-to-the-latest-hockey-stick-controversy/

|title=Dummies guide to the latest "Hockey Stick" controversy

|date=18 February 2005

|first1=Gavin

|last1=Schmidt

|first2=Caspar

|last2=Amman

|publisher=realclimate.org

|access-date=12 April 2013

}} During the 2009-2010 Climatic Research Unit email controversy, he strongly defended the scientists involved, including Michael E. Mann and Phil Jones. Journalist Fred Pearce noted, "Schmidt wrote that the emails merely showed how scientists interact in private", and that "Gravity isn't a useful theory because Newton was a nice man."Pearce, Fred, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming, (2010) Guardian Books, {{ISBN|978-0-85265-229-9}}, p. XII, pp. 181–182.

Schmidt was EarthSky Science Communicator of the Year in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://earthsky.org/press/gavin-schmidt-is-the-earthsky-science-communicator-of-the-the-year|title=Gavin Schmidt is the EarthSky Science Communicator of the Year|publisher=EarthSky|date=15 January 2012}}

In 2011, the American Geophysical Union awarded Schmidt the inaugural Climate Communications Prize, for his work on communicating climate-change issues to the public. The award news release noted his outreach work including co-founding and contributing to the RealClimate blog.

{{Cite web

| title = Inaugural Climate Communications Prize Winner Announced

| url =http://news.agu.org/press-release/inaugural-climate-communications-prize-winner-announced/

| publisher = American Geophysical Union

| date = 18 October 2011

| access-date = 2 December 2011

}}

{{Cite web

| last = Krajick

| first =Kevin

| title = New Public Outreach Prize Goes to Earth Institute Climatologist

| url = http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/10/18/new-public-outreach-prize-goes-to-earth-institute-climatologist/

| publisher =State of the Planet blog, The Earth Institute, Columbia University

| date =18 October 2011

| access-date = 2 December 2011 }} He was a contributing author{{cite web|url=http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/annexessannex-ii.html|title=Annex II: Contributors to the IPCC WGI Fourth Assessment Report|author=IPCC AR4|year=2007|access-date=2015-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518092728/http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/annexessannex-ii.html|archive-date=2015-05-18|url-status=dead}} of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); the work of the IPCC, including the contributions of many scientists, was recognised by the joint award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Schmidt was named as one of Scientific American's "Top 50 Research Leaders" of the year 2004.

{{cite web

|url=http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20041109/

|author=Goddard Institute of Space Studies

|title=NASA Climatologists Named in Scientific American Top 50 Scientists

|date=9 November 2004

|access-date=2004-11-09

}}

Schmidt has published over 100 studies in peer-reviewed journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, and Nature, on various climate related topics.

{{cite web

|url=http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/authors/gschmidt.html

|title=GISS Publications, Gavin A.Schmidt web page

|access-date=2008-04-11

}}

He is the co-author, with Joshua Wolfe, of Climate Change: Picturing the Science (2009), which has a foreword by Jeffrey D. Sachs. The book combines images of the effects of climate change with scientific explanations.

{{cite book

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wv3DNJ4YI7YC&q=Climate+Change:+Picturing+the+Science

|last1=Schmidt

|first1=G.A.

|first2=J.

|last2=Wolfe

|title=Climate Change: Picturing the Science

|publisher=W.W. Norton

|date=2009

|isbn=978-0-393-33125-7

|pages=305

}}

His Erdős number is four.{{cite web | url=https://zbmath.org/collaboration-distance/?a=erdos.pal&b=schmidt.gavin-a | title=Collaboration Distance - zbMATH Open }}

• Lenssen, Nathan J. L., Gavin A. Schmidt, James E. Hansen, Matthew J. Menne, Avraham Persin, Reto Ruedy, and Daniel Zyss (2019). [https://csas.earth.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Lenssen_et_al-2019-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Atmospheres.pdf "Improvements in the GISTEMP Uncertainty Model,"] Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 214(12), pp. 6307-6326.
• {{cite journal

|author = Schmidt, G.

|title = Does science progress? Glibert Plass redux

|journal = American Scientist

|volume = 98

|issue = 1

|pages = 64–5

|date = 2010

|doi = 10.1511/2010.82.58

|url = http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_2.pdf

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111022112511/http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2010/2010_Schmidt_2.pdf

|archive-date = 2011-10-22

}}

• {{cite book |author1=Schmidt, G.A. |author2=J. Wolfe |title=Climate Change: Picturing the Science |publisher=W.W. Norton |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-393-33125-7 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wv3DNJ4YI7YC&q=Climate+Change:+Picturing+the+Science}}
• {{cite journal |author1=Benestad, R.E. |author2=G.A. Schmidt |title=Solar trends and global warming |journal=J. Geophys. Res. |volume=114 |pages=D14101 |date=2009 |issue=D14 |doi=10.1029/2008JD011639 |bibcode=2009JGRD..11414101B |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal |author=Jones, P.D., K.R. Briffa, T.J. Osborn, J.M. Lough, T.D. van Ommen, B.M. Vinther, J. Luterbacher, E.R. Wahl, F.W. Zwiers, M.E. Mann, G.A. Schmidt, C.M. Ammann, B.M. Buckley, K.M. Cobb, J. Esper, H. Goosse, N. Graham, E. Jansen, T. Kiefer, C. Kull, M. Küttel, E. Mosley-Thompson, J.T. Overpeck, N. Riedwyl, M. Schulz, A.W. Tudhope, R. Villalba, H. Wanner, E. Wolff, and E. Xoplaki |title=High-resolution palaeoclimatology of the last millennium: A review of current status and future prospects |journal=The Holocene |volume=19 |pages=3–49 |date=2009 |issue=1 |doi=10.1177/0959683608098952 |url=http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2009/2009_Jones_etal_2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021025239/http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2009/2009_Jones_etal_2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-10-21 |bibcode=2009Holoc..19....3J |s2cid=129606908 }}
• {{cite journal |author=Santer, B.D., P.W. Thorne, L. Haimberger, K.E. Taylor, T.M.L. Wigley, J.R. Lanzante, S. Solomon, M. Free, P.J. Gleckler, P.D. Jones, T.R. Karl, S.A. Klein, C. Mears, D. Nychka, G.A. Schmidt, S.C. Sherwood, and F.J. Wentz |title=Consistency of modelled and observed temperature trends in the tropical troposphere |journal=Int. J. Climatol. |volume=28 |pages=1703–22 |date=2008 |issue=13 |doi=10.1002/joc.1756 |url=http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2008/2008_Santer_etal.pdf |bibcode=2008IJCli..28.1703S |s2cid=14941858 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022061359/http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2008/2008_Santer_etal.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-22 }}
• {{cite journal |author=Schmidt, G.A., R. Ruedy, J.E. Hansen, I. Aleinov, N. Bell, M. Bauer, S. Bauer, B. Cairns, V. Canuto, Y. Cheng, A. Del Genio, G. Faluvegi, A.D. Friend, T.M. Hall, Y. Hu, M. Kelley, N.Y. Kiang, D. Koch, A.A. Lacis, J. Lerner, K.K. Lo, R.L. Miller, L. Nazarenko, V. Oinas, Ja. Perlwitz, Ju. Perlwitz, D. Rind, A. Romanou, G.L. Russell, Mki. Sato, D.T. Shindell, P.H. Stone, S. Sun, N. Tausnev, D. Thresher, and M.-S. Yao |title=Present day atmospheric simulations using GISS ModelE: Comparison to in-situ, satellite and reanalysis data |journal=J. Climate |volume=19 |pages=153–192 |date=2006 |issue=2 |doi=10.1175/JCLI3612.1 |url=http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2006/2006_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf |bibcode=2006JCli...19..153S |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015003555/http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2006/2006_Schmidt_etal_1.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-15 }}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/gschmidt/ Gavin Schmidt's homepage at NASA GISS]
• [https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/author/gavin/ Contributions at RealClimate]
• {{TED speaker}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Gavin}}

Category:British climatologists

Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford

Category:Alumni of University College London

Category:Living people

Category:Environmental bloggers

Category:Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contributing authors

Category:NASA people

Category:British expatriate academics in the United States

Category:Science bloggers

Category:21st-century science writers

Category:Atmospheric physicists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Climate communication