Peter Langdon Ward
Encyclopedia
Peter Langdon Ward is a geophysicist specializing in volcanology
and has recently discovered a relationship between global warming and volcanism rates.
He was born August 10, 1943, in Washington, D.C. and educated at the Noble and Greenough School
(1955–1961), Dartmouth College
(BA 1965), and Columbia University
(MA, 1967, PhD 1970). He became Chief, Branch of Seismology, USGS, in early 1975.
Ward worked to educate the general public about earthquake hazards including writing, producing, and finding funding for a 24-page magazine about the next big earthquake distributed in English, Chinese, Spanish and Braille to 3.3 million people in 41 newspapers throughout the San Francisco Bay Region of California and winning national awards from the Secretary of Interior and the National Association of Government Communicators.
He worked to develop protocols for rapid warning by government officials of people at risk from natural or manmade hazards, chairing a committee of government scientists at the White House (1997–1998) and as Founding Chairman of the Board for the public/private Partnership for Public Warning (2002–2004).
Ward studied how geologic records of volcanism in western North America relate in detail to plate motions to the west.
caused warming by decreasing the atmosphere’s ability to remove methane, carbon monoxide, and many other greenhouse gases and by the primary role that sulfuric acid plays in increasing the amounts of water retained in the atmosphere. He proposed that the rapid increase in global warming during the 20th century was caused in a similar manner by the rapid increase in sulfur dioxide emitted by man burning fossil fuels. After man began reducing these emissions by 1980, in an effort to reduce acid rain, the rates of increase in temperature and methane began to decrease, reaching zero by 1998.
Volcanology
Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin word vulcan. Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of fire....
and has recently discovered a relationship between global warming and volcanism rates.
Life and work
Peter Langdon Ward is an American earth scientist who has studied volcanic earthquakes, regional plate tectonics, and the effects of volcanoes on climate. He worked with the U. S. Geological Survey from 1971 to 1998, playing a lead role in development of the United States National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program between 1975 and 1978.He was born August 10, 1943, in Washington, D.C. and educated at the Noble and Greenough School
Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is located on a campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 550 students includes a balance of boys and girls, of whom...
(1955–1961), Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(BA 1965), and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(MA, 1967, PhD 1970). He became Chief, Branch of Seismology, USGS, in early 1975.
Ward worked to educate the general public about earthquake hazards including writing, producing, and finding funding for a 24-page magazine about the next big earthquake distributed in English, Chinese, Spanish and Braille to 3.3 million people in 41 newspapers throughout the San Francisco Bay Region of California and winning national awards from the Secretary of Interior and the National Association of Government Communicators.
He worked to develop protocols for rapid warning by government officials of people at risk from natural or manmade hazards, chairing a committee of government scientists at the White House (1997–1998) and as Founding Chairman of the Board for the public/private Partnership for Public Warning (2002–2004).
Ward studied how geologic records of volcanism in western North America relate in detail to plate motions to the west.
Global Warming - Recent Field of Work and Research
In 2009, Ward published a paper in the journal Thin Solid Films claiming that the highest known rate of volcanism was synchronous with the most rapid rate of global warming at the end of the last ice age. He argues that extremely high rates of emission of sulfur dioxideSulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is released by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide unless the sulfur compounds are removed before burning the fuel...
caused warming by decreasing the atmosphere’s ability to remove methane, carbon monoxide, and many other greenhouse gases and by the primary role that sulfuric acid plays in increasing the amounts of water retained in the atmosphere. He proposed that the rapid increase in global warming during the 20th century was caused in a similar manner by the rapid increase in sulfur dioxide emitted by man burning fossil fuels. After man began reducing these emissions by 1980, in an effort to reduce acid rain, the rates of increase in temperature and methane began to decrease, reaching zero by 1998.