Willi Dansgaard
Encyclopedia
Willi Dansgaard was a Danish
paleoclimatologist. He was Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at the University of Copenhagen
and a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
, the Icelandic Academy of Sciences, and the Danish Geophysical Society.
and deuterium
in accumulated glacier
ice could be used as an indicator of past climate. Dansgaard was the first to note deuterium excess, or a water sample's deviation from the global meteoric water line (GMWL) in ice cores. He found that the kinetic differences between hydrogen-1 and deuterium related to the temperature of source water, and the absolute humidity.
He was the first scientist to extract palaeoclimatic information from the American Camp Century ice core from Greenland
drilled by the US army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
(CRREL). Dansgaard also took a leading role in the drilling of the first ice core to bedrock for scientific reasons, the DYE-3 core from South Greenland, 1400 km away from the Camp Century. Confirming findings from the analysis of the Camp Century ice core, the DYE-3 climate profile documented the existence of rapid climate change, during and at the end of the last glacial. The repeated events of abrupt climate change
during the glacial are named after Willi Dansgaard and his Swiss colleague, Hans Oeschger
, and are known as Dansgaard-Oeschger events.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
paleoclimatologist. He was Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
, the Icelandic Academy of Sciences, and the Danish Geophysical Society.
Overview
Dansgaard was the first paleoclimatologist to demonstrate that measurements of the trace isotopes oxygen-18Oxygen-18
Oxygen-18 is a natural, stable isotope of oxygen and one of the environmental isotopes.18O is an important precursor for the production of fluorodeoxyglucose used in positron emission tomography...
and deuterium
Deuterium
Deuterium, also called heavy hydrogen, is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen. It has a natural abundance in Earth's oceans of about one atom in of hydrogen . Deuterium accounts for approximately 0.0156% of all naturally occurring hydrogen in Earth's oceans, while the most common isotope ...
in accumulated glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
ice could be used as an indicator of past climate. Dansgaard was the first to note deuterium excess, or a water sample's deviation from the global meteoric water line (GMWL) in ice cores. He found that the kinetic differences between hydrogen-1 and deuterium related to the temperature of source water, and the absolute humidity.
He was the first scientist to extract palaeoclimatic information from the American Camp Century ice core from Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
drilled by the US army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory is a United States Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center research facility headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire that provides scientific and engineering support to the U.S. government and its military with a core...
(CRREL). Dansgaard also took a leading role in the drilling of the first ice core to bedrock for scientific reasons, the DYE-3 core from South Greenland, 1400 km away from the Camp Century. Confirming findings from the analysis of the Camp Century ice core, the DYE-3 climate profile documented the existence of rapid climate change, during and at the end of the last glacial. The repeated events of abrupt climate change
Abrupt climate change
An abrupt climate change occurs when the climate system is forced to transition to a new state at a rate that is determined by the climate system itself, and which is more rapid than the rate of change of the external forcing...
during the glacial are named after Willi Dansgaard and his Swiss colleague, Hans Oeschger
Hans Oeschger
Professor Hans Oeschger was the founder of the Division of Climate and Environmental Physics at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern in 1963 and director until his retirement in 1992....
, and are known as Dansgaard-Oeschger events.
Awards
- Hans Egede award, 1971
- Tyler Prize for Environmental AchievementTyler Prize for Environmental AchievementThe Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is an award for environmental science, environmental health and energy. Tyler Laureates receive a $200,000 annual prize and a gold medallion...
, 1996 - Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesRoyal Swedish Academy of SciencesThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
Crafoord PrizeCrafoord PrizeThe Crafoord Prize is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord...
, 1995 - International Glaciological SocietyInternational Glaciological SocietyThe International Glaciological Society was founded in 1936 to provide a focus for individuals interested in glaciology, practical and scientific aspects of snow and ice. It was originally known as the 'Association for the Study of Snow and Ice'. The name was changed to the 'British Glaciological...
's Seligman Crystal - Swedish Society for Anthropology and GeographySwedish Society for Anthropology and GeographyThe Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography is a scientific learned society founded in Sweden in 1877...
's Vega medal
External links
- http://content.aip.org/products/esva/Dansgaard_Willi.html - photo of Dansgaard, Chester C. Langway and Hans OeschgerHans OeschgerProfessor Hans Oeschger was the founder of the Division of Climate and Environmental Physics at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern in 1963 and director until his retirement in 1992....
- http://isis.ku.dk/kurser/blob.aspx?feltid=60066 - Professor Willi Dansgaard, 'Frozen Annals, Greenland Ice Sheet Research' free pdf download of this inspiring 2005 autobiography by the pioneer of Greenland Ice Core drilling. Hard copies of the book were only printed in limited numbers and are not generally for sale.
- http://calspace.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange2/07_2.shtml
- http://www.nbi.ku.dk/english/history/geophysics/history_danish_ice_core/