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Tipsheet Archive > Tipsheet
Experts Tipsheet The environment UC Irvine environmental experts include a Nobel Prize recipient and internationally recognized authorities on topics ranging from global warming to water pollution. The following researchers are available as sources for reporters writing about issues related to the environment. June 2004 Leading the fight against ozone depletion and global warming F. Sherwood Rowland, Donald Bren Research Professor of Chemistry and Earth System Science, received the 1995 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his finding that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in such products as aerosol sprays and coolants were eating away at the Earth’s protective ozone layer. Although the finding was controversial at first, it ultimately led to a world ban on CFCs. Rowland also investigates the causes of global warming and has advanced research on how large-scale wildfires and agricultural waste contribute to this atmospheric phenomenon. In addition to his far-reaching research, Rowland regularly addresses major conferences and advises world leaders on the impact and dangers of ozone depletion and global warming. Contact F. Sherwood Rowland at 949-824-6016, rowland@uci.edu Airplane exhaust contributes to global warming Michael J. Prather, professor of earth system science, studies how civil aviation is altering today’s atmosphere and how it may in the future. A frequent participant in the international debate on the impact of aircraft emissions on our climate and the air we breathe, Prather is investigating how the combination of greenhouse gases and particles emitted from aircraft contribute to global warming. He also is a lead author on a United Nations-sponsored research report titled “Aviation and the Global Environment,” which details how aircraft travel may affect the atmosphere over the next 50 years. Contact Michael Prather at 949-824-5838, 949-824-1133, mprather@uci.edu The link between the earth and sky Named one of the nation’s best young scientists in 1993 by the National Science Foundation, Susan E. Trumbore, associate professor of earth system science, studies soils and plant life for clues on how natural carbon cycles are altered by human activity. In particular, she has helped discover how increases in the amount of carbon dioxide released by decaying plants magnify the problem of global warming. This research takes her around the globe, from digging soil pits in the Sierra Nevadas to collecting gases from deep below a Brazilian forest floor. Contact Susan Trumbore at 949-824-6142, 949-824-3444, 949-824-9027, setrumbo@uci.edu Greenhouse gases affect the oceans, too Ellen R. M. Druffel, professor and chair of UCI’s Department of Earth System Science, studies the oceans to determine the impact of greenhouse gases on water temperature and circulation. By examining coral samples, she can determine the nutrient levels and temperature of oceans in the past. Through this research, Druffel is discovering how global warming will impact the ocean’s ability to absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide excesses in the atmosphere have been shown to influence the global warming phenomenon, creating weather patterns that can cause major climate changes. Contact Ellen Druffel at 949-824-2116, 949-824-3272, edruffel@uci.edu More to smog than meets the eye Donald Blake, professor of chemistry, studies the atmospheric gases that can affect urban air quality, climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion. Part of his research focuses on highly polluted cities throughout the world, where he has found unexpected sources of urban pollution, such as emissions of liquefied petroleum gas from home fuel tanks. Blake’s study of chronic air pollution that chokes Mexico City helped the world’s largest city find solutions to one of its most pressing problems. Contact Donald Blake at 949-824-4195, drblake@uci.edu Preserving the environment, building peace through international law Joseph DiMento, professor of urban and regional planning and of law and society in the School of Social Ecology, is an authority on international and domestic environmental law. In addition to his assessments of the value and efficacy of international environmental laws, DiMento has worked on practical peacemaking efforts through international cooperation on environmental problems such as hazardous waste in the Middle East. He also has worked with UCI social ecology professors Paula Garb and John Whiteley on bringing together hostile factions in the Caucasus area to find solutions to environmental problems in the Black Sea. DiMento also examines transboundary environmental issues, as in his evaluations of the NAFTA side agreement on the environment. Contact Joseph DiMento at 949-824- 5102, 949-824-3480, jfdiment@uci.edu Water politics cross international borders Helen Ingram, the Drew, Chace, and Erin Warmington Chair in the Social Ecology of Peace and International Cooperation, has conducted research on water politics for more than 30 years. Much of her published research has dealt with water resources and cross-border issues. Her current research interests include water agency innovations in reliability, quality or cost, as well as designing public policies to encourage public participation in the democratic process. Contact Helen Ingram at 949-824-1434, 949-824-3480, hingram@uci.edu Air pollution affects age groups differently Robert Phalen, professor of community and environmental medicine and director of UCI’s Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory, has spent more than 20 years studying the effects of air pollution on health. He has helped establish a link between exercise and increased lung damage from air pollution, predicted that very young children are at greater risk from indoor and outdoor air pollutants than other age groups, and identified pollutant combinations that are most in need of regulation in order to protect community health. Contact Robert Phalen at 949-824-4758, rfphalen@uci.edu |
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