A key U.S. geoscience official visits Columbia to explore research ideas

A key U.S. geoscience official visits Columbia to explore research ideas

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory was launched on March 25 from Richard Spinrad, the U.S. Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During the one-day visit, Spinrad attended a town hall and met with a number of Columbia Climate School researchers to discuss projects that could be funded by NOAA.

Before being nominated by President Joe Biden last year, Spinrad held multiple scientific leadership positions in the U.S. Navy, OSU and NOAA for decades, including serving as NOAA Chief Scientist. He is an expert in marine optics and has run a private marine instrument company.

This isn’t Spinrad’s first visit to campus. During the town hall, he recounts his decision to build a bathymetric sounder for an eighth-grade science project while in middle school in Brooklyn in the 1960s. His teachers sent him to what was then called the Lamont Geological Observatory for advice. There, a graduate student spent hours showing him around and helping him design a basic instrument that was cobbled together from off-the-shelf components. Spinrad took the test in the East River and was a complete failure — but he learned from the experience, which led him to start his career, he said. As a NOAA officer in the early 2000s, he visited Lamont every few years to meet with scientists and “kick the tires,” as he put it, on funding proposals.

Lamont director Maureen Raymo noted that since 2000, dozens of Columbia University researchers have received about $81 million in NOAA grants, primarily for Lamont-Doherty and International Institute for Climate and Societylaunched in 1996 under the auspices of NOAA.

The town hall, held in Lamont’s Monell Auditorium, began with a series of one-minute talks by researchers aimed at highlighting the breadth of the Climate School’s work.Among them, Lamont scientists Galen McKinley An overview of studies to quantify the amount of carbon dioxide moving between the ocean and atmosphere.extreme weather expert Suzanne Camargo Progress in forecasting tropical cyclones is discussed. Thaddeus PalovskyManaging Director Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapesspoke about efforts to help coastal populations adapt to climate change. Pierre Genting of Columbia Engineering The assimilation of large amounts of data from satellites and other sources to propose next-generation climate models is discussed.and Lamont climatologists Jason Smerdon Discussed NOAA-funded research on the history of drought in the western United States; he noted The latest findings, published in February, suggests that the region is now experiencing its worst drought since at least AD 800, driven in large part by a warming climate.

During the 15-minute talk, Spinrad discussed his goal of making the United States a “climate-resilient nation.” He said we must “do more than go all-in on climate change. We need to go beyond that and make things better.” Research, he said, must focus on “saving lives, livelihoods and lifestyles” ” to prepare communities for multiple hazards including wildfires, droughts, floods, heat waves and rising sea levels. He said he sees NOAA as the “connective tissue” for research on everything from upgrading building codes and planning public health measures to strengthening marine fisheries. “We’re in the environmental intelligence business,” he said.

Left to right, at the Deep Sea Core Repository in Lamont, Janet Wyn Spinrad, executive vice president of research at Columbia University, hears about tree-ring research from dendrochronologist Lea Andrew-Hales; Lamont director Maureen Remo watched on. (Francesco Fiondera)

Spinrad stressed the need to involve a variety of people from outside government to identify research needs. He said he has been in touch with a number of groups, including Midwest farmers, Miami developers, the American Medical Association, the National Association of Realtors, major philanthropists and tribal authorities. He predicts that many climate-related services will be provided by private companies in the coming years; he says NOAA is already working to help commercialize the information it produces.

Spinrad’s presentation was followed by a question and answer session. Among other things, audience members wanted to know how NOAA-funded research aligns with environmental justice goals; how it can be used to help other countries adapt to climate change; and what opportunities the agency might have in partnership with organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.

After the town hall, Spinrad and his staff participated in a series of meetings with staff from various departments of the Climate School, heard suggestions for possible research projects, and concluded a tour of the Lamont Deep Sea Core Repository.