Dian J. Seidel
Biographical Sketch
Dian Seidel is the NOAA Senior Scientist for Climate Measurements at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Air Resources Laboratory in College Park, Maryland. Her research addresses global climate variability and change, focusing on atmospheric observations, from the surface of the Earth through the stratosphere.
She has contributed to various scientific assessments, including the WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessments of Ozone Depletion and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Her research contributions have been recognized by U.S. Department of Commerce gold and bronze medals and by the World Meteorological Organization’s Prof. Dr. Vilho Väisälä Award and Norbert Gerbier - MUMM Award. She is has also been recognized for helping to advance the participation of women in meteorology and to develop scientific integrity policies.
She is a Fellow and former Councilor of the American Meteorological Society, serves on Board of Directors of the American Institute of Physics, and chairs the Council of NOAA Fellows.
Dian Seidel received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, M.S. from San Jose State University, Diploma from the Von Kármán Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Belgium, and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. She is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist (AMS CCM No. 649).
Perspectives on Climate Engineering
Climate engineering, also called geoengineering, refers to deliberate, large-scale manipulation of Earth’s climate intended to counteract human-caused climate change. In recent years, discussion of climate engineering proposals has moved from the fringes toward the scientific mainstream. A controversial topic, climate engineering raises complex scientific, engineering, legal, ethical, and political questions. This seminar present two recent studies (Belter and Seidel 2013, Seidel et al. 2014) that provide perspectives on the topic.
To gain insight into the state of scientific research on climate engineering, we have performed a quantitative bibliometric analysis of 750 publications, using the Web of Science database of natural science publications for 1988-2011. The analysis provide insights on: the growth of the field over time, the geographic distribution of researchers, the degree of collaboration among researchers, and the scientific topics treated. It also provides a perspective on the scientific underpinnings of the global dialogue on climate engineering, as well as a baseline for monitoring development of climate engineering research in the future.
One category of climate engineering proposals involves “solar radiation management” (SRM), increasing Earth’s reflectivity (albedo) to reducing incoming sunlight. A fundamental scientific question is whether an engineered albedo increase, either from short-duration field experiments or from prolonged implementation of SRM schemes, would be detectable with the current global observing system. We have estimated notional detection limits through analysis of satellite observations of incoming and reflected solar radiation. Although very large albedo increases are potentially detectable, interannual albedo variability overwhelms the maximum conceivable increases associated with the leading proposed SRM schemes.
Belter, C. W., and D. J. Seidel, 2013: A bibliometric analysis of climate engineering research. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 4:417-427. doi: 10.1002/wcc.229
Seidel, D. J., G. Feingold, A. R. Jacobson, and N. Loeb, 2014: Detection limits of albedo changes induced by climate engineering. Nature Climate Change, 4, 93-98. doi:10.1038/NCLIMATE2076.