2001 Nevada Medal Winner John H. Seinfeld will present the 14th Nevada Medal Lecture, "Aerosols and Climate," at the Desert Research Institute at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. Dr. Seinfeld, a chemical engineer from the California Institute of Technology, will discuss the influence of aerosols-microscopic airborne particles-on the process of global climate change.
Seinfeld, Louis E. Nohl Professor at Caltech, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, will receive DRI's 2001 Nevada Medal from Governor Kenny Guinn at an award dinner Monday night following the lecture. Seinfeld is recognized as one of the foremost pioneers of modern air quality science, having developed the first interactive models capable of describing the complex chemistry of air pollution.
The lecture, free to the public, will be held in the Conference Center in DRI's Southern Nevada Science Center, 755 E. Flamingo Road. The minted, pure silver Nevada Medal and $10,000 prize are underwritten by the shareholders of Nevada Bell.
"The role of aerosols, produced in natural and human-caused emissions, stands as perhaps the single largest uncertainty in predicting future climate," Seinfeld said. "At elevated levels found in cities, they limit visibility and are a human health hazard. On a global scale, aerosols can produce both cooling and heating effects on the Earth's radiation balance."
Seinfeld says evidence suggests aerosols have a cooling effect, but it is not confidently known just how large either the heating or cooling components are. Seinfeld's lecture discussion will review what is known about effects of aerosols on climate, together with an assessment of where future challenges lie.