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Roger Revelle: A Statesman Among Scientists
| Article
# : |
18463 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1990 |
3,037 Words |
| Author
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Joseph M. Lubin
Joseph M. Lubin is a free-lance writer based in California
and
the former science editor for Voice of America. |
He was hurrying to catch a plane for Boston - a tall, impressive man, slightly stooped from a six-foot, five-inch frame. As he paused in conversation, his studied gaze surveyed his interlocutor with a searching critical awareness. Now in his 82nd year, he remains fully alert and energetic. His role is now advisory, with an almost unparalleled breadth of experience and achievements to draw upon. In reviewing it all, his comment is brief and self-depreciating: “I've lived a long time - and I've been lucky.”
Later, on his return to his home in San Diego, a threatening heart attack would send him directly from the plane to the hospital to undergo a triple bypass operation. His assistant, Christa Beran, tells how even then, coming out of sedation, Revelle expressed his determination to get back his feet, to pursue what he has been doing in recent years - nudging others on to follow in his footsteps.
Today Roger Revelle is more than just a scientist. Among his peers he has acquired the stature of a statesman. From studies of mud specimens cored from ocean bottoms to the parched Indus plain, he has gained recognition as a leader in the investigation of both planetary evolution and problems of human survival. And in the meeting halls of world conferences, from the United Nations to Washington, Paris, and Geneva, he has emerged with a reputation as a relentless and persuasive advocate of programs to advance scientific knowledge and promote human well-being.
In the aftermath of his heart surgery, Revelle is anxious to return to his work, to regain his stride. The concerns he immersed himself in from his earliest career days - in particular, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the ocean and atmosphere, possibly triggering a so-called greenhouse effect - are now a growing concern to world leaders as well as scientists.
Controversy has developed not only over the effect of fuel burning in an energy-sustained technological age but also over the ability of the world's oceans to absorb the carbon dioxide released as a result. Scientists had thought the oceans were sopping up a good portion of the gas. But Revelle and Walter Munk, a long-time friend and fellow distinguished oceanographer, found that the oceans were absorbing less than was supposed - may be less than half of the carbon dioxide emissions. The alarming implication: Because carbon dioxide blocks the release of heat to the upper atmosphere, the earth may be warming up, with the specter of melting polar ice caps and rising ocean
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