Professor Stephens, Director of the Center for Climate Sciences at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, and a Visiting Professor in Oxford Physics.
Advances in Satellite Remote Sensing of Earth’s weather and climate: my own perspectives of the past, the present and the future
This lecture is hosted by Department of Physics, University of Oxford, and is jointly organised with the Met Office.
Abstract: This lecture reviews the evolution of the topic of Earth observations from early times of satellite exploration to the present day. This evolution is presented as occurring in four different but overlapping eras with contributions by Professor Houghton and research groups at Oxford placed in this context. Selected examples of progress within each era are offered, including some that have involved the participation of the speaker. A few examples are offered to bring into a focus the challenges before us that are associated with observing the whole Earth ‘system’ and important interactions that occur within it.
Professor Stephens is a world-leading expert in remote sensing and its use in understanding the flow of energy through Earth's climate system, topics previously pioneered by Sir John Houghton. He is the Director of the Center for Climate Sciences at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, and a Visiting Professor in Oxford Physics.
Sir John Houghton was Head of Atmospheric Physics at Oxford and later Director General at the Met Office and founder of the Met Office Hadley Centre. He sadly passed away at the age of 88 in May 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.
The aim of this annual event is to recognise and pay respect to Sir John and his significant impact on climate science research; continuing his legacy through continued communication of climate science to a range of stakeholders in an effort to enable them to understand and act appropriately in the ongoing battle against climate change.
This event is free to attend however registration is required.