Eigil Friis-Christensen is an expert in space physics, and Director of the
Danish National Space CenterThe Danish National Space Center is a Danish sector research Institute and a part of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. It is located in Copenhagen at Østerbro...
.
Friis-Christensen received a Magisterkonferens (Ph.D. equivalent) in
GeophysicsGeophysics, a major discipline of the Earth sciences and a subdiscipline of physics, is the study of the whole Earth by the quantitative observation of its physical properties. Geophysical data are used in academics to observe tectonic plate motions, study the internal structure of the Earth,...
from
University of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
in 1971. In 1972, he was a geophysicist at the Danish Meteorological Institute. His interest in sun activity began in August, in his tent, when he experienced an extreme solar storm:
"I was in Greenland, on my first assignment in my new job as geophysicist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, setting up a chain of magnetometer stations on the west coast... watching ink pens of my recorder going so wild that they nearly tore the paper chart apart -- we had no digital recording at that time -- and I wondered whether such big events could also have an influence in the lower atmosphere, on weather and climate. That storm cut off my contact to the outside world for nine days -- all radio communication was blacked out -- so I had lots of time to reflect on the enormity of the forces at play."
Between 1976 and 1997, he was Principal Investigator of the
GreenlandGreenland is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago...
MagnetometerA magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and/or direction of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the instrument. Magnetism varies from place to place and differences in Earth's magnetic field can be caused by the differing nature of rocks and the interaction...
Array. Friis-Christensen's 1991 paper, "Length of the Solar Cycle: An Indicator of Solar Activity Closely Associated with Climate", published in
Science, presented his findings on global warming and sun activity correlation, pre-dating the Rio Conference and Kyoto Conference.
The New York Times reviewed the
Science article on 5 November 1991, stating, "While the correlation established by Dr. Friis-Christensen and Dr. Lassen falls short of definite proof, a number of scientists nevertheless called it remarkable in its close fit between the solar and temperature trends."
Between 1991 and 1997, he was Head, Solar-Terrestrial Physics Division,
Danish Meteorological InstituteThe Danish Meteorological Institute is the official Danish meteorological institute, administrated by the Ministry of Transport and Energy. The institute makes weather forecasts and observations for Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands....
. In 1992, he was also Project scientist, first Danish satellite, Ørsted, which was launched February 1999.
In 1997, Friis-Christensen and
Henrik SvensmarkHenrik Svensmark is a physicist at the Danish National Space Center in Copenhagen who studies the effects of cosmic rays on cloud formation.His work is connected to controversy in the area of the global warming issue...
were the earliest scientists to suggest a possible link between galactic cosmic rays and global climate change assisted by
solar windThe solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the sun. It consists mostly of electrons and protons with energies of about 1 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed with the passage of time...
intensity variation, termed cosmoclimatology. In 2002, he became Lead Investigator of Swarm. Friis-Christensen gave the
BirkelandAre you looking for:Places*Birkeland, Aust-Agder, a place in Birkenes municipality, Norway.*Birkeland, Hordaland, a place in Austevoll municipality, Norway.Other*Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian Explorer and auroral scientist, after which is named:...
lecture "Unrest on the sun - storms on the Earth. The magnetic connection" in Oslo on 27 September 2007 .
He was Adjunct Professor of geophysics and space physics 1996 to 2006 at the
Niels Bohr InstituteThe Niels Bohr Institute is a research institute at the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics....
of
University of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and has authored over 140 research articles or books. He lectures worldwide including a 2008 presentation at the U.S. National Institute of Aerospace.
Awards and honors
- 1995, "Director Ib Henriksens" research prize.
- 1995, elected member, executive committee, International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
, IAGA.
- 1996, elected Associate of London's Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
- 2003, Vice-President, executive committee, IAGA
- Appointed member, International Steering Committee, Solar-Terrestrial Energy Programme, STEP and S-RAMP.
- 2008, Foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademin is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2 June...
External links