James J. McCarthy
Encyclopedia
James J. McCarthy is a Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard and was President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
from Feb 2008-Feb 2009.
McCarthy is Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography and Master of Pforzheimer House
. He is also Acting Curator of the Malacology Department in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
His studies address factors that regulate the processes of primary production and nutrient supply in upper ocean, approached using controlled laboratory studies and field investigations. Study sites range from near shore to the open ocean. Recent and current field research sites include the North Atlantic, equatorial Pacific, and Arabian Sea.
He is on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment
.
Quote from Science News
February 2009 interview: The Maldives
and Kiribati
highlight a hidden challenge for coping with climate change
\global Warming
. Its not just about slowing the emissions of greenhouse gases. It's also about figuring out what to do for localities threatened with the possibility of extinction
from [rising ocean waters. "They are like the canary in the coal mine in terms of the dramatic impact of climate change on a whole civilization of people" "They didn't cause the problem, but they will be among the first to feel it." The 2007 IPCC
report took an extremely conservative approach to potential sea level rise, focusing on thermal expansion
. It estimated that sea level increases could range from 0.2 to 0.6 meters by 2100. Experts cautioned, however, that these numbers were highly uncertain and probably underestimated the potential change. The IPCC analysis did not take into account the unexpectedly rapid rate of melting and decay of polar ice sheets, particularly in Greenland
, that has been observed recently, or the prospect of accelerated breakdown of polar sheets in the future. "That's not something that was anticipated".
. He holds faculty appointments in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and he is the Head Tutor for degrees in Environmental Science and Public Policy.
He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Gonzaga University
, and his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
. His research interests relate to the regulation of plankton
productivity in the sea, and in recent years have focused on regions that are strongly affected by seasonal and inter-annual variation in climate.
From 1986 to 1993, he chaired the international committee that establishes research priorities and oversees implementation of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
. He was the founding editor for the American Geophysical Union
's journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles. He was involved in two of the recent international assessments on climate impacts. He served as co-chair of the IPCC
, Working Group II, which had responsibilities for assessing impacts of and vulnerabilities to global climate change for the Third IPCC Assessment (2001). He was also one of the lead authors on the recently completed Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
from Feb 2008-Feb 2009.
McCarthy is Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography and Master of Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House, nicknamed PfoHo , is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It was named in 1995 for Carol K. and Carl H...
. He is also Acting Curator of the Malacology Department in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
His studies address factors that regulate the processes of primary production and nutrient supply in upper ocean, approached using controlled laboratory studies and field investigations. Study sites range from near shore to the open ocean. Recent and current field research sites include the North Atlantic, equatorial Pacific, and Arabian Sea.
He is on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment
Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment
Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, affiliated with Harvard Medical School researches environmental health topics...
.
Quote from Science News
Science News
Science News is an American bi-weekly magazine devoted to short articles about new scientific and technical developments, typically gleaned from recent scientific and technical journals. Science News has been published since 1922 by Society for Science & the Public, a non-profit organization...
February 2009 interview: The Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
and Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
highlight a hidden challenge for coping with climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
\global Warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. Its not just about slowing the emissions of greenhouse gases. It's also about figuring out what to do for localities threatened with the possibility of extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
from [rising ocean waters. "They are like the canary in the coal mine in terms of the dramatic impact of climate change on a whole civilization of people" "They didn't cause the problem, but they will be among the first to feel it." The 2007 IPCC
IPCC
IPCC may refer to:*Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the United Nations*Independent Police Complaints Commission, of England and Wales*Irish Peatland Conservation Council...
report took an extremely conservative approach to potential sea level rise, focusing on thermal expansion
Thermal expansion
Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature.When a substance is heated, its particles begin moving more and thus usually maintain a greater average separation. Materials which contract with increasing temperature are rare; this effect is...
. It estimated that sea level increases could range from 0.2 to 0.6 meters by 2100. Experts cautioned, however, that these numbers were highly uncertain and probably underestimated the potential change. The IPCC analysis did not take into account the unexpectedly rapid rate of melting and decay of polar ice sheets, particularly in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, that has been observed recently, or the prospect of accelerated breakdown of polar sheets in the future. "That's not something that was anticipated".
Biography
From 1979 until 2002 he was the Director of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative ZoologyMuseum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
. He holds faculty appointments in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and he is the Head Tutor for degrees in Environmental Science and Public Policy.
He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
, and his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
. His research interests relate to the regulation of plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
productivity in the sea, and in recent years have focused on regions that are strongly affected by seasonal and inter-annual variation in climate.
From 1986 to 1993, he chaired the international committee that establishes research priorities and oversees implementation of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme is a research programme that studies the phenomenon of global change.The International Council of Scientific Unions, a coordinating body of national science organizations, launched IGBP in 1986...
. He was the founding editor for the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
's journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles. He was involved in two of the recent international assessments on climate impacts. He served as co-chair of the IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
, Working Group II, which had responsibilities for assessing impacts of and vulnerabilities to global climate change for the Third IPCC Assessment (2001). He was also one of the lead authors on the recently completed Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien 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...
.