Tom Segalstad
Encyclopedia
Tom V. Segalstad is a Norwegian geologist. He has taught geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, volcanology, structural geology, ore geology, and geophysics at the University of Oslo
, Norway
, and at Pennsylvania State University
, United States
.
(a position he held for 12 years) and the past head of the Natural History Museums and Botanical Garden of the University of Oslo
..
He currently holds a position as Associate Professor of the largest university of Norway, UiO, University of Oslo
, in Resource and Environmental Geology.
In 2008, he served as one of two conveners for the "Metallogeny of the Arctic Region" symposium
at the 33rd International Geological Congress.
hosted by the Heartland Institute
on March 8, 2009, Segalstad discussed ice core
samples used to explain climate change
, saying that he believed there were a multitude of errors made in their collection, which "contaminated" the results. He also stated that the "composition of ocean water...can act as a buffering agent in the alleged acidification of the oceans
".
Segalstad was one of the reviewers of the IPCC Third Assessment Report
, acting as the Norwegian representative, but disagreed with the mainstream scientific view
of global warming
from the assessment. He believes that human-released carbon dioxide
(CO2) won't have a large effect on the Earth's climate, claiming that it produces only a small percent of the greenhouse effect
, and that most CO2 would be absorbed by the ocean through geological processes. After the results of the assessment were published, he resigned from the IPCC
.
He explained later in regards to the report that the summary of the report had been released first, which attracted a large amount of media attention. The leader of the team making the IPCC report then stated that the information in the report had to match what had been stated in the summary, even though the summary had been written by government representatives and members of environmental organizations, not by scientists in the field of study.
He was one of 100 signatories of a letter directed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
describing the perceived mistakes in how the IPCC report was made.
data, in addition to a complete neglect of published measurements". They also repeatedly mentioned that Segalstad has yet to publish his CO2 research in any "recognized scientific journal".
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Positions
He is the past head of the Geological Museum at the University of OsloUniversity of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
(a position he held for 12 years) and the past head of the Natural History Museums and Botanical Garden of the University of Oslo
Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo
The Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is Norway's oldest and largest museum of natural history, situated in Oslo.It traces its roots to the University Botanical Garden, which was founded near Tøyen Manor in 1814...
..
He currently holds a position as Associate Professor of the largest university of Norway, UiO, University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, in Resource and Environmental Geology.
In 2008, he served as one of two conveners for the "Metallogeny of the Arctic Region" symposium
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
at the 33rd International Geological Congress.
Climate change
Speaking at the 2nd International Conference on Climate ChangeInternational Conference on Climate Change
The International Conference on Climate Change is a conference series sponsored by the Heartland Institute which aims to bring together global warming skeptics who dissent with the scientific consensus that human-produced greenhouse gases, predominantly carbon dioxide, are causing the Earth's...
hosted by the Heartland Institute
Heartland Institute
The Heartland Institute is a libertarian, American public policy think tank based in Chicago, Illinois which advocates free market policies. The Institute is designated as a 501 non-profit by the Internal Revenue Service and advised by a 15 member board of directors, which meets quarterly. As of...
on March 8, 2009, Segalstad discussed ice core
Ice core
An ice core is a core sample that is typically removed from an ice sheet, most commonly from the polar ice caps of Antarctica, Greenland or from high mountain glaciers elsewhere. As the ice forms from the incremental build up of annual layers of snow, lower layers are older than upper, and an ice...
samples used to explain 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...
, saying that he believed there were a multitude of errors made in their collection, which "contaminated" the results. He also stated that the "composition of ocean water...can act as a buffering agent in the alleged acidification of the oceans
Ocean acidification
Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH and increase in acidity of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere....
".
Segalstad was one of the reviewers of the IPCC Third Assessment Report
IPCC Third Assessment Report
The IPCC Third Assessment Report, Climate Change 2001, is an assessment of available scientific and socio-economic information on climate change by the IPCC. The IPCC was established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN's World Meteorological Organization ".....
, acting as the Norwegian representative, but disagreed with the mainstream scientific view
Scientific opinion on climate change
The predominant scientific opinion on climate change is that the Earth is in an ongoing phase of global warming primarily caused by an enhanced greenhouse effect due to the anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases...
of 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...
from the assessment. He believes that human-released carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
(CO2) won't have a large effect on the Earth's climate, claiming that it produces only a small percent of the greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere...
, and that most CO2 would be absorbed by the ocean through geological processes. After the results of the assessment were published, he resigned from the 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...
.
He explained later in regards to the report that the summary of the report had been released first, which attracted a large amount of media attention. The leader of the team making the IPCC report then stated that the information in the report had to match what had been stated in the summary, even though the summary had been written by government representatives and members of environmental organizations, not by scientists in the field of study.
He was one of 100 signatories of a letter directed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
describing the perceived mistakes in how the IPCC report was made.
Criticism
Researchers Richard Bellerby, Are Olsen, and Gisle Nondal wrote a series of articles in Norwegian newspaper Forskning about Segalstad's stated beliefs and research on human CO2 emissions and how they do not affect climate change. The researchers went through Segalstad's points and gave counterarguments, concluding that he had used "incorrect interpretations of laws and geochemicalGeochemistry
The field of geochemistry involves study of the chemical composition of the Earth and other planets, chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks, water, and soils, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space, and...
data, in addition to a complete neglect of published measurements". They also repeatedly mentioned that Segalstad has yet to publish his CO2 research in any "recognized scientific journal".
See also
- List of scientists opposing the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming
- Global warming controversyGlobal warming controversyGlobal warming controversy refers to a variety of disputes, significantly more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature, regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of global warming...