Dr. Andrew J. Weaver
Professor and Canada Research Chair
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria
Climate Modeling and Analysis
Dr. Weavers achievements, awards and distinctions are too numerous to list, but among them are: He has authored or coauthored over 180 peer-reviewed papers in climate, meteorology, oceanography, earth science, policy, education and anthropology journals. He was involved as a Lead Author in the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change second, third and fourth scientific assessments. He is currently the Chief Editor of the Journal of Climate. In 2002 he received a Killam Research Fellowship and a CIAR Young Explorers award as one of the top 20 scientists in Canada under the age of 40. In 2007, Dr. Weaver was elected Fellow of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) and received the CMOS President’s prize. He was also named Academic of the Year by CUFA/BC and received UVic Craigdarroch award for research communication. In 2008, Dr. Weaver was a co-recipient of the UVic Craigdarroch award for societal contribution and was appointed to the Order of British Columbia.
Dr. Weaver’s research focuses upon the large-scale ocean circulation and the role of the oceans in climate, with a special emphasis upon three-dimensional numerical modelling. In collaboration with his research associates and graduate students, a hierarchy of numerical models is being developed. He has recently become interested in examining paleoclimate using coupled atmosphere ocean models. He is a principal researcher of the University of Victoria Climate Modelling Group, which is involved in the modelling and analysis of past, present and future climate, primarily using their locally developed comprehensive Earth System Climate Model, known internationally as the "UVic coupled model". Recent Research by the UVic Climate Modelling Group includes, among others, the following questions and topics:
- How do changes in land cover affect the climate?
- Has there been a human influence on atmospheric pressure at the surface of the Earth?
- Can we detect the influence of humans on the climate?
- What happens to the carbon cycle in the ocean during abrupt climate change?
- Simulating Heinrich Events (rapid discharge of glacial ice into the ocean) with the UVic ESCM.
- What role did climate change have in human evolution and human migrations?
Dr. Weaver recently published his new book “Keeping Our Cool: Canada in a Warming World”, which describes the greenhouse effect, how it is caused, and what some of the effects of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions will be. Thomas Homer-Dixon, himself a well-known Canadian academic, described Dr. Weaver’s book in these terms: "For Canadians, this is the best single book on our climate crisis and what we should do about it."Dr. Weaver’s home page: http://climate.uvic.ca/people/weaver/
Weather stations in schools project: http://www.victoriaweather.ca/
An interview of Dr. Weaver on CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks science program on Sep. 13/08: http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/08-09/qq-2008-09-13.html
