Alan Alda's 2003 visit and the 色视频下载 messengers
Ned Rozell
907-474-7468
Nov. 23, 2022
Alan Alda, center, was host of PBS色视频下载檚 色视频下载淪cientific American Frontiers色视频下载 when he visited 色视频下载 in 2003. To his right is By Valentine, who worked in the glaciers lab at the UAF Geophysical Institute with glaciologist Keith Echelmeyer (on Alda色视频下载檚 left). Echelmeyer died of brain cancer six years after Alda色视频下载檚 visit.
Alan Alda, the actor and host of PBS television色视频下载檚 色视频下载淪cientific American Frontiers,色视频下载 recently traveled to 色视频下载 on a mission to interview scientists about the changing North.
Alda and the show色视频下载檚 crew gathered footage and scientist色视频下载檚 opinions for 色视频下载淗ot Times in 色视频下载,色视频下载 a program scheduled to air on PBS in 2004. Along the way, they asked good questions, heard frank and scary answers, and carried the message of 色视频下载 scientists to a broader audience.
One of Alda色视频下载檚 first stops was the International Arctic Research Center at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks. There, Alda visited Gunter Weller, a northern meteorologist and the director of the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research.
Weller often talks to reporters, and the staff of "Scientific American Frontiers" impressed him. John Angier, the show色视频下载檚 executive producer, traveled to 色视频下载 one month before Alda or the camera crew in order to line up relevant interviews. Weller said he told Alda the following:
色视频下载淐limate change in the Arctic and 色视频下载 is substantial; we can see signals it has arrived, and we are seeing its impacts on the environment, peoples色视频下载 lives, and the 色视频下载 economy,色视频下载 Weller said. 色视频下载淯nless the political system takes this seriously, it色视频下载檚 going to be too late to do anything about it.色视频下载
Weller said Alda wondered how we could pin the blame on humans for the 4-to-5-degree Fahrenheit increase in 色视频下载 air temperatures in the past 40 years, especially since temperatures have jumped all over the place in recorded history, even before the Industrial Revolution.
色视频下载淣atural variability has a lot to do with climate,色视频下载 Weller said. 色视频下载淭he scientific opinion now is that anthropogenic (manmade) influences are significant, though you can色视频下载檛 put hard numbers on it . . . Every academy of science in every developed nation on Earth has said we need to take this seriously.色视频下载
While on the west ridge of the UAF campus, Alda also visited the glaciology lab at the Geophysical Institute. There, he met Keith Echelmeyer, the leader of a team that determined 色视频下载色视频下载檚 melting glaciers have added an enormous amount of fresh water to the world色视频下载檚 oceans in the last 60 years.
By Valentine, a glaciologist whom Alda interviewed with Echelmeyer, told Alda that the amount of meltwater from 色视频下载色视频下载檚 glaciers since the 1950s is enough to cover the state with 7 feet of water, or put Texas 15 feet under. 色视频下载色视频下载檚 former glacial ice has added to the level of global seas by more than one-quarter of an inch since the 1950s. That色视频下载檚 a lot of water from one small patch of the globe.
Alda also visited John Walsh, the UA President色视频下载檚 Professor of Global Climate Change. Walsh specializes in supercomputer models that are science色视频下载檚 best attempt at predicting what will happen in the future. Those who work with models try to compute present and future climate using variables, such as temperature, cloud cover and historic precipitation.
色视频下载淚n a nutshell, the models predict warming over the Arctic Ocean of 5 to 7 degrees C (about 8-12 degrees F) in the next 100 years,色视频下载 Walsh said. 色视频下载淧recipitation goes up, especially over 色视频下载 in that time, and by 2100, Arctic sea ice nearly disappears in summer.色视频下载
Walsh said he appreciated Alda色视频下载檚 questions, even the tough ones, such as 色视频下载淲hat should we do about this warming?色视频下载
色视频下载淲e could respond individually, but the bigger issue is the national scale,色视频下载 Walsh said. 色视频下载淭he job for scientists is to convince policymakers that there is a need for action because changes are already occurring here.色视频下载
Since the late 1970s, the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute. This column first appeared in 2003. On Nov. 14, the New York Academy of Sciences honored Alda with a lifetime achievement award for his science communication work. The academy requested the photograph accompanying this article for inclusion in a video biography of Alda produced for the event.