Peter Fairley

An Earthzine Conversation With Michael H. Freilich

“It’s almost a golden age of Earth observation because these many missions which are flying at the same time are all measuring different aspects of the system at the same time, and most with global extent. This is giving us, for the first time, the fodder for assembling an integrated view of the Earth.”

Peter Fairley, posted on May 29th, 2008
Earth Observation, Featured Person, People | No Comments »

The GEO Challenge: An Earthzine Conversation With GEO Secretariat Director José Achache

French geophysicist and GEO Secretariat Director Jose Achache discusses not only the vision, progress and achievements of GEO but also the challenges relating to resources and industry’s role in GEOSS with Earthzine contributor Peter Fairley.

Peter Fairley, posted on April 15th, 2008
Articles, Earth Observation, Featured Person, ICEO/GEO/GEOSS, People, Technology | 1 Comment »

Big Years for the Heliosphere

Three interlocking international science years - International Polar Year, International Heliospherical Year, and the Electronic Geophysical Year - are inspiring intense global collaboration and coordinated investment. Earthzine takes a close look at one of its core programs, Heliosphere Impact on Geospace, thatís spinning out a blizzard of new data on Earth’s geomagnetic phenomena.

Peter Fairley, posted on February 25th, 2008
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Straight Talk on Climate Communication and Earth Observation: A conversation with Dr. Jerry Mahlman

An expert on the behavior of the upper atmosphere, Mahlman led the development of one of the first global climate models, for which he received the American Geophysical Union’s Carl-Gustav Rossby Medal, its highest honor. Mahlman chaired the Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee for NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth program in the 1990s and was involved in the founding of the IPCC; He created the so-called betting odds scheme used by IPCC to evaluate uncertainty and was a reviewer of the Working Group I report for IPCC’s 2007 assessment.

Peter Fairley, posted on January 21st, 2008
Climate, Featured Person, People | No Comments »

Response to Daniel Ziskin’s Essay on Carbon Capture & Sequestration

No single solution or technology will solve climate change. The problem looms so large that we should think not twice, but three or four times, before we take any solutions off the table. Yet this is exactly what Daniel Ziskin seems to advocate in his essay, Carbon Capture & Sequestration: How Hopeful Should We Be?

Peter Fairley, posted on December 20th, 2007
Articles, Climate, Energy | No Comments »

GEOSS Reaching Beyond the Core

Democratizing Earth observing: A conversation with GEO pioneer Rob Adam

Following the creation of the ad hoc intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations in Washington in 2003, South Africa’s Rob Adam was selected as one of GEO’s four co-chairs, alongside colleagues from the U.S., Japan and the European Commission. At the time, Dr. Adam was directing the rebirth of South African science and engineering as Director General of the government’s Department of Science and Technology. Adam quickly swung into action to advance GEO’s goal to build the Global Earth Observation System of Systems or GEOSS, working in particular to double developing country membership in GEO and pushing for investment in their capacity to participate in Earth data collection and application.

Peter Fairley, posted on November 18th, 2007
Articles, ICEO/GEO/GEOSS, People | No Comments »