Claude Lorius: French glaciologist and glacial drilling pioneer
Accolade/Award
Research
What if the proof of the link between climate and the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was hidden in the air bubbles trapped in the ice? This ingenious intuition comes from Claude Lorius, a brilliant glaciologist from
Grenoble, France, who was awarded the CNRS Gold Medal.
Claude Lorius is a French glaciologist whose research on the composition of gas inclusions in polar ice has made it possible to characterize the Earth's ancient climates and measure their variations over time.
Inventor of the principle of the isotope thermometer, he is the first, with Jean Jouzel, to have highlighted the link between the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and climate change.
"When I discovered 50 years ago that by analyzing the Antarctic ice we could reconstruct the Earth's climate and the composition of the atmosphere from the air bubbles they contain, I could not imagine then the rapid and inevitable disappearance of the glaciers that is happening before our eyes. I thank the Grenoble team for taking the responsibility of creating this ice core sanctuary for future generations, before it is too late."
Inventor of the principle of the isotope thermometer, he is the first, with Jean Jouzel, to have highlighted the link between the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and climate change.
"When I discovered 50 years ago that by analyzing the Antarctic ice we could reconstruct the Earth's climate and the composition of the atmosphere from the air bubbles they contain, I could not imagine then the rapid and inevitable disappearance of the glaciers that is happening before our eyes. I thank the Grenoble team for taking the responsibility of creating this ice core sanctuary for future generations, before it is too late."
Published on February 8, 2021
Updated on February 10, 2021
Updated on February 10, 2021
