Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Alan Robock
open-in-new
<h2 id="life-and-work">Life and work</h2> <p>Robock has a B.A. from the <a href="/facts/University_of_Wisconsin/Rfj54YvS">University of Wisconsin</a> (1970), a S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1974) and a <a href="/facts/Ph.D./paJumdN8">Ph.D.</a> from <a href="/facts/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology/Xk49vNA8">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (1977) in <a href="/facts/Meteorology/xblFr28q">Meteorology</a> under advisor <a href="/facts/Edward_Norton_Lorenz/wUcBVjQ4">Edward Norton Lorenz</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>In 2011, he and <a href="/facts/Hans_Joachim_Schellnhuber/Kf8PplEX">Hans Joachim Schellnhuber</a>, among others, were part of the <a href="/facts/Pontifical_Academy_of_Sciences/UTCw9XFB">Pontifical Academy of Sciences</a> panel, to discuss and advise the <a href="/facts/Roman_Curia/LJ7r0uay">Vatican</a> on <a href="/facts/Climate_engineering/yo7WTpGe">climate engineering</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Robock was a <a href="/facts/Lead_author/ap0D71po">lead author</a> in <a href="/facts/Working_Group_I/sh76du1u">Working Group I</a> for the 2013 published <a href="/facts/Fifth_Assessment_Report/aYz6LE8H">Fifth Assessment Report</a> of the <a href="/facts/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change/sh76du1u">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (Chapter 8).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> In 2017, Robock published an open letter in the <a href="/facts/Huffington_Post/91nLV4zo">Huffington Post</a>, addressed at <a href="/facts/Donald_Trump/pqqKY21P">Donald Trump</a>, warning him about nuclear weapons, and <a href="/facts/Nuclear_winter/lfqcfqu0">nuclear winter</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> In 2022, Robock, along with seven other recipients, was presented with the Future of Life Award. The honor was bestowed for Robock's efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war by developing and popularizing the science of nuclear winter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="research">Research</h2> <p>Robock has researched <a href="/facts/Nuclear_winter/lfqcfqu0">nuclear winter</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> the <a href="/facts/Toba_catastrophe_theory/3zSPED62">Toba catastrophe theory</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> the <a href="/facts/Little_ice_age/lJKsoUok">little ice age</a>, the effect of <a href="/facts/Volcanic_eruptions/AwqpzdaG">volcanic eruptions</a> on climate, <a href="/facts/Hydrology/Xh727cnE">soil moisture</a>, <a href="/facts/Effects_of_global_warming/M5EvHf14">human impacts of climate change</a>, regional <a href="/facts/Atmosphere/oUpLaGRF">atmosphere</a>-<a href="/facts/Hydrology/Xh727cnE">hydrology</a> modeling, and <a href="/facts/Climate_engineering/yo7WTpGe">geoengineering</a>. In 2022, an analysis led by Lili Xia and Alan Robock of Rutgers University quantified the effects of nuclear war on global food production in the journal <i>Nature Food</i>. The study estimates that with their current number of warheads, a nuclear war between the US and Russia could generate 150 million tons of soot, thanks to massive fires ignited by explosions. The soot would quickly cover the globe and block incoming sunlight, creating the equivalent of a shade and causing drastic global cooling. Crops and livestock would wither and die in the cold and dark. The research concludes that nuclear winter could result in an estimated 5 billion deaths from famine if global calorie production drops by 90 percent.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="honors">Honors</h2> <ul><li>Fellow of the <a href="/facts/American_Meteorological_Society/Pb5psX4t">American Meteorological Society</a>, 1998.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a></li> <li>Participant in the <a href="/facts/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change/sh76du1u">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>, which was awarded a <a href="/facts/Nobel_Peace_Prize/2wVhmLrX">Nobel Peace Prize</a>, 2007.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/American_Meteorological_Society/Pb5psX4t">American Meteorological Society</a> Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, 2008-2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a></li> <li>Fellow of the <a href="/facts/American_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Science/zfWYugCg">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>, 2008.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a></li> <li>Fellow of the <a href="/facts/American_Geophysical_Union/c4fmbVpa">American Geophysical Union</a>, 2011.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Jule_G._Charney_Award/9m4q6LfJ">Jule G. Charney Award</a> of the <a href="/facts/American_Meteorological_Society/Pb5psX4t">American Meteorological Society</a>, 2015, "For fundamental contributions toward understanding the climatic effects of stratospheric aerosols from volcanoes and other potential sources, and the role of soil moisture in climate."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a></li> <li>2022 Future of Life Award (Nuclear Winter)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock/">Homepage</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31475761">'Next Pinatubo' a test of geoengineering (BBC, 2015)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsrEk1oZ-54">Nuclear winter - still possible but preventable: Alan Robock at TEDxHoboken</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Alan Robock". Rutgers University. Retrieved February 16, 2013. <a href="http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock/" target="_blank">http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Fidel and Nuclear Winter". <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Cuba/" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Cuba/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Asiste Fidel a conferencia scientifica de Alan Roblock". Granma. September 15, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2022. <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Cuba/IMG_3278.jpg" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Cuba/IMG_3278.jpg</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Alan Robock Home Page". <a href="http://people.envsci.rutgers.edu/robock/" target="_blank">http://people.envsci.rutgers.edu/robock/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". IPCC. 2007. <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=688" target="_blank">http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=688</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"The Nobel Peace Prize 2007". Nobel Prize. 2007. <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/" target="_blank">https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturers, 2008-2009", Sigma Xi. Retrieved January 29, 2019. <a href="https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships/past-lecturers/2008-2009" target="_blank">https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships/past-lecturers/2008-2009</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Alan Robock". Rutgers University. Retrieved February 16, 2013. <a href="http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock/" target="_blank">http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (2011). "Geoengineering: The good, the MAD, and the sensible". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (51). PNAS: 20277–20278. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10820277S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1115966108. PMC 3251148. PMID 22160718. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3251148" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3251148</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>IPCC (2013). "Fifth Assessment Report: Working Group I (Chapter 8)". IPCC. <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/authors.php?q=1&p=8" target="_blank">https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/authors.php?q=1&p=8</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"An Open Letter to President-Elect Trump about Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Winter". Huffington Post. 2017. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-robock/an-open-letter-to-preside_26_b_14041438.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-robock/an-open-letter-to-preside_26_b_14041438.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Future Of Life Award". Future of Life Institute. Retrieved August 22, 2022. <a href="https://futureoflife.org/future-of-life-award/" target="_blank">https://futureoflife.org/future-of-life-award/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Robock, Alan; Luke Oman; Georgiy L. Stenchikov; Owen B. Toon; Charles Bardeen & Richard P. Turco (2007). "Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts" (PDF). Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7 (8): 2003–12. Bibcode:2007ACP.....7.2003R. doi:10.5194/acp-7-2003-2007. <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/acp-7-2003-2007.pdf" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/acp-7-2003-2007.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Robock, Alan; Luke Oman & Georgiy L. Stenchikov (2007). "Nuclear winter revisited with a modern climate model and current nuclear arsenals: Still catastrophic consequences" (PDF). J. Geophys. Res. 112 (D13): D13107. Bibcode:2007JGRD..11213107R. doi:10.1029/2006JD008235. <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/RobockNW2006JD008235.pdf" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/RobockNW2006JD008235.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Toon, Owen B.; Richard P. Turco; Alan Robock; Charles Bardeen; Luke Oman & Georgiy L. Stenchikov (2007). "Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism" (PDF). Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7 (8): 1973–2002. Bibcode:2007ACP.....7.1973T. doi:10.5194/acp-7-1973-2007. <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/acp-7-1973-2007.pdf" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/acp-7-1973-2007.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Toon, Owen B.; Alan Robock; Richard P. Turco; Charles Bardeen; Luke Oman & Georgiy L. Stenchikov (2007). "Consequences of regional-scale nuclear conflicts" (PDF). Science. 315 (5816): 1224–5. doi:10.1126/science.1137747. PMID 17332396. S2CID 129644628. <a href="http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/SciencePolicyForumNW.pdf" target="_blank">http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/SciencePolicyForumNW.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Toon, Owen B.; Alan Robock; Richard P. Turco (December 2008). "Environmental consequences of nuclear war". Physics Today. 61 (12): 37–42. Bibcode:2008PhT....61l..37T. doi:10.1063/1.3047679. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1063%2F1.3047679" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1063%2F1.3047679</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Robock, A.; Ammann, C. M.; Oman, L.; Shindell, D.; Levis, S.; Stenchikov, G. (2009). "Did the Toba volcanic eruption of ~74 ka B.P. produce widespread glaciation?". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (D10): D10107. Bibcode:2009JGRD..11410107R. doi:10.1029/2008JD011652. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029%2F2008JD011652" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1029%2F2008JD011652</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Walsh, Bryan (August 17, 2022). "What could a nuclear war do to the climate — and humanity?". Vox. Retrieved August 22, 2022. <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/17/23306861/nuclear-winter-war-climate-change-food-starvation-existential-risk-russia-united-states" target="_blank">https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/17/23306861/nuclear-winter-war-climate-change-food-starvation-existential-risk-russia-united-states</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"List of Fellows", American Meteorological Society. Retrieved May 28, 2017. <a href="https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/about-ams/ams-organization-and-administration/list-of-fellows/" target="_blank">https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/about-ams/ams-organization-and-administration/list-of-fellows/</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". IPCC. 2007. <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=688" target="_blank">http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=688</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>"The Nobel Peace Prize 2007". Nobel Prize. 2007. <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/" target="_blank">https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>"Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturers, 2008-2009", Sigma Xi. Retrieved January 29, 2019. <a href="https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships/past-lecturers/2008-2009" target="_blank">https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships/past-lecturers/2008-2009</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>"AAAS Fellows", American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved March 22, 2018. <a href="https://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AnnualReports/2008/aaas_ann_rpt_08k_fellows.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AnnualReports/2008/aaas_ann_rpt_08k_fellows.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>"For important contributions to understanding the global climate system, including the climate impacts of soil moisture, of snow and ice, and of stratospheric aerosols.", American Geophysical Union. Retrieved March 22, 2018. <a href="https://honors.agu.org/honorsfellow/2425-robock/" target="_blank">https://honors.agu.org/honorsfellow/2425-robock/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>"Alan Robock Wins Prestigious American Meteorological Society Award", (November 24, 2014). Rutgers University. Retrieved May 28, 2017. <a href="https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2014/11/alan-robock-wins-prestigious-american-meteorological-society-award/" target="_blank">https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2014/11/alan-robock-wins-prestigious-american-meteorological-society-award/</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:27"><p>"Future Of Life Award". Future of Life Institute. Retrieved August 22, 2022. <a href="https://futureoflife.org/future-of-life-award/" target="_blank">https://futureoflife.org/future-of-life-award/</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>