Christopher Field facts for kids
Christopher B. Field is an American scientist and researcher. He has made big contributions to understanding climate change. He has written over 200 science papers. His research focuses on how climate change affects things. This includes everything from tiny molecules to the whole planet.
He has done important experiments on grasslands in California. These studies show how grasslands react to global changes. He also studies the global carbon cycle. This helps us understand how carbon moves around the Earth. Field also looks at how climate change affects farming. He uses computer models to study where carbon comes from and goes. He also studies the environmental effects of growing biomass energy.
What Christopher Field Does
Christopher Field helped start the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology. He is still its founding director. He earned his PhD from Stanford University in 1981. He has worked at the Carnegie Institution for Science since 1984.
He is also a professor at Stanford University. He teaches Biology and Environmental Earth System Science there. Field is also in charge of Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. This is a group of top scientists.
His Work with the IPCC
Field was a main author for the fourth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a group that studies climate change. He has spoken to government committees. He has also appeared on shows like NPR's “Science Friday.”
In 2008, Field became a co-chair of an IPCC working group. This group studies the impacts of climate change. In 2009, he won a Heinz Award for his environmental work.
Awards and Recognition
In 2013, Field received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award. He won it for his work on climate change. He showed how important ecosystems are in fighting climate change. His work helped measure how cutting down forests affects the climate. It also showed how climate change will affect land ecosystems. In 2022, he won the Japan Prize. This award was for his work in ecology and the environment.
Field continues to be a co-chair for the IPCC's Working Group II. This group focuses on how climate change affects us. It also looks at how we can adapt to these changes. In 2015, the US State Department suggested him to be the IPCC Chair.
The Field Lab
Chris Field's lab at Carnegie Science studies ecology. They look at ecosystems from small areas to the whole planet. Much of their work focuses on global environmental changes. They study how these changes affect different ecosystems. This includes grasslands and oceans. The Field Lab is also working on biomass energy production.
