Hans Oeschger, 1996 Tyler Laureate
Hans Oeschger, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland,
is the pioneer of gas composition measurements on polar ice. A physicist
by training, he developed numerous methods for extracting data from sequential
layers of polar ice, thus demonstrating the wealth of geochemical information
present in the ice archive.
Dr. Oeschger and his colleagues developed techniques for measuring radiocarbon on very small samples of carbon dioxide, oxygen isotopes, and the radiocarbon dating of ice. Their measurement of carbon dioxide concentrations from air bubbles trapped in ice revealed for the first time the important role that the world's oceans play in influencing global climate. Thus, it is now widely held that it is ocean-influenced changes in the levels of atmospheric gases that support the creation of the great glacial ice caps.
Dr. Oeschger began his work on isotopes and greenhouse gases around the same time as Dr. Dansgaard initiated his studies. Their combined work documented that abrupt climate swings are associated with changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases. The paradigm has come to be known as "Dansgaard-Oeschger events," the study of which has led to profound insights about the response of the present-day climate system to man's activities.
Dr. Oeschger was born on April 2, 1927 in Ottenbach, Switzerland. He earned a doctor of science degree from the University of Bern in 1955 and has been associated with that institution since that time as a researcher and professor. He became professor emeritus in 1992.
Dr. Oeschger is a member of a number of scientific academies and honor
societies including the National Academy of Sciences, Swiss Academy of the
Technical Sciences, and the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences. Past honors
include the Harold C. Urey Medal from the European Association of Geochemistry
and the Seligman Crystal from the International Glaciological Society.