Fingers on the pulse of global climate change
National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) are causing an international stir. Findings from the NCCR "Climate – Variability, Predictability and Climate Risks" for example made headlines in the New York Times and filled lecture halls in China.
The Economist and BBC News interviewed him, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the British magazine New Scientist carried a story, as did the French magazine Science & Vie and of course the New York Times. The work of the ETH Zurich researcher Martin Wild has attracted significant attention by renowned media for years. "The international response tends to be greater than it is here in Switzerland," comments Martin Wild, who had just returned from a lecture tour in China. Since publishing an article in the journal Science in 2005, the Head of a project in the NCCR " is also a much sought-after speaker. "Three weeks ago I was in Germany, then in China. A conference in Vienna is coming up shortly, followed by one in Canada," comments Martin Wild. Along with colleagues, he was able to demonstrate that solar radiation on the Earth's surface has fluctuated considerably over the past decades and has become increasingly stronger since the 1980s. It is a phenomenon called global brightening. But this was preceded by global dimming which means a reduction in solar radiation. The reason for this reverse is a decline in air pollution.
The media response to the Science article comes as no surprise given that the climatologist works in a field that undoubtedly arouses public interest: the threat of climate change. Martin Wild and his NCCR research team work at the Institute for Atmosphere and Climate at the ETH Zurich. They use climate models that allow them to make predictions about future developments but also use observation data. The fulcrum to Martin Wild's research is the Earth's radiation budget: "the real core of the climate," he emphasises. Because the radiation budget primarily determines the seasonal and geographical variations in climate, drives the water cycle and wind systems, not to mention exercises a crucial influence on vegetation and, in turn, the carbon cycle. The first signs of the impact of mounting greenhouse gases are shown in a change in the radiation budget. It comes as no surprise then that the models devote a third of the computing time to calculating radiation impact when simulating future climate developments.
It is not only the financial support of NCCR "Climate" that is important to Martin Wild's work but also the contacts with other researchers, at national and international level, which are encouraged within the NCCR. "My research area is very interdisciplinary, because solar radiation is a physical phenomenon with an extraordinarily broad impact." It influences the Earth's water cycle, plant behaviour, glaciers and much more. A significant botanical conference in Germany demonstrated that phenologists, who examine the time that plants blossom, are greatly interested in Martin Wild’s research.
Martin Wild, together with other researchers, published an article in the scientific journal Nature in spring 2009. The article illustrated the connection between altered solar radiation and carbon dioxide absorption in the global biosphere. Thanks to his success, Martin Wild was also appointed to edit a special issue of the respected Journal of Geophysical Research focusing on the subject of global dimming/global brightening. In addition, he is organising the meeting around his special area of research at the next annual assembly of the European Geoscience Union (EGU) which over 10'000 scientists will attend. "It is both an honour and a commitment," states Martin Wild who is eager to promote increased interest in his area of research. "The media sometimes forget that not only the widely known magazines Nature and Science are relevant. In research circles other publications like the Journal of Geophysical Research are often just as important."
Wild's numerous publications have already be quoted over 1'500 times by other researchers. He also enjoys a high reputation as co-author of the important 3rd and 4th report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
What is the source of his enthusiasm? "My research area fascinates me because it concerns our planet. I also want to understand what is happening to the Earth and what impact our actions have on it. And, finally, it is about something that we feel directly every day like the sun shining on our face."