By the Democrat-Herald | Posted: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 12:00 am
Oregon State University and the governor's office today announced the name of Oregon's new chief climate scientist.
Philip W. Mote, the Washington state climatologist, will direct the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and become a professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State in Corvallis, where the institute will be based.
He will start the job part time in the spring, then go to full time in the summer of 2009.
The legislature established the research institute in 2007 at the request of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who wanted to replace state climatologiost George Taylor.
Taylor retired last spring.
In addition to facilitating research and providing climate change information to Oregon decision-makers, the institute will support the state's new Oregon Global Warming Commission, created by Kulongoski last year.
Kulongoski said: "This institute will be critical to advancing Oregon's position as a leader in climate change research and policy development, and Phil's world-class background in this area will help ensure Oregon continues to be a leading resource on climate science nationally and around the globe."
Mote was a lead author for the fourth assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received a Nobel Prize.
Mark Abbott, dean of OSU's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, said broadening scientific understanding will lead not only to better policy, but will help Oregon make wise investments for the future.
"When we are confronted by extreme phenomena - whether it is a Hurricane Katrina, a severe drought, or even a sudden snowstorm in Portland - things tend to grind to a halt," Abbott said.
"Gaining more scientific understanding of these processes is critical, whether they are natural, caused by humans or a combination of both," Abbott added. "That understanding will allow us to target our resources more strategically - on a broad scale when considering things like water availability, or down to the local level of determining whether to buy additional snowplows."