Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Hot men of climatology

There are plenty of lists floating around out there stating who is the hottest this or that. Who are the hottest green models and the hottest green actors and so forth. But, what about the people who really matter, the ones doing the climate research, not the celebrities?

Because of this, I wanted to write a post about the Hot Men of Climatology, but when I went a huntin' for hotties, pretty much what I found were older men sporting a lot of hair or none at all. And, the only hot thing going on was more related to warming temperatures than chiseled abs. But, I've found the up and coming (well, under 50ish) "hot" men of climatology for your review. Let me know if I missed any :)

Michael MannFirst up is Michael Mann a, relatively speaking, sprightly 43-year-old climatologist. Michael is an author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications and has attained public prominence as lead author of a number of articles on paleoclimate and as one of the originators of a graph of temperature trends dubbed the "hockey stick graph" (not to be confused with the "hockey mom graph").

The graph received both praise and criticism after its publication in an IPCC report. In 2005 he was appointed Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University, in the Department of Meteorology and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, and Director of the university's interdepartmental Earth System Science Center. If you like your men with degrees in Applied Math, Geology and Geophysics, Michael fits the bill.

Caspar AmmannNext up is Caspar Ammann, a 40-year-old researcher from Switzerland. Caspar is a climate scientist working at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and is interested in the reconstruction of natural climate forcings, natural climate variability, coupled modeling of natural and anthropogenic climate change, and data/model intercomparison. In other words, he studies past and present climate changes.

He has a Ph.D. in Geosciences and his research centers around the climate of past centuries and millennia and how this information can help to understand what elements of future climate might be predictable as well as what potential environmental and ecological impacts are to be anticipated given various climate change scenarios.

Rasmus BenestadRasmus Benestad is a physicist by training and works as a senior scientist at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Oslo Climate Group. He earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics department at Oxford University.

Rasmus' recent work has involved research on regional climate and seasonal predictability, but his past experience also includes ocean dynamics/air-sea processes and cloud micro-physics. In addition, he is the author of the book Solar Activity and Earth's Climate.

Gavin SchmidtRounding out the list is hottie, Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist and climate modeller at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In 2004 he was named as one of Scientific American's "Top 50 Research Leaders" for the year. In addition to his scientific work he is a founding member and one of the contributors to the climatology blog, RealClimate.

Gavin is a computer climate modeler who works on developing large-scale models of the atmosphere-ocean climate system. He has worked on understanding climate variability both in past climates going back as far as 55 million years ago and forward to the possible future climates.

Whew! Now, even though it seems totally sacrilegious to do this, this post is just begging for a poll....

Who's the hottest climate change scientist?


Update: Ooh! I have a late entry. Unfortunately, I can't add him to the poll, but wanted to introduce you all to him.

Julian Sachs is a paleoclimatologist working right here at the University of Washington. He has a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from MIT and his research interests include the evolution of the tropical Pacific climate and the El NiƱo-Southern Oscillation since the last glacial period.

He also works on the development and application of organic geochemical and stable isotopic techniques in paleoclimatology and oceanography. I'm pretty sure he can melt a few icebergs while he's at it too.

60 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about none? These guys are not hot. They're okay...but not hot.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Really? You're not one of those climate change deniers, are you?

LatigoLiz said...

These two are good:

Cliff Mass

Rufus LaLone

Crunchy Chicken said...

Liz - Those are meteorologists, not climatologists. It's easy to find hot meteorologists aka weathermen. The other group's a challenge. Although I'm not sure your examples exactly qualify either :)

Aimee said...

Woo Hoo, let me say, I think all those guys are hot. Mr. Mann has a hot cuddly-bear man thing going on. Plus, that's a rad 'stache and a super-awesome dome. Love the bald men. So virile. Not kidding.

Caspar is an adorable nerd. He's got a light-up-the-room smile and looks like he's so smart he could be the solve-the-problem-nobody-else-understands guy in a science fiction movie. Plus the blonde curls are hot.

Rasmus looks like a crazy genius, archetypical mad scientist, a little bit scary and a lot sexy. No, Rasmus, you're mad I tell you, MAD!

Gavin is another hot bald man. He looks craggy and outdoorsy, like he might be a mountain man and drag you back to his mountain lair. Gavin, drag me away!

Let's hear it for hot scientists! Brains are sexy! Competence is sexy! PhDs are sexy! Go climatologists! Save the world for me, big man! You rock!

Not even kidding, dead serious.

Farmer's Daughter said...

Love this idea! Brains are hot!

What about Mark Lynas, auther of Six Degrees? Or is he not really a scientist? Don't have time to check it out right now...

jewishfarmer said...

My husband is an astrophysicist, rather than a climatologist, even though he does work on Gaia theory and climate, so I guess I can't write him in.

If we can switch to climate *activists* the options get better.

I've got to say, the men of peak oil are worse... ;-).

BTW, have any of these gentlemen noticed yet that they are climate hotties?

MaddyG said...

They are all pretty hot to me! It's about time someone gave these guys some recognition!
Just think of how passionate they are about climatology...that passion may translate in other areas...if you know what I mean. Wink, wink. ; )

Deanna said...

I admire these men but can't honestly say any of them are hot. ;)

Crunchy Chicken said...

Sharon - No, I haven't heard anything yet from them :)

Aimee - You rock. Totally. I've added a new hottie for your perusal.

I think it's funny the standard of "hotness" we have in the US. In other countries these guys are considered hot, because intelligence is more highly valued than the vapid good looks we prefer stateside. Oh well.

Hopefully that will change and there will be more value placed on guys like these instead of basketball players and the like. Really, a lot of those guys aren't "hot" either. They are just famous. Same deal with musicians. Flavor Flav comes to mind.

Farmer's Daughter said...

Ugh. Seriously? Some people think Flavor Flav is hot? I thought they were just gold diggers?

Any guy that can go out and split wood by hand is hot in my book! But I'd have to say that saving the planet would be a turn on, too :)

Greenpa said...

"BTW, have any of these gentlemen noticed yet that they are climate hotties?"

Women are so fascinating. :-)

OBVIOUSLY- Crunch and Sharon should get together and put out a CALENDAR.

Really. Would you make the news? Oh, yeah. Maybe add a few other Green Lady bloggers to the committee; Stoneleigh comes to mind.

Plenty of time before Valentines Day.

Please, please- I'm begging you- you HAVE to do this. :-)

LatigoLiz said...

Dang! Got my ologists messed up! ;)

ruchi said...

Duuuuuuude. Crunchola. Where are your hot climatologists of color?!?! I like my climatologists like I like my chocolate: dark, sweet and organic/fair-trade.

Greenpa said...

ruchi - " I like my climatologists like I like my chocolate: dark, sweet and organic/fair-trade."

And in a cup!

:-)

second the motion.

See? we need 12, at least.

jewishfarmer said...

What do you say, Deanna - how about a calendar - the 12 hotties of the apocalypse - climatologists, petro-geologists, geophysicists...

And Ruchi, I actually went looking for non-white climatologists - there are a good number of asian guys, but the only african-american guy (or african for that matter) I found on a (fairly quick) search was about 60 and wore a bowtie.

Crunch, don't you think it is a little unfair to ask us to find them hot for their brains when all we see of them is their picture on a screen? Says a woman who finds brains very hot.

Seriously,babe, I'm in for the calendar! Greenpa, you are a genius. Wait until we do "men of agriculture" ;-)

Sharon

Crunchy Chicken said...

Ruchi - You find me a climatologist under 50 that's full of chocolately goodness and I'll add 'em in. I could barely find anyone under 50 :)

Sharon/Greenpa - I think we'll need to cast a fairly wide net to get enough for 12. But, then again, there are probably a few hidden gems out there I don't know about. Which isn't too surprising.

The big problem is, wouldn't we need their permission to put them in a calendar :)

Crunchy Chicken said...

Greenpa - "In a cup"? I was thinking more along the lines of a chocolate pop, but that's just me.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Sharon - Does New Society publish calendars? I see a whole series coming out of this :)

Hannah said...

I'm with Sharon: When you include climate-and-energy activists and analysts, we've definitely got a sexy crowd.

My husband knows I'll leave him in a flash if Bill McKibben (swoon!) or Richard Heinberg ever become available.

Both are such gentle, kind men with a both sense of the gravity of the situation we face AND a belief in the goodness of humanity. That is very attractive to me.

jewishfarmer said...

Crunch, do you really think that for the cause, most men, who have lived their lives in the geek crowd wouldn't be willing to be "science hotties?" I betcha we'd get a bunch.

I'll ask Ingrid about NS, except they don't do shiny color photograpy - but we could self publish and donate the profits to, say 350 or climate equity or something.

I'm not joking - I had the idea of a "men of peak oil" calendar years ago, and I keep threatening people with it. I imagined nude pictures of pasty geologists, and using it to get people active "if you don't work harder on the cause I will force you to look at a nude Kenneth Deffeyes!"

But the carrot is way more fun than the stick...and some of these guys do have nice carrots ;-).

Sharon

NSP editor said...

Do they have to be ologists? Couldn't it just be a calendar of hotties of the apocalypse? :D

Sharon, weren't you and me and the Crunch going to be the three babes of the apocalypse?

I have all my apocalyptic lists mixed up... :D

Crunchy Chicken said...

Sharon - I like the idea of donating the profits, which I imagine will be HUGE.

And, please, no nudes of Kenneth Deffeyes. And, probably no nudes in general. Although a strategically placed piece of petrified wood might be in order. And I don't mean that kind of petrified wood.

Greenpa said...

Crunch-The big problem is, wouldn't we need their permission to put them in a calendar :)"

sure. You wanna guess how many of these guys would say "no"?????

I think you're looking at pico quantities.

Greenpa said...

The "in a cup" was an Eddie Izzard quote-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo

Crunchy Chicken said...

NSP Editor (aka Ingrid) - Branching out to climate activists certainly gives us more options.

And, I'm always game for the Babes of the Apocalypse calendar. I did mention this was one in a series :)

Greenpa - You may be right. I'm guessing more like femto quantities, now that I think about it.

Greenpa said...

And! for all you infant ageists out there! I recommend you take a close look at the movie "South Pacific".

There's a scene that's entirely germane- and extremely well done. I couldn't find a video of it, alas.

It must have been inserted by one of the collaborators who was a little past your "50" limit.

The Lieutenant is being astonished to his Captain that young Nellie would be interested in the Frenchman- who is "so old!"

The Captain reacts quite vigorously, leaving the Lieutenant quite warm, and very astonished. :-)

Incidentally- Spice, who is somewhat my junior (ok, decades) went to extremes for my birthday; and dyed her hair. Red. She'd never dyed her hair in her life.

In response to my years of asking for a redhead for Christmas or birthday (humorously).

So there seems to be some romantic potential here still- regardless of extreme decrepitude.

:-P

Many of you children may be too young to recall- but a few years back, but this doddering geezer was voted Sexiest Man On Television in 1992.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrick-stewart-as-picard1.jpg

fie, fie, fie.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Ha! Just don't ask my husband about my fixation on Jean Luc Picard. A few episodes wearing riding pants. Oh my.

Green Bean said...

What a great poll!

Greenpa said...

The market for these calendars would really be pretty large- all the grad student offices; half the highschool science rooms, all the NOAA, EPA and DOE offices- then there's Christmas...

:-) Be prepared!

jewishfarmer said...

Patrick Stewart was indeed, extremely hot. So was Sean Connery for a long time. But I think it may be the accent ;-).

I myself think David Holmgren, who ain't no spring chicken, is exceedingly attractive, since my tastes run hard to tall, skinny, dark men.

Blondes aren't my thing, but I can offer my extremely buff and blonde co-author on ANOF if we're expanding. He's pretty good looking, after all.

Seriously, I think this might be a whole lot more effective than a lot of boring talks.

BTW, I think your late entry would be awesome.
Sharon

jewishfarmer said...

BTW, he's not young, but I think Rajendra Pachuri is pretty good looking - and being UN chief climate scientist should qualify him for our calendar. Should make Ruchi happy, too, unless she demands young and coffee colored.

undergrowth.org/system/files/u7/1007.jpg

Greenpa said...

Sharon- "Seriously, I think this might be a whole lot more effective than a lot of boring talks.

Absolutely, no kidding. Good attention, good message.

Incidentally; standard marketing practice that will boost your sales and coverage- send out a request for nominations... everywhere.

YouTube... :-)

Sam said...

Crunchy: Your husband is cute...no? I assume you think he is hot. I'm voting for little Henry though. He is destined for stud-dom.

What about George Monbiot...under 50, cute-ish if a bit of a grumperoo.

Also I generally don't read all that heavy climate stuff, I read your blog for translation and a bit of dumbing down of all those facts.

Sam said...

Not that your blog is dumb.

ruchi said...

Sharon, I thought about Pachauri ... I think he's kinda crazy looking and he is almost 70, but he's also frickin brilliant.

But if we are expanding this to climate activists, I think we can find plenty of hot men of color.

Robj98168 said...

These guys give me hope that I maybe hot.

Robj98168 said...

Greenpa- I didn't know you where a hollywood musical fan!

Hannah said...

If we're looking for activists of color, look no further than Van Jones. Even folks with very traditional ideas of "sexy" can't miss that he meets the definition. I suppose people have asked him to pose for calendars before!

Hannah said...

Here's an example:http://gossiboocrew.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/van-jones-500.jpg

Hank Roberts said...

Hmmm ... I think more research is going to be needed. Not by me.

But (assuming you're limiting this to people who've actually published climate science in refereed journals) you could inquire further of climate blogger Stoat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DSC_2453-lake-below-wilder-ferner.JPG

and climate blogger Annan

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/kurobe/keyakidaira.jpg

Crunchy Chicken said...

Hank - Well, I guess that answers the question as to whether or not climate scientists would be willing to bare it for a calendar, now doesn't it?

Sharon - I think we'll need to get those submissions materials ready soon :)

Indigo, madder, marigold said...

I would have to say Julian Sachs has a Captain Picard sort of look. And Captain Picard is the hottest ever.

knutty knitter said...

I'd rather have brains than vapidness any day - even in a wheelchair - Stephen Hawking anyone??

Mind you, as an old dodderer what would I know :)

I like the idea of a calendar......

viv in nz

Lisa Z said...

I love the calendar idea! I couldn't vote for one of these guys because I think they're all very cute! But then, I do like geeky smart guys...

Unknown said...

Dear Crunch, thanks for the thoughts and laughs, isn't it a great time in the world that we can discuss whether we love geeks or age makes any difference? Most scientists are never on anyones list/calendar/blog so thanks for calling them out along with their GOOD DEEDS. A little good recognition goes a long way. Jax www.greeneroo.com

Jenette said...

There are about 5 men in my office that are under 50 that are studying climatology. But I don't know if government employees count in your survey! and I only think 1 might make your list. LOL!

Crunchy Chicken said...

Jenette - Government employees totally count! That's where most of them work anyway :)

Jenn said...

Dear Crunch,

Howzabout the Hot Women of Climatology?

TYVM,
jennconspiracy

Anonymous said...

Mann is the man!

Manda said...

I feel waayyyy too young right now. Sorry, none of them are hot but that's just because if they were hitting on me (20) they would be sleezy old men lol so really I can't vote effectively :P

Anonymous said...

Where is Peter Huybers? He is dreamboat, and a bona-fide genius.

Or Kevin Anchukaitis, or Julien Emile-Geay?

Anonymous said...

I work with Caspar Amman's wife on occasion-should I tell her? I can think of maybe a couple hot men of climatology running around my University and I can think of three hot women of climatology no problem.

Anonymous said...

OK, here are a couple more:
Detlev Helmig
and Bill Manley, both at the Institute of Alpine and Arctic Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I'm not sure Detlev would be considered a climatologist, though he does do polar atmospheric chemistry. Bill Manley, definitely. There are others, I promise. Many have extremely unflattering department photos. For this post, I am definitely anonymous!! I could never show my face again.

http://instaar.colorado.edu/people/bios/manley.html
http://instaar.colorado.edu/people/bios/helmig.html

Anonymous said...

Well, I don't know about all these middle-aged quacks: they certainly don't have enough scientific brilliance to compensate for their atrocious looks... But, say, Jason Smerdon is quite a different story, check him out:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~jsmerdon/Site/Home.html
And while you are at it, reward yourself by stealing a look at his brilliant scientist girlfriend Jill Van Tongeren:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~jvantong/personal

Andrew Revkin said...

Only just noticed this. What about Tim Hall at NASA GISS? Not only tall and handsome, but a talented musician:
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/thall/
http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/2009/10/hot-men-of-climatology.html

Crunchy Chicken said...

Andy - It's never to late, thanks for the tip!

Sharon - We've got at least a baker's dozen, you need to stop working on that silly book of yours and start on something more important like the 2011 calendar...

Anders Emretsson said...

David Archer got friendly with the camera at least once.

Marion Delgado said...

You're going to ruin Gavin and Michael's working relationship, I just know it. the whole thing will turn into some sort of Mitchell and Webb sketch, mark my words!

Unknown said...

I'm going to see Caspar in about an hour and ask if he knows about this poll and how he feels about getting 0% of the vote. Perhaps we need to open this up again and get a "King and Queen" of climatology/paleoclimatology.
(Christian Shorey of Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast)