Peter Hess

Post Doc
Advanced Study Program, National Center Atmospheric Research
1990

Doctorate
University of Washington
1988

Master of Science
University of Washington
1983

Bachelor of Arts
Cornell University
1979

Anthropogenic emissions, agriculture activities, and land use changes all affect atmospheric composition and climate. Through integration of atmospheric chemical models and atmospheric measurements, Professor Hess seeks to understand atmospheric chemistry over the historical record and into the future. Projections of future climate change are coupled with changes in atmospheric composition, which, by extension impacts future air quality. Understanding the impacts of climate change not only requires constant environmental monitoring, but also a predictive ability gained through working with complex numerical models of the earth’s system.

Professor Hess teaches students the complex and exciting science involved in understanding the interactions between the earth, its atmosphere, and human activities. He communicates how climate models are used to make future predictions, how the models are formulated and validated, what aspects of the models can be relied upon to make robust predictions, and which aspects should be viewed with a healthy skepticism.

His courses include:

• BEE 2000 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge
• BEE 2010 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge Discussion
• BEE/EAS 4800/6800 Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change