Extract from ABC News
The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists who have made significant contributions to our understanding of climate science.
Key points:
- It is common for several scientists who work in related fields to share the prize
- The winners will share more than $1.5 million in prize money
- Nobel prizes in chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be awarded throughout the week
Syukuro Manabe, 90, from the US, and Klaus Hasselmann, 89, from Germany, were cited for their work in "the physical modelling of Earth's climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming".
The second half of the prize was awarded to Italian Giorgio Parisi, 73, for "the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales".
The panel said Dr Manabe and Dr Hasselmann "laid the foundation of our knowledge of the Earth's climate and how humanity influences it.
Starting in the 1960s, Dr Manabe demonstrated how increases in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase global temperatures, laying the foundations for current climate models.
About a decade later, Dr Hasselmann created a model that linked weather and climate, helping explain why climate models could be reliable despite the seemingly chaotic nature of the weather.
He also developed ways to look for specific signs of human influence on the climate.
Dr Parisi "built a deep physical and mathematical model" that made it possible to understand complex systems in fields as different as mathematics, biology, neuroscience and machine learning.
After the announcement, Dr Parisi said "it's very urgent that we take very strong decisions and move at a very strong pace" in tackling climate change.
"It's clear for future generations that we have to act now," he said.
The Swedish Academy of Sciences said it chose the winners for their "groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems".
"Complex systems are characterised by randomness and disorder and are difficult to understand," it said in a statement.
"This year's prize recognises new methods for describing them and predicting their long-term behaviour."
It is common for several scientists who work in related fields to share the prize.
The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (more than $1.5 million).
The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
Among the Nobels, physics has often taken centre stage, with awards often going to major breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe. Previous winners include Albert Einstein and the husband-and-wife team of Pierre Curie and Marie Curie.
Last year, scientists Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez won the Nobel physics prize for their discoveries concerning black holes.
The prize in physiology or medicine was awarded earlier this week to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries on how the human body perceives temperature and touch.
Over the coming days prizes will also be awarded for outstanding work in the fields of chemistry, literature, peace and economics.
ABC/ wires
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