astronomy

Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist)

Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Halford Levy is a New Zealand glacial stratigrapher and paleoclimatologist with expertise in microfossil analysis. As a principal scientist at GNS Science he has been involved in international and New Zealand environmental research programmes focussing on the evolution of the Earth's climate and building an understanding of the role of greenhouse gases in causing anthropogenic climate changes, in particular…

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Richard Halford Levy is a New Zealand glacial stratigrapher and paleoclimatologist with expertise in microfossil analysis. As a principal scientist at GNS Science he has been involved in international and New Zealand environmental research programmes focussing on the evolution of the Earth's climate and building an understanding of the role of greenhouse gases in causing anthropogenic climate changes, in particular those impacting global sea levels. He has had extensive experience in scientific drilling, leading major projects, including the ANtarctic geological DRILLing (ANDRILL) Program in Antarctica. Since 2018, Levy has co-led the government funded NZ SeaRise programme.

Career and associations Levy co-authored the guide for the ANDRILL project in 2006 and had a leadership role in the establishment and running of the program. From 2008 to 2019 he was a senior scientist at GNS Science, becoming a principal scientist with a specific role as Environment and Climate Theme Leader in 2019. Between 2007 and 2015, he was Project Leader for the Global Change Programme that aimed "to advance understanding of past climate and environmental change in the New Zealand region, Southern Ocean and Antarctica". Levy was Program Leader of the Past Antarctic Climate and Future Implications (PACaFI - K001), a GNS project, from 2010 to 2018, and Director of the Joint Antarctic Research Institute (2013-2017). Since 2016 he has been the National Representative on the Executive Committee of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program. In 2018, Levy along with Tim Naish, became a leader of the NZ Searise project. He is a staff member at the Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington and works with the Antarctic Science Platform on Project 1-Antarctic Ice Dynamics to investigate how models based on paleoenvironmental data can improve understanding of what controls and drives environmental change and the impact of ice melts in the Antarctica on sea levels.

Research

Evolution of Earth's climate system As a paleoclimatologist, Levy participated in research to develop an understanding of how humans have influenced Earth's climate over time. This identified patterns in the history of the Earth's climate system by analysing ice caps sealed in glaciers and sediment buried in lakes, allowing the examination of the causes of past climate change and providing data to explore the degree to which warming in the 21st century may be explained by natural causes, such as solar variability, or by human influences. Studies in which Levy participated that involved examination of rock and sediment under the Antarctic ice sheet, concluded that because of the sensitivity of the sheet to temperature changes, it was under threat from anthropogenic climate warming caused by carbon emissions. He also stated that monitoring the ice sheets in this way would allow for predictions of how they will change as the climate warms, specifically enabling "computer models to predict how the Ross Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will change as our climate warms". Levy contributed to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation which recorded that globally averaged concentrations of CO2 reached 403.3 parts per million (ppm) in 2016 up from 400ppm in 2015 and this was likely to see dangerous temperature increases by the end of the 21st century. When gathering data for this report Levy worked with other members of the GNS team, Jocelyn Turnbull and Nancy Bertler, to show that by observing rates of change in the past through the analysis of ice core records, it is possible to estimate the effect on the climate if this rate increased. The rate of increase in CO2 concentrations in 2017, was considerably faster than rates in the mid-Pliocene era, about 5 million years ago when similar concentrations had caused the collapse of ice sheets in Antarctica resulting in global sea levels 10 to 20 metres (33 to 66 ft) higher and temperatures 2 to 3 °C (3.6 to 5.4 °F) warmer than in 2017. In 2019, Levy contributed to an article in the journal Nature Geoscience which explored the degree that an increasingly warm climate could affect the axial tilt or obliquity of Earth's orbit around the Sun due to a loss of sea ice through warming of the ocean, possibly triggering instability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet with dire implications for global sea levels.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist)

In research: Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Living people, New Zealand Antarctic scientists, New Zealand glaciologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) in simple terms?

Why does Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Richard Levy (paleoclimatologist).