Robert Arbuckle Berner (November 25, 1935 – January 10, 2015) was an American scientist known for his contributions to the modeling of the
carbon cycle.[2] He taught Geology and Geophysics from 1965 to 2007 at
Yale University, where he latterly served as
Professor Emeritus until his death. His work on
sedimentary rocks led to the co-founding of the BLAG model[3] of atmospheric
carbon dioxide, which takes into account both geochemical and biological contributions to the carbon cycle.[4]
Early life
Berner was born on November 25, 1935, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Paul Nau Berner and Priscilla (Arbuckle) Berner. He was encouraged to develop an interest in geology by his older brother (and now deceased geologist) Paul. Bob initially attended
Purdue University but soon transferred to the
University of Michigan, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1958 and his master's degree in 1959. Next he attended Harvard University where in 1962 he earned his Ph.D. in Geology.[5]
Academic career and research
In 1962, Berner won a fellowship to do research at the
Scripps Institute of Oceanography in
San Diego, California. From 1963 until 1965, he worked as an assistant professor at the
University of Chicago. Beginning in 1965, he taught at Yale University where he became the Alan M. Bateman Professor in 1987, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.[5]
Berner's early research focused on the application of chemical
thermodynamics and
kinetics on sediments and sedimentary rocks. Results from these experiments led to his 1971 book Principles of Chemical Sedimentology. In 1980, Berner authored Early Diagenesis: A Theoretical Approach which was quoted so often that the
Institute for Scientific Information declared it a Science Citation Classic.[5] Noting the role that sedimentary rocks at or near the Earth's surface play in the carbon cycle, Berner, along with Tony Lasaga, and
Bob Garrels put forth the BLAG model of the carbon cycle in 1983 (BLAG from the letters of their last names). BLAG attempts to model variations of atmospheric carbon dioxide back through geologic time to the
Cretaceous using both Geochemical and Biological carbon cycles. Berner subsequently extended this idea with the GEOCARB model,[6] which attempts to model such variations back to the
Phanerozoic. Berner's later research focused on computer modeling of carbon and
sulfur cycles, as well as the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen on the
paleoclimate.[7][8][9]
Personal life
In 1959, Berner married fellow Geology
graduate student Elizabeth Marshall Kay. They have three children, and coauthored a book together in 1995, Global Environment: Water, Air, and Geochemical Cycles.[7] Berner's father-in-law, Professor
Marshall Kay was a well-known academic geologist as well.
Berner died on January 10, 2015, following a long illness.[10]
^Kasting, J. F. (1984). "Comments on the BLAG model: The carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle and its effect on atmospheric carbon dioxide over the past 100 million years". American Journal of Science. 284 (10): 1175–82.
Bibcode:
1984AmJS..284.1175K.
doi:
10.2475/ajs.284.10.1175.
PMID11541983.
^
ab"Robert Berner CV". The People of Geology & Geophysics. Yale University. Archived from
the original on 2014-03-15. Retrieved Sep 9, 2013.
^"Past Fellows". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"Msa award". Mineralogical Society of America. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"All Fellows". John Simon Gugggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships to Assist Research and Artistic Creation. John Simon Gugggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from
the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"Past Recipients". A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine Science. Royal Society of Canada. Archived from
the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"V.M. Goldschmidt Award". Geochemical Society Awards. The Geochemical Society. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"Murchison Medal". Award Winners Since 1831. The Geological Society of London. Retrieved May 6, 2013.