S.K. Satheesh has spent over 25 years of his career as a scientist studying atmospheric aerosols and their impact on the earth’s atmosphere and climate. His pioneering work and commitment to research fetched him the Infosys Prize 2018 for physical sciences on Tuesday.
Hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Satheesh is currently Professor, Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Director, Divecha Centre for Climate Change.
The prize instituted by the Infosys Science Foundation carries a gold medal, citation and a purse of $100,000 or its equivalent in rupees.
The press note announcing the winners of this year’s prize said Dr. Satheesh was selected for his pioneering work in the filed of climate change. “His studies on black carbon aerosols, the dark, light absorbing micrscopic particles which greatly influence the energy balance of the atmosphere over the Indian subcontinent, have enabled a better understanding of the role of these particles on climate change, precipitation and human health.”
“Dr. Satheesh’s work on measuring, quantifying and analysing the impact of black carbon aerosols is important not only to climate science, but also to our society that has to mitigate and cope with climate change, possibly the most important threat to humanity,” reads the citation.
Dr. Satheesh’s research is currently focussed on the the impact of aircraft emissions on the ozone layer. “Aircraft flying at high altitudes emit a tremendous amount of black carbon which can reach the stratosphere and deplete the ozone layer, leading to catastrophic effects for life on earth,” he explains. “With the volume of air traffic going up, it is easy to imagine the volume of carbon in the atmosphere.”
