This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry
Hans E. Suess.
Hans E. Suess (1909-1993), an American chemist who developed an improved method of carbon-14 dating, which he used to document the profound effect that the combustion of fossil fuels had had on the Earth’s stocks and flows of carbon (1955). Fossil fuels are so ancient that they contain no carbon-14 (14C), so when combusted, the carbon dioxide (CO2) they release dilutes the 14C content of both atmosphere and plants. This dilution is now known as the "Suess effect", and it unequivocally proved that the increase in atmospheric CO2 was due to the combustion of fossil fuels. In a seminal paper published in 1957 with Roger Revelle, Suess argued that humankind was performing "a great geophysical experiment", calling on the scientific community to monitor changes in the carbon dioxide content of waters and the atmosphere, as well as production rates of plants and animals. He also used 14C to establish the chronology of the end of the last Ice Age in the northern hemisphere, substantially reducing the traditional estimates. With Harold Urey, he made a fundamental contribution to cosmochemistry with a description of the abundances of elements based on meteorite data (1956).
Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Suess, Hans E.". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth May 15, 2008; Last revised Date May 15, 2008; Retrieved May 26, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Suess,_Hans_E.>
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The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
Hans E. Suess.
Hans E. Suess (1909-1993), an American chemist who developed an improved method of carbon-14 dating, which he used to document the profound effect that the combustion of fossil fuels had had on the Earth’s stocks and flows of carbon (1955). Fossil fuels are so ancient that they contain no carbon-14 (14C), so when combusted, the carbon dioxide (CO2) they release dilutes the 14C content of both atmosphere and plants. This dilution is now known as the "Suess effect", and it unequivocally proved that the increase in atmospheric CO2 was due to the combustion of fossil fuels. In a seminal paper published in 1957 with Roger Revelle, Suess argued that humankind was performing "a great geophysical experiment", calling on the scientific community to monitor changes in the carbon dioxide content of waters and the atmosphere, as well as production rates of plants and animals. He also used 14C to establish the chronology of the end of the last Ice Age in the northern hemisphere, substantially reducing the traditional estimates. With Harold Urey, he made a fundamental contribution to cosmochemistry with a description of the abundances of elements based on meteorite data (1956).
Hans E. Suess.
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