This world traveler and rugby enthusiast devised theories fundamental to such diverse fields as seismology, oil and gas exploration, and hydrology. He also designed the hull of the Alvin submersible.
Tribute
Douglas D. Davis (1940–2016)
In labs on the ground and aboard aircraft, Davis shed light on chemical processes in the atmosphere and showed how humans contributed to these processes.
Richard J. O’Connell (1941–2015)
This son of a Montana sheriff discovered the fundamental rules underlying complex geophysical phenomena, and he taught others to do the same.
Timothy A. Cohn (1957–2017)
Cohn emphasized the use of hydrologic science for the public good, to protect ordinary citizens from flood and pollution hazards and to reduce losses from natural disasters.
David S. Evans (1936–2016)
Evans, a pioneer of auroral physics, changed the way scientists thought about the aurora and magnetic fields and guided a new generation of researchers.
Gerald J. Wasserburg (1927–2016)
A leading geochemist who became well known for creating the first high-precision mass spectrometer, called Lunatic I, that measured isotope ratios in lunar samples from the Apollo missions.
Vera Rubin (1928–2016)
A luminary's luminary, Rubin shed light on the existence of dark matter, blazed a trail for women in science, and inspired and guided subsequent generations of scientists.
Merle Lee Allison (1948–2016)
A dynamic geologist with a knack for organizing people, he served as state geologist in three different states and pioneered global efforts to develop cyberinfrastructure for the Earth sciences.
Andrew G. Slater (1971–2016)
Andrew "Drew" Slater, land modeler extraordinaire, died on 9 September 2016. He was 44 years old.
Adam M. Dziewonski (1936–2016)
Adam Dziewonski, a towering figure in solid Earth geophysics and a pioneer of global seismic tomography, passed away on 1 March 2016. He was 79.