News from PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Office of Communications
22 Chambers St.
Princeton, New Jersey 08542
Telephone 609-258-3601; Fax 609-258-1301
For immediate release: May 27, 2004
Media contact: Steven Schultz, (609) 258-5729, sschultz@princeton.edu
Media advisory: Climate experts can comment on 'Day
After Tomorrow'
Princeton scientists can help separate fact from fiction in new film
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Princeton University is home to leading climate scientists who are available to comment on the upcoming summer movie "The Day After Tomorrow" and its portrayal of human-induced global climate change.
The film, which is to be released May 28, presents an apocalyptic scenario of sudden climate change brought on by global warming. Among the scientists who can help distinguish between established scientific conclusions and fictionalized aspects of the film are Michael Oppenheimer and Jorge Sarmiento.
Oppenheimer, Princeton's Albert Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, is an authority on the effects of climate change and climate change policy. As someone who combines scientific expertise with public policy experience, Oppenheimer recently served as a lead author of a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has authored numerous scientific publications. Oppenheimer joined the Princeton University faculty in 2002 after 20 years at Environmental Defense, a private not-for-profit research and advocacy group.
Sarmiento, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, is an expert on the "carbon cycle" and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is the main cause of recent greenhouse warming. The long lifetime of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a key reason global warming is difficult to control. Sarmiento also has a particular interest in the ability of the oceans to absorb carbon dioxide and the response of the ocean, including marine life, to global warming.
Both Oppenheimer and Sarmiento can be contacted through Steven Schultz, Princeton University media relations officer, at (609) 258-5729.