Background
Baker, Donald James was born on March 23, 1937 in Long Beach, California, United States. Son of Donald James and Lillian Mae (Pund) Baker.
( Intense heat and drought in the summer of 1988...green...)
Intense heat and drought in the summer of 1988...greenhouse warming...acid rain...the ozone hole...rain forest destruction...Hurricane Hugo: "The Endangered Earth" is making headlines around the world, and we are aware as never before of the fragility of the global environment and our own vulnerability to climate change. Yet, despite the technological advances of the last three decades, our knowledge of how the Earth's systems work and interact remains incomplete at best. To determine environmental policies for the future, we need more information and better global climate models. In Planet Earth D. James Baker provides a concise, up-to-date overview of the ongoing international research efforts that will improve our ability to predict global climate change. In straightforward terms, Baker describes remote sensing from space. He reviews extant spacebased satellites and their instruments and describes the areas in which operational and research missions are gathering ever-increasing data--on Earth-sun interaction, land vegetation patterns, ocean color, temperature, the atmosphere, the ice sheets of the polar regions, the shape and motion of the Earth's crust, the Earth's gravity field--which fill in gaps in our knowledge even as they raise new questions about critical global processes. In view of these questions and the subsequent need for more accurate global models, the satellite networks being planned for the 1990s will require state-of-the-art instrumentation, a new generation of supercomputers, and a high level of international cooperation if they are to succeed. Baker focuses on the United States initiative, Mission to Planet Earth, a long range attempt to study the planet as a whole using polar-orbiting, geostationary, and special orbit satellites coupled with a network of ground stations. In the concluding chapter, the author looks to the next century and examines the difficult long-term problems-of national security, technology transfer, data dissemination, cost, international coordination--that could undermine the achievement of the global operational system he proposes. Planet Earth is a timely, well-illustrated introduction to Earth-observing satellite technology for the nonspecialist and specialist alike. It distills complex information that is otherwise available only in the technical literature. For those who follow space research, it will prove an indispensable guide.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674670701/?tag=2022091-20
government official oceanographer
Baker, Donald James was born on March 23, 1937 in Long Beach, California, United States. Son of Donald James and Lillian Mae (Pund) Baker.
Bachelor of Science, Stanford University, 1958; Doctor of Philosophy, Cornell Univercity, 1962; Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Nova U., 1993.
Fellow, U. Rhode Island Graduate School Oceanography, Kingston, 1962-1963;
National Institutes of Health fellow in chemical biodynamics, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 1963-1964;
from research fellow to associate professor physical oceanography, Harvard University, 1964-1973;
research professor department oceanography, senior oceanographer, applied physicslab., U. Washington, Seattle, 1973-1977;
senior fellow, Joint Institute for Study Atmosphere and Ocean, 1977-1986;
group leader deep sea physics group, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, 1977-1979;
professor department oceanography, Joint Institute for Study Atmosphere and Ocean, 1979-1986;
department chairman oceanography, Joint Institute for Study Atmosphere and Ocean, 1979-1981;
dean, College Ocean and Fishery Sciences, 1981-1983;
president, Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc., 1983-1993;
undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere, administrator National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, unites states department Commerce, Washington, since 1993. Distinguished visiting scientist Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute Technology, 1982-1993. Co-chairman of the executive committee International Southern Ocean Studies (National Science Foundation project), 1974-1984.
Vice-chairman joint panel, global weather experiment NAS, member ocean science board, ocean science policy board, ocean studies board, 1987-1991. Member commission on atmospheric science, 1978-1981, member climate research committee, 1979-1990. Member space and earth science advising committee National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1982-1986, member space science board, 1984-1987, Chairman of Commission on earth science, 1984-1987.
Member environmental panel Navy Research Committee, 1983-1986, member National Aeronautics and Space Administration earth system science committee, 1983-1986. Officer Joint Science Committee for World Climate Research Program, 1987-1993. Member United States national committee for international county science unions NAS, 1987-1989, commission on global change research, 1987-1993, commission on environmental research, 1991-1993.
Member United States Science Steering Committee for World Ocean Circulation Experiment, 1985-1990. Chairman National Aeronautics and Space Administration Center Science Assessment Team, 1987-1988. Chairman International World Ocean Circulation Experiment Science Steering Group, 1988-1992;member earth science and applications advising committee National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1989-1990.
Chairman technical commission on ocean processes and climate Intergovtl. Oceanographic Commission, 1989-1993. Board directors Council of Ocean Law, 1989-1991.
Member panel on megaprojects President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 1991-1993. Member National Aeronautics and Space Administration Earth Observing System Engineering Review Committee, 1990-1992. Member commission on the future of the United States Space Program National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1990-1992.
Member of advisory panel on climate and global change National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1989-1993. Member V.P.'s Space Policy Advisory Board, 1991-1993. Member of advisory panel Earth Observing System Data and Information System., 1992-1993, advising committee division of polar programs, National Science Foundation, since 1992.
Ex-officio member President's Commision on Sustainable Development, since 1993. Acting chairman Council Environmental Quality, 1993-1994. Co-Chairman of Commission on environmental and natural resources.
Member commission on International Science Engineering and Technology National Science and Technology Council, since 1993. Mem.govt.-university-industry roundtable NAS, since 1993, United States commissioner International Whaling Commission, since 1994, co-chairman environmental working group. Advisor United States-Russia Bi-National Commission, United States-South Africa Bi-National Commission, since 1994, United States-Mexico Bi-National Commission, since 1997.
( Intense heat and drought in the summer of 1988...green...)
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, Explorers Club. Member American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society (county 1982-1988), Oceanography Society (president 1988-1992), Marine Technology Society, National Association State Universities and Land Grant Colls. (board directors marinediv.
1989-1992), Cosmos Club, Sigma Xi.
Married Emily Lind Delman, September 7, 1968.