Voting Station

Joe Farman

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Scientist

The Resume

    (August 7, 1930-May 11, 2013)
    Born in Norwich, England, United Kingdom
    Geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey (1956-90)
    With Brian Gardiner and John Shanklin, published in 'Nature' a paper reporting the ozone hole over Antarctica (May 16, 1985)
    Named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2000)

Why he might be annoying:

    Despite the name, there was no 'hole' in the ozone layer; instead, the amount of ozone over Antarctica had decreased by 40%.
    The year before he discovered the hole, his funding for ozone monitoring was almost cut off on the grounds that it was redundant, since NASA satellites were also measuring the ozone -- and finding no changes.
    The chemicals introduced to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) included hydrofluorocarbons, which turned out to be a potent greenhouse gas and a contributor to global warming.
    Late in his career, he would kvetch about Antarctic scientists having 'luxuries' like helicopters.
    Three scientists who had theorized how CFCs could deplete the ozone layer won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1995); Farnam and his colleagues who showed that it was actually happening got bupkis from the Nobel Prize committee.

Why he might not be annoying:

    After the 'Nature' paper was published, NASA rechecked its data and discovered that its satelites had been recording reduced amounts of ozone; the analysis software had been throwing out the data because the readings were so low, they were assumed to be incorrect.
    Just two years after the paper appeared in 'Nature,' world governments signed the Montreal Protocol to phase out the use of CFCs in aerosols and refrigerants.
    By the beginning of the 21st century, ozone levels in Antarctica had stabilized and started a gradual increase.
    Current estimates are that atmospheric ozone will return to its pre-CFC levels around 2080.
    He lacked a doctorate and did the unglamorous work of data collection, prompting the New York Times to call him 'something of a working class hero among scientists.'

Credit: C. Fishel


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    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 86.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
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    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying