Charles David Keeling

Charles David Keeling
Keeling receives the Medal of Science in 2001
Born	(1928-05-20)May 20, 1928
Died	June 20, 2005(2005-06-20) (aged 77)
Citizenship	American
Fields	Atmosphere
Institutions	Mauna Loa Observatory Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Alma mater	University of Illinois
Known for	Keeling Curve
Notable awards	Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2005)

Charles David Keeling (April 20, 1928 – June 20, 2005) was an American scientist whose recording of carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory first alerted the world to the possibility of anthropogenic contribution to the "greenhouse effect" and global warming. The Keeling Curve measures the progressive buildup of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere.

Keeling was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1948 and earned a PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1954. He was a postdoctoral fellow in geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology until he joined Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1956, and was appointed professor of oceanography there in 1968.

At Caltech he developed the first instrument to measure carbon dioxide in atmospheric samples. Keeling camped at Big Sur where he used his new device to measure the level of carbon dioxide and found that it had risen since the 19th century.

Keeling worked at the Scripps Institution for 43 years during which time he published many influential papers.Roger Revelle, the Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, based at La Jolla, California, persuaded Dr. Keeling to continue his work there. Revelle was also one of the founders of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957–58 and Keeling received IGY funding to establish a base on Mauna Loa in Hawaii, two miles (3,000 m) above sea level.