Gilbert Compo, 20th Century Reanalysis

in NOAA’s Physical Sciences Laboratory, won for leading the development of the 20th Century Reanalysis. Compo initiated the original idea behind the reanalysis (i.e., a reanalysis that relied only on surface pressure records and thus could extend back more than 100 years) and then managed and curated the large undertaking of creating of the reanalysis itself. This effort has inspired creation of a similar effort at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and thus has been international in its level of impact and influence.

“Gil had the vision to see the need for a long, consistent climate record, the imagination to see that weather forecasting techniques could be useful even when observations were few and far between, the commitment to assemble the enormous resources required to implement the idea, and the generosity to involve everyone who became fascinated along the way,” his nominator wrote.