Dr. Russell Schnell
Dr. Russell Schnell was born and raised in Castor, Alberta and graduated from Gus Wetter School in 1963. He holds first class honors degrees in Biology from the University of Alberta, and Chemistry from Memorial University, Newfoundland. He earned his M. Sc. and then Ph. D. from the University of Wyoming, in Atmospheric Science.
Dr. Schnell has been Director of numerous major projects and scientific institutions, has lived or worked in 65 countries, and has authored more than 100 Scientific publications.
Among the significant contributions made by Dr. Schnell, or under his direction, are the following:
Discovery of biological ice nuclei, first used in snowmaking, food preservation, and preserving human organs for transplant.
Established the degree of pollution of Canada’s north, and that Arctic Haze was air pollution from Eastern Europe and Russia.
Major discoveries on Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, and the ozone layer.
Dr. Russell Schnell is currently the deputy director of the Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Based in Boulder, Colorado, he oversees operations of atmospheric observatories located in Barrow, Alaska; Trinidad Head, California; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; American Samoa; and South Pole, Antarctica. His current arctic activities are mainly associated with the Baseline Observatory in Barrow, Alaska, including overall responsibility for the station and scientific interest in boundary layer ozone depletion.
Dr. Schnell was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work with NOAA.
Dr. Schnell and his family now makes their home in Boulder, Colorado, but Dr. Schnell’s mother Ms. Annie Schnell and sister Lorna still reside in Castor.
Russell Schnell explains importance of monitoring Earth’s air
