Dr. Kevin Gurney

Assistant Professor

E-mail: kgurney@purdue.edu

Associated Website(s): Carbon Group, Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC)

Education

Ph..D. 2004 - Ecology, Colorado State University
M.P.P 1996 - University of California, Berkeley
S.M. 1990 - Massachussetts Institute of Technology
B.A. 1986 - University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests

I am interested in quantification and mechanistic exploration of the global carbon cycle with emphasis on exchanges of CO2 with the terrestrial biosphere and the fossil fuel sources of CO2 to the atmosphere. The future evolution of the global carbon cycle and how the terrestrial biosphere and fossil fuel emissions respond to a warming world are fundamental to climate change research and require delving into the physical and human aspects of the carbon/climate nexus. In addition to my science research, I have also continued work in the area of climate change policy through research on those aspects of the Kyoto Protocol that relate to the carbon cycle with particular emphasis on carbon sequestration and deforestation.

Teaching Interests

EAS 113: "Introduction to Environmental Science", a large undergraduate course in which we cover the suite of environmental science topics from the perspective of quantitative science.
EAS 591T: "Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology" with Qianlai Zhuang which caters to not only EAS students but students from Agronomy, Forestry, and Natural Resources.
CN@P: one of six instructors who taught the "Carbon Neutrality at Purdue" course which was a novel, exciting course aimed at developing a quantitative footprint of Purdue's carbon emissions and a plan on how that footprint might be reduced.

Awards and Honors

  • Showalter Award Recipient, 2007

  • Contributing Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

  • Associate Director, Purdue Climate Change Research Center

  • Member, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration Global Carbon Cycle Steering Committee

  • Member, NACP Mid-continent Intensive Task Force

  • Member, Carbon Balance and Management Editorial Board

Professional Experience

  • August 2005 - present
    PURDUE UNIVERSITY, DEPT OF EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES & DEPT OF AGRONOMY, West Lafayette, IN
    Assistant Professor

  • July 1998 - August 2005
    COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE, Fort Collins, CO
    Research Scientist I: BioCycle@atmos group (global carbon cycle simulation)

  • April 1997 - June 1998
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT, Santa Barbara, CA
    Staff Research Associate: Earth Systems Science

  • September 1992 - January 1997
    Senior Scientist, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

  • February 1992 - September 1992
    Research Associate, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.

  • February 1990 - October 1991
    Research Associate, Tellus Institute

  • Summer 1988
    Research Assistant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  • Nov 1986 - Sept 1987
    Research Intern, Environmental Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Feb 1985-Oct 1986
    Student Assistant, Atmospheric Aerosol Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Selected Publications

  • Stephens, B.B. K.R Gurney, P.P. Tans, C. Sweeney, W. Peters, L. Bruhwiler, P. Ciais, M. Ramonet, P. Bousquet, T. Nakazawa, S. Aoki, T. Machida, G. Inoue, N. Vinnichenko. J. Lloyd, A. Jordan, O. Shibistova, R.L. Langenfelds, L.P. Steele, R.J. Francey, & A.S. Denning, The vertical distribution of atmospheric CO2 defines the latitudinal partitioning of global carbon fluxes, accepted to Science, May 2007.

  • Baker, D. R.M . Law, K.R. Gurney, A.S. Denning, P.J. Rayner, and TransCom 3 modelers, "TransCom 3 inversion intercomparison: Impact of transport model errors on the interannual variability of regional CO2 fluxes, 1988-2003," Glob. Biogeochem. Cyc., 20, GB1002, doi: 10.1029/2004GB002439, 2006.

  • Gurney, K.R., Y.H.Chen, T. Maki, S.R. Kawa, A. Andrews, Z. Zhu, "Sensitivity of Atmospheric CO2 Inversion to Seasonal and Interannual Variations in Fossil Fuel Emissions," J. Geophys. Res. 110 (D10), 10308-10321, 2005.

  • Gurney, K.R., R.M. Law, A.S. Denning, P.J. Rayner, B. Pak, and the TransCom 3 L2 modelers, "Transcom 3 Inversion Intercomparison: Control results for the estimation of seasonal carbon sources and sinks," Global Biogeochemical Cycles,18, GB1010, doi: 10.1029/2003GB002111, 2004. Cited: 32

  • Dilling, L., S. Doney, J. Edmonds, K. R. Gurney, R. Harriss, D. Schimel, B. Stephens, and G. Stokes, "The role of carbon cycle observations and knowledge in carbon management," Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour., 28, 521-558, 2003.

  • Gurney, K.R., R.M. Law, A.S Denning, P.J. Rayner, D. Baker, P. Bousquet, L. Bruhwiler, Y.H. Chen, P. Ciais, S. Fan, I.Y. Fung, M. Gloor, M. Heimann, K. Higuchi, J. John, E. Kowalczyki, T. Maki, S. Maksyutov, P. Peylin, M. Prather, B.C. Pak, J. Sarmiento, S. Taguchi, T. Takahashi, C.W. Yuen, "Transcom 3 CO2 Inversion Intercomparison: 1. Annual mean control results and sensitivity to transport and prior flux information," Tellus, 55B, 555-579, 2003. Cited: 40

  • Gurney, K.R., R.M. Law, A.S Denning, P.J. Rayner, D. Baker, P. Bousquet, L. Bruhwiler, Y.H. Chen, P. Ciais, S. Fan, I.Y. Fung, M. Gloor, M. Heimann, K. Higuchi, J. John, T. Maki, S. Maksyutov, K. Masarie, P. Peylin, M. Prather, B.C. Pak, J. Randerson, J. Sarmiento, S. Taguchi, T. Takahashi, C.W. Yuen, "Towards robust regional estimates of CO2 sources and sinks using atmospheric transport models," Nature, 415, 626-630, February 7, 2002. Cited: 190

  • Denning, A.S. M. Holzer, K.R. Gurney, M. Heimann, R.M. Law, P.J. Rayner, I.Y. Fung, S. Fan, S. Taguchi, P. Friedlingstein, Y. Balkanski, M. Maiss, and I. Levin, "Three-dimensional transport and concentration of SF6: A model intercomparison study (Transcom 2)," Tellus, 51B, 266-297, 1999. Cited: 53

  • Gurney, K.R. "Evidence for increasing ultraviolet irradiance at Point Barrow, Alaska," Geophysical Research Letters, 25 (6), 903-906, March 15, 1998.

  • Gurney, K.R. "National Greenhouse Accounting," Nature, 353, 23, 1991.