Dr. Kevin Gurney

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

• Member: Global Carbon Project, Scientific Steering Committee

• "Air Conservationist of the Year" from Indiana Wildlife Federation, 2008

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contributing author (organizational co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize)

• Showalter Award Recipient, 2007

• 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

Grants

• NASA CARBON/04-0325-0167: PI, US $746,260 (3 years), “High-resolution fossil fuel emission estimates in support of NACP CO2 measurement and assimilation systems”

• Showalter Trust award in support of the Hestia Project, PI, “Etna” pilot, US $74,591

• Knauf Insulation , Inc gift in support of the Hestia Project, PI, “Etna” pilot, US $75,000

• DOE: PI, US $373,388 (3 years), “Exploration of the mechanistic relationship between improved regional North American inverse carbon fluxes and climate variability/trends”

• NASA, co-PI, US $20,551 (1 year), “Resolving net CO2 exchange in the mid-continent region of North America by comparing and reconciling results from inverse modeling and inventory-based approaches”

• DOE: PI, US 332,593 (3 years), “Impacts of high resolution extreme events on US energy demand and CO2 emissions in the 21st century” with Purdue PI Noah Diffenbaugh

Selected Publications <More>

• Lokupitiya, R.S., D. Zupanski, A.S Denning, K.R. Gurney, R. Kawa, and M. Zupanski, "Estimation of CO2 fluxes at regional scale using the coupled MLEF-PCTM model," J. Geophys. Res. 2008

• Gurney, K.R. and H.I. Rowe, "The other Chinese 'Crossing Point'" Climate Policy, 2007.

• Gurney, K.R. and L. Raymond, "Targeting deforestation rates in climate change policy: A 'preservation pathway' approach", Carbon Balance and Management, 3 (2), doi:10.1186/1750-0680-3-2, 2008.

• Gurney, K.R., D. Baker, P.Rayner, A.S. Denning, and TransCom 3 L2 modelers, "Interannual variations in regional net carbon exchange and sensitivity to observing networks estimated from atmospheric CO2 inversions for the period 1979 to 2006," accepted to Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2007.

• Goetz, S.J., M.C. Mack, K.R. Gurney, and R.A. Houghton, "Ecosystem responses to recent climate change at Northern high latitudes: observations and model results contrasting Northern Eurasia and North America," Environ. Res. Lett., 2, 0450312 (9pp), doi:10.1088/1748-9326/2/4/045031, 2007 (voted to "Best of 2007").

• Gurney, K.R. et al., "Research needs for process-driven, finely resolved fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions," EOS, Dec 4th, 2007.

• Butler, A, D. Thompson, K.R. Gurney, "Observed relationships between the Southern Annular Mode and Carbon Dioxide," Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21, GB4014, doi: 101029/2006GB002796, 2007.

• 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, 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.