the explorers journal the climate change issue - The Explorers Club

the explorers journal
fall 2007
editor’s note
Something Familiar,
Something Peculiar…
So you have noticed a few changes, have you—the smaller trim, a higher
page count, the perfect bind, and a host of new columns and features?
Driven in large part by a growing concern for the environment, we
have redesigned Th e Ex p l o r e r s Jo u r n a l with two goals in mind. Our first
has been to visually capture the mystique that is the very essence of
The Explorers Club and literally “put it on paper.” Our second has been
to minimize our ecological footprint by using every square centimeter of
paper on press.
Guiding us in this effort has been Jesse Alexander, a New Yorker with
a passion for exotic travel and a keen eye for all that is cool in the world.
Over the course of the summer, Jesse and I found ourselves in the archives
of The Explorers Club, poring over back issues of Th e Ex p l o r e r s
Jou r n a l since its launch as a pamphlet in 1921. Charting its evolution in
size and use of type, we noted each innovation—the first use of images
inside rather than only on the cover, the first use of color, and so on—and
marveled at the edge of its editorial, particularly during the 1950s and
1960s. In recasting Th e Ex p l o r e r s Jo u r n a l , our cues have come from its
past as well as its future.
This issue we have brought together some of the best minds in climate
research, who are elucidating the inner workings of our planet—
separating fact from fiction and human induced change from Earth’s
natural process. According to Explorers Club Fellow Paul Andrew
Mayewski, who penned the lead story in our climate package, “more
knowledge is needed, not to demonstrate the direction of change, but
rather to reduce uncertainty in the degree and style of future change.”
Having spent the better part of four decades on the forefront of climate
research, Mayewski spearheaded the Greenland Ice Sheet Project,
which pushed back our knowledge of Earth’s climate history by nearly
a million years.
We hope you enjoy our new format and look forward to your feedback!
Angela M.H. Schuster
Acting Editor-in-Chief
image courtesy of © 2007 Will Steger Foundation
salutes the 2007 recipients of
the explorers club
Lowell Thomas Award
f o r t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o o u r
understanding of Global Climate Change
congratulations to
Richard Feely, Ph.D.
W. Berry Lyons, Ph.D.
Paul Mayewski, Ph.D.
Julie Palais, Ph.D.
Adam Ravetch & Sarah Robertson
Susan Solomon, Ph.D.
Will Steger
Thank you for your efforts to keep our
world in Balance