People > Notable Norkans > Dr. Russell Schnell
Dr. Russell Schnell
Dr. Russell Schnell was born and raised in Castor, Alberta. He is a descendant of the Schnell family from Norka. Russell Schnell 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. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Wyoming.
Dr. Russell Schnell
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:
Dr. Russell Schnell is currently (2014) 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 contributing member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, along with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.
Dr. Schnell and his family now make their home in Boulder, Colorado, but Dr. Schnell’s mother, Ms. Annie Schnell, and sister, Lorna, still reside in Castor.
Dr. Schnell spoke at the 2012 American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Convention in Portland, Oregon.
Among the significant contributions made by Dr. Schnell, or under his direction, are the following:
- Discovery of biological ice nuclei, first used in snowmaking, preservation of food, and human organ transplants.
- Established the degree of pollution in 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 (2014) 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 contributing member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, along with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.
Dr. Schnell and his family now make their home in Boulder, Colorado, but Dr. Schnell’s mother, Ms. Annie Schnell, and sister, Lorna, still reside in Castor.
Dr. Schnell spoke at the 2012 American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Convention in Portland, Oregon.
Sources
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research website, December 2014.
Last updated December 10, 2023