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 was the deputy director of the Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Based in Boulder, Colorado, he oversaw operations of atmospheric observatories located in Barrow, Alaska; Trinidad Head, California; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; American Samoa; and South Pole, Antarctica. His arctic activities were 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 spoke at the 2012 American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Convention in Portland, Oregon.
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. In an oral interview on August 9, 2022, he discussed his involvement with the IPCC. (Note: Click the fourth audio link or select the fourth transcript dated 8-09-2022.
In an oral history interview on March 29, 2022, Dr. Schnell discussed his family history, from the Volga River region of Russia in the 1700s to his grandparents' immigration to Canada, where he grew up. (Note: Click the first audio link or select the first transcript dated 3-25-2022.
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 was the deputy director of the Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Based in Boulder, Colorado, he oversaw operations of atmospheric observatories located in Barrow, Alaska; Trinidad Head, California; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; American Samoa; and South Pole, Antarctica. His arctic activities were 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 spoke at the 2012 American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Convention in Portland, Oregon.
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. In an oral interview on August 9, 2022, he discussed his involvement with the IPCC. (Note: Click the fourth audio link or select the fourth transcript dated 8-09-2022.
In an oral history interview on March 29, 2022, Dr. Schnell discussed his family history, from the Volga River region of Russia in the 1700s to his grandparents' immigration to Canada, where he grew up. (Note: Click the first audio link or select the first transcript dated 3-25-2022.
Sources
NOAA Fisheries website, accessed April 1, 2025.
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Russel Schnell Resume and Vita, accessed April 1, 2025.
2007 Nobel Peace Prize (Wikipedia), accessed April 1, 2025.
Woznica, Dan. "Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient lectures on global climate change." Student Life - Washington University, January 23, 2009. Accessed online on April 1, 2025.
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Russel Schnell Resume and Vita, accessed April 1, 2025.
2007 Nobel Peace Prize (Wikipedia), accessed April 1, 2025.
Woznica, Dan. "Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient lectures on global climate change." Student Life - Washington University, January 23, 2009. Accessed online on April 1, 2025.
Last updated April 1, 2025.