James J. O'Brien (born August 10, 1935, died September 20, 2016) was an emeritus Robert O. Lawton Professor of

Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

and

Oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

. He believed sea levels were rising but predicted a more modest rise instead of by 2100 targeted by some other scientists. He stated that "sea level in Florida is going to continue to rise period. Unless we go back into an Ice age, we will continue to rise at over in 10 year. That's without any

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

." O'Brien got his bachelor's degree from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

before obtaining his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. He was a fellow of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

from 2000.

Notes

Prof. James J. O'Brien from FSU is not the same person as Jim O'Brien, Chair and Co-founder of the Irish Climate Science Forum. The latter Jim O'Brien is best known for his promotion of the idea that climate change is not problematic and that it will benefit the planet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, James 1935 births 2016 deaths American oceanographers Florida State University faculty Texas A&M University alumni Rutgers University alumni Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters