AIP Congratulates 2021 Nobel Prize Winners in Physics

WASHINGTON, October 5, 2021 -- The 2021 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded jointly to Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann “for the physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming,” and Giorgio Parisi “for the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.”

“Today’s announcement reminds me that physics seeks to explain how we experience the world and understand our place in the universe by probing and describing the attributes of the natural world’s most tiny and fundamental constituents, so we can explain large and complex phenomena, such as the climates of planets or the nature of seemingly simple materials around us like glass,” said Michael Moloney , CEO of AIP.

Manabe and Hasselmann were honored for trying to explain the complexities of the Earth’s climate and the impact of variability in weather over long periods of time, while Parisi was honored for his work examining the changing landscape of material states, impacting a broad swath of physical systems.

“Every day, we experience the Earth’s climate through each day’s weather. What’s hidden from immediate view is complexity of the Earth system -- how the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid Earth interplay to drive our planet’s climate,” Moloney said. “Half of today’s prize recognizes seminal work that helps us understand that system. It is an outstanding decision for climate science in this particular year as we approach the COP26 conference to address the climate crisis.

“Nearly every climate model used today relies on the groundbreaking research done by Syukuro Manabe, whose pioneering work explored the interaction between radiation balance and the vertical transport of air masses, and Klaus Hasselmann, who was the first scientist to directly link weather and climate into a single model and explain why climate models can be predictable.”

When asked about the link between the two winning prizes, the Nobel Committee emphasized that without the ability to analyze the chaos of fluctuations/disorder, we cannot predict the changes in the climate, and they are sending a message to world leaders to act now on climate change.

“Giorgio Parisi’s work helps us understand how hidden patterns at the molecular level in what may seem like common place objects and systems, like glass, help us describe these disordered complex materials and be able to predict their properties,” Moloney said.

“Both prizes show how the value of the interdisciplinary nature of physics and how our knowledge, and indeed critical policy decisions, rely on fundamental basic research that seeks to explain everyday human experiences.”

To help journalists and the public understand the context of this work, AIP is compiling a Nobel Prize resources page featuring relevant scientific papers and articles, quotes from experts, photos, multimedia, and other resources.

Access to Experts for Comment and Interviews

Scientific experts from AIP and AIP Publishing journals are available to comment on the new laureates, their accomplishments, and the importance of the Nobel Prize to the broader world of science. Interviews and quotes can be obtained by contacting media@aip.org.

Multimedia Archives

Digital images from the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives are available for free to anyone who is diving into photos for images of laureates, past and present. The new, searchable platform for photos also houses manuscripts, publications, audiovisual materials, and more from AIP’s Niels Bohr Library & Archives.

Nobel Reporting

Physics Today and Inside Science, two publications from AIP, will be adding their reporting expertise. In addition to coverage on physics, Inside Science will also be reporting on the winner of the physiology or medicine and chemistry Nobel awards.

For more information:
Larry Frum, AIP Media
+1 301-209-3090
media@aip.org