Daniel Rosenfeld - Biography#

Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld is a world leading expert on weather modification and climate change, with emphasis on the effect of particulate air pollution on clouds, precipitation and Earth energy budget. In 1986 he received his PhD in atmospheric sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He continued to a post doc at NASA, where he participated in the development of satellites for measuring cloud composition and precipitation. He returned to the Hebrew University as a professor in 1988. His research work showed that mankind “seed” the clouds at a global scale with air pollution particles which are emitted at much larger concentrations compared to the background of similar size particles. The impact on cloud composition and precipitation forming processes is very ubiquitous and alters the natural rainfall amounts and Earth’s energy budget which propels the climate system, including the determination of global temperature and the extent of global warming.

Prof. Rosenfeld provided scientific guidance to campaigns of research flights into pristine and polluted clouds around the world, including clouds that developed in the smoke from forest fires in the Amazon. In parallel, he developed methodologies of satellite remote sensing which were validated by the flights into the clouds. On the basis of these measurements, Prof. Rosenfeld showed how particulate air pollution inhibits rainfall from shallow clouds, but invigorates deep convective clouds and induces more lightning, hail and even increases the severity of tornadoes and expands hurricanes.

The public services of Prof. Rosenfeld included chairing of the committee on weather modification of the American Meteorological Society, and co-chairing the aerosol-cloud-precipitation climate international initiative (ACPC). He served as a Lead Author in the 6th assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Prof’ Rosenfeld authored more than 280 scientific papers and chapters in books. He won recognition as a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. He received numerous awards, including the Friendship Award from the Chinese Prime Minister (the highest award given by China to foreigners), and the E.M.T Award from the Israeli Prime Minister.