Awards & Lectures

Tyndall Lectures

This annual lecture offers a historical perspective on global environmental change. The lecture is named in honor of 19th century Irish-born scientist John Tyndall FRS, whose measurements in the mid-century confirmed the significance of the greenhouse effect, which had been first hypothesized by French mathematician/physicist Joseph Fourier in 1824. Each year's lecture will be recorded and archived on AGU Youtube channel for viewing.

Related contents

Climate Change and Water Resources—A History of Scientific Methods and Findings (2021)

The 2021 lecture was presented by Dr. Michael D. Dettinger, a Research Professor with the Desert Research Institute, on the topic "Climate Change and Water Resources—A History of Scientific Methods and Findings". You can view the recording of the lecture on AGU's website. 

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Forests, Climate Change, and Our Future (2020)

The 2020 lecture was presented by Dr. Gordon Bonan, Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, on the topic " Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Forests, Climate Change, and Our Future". View the recording on YouTube.

Revealing the Radiative Forcing by Well-Mixed Greenhouse Gases (2019)

The 2019 lecture was presented by William (Bill) D. Collins, Senior Scientist and Director of Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, on the topic “Revealing the Radiative Forcing by Well-Mixed Greenhouse Gases: From Derivation and Detection to Future Discoveries”. View the recording on YouTube.

Projecting Change: Lessons and Outlook (2018)

The 2018 lecture was presented by Inez Y. Fung, professor of atmospheric science at the University of California, Berkeley, on the topic “Projecting Change: Lessons and Outlook”. View the recording on YouTube.

Gordian Knots of Prevision: the Lessons of History (2017)

The 2017 lecture was presented by James R. Fleming, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Colby College and a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, on the topic “Gordian Knots of Prevision: the Lessons of History”. View the recording on YouTube.

Earth from Space: The Power of Perspective (2016)

The 2016 lecture was presented by Waleed Abdalati, Professor of Geography, Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, on the topic “Earth from Space: The Power of Perspective”. View the recording on YouTube.

Thin Ice — Bipolar Super Interglacials and our Possible Future (2015)

The 2015 lecture was presented by Julie Brigham-Grette, Professor of Quaternary and Glacial Geology in the Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on “Thin Ice — Bipolar Super Interglacials and our Possible Future”. View the recording on YouTube.

A Perspective on Accelerating Change (2014)

The 2014 lecture was presented by Kelly T. Redmond of the Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute on “A Perspective on Accelerating Change”. View the recording on YouTube.

Early Agriculture: Land Clearance & Climate Effects (2013)

The 2013 lecture was presented by William F. Ruddiman, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, on “Early Agriculture: Land Clearance and Climate Effects”. View the recording on YouTube.

Successful Predictions in Climate Science (2012)

The 2012 lecture was presented by Raymond Pierrehumbert, Professor in the Department of Physical Sciences at the University of Chicago, on “Successful Predictions in Climate Science”. View the recording on YouTube.

Pioneering Contributions to Climate Change Science & Scientific Outreach (2011)

The first Tyndall Lecture was presented at the 2011 AGU Fall Meeting by Prof. Richard C.J. Somerville of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. The title of his talk is “John Tyndall: His Pioneering Contributions to Climate Science and Scientific Outreach”. View the recording on YouTube.