Roger Barry, renowned and respected scientist and valued member of the WCRP community, passed away on March 19, 2018 at the age of 82.
Roger has been a member of the Scientific Steering Group of WCRP's Arctic Climate System Study (ACSYS), which examined from 1994 to 2003 the Arctic climate system and its role for global climate. He was co-vice Chair of the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Core Project's Scientific Steering Group. From 2012 to 2014, Roger served as Director of the International CLIVAR Project Office (ICPO). He was a member of the GCOS/WCRP Terrestrial Observations Panel for Climate (TOPC) and co-chair of the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank of WMO.
Born in Sheffield, UK, in 1935, Roger started working at the UK Meteorological Service as a teenager. His early interest in climate science continued through the rest of his life. Roger’s teaching and research spanned climate change, arctic and mountain climates, synoptic climatology, snow and ice processes, and climate-cryosphere interactions. He published over 20 textbooks and his research over the years was supported by NASA, NSF, the US Department of Environment and Department of Defense, among others.
Roger's work as a research scientist and professor, and his dedication to the formation of centers for the study of the cryosphere, helped shape the evolution of climate science. The numerous publications authored, honors, fellowships, scholarships and awards received, as well as the offices Roger has held are a testament to the productivity, dedication, and expertise of a highly valued member of the global climate research community.
Summaries of Roger's lifelong contributions to climate science are given in his own article published 2015 in "History of Geo- and Space Sciences" and in a 2012 WCRP news article announcing his appointment as Director of the CLIVAR IPO.