Robert A. Berner

Robert Arbuckle Berner (November 25, 1935 – January 10, 2015) was an American scientist known for his contributions to the modeling of the carbon cycle. He taught Geology and Geophysics from 1965 to 2007 at Yale University, where he latterly served as Professor Emeritus until his death. His work on sedimentary rocks led to the co-founding of the BLAG model of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which takes into account both geochemical and biological contributions to the carbon cycle.

Early life Berner was born on November 25, 1935, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Paul Nau Berner and Priscilla (Arbuckle) Berner. He was encouraged to develop an interest in geology by his older brother (and now deceased geologist) Paul. Bob initially attended Purdue University but soon transferred to the University of Michigan, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1958 and his master's degree in 1959. Next he attended Harvard University where in 1962 he earned his Ph.D. in Geology.

Academic career and research In 1962, Berner won a fellowship to do research at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego, California. From 1963 until 1965, he worked as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Beginning in 1965, he taught at Yale University where he became the Alan M. Bateman Professor in 1987, a position he held until his retirement in 2007. which attempts to model such variations back to the Phanerozoic. Berner's later research focused on computer modeling of carbon and sulfur cycles, as well as the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen on the paleoclimate.

Personal life In 1959, Berner married fellow Geology graduate student Elizabeth Marshall Kay. They have three children, and coauthored a book together in 1995, Global Environment: Water, Air, and Geochemical Cycles.

Awards and honors Member of the National Academy of Sciences Most-cited Scientist, Institute for Science Information Mineralogical Society of America Award, 1971 Guggenheim Fellow in Earth Science, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 1972 Doctor Honoris Causa, Université Aix-Marseille III, 1991 A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences, 1993 V. M. Goldschmidt Medal, The Geochemical Society, 1995 Murchison Medal, Geological Society of London, 1996 Arthur L. Day Medal, Geological Society of America, 1996 Bownocker Medal, Ohio State University 2001 Vernadsky Medal, International Association of GeoChemistry, 2012