NIWA scientist Cliff Law was today awarded the prestigious 2013 Hutchinson Medal, by the International Institute of Chemical Engineers. The institute is the global professional membership organisation for people with relevant experience or an interest in chemical engineering.
Dr Law, a specialist in marine biogeochemistry, received the medal for his work as a co-author on a paper about ocean fertilisation.
The medal is awarded annually for both practical and wide-ranging, philosophical or thought provoking published papers.
The paper was called Ocean fertilization, A review of effectiveness, environmental impacts and emerging governance and was published the journal Process Safety and Environmental Protection, in November 2012.
It reviewed the state of knowledge on large-scale ocean fertilization by adding iron or other nutrients to deliberately increase planktonic production in the open ocean as a measure to mitigate climate change.
The medal was presented by Jenny Culliford, New Zealand board member of the institute.
Dr Law said he was honoured to receive the medal which is also being presented to the other nine co-authors in eight countries.
Dr Rob Murdoch, NIWA general manager research, congratulated Dr Law on his significant achievement and said his contribution reflected his status as a world expert in the subject. "It is a fantastic effort that also enhances NIWA's reputation as a world leading research institute," he said.
