Sheridan Johnston Writes “Understanding Climate Models” for Layperson

"Understanding Climate Models" by Sheridan Johnston

Sheridan Johnston has written another scientific booklet, this one about predicting climate, that is available at Darvill’s Bookstore and online at Amazon.com.

Dr. Johnston is the author and co-author of about forty refereed journal publications in gas dynamics, applied laser diagnostics, combustion, turbulent reacting flows, internal combustion engines, hazardous waste remediation, chemical warfare agent destruction, energy use in green manufacturing, and greenhouse gas emissions.

He said recently that he wanted to write a concise but comprehensive treatise on climate “models” or ways of predicting future climate change to aid the layman in the discussion.

In the booklet, he explains what numerical models of climate are, what it is they attempt to model, generally how they work, current limitations to their predictive capabilities, and the societal impact of their predictions at a time of great worldwide interest in changes to Earth’s ecosystem.

It is written for the scientifically curious layperson and is intended to fill the gap between a media-type article and a scientific journal article.  The subject material and lexicon may be unfamiliar to some on first read, but they are intended to spark curiosity and stimulate continued reading, learning, and understanding to spur informed participation in an important contemporary dialogue about science.

In addition to his publishing record, Johnston has  impressive education credentials, with four advanced degrees in aeronautical engineering and fluid dynamics, supplemented by post-graduate courses in Strategic Marketing of Technology Products, Agribusiness, Supercritical Fluids, Venture Management, Principles of Leadership, Strategic Marketing Planning and Plant Biochemistry.

Johnston moved to Orcas in 2005, fulfilling a decades-old dream that began when he came here on a camping trip, found his “dream” home, and then realized he had to go back to his post as a manager of several projects at  Sandia Laboratories a U.S. Department of Energy research and development laboratory in Livermore, Calif.

Now a consultant, Johnston continues in his efforts to stay up to date in the scientific community through blogs and professional articles; he has a informational website at www.johnstonanalytics.com, whose purpose is”to identify, evaluate, and compile relevant, factual information on issues of current domestic and global scientific importance and to offer informed, independent opinions based on that information. There are currently two main focus areas: energy and climate.” Johnston encourages lay scientists to keep informed and “engage in the conversation.”

His long career in science enabled him to form a business relationship with a relative of Soviet Premier Brezhnev in the interests of promoting peace and humanitarian efforts between the U.S. and its Cold War foe.

Now a permanent, full-time resident on Orcas Island, Johnston has come lately to expanding his scientific writing with an appreciation for listening to and writing poetry, notably that of fellow scientist (marine biology) poet David Whyte.