GENEVA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The foundation that issues the annual Marcel Benoist Prize, in many cases a precursor to a Nobel Prize, issued the award Wednesday to Swiss environment researcher Thomas Stocker for his groundbreaking work on the effects of climate change.
The University of Bern professor received the Marcel Benoist Prize, described as the "Swiss Nobel Prize" for science, for his ground-breaking work on the consequences of climate change.
The award is worth 250,000 Swiss francs (249,500 U.S. dollars).
Professor Stocker is a key climate researcher on both the national and international stages.
"His team and his colleagues have conducted ice core drilling expeditions to Greenland and the Antarctic, and have been able to determine the greenhouse gas concentrations over the last 800,000 years," said the foundation's tribute to him.
At the beginning of his career in the late 1980s, he focused on theoretical modelling, before later incorporating findings from various climate archives into these models.
He notably discovered a close connection between changes in ocean currents and climate.
"Prof Stocker understands the importance of explaining the issues in his field of study and his findings not only to the scientific community, but also to policy makers and to the general public in a clear and comprehensible way," said the Marcel Benoist foundation.
The Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize has been awarded since 1920 to scientists based in Switzerland whose work has had a beneficial impact upon society. Ten prizewinners, or 10 percent of its winners, have subsequently been awarded the Nobel Prize link.
