Dr. Berrien Moore III

Livestream of Dr Moore's Service

Dr. Berrien Moore III of Norman passed away December 17, 2024. He was born to Berrien Moore Jr and Mary (Large) Moore in Atlanta, Georgia on November 12, 1941.

While his professional achievements were monumental, those who had the privilege of knowing Berrien will remember him for his brilliant wit, passion for learning and unwavering dedication to his students and colleagues. He was a scientist who found equal beauty in an artist’s brushstrokes depicting nature’s fury and the elegance of a well-defined mathematical model, recognizing the profound interplay between art and science in shaping our humanity. His ceaseless quest to expand our understanding of our planet and our place in it will remain an enduring part of his legacy.

Dr. Moore was an internationally recognized Earth scientist who had been honored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1963 from the University of North Carolina and his PhD in Mathematics in 1969 from the University of Virginia.

Berrien joined the University of New Hampshire (UNH) mathematics faculty in 1969 and became a tenured professor in 1976. He was recognized by UNH in 1992 for research excellence and was named University Distinguished Professor in 1997. From 1987 to 2008, he served as the Director of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at UNH. During his period at UNH, Berrien also held numerous visiting scientist positions including visiting Senior Scientist at the Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Marines at the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris and at the Institute of Meteorology at the University of Stockholm. Earlier, he served as a Senior Research Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu and as a Fellow at the Marine Policy and Ocean Management Program at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

In February 2008, Berrien left UNH to serve as the founding Executive Director of Climate Central, a think-tank based in Princeton, New Jersey, which provides objective and understandable information about climate change.

In the summer of 2010, Berrien joined the University of Oklahoma, where he held the Chesapeake Energy Corporation Chair in Climate Studies. He also served as Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, Director of the National Weather Center, and Vice President for Weather and Climate Programs.

Berrien was extensively published on the global carbon cycle, biogeochemistry, remote sensing, environmental and space policy, and mathematics. In December 2016, NASA selected the Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory (GeoCarb), as the Second Earth Venture Mission. Dr. Moore was the architect and Principal Investigator on the GeoCarb Mission.

Berrien also chaired the overarching Scientific Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) from 1998 to 2002 and as such led the July 2001 Open

Science Conference on Global Change in Amsterdam and is one of the four architects of the Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change.

He was the Coordinating Lead Author for the final chapter, "Advancing our Understanding," of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was released in Spring 2001, and as such has been honored for contributing to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC.

Berrien contributed actively to committees at the National Academy of Science. Over the last two decades, he served as Chairman of the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Committee on International Space Programs of the Space Studies Board that, in collaboration with the European Space Sciences Committee, jointly published U.S.-Europe Collaboration in Space Science. In 1999, he completed his Chairmanship of the National Academy's Committee on Global Change Research with the publication of Global Environmental Change: Research Pathways for the Next Decade. From 2004 to 2007, Moore co-chaired (with Rick Anthes, Past-President of University Cooperation of Atmospheric Research) the NRC decadal survey, Earth Observations from Space: A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future. This was the first Decadal Study for the Earth Sciences and had significant impact in the United States. More recently, he was a member of the Informing Panel of the overall NRC study on America’s Climate Choices and was a member of the Committee that issued the 2013 report Beyond Landsat and Beyond: Meeting the Needs for Sustained Land Imaging.

From 1984 to 1988, Berrien served as a committee member of NASA's senior science advisory committee, the Space and Earth Science Advisory Committee (SESAC), which published its report in 1986: The Crisis in Space and Earth Science: A Time for a New Commitment. In 1988, he assumed Chair of SESAC and served until 1992. He concurrently served as a member of the NASA Advisory Council.

Additionally, he has served NASA through a variety of other positions including Chair of the EOS Payload Advisory Committee, member and Chair of NASA’s Earth Science and Applications Committee, Goddard Space Flight Center Review Committee, and member of the Executive Committee for the Earth System Science Study. He also served on the JPL Advisory Council.

From 2004-2005, Berrien chaired the NOAA Research Review Team and has served on the Research and Development Portfolio Review Team for the NOAA Science Advisory Board.

In recognition of his lifelong dedication to science, he has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for outstanding service to the agency – NASA’s highest civilian honor; the NOAA Administrator’s Recognition Award; and the 2007 Dryden Lectureship in Research Medal by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2017, Berrien received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Carolina. He is an elected Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and International Academy of Astronautics.

Berrien was preceded in death by his parents, Berrien Moore Jr and Mary (Large) Moore; two sisters, Josephine Moore Griffin and Janet Loyless Moore; His first wife Gail Thurman Moore; and his beloved dogs, Arlo and Elliot.

He is survived by his wife, Lucia, his daughter, Leila (Will) his much-loved brothers-in-law and their wives, a devoted tribe of cousins, nieces and nephews, his stepson and stepdaughter. Berrien also leaves behind a long list of dear friends, colleagues, beloved staff and best friends Ed and Chuck.

In Honor of Dr Moore a memorial fund has been established.  Please consider a donation to the following. Dr Berrien Moore III Memorial Fund or https://give.oufoundation.org/BerrienMooreMemorial