J. Kirk Cochran

Stony Brook University

J. Kirk Cochran, Stony Brook University (USA), for his studies of natural radioactive and radiogenic isotopes. Using a very diverse set of isotopes to look at an extremely wide variety of environments, he has made major contributions to our knowledge of rates and processes in the open ocean from Antarctica to the tropics (sedimentation, particle scavenging, export fluxes), coastal bay and lagoon sediments (sedimentation, particle scavenging), groundwater (especially submarine discharge to the ocean), and biogeography (ammonite and nautilus growth rates, lifespans and habitats). He has tackled basic science questions and also environmental problems (metal and radionuclide contamination), and brought his scientific rigor to both areas. His clarity of thinking and ability to explain how the world works through his writing and lecturing is remarkable.