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01/29/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/29/2026 17:17

Distinguished UC San Diego Climate Scientist Awarded Crafoord Prize

Published Date

January 29, 2026

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Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a renowned climate scientist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Crafoord Prize- one of the world's most prestigious science awards.

In an announcement, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said it was awarding Ramanathan the Crafoord Prize in Geosciences for his groundbreaking work that has "laid the foundation for our understanding of how small particles and gases that accumulate in the atmosphere contribute to climate change."

"UC San Diego is extremely pleased to see Distinguished Professor Emeritus Ramanathan honored with this prestigious award," said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "This honor not only acknowledges Ramanathan's pioneering contributions to the advancement of modern atmospheric research, but underscores how strategic investments in world-class research fuel discoveries that help us understand and protect the planet and change our world for the better. Congratulations to Professor Ramanathan on this well-deserved international recognition."

Ramanathan said he was "speechless and humbled" to learn he had been selected for the award, noting how meaningful it is for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to recognize climate research at a time when the field has increasingly become a matter of debate.

"This prize, since it is given by the same science academy that gives the Nobel Prize, is an overwhelming confirmation that climate science is based on fundamental scientific principles backed by impeccable observations," said Ramanathan, a distinguished professor emeritusof atmospheric and climate sciences at Scripps Oceanography.

The prize committee cited Ramanathan's valuable contributions to science, highlighting his research that has advanced our understanding of how aerosol particles and other climate pollutants influence the atmospheric energy balance and the Earth system. This knowledge is crucial for understanding as well as combatting climate warming.

"He has expanded our view of how humankind is affecting the atmosphere's composition, the climate and air quality, and how these three interact," said Ilona Riipinen, professor of atmospheric sciences at Stockholm University and member of the Crafoord Prize Committee for Geosciences.

"Professor Ramanathan's selection for the Crafoord Prize honors his extraordinary scientific contributions that have fundamentally shaped how the world understands and responds to climate change, as well as his lifelong commitment to translating that science into meaningful action," said Scripps Director Meenakshi Wadhwa. "We are incredibly proud that Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been his scientific home for more than three decades."

Ramanathan was born in 1944 in Chennai, India, and received his PhD in 1974 from the State University of New York in the United States. In 1975, he discovered the super-greenhouse effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - chemicals such as freons used in refrigerators and spray cans - showing that they are about 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping thermal energy, also known as infrared radiation. This finding revealed atmospheric chemistry to be a major component of the climate system and paved the way for discoveries of additional "super pollutants," such as methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and nitrous oxide.

As early as the 1980s, Ramanathan played an important role in NASA's use of satellites to measure Earth's energy budget - the balance between energy from the sun that reaches Earth in the form of radiation and the heat that Earth then emits back into space. Perturbations of this energy balance at the top of the atmosphere caused by pollutants lead to changes in climate. These measurements showed that greenhouse gases from human activities are trapping an increasing proportion of re-radiated energy in the atmosphere, contributing to the warming of the climate.

Ramanathan joined Scripps Oceanography in 1990, having already earned a reputation as a leading climate scientist. His research at Scripps explored how HFCs, the replacement for CFCs, affect not only the ozone layer but the climate as well, and he continued to investigate various forms of atmospheric aerosols.

In a large experiment in the Indian Ocean, Ramanathan and his colleagues observed high levels of air pollution, even far out at sea. They found that some of these dark aerosols, such as soot particles, absorb radiation and can contribute to significant heating of the atmosphere and the dimming of sunlight at the surface, thus impacting the hydrological cycle. He also showed that these soot particles are a major factor in the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

This research has had a significant impact and formed the basis for international agreements, including efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants through the Climate and Clean Air Coalition led by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Over the course of his career, Ramanathan has also influenced many people, from politicians to popes. In 2004, he was named to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences by Pope John Paul II, and in this capacity, has served four popes, including Pope Leo. He was honored as the science advisor to Pope Francis' Holy See delegation at the historic 2015 Paris climate summit and also advised former California Governor Jerry Brown.

"His quiet but effective way of communicating has been key to involving both the research community and decision-makers. With an eye for the most vulnerable on our planet and an ear for younger researchers, he has inspired an entire generation of climate scientists," said Örjan Gustafsson, professor of biogeochemistry at Stockholm University.

In addition to his scientific research, Ramanathan worked with UC San Diego Professor Fonna Forman to develop and launch "Bending the Curve," a University of California-led educational initiative that teaches climate literacy and scalable solutions to people of all ages and educational backgrounds.

Ramanathan has been widely recognized for his contributions to climate science. He has been elected to both the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and in 2013, was named a UN Climate Champion. In 2018, he shared the Tang Prize in Sustainable Development with fellow climate scientist James Hansen, and in 2021, he received the Blue Planet Prize, an international environmental award.

Ramanathan is the second researcher from Scripps Oceanography to win the Crafoord Prize, the first being oceanographer Walter Munk, awarded in 2010.

The Crafoord Prize is awarded in partnership between the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Crafoord Foundation in Lund, Sweden. Winners receive eight million Swedish kronor (approximately $900,000). The prize fund was established in 1980 through a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from Anna-Greta and Holger Crafoord. First awarded in 1982, the prize recognizes achievements in rotating categories: mathematics and astronomy, polyarthritis (systemic diseases that cause joint inflammation), geosciences, and biosciences.

The prize will be presented during the "Crafoord Days" events, held in Lund and Stockholm from May 18-20, 2026.

- Adapted from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Professor Ramanathan in the Maldives with an autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicle, used in a 2006 study to measure the atmospheric brown cloud over South Asia.
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