I wanted to offer a couple of thoughts from my third Gordon Conference on Radiation and Climate. First off, I love the format. At a Gordon Conference, ~150 scientists are plopped down in a small (often, New England) college setting with nothing to do but talk about science 24 hours a day. It’s a fantastic opportunity for students, postdocs, and new and ‘experienced’ faculty to sit down and really discuss issues. Formal talks are 40 minutes and discussion lasts 20 minutes. It really allows for a deep-dive into complex topics. More than any other conference I attend, I always feel like I come away with a full appreciation for the major questions in clouds, radiation, and climate and what a lot of really smart people are doing to address them. I also come away motivated to pursue new questions and confident that we’re making progress on important issues. Second, I wanted to compliment the organizers of this particular GRC especially. It was very well thought out. The sessions and speakers were very well chosen. The point was repeatedly and well made that we need combined solutions to measurement and modeling problems. The time is past that these fields could be independent. I’ll see everybody again in two years.
Also, special thanks to those who offered Thursday night’s special surprise entertainment!
