Michael RamProfessorAtmospheric physics | 
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Contact Information
Brief CV
- B.S., Technion, Israel (1960)
- M.S., Technion, Israel (1962)
- Ph.D., Columbia University (1965)
Selected Publications
- M. Ram, with G. Koenig. Continuous dust concentration profile of pre-Holocene ice from the GISP2 ice core: Dust stadials, interstadials and the Eemian. Jour. Geophys. Res., special GISP2/GRIP issue 102, No. C12, 26,641-26,648 (1997).
- M. Ram, with M. Stolz and G. Koenig. Eleven year cycle of dust concentration variability observed in the dust profile of the GISP2 ice core from central Greenland: Possible solar cycle connection. Geophys. Res. Letters 24, No. 19, 2359-2362 (1997).
- M. Ram, with J. Donarummo and M. Sheridan. Volcanic ash from Icelandic -57,300 year BP eruption found in GISP2 (Greenland) ice core. Geophys. Res. Letters 23, No. 22, 3167-69 (1996).
- M. Ram, with S. A. Cain and D. B. Taulbee. Design of a shrouded probe for airborne aerosol sampling in a high velocity airstream. Jour. Aerosol Science 26, No. 6, pp. 945-962 (1995).
- M. Ram, with R. I. Gayley. Insoluble particles in polar ice: Identification and measurement of the insoluble background aerosol. Geophys. Res. Letters 21 6:437-440 (1994).
Research Interests
My research efforts in recent years has mainly been involved in getting information on past climates and climate change. As a principle investigator in NSF=s Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) initiative, I developed Laser-Light Scattering (LLS) techniques to measure the dust profile along the length of the 3000+ m long GISP2 ice core that was retrieved from central Greenland. Since the dust in the ice is believed to be representative of past atmospheric dust burdens, our measurements reflect how past atmospheric dust burdens changed over the parst 100,000+ years. This information is of critical importance in climate modelling since atmospheric dust can absorb and scatter solar energy and can, thus, modify the earth=s albedo. Since it is known that dust concentration in the core varies seasonally with maxima occuring every spring/summer, our work has been of critical importance in dating the GISP2 ice core. In addition, our work is yielding important information on violent dust storms that seem to have been prevalent during cold glacial times. Also, we observed that the dust concentration along the ice core was modulated with an -11 year period which we attribute to the solar cycle. These 11 year modulations occur throughout the core and we observe them all the way back to 100,000 years BP.
Current Projects
- Measurements and analysis of solar cycle modulations in the GISP2 ice core dust profile
- Analysis of evidence of very severe dust storms seen in ice age Greenland ice
