A world-renowned climatologist who has made "global warming" a colloquial term that died at the age of 87

A scientist who made "global warming" a household term while he was fighting to popularize the idea that greenhouse gases could cause dramatic climate change has died to the age of 87 years old.

Wallace Smith Broecker, professor and researcher at Columbia University, was described by his colleagues as "unique, brilliant and combative," while tributes were paid to the climate expert.

The professor, known worldwide as the "grandfather of climate science," died Monday night in a hospital in New York City, confirmed a spokesman for his employer.

Professor Broecker generalized the use of "global warming" in a 1975 article that correctly predicted that rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would cause a pronounced rise in temperature.

He then became the first person to recognize what he called the oceanic treadmill, a global network of currents that affected everything from air temperature to rain diets.

"Wally was unique, brilliant and combative," said Michael Oppenheimer, a professor at Princeton University. "He did not let himself be fooled by the cooling of the 1970s. He clearly saw unprecedented warming and clearly expressed his point of view, even though few people were willing to listen to him."

In the oceanic conveyor belt, the cold, salty water of the North Atlantic flows in the manner of a diver who leads the ocean current from North America to Europe. The warm surface waters supported by this current help maintain the mild climate of Europe.

According to Professor Broecker, Europe would be frozen, with average winter temperatures dropping more than 11 ° C and more, and London looking more like Spitsbergen, Norway, 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

Professor Broecker said his studies suggested that the conveyor was the "Achilles heel of the climate system" and a fragile phenomenon that can change quickly for reasons not understood.

It would only need a slight increase in temperature to prevent water from sinking in the North Atlantic, which would have the effect of putting the conveyor to a halt.

He said it was possible that the warming caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases is enough to affect the ocean currents dramatically.

"Broecker alone has popularized the idea that this could lead to a dramatic" turning point "for climate change and, more generally, Broecker has helped to communicate to the public and policymakers the potential for abrupt climate change and" surprises "Unwelcome because of the changing climate," said Michael Mann, a professor at Penn State.

"We live in a climate system that can suddenly switch from one state to another," Professor Broecker told The Associated Press in 1997.

By releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, "we have an experiment that could have devastating effects."

"We are playing with an angry beast – a climate system that has turned out to be very sensitive," he said.

Professor Broecker received the National Science Medal in 1996 and was a member of the National Academy of Science.

He also held the position of research coordinator for Biosphere 2, an experimental laboratory for the living environment.

Prof Broecker was born in Chicago in 1931 and grew up in the suburbs of Oak Park.

He joined Columbia faculty in 1959, spending most of his time at the university lab in Palisades, NY.

He was known in scientific circles as the "grandfather of climate science" and the "dean of climate scientists".

"His discoveries have been fundamental in interpreting the history of Earth's climate," said Professor Oppenheimer.

"No scientist was more stimulating, he was an effective promoter, willing to defend unpopular ideas, such as particles to offset climate change.But it was always a two-way conversation, never boring, always educational, I'll miss him. "