A University of Hawaii at Manoa oceanography professor received a medal from the National Academy of Sciences at an award ceremony yesterday in Washington, D.C.

David Karl is known for establishing ocean-observing systems to detect changes in the ocean ecosystem, according to a press release. Perhaps the most renowned is the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) program, which discovered that climate change and increasing atmospheric CO2 levels are making the ocean more acidic, in turn affecting the ocean ecosystem. 

Karl also participated in 23 research expeditions to Antartica that uncovered a thriving food web in the region’s glacial waters. He founded and currently directs UHM’s Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education. 

The award Karl received — the Alexander Agassiz medal — is presented every three years for original contributions to oceanography science. Other distinguished attendees at this year’s award ceremony included Bill and Melinda Gates, who received the academy’s Public Welfare Medal.

— Alia Wong

Courtesy of David Karl’s C.V.