In Memoriam

It is with great sadness that we received the news that Prof. Linda O. Mearns passed away a few days ago. Prof. Mearns was a Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most prestigious centers dealing with climate research. Prof. Mearns was a renowned international leader in climate change and impacts research, and in the interaction with stakeholders and policy makers. In addition to being part of numerous national and international scientific committees and leader of large scientific projects both in the U.S. and abroad, she contributed to the activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since the mid-nineties. 

Prof. Mearns had a long lasting scientific relationship with members of the ICTP Earth System Physics section (ESP). She had collaborations with Prof. Filippo Giorgi, former head of ESP, since the late eighties, and she visited the ICTP numerous times. In 2005 she spent a sabbatical year at ICTP to work on issues related to regional climate modeling and impacts. Her last visit to ICTP was in September 2023 in occasion of the fourth international Pan-CORDEX conference. 

Prof. Mearns was also quite involved in social issues pertaining to science. She was very active in promoting the role of women in science and was a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. She strongly advocated the implementation of suitable measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of global warming. On the personal side, she had a witty sense of humor and gave great value to personal friendship. She will be sorely missed by the scientific community and her personal friends.