Ohio State professor and pioneering climate researcher Lonnie Thompson dies at 78, leaving a lasting mark on climate research

Doctors Ellen and Lonnie Mosley-Thompson pictured at the Byrd Polar Climate and Research Center’s Ice Core Facility. Credit: Courtesy of Ria Narang After more than five decades researching climate change at Ohio State, longtime professor and pioneering climate scientist Lonnie Thompson died at 78 following a brief illness, the university’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center announced Nov. 3. Thompson spent more than 55 years at Ohio State, where his research on glaciers and ice cores helped scientists better understand Earth’s changing climate. His interest in weather began long before his career in climate science. Growing up on a small farm in West Virginia, Thompson maintained a weather station in his family’s barn and recorded observations daily, according to his memorial.

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