PRINCETON, N.J. -- After winning the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday, Syukuro Manabe, a senior meteorologist of Princeton University, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that "curiosity" has been the driving force behind his 60 years of climate research.
Younger generations in Japan have benefitted from the depth of research conducted by Manabe, 90, who moved to the U.S. in the 1950s.
-- Early morning call
"Really? That's unbelievable," Manabe said to the person from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences who called at about 5 a.m. Eastern Time to inform him he had won the prestigious award.
Manabe's mobile phone kept ringing throughout the interview, during which he excitedly went into detail about his research, with his book close at hand.
In 2018, the academy presented Manabe with the Crawford Prize, which is awarded to people who have contributed to research in such fields as geoscience and mathematics, and this year, a Swedish radio station said Manabe was a candidate for the Nobel Prize.
"There are many winners in the fields of space and elementary particles, but I've never heard of a climatologist like me being chosen," Manabe said. "It's great that researchers are chosen from a wide range of fields."
He believes that the decision was based on the fact that the issue of climate change has become bigger than ever.
"Floods, droughts, fires and heatwaves have become a global problem. In Japan, damage from heavy rains and strong typhoons occurs almost every year. Many people have realized that climate change is a major issue," he said.
-- Hit a home run
Manabe, who went to the United States in the 1950s, published the results of research on the relationship between the atmosphere and temperature in 1967. "It was research that captured the essence of my work and was my starting point. The research paper was like a home run," he said.
Manabe said he didn't have any difficulties during his research. As a climate researcher, he has long believed that it was important "to get out and feel the weather. Be curious about everything."
"In the past, I never dreamed that the problem of global warming would become so serious," he said. "I became curious about climate issues and have focused on the subject for 60 years. I think it's important to do research that makes you curious."
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