Richard P. Turco

Professor Emeritus

Department: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

25000 Cannonero Court
Tehachapi, CA 93561-9691
Tel: (661) 821-1505
turco@ucla.edu
Personal Website

Richard Turco is one of a growing number of scientists and citizens who are concerned about the widespread misuse and degradation of our environment--locally, regionally, and globally. He has attempted to establish, through his affiliations with the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and the Institute of the Environment, a program that addresses a wide range of environmental issues, from urban air pollution to stratospheric ozone depletion, to the influence of aerosols on climate. He believes that research and teaching in this field are closely connected and equally important. Turco's work focuses on the application of numerical models to analyze field and laboratory observations, thereby achieving a clearer understanding of complex natural and anthropogenically influenced phenomena.

Education

B.S. Electrical Engineering, Rutgers University
M.S. Electrical Engineering/Physics, University of Illinois
Ph.D. Electrical Engineering/Physics, University of Illinois

Areas of Expertise

Atmospheric chemistry, radiation, climate and aerosol microphysics.

Research

Professor Turco's research program focuses primarily on theoretical analyses and modeling, in which observations are used to conceptualize, design and test complex numerical codes. The models are then applied to interpret field observations and refine theories of atmospheric composition, radiation, and climate processes.