Hans Suess

Suess studied physical chemistry in Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1936. His interests extended from heavy water and nuclear structure to elemental abundances in the Sun and meteorites. Data compiled with Harold Urey informed research on the formation of elements in stars.

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He established a radiocarbon laboratory at the US Geological Survey and joined Scripps in 1955. His 1957 paper with Revelle examined exchange among carbon reservoirs, including the atmosphere and ocean, and highlighted additional carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel combustion.

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Using overlapping tree samples with countable annual rings, Suess studied past atmospheric carbon-14 variation and extended radiocarbon calibration records. This work helped relate measured radiocarbon ages to calendar dates while accounting for changes in the atmosphere.

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