At a Glance

Climate scientist Wallace "Wally" Broecker died Monday at the age of 87.Among other things, Broecker was known for bringing the term "global warming" to a mainstream audience.For his extensive studies of the topic, he became known as the "Grandfather of Climate Science."

The climate scientist responsible for popularizing the term "global warming" died Monday at the age of 87.

Wallace "Wally" Broecker passed away at a New York City hospital on Monday, according to Columbia University, where he worked as a professor and researcher. His health had been deteriorating in recent months, a spokesman for the university's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory said.

Broecker brought "global warming" into common use with a 1975 paper that correctly predicted rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would lead to pronounced warming.

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But Broecker quickly realized he was becoming the face of climate science, telling Columbia College Today, "." So he offered a $275 cash prize to the student who could find an earlier scientific use of the term, the report added.

It didn't matter; even though a student eventually found a reference to global warming in a 1957 study performed by an unnamed author, Broecker became associated with the term.

Broecker was also first to recognize what he called the Ocean Conveyor Belt, a global system of ocean currents circulating water and nutrients.

Broecker was born in Chicago in 1931 and grew up in suburban Oak Park.

He joined Columbia's faculty in 1959 and was known in science circles as the "Grandfather of Climate Science."