Karl Rawer’s life and the history of IRI
| Author | Bodo W. Reinisch, Dieter Bilitzab |
| Publication information | Department of Environmental Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2004 |
Narrative
This laudation is given in honor of the 90th birthday of Prof. Karl Rawer that coincides with the 35th anniversary of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI).
The ionosphere was discovered during Karl Rawer’s life, and he has dedicated his life to the exploration of this part of Earth’s environment.
The horrible events of world wars I and II shaped his early life, but they also launched his career as one of the eminent geophysical scientists of the twentieth century.
The paper looks back at Karl’s life and the 35 years of research and development in the framework of the IRI project.
Karl Rawer initiated this international modeling effort and was the first chairman of the IRI Working Group.
IRI is a joint project of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio science (URSI) that has the goal to establish an international standard model of the ionospheric densities temperatures, and drifts.