Donald R. Blake

Donald R. Blake (born December 19, 1952, in Orange, California) is an American atmospheric chemist and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine.[1][2][3]

He is known for his work in the measurement and analysis of trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere[4], particularly those that contribute to air pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change.[5] His research has informed international environmental policy and contributed to the scientific understanding of atmospheric composition and greenhouse gas trends.[6]

Early Life and Education

Blake was born in Orange, California on December 19, 1952. [7]He served in the U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1974 before beginning his academic career. Blake earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1978, followed by both an M.S. (1980) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (1984) from the University of California, Irvine.[8]

Academic career

Blake joined the Department of Chemistry at UCI initially as a research assistant in 1978, progressing through roles including postdoctoral research and specialist positions, and later becoming a Research Chemist and Associate Research Chemist.[9] He was appointed a Professor of Chemistry in 1998 and was later named Distinguished Professor.[8] His lab often referred to as the Rowland-Blake Group specializes in the measurement of trace atmospheric gases, deploying both ground-based and airborne sampling systems around the world.[10]

Research and scholarly works

Blake’s research centers on the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, with particular emphasis on compounds that affect air quality, ozone chemistry, and climate change.[11] His work is widely recognized for establishing long-term, high-quality observational records and for developing practical sampling and analytical approaches used in large international field campaigns.[1]

A central focus of Blake’s scholarship is the quantification of non-methane hydrocarbons, halocarbons, alkyl nitrates, and greenhouse gases especially methane and ethane.[12] Using whole-air sampling combined with high-precision gas chromatography and mass-spectrometric techniques, his laboratory routinely measures dozens to hundreds of trace species at concentrations ranging from parts per billion to parts per trillion and lower.[13] These measurements provide essential constraints on emission sources, atmospheric lifetimes, and chemical processing in the troposphere.[14]

Since the late 1970s, Blake has led and maintained one of the longest continuous global observational programs for atmospheric trace gases. His group has collected regular background air samples from sites extending from high northern latitudes to the Southern Hemisphere, creating a multi-decade record that has been widely used to assess global trends in methane, hydrocarbons, and halogenated compounds.[15] Early in his career, Blake co-authored several of the first papers demonstrating the global rise of atmospheric methane and documenting its interhemispheric gradient and residence time, helping to establish methane as a major anthropogenic greenhouse gas.[16]

A major component of Blake’s scholarly work involves aircraft-based atmospheric field campaigns.[17] He has served as a principal investigator or senior collaborator for whole-air sampling systems deployed on NASA research aircraft, including the DC-8 and P-3B platforms.[18]

His group has participated in numerous international missions designed to characterize the chemical composition of the troposphere and the transport of pollution on regional to global scales.[4] These campaigns include large, multi-agency programs over the Pacific and Asia, such as PEM-Tropics and TRACE-P, as well as later missions focused on continental outflow, urban pollution, biomass burning, and global atmospheric composition, including SEAC4RS, ATom, and FIREX-AQ. Data produced by Blake’s group are widely used to evaluate chemical transport models and to interpret satellite observations.[19]

Blake’s research has made major contributions in several thematic areas:

Greenhouse gases and climate change

His measurements of methane and light hydrocarbons provided some of the earliest quantitative evidence for sustained global increases and helped identify major natural and anthropogenic source categories.[20] Long-term records produced by his laboratory are now routinely used in assessments of climate forcing and atmospheric budgets.[21]

Air pollution and urban chemistry.

Blake’s work has helped identify and apportion sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in large metropolitan regions. Studies led by his group demonstrated that in some megacities, emissions from liquefied petroleum gas use and other non-traffic sources can dominate over vehicle exhaust for key hydrocarbons, reshaping understanding of urban ozone formation and informing air-quality control strategies.[22]

Through measurements of halogenated hydrocarbons and related species, Blake has contributed to the understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric lifetimes of ozone-depleting substances, and the effectiveness of regulatory controls.[23]

Long-range transport and atmospheric processing.

Aircraft and surface observations from Blake’s group have been used to document the intercontinental transport of pollution plumes, the chemical evolution of organic gases during transport, and the role of oxidation processes in controlling atmospheric composition over oceans, polar regions, and remote continental areas.[24]

Methodologically, Blake is known for developing and refining whole-air sampling canisters, field sampling protocols, and laboratory analytical systems capable of stable, inter-comparable measurements across decades.[17]

Blake has authored and co-authored hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals such as Nature, Science, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, and Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry.[1]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ a b c "Donald Blake". aaas.org. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  2. ^ "Distinguished Professors". uci.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Donald R. Blake". uci.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "UC Irvine atmospheric chemist receives NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal – UC Irvine News". news.uci.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  5. ^ "Chem 1B. Lec 06. General Chemistry (Winter 2013): Thermodynamics - First Law, Part 2". ocw.uci.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  6. ^ Blake, Donald E. (2001). "Contextual Effects on Environmental Attitudes and Behavior". Environment and Behavior. 33 (5): 708–725. doi:10.1177/00139160121973205. ISSN 0013-9165.
  7. ^ "Prof. Donald R. Blake | AirUCI". airuci.uci.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  8. ^ a b c "2021 Donald R. Blake, UCI – SCALACS". Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  9. ^ "Professor Donald R. Blake ranked as 20th Top Ranked Scientist in Environmental Science by Research.com | UCI Department of Chemistry". www.chem.uci.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  10. ^ "RISUD Distinguished Lecture on VOCs in the Urban Atmosphere: Impacts on Air Quality and Climate Change | Events | News and Events". Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  11. ^ Blake, Donald R.; Mayer, Edward W.; Tyler, Stanley C.; Makide, Yoshihiro; Montague, Derek C.; Rowland, F. S. (1982). "Global increase in atmospheric methane concentrations between 1978 and 1980". Geophysical Research Letters. 9 (4): 477–480. doi:10.1029/gl009i004p00477. ISSN 0094-8276.
  12. ^ Sarkar, Sayantan; Fan, Wei Hong; Jia, Shiguo; Blake, Donald R.; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Lestari, Puji; Yu, Liya E. (April 1, 2018). "A quantitative assessment of distributions and sources of tropospheric halocarbons measured in Singapore". Science of the Total Environment. 619–620: 528–544. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.087. ISSN 0048-9697. PMID 29156272.
  13. ^ a b "UC Irvine atmospheric chemist receives NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal – UC Irvine News". news.uci.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  14. ^ Guo, Hao; Flynn, Clare M.; Prather, Michael J.; Strode, Sarah A.; Steenrod, Stephen D.; Emmons, Louisa; Lacey, Forrest; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Fiore, Arlene M.; Correa, Gus; Murray, Lee T.; Wolfe, Glenn M.; St. Clair, Jason M.; Kim, Michelle; Crounse, John (September 16, 2021). "Heterogeneity and chemical reactivity of the remote troposphere defined by aircraft measurements". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 21 (18): 13729–13746. doi:10.5194/acp-21-13729-2021. hdl:11603/21682. ISSN 1680-7316.
  15. ^ "UCI's Don Blake travels the world searching for what we breathe". Orange County Register. October 14, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  16. ^ Mayer, E. W.; Blake, D. R.; Tyler, S. C.; Makide, Y.; Montague, D. C.; Rowland, F. S. (1982). "Methane: Interhemispheric concentration gradient and atmospheric residence time". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 79 (4): 1366–1370. doi:10.1073/pnas.79.4.1366. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 345970. PMID 16593168.
  17. ^ a b "Whole Air Sampler | NASA Airborne Science Program". airbornescience.nasa.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  18. ^ LaRC, Ali Aknan : NASA. "NASA Airborne Science Data for Atmospheric Composition". www-air.larc.nasa.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  19. ^ "WAS (UCI) | NASA Airborne Science Program". airbornescience.nasa.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  20. ^ Wunch, Debra; Toon, Geoffrey C.; Hedelius, Jacob K.; Vizenor, Nicholas; Roehl, Coleen M.; Saad, Katherine M.; Blavier, Jean-François L.; Blake, Donald R.; Wennberg, Paul O. (November 15, 2016). "Quantifying the loss of processed natural gas within California's South Coast Air Basin using long-term measurements of ethane and methane". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 16 (22): 14091–14105. doi:10.5194/acp-16-14091-2016. ISSN 1680-7316.
  21. ^ Paulot, F.; Wunch, D.; Crounse, J. D.; Toon, G. C.; Millet, D. B.; DeCarlo, P. F.; Vigouroux, C.; Deutscher, N. M.; González Abad, G.; Notholt, J.; Warneke, T.; Hannigan, J. W.; Warneke, C.; de Gouw, J. A.; Dunlea, E. J. (March 4, 2011). "Importance of secondary sources in the atmospheric budgets of formic and acetic acids". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 11 (5): 1989–2013. doi:10.5194/acp-11-1989-2011. ISSN 1680-7316. PMC 7983864. PMID 33758586.
  22. ^ Barletta, Barbara; Meinardi, Simone; Simpson, Isobel J; Khwaja, Haider A; Blake, Donald R; Rowland, F. Sherwood (July 1, 2002). "Mixing ratios of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere of Karachi, Pakistan". Atmospheric Environment. 36 (21): 3429–3443. doi:10.1016/S1352-2310(02)00302-3. ISSN 1352-2310.
  23. ^ Shechner, Moshe; Guenther, Alex; Rhew, Robert; Wishkerman, Asher; Li, Qian; Blake, Donald; Lerner, Gil; Tas, Eran (June 7, 2019). "Emission of volatile halogenated organic compounds over various Dead Sea landscapes". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 19 (11): 7667–7690. doi:10.5194/acp-19-7667-2019. ISSN 1680-7316.
  24. ^ "Donald R. Blake – UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences". Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  25. ^ "Blake wins Tolman Award | AirUCI". airuci.uci.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  26. ^ "Three receive California's premier air quality award | California Air Resources Board". ww2.arb.ca.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  27. ^ Bettenhausen, Craig (January 21, 2025). "ACS Award For Creative Advances In Environmental Science & Technology". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  28. ^ a b c "UC Irvine - Faculty Profile System". www.faculty.uci.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  29. ^ "VOCs in the Urban Atmosphere: Impacts on Air Quality and Climate Change | HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study". ias.hkust.edu.hk. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  30. ^ "UC Irvine atmospheric chemist receives NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal – UC Irvine News". news.uci.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  31. ^ "Haagen-Smit Award Recipients | California Air Resources Board". ww2.arb.ca.gov. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
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