A gold medal, a parchment scroll and 10,000 Swiss francs in prize money were awarded to veteran scientist Ye Duzheng Tuesday. Alexander Bedritsky, president of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), made the presentations as he congratulated Ye on winning the 48th International Meteorological Organization Prize, the world’s top honor in the field.  

The ceremony was held Tuesday morning in the Great Hall of the People and attended by Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu, WMO President Bedritsky, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud and over 100 Chinese scientists and researchers.

Each year, all 187 WMO member countries and territories are invited to nominate candidates for the prize for outstanding work in meteorology and contributions to international cooperation in meteorology. The IMO Prize has been dubbed the "Nobel Prize in meteorology."

Ye was selected to receive the award at a WMO conference held in Geneva on May 29, 2003, after he was nominated by Qin Dahe, the permanent representative of China to the WMO and director of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). This is the first time that a Chinese scientist has won the IMO since the inception of the prize in 1955.

Ye was born in north China's Tianjin City in 1916, the same year China began keeping climate records. Eighty-eight years later, Ye is being honored for "over six decades of meteorological investigation, research and training, and marked service to meteorology not only in China but also in Asia and at the global level," according to WMO Secretary-General Jarraud here Tuesday.

The Chinese scientist was the first person to stress the importance of the Tibetan Plateau as a heat source in summer and a cold source in winter. The plateau is the world's largest highland, with an area of 2.5 million sq km and an average altitude over 4.5 km.

The monograph by Ye and his research group on the meteorology of the plateau is widely considered a major contribution to the understanding of atmospheric general circulation over Asia. The professor also extended his studies to include general circulation over the whole northern hemisphere and published one of the world’s first research papers on the dynamics of general circulation.

Having served as leader, executive member and founder of many international, regional and domestic scientific organizations, such as the Chinese Academy of Science, China Meteorological Society, Finnish Academy of Sciences and British Royal Meteorological Society, Ye also won a series of prestigious awards. These include the National Science Award, Scientific and Technological Achievement Award of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation and Tan Kah-kee Earth Sciences Prize.

"All the awards, including the IMO Prize, belong not to me, but to the group of Chinese scientists who dedicated their life-long energy and effort to atmospheric studies," said Ye during an interview with Xinhua.

Ye says scientific research is very similar to a stage play, whose success demands effective cooperation of all performers.

"It is impossible for me to accomplish all the tasks all by myself," said Ye, who Bedritsky called "a highly respected and world-renowned scientist."

Ye graduated from China's prestigious Tsinghua University in 1940 and eight years later finished his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago in the US, where renowned meteorologist Carl-Gustaf Rossby and his collaborators were conducting research on the general circulation of the atmosphere, particularly the then-newly discovered jet streams.

"I benefited a lot throughout the years from Professor Rossby's motto that facts are all-important," said Ye.

In 1950, Ye returned to China. He recalls breaking into tears when he first stepped back onto mainland soil, feeling “I am home at last."

Now 88, Ye Duzheng is still busy with his research. "I am working eight hours a day but still find that I run out of time," said Ye, who has focused on the effects of global warming since the 1980s and raised the concept of "orderly human activities" in 2003.

For decades, Ye has never been without his notebook, in which he records random thoughts and inspirations. "The notebook motivates me to realize the ideas as soon as possible," he says.

"If the majority of my ideas can be realized, I will die without regret," says Ye.

In addition to his outstanding achievements in research, Ye was praised for his role as an educator. “Two of Professor Ye’s greatest qualities are his kindness and his immense enthusiasm to help his students. Former students all over the world regard him with respect and gratitude,” said Michel Farraud.

When Ye received the Scientific and Technological Achievement Award of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation in 1995, he donated the one million yuan (US$121,000) award to the CAS Earth Sciences Division as a prize for outstanding young scientists in atmospheric studies.

"I will also donate the IMO money," Ye told Xinhua Tuesday.

“China still lags behind many countries in some aspects of meteorological studies. It is only when these young scientists can best foreign researchers in their age group that the gap between China and foreign countries can be narrowed,” says Ye.

"The most pleasing thing to me is not winning any award but to know that developed countries such as the United States consider China a real competitor. That means China is standing up.”

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)