Klaus Wyrtki, a pioneering oceanographer and former professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has been honored by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature for his groundbreaking contributions to oceanography and climate science. Wyrtki, who died in 2013, was a leading expert in ocean circulation and its impact on global climate patterns.
The certificate recognizing Wyrtki’s legacy was presented on March 12, to his widow, Erika Wyrtki, by her extended family during a symposium dedicated to his scientific achievements. The three-day event, from March 12 to 14, at the East-West Center, gathered leading researchers to discuss Wyrtki’s enduring influence on the field.
“Dr. Wyrtki’s work laid the foundation for much of what we understand today about ocean currents and climate variability,” said conference chair Malte Stuecker, director of the International Pacific Research Center and associate professor in the Department of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “It is a privilege to bring together scholars from around the world to celebrate together with the Wyrtki family his contributions.”
The Wyrtki Symposium marked the 50th anniversary of two milestone events in early El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research that Wyrtki helped pioneer. In 1975, he published, El Niño–The Dynamic Response of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean to Atmospheric Forcing, which shaped modern ENSO studies. That same year, he led the El Niño Watch Expedition, the first attempt to verify an El Niño forecast using the Southern Oscillation Index. The symposium brought together experts to reflect on these achievements and discuss the future of ENSO research.
