Home Page Arthur C. Petersen
Professor Arthur C. Petersen (1970) is Director of the Methodology and Modelling Programme at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, PBL; the English name was retained after the Milieu- en Natuurplanbureau, MNP, and the Ruimtelijk Planbureau, RPB, merged in May 2008), Visiting Professor in the Centre for the Analysis of Time Series and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Research Affiliate in the Political Economy & Technology Policy Program of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He leads the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency's efforts in the development and use of methodology for sustainability assessment and methodology for uncertainty assessment and communication. He has been employed at the agency since 2001. At LSE, he advises on communicating model uncertainty. And at MIT, he studies the political science dimension of planned adaptation (adapting policy and regulation in the light of new evidence and uncertainty). Besides his professional jobs, he has been active within Pugwash (or Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs in full), an organisation that brings together, from around the world, influential scholars and public figures concerned with reducing the danger of armed conflict and seeking cooperative solutions for global problems such as those related to poverty alleviation and protection of the environment.
Arthur studied theoretical physics and philosophy of science at the VU University Amsterdam (1988-1995). He holds two PhD degrees. The research for his first dissertation was done at the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU), Utrecht University (1995-1999); the dissertation is titled Convection and Chemistry in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (it can be downloaded here). By using computational methods, Arthur Petersen uncovered fundamental properties of turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. In particular, he studied the transport characteristics of updraughts and downdraughts in this lowest layer of the atmosphere and their effects on the transport of heat, water vapour (of importance for cloud formation) and chemical compounds. His main article on this subject, which appeared in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences in 1999, has been cited by various research groups, some as distant as astrophysicists who study convective processes at solar and stellar surfaces. Arthur himself has applied the results in a study of global air quality.
Arthur's second dissertation (for which he was employed at the Faculty of Philosophy, VU University Amsterdam from 1999-2001, and which was defended and published in 2006 to include work he had done at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) reflects on the role of computer simulation and its associated uncertainties in the (natural) sciences. His philosophy of science book Simulating Nature: A Philosophical Study of Computer-Simulation Uncertainties and Their Role in Climate Science and Policy Advice (the dissertation version can be downloaded here) is the first academic book that systematically treats this subject. This research also constitutes a contribution to political science through the careful study of the science-policy interface: how are uncertainties in computer simulation of climate change communicated to policy makers and how does this relate to the specific types of uncertainty associated with computer simulation? His second dissertation provides the philosophical basis for the Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication, which was developed under his leadership together with the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation at Utrecht University.
Currently, Arthur's research focuses on methodological questions pertaining to a wide range of models and on political science questions related to dealing with uncertainty in policymaking. He has been active within the context of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - both as an expert and as a member of Dutch government delegations to IPCC meetings - to reflect on the assessment of uncertainties in climate models. He has led the agency's effort to reflect on and consolidate the modelling and scenario methods that the agency uses to produce its Sustainability Outlooks. He was a member of the core team for the production of the Second Sustainability Outlook. As the Director of the Methodology and Modelling Programme, he is closely involved in the agency's efforts in sustainability modelling, specifically the construction of the Global Integrated Sustainability Model (GISMO). He focuses on the question of how to deal with uncertainties and worldviews in sustainability assessment and how to account for institutions and governance in a modelling framework. The latter is done is close colloboration with the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the VU University Amsterdam (click here for more information about the cooperation between the agency and IVM, in Dutch)
Primary Affiliations
| 2001-present | Senior Policy Analyst (since 2003, Director of the Methodology and Modeling Program) Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, associated with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) until 1 January 2006 |
| 1999-2001 | Postdoctoral Research Associate Faculty of Philosophy VU University Amsterdam |
Joint Affiliations
| 2009-present | Visiting Professor Centre for the Analysis of Time Series and Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) |
| 2009-present | Research Affiliate Political Economy & Technology Policy Program Center for International Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| 2009 | Director of Climate Science The Matrix Project (project which develops societal perspectives for acting on climate change in the Netherlands, as part of the Climate changes Spatial Planning programme) H+N+S Landscape Architects |
| Fall 2008 | Visiting Scholar Political Economy & Technology Policy Program Center for International Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
Other Positions
| 2004-2007 | Founding and Managing Editor ISYP Journal on Science and World Affairs |
| 2003-2009 | Board Member (since 2005, Treasurer) Pugwash Netherlands |
| 2003-2005 | Treasurer International Student/Young Pugwash |
| 2002-2009 | Founder and Secretary Dutch Network of Uncertainty Researchers |
Teaching Experience
| 2005-present | Lecturer Bachelor, Master and PhD Courses: UNESO-IHE; Maastricht University; Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg; VU University Amsterdam; Wageningen University; NFWT Dutch-Flemish Network for Philosophy of Science and Technology; CERES Research School for Resource Studies for Development; WTMC Graduate School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture; EPOS Summer School on Methods and Tools for Impact Assessment |
| 2004-present | PBL Academy Trainer Courses: Dealing with Uncertainties; Systems Modelling and Sustainability |
| 2004-2005 | Workshop Facilitator ISYP Conferences |
| 1996-2001 | Teaching Assistant Courses: Physics, Astronomy and Society (Utrecht University); Advanced Classical Mechanics (Utrecht University); Science, Philosophy and Ethics (VU University Amsterdam) |
Education
Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science, VU University Amsterdam (1999-2006)
Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, Utrecht University (1995-1999)
M.A. in Philosophy of Science, VU University Amsterdam (1991-1995)
M.Sc. in Theoretical Physics, VU University Amsterdam (1988-1993)
Publications (Ordered Chronologically per Subject Area, with Asterisks Denoting Peer-Reviewed Publications in ISI-listed journals - see also ResearcherID B-7198-2009)
Science and World Affairs (Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Nuclear Disarmament, Conflict)
van Schaik, L.G., M.T.J. Kok, and A.C. Petersen, 2009: Adapting EU Governance for a More Sustainable Future. Bilthoven and The Hague: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. [Go to the report's web page.]
*Wardekker, J. Arjan, Arthur C. Petersen, and Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, 2009: Ethics and public perception of climate change: Exploring the Christian voices in the US public debate. Global Environmental Change, 19, 512–521. [Go to the article's web page.]
Petersen, Arthur, Ed., 2009: Klimaat en duurzaamheid [Climate and Sustainability]. Special issue of Wijsgerig Perspectief.
Wardekker, Arjan, and Arthur Petersen, 2008: Religieuze posities in het klimaatdebat in de VS [Religious positions in the climate debate in the US]. Deus et Machina: De verwevenheid van technologie en religie [Deus et Machina: The Interwovenness of Technology and Religion], M.D.J. van Well, Ed., The Hague: STT Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends, 350–359. [In Dutch.]
Hanemaaijer, Aldert, Wouter de Ridder, Theo Aalbers, Bas Eickhout, Henk Hilderink, Ton Manders, Dick Nagelhout, and Arthur Petersen. Eds., 2008: The Netherlands in a Sustainable World: Second Sustainability Outlook. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. [Go to the report's web page.]
Petersen, Arthur, and Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra. Eds., 2006: A World without War: International Student/Young Pugwash Yearbook 2006. Apeldoorn and Antwerp: Het Spinhuis Publishers, 126 pp. [Contains the second volume of the ISYP Journal on Science and World Affairs.] [More information and ordering through Maklu.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2006: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in the Middle East and the Establishment of a WMD-Free Zone. Report on Working Group 2, 56th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, "A Region in Transition: Peace and Reform in the Middle East", Cairo, Egypt, 11-15 November 2006. [View report.]
Tolhoek, Hans and Arthur Petersen, 2006: The De-Nuclearisation of Israel and Some Steps Forward in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Pugwash in the Middle East. Paper for the 56th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, "A Region in Transition: Peace and Reform in the Middle East", Cairo, Egypt, 11-15 November 2006. [View paper. Also published in the ISYP Journal in Science and World Affairs, 3, 67-70, 2007; view paper in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, and Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra. Eds., 2005: Remember Your Humanity: International Student/Young Pugwash Yearbook 2005. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis Publishers, 184 pp. [Contains the first volume of the ISYP Journal on Science and World Affairs.] [More information and ordering through Maklu.]
van der Zwaan, Bob, and Arthur Petersen, Eds., 2003: Sharing the Planet: Population - Consumption - Species. Science and Ethics for a Sustainable and Equitable World. Delft: Eburon Academic Publishers, 274 pp. [More information and ordering through Eburon. More information and ordering through Chicago University Press (ordering from outside the Netherlands and Belgium).] [Review in Futures, 37 (10), 1993-1194 by Jerry Ravetz, 2005; review in International Affairs, 80 (3), 550-551 by Mark Kinver, 2004; review in Environmental Science & Policy, 7 (6), 548-549 by Richard S. J. Tol, 2004.]
den Dekker, Guido, Antoinette Hildering, Kenneth Manusama, and Arthur Petersen, 2000: From human insecurity to international armed conflict. Paper for the 50th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, "Eliminating the Causes of War", Cambridge, England, August 2000, 10 pp. [View paper in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur C., 1997: To what extent should energy be used judiciously to avoid fear of depleting world energy reserves? Proceedings, Student Pugwash USA's 9th International Conference, Madison, WI, Student Pugwash USA, 112-115.
Science-Policy Interface
*McCray, Lawrence E., Kenneth A. Oye, and Arthur C. Petersen, 2010: Planned adaptation in risk regulation: An initial survey of US environmental, health, and safety regulation. Technological Forecasting & Social Change (in press).
*Hage, Maria, Pieter Leroy, and Arthur C. Petersen, 2010: Stakeholder participation in environmental knowledge production. Futures (in press).
*Swart, Rob, Minh Ha-Duong, Lenny Bernstein, and Arthur Petersen, 2009: Agreeing to disagree: Uncertainty management in assessing climate change, impacts and responses by the IPCC. Climatic Change, 92, 1-29. [Go to the article's web page.]
*Arthur C. Petersen, 2008: The practice of climate simulation and its social and political context. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences, 87 (3), 219-229. [Go to the article's web page.]
Arthur Petersen, 2008: De lessen uit onzeker fijn stof [The lessons from uncertain particulate matter]. Leven met onzekerheid [Living with Uncertainty], J.P.M. Geraedts, M.B.A. van Asselt and L. Koenen, Eds., The Hague: Bio-Wetenschappen en Maatschappij [Bio-Sciences and Society], 46–48. [In Dutch.]
Mathijsen, Judith, Arthur Petersen, Paul Besseling, Adnan Rahman, and Henk Don, Eds., 2007: Omgaan met onzekerheid in beleid [Dealing with Uncertainty in Policy]. Den Haag: CPB and Bilthoven: MNP. [Go to the report's web page.] [In Dutch. English version published in 2008]
*Ha-Duong, Minh, Rob Swart, Lenny Bernstein, and Arthur Petersen, 2007: Uncertainty management in the IPCC: Agreeing to disagree. Global Environmental Change, 17, 8-11. [Go to the article's web page.]
Petersen, Arthur, Jeroen van der Sluijs, Willemijn Tuinstra, and Katherine C. Martin, 2006: Anticipation and adaptation in particulate matter policy: The European Union, the Netherlands, and United States. Paper for the Trans-Atlantic Uncertainty Colloquium, Washington, DC, 10-11 October 2006. [View paper in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2006: De risico's van klimaatverandering: Wetenschappers en wereldproblemen [The risks of climate change: Scientists and world problems]. Van grenzen weten: Aanzetten tot een nieuw denken over duurzaamheid, Koo van der Wal and Bob Goudzwaard, Eds., Budel: Damon, 63-78. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2005: Milieuwetenschappen, politiek en het voorzorgprincipe: Omgaan met onzekerheid over klimaatverandering [Environmental sciences, politics and the precautionary principle: Dealing with uncertainty about climate change]. Het gewicht van groen: Motieven voor natuurbehoud en milieubescherming, Jan J. Boersema, Ben Bakker, and Edwin Koster, Eds., Kampen: Kok, 26-49. [In Dutch.]
Cath, Albert, and Arthur Petersen, 2005: Zelforganisatie in bedrijf en bestuur: Van complexiteitsmodellen naar implementatieaanknopingspunten [Selforganization in business and public administration: From complexity models to implementation starting points]. Paper for conference 'Lof der Verwarring', Rotterdam, 19 May 2005. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2004: Het voorzorgprincipe: (On)zekerheid over klimaatverandering [The precautionary principle: (Un)certainty about climate change]. Beweging, 68 (3), 11-14. [In Dutch.]
van Asselt, Marjolein, and Arthur Petersen, Eds., 2003: Niet bang voor onzekerheid [Not Afraid of Uncertainty]. Utrecht: Lemma Publishers, 165 pp. [In Dutch. Published for the Netherlands Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature and the Environment (RMNO).] [View book in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, and Bob van der Zwaan, 2003: The precautionary principle: (Un)certainties about species loss. Sharing the Planet: Population - Consumption - Species. Science and Ethics for a Sustainable and Equitable World, Bob van der Zwaan and Arthur Petersen, Eds., Delft: Eburon Academic Publishers, 133-150. [More information and ordering through Eburon. More information and ordering through Chicago University Press (ordering only from outside the Netherlands and Belgium).]
Petersen, Arthur C., 2002: The precautionary principle, knowledge uncertainty, and environmental assessment. Paper for the Netherlands Institute of Government Workshop on Knowledge Uncertainty, Rotterdam, 30-31 October 2002. [View paper in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2001: The succes of the IPCC. Preprints, Disaster, Failure or Success? Towards a Better Interaction Between Scientists, Policy-Makers and Societal Groups, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature and the Environment (RMNO), 23-26.
Methodologies for Sustainability Assessment
*de Vries, Bert J.M., and Arthur C. Petersen, 2009: Conceptualizing sustainable development: An assessment methodology connecting values, knowledge, worldviews and scenarios. Ecological Economics, 68, 1006–1019. [Go to the article's web page.]
Hilderink, H.B.M., P.L. Lucas, A. ten Hove, M.T.J. Kok, M.G. de Vos, P.H.M. Janssen, J.R. Meijer, A. Faber, A. Ignaciuk, A.C. Petersen, and H.J.M. de Vries, 2008: Towards a Global Integrated Sustainability Model: GISMO1.0 Status Report. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. [Go to the report's web page.]
Petersen, A.C., T.G. Aalbers, N.D. van Egmond, B. Eickhout, J.C.M. Farla, A.H. Hanemaaijer, H.A.R.M. van den Heiligenberg, P.S.C. Heuberger, P.H.M. Janssen, R.J.M. Maas, J.M. Melse, D. Nagelhout, H. Visser, H.J.M. de Vries, and H. van Zeijts, 2006: Methoderapport Duurzaamheidsverkenning [Sustainability Outlook Methodology Report]. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 63 pp. [Go to the report's web page.] [In Dutch]
Aalbers, Theo, Arthur Petersen, and Aldert Hanemaaijer, 2005: Waarden in plaats van wereldbeelden? [Values instead of worldviews?]. ArenA, 11 (7), 16-17. [In Dutch.]
Methodologies for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication (website: leidraad.pbl.nl)
*Kloprogge, Penny, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, and Arthur C. Petersen, 2010: A method for the analysis of assumptions in model-based environmental assessments. Environmental Modelling & Software. [Go to the article's web page.]
*Knol, Anne B., Arthur C. Petersen, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, and Erik Lebret, 2009: Dealing with uncertainties in environmental burden of disease assessment. Environmental Health, 8, 21 (13 pp). [Go to the article's web page.]
Douguet, J.-M., M. O'Connor, A.C. Petersen, P.H.M. Janssen, and J.P. van der Sluijs, 2009: Uncertainty assessment in a deliberative perspective. Science for Policy, A. Pereira Guimaraes and S. Funtowicz, Eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 15-47.
*Visser, Hans, and Arthur C. Petersen, 2009: The likelihood of holding outdoor skating marathons in the Netherlands as a policy-relevant indicator of climate change. Climatic Change, 93, 39-54. [Go to the article's web page.]
Arthur Petersen, 2008: Omgaan met onzekerheid over het klimaatsysteem [Dealing with uncertainties about the climate system. Onzekerheden en klimaatverandering [Uncertainty and Climate Change], A.M. de Gier and J.B. Opschoor, Eds., Proceedings of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) meeting on ‘Uncertainties and Climate Change’, Amsterdam, November 26, 2007, pp. 25–28. [In Dutch.]
*Wardekker, J. Arjan, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, Peter H.M. Janssen, Penny Kloprogge and Arthur C. Petersen, 2008: Uncertainty communication in environmental assessments: Views from the Dutch science-policy interface. Environmental Science & Policy, 11 (7), 627-641. [Go to the article's web page.]
*van der Sluijs, Jeroen P., Arthur C. Petersen, Peter H.M. Janssen, James S. Risbey, Jerome R. Ravetz, 2008: Exploring the quality of evidence for complex and contested policy decisions. Environmental Research Letters, 3, 024008 (9pp) [Go to the article's web page.]
van der Sluijs, Jeroen P., and Arthur C. Petersen, 2006: The need for guidance for dealing with uncertainty, assumptions, and value commitments in environment and health assessment. Epidemiology, 17 (6), S47-S48.
Kloprogge, P., J.P. van der Sluijs, and A.C. Petersen, 2005: A Method for the Analysis of Assumptions in Assessments: Exploring the Value-Ladenness of Two Indicators in the Fifth Dutch Environmental Outlook. Bilthoven and Utrecht: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Utrecht University, 77 pp. [View report in pdf (0.8 MB).]
*Janssen, P.H.M., A.C. Petersen, J.P. van der Sluijs, J.S. Risbey, and J.R. Ravetz, 2005: A guidance for assessing and communicating uncertainties. Water Science & Technology, 52 (6), 125-131. [View abstract. View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
Visser, H., A.C. Petersen, A.H.W. Beusen, P.S.C. Heuberger, and P.H.M. Janssen, 2005: RIVM/MNP Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication: Checklist Uncertainties in Spatial Information & Visualizations of Spatial Uncertainty. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 55 pp. [View report in pdf (2.7 MB). Go to the report's web page.] [In Dutch. English version (3.8 MB) published in 2006.]
Janssen, Peter H.M., Arthur C. Petersen, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, James S. Risbey and Jerome R. Ravetz, 2005: Towards guidance in assessing and communicating uncertainties. Sensitivity Analysis of Model Output, K.M. Hanson and F.M. Hemez, Eds., Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Sensitivity Analysis of Model Output (SAMO 2004), Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 8-11, 2004, 201-210.
van der Sluijs, J.P., P.H.M. Janssen, A.C. Petersen, P. Kloprogge, J.S. Risbey, W. Tuinstra, and J.R. Ravetz, 2004: RIVM/MNP Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication: Tool Catalogue for Uncertainty Assessment. Utrecht: Utrecht University, 55 pp. [View report in pdf (1.4 MB).]
van der Sluijs, Jeroen P., James S. Risbey, Penny Kloprogge, Jerome R. Ravetz, Silvio O. Funtowicz, Serafin Corral Quintana, Ângela Guimarães Pereira, Bruna De Marchi, Arthur C. Petersen, Peter H. M. Janssen, Rob Hoppe, and Simône Huijs, 2003: RIVM/MNP Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication: Detailed Guidance. Utrecht: Utrecht University, 65 pp. [View report in pdf (1.1 MB).]
Janssen, Peter H.M., Arthur C. Petersen, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, James S. Risbey, and Jerome R. Ravetz, 2003: RIVM/MNP Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication: Quickscan Hints & Actions List. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 24 pp. [View report in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur C., Peter H.M. Janssen, Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, James S. Risbey, and Jerome R. Ravetz, 2003: RIVM/MNP Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication: Mini-Checklist & Quickscan Questionnaire. Bilthoven: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 15 pp. [View report in pdf.]
van der Sluijs, J.P., J. Potting, J. Risbey, D. Nuijten, P. Kloprogge, D. van Vuuren, B. de Vries, A. Beusen, P. Heuberger, S. C. Quintana, S. Funtowicz, J. Ravetz, and A. Petersen, 2002: Uncertainty assessment of the IMAGE/TIMER B1 CO2 emissions scenario, using the NUSAP method. Bilthoven: Dutch National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change Report 410200104 (2001), 228 pp. [View report in pdf (2.5 MB).]
Petersen, Arthur, 1997: Houvast zoeken in onzekerheid [Anchoring amid uncertainty]. Review of Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, Anchoring Amid Uncertainty: On the Management of Uncertainties in Risk Assessment of Anthropogenic Climate Change. Tijdschrift voor Wetenschap, Technologie en Samenleving, 5, 116-117. [In Dutch.]
Philosophy of Science
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2006: Simulation uncertainty and the challenge of postnormal science. Simulation: Pragmatic Constructions of Reality - Sociology of the Sciences, Vol. 25, Johannes Lenhard, Günter Küppers and Terry Shinn, Eds., Dordrecht: Springer, 173-185. [More information and ordering through Springer.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2006: Simulating Nature: A Philosophical Study of Computer-Simulation Uncertainties and Their Role in Climate Science and Policy Advice. Apeldoorn and Antwerpen: Het Spinhuis Publishers, 222 pp. [More information and ordering through Maklu. Download dissertation edition through the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.]
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2004: Models and geophysiological hypotheses. Scientists Debate Gaia: The Next Century, Stephen H. Schneider, James R. Miller, Eileen Crist, and Penelope J. Boston, Eds., Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 37-44. [More information and ordering through MIT Press.]
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2000: Models as technological artefacts. Review of Mary S. Morgan and Margaret Morrison, Eds., Models as Mediators: Perspectives on Natural and Social Science; Sergio Sismondo and Snait Gissis, Eds., Modeling and Simulation; and Steve Rayner and Elizabeth L. Malone, Eds., Human Choice and Climate Change. Social Studies of Science, 30, 793-799. [View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
Petersen, Arthur C., 2000: On the relation between complex and simple climate models. Preprints, 11th Symposium on Global Change Studies, Long Beach, CA, American Meteorological Society, 238-239.
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2000: Philosophy of climate science. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 81, 265-271. [View abstract. View article in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur C., 1999: Review of Hans Radder, In and About the World: Philosophical Studies of Science and Technology. Science, Technology, and Human Values, 24, 170-173. [Translation of the following review. View first page in pdf. View pp.167-173 - book review section - in pdf (subscribers only).]
Petersen, Arthur, 1998: In en over de wereld [In and about the world]. Review of Hans Radder, In and About the World: Philosophical Studies of Science and Technology. Tijdschrift voor Wetenschap, Technologie en Samenleving, 6, 32-34. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 1996: De rationaliteit van consensus in het klimaatonderzoek [The rationality of consensus in climate research]. Meteorologica, 5 (1), 4-5. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 1995: Consensus in de natuurwetenschappen: De rationaliteit van consensus in het klimaatonderzoek [Consensus in the natural sciences: The rationality of consensus in climate research]. M.A. thesis, Faculty of Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, IMAU Report 95-21, 47 pp. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur C., 1992: The logic of quantum mechanics. Proceedings, 7th International Conference for Physics Students, Lisbon, Portugal, Physis, 219-228.
Science, Ethics and Society
Petersen, Arthur, 2005: Ethical dimensions of HIV/AIDS. Workshop Report, 3rd Pugwash Workshop on Science, Ethics and Society, Ajaccio, Corsica, 29 September-2 October 2005. [View report.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2003: Report of the student/young working group discussion. Pugwash Workshop on Science, Ethics and Society, Paris, 27-29 June 2003. [View report.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2003: The possible role of pledges of social responsibility in science. Paper for the Pugwash Workshop on Science, Ethics and Society, Paris, 27-29 June 2003. [View paper in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2001: Ethics, science and society. Disarmament Forum, 3, 46-47. [Report of a working group of the 2001 Swiss Student Pugwash Conference, published by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. [View first page in pdf. View pp. 39-47 of this issue of Disarmament Forum in pdf.]
Petersen, Arthur, 1995: Beroepscode voor natuurkundigen [Professional code for physicists]. Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Natuurkunde, 61, 54-55. [In Dutch.
Science and Theology
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2003: Contingency and risk: Comment on Smit. Is Nature Ever Evil? Religion, Science and Value, Willem B. Drees, Ed., London: Routledge, 98-100. [More information and ordering through Routledge.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2000: Review of Palmyre M.F. Oomen, Doet God ertoe? Een interpretatie van Whitehead als bijdrage aan een theologie van Gods handelen [Does God matter? An interpretation of Whitehead's philosophy as a contribution to a theology of God's agency]. Quadraatschrift, 4 (11), 9-11. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2000: Review of D. de Zeeuw and R. Kouwijzer, Eds., Liturgie, stelt het iets voor? [Liturgy: Does it amount to anything?] Quadraatschrift, 4 (7/8), 1-3. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2000: Leerhuis over 'rechtvaardige oorlog' [Theological study group on 'just war']. Quadraatschrift, 4 (5), 1-4. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 1998: Review of Frits de Lange, Gevoel voor verhoudingen: God, evolutie en ethiek [Sense of relations: God, evolution and ethics]. Quadraatschrift, 2 (1), 9-10. [In Dutch.]
Atmospheric Sciences
*Petersen, Arthur C., 2000: The impact of chemistry on flux estimates in the convective boundary layer. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 57, 3398-3405. [View abstract. View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
*Abdella, K., and A.C. Petersen, 2000: Third-order moment closure through a mass-flux approach. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 95, 303-318. [View abstract. View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
Petersen, Arthur C., 1999: Convection and chemistry in the atmospheric boundary layer, Ph.D. dissertation, Utrecht University, 147 pp. [View dissertation in pdf.]
*Petersen, Arthur C., and Albert A. M. Holtslag, 1999: A first-order closure for covariances and fluxes of reactive species in the convective boundary layer. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 38, 1758-1776. [View abstract. View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
Petersen, Arthur C., Maarten C. Krol, and Laurens N. Ganzeveld, 1999: Segregation effects due to convective boundary-layer mixing in atmospheric chemistry models. Preprints, 13th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence, Dallas, TX, American Meteorological Society, 165-166.
Petersen, Arthur C., and Albert A. M. Holtslag, 1999: A first-order closure for fluxes and covariances of reactive species in the convective boundary layer. Preprints, 13th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence, Dallas, TX, American Meteorological Society, 189-192.
*Petersen, Arthur C., Cees Beets, Han van Dop, Peter G. Duynkerke, and A. Pier Siebesma, 1999: Mass-flux characteristics of reactive scalars in the convective boundary layer. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 56, 37-56. [View abstract. View first page in pdf. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
*Petersen, Arthur C., Edwin J. Spee, Han van Dop, and Willem Hundsdorfer, 1998: An evaluation and intercomparison of four new advection schemes for use in global chemistry models. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103, 19253-19269. [View abstract. View article in pdf (subscribers only).]
Petersen, Arthur C., Cees Beets, Han van Dop, Peter G. Duynkerke, and A. Pier Siebesma, 1997: Mass-flux schemes for transport of non-reactive and reactive scalars in the convective boundary layer. Preprints, 12th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence, Vancouver, Canada, American Meteorological Society, 255-256.
Petersen, Arthur C., Cees Beets, and Maarten C. Krol, 1997: Parametrization of segregation effects due to convective boundary-layer mixing in atmospheric chemistry models. Proceedings, First REMAPE Workshop, Copenhagen, Denmark, Ministry of Environment and Energy, National Environmental Research Institute, 211-222. [Identical to the following contribution.]
Petersen, Arthur C., Cees Beets, and Maarten C. Krol, 1997: Parametrization of segregation effects due to convective boundary-layer mixing in atmospheric chemistry models. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 21, 445-450. [Proceedings, 22nd General Assembly, The Hague, The Netherlands, European Geophysical Society.]
Theoretical Nuclear Physics
Petersen, Arthur C., 1993: Elastic and quasi-elastic neutrino scattering off nucleons. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NIKHEF Report 93-P10, 21 pp. [View report in pdf.]
Op-Eds
Ferguson, Eric, and Arthur Petersen, 2009: Heffing op olie en gas voor beter klimaat [Tax on oil and natural gas for a better climate]. Op-ed in the Dutch national newspaper Trouw, 3 November 2009. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, Bas Eickhout, Bart Strengers and Rob van Dorland, 2008: Afkoeling klimaat deze eeuw zeer onwaarschijnlijk [Cooling of the climate very unlikely in this century]. Reaction to op-ed by climate sceptics in the Dutch national newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad, 31 May 2008. [In Dutch. View longer reaction at the agency's website.]
Strengers, Bart, and Arthur Petersen, 2007: IPCC zorgvuldig in beoordeling [IPCC careful in their assessment]. Reaction to op-ed by climate sceptic in the Dutch national newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad, 29 May 2007. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2007: Is het Watt of watt? Dagboek: Achter de schermen van de Parijse klimaatconferentie [Is it Watt or watt? Diary: Behind the scenes of the climate conference in Paris]. About the IPCC Plenary of Working Group I (29 January-1 February 2007) in the Dutch weekly news magazine Vrij Nederland, 10 February 2007. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2007. Deskundigen citeren vals [False quotations by experts]. Reaction to op-ed by climate sceptics in the Dutch national newspaper de Volkskrant, 16 January 2007. [In Dutch.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2001: Twijfel bewijst zorgvuldigheid klimaatonderzoek [Doubt proves carefulness climate research]. Op-ed on uncertainties in climate science in the Dutch national newspaper de Volkskrant, August 9, 2001. [View op-ed.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2001: Klimaatakkoord Bonn helpt maar even [Climate agreement Bonn only helps shortly]. Op-ed on the politics of the Bonn climate conference and the Kyoto Protocol in the Dutch national newspaper NRC Handelsblad, July 24, 2001. [View op-ed.]
Petersen, Arthur, 2001: Planten van bomen geen langdurige oplossing [Planting of trees no lasting solution]. Op-ed on the science related to the Bonn climate conference and the Kyoto Protocol in the Dutch national newspaper Trouw, July 24, 2001. [View op-ed.]
Petersen, Arthur, 1999: Clinton maakte het senaat te makkelijk [Clinton made things too easy for the senate]. Op-ed on computer simulations, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and the US Senate's October 1999 rejection of the treaty in the Dutch national newspaper de Volkskrant, October 21, 1999. [View op-ed.]
Interviews
Vanheste, Tomas, 2006: Klimaatdeskundige Arthur Petersen: Koel hoofd in een hete herfst [Climate expert Arthur Petersen: Cool head in a warm autumn]. Interview in Vrij Nederland, 67 (50; 16 December), 14-17. [In Dutch.]
Maassen, Saskia, 1999: Arthur Petersen: Van theoretisch fysicus tot milieufilosoof [Arthur Petersen: From theoretical physicist to environmental philosopher]. Interview in regular feature 'De promovendus' [the Ph.D. student] of Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Natuurkunde, 65, 174-175. [In Dutch.]
Peer Review
Journal articles
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Environmental Science & Policy
Foundations of Science
Jaarboek KennisSamenleving
Journal of Applied Meteorology
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of Geophysical Research
Water Resources Management
Grant proposals
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
U.S. National Science Foundation
Links
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, PBL)
Faculty of Philosophy, VU University Amsterdam
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University
Advection schemes for use in global chemistry models (Petersen et al. 1998)
Onzekerheidsnetwerk
International Student/Young Pugwash (ISYP)
ISYP Journal on Science and World Affairs
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Pugwash Netherlands
Contact Information
Work Address:
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
P.O. Box 303
3720 AH Bilthoven
The Netherlands
Phone: (31) 30 2744580
Fax: (31) 30 2744427
E-mail: arthur.petersen@pbl.nl
Home Address:
Paltzerweg 73, 3722 JC Bilthoven, The Netherlands
tel: (31) 30 2250458
Date last modified: 7 January 2010