1950–2008 The loss of Anthony Slingo of Reading University was a shock to all who knew him. On 14 October 2008, Tony’s wife, Julia, lost her soulmate and greatest fan, and daughters Mary and Anna lost a proud and loving father. We all lost a great scientist who made lasting contributions to the environmental and climate sciences over many years. Tony’s work on observing and modeling the Earth’s radiation budget added fundamental knowledge that advanced our understanding of how radiative processes influence the Earth system, and how our planet’s greenhouse effect shapes our climate. Tony’s recent work pioneered new observations that quantify the effects of dust on the radiation balance of desert regions.

Tony’s character endeared him to his many friends. His enormous sincerity spilled over into his attitudes on science. He was incredibly careful and thorough in everything he did and did not tolerate anything less than excellence. Tony pursued what he considered important with sincerity and unwavering resolve. He was direct and honest and adept at shunning the ever-growing nonessential activities that sadly are part of an expanding overhead we all experience in doing science today. Tony received a number of prestigious prizes in recognition of his work. In 1996, he received the Buchan Prize of the Royal Meteorological Society for outstanding research, and in 2008 he was personally honored as part of the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to IPCC reports on climate change. His work has left a lasting legacy, both personal and scientific.

Tony Slingo served the climate and radiation, and the wider community, for long years as an inventive and hard-working scientist. His character and family will continue to inspire many scientists, as well as many in the larger global community. We lost a stimulating mind and a good friend.—Robert F. Cahalan, Teruyuki Nakajima, and Hans-Jürgen Bolle.