Two Illinois State Water Survey atmospheric scientists, Stanley Changnon and Kenneth Kunkel, contributed to reports issued to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

Authors and reviewers contributed to a four-part series of IPCC reports assessing the state of science and impacts of global climate change. The IPCC represents more than 180 governments and operates under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization.

Changnon and Kunkel were invited to make major contributions to the scientific documents. Changnon was hired 57 years ago as the first ISWS climatologist, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois. Kunkle served as Acting Chief in 2007. Both scientists are now retired from the ISWS.