Joseph Fourier

Joseph Fourier (1768-1830) was a mathematician whose studies in waves led to Fourier analysis.

Biography
In 1824, Fourier calculated that Earth is too far from the Sun to be warmed to the temperature it is by solar radiation alone. He suggested that heat is trapped by Earth's atmosphere. This was the first identification of what later became known as the Greenhouse Effect.

Fields of Physics

 * Mathematics
 * Radiation