Stephen’s name was well-known to me years ago in connection with wave-energy and his wonderful and super-efficient ‘ducks’. But much more recently, a developing interest on my part in the technology of Marine Cloud Brightening and its huge potential, led me very naturally to his door. While Stephen was always fair and modest in his acknowledgement of major early contributors to the field like Sean Twomey and John Latham, it strikes me now that it is Stephen himself who is the overarching architect and champion of this technology. And, incidentally, I truly believe that this technology could be the key to saving our planet! I have been fortunate enough and privileged enough to have had ongoing communication with Stephen about many aspects of this technology since the summer of last year. While I was a mere layman and novice to the field, he was greatly generous with his time as I sought to grapple with the most important concepts. And I got the chance to meet him in person too, at his home. My sense of him was that here was a man on the one hand both kindly and down-to-earth, on the other hand, quite clearly nothing less than a great and unique visionary. Alf Thomé 17th April 2024

Originally with Professor John Lathom (Salford University). Professor Salter made a compelling case for 'Marine Cloud Brightening', having worked out the fine scientific detail of this Geoengineering technique. It may yet be fully endorsed, and allow the possibility to save Mankind. This could be his fitting legacy.

I did not know Steven's connection with Behaviourism until his funeral but it now makes sense of an early experience I had with Steve. As a novice machinist I made the cardinal mistake of leaving the chuck key in the lathe. As Steven explained later this was potentially dangerous if not lethal. Steven snuck the offending key out and gently asked me to hold out my hand and then with the speed of a cobra wacked me full force on my palm with the key. Steven obviously knew that behavourism was 100% effective. I have never left a chuck key in a lathe since and if I see a forlorn chuck key I think of Steven and quietly remove it. He was an amazing person; a unique mixture of academic, a man of big and bold ideas, a rocket scientist, a talented machinist who was happy getting his hands dirty, a man who had a nose for interesting ideas and a gifted leader. I’ve read a few obituaries for Steven and they all mention the failure of the ‘Salter Duck’ without telling the rest of the story: out of the ashes of that project Steven laid the foundations for new industries and new technologies well in the future. The wave tank he designed with Glenn Keller is the world standard for wave research and has a become a significant business in itself. He was instrumental in taking Robert Clerk’s ideas about hydraulics, adding his own ideas and creating a new type of hydraulic machine that is revolutionizing what was a stagnant 19th century technology. His last wish to give his estate to create the Lothian School of Technology wasis typical of Steven: a problem solver to the end whose influence will continue with the legion of passionate and practical teams of engineers that he nurtured over his lifetime. We are all diminished by Steven’s departure.