Atmospheric Chemistry in the Arctic
I am a fourth year PhD candidate in the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard University. My
interests lie in understanding the interactions between human activity and the natural environment, specifically
the sources, chemical evolution, transport processes, and sinks of anthropogenic air pollution.
I am very involved in NASA ARCTAS:
Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and
Satellites, an aircraft campagin that took place in the spring and summer of 2008. I particpated in the planning
and preparatory stages before the mission and provided forecasting support and near-real-time model analyses
in the field.
Click here to see my ARCTAS planning movies.
I am now involved in ARCTAS post-mission data analysis. My work focuses on combining airborne in situ
observations with satellite data and the GEOS-Chem Chemical Transport Model to improve our understanding
of long-range transport events that lead to episodes of springtime Arctic pollution. To date, my work has focused
on measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), a species that serves as an excellent tracer of anthropogenic
pollution due to its intermediate lifetime. I have used CO data from ARCTAS and ARCPAC to constrain the
sources of Arctic pollution and to investigate the relative importance of different source types and source regions.
This analysis has been augmented by use of AIRS satellite data, which I have shown to be capable of identifying
mid-tropospheric pollution transport events to the Arctic. The six-year AIRS record has allowed me to further
investigate the interannual variability of poleward pollution transport.
For more information on my CO research, see my presentations or my submitted paper.
I am now beginning to study Arctic aerosols, focusing in particular on SOx species (sulfate and sulfur dioxide).
I am looking in particular at the sources, oxidation, and removal processes currently implemented in the GEOS-
Chem model. My approach will again involve an ensemble of in-situ, ground-based, and satellite data with the
goal of better understanding the transport and accumulation of these climate-forcing species in the Arctic spring.
Ocean Modeling
From June-August 2006, I worked with Professor Andrew Ingersoll on the development of a two-dimensional
model of the ocean. The model, which represents a depth-latitude cross-section of the Atlantic basin, was
developed to study the effect of the thermobaric term in the seawater equation of state on ocean circulation.
This research was conducted in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at Caltech.
Pollen Entrainment
From January-June 2005, I worked as a research assistant in Professor Richard Flagan's Pollen Group at
Caltech. I used a wind tunnel to conduct measurements of the wind speeds necessary for entrainment of pollen
grains and pollen fragments of several different allergenic and asthma-inducing species. My research was funded
by the Fritz B. Burns Prize in Geology.
Martian Dust Devils
In 2002, I worked as a research assistant in Professor Mark Richardson's Planetary Atmospheres Group at
Caltech. I conducted an extensive survey of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images to
investigate the seasonal and geographical distribution of Martian dust devils. I also used MOC images to perform
the first height and width measurements of Martian dust devils. Dust devils on Mars can reach sizes of up to 500
meters across, and up to 8 kilometers tall, much larger than their counterparts on Earth. My work was supported
by a Caltech Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
Fisher, J.A., Richardson, M.I., et al. (2005) A Survey of Martian Dust Devil Activity Using Mars Global
Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Images. Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets 110 (E3): Art. No.
E03004."A Survey of Martian Dust Devil Activity Using Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter
Camera Images" (poster). American Geophysical Union 2002 Fall Meeting. December, 2002.