Core Faculty

Core Academic Faculty

	David Atkinson Assistant Professor Synoptic Meteorology e-mail: datkinson@iarc.uaf.edu, Office: IARC 313. My primary focus concerns the "environmental forcing" of coastal zones in arctic regions. This means how do storm winds and waves affect coastal zones, with special attention given to the unique complicating conditions introduced by the presence of sea-ice and frozen ground. This encompasses investigating high-latitute storm and storm track dynamics, the response of the ocean surface to winds, statistical characterization of extreme events, and links to societal impacts via interdisciplinary partnerships. I teach "Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting" (ATM644) and am developing a statistical analysis course, "Large Data Sets Analysis".
	Uma Bhatt Associate Professor Climate Variability & Change e-mail: bhatt@gi.alaska.edu, Office: IARC 307. I use long-term climate observations and climate models to investigate processes of climate variability and change. Most of my current projects are multi-disciplinary and investigate the role of climate in recent changes in arctic tundra vegetation and Alaska glaciers. I regularly teach 'Atmospheric Dynamics I' and 'Climate and Climate Change'. I also lead a 1-credit seminar class called 'Climate Journal Club', where students, postdocs and faculty discuss timely climate topics over coffee and sweets on Friday afternoons.
	Richard Collins Associate Professor Laser remote sensing of atmospheres e-mail: rlc@gi.alaska.edu, Office: Elvey 713A. My primary interest is the meteorology of the middle and upper atmosphere and the remote sensing of this region. Working with students at the Lidar Research Lab at Poker Flat Research Range, I develop and operate laser radar (lidar) systems to probe the atmosphere yielding measurements of temperature, density and concentration of species. We also develop the analysis tools for studying these measurements and associated data sets. These studies include the following topics; the aeronomy of the summer polar atmosphere and noctilucent clouds, the thermal structure of the stratosphere and mesosphere, variability and waves in the middle atmosphere, and the impact of the aurora on the upper atmosphere. I have also participated in studies of forest fires, volcanic aerosols, and fish. I teach "Weather and Climate of Alaska" (ATM101) and "Atmospheric Radiation" (ATM613), as well as courses on the meteorology of the middle atmosphere and environmental measurement systems.
	Nicole Mölders Professor & Program Chair Mesoscale and land-surface modeling E-mail: nicole.molders@gi.alaska.edu, Office: IARC 309. I use mesoscale models to numerically investigate human and natural (e.g. fire, volcanic eruptions) impacts on weather and climate including air quality and input of atmospheric contaminants into ecosystems. I have taught cloud physics, satellite meteorology, hydrometeorology, paleoclimatology, numerical modeling and parameterization methods, mesoscale dynamics, introduction to computational meteorology, and introduction to atmospheric science - my favorite class.
	Kenneth Sassen Professor Remote sensing of clouds and aerosols e-mail: ksassen@gi.alaska.edu, Office: IARC 317. Ken Sassen has been a researcher in the polarization lidar field since the early days of the development of lasers suitable for atmospheric research. Along the way he helped develop the multiple remote sensor method that combines lidar, millimeter-wave radar, and passive radiometers to more fully study clouds and aerosols. This approach is the basis for the A-train satellite concept, where several satellites (including lidar and radar) are currently flown in formation. He has performed extensive laboratory and field work in the Arctic, developed several instruments, and maintains at the Geophysical Institute the Arctic Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (AFARS), which contains three polarizaton lidars, a 95 GHz Doppler radar, and a suite of radiometers. Regular AFARS observations are being applied to satellite validation studies, and basic research into cirrus, mixed-phase clouds, and cloud/aerosol interactions. He also has interests in explaining atmospheric optics, and uses computer cloud model simulations to better understand the atmospheric landscape.

Associated and Affiliated Faculty

	Vladimir A. Alexeev, Ph. D. (Associated Faculty) (Moscow Institute for Physics and Technology) Research Associate Professor Climate and Global Change, Climate Feedbacks e-mail: valexeev 'at' iarc.uaf.edu Office: IARC 408H. My area of expertise is climate dynamics with emphasis on feedbacks affecting polar amplification (PA) of global warming. Atmospheric heat transport feedbacks contributing to PA have been studied using a variety of climate system models, from simple conceptual to full 3D GCMs. These feedbacks are unrelated to the so-called "local" polar amplification mechanisms associated with surface albedo and clouds. They are linked to remote signal propagating to the Arctic atmosphere from the lower latitudes as the climate warms. Other research activities include changes in permafrost and hydrologic cycle in the warming world and Atlantic water in the Arctic Ocean. I have worked with several GCMs and have done some work on developing numerical methods, including various finite-difference techniques and semi-Lanrangian schemes for atmospheric models. I have been involved in IARC education/outreach activities since 2003 (mostly organization of summer schools).
	Cathy Cahill, Ph. D. (Associated Faculty) (University of Nevada, Reno) Associate Professor of Chemistry, Atmospheric chemistry, Cloud-aerosol interactions e-mail: ffcfc 'at' uaf.edu, NSF 182. Dr. Cahill’s research focuses on atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on visibility, global climate, and human health. Her research includes laboratory experiments, modeling, and field studies of atmospheric aerosols and their properties. She is currently investigating the size and composition of particulate matter entering the Arctic from Asia and other continents. In addition, she is developing research programs for determining the effects of particulate matter, especially ultra-fine aerosols, on human health and quantifying the chemical composition and optical properties of arctic aerosols.
	Gerhard Kramm, Ph.D. (Associated Faculty) (Humboldt-University of Berlin) Microscale/Mesoscale Meteorology E-mail: kramm 'at' gi.alaska.edu , Office: IARC 318. My research activities are mainly focused on the theoretical aspects of atmospheric sciences, in particular physics of the planetary boundary layer, atmospheric turbulence and its impact upon atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric radiation, cloud physics, micro- and mesoscale numerical modeling, and climate change. In some of these fields I have used principles of dimensional analysis successfully. I have taught atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric radiation, physics of the atmospheric boundary layer, and turbulence. In summer 2007 I served as the lead instructor of the Science Teacher Education Program (STEP) 2007 on Global Climate Change. Since 2005 I have served as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Calcutta Mathematical Society, an international journal dealing with the key advances in Mathematics and Mathematical Sciences.
	Ruth S. Lieberman, Ph.D. (Affiliated Faculty) (University of Washington) Colorado Research Associates A division of NorthWest Research Associates 3380 Mitchell Lane Boulder CO 80301-5410 USA email: ruth 'at' cora.nwra.com
	Igor Polyakov, Ph. D. (Associated Faculty) (Hymeteorological Institute, St. Petersburg Russia) Research Professor Modeling and observations of the Arctic Ocean e-mail : igor 'at' iarc.uaf.edu, IARC 408. The primary focus of my recent research is climate change and variability in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. My high-latitude climate studies focus on polar amplification of global warming, long-term variability of the Arctic atmosphere, ice, and ocean, their interconnections, and linkages with the lower latitude processes. Previously my work has addressed problems of high-latitude tides, their interactions with ice, and contribution of tides to general oceanic circulation and structure of large-scale oceanic fields. I also lead a big observational program called NABOS (Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System) which provides an assessment of circulation, water mass transformations, and key mechanisms of variability in the Arctic Ocean on a broad range of time scales. NABOS observations were imperative for detecting and tracking exceptionally strong recent warming of the Arctic Ocean. These observations suggest that the Arctic Ocean is in transition towards a new, warmer state.
	Bill Simpson, Ph.D. (Associated Faculty) (Stanford University) Associate Professor Atmospheric chemistry, Atmospheric Oxidation Chemistry in the Arctic e-mail: ffwrs 'at' uaf.edu, Office: NSF 186 (office). We are an active research program involving application of spectroscopy to study environmental / atmospheric chemistry. Our group is a great place to learn about both technical aspects of experimental chemistry and scientific aspects of air and Arctic chemistry research. We have developed systems using state-of-the-art laser spectroscopy (cavity ring-down spectroscopy, CRDS) to probe the chemistry of nitrogen radicals in the Arctic. This chemistry is important to find the fate of nitrogen pollution (NOx pollution) at high latitudes. We also use passive spectroscopy (differential optical absorption spectroscopy, DOAS) to study the chemistry of reactive halogen radicals in the Arctic. This chemistry is related to mercury deposition to the Arctic and is expected to change significantly as the Arctic sea ice changes with climate change. Besides our focus on field work we also have a number of other laboratory projects available to students. We have a great deal of experience building instruments, making them work, and making discoveries with them. I believe that I would be a good teacher of these skills as well as being an good advisor to both graduate and undergraduate students.
	Norbert Untersteiner, Ph.D. (Associated Faculty) (University of Innsbruck) Professor-Chapman Chair, University of Alaska Climate and Global Change, Polar Climate e-mail: n-u 'at' runbox.com, Office: NSF 338.
	John Walsh, Ph.D. (Associated Faculty) (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) UAF Presidents Professor - Global Change Climate and Global Change e-mail: jwalsh 'at' iarc.uaf.edu, Office: IARC 405. My research addresses weather and climate, with an emphasis on the Arctic. I am especially interested the interplay between climate change and weather, for example, changes in weather patterns and extreme events as climate changes. Among my current projects is a study of extreme events in the Arctic, and a reanalysis project in which past states of the Arctic are reconstructed by data assimilation. My interests are expanding to include the impacts of changes in climate and associated extreme events. I have been an author of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment and the IPCC's Fourth Assessment report, and I am a co-author of an undergraduate textbook entitled Severe and Hazardous Weather.