Cool Scientists
Dr. Thomas C. Grenfell
Name: Thomas Grenfell
Born:
Organization: University of Washington - Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Cool Science: Astronomist
Who Am I:
I received a Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1972 but changed to looking down at the earth and joined the Department of Atmospheric Sciences in 1973, just in time to spend 6 months on Ice Island T-3 about 500 km from the North Pole. I am currently a Research Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.
My Cool Research:
My research interests include the interaction of solar radiation, thermal infrared radiation, and microwave radiation with snow, glacier ice, sea ice, and clouds. I've carried out more than 40 field experiments on various aspects of the optical and physical properties of snow and ice in the polar regions and have been to both the North and South Poles. I've designed and build or adapted a couple of dozen specialized instruments for use in cold weather research.
To interpret the radiation observations (spectral albedo and transmission of solar radiation for example) and to aid in surface-based testing of satellite algorithms used by NASA and the polar community for investigating the extent and amount of sea ice and snow, I've developed two theoretical models. The first is a radiative transfer model for sea ice and the second is a "Strong Fluctuation Theory" microwave model to calculate microwave emissivity and backscattering.
My Cool Publications and Presentations: (selected)
Warren, S. G., R. E. Brandt, and T. C. Grenfell, Visible and near-ultraviolet absorption spectrum of ice from transmission of solar radiation into snow, Applied Optics, 45 (21), 5320-5334, 2006.
Grenfell, T. C., B. Light, D. K. Perovich, Spectral transmission and implications for the partitioning of shortwave radiation in arctic sea ice, Ann. Glaciol., in press, 2006.
Grenfell, T. C., D. K. Perovich, H. Eicken, B. Light, J. Richter-Menge, B. Elder, A. Mahoney, M. Sturm, Energy and Mass Balance Observations of the land-ice-ocean-atmosphere system near Barrow, Alaska Nov 1999 - July 2002, Ann. Glaciol., in press, 2006.
Light, B., T. C. Grenfell, and D. K. Perovich, Light transmittance of arctic multiyear sea ice, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans., submitted, 2006.
Hudson, S. R., S. G. Warren, R. E. Brandt, T. C. Grenfell and D. Six, Spectral bidirectional reflectance of Antarctic snow: Measurements and parameterization, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D118106, doi:10.1029/2006JD007290, 2006.
Hwang, B. J., J. Ehn, D. G. Barber, R. Galley, T. C. Grenfell, Investigations of newly formed sea ice in the Cape Bathurst polynya: Part 2. Microwave emission, IEEE Trans Geosci. Rem. Sens., in press, 2007.
Other Cool Stuff:
My list of publications, presentations, and translations from Russian are listed below.
Translations from Russian of Scientific Articles and Books: (____ ________ _______ __ _______.)
Handbook of the Radiation Regime of the Arctic Basin (Results from the Drift Stations), by M. S. Marshunova and A. A. Mishin, edited by V. F. Radionov and R. Colony, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory Technical Rpt. 9413, 1994.
The Snow Cover of the Arctic Basin, by V. F. Radionov, N. N. Bryazgin, and E. I. Alexandrov, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory Technical Report 9710, 95 pp., 1997.
Meteorological Hazards in the Russian Arctic, by N. N. Bryazgin, and A. A. Dement'ev, 1996.
A Climatology of Arctic Clouds, by I. N. Zav'yalova, 1999.
Technological Handbook of the Climate of Russia (Arctic Region) Solar Radiation, ed. V. F. Radionov, Hydrometeorological Publishers, St. Petersburg, 1997.
The last three translations have been included in the US-Russian Meteorological Atlas prepared by CIRES.
