GEO Advisory Committee, Polar Subcommittee Member Biographies
Biographies for Formal OPP Subcommittee Members (AC GEO Members) can be found on the AC GEO - Member Bio-Sketches page. These members are
Dr. Brachfeld is a Professor and Chair of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University, New Jersey. Dr. Brachfeld has participated in 10 marine geology expeditions to Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean, and North Atlantic Ocean. Her research addresses: 1. Causes and effects of historic and modern ice shelf collapse and tidewater glacier retreat, 2. The use of geomagnetic secular variation and relative paleointensity as a correlation and dating tool for Antarctic margin records that lack materials for δ18O stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating, as well as providing high-latitude constraints on geomagnetic field behavior, 3. The use of provenance tracers to reconstruct dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheet, and 4. Investigating the origin and evolution of the magnetic anomalies on Mars as a function using a combined experimental petrology and rock magnetism approach. She has been a member of the LARsen Ice Shelf System, Antarctic (LARISSA) project, the Antarctic Drilling Program (ANDRILL), and previously sailed with the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP).
Dr. Cassano is a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and an associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado. Cassano’s research focuses on the weather and climate of the polar regions and the interaction of the atmosphere with other components of the polar climate system. He uses a combination of regional and global weather and climate models, in-situ and remotely sensed observations, and atmospheric reanalyses for his work. He has pioneered the use of unmanned aircraft to study the Antarctic atmosphere and surface and is a developer of the high resolution coupled Regional Arctic System Model.
Dr. Neumann is a cryospheric scientist who focuses on the development of ICESat-2, the next-generation laser altimeter scheduled for launch in 2017. His research includes both theoretical and experimental studies of the chemical, physical, and thermodynamic properties of polar snow and ice. He has been involved extensively in field work on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, leading four expeditions and participating in five others between the two poles. Recent work has involved studies of snow chemistry on the East Antarctic plateau, understanding the importance of subglacial water on ice flow in Greenland, and calibrating ICESat altimetry data using ground-based GPS surveys in Antarctica. Tom joined NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in October 2008. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor in the Geology Department at the University of Vermont. He remains an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He earned a B.A. in geophysical science from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Washington.
Dr. Stearns is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on understanding how the cryosphere and climate interact over a variety of timescales. In particular, Dr. Stearns addresses fundamental glaciological questions through quantitative interpretation and modeling of observational data. She is interested in glaciological field measurements, satellite remote sensing, numerical modeling and STEM outreach. Dr. Stearns received her M.S. from The Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Maine.
Dr. Welker is the Fulbright Distinguished U.S. Arctic Chair-Norway and a Professor of Ecology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska. Welker’s research program focuses on three main areas.
- High and Low Arctic Ecosystems and Climate Change where his group quantifies experimental and observational water, carbon and N cycling responses at the plant and ecosystem-scale of polar semi-deserts, tussock and dry tundra responses to long-term warming, deeper snow and increases in summer precipitation.
- Precipitation & Water Cycle Isotope Geochemistry where he and his colleagues quantify continental-scale processes and patterns in the isotope geochemistry of precipitation, river and lake water as a means to understand the ecohydrology of landscapes and the recording of climate records in proxies such as ice cores, tree rings and speleothems.
- Wildlife, Food Web and Migration Ecology whereby he and his colleagues measure Arctic and Boreal carnivore and ungulate diets, landscape use and home ranges using isotope forensics and location information in the study of gray wolves, polar bears, caribou, white-fronted geese, tundra swans, seabirds and shore birds.
Welker’s program includes his Directorship of the US Network for Isotopes in Precipitation-USNIP and the Alaska Water Isotope Network-AKWIN as well as his establishment of the UAA Stable Isotope Facility with support from NSF MRI. Welker has lead several major NSF Arctic research groups, including programs in High Arctic Biocomplexity and AON EAGER studies of real-time water vapor isotope traits at the ecosystem and landscape-scales in N Alaska. His international program of Arctic research has included studies in Abisko, Sweden, Svalbard-Norway and on N Ellsemere Isl, Nunavut. He has been a part of the founding group of Arctic colleagues whom have established the multi-site, comparative ecology program, ITEX-The International Tundra Experiment.
Dr. Mellish is a comparative physiologist who has primarily studied marine mammals. She is currently a program manager at the North Pacific Research Board in Anchorage, Alaska. She recently finished fourteen years in a joint appointment as a Research Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Scientist at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Her research focuses on health, energetics, and response to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Much of her work in Alaska has been driven by the special questions raised when studying endangered species, where even basic biological research is lacking yet what little information that does exist drives many important management decisions. The Antarctic component of her NSF-funded research has combined physiology, ecology and modeling to better understand phenotypic plasticity and the potential impacts of ecosystem change. Using the Weddell seal as a model for other high-latitude species, she and her colleagues have delved into numerous aspects of diving physiology and thermoregulation. Dr. Mellish received her PhD from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Last updated: 05/07/2015