Stratospheric Composition in Changing Climate

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Earth Science

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

In recent years, Earth’s stratospheric composition has been significantly perturbed, with potential implications for climate and ozone layer stability. Among the most notable events were the Australian New Year’s fires and the Hunga eruption. The record-breaking injection of smoke plumes into the stratosphere by the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires led to a prolonged and widespread perturbation in stratospheric chlorine behavior. The Hunga eruption in January 2022 not only caused the largest increase in stratospheric aerosol loading in the past 30 years but also injected 150 Tg of water directly into the stratosphere, instantaneously increasing stratospheric water vapor mass by around 10 %.

This significantly altered the stratosphere, leaving it in an unprecedented anomalous state.

We are seeking a postdoctoral scholar to conduct in-depth analysis of stratospheric data, using data from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) as well as complementary datasets like the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) on the International Space Station (ISS). Potential research areas include, but are not limited to, the impact of large wildfires on the stratosphere, effects of volcanic eruptions, long‑term trends in atmospheric composition, and the transport of pollutants into the stratosphere during the Asian Summer Monsoon.

Santee, M. L., Lambert,

A., Manney, G. L., Livesey, N. J., Froidevaux, L., Neu, J. L., et al. (2022). Prolonged and pervasive perturbations in the composition of the Southern Hemisphere mid latitude lower stratosphere from the Australian New Year's fires. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL096270. /2021GL096270

Millán, L., Read, W. G., Santee, M. L., Lambert,

A., Manney, G. L., Neu, J. L., et al. (2024). The Evolution of the Hunga hydration in a moistening stratosphere. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2024GL110841. /2024GL110841

Luis Millan Valle
lmillana.gov
(626) 899‑8503

• U.S. Citizens;
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and,
• Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with
  1) a valid EAD card and
  2) I‑485 or I‑589 forms in pending status

Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

• Degree:
  Doctoral Degree.

Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp
Mikeala