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Remote Measurements and Radiative/Climatic Effects of Atmospheric Constituents

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral position within the Sunphotometer/Satellite Group at NASA-Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. The Group conducts a broad spectrum of research, ranging from development and use of instruments that measure atmospheric constituents using direct or scattered solar radiation, through collaborative analyses of those measurements with satellite and other suborbital data to determine radiative/climatic effects of those constituents. Measurements by the Group's current airborne sunphotometer have been analyzed to yield aerosol optical depth and extinction spectra, aerosol size distributions, water vapor columns and profiles, and ozone columns. Scientific uses of these measurements include validating measurements made by 12 satellite instruments, by two airborne simulators of satellite instruments, and by several airborne and ground-based lidars, plus, via collaborations, studies of aerosol radiative forcing of climate, aerosol light absorption spectra, and consistency (closure) between in situ and radiometric measurements. A new instrument development has produced a ground prototype sun-sky spectrometer intended to (1) enable retrievals of aerosol type (via complex refractive index and shape) and aerosol size distribution extending to sizes larger than possible with direct-beam sunphotometry and (2) improve accuracy of water vapor and ozone measurements, enable measurements of other gases (e.g., NO2, SO2) and improve accuracy of aerosol measurements via better aerosol-gas separation. The goal is to produce an airborne sun-sky spectrometer that could fly on a broad range of unmanned or conventional aircraft. A main thrust of the Group's research is to explore the effects of aerosols and clouds on climate. This research is aimed at studying the complex interactions of aerosols, clouds and climate by means of combining suborbital and spaceborne remote sensing. A focus of this effort is the investigation of the spatial interface between cloudy and cloud-free regions provided by measurements from the MISR and MODIS instruments aboard the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as the more recently launched CALIPSO spaceborne lidar. Depending on research topic and other factors, the incumbent's advisor will be either Dr. Jens Redemann, who is currently a member of the CALIPSO and MODIS science teams, or Dr. Philip Russell, who leads the Group and has served on many satellite and suborbital experiment science teams.

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