Science - AIRS Atmospheric Science: People: Eric Fetzer

Multi-Parameter Satellite Observations of the Atmospheric Water Cycle
The successful applicant will join a group creating and analyzing observational records of atmospheric water cycle and climate phenomena. Geophysical parameters observed by modern-era NASA satellite instruments are the basis of this work. Quantities of interest include temperature, water vapor and cloud properties observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), Advanced Microwave Sounder for EOS (AMSR-E), CloudSat/Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CloudSat/CALIPSO), and MODerate Resolution Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and other instruments in the NASA A-Train constellation. Additional satellite, in situ and model data are used to support inferences based on the A-Train observations. These records are being exploited to understand atmospheric processes, and to assess those processes in weather and climate models. Some of the physical phenomena being examined include polar phenomena, boundary layer structure, upper tropospheric processes, local interactions between clouds, temperature and humidity, and global water cycle variability at daily to multi-year scales.

AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, is an instrument whose goal is to support climate research and improved weather forecasting.

NEWS
The NASA Energy and Water cycle Study project uses satellite observations to improve predictions of water-related processes in the Earth's climate system.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena (1996 - present)
- AIRS Validation Scientist (1996-present)
- Member of NEWS Science Team (2005-2009)

Ye, H., E. J. Fetzer, D. H. Bromwich, E. F. Fishbein, E. T. Olsen, S. Granger, S.-Y. Lee, L. Chen and Bjorn H. Lambrigtsen (2006), Atmospheric total precipitable water from AIRS and ECMWF during Antarctic summer, Geophys. Res. Lett., submitted.
Gettelman, A., W. D. Collins, E. J. Fetzer, A. Eldering and F. W. Irion, 2006: A satellite climatology of upper tropospheric relative humidity and implications for climate, J. Climate, in press.
Gettelman, A., E. J. Fetzer, A. Eldering and F. W. Irion, 2006: The global distribution of supersaturation in the upper troposphere from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, J. Climate, in press.
Kahn, B. H, A. Eldering, A. J. Braverman, E. J. Fetzer, J. H. Jiang, E. Fishbein and D. L. Wu, 2006: Towards the characterization of upper tropospheric clouds using AIRS and MLS observations, J. Geophys. Res., in press.
Kahn, B. H., E. Fishbein, S. L. Nasiri, A. Eldering, E. J. Fetzer, M. J. Garay and S.-Y. Lee, 2006: The radiative consistency of AIRS and MODIS cloud retrievals, J. Geophys. Res., accepted.
Tian, B., D. E. Waliser and E. J. Fetzer, (2006), Modulation of diurnal cycle of tropical deep convective clouds by the MJO, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, L20704, 10.1029/2006GL027752.
Tian, B., D. E. Waliser, E. J. Fetzer, B. H. Lambrigtsen, Y. L. Yung and B. Wang, (2006), Vertical moist thermodynamic structure and spatial-temporal evolution of the Madden-Julian oscillation in Atmospheric Infrared Sounder observations, J. Atmos. Sci., 63, 2462-2485.
Pierce, D. W., T. P. Barnett, E. J. Fetzer, and P. J. Gleckler (2006), Three-dimensional tropospheric water vapor in coupled climate models compared with observations from the AIRS satellite system, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L21701, doi:10.1029/2006GL027060.
Chahine, M. T., T. S. Pagano, H. H. Aumann, R. Atlas, C. Barnet, L. Chen, M. Divakarla, E. J. Fetzer, M. Goldberg, C. Gautier, S. Granger, F. W. Irion, R. Kakar, E. Kalnay, B. H. Lambrigtsen, S. Y. Lee, J. Le Marshall, W. McMillan, L. McMillin, E. T. Olsen, H. Revercomb , P. Rosenkranz, W. L. Smith, D. Staelin, L. L. Strow, J. Susskind, D. Tobin and W. Wolf, 2006, The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS): improving weather forecasting and providing new insights into climate, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 87, 891-894, DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-87-7-891.
Fetzer, E. J. (2006), Preface to special section: Validation of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Observations, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2005JD007020.
Fetzer, E. J., B. H. Lambrigtsen, A. Eldering, H. H. Aumann, and M. T. Chahine (2006), Biases in total precipitable water vapor climatologies from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D09S16, doi:10.1029/2005JD006598.
Su, H., W. G. Read, J. H. Jiang, J. W. Waters, D. L. Wu, and E. J. Fetzer (2006), Enhanced positive water vapor feedback associated with tropical deep convection: New evidence from Aura MLS, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L05709, doi:10.1029/2005GL025505.
Kahn, B. H., K.-N. Liou, S. Y. Lee, E. F. Fishbein, S. DeSouza-Machado, A. Eldering, E. J. Fetzer, S. E. Hannon and L. L. Strow, 2005: Nighttime cirrus detection using Atmospheric Infrared Sounder window channels and total column water vapor, J. Geophys. Res,., 110, (D7): D07203.
Gettelman, A., E. M. Weinstock, E. J. Fetzer, F. W. Irion, A. Eldering, E. C. Richard, K. H. Rosenlof, T. L. Thompson, J. V. Pittman, C. R. Webster and R. L. Herman, 2004: Validation of satellite data in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with in-situ aircraft instruments. Geophys. Res. Lett., vol. 31, L22107, doi:10.1029/2004GL020730.
Fetzer, E. J., J. Teixeira, E. Olsen and E. Fishbein, 2004: Satellite remote sounding of atmospheric boundary layer temperature inversions over the subtropical eastern Pacific. Geophys. Res. Lett., vol. 31, L17102, doi:10.1029/2004GL020174.
Kahn, B. A., A. E. Eldering, S. A. Clough, E. J. Fetzer, E. F. Fishbein, M. R. Gunson, S.-Y. Lee, P. F. Lester and V. J. Realmuto, 2003: Near micron-sized orographic cirrus cloud particles in high-resolution infrared spectra. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, doi: 10.1029/2003GL016909.
Braverman, A, E. Fetzer, A. Eldering, S. Nittel and K. Leung, 2003: Semi-streaming quantization for remote-sensing data, Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 41, 759-780.
Fetzer, E. J., L. McMillin, D. Tobin, H. H. Aumann, M. R. Gunson, W. W. McMillan, D. E. Hagan, M. D. Hofstadter, J. Yoe, D. Whiteman, J. Barnes, R. Bennartz, H. V?mel, V. Walden, M. Newchurch, P. Minnett, R. Atlas, F. Schmidlin, E. T. Olsen, M. Goldberg, S. Zhou, H. Ding, W. Smith, Sr., H Revercomb, 2003: AIRS / AMSU / HSB Validation, IEEE Transactions Geosci. and Remote Sensing, 41, 418-431.
Fetzer, E. J., and J. C. Gille, 1996: Gravity wave variance in LIMS temperatures. Part II: comparison with the zonal-mean momentum balance. J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 398-410.
Fetzer, E. J., and J. C. Gille, 1994: Gravity wave variance in LIMS temperatures. Part I: variability and comparison with background winds. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 2461-2483.