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 Earth Atmospheric Science: People
Joe Waters's Picture
Address:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 183-701
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone:
818.354.3025
Fax:
818.393.5065
Email:

Joe Waters

Education
  • M.S./B.S. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1967)
  • Ph.D. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1971)
Research Interests
  • Development and application of microwave experiments to learn more about Earth's atmosphere and contribute to its health and protection
Projects

MLS - Microwave Limb Sounder Icon MLS - Microwave Limb Sounder
The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) experiments measure naturally-occurring microwave thermal emission from the limb (edge) of Earth's atmosphere to remotely sense vertical profiles of atmospheric gases, temperature, pressure, and cloud ice.

Professional Experience
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lead Scientist, Group Supervisor, and Principal Investigator for Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on Aura satellite and Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) MLS experiment (1973-Present)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Staff, responsible for analyses of NIMBUS-5 microwave temperature sounder data (1970-1973)
Selected Awards
  • 2008 COSPAR Nordberg Medal
  • 2008 NASA Exceptional Acheivement Medal
  • 16th most-cited author in geoscience for the decade 1991-2001 per Nov/Dec 2001 issue of Science Watch (2001)
  • NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for Outstanding scientific achievements in advancing knowledge of Earth's atmosphere through development of the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Microwave Limb Sounder and analysis of its flight data. (1993)
  • NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for Outstanding scientific achievements in the developmentand application of microwave and submillimeter remote sensing technology. These contributions have led tosignificant advances in our capability to measure the state of the Earth's atmosphere. (1985)
Selected Publications
  1. Waters, J.W., et al., "The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS) on the Aura Satellite," IEEE Trans. Geoscience and Remote Sensing, in press, 2005.
  2. Livesey, N.J., M.D. Fromm, J.W. Waters, et al., 'Enhancements in lower stratospheric CH3CN observed by UARS MLS following boreal forest fires,' J. Geophys. Res. 109, doi: 10.1029/2003JD004055 (2004)
  3. Read, W.G., D.L. Wu, J.W. Waters, and H.C. Pumphrey, 'Dehydration in the Tropical Tropopause Layer: Implications from UARS MLS,' J. Geophys. Res. 109, No. D6, D06110, doi: 10.1029/2003JD004056 (2004)
  4. Waters, J.W., 'Observations for Chemistry (Remote Sensing): Microwave (Ground, Aircraft, Balloon, Satellite),' in Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences (J. Holton, et al., eds.), 1516, Academic Press (2003)
  5. Livesey, N.J., W.G. Read, L. Froidevaux, J.W. Waters, et al., 'The UARS Microwave Limb Sounder version 5 dataset: Theory, characterization and validation,' JGR. 108, D13, 4378, doi: 10.1029/2002JD002273 (2003)
  6. Read, W.G., J.W. Waters, et al., 'UARS MLS Upper Troposheric Humidity Measurement: Method and Validation,' J. Geophys. Res. 106, 32,207 (2001)
  7. Froidevaux, L., J.W. Waters, W.G. Read, et al., 'Variations in the free chlorine content of the stratosphere (1991-1997): Anthropogenic, volcanic, and methane influences,' J. Geophys. Res. 105, 4471 (2000)
  8. Santee, M.L., G.L. Manney, N.J. Livesey, and J.W. Waters, 'UARS Microwave Limb Sounder Observations of Denitrification and Ozone Loss in the 2000 Arctic Late Winter,' Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 3213-3216 (2000)
  9. Waters, J.W., et al., 'The UARS and EOS Microwave Limb Sounder Experiments,' J. Atmos. Sci. 56, 194 (1999)
  10. Newell, R.E., Y. Zhu, W.G. Read, J.W. Waters, 'Relationship between tropical upper tropospheric moisture and eastern tropical Pacific sea surface temperature on seasonal and interannual time scales,' GRL 24, 25 (1997)
  11. Santee, M.L., G.L. Manney, L. Froidevaux, R.W. Zurek, and J.W. Waters, 'MLS observations of ClO and HNO3 in the 1996-97 Arctic polar vortex,' Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 2713-2716 (1997)
  12. Mote, P.W., K.H. Rosenlof, M.E. McIntyre, E.S. Carr, J.R. Holton, J.S. Kinnersley, H.C. Pumphrey, J.M. Russell III, J.W. Waters, and J.C. Gille, 'An atmospheric tape recorder: the imprint of tropical tropopause temperatures on stratospheric water vapor,' J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996)
  13. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Validation of UARS Microwave Limb Sounder ClO,' J. Geophys. Res. 101, 10,091 (1996)
  14. Wu, D.L., and J.W. Waters, 'Satellite observations of atmospheric variances: a possible indication of gravity waves,' Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 3631 (1996)
  15. Santee, M.L., W.G. Read, J.W. Waters, L. Froidevaux, G.L. Manney, D.A. Flower, R.F. Jarnot, R.S. Harwood, G.E. Peckham, 'Interhemispheric differences in polar stratospheric HNO3, H2O, ClO and O3,' Science 267, 849, 1995.
  16. Waters, J.W., et al, 'UARS MLS observations of lower stratospheric ClO in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 arctic winter vortices,' Geophys. Res. Lett. 22, 823 (1995)
  17. Manney, G.L., L. Froidevaux, J.W. Waters, R.W. Zurek, W.G. Read, et al., 'Chemical depletion of ozone in the Arctic lower stratosphere during winter 1992-93,' Nature 370, 429-434 (1994)
  18. Waters, J.W., 'Microwave Limb Sounding,' in Atmospheric Remote Sensing by Microwave Radiometry (M.A. Janssen, ed.), ch. 8, New York: John Wiley (1993)
  19. Waters, J.W., et al. , 'Stratospheric ClO and ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite,' Nature 362, 597 (1993)
  20. Waters, J.W., 'Submm heterodyne spectroscopy and remote sensing of upper atmosphere,' IEEE Proc. 80, 1679 (1992)
  21. Waters, J.W., et al., 'ClO and O3 stratospheric profiles: Balloon microwave measurements,' GRL 15, 780 (1988)
  22. Waters, J.W., et al., 'A balloon-borne microwave limb sounder for stratospheric measurements,' J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 32, 433 (1984)
  23. Hofer, R., E.G. Njoku, J.W. Waters, 'Microwave radiometric measurements of sea surface temperature from the Seasat satellite: first results,' Science 212, 1385 (1981)
  24. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Chlorine monoxide radical, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide: Stratospheric measurements by microwave limb sounding,' Science 214, 61 (1981)
  25. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Observations of interstellar H2O at 183 GHz,' Astrophys. J. 235, 57 (1980)
  26. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Aircraft search for mm-wavelength emission by stratospheric ClO,' JGR. 84, 7034 (1979)
  27. Kakar, R.K., J.W. Waters, W.J. Wilson, 'Mars: Microwave detection of carbon monoxide,' Science 196, 1090 (1977)
  28. Waters, J.W., 'Absorption and emission by atmospheric gases,' in Methods of Experimental Physics 12B (M.L. Meeks, ed.), ch. 2.3, New York: Academic Press (1976)
  29. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Microwave measurement of mesospheric carbon monoxide,' Science 191, 1171 (1976)
  30. Kakar, R.K., J.W. Waters, W.J. Wilson, 'Venus: Microwave detection of carbon monoxide,' Science 191, 379 (1976)
  31. Waters, J.W., et al., 'Remote sensing of atmospheric temperature profiles with the Nimbus 5 Microwave Spectrometer,' J. Atmos. Sci. 32, 1953 (1975)
  32. Staelin, D.H., A.H. Barrett, J.W. Waters, F.T. Barath, E.J. Johnston, P.W. Rosenkranz, N.E. Gaut, and W.B. Lenoir, 'Microwave spectrometer on the Nimbus 5 satellite: meteorological and geophysical data,' Science 182, 1339 (1973)
  33. Waters, J.W., 'Ground-based measurement of millimetre-wavelength emission by upper stratospheric O2,' Nature 242, 5399 (1973)
  34. Barrett, A.H., P.R. Schwartz, and J.W. Waters, 'Detection of methyl alcohol in Orion at a wavelength of ~1 centimeter,' Astrophys. J. 168, L101 (1971)
  35. Meeks, M.L., J.C. Carter, A.H. Barrett, P.R. Schwartz, J.W. Waters, W.E. Brown III, 'Water Vapor: observations of galactic sources,' Science 165, 180 (1969)

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