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Lance Christensen

Photo of Lance Christensen

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive
M/S 183-401

Pasadena, CA 91109

Phone:

818.354.0521

Fax:

818.354.5148

Member of:

Laboratory Studies And Atmospheric Observations

Education

  • B.S. Chemistry with honors, University of Chicago (1996)
  • Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (2002)

Professional Experience

  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Atmospheric Laser Spectroscopy Group (2003 - present)
  • The California Institute of Technology - Teaching Assistant, Department. of Chemistry (1997-2002)
  • 3M, Maplewood, MN - Research Technician, Medical Products Division (1996-1997)

Research Interests

  • Building/utilizing miniature laser spectrometers for Earth and Planetary science.
  • Understanding chemistry and transport the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
  • Understanding Earth's carbon and water cycles via trace gas measurements.
  • Utilizing miniature UAV platforms for Earth and Planetary science.
  • Utilizing isotopes to distinguish life and understand atmospheric photochemistry.
  • Studying reaction kinetics/dynamics and molecular/radical spectroscopy.

Selected Awards

  • Group Achievement Award: VEREX Mission Team (2017)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, MSL SAM Instrument Development and Science Team (2013)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (2012)

Selected Publications

  1. Herman, R.L.; et al. "Enhanced stratospheric water vapor over the summertime continental United States and the role of overshooting convection", Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 17, 6113-6124, (2017).
  2. Webster, C.R.; et al. "Mars Methane Detection and variability at Gale Crater", Science 347, 415-417 (2015)
  3. Christensen, L.E.; Spiers, G. D.; Menzies, R. T.; Jacob, J., "Tunable Laser Spectroscopy of CO2 near 2.05 μm: Atmospheric Retrieval Biases Due to Neglecting Line-Mixing", J.Quant. Spec Rad. Trans. 110, 739-748, (2012).
  4. Townsend-Small, A.; Tyler, S. C.; Pataki, D. E.; Xu, X. M.; Christensen, L. E., "Isotopic measurements of atmospheric methane in Los Angeles, California, USA: Influence of "fugitive" fossil fuel emissions" JGR 117, (2012).
  5. Noone, D.; et al., "Properties of air mass mixing and humidity in the subtropics from measurements of the D/H isotope ratio of water vapor at the Mauna Loa Observatory", JGR 116, (2011).
  6. Spiers, G. D.; Menzies, R. T.; Jacob, J.; Christensen, L. E., "Atmospheric CO2 measurements with a 2 μm airborne laser absorption spectrometer employing coherent detection" Appl. Opt. 50, 2098-2111 (2011).
  7. Vance, S.; Christensen, L. E.; Webster, C. R.; Sung, K. "Volatile organic sulfur compounds as biomarkers complementary to methane: Infrared absorption spectroscopy of CH3SH enables in situ measurements on Earth and Mars" Planet. Space Sci., 59, 299-303, (2011).
  8. Christensen, L. E.; Mansour, K.; Yang, R. Q., "Thermoelectrically-cooled interband cascade laser for field measurements" Opt. Eng., 49, 111119 (2010).
  9. Tilmes, S.; et al., " An aircraft-based upper troposphere lower stratosphere O32O climatology for the Northern Hemisphere" JGR, 115, D18310, (2010).
  10. Vance, S.; Christensen, L. E.; Webster, C. R., "In situ measurement of CH3SH on Earth and Mars" Geochim. Cosmo. Acta, 74, A1071, (2010).
  11. Lopez, J. P.; Luo, M.; Christensen, L. E.; Loewenstein, M.; Jost, H.; Webster, C. R.; Osterman, G., " TES carbon monoxide validation during two AVE campaigns using the Argus and ALIAS instruments on NASA's WB-57F" JGR, 113, D16S47, (2008).
  12. I. Gensch, et al. "Supersaturations, Microphysics and Nitric Acid Partitioning in a Cold Cirrus observed during CR-AVE 2006: An Observation-Modeling Intercomparison Study", J. Geophys. Res., 113, D15S25 (2008).
  13. Froidevaux, L.; et al. "Validation of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder HCl measurements" JGR, 113, D15S25, (2008).
  14. Livesey, N. J.; et al. "Validation of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder O3 and CO observations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere" JGR, 113, D15S02, (2008).
  15. Popp, P. J..; et al. "Condensed-phase nitric acid in a tropical subvisible cirrus cloud" GRL, 34, L24812, (2007).
  16. Read, W. G.; et al. "Aura Microwave Limb Sounder upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric H2O and relative humidity with respect to ice validation" JGR, 112, D24S35, (2007).
  17. L.E. Christensen, B. Brunner, K.N. Truong, R.E. Mielke, C.R. Webster, M. Coleman, "Measurement of sulfur isotope compositions by tunable laser spectroscopy of SO2", Analytical Chemistry, 10.1021/ac071040p (2007).
  18. Christensen, L. E.; Webster, C. R.; Yang, R. Q., "In Situ Measurements of Gas-Phase Methane, Methane Isotopes, and Hydrochloric Acid Using an Interband Cascade Laser", Applied Optics, 46, 1132-1138 (2007)
  19. Christensen, L. E.; Okumura, M.; Hansen, Sander, S. P.; J. C.; Francisco, J. S., "Experimental and ab Initio Study of the HO2-CH3OH Complex: Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Formation," J. Phys. Chem. A, doi 10.1021/jp056579a (2006)
  20. Froidevaux, L.; et al., "Early Validation Analysis of Atmospheric Profiles from EOS MLS on the Aura Satellite," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 44 (2006)
  21. D. E. Hagan, C. R. Webster, C. B. Farmer, R. D. May, L. E. Christensen, L. Lait and P. Newman; "Validating AIRS Upper Atmosphere Water Vapor Retrievals Using Aircraft and Balloon In Situ Measurements," GRL, 31, Art. No. L21103 (2004)
  22. Christensen, L. E.; Sander, S. P.; Okumura, M.; Friedl, R. F.; Miller, C. E.; Sloan, J. J., "Measurements of the Rate Constant of HO2 + NO2 + N2 → HO2NO2 + N2 Using Infrared Wavelength-Modulation Spectroscopy and UV-Visible Absorption Spectroscopy," J. Phys. Chem. A, 108 (2004)
  23. Christensen, L. E.; Sander, S. P.; Okumura, M.; Salawitch, R. J.; Toon, G. C.; Sen, B.; Blavier, J.-F.; Jucks, K. W., "Kinetics of HO2 + HO2 → H2O2 + O2: Implications for Stratospheric H2O2," GRL, 29, Art. No. 1299 (2002)

Projects

JPL Laser Hygrometer