Tom Hanisco is a research physical scientist in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics branch. His research focuses on laboratory and field experiments pertaining to atmospheric chemistry and composition. He is PI of the Pandora Project and several technology development projects.
Thomas Frost Hanisco
((AST,ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY & DYNAMIC))
| Email: | thomas.hanisco@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.6598 |
| Org Code: | 614 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 614 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: |
Missions & Projects
Brief Bio
Research Interests
Atmospheric composition
Solar System: AtmospheresLab experiments, instrumentation and measurements of trace species in the atmosphere.
Current Projects
PANDORA and the Pandora Global Network (PGN)
Atmospheric Chemistry
The Pandora Project coordinates and facilitates an expanding global network of standardized, calibrated Pandora instruments focused on air quality and atmospheric composition. This larger effort in collaboration with ESA is known as the Pandonia Global Network (PGN) which endeavors to ensure systematic processing and dissemination of the data to the greater global community in support of in-situ and remotely sensed AQ monitoring.
A major joint objective is to support the validation and verification of more than a dozen low-earth orbit and geostationary orbit based UV-visible sensors, most notably Sentinel 5P, TEMPO, GEMS and Sentinel 4. The NASA Pandora Project works with its ESA partners to provide real-time, standardized, calibrated and verified QA/QC AQ data. Role: PI
In situ airborne measurements of formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and ozone
Atmospheric Chemistry
This project involves maintaining and flying the GSFC In Situ Airborne Formaldehyde instrument (ISAF), Compact Airborne Formaldehyde Experiment (CAFE), Compact Airborne Nitrogen diOxide Experiment (CANOE), and Rapid Ozone Experiment (ROZE) in NASA and non-NASA aircraft campaigns. Recent campaigns include ATom, FIREX-AQ, ACCLIP and DCOTSS. The instruments have flown on the NASA DC8 and ER2, NOAA P3, and NCAR GV. Funded by Tropospheric Chemistry and Upper Atmospheric Research Programs. Role: Co-I
A tunable laser transmitter for column OH LIDAR measurements
Atmospheric Chemistry
This technology development project will produce a narrow-linewidth fiber laser for the detection of OH using integrated path differential absorption (IPDA). This laser is needed for the future development of a remote-sensing airborne OH instrument. This OH IPDA LIDAR will be capable of measuring the column abundance of OH between an airborne platform and the ground, providing regional measurments of OH needed to improve global chemistry models. Funded by ESTO and MMSS. Role: PI.
Integrated Path Differential Formaldehyde LIDAR
Atmospheric Chemistry
This technology development project will produce a prototype narrow-linewidth fiber laser and transmitter/rceiver for the detection of HCHO using integrated path differential absorption (IPDA). The goal of this work is to prove the concept for a future development of a remote-sensing airborne HCHO instrument. This HCHO IPDA LIDAR will be capable of measuring the column abundance of HCHO between an airborne platform and the ground, providing regional measurments of HCHO needed to improve global chemistry models. Funded by ESTO and IRAD. Role: PI.
STRIVE Earth Explorer Phase-A.
Remote Sensing
STRIVE is the Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Veretically-resolved light Explorer led by PI Wyatt Jangle at the University of Washington. STRIVE is currently in its Phase-A development and is on track for a competitive selection in 2025. The instrument provides vertical profiles from the free troposphere throughout the stratosphere of trace gases with the ALICE instrument. It also provides multi angle aerosol AOD with the ARGOS instrument. Role: Deputy Project Scientist.
Positions/Employment
Research Physical Scientist
NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
June 2009 - Present
Project Scientist
Harvard University - Cambride, MA
January 2002 - June 2009
Research Associate
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA
January 1996 - January 2002
Teaching Experience
NASA Interns: Andrew Swanson (2010) now at NASA GSFC; Heather Arkinson (2013) Vermont; Kevin McGivern (2015) DoD; Andreas Robertson (2015-16) GeorgiaTech; Myah Rather (2018-2019) Penn State, Howard University.
Harvard University grad/undergrad mentoring: M. Thurlow (PhD 2012), J. B. Smith (PhD 2011), A. S. O’Brien (PhD 2010), D. T. Co (PhD 2007), J. M. St. Clair (PhD 2007), D. S. Sayres (PhD 2006), D. M. Wilmouth (PhD 2002), J. H. Kroll (PhD 2002), K. K. Perkins (PhD 2000), A. S. Barnett (B. A. 1997).
UC San Diego teaching assistant: General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Lab (1988-1990)
UC Santa Cruz teaching assistant Physical Chemistry (1988).
Education
Post Doctorate, Harvard University 1993 - 1996
In situ observations of OH and HO2, advisor James G. Anderson.
Ph. D. in Chemistry, University of California, San Diego 1993
Probing the dynamics of gas-surface interactions with rotationally inelastic scattering, advisor Andrew C. Kummel.
B. A. in Chemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz 1988
Vibrational spectrocopy of DABCO in super-sonic jets, advisor David H. Parker.
In situ observations of OH and HO2, advisor James G. Anderson.
Ph. D. in Chemistry, University of California, San Diego 1993
Probing the dynamics of gas-surface interactions with rotationally inelastic scattering, advisor Andrew C. Kummel.
B. A. in Chemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz 1988
Vibrational spectrocopy of DABCO in super-sonic jets, advisor David H. Parker.
Professional Societies
American Chemical Society
1990 - Present
American Geophysical Union
1994 - Present
American Meteorological Society
2016 - Present
Professional Service
Head of Operations, Pandonia Global Network (2020-present)
Associate Editor, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (2014-present)
Scientific Advisory Board, Environmental Science: Atmospheres
Adjunct Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland (2013-present)
Science Leadership Team, DCOTSS (Deep Convection of The Summer Stratosphere) Earth Venture Suborbital-3, (2019 - present)
Science Leadership Team, ATom (Atmospheric Tomography Mission) Earth Venture Suborbital-2 (2015-2019)
Subtopic Manager, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), S11.05 Suborbital Instruments and Sensor Systems for Earth Science Measurements (2022 - present)
Subtopic Manager, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), S1.08 Suborbital Instruments and Sensor Systems for Earth Science Measurements (2018 - 2021)
Subtopic Manager, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), S1.07 Airborne Measurement Systems (2012-1018)
Subtopic Manager, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), S20.02 Novel Passive Microwave and Infrared Spectroscopy Technology and Instrumentation (2014-1016)
Instrument PI for airborne campaigns: POLARIS (1997), SOLVE (2020), AVE (2005), CRAVE (2006), TC4 (2008), SEAC4RS (2013), SENEX (2013), CONTRAST (2014), WINTER (2015), SONGNEX (2015), KORUS-AQ (2016), SARP (2016 - present), ATom (2016-2018), CARAFE (2017-2018), FIREX-AQ (2019), DCOTSS (2019-)
Awards
Provisional Patent Award GSC-18776-1, Miniature Cavity-Enhanced Nitrogen Dioxide Sensor, 2022
Earth Science Division, Distinguished Contribution Group Award, NO2 sonde instrument, 2022
Patent Award 10697890, Apparatus and Method of Hydroxyl Detection, 2020
Patent Award 10656131, Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy (CEAS) for Ozone Detection, 2020
NASA Group Achievement Awards (ASHOE/MAESA, STRAT, POLARIS, SOLVE, CRAVE, TC4, SEAC4RS, KORUS-AQ, ATom, OWLETS, SARP, FIREX-AQ, ACCLIP) 1995-2023
NOAA Top Publication Award 1995
Graduate Fellowship National Science Foundation 1989 - 1992
Harold C. Urey Fellowship University of California, San Diego 1988 - 1989
Honors in Chemistry University of California, Santa Cruz 1988
Selected Publications
Refereed
2024. "Evolution of Reactive Organic Compounds and Their Potential Health Risk in Wildfire Smoke." Environmental Science & Technology 58 (44): 19785-19796 [10.1021/acs.est.4c06187] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "A portable nitrogen dioxide instrument using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 17 (19): 5903-5910 [10.5194/amt-17-5903-2024] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Stratospheric Hydration Processes in Tropopause‐Overshooting Convection Revealed by Tracer‐Tracer Correlations From the DCOTSS Field Campaign." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 129 (16): [10.1029/2024jd041340] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Sources of Formaldehyde in U.S. Oil and Gas Production Regions." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 7 (12): 2444-2457 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00203] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Multi-scale observations of mangrove blue carbon ecosystem fluxes: The NASA Carbon Monitoring System BlueFlux field campaign." Environmental Research Letters 18 075009 [10.1088/1748-9326/acdae6] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "An extensive database of airborne trace gas and meteorological observations from the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX)." Earth System Science Data 15 (6): 2375-2389 [10.5194/essd-15-2375-2023] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Single frequency tunable UV laser at 308 nm based on all-fiberized master oscillator power amplifiers." Optics Letters 47 (22): 5845 [10.1364/ol.472559] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Source and variability of formaldehyde (HCHO) at northern high latitudes: an integrated satellite, aircraft, and model study." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22 (11): 7163-7178 [10.5194/acp-22-7163-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Source and Chemistry of Hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS) in Fairbanks, Alaska." Environmental Science & Technology 56 (12): 7657-7667 [10.1021/acs.est.2c00410] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Photochemical evolution of the 2013 California Rim Fire: synergistic impacts of reactive hydrocarbons and enhanced oxidants." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22 (6): 4253-4275 [10.5194/acp-22-4253-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Tropospheric and Surface Nitrogen Dioxide Changes in the Greater Toronto Area during the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Remote Sensing 14 (7): 1625 [10.3390/rs14071625] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "The NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) Mission: Imaging the Chemistry of the Global Atmosphere." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 103 (3): E761-E790 [10.1175/bams-d-20-0315.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Formaldehyde evolution in US wildfire plumes during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality experiment (FIREX-AQ)." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21 (24): 18319-18331 [10.5194/acp-21-18319-2021] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Evolution of formaldehyde (HCHO) in a plume originating from a petrochemical industry and its volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission rate estimation." Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 9 (1): [10.1525/elementa.2021.00015] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Secondary organic aerosols from anthropogenic volatile organic compounds contribute substantially to air pollution mortality." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21 (14): 11201-11224 [10.5194/acp-21-11201-2021] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "A cavity-enhanced ultraviolet absorption instrument for high-precision, fast-time-response ozone measurements." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13 (12): 6877-6887 [10.5194/amt-13-6877-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Validation of satellite formaldehyde (HCHO) retrievals using observations from 12 aircraft campaigns." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 (20): 12329-12345 [10.5194/acp-20-12329-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Spatial heterogeneity in CO2, CH4, and energy fluxes: insights from airborne eddy covariance measurements over the Mid-Atlantic region." Environmental Research Letters 15 (3): 035008 [10.1088/1748-9326/ab7391] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "A machine learning examination of hydroxyl radical differences among model simulations for CCMI-1." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 (3): 1341-1361 [10.5194/acp-20-1341-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "CAFE: a new, improved nonresonant laser-induced fluorescence instrument for airborne in situ measurement of formaldehyde." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 12 (8): 4581-4590 [10.5194/amt-12-4581-2019] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Hydrocarbon Removal in Power Plant Plumes Shows Nitrogen Oxide Dependence of Hydroxyl Radicals." Geophysical Research Letters 46 (13): 7752-7760 [10.1029/2019gl083044] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Atmospheric Acetaldehyde: Importance of Air‐Sea Exchange and a Missing Source in the Remote Troposphere." Geophysical Research Letters 46 (10): 5601-5613 [10.1029/2019gl082034] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Mapping hydroxyl variability throughout the global remote troposphere via synthesis of airborne and satellite formaldehyde observations." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116 (23): 11171-11180 [10.1073/pnas.1821661116] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Towards a satellite formaldehyde – in situ hybrid estimate for organic aerosol abundance." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19 (5): 2765-2785 [10.5194/acp-19-2765-2019] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Kinetics and Product Yields of the OH Initiated Oxidation of Hydroxymethyl Hydroperoxide." The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 122 (30): 6292-6302 [10.1021/acs.jpca.8b04577] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE): instrumentation and methodology." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 11 (3): 1757-1776 [10.5194/amt-11-1757-2018] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Applicability of Neural Networks to Etalon Fringe Filtering in Laser Spectrometers." Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer 211C 115-122 [10.1016/j.jqsrt.2018.03.004] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "A new non-resonant laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the airborne in situ measurement of formaldehyde." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (12): 4833-4844 [10.5194/amt-10-4833-2017] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "SAM-CAAM: A Concept for Acquiring Systematic Aircraft Measurements to Characterize Aerosol Air Masses." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98 (10): 2215-2228 [10.1175/bams-d-16-0003.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "Investigation of a potential HCHO measurement artifact from ISOPOOH." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9 (9): 4561-4568 [10.5194/amt-9-4561-2016] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "Injection Seeded Laser for Formaldehyde Differential Fluorescence Lidar." EPJ Web of Conferences 119 02004 [10.1051/epjconf/201611902004] [Proceedings]
2016. "Formaldehyde production from isoprene oxidation across NOx regimes." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 16 (4): 2597-2610 [10.5194/acp-16-2597-2016] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "A pervasive role for biomass burning in tropical high ozone/low water structures." Nat Comms 7 10267 [10.1038/ncomms10267] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Quantifying sources and sinks of reactive gases in the lower atmosphere using airborne flux observations." Geophysical Research Letters 42 (19): 8231-8240 [10.1002/2015gl065839] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "A new airborne laser-induced fluorescence instrument for in situ detection of formaldehyde throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere." Atmos. Meas. Tech. 8 541-552 [10.5194/amt-8-541-2015] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Development of a fluorescence lidar for measurement of atmospheric formaldehyde." Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIX; and Atmospheric Propagation XI [10.1117/12.2053420] [Proceedings]
2014. "The development and deployment of a ground-based, laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the in situ detection of iodine monoxide radicals." Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85 (4): 044101 [10.1063/1.4869857] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "OH in the tropical upper troposphere and its relationships to solar radiation and reactive nitrogen." J. Atmos. Chem 71 (1): 55-64 [10.1007/s10874-014-9280-2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "The influence of convection on the water isotopic composition of the TTL and tropical stratosphere." J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 115 D00J20 [doi:10.1029/2009JD013100] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Chlorine-catalyzed ozone destruction: Cl atom production from ClOOCl photolysis." J. Phys. Chem. A. 113 10.1021/jp9053204. [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "A new photolysis laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the detection of H[sub 2]O and HDO in the lower stratosphere." Review of Scientific Instruments 79 (6): 064101 [10.1063/1.2940221] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "Observations of deep convective influence on stratospheric water vapor and its isotopic composition." Geophysical Research Letters 34 (4): L04814 [10.1029/2006gl027899] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. " Effects of convective ice lofting on H 2 O and HDO in the tropical tropopause layer ." Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (D18): D18309 [10.1029/2007jd008609] [Journal Article/Letter]
2005. " Rotationally Resolved Absorption Cross Sections of Formaldehyde in the 28100−28500 cm -1 (351−356 nm) Spectral Region: Implications for in Situ LIF Measurements ." The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 109 (47): 10675-10682 [10.1021/jp053466i] [Journal Article/Letter]
2001. " Accurate, direct measurements of oh yields from gas-phase ozone-alkene reactions using an in situ LIF Instrument ." Geophysical Research Letters 28 (20): 3863-3866 [10.1029/2001gl013406] [Journal Article/Letter]
2001. " Comparing atmospheric [HO 2 ]/[OH] to modeled [HO 2 ]/[OH]: Identifying discrepancies with reaction rates ." Geophysical Research Letters 28 (6): 967-970 [10.1029/2000gl012264] [Journal Article/Letter]
2001. " The NO x −HNO 3 System in the Lower Stratosphere: Insights from In Situ Measurements and Implications of the J HNO 3 −[OH] Relationship ." The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 105 (9): 1521-1534 [10.1021/jp002519n] [Journal Article/Letter]
2001. "Inorganic chlorine partitioning in the summer lower stratosphere: Modeled and measured [ClONO 2 ]/[HCl] during POLARIS." J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 106 (D2): 1713-1732 [10.1029/2000JD900494] [Journal Article/Letter]
2000. "Ozone destruction and production rates between spring and autumn in the Arctic stratosphere." Geophysical Research Letters 27 (17): 2605-2608 [10.1029/2000gl011404] [Journal Article/Letter]
1999. " Fourier Transform Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of the A 2 Π 3/2 ← X 2 Π 3/2 Transition of BrO † ." The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 103 (45): 8935-8945 [10.1021/jp991651o] [Journal Article/Letter]
1999. " Twilight observations suggest unknown sources of HO x ." Geophysical Research Letters 26 (10): 1373-1376 [10.1029/1999gl900255] [Journal Article/Letter]
1997. " Observed OH and HO 2 in the upper troposphere suggest a major source from convective injection of peroxides ." Geophysical Research Letters 24 (24): 3181-3184 [10.1029/97gl03004] [Journal Article/Letter]
1997. "The photochemistry of acetone in the upper troposphere: A source of odd-hydrogen radicals." Geophysical Research Letters 24 (24): 3177-3180 [10.1029/97gl03349] [Journal Article/Letter]
1997. "The atmospheric column abundance of IO: Implications for stratospheric ozone." Journal of Geophysical Research 102 (D7): 8887 [10.1029/96jd03712] [Journal Article/Letter]
1997. " The role of HO x in super- and subsonic aircraft exhaust plumes ." Geophysical Research Letters 24 (1): 65-68 [10.1029/96gl03724] [Journal Article/Letter]
1996. "Monitoring potential photochemical interference in laser-induced fluorescence Measurements of atmospheric OH." Geophysical Research Letters 23 (22): 3215-3218 [10.1029/96gl03008] [Journal Article/Letter]
1995. "Emission Measurements of the Concorde Supersonic Aircraft in the Lower Stratosphere." Science 270 (5233): 70-74 [10.1126/science.270.5233.70] [Journal Article/Letter]
1995. " In Situ Measurements of OH and H0 2 in the Upper Troposphere and Stratosphere ." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 52 (19): 3413-3420 [10.1175/1520-0469(1995)052<3413:ismooa>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]
1993. "State-resolved photodissociation of nitrous oxide." J. Phys. Chem. 97 (28): 7242-7246 [10.1021/j100130a020] [Journal Article/Letter]
1991. "Resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization of nitrogen a''1.SIGMA.g+ (v' = v'') .rarw. X1.SIGMA.g+ (v'' = 0-2). 1. Determination of rotational populations and virtual state character." J. Phys. Chem. 95 (22): 8565-8574 [10.1021/j100175a030] [Journal Article/Letter]