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Dr. Erica L McGrath-Spangler

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Dr. Erica L McGrath-Spangler

  • Senior Research Scientist
  • 301.614.5838
  • NASA/GSFC
  • Mail Code: 610.1
  • Greenbelt , MD 20771
  • Employer: MORGAN STATE UNIV.

    • Positions/Employment

    12/2021 - Present

    Senior Research Scientist

    Morgan State University/GESTAR II, Greenbelt, MD
    6/2012 - 11/2021

    Research Scientist

    Universities Space Research Association/GESTAR, Greenbelt, MD
    8/2005 - 6/2012

    Graduate Research Assistant

    Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

    Education

    Colorado State University -  Fort Collins, CO
    October 2011 Ph.D. Atmospheric Science
    Thesis: Importance of Boundary Layer Entrainment for Surface Fluxes over Land

    Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO
    June 2008 M.S. Atmospheric Science
    Thesis: Entrainment Effects of Overshooting Thermals on Land-Atmosphere Interactions

    University of Wisconsin -  Madison, WI
    May 2005 B.S. Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
    B.S. Mathematics

    Selected Publications

    Refereed

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., W. McCarty, N. C. Privé, et al. I. Moradi, B. M. Karpowicz, and J. McCorkel. 2022. "Using OSSEs to Evaluate the Impacts of Geostationary Infrared Sounders." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 39 (12): 1903-1918 [https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-22-0033.1]

    Ganeshan, M., O. Reale, E. McGrath-Spangler, and N. Boukachaba. 2022. "Impact of assimilating adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on the analysis of Polar Lows and Mediterranean Sea Tropical-like Cyclone in a global modeling and data assimilation framework." Weather and Forecasting, 37 (7): 1117–1134 [10.1175/waf-d-21-0068.1]

    McGrath‐Spangler, E. L., M. Ganeshan, O. Reale, et al. N. Boukachaba, W. McCarty, and R. Gelaro. 2021. "Sensitivity of low tropospheric Arctic temperatures to assimilation of AIRS cloud‐cleared radiances: Impact on mid‐latitude waves." Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 147 (741): 4032-4047 [10.1002/qj.4166]

    Hegarty, J. D., J. Lewis, E. L. McGrath-Spangler, et al. J. Henderson, A. J. Scarino, P. DeCola, R. Ferrare, M. Hicks, R. D. Adams-Selin, and E. J. Welton. 2018. "Analysis of the Planetary Boundary Layer Height during DISCOVER-AQ Baltimore–Washington, D.C., with Lidar and High-Resolution WRF Modeling." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 57 (11): 2679-2696 [10.1175/jamc-d-18-0014.1]

    Reale, O., E. L. McGrath-Spangler, W. McCarty, D. Holdaway, and R. Gelaro. 2018. "Impact of adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on tropical cyclone representation in a global data assimilation and forecast system." Weather and Forecasting, 33 (4): 908-931 [10.1175/waf-d-17-0175.1]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., A. M. Molod, L. E. Ott, and S. Pawson. 2015. "Impact of planetary boundary layer turbulence on model climate and tracer transport." Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15 (13): 7269-7286 [10.5194/acp-15-7269-2015]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. M. Molod. 2014. "Comparison of GEOS-5 AGCM planetary boundary layer depths computed with various definitions." Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14 (13): 6717-6727 [Full Text (Link)] [10.5194/acp-14-6717-2014]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2013. "Global seasonal variations of midday planetary boundary layer depth from CALIPSO space-borne LIDAR." J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 118 (3): 1226–1233 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1002/jgrd.50198]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2012. "Estimates of North American summertime planetary boundary layer depths derived from space-borne lidar." J. Geophys. Res., 117 (D15): D15101 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1029/2012JD017615]

    Drossman, H., J. Benedict, E. L. McGrath-Spangler, L. Van Roekel, and K. Wells. 2011. "Assessment of a constructivist-motivated mentoring program to enhance the teaching skills of atmospheric science graduate students." J. College Science Teaching, 41 (2): 72-81.

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2010. "Impact of entrainment from overshooting thermals on land-atmosphere interactions during summer 1999." Tellus B, 62 (5): 441-454 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1111/j.1600-0889.2010.00482.x]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., A. S. Denning, K. D. Corbin, and I. T. Baker. 2009. "Sensitivity of land-atmosphere exchanges to overshooting PBL thermals in an idealized coupled model." J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 1 (14): 13pp [Full Text (Link)] [10.3894/JAMES.2009.1.14]

    Teaching Experience

    Colorado College - Colorado Springs, CO
    Spring 2010 Air: Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry (EV 431)
    Co-taught course for upper level undergraduate students covering mid-latitude cyclone development, geostrophic flow, atmospheric structure, and other aspects of atmospheric science

    Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO
    2007-2009, 2011 Weather and Climate for Teachers
    Assisted in summer workshops to teach basic atmospheric physics to secondary school teachers

    Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO
    Fall 2008 Introduction to Climate (ATS 606)
    Teaching Assistant wrote and graded homework, held office hours, led several lectures, and led review sessions

    University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI
    2003 – 2005 Tutor for the UW athletic department
    Tutored atmospheric and oceanic science classes for athletes

    Awards

    2010 – 2011 Shrake Culler Scholarship - Engineering
    2008 – 2011 NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship
    2009 8th International Carbon Dioxide Conference poster award
    2005 – 2006 American Meteorological Society Fellowship
    2005 – 2006 Colorado State Graduate Fellowship
    2004 – 2005 Wisconsin/Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship
    2004 Horn Award for excellence in overall performance as an undergraduate in the department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

    Grants

    01/30/2015 - 01/29/2018 Atmospheric Composition: Modeling and Analysis, NASA

    Global Planetary Boundary Layer Depth Trends and the Impact on Atmospheric Aerosols and Greenhouse Gases

    ; PI: Use NASA’s GEOS-5 model and data from CALIPSO to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability of global climatological trends in PBL depth due to increasing surface temperatures associated with climate change ; 0.5 FTE
    10/01/2014 - 09/30/2017 NASA/Atmospheric Composition Campaign Data Analysis and Modeling , NASA
    Understanding Spatiotemporal Variability in Urban Mixed Layer Heights through Observations and Modeling
    ; Co-I: Provide quality-controlled PBLH retrievals from the CALIPSO satellite and place our regional modeling results in the context of the global modeling efforts at the GMAO. ; 0.2 FTE
    05/15/2018 - 05/14/2021 The Science of TERRA, AQUA, and SUOMI NPP, NASA, NASA NRA #: NNH17ZDA001N-TASNPP

    Using AIRS and CrIS data to understand processes affecting tropical cyclone structure in a global data assimilation and forecasting framework

    ; Co-I ; 1.0 FTE
    11/01/2020 - 10/31/2023 The Soil Moisture Active-Passive Mission Science Team, NASA

    The impact of assimilating SMAP soil moisture on the prediction of tropical cyclone structure and precipitation in proximity to land, and after landfall

    ; Co-I ; 0.2 FTE

    Other Professional Information

    h-index: 7

    12 total publications

    Talks, Presentations and Posters

    Invited

    Global Seasonal Variations of Planetary Boundary Layer Depth 10 / 2013
    School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University
    Importance of Boundary Layer Entrainment for CO2 Fluxes Over Land 9 / 2012
    Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Maryland
    Importance of Boundary Layer Entrainment for Surface Fluxes Over Land 12 / 2011
    Naval Research Laboratory
    Importance of Planetary Boundary Layer Processes on Surface Fluxes 9 / 2011
    Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement

    Importance of Planetary Boundary Layer Processes on Surface Fluxes

     8 / 2011

    University of Wisconsin, Space Science and Engineering Center

    Carbon cycle reliance on the planetary boundary layer 3 / 2011
    National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc.

    Selected Public Outreach

    Women In Engineering Developing Revolutionary Engineers and Mentors Conference 2015 - 2016

    Interacted with high school junior and sophomore women at the information fair held at the University of Maryland

    National Air and Space Museum Women in Air and Space Family Day 9 / 2014 - 9 / 2014
    Primary person responsible for collecting EPO materials for the Women@NASA booth and shared NASA Earth science research with the public, including information about modeling activities at the GMAO and observations from the AURA and GPM satellites
    NASA’s Earth Day at Union Station 4 / 2014 - 4 / 2014
    Engaged the public by discussing Earth science using images from USRA's Earth Science Picture of the Day.
    Hispanic Engineering, Science, and Technology (HESTEC) Week 9 / 2011 - 9 / 2011
    Facilitated hands-on physics experiments for middle-school children and the public at the University of Texas-Pan American
    University of Wisconsin Mentorship Program for Women in Mathematics and Sciences 9 / 2004 - 5 / 2005
    Mentored female high school students and worked on mathematical problems to retain female students in mathematics and the sciences

    Professional Societies

    American Geophysical Union, 2007 - Present
    American Meteorological Society, 2016 - Present

    Selected Publications

    Refereed

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., W. McCarty, N. C. Privé, et al. I. Moradi, B. M. Karpowicz, and J. McCorkel. 2022. "Using OSSEs to Evaluate the Impacts of Geostationary Infrared Sounders." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 39 (12): 1903-1918 [https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-22-0033.1]

    Ganeshan, M., O. Reale, E. McGrath-Spangler, and N. Boukachaba. 2022. "Impact of assimilating adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on the analysis of Polar Lows and Mediterranean Sea Tropical-like Cyclone in a global modeling and data assimilation framework." Weather and Forecasting 37 (7): 1117–1134 [10.1175/waf-d-21-0068.1]

    McGrath‐Spangler, E. L., M. Ganeshan, O. Reale, et al. N. Boukachaba, W. McCarty, and R. Gelaro. 2021. "Sensitivity of low tropospheric Arctic temperatures to assimilation of AIRS cloud‐cleared radiances: Impact on mid‐latitude waves." Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 147 (741): 4032-4047 [10.1002/qj.4166]

    Hegarty, J. D., J. Lewis, E. L. McGrath-Spangler, et al. J. Henderson, A. J. Scarino, P. DeCola, R. Ferrare, M. Hicks, R. D. Adams-Selin, and E. J. Welton. 2018. "Analysis of the Planetary Boundary Layer Height during DISCOVER-AQ Baltimore–Washington, D.C., with Lidar and High-Resolution WRF Modeling." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 57 (11): 2679-2696 [10.1175/jamc-d-18-0014.1]

    Reale, O., E. L. McGrath-Spangler, W. McCarty, D. Holdaway, and R. Gelaro. 2018. "Impact of adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on tropical cyclone representation in a global data assimilation and forecast system." Weather and Forecasting 33 (4): 908-931 [10.1175/waf-d-17-0175.1]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., A. M. Molod, L. E. Ott, and S. Pawson. 2015. "Impact of planetary boundary layer turbulence on model climate and tracer transport." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15 (13): 7269-7286 [10.5194/acp-15-7269-2015]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. M. Molod. 2014. "Comparison of GEOS-5 AGCM planetary boundary layer depths computed with various definitions." Atmos. Chem. Phys. 14 (13): 6717-6727 [Full Text (Link)] [10.5194/acp-14-6717-2014]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2013. "Global seasonal variations of midday planetary boundary layer depth from CALIPSO space-borne LIDAR." J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 118 (3): 1226–1233 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1002/jgrd.50198]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2012. "Estimates of North American summertime planetary boundary layer depths derived from space-borne lidar." J. Geophys. Res. 117 (D15): D15101 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1029/2012JD017615]

    Drossman, H., J. Benedict, E. L. McGrath-Spangler, L. Van Roekel, and K. Wells. 2011. "Assessment of a constructivist-motivated mentoring program to enhance the teaching skills of atmospheric science graduate students." J. College Science Teaching 41 (2): 72-81

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., and A. S. Denning. 2010. "Impact of entrainment from overshooting thermals on land-atmosphere interactions during summer 1999." Tellus B 62 (5): 441-454 [Full Text (Link)] [10.1111/j.1600-0889.2010.00482.x]

    McGrath-Spangler, E. L., A. S. Denning, K. D. Corbin, and I. T. Baker. 2009. "Sensitivity of land-atmosphere exchanges to overshooting PBL thermals in an idealized coupled model." J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 1 (14): 13pp [Full Text (Link)] [10.3894/JAMES.2009.1.14]

                                                                                                                                                                                            
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    • Last Updated: 05/26/2023