Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Linette Boisvert

(Rsch AST, Earth Sciences Remote Sens)

Linette Boisvert's Contact Card & Information.
Email: linette.n.boisvert@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.5710
Org Code: 615
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 615
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Missions & Projects

Brief Bio


I am a Maryland native and University of Maryland Baltimore County and University of Maryland alum. I am very passionate about the work I do, and working on fostering the next generation of sea ice scientists by advising post-docs and graduate students from the University of Maryland on top of my other roles and research activities. I also love doing education and communication outreach.

Research Interests


Sea ice atmospheric interactions

Earth Science: Sea Ice

I aim to understand sea ice -atmospheric interactions in a rapidly changing Arctic using satellite, reanalysis, and models. I am particularly interested in how a loss of sea ice coverage is affecting the local Arctic atmosphere, and also how episodic weather events (cyclones and moisture intrusions) are affecting the survivability of sea ice parcels from year to year.

Specifically, using remotely sensed data to study the Arctic sea ice and its interactions with sea surface temperatures, air temperatures and specific humidity. Primary research activities focus on estimating the moisture, latent and sensible heat fluxes of the Arctic sea ice and ocean and improving these measurements over the Arctic sea ice using new parameterizations in the Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory model. Expertise in the analysis of various satellite sensor data (e.g. AIRS, SSM/I, AMSR-E, AVHRR).

Education


2013: PhD, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland

2011: MS, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland

2008: BS, Environmental Science, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Positions/Employment


Deputy Project Scientist for NASA's Aqua Satellite

NASA - NASA GSFC

January 2023 - Present


Assistant Lab Chief for the Cryospheric Sciences Lab

NASA - GSFC

September 2020 - Present


Adjunct Faculty

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland - College Park, MD

2023 - Present


Sea Ice Scientist

NASA - NASA GSFC

March 2018 - Present


Deputy Project Scientist for NASA's Operation IceBridge

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, Maryland

March 2018 - December 2020


Assistant Research Scientist

Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center - NASA GSFC

January 2016 - March 2018


Post-Doc

Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

October 2013 - January 2016


Graduate Research Assistant

Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

August 2009 - August 2013

 

Professional Societies


Member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)

2010 - Present


European Geosciences Union (EGU)

2015 - Present

Professional Service


Reviewer for the Remote Sensing – Open Access Journal.
Reviewer for Geophysical Research Letters.

Awards


  Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, “Best Dissertation Award”, 2013.

  NASA GSFC HBG Peer Award , "Scientific Achievement", 2017

Publications


Refereed

2023. "A Warmer and Wetter Arctic: Insights From a 20‐Years AIRS Record." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 128 (20): [10.1029/2023jd038793] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. " A warmer and wetter Arctic: insights from a 20-year AIRS record." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 128 (20): [https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD038793] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Rainy Days in the Arctic." Journal of Climate 36 (19): 6855-6878 [https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0428.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. " A warmer and wetter Arctic: insights from a 20-year AIRS record." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Fate of sea ice in the 'New Arctic': A database of daily Lagrangian Arctic sea ice parcel drift tracks with coincident ice and atmospheric conditions." Nature Scientific Data 10 (73): [10.1038/s41597-023-01987-6] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "The influence of recent and future climate change on spring Arctic cyclones." Nature Communications 13 (1): 6514 [10.1038/s41467-022-34126-7] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Record Arctic Cyclone of January 2022: Characteristics, Impacts, and Predictability." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 127 (21): [10.1029/2022jd037161] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "The Arctic." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 103 (8): S257-S306 [10.1175/bams-d-22-0082.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Constraining Arctic Climate Projections of Wintertime Warming With Surface Turbulent Flux Observations and Representation of Surface-Atmosphere Coupling." Frontiers in Earth Science [https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.765304] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Process Drivers, Inter-Model Spread, and the Path Forward: A Review of Amplified Arctic Warming." Frontiers in Earth Science [https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.758361] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Investigating Wintertime GPM-IMERG Precipitation in the North Atlantic." Geophysical Research Letters 48 (20): 12 [http://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095391] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Arctic Cloud Response to a Perturbation in Sea Ice Concentration: The North Water Polynya." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres [10.1029/2020jd034409] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The scientific legacy of NASA's Operation IceBridge." Reviews of Geophysics (59): e2020RG000712 [10.1029/2020rg000712] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Intercomparison of Precipitation Estimates Over the Southern Ocean from Atmospheric Reanalyses." Journal of Climate 33 (24): 10627–10651 [10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0044.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Evaporation from the Southern Ocean estimated on the basis of AIRS satellite data." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 125 (1): e2019JD030845 [10.1029/2019JD030845] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "The role of cyclone activity in snow accumulation on Arctic sea ice." Nature Communications 10 (1): 5285 [10.1038/s41467-019-13299-8] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "ICESat‐2 surface height and sea‐ice freeboard assessed with ATM lidar acquisitions from Operation IceBridge." Geophysical Research Letters 2019GL084976 [10.1029/2019gl084976] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The NASA Eulerian Snow on Sea Ice Model (NESOSIM) v1.0: initial model development and analysis." Geoscientific Model Development 11 (11): 4577-4602 [10.5194/gmd-11-4577-2018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Intercomparison of precipitation estimates over the Arctic Ocean and its peripheral seas from reanalyses." Journal of Climate [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The Arctic sea ice cover of 2016: a year of record-low highs and higher-than-expected lows." The Cryosphere 12 (2): 433-452 [10.5194/tc-12-433-2018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "On the increasing importance of Air-Sea energy exchanges in a thawing Arctic: A review." Atmosphere 9 (2): 41 [doi:10.3390/atmos184948] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Investigating the Local Scale Influence of Sea Ice on Greenland Surface Melt." The Cryosphere Discussions 11 2363-2381 [10.5194/tc-2017-65] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Increasing frequency and duration of Arctic winter warming events." Geophysical Research Letters 44 [10.1002/2017gl073395] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Analysis of the warmest Arctic winter, 2015-2016." Geophysical Research Letters [10.1002/2016GL071228] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Summer Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies over the Arctic Ocean and Their Influences on September Sea Ice Extent: A Cautionary Tale." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres [10.1002/2016JD025161] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "The Impact of the Extreme Winter 2015/16 Arctic Cyclone on the Barents–Kara Seas." Monthly Weather Review [http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-16-0234.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Using remotely sensed data from AIRS to estimate the vapor flux on the Greenland Ice Sheet: comparisons with observations and a regional climate model." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 122 [https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025674] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Sea Ice, Rain-on-Snow and Tundra Reindeer Nomadism in Arctic Russia." Biology Letters [DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0466] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Melt onset over Arctic sea ice controlled by atmospheric moisture transport." Geophysical Research Letters 43 (12): 6636-6642 [10.1002/2016GL069330] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Increasing evaporation amounts seen in the Arctic between 2003 and 2013 from AIRS data." J. Geophy Res. - Atmos 120 (14): 6865-6881 [doi:10.1002/2015JD023258] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "The Arctic is becoming warmer and wetter as revealed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder." Geophys. Res. Lett. 42 (11): 4439-4446 [10.1002/2015GL063775] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Verification of air/surface humidity differences from AIRS and ERA-Interim in support of turbulent flux estimation in the Arctic." J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 120 (3): 945–963 [10.1002/2014JD021666] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Changes in Arctic melt season and implications for sea ice loss." Geophys. Res. Lett. 41 (4): 1216-1225 [10.1002/2013GL058951] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Moisture flux changes and trends for the entire Arctic in 2003-2011 derived from EOS Aqua data." Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 118 (10): 5829-5843 [10.1002/jgrc.20414] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Moisture fluxes derived from EOS aqua satellite data for the north water polynya over 2003–2009." Journal of Geophysical Research 117 (D6): D06119 [10.1029/2011JD016949] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Observations of recent Arctic sea ice volume loss and its impact on ocean-atmosphere energy exchange and ice production." J. Geophys. Res. 116 (C4): C04015 [10.1029/2010JC006235] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2020. "Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX): Concept Paper for NASA Aircraft Investigation." NASA Earth Science Project Office [Full Text] [Report]

2020. "Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX): Concept Paper for NASA Aircraft Investigation." NASA Earth Science Project Office [Full Text] [Report]

Special Experience


 • Using remotely sensed data to estimate the moisture flux in the Arctic and improve moisture flux estimates.
• Experience with using ECMWF ERA-Interim data.
• Communication of scientific results, though scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, and poster presentations.
• Experience with computer operating systems: Mac OS X, Windows
• Proficient in various programming languages: IDL, MATLAB, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Selected Public Outreach


Arctic Moisture on the Move

May 2015 - Present

 Scientists such as NASA’s Linette Boisvert want to know how this decline is contributing to a warmer and wetter Arctic.

Arctic Climate Change Marked by Warmer Wetter Conditions

September 2015 - Present

 This causes the Arctic to absorb more sunlight, adding heat to the ocean and causing the increased evaporation, reported Linette Boisvert, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

As sea ice shrinks, the Arctic becomes warmer and wetter, study finds

September 2015 - Present

 November saw the biggest increases in “skin temperature” (defined as temperature at the Earth’s surface), and air temperature, with an average annual rise of 0.42 degrees Celsius on the surface and 0.32 degrees Celsius in the air, said the study, by Linette Boisvert of the NASA-affiliated Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland.

NSIDC, NASA Say Arctic Melt Season Lengthening, Ocean Rapidly Warming

April 2014 - Present

 "If air and ocean temperatures are similar, the ocean is not going to lose heat to the atmosphere as fast as it would when the differences are greater," said Linette Boisvert, co-author of the paper and a cryospheric scientist at Goddard. "In the last years, the upper ocean heat content is much higher than it used to be, so it’s going to take a longer time to cool off and for freeze up to begin."

Sea Ice Near Greenland

September 2015 - Present


February continues streak of record low Arctic sea ice extent - NSIDC Sea Ice News

March 2016 - March 2016

Arctic sea ice was at a satellite-record low for the second month in a row. The first three weeks of February saw little ice growth, but extent rose during the last week of the month. Arctic sea ice typically reaches its maximum extent for the year in mid to late March.


Extremely Warm 2015-’16 Winter Cyclone Weakened Arctic Sea Ice Pack

December 2016 - Present

A large cyclone that crossed the Arctic in December 2015 brought so much heat and humidity to this otherwise frigid and dry environment that it thinned and shrunk the sea ice cover during a time of the year when the ice should have been growing thicker and stronger, a NASA study found.

Talks, Presentations and Posters


Invited

Boisvert, L. N. (February, 2016), Increases in evaporation rates in the “New Arctic”: New data, University of Southampton National Oceanography Center, Southampton, UK, (Invited)

February 22, 2016


Boisvert, L., N., and J. C. Stroeve (2015), The Arctic is becoming warmer and wetter as revealed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, Presented at the Fall Meeting 2015, AGU, San Fransisco, CA, USA.

2015

 


 Boisvert, L., N., N. Kurtz, and J. C. Stroeve (2015), Using IceBridge data to study changes on multi- and first-year sea ice in the western Arctic between 2009-2015, presented at the Fall Meeting 2015, AGU, San Fracisco, CA, USA.

2015

 


 Boisvert, L. N., (2015), Measuring Evaporation in the Arctic, presented for the Arctic Science Group at NASA Langley, Hampton, VA, USA. 

November 2015

 


 Boisvert, L. N. (2014), Moisture flux estimates derived from EOS Aqua data in the Arctic, NASA Climate & Radiation Seminar Series, Goddard, Maryland, Invited.

May 2014

 


Other

Boisvert, L. N., D. Wu, and C.-L. Shie (2015), Moisture flux increases seen in the Arctic between 2003-2013. Abstract EGU2015-3996 presented at EGU General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria.

May 2015

 


 Boisvert, L. N., and J. Stroeve (2015), AIRS satellite data reveal a warmer and wetter Arctic between 2003-2013, Abstract EGU2015-8087 presented at EGU General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria.

May 2015

 


 Boisvert, L. N., D. Wu, T. Vihma and J. Susskind (2014), Issues with moisture flux estimation in the Arctic and changes in the flux between 2003-2013, Abstract C11B-0369 presented at 2014 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif.

2014

 


 Boisvert, L. N. (2014), Validation of AIRS version 6 data to estimate the moisture flux in the Arctic, presented at the NASA Sounder Science Team Meeting, Greenbelt, Maryland.

November 2014

 


 Boisvert, L. N., D. Wu, T. Vihma (2014), Improvements of moisture flux estimates using AIRS version 6 data in the Arctic, Abstract SCI-PS237.03 presented at the World Weather Open Science Conference 2014, Montreal, Canada.

September 2014

 


 Boisvert, L. N., T. Markus, and T. Vihma (2013), Moisture flux changes and trends for the entire Arctic in 2003-2011 derived from EOS Aqua data, Abstract C11B-01 presented at 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif.

2013

 


 Boisvert, L. N., T. Markus (2011), Sea surface temperatures: high latitude SSTs and their interactions with the Arctic sea ice cover, Poster presented at the World Climate Research Programme 2011, Denver, Colorado.

November 2011

 


 Boisvert, L. N., T. Markus, and C. Parkinson (2010), Sea surface temperatures and their relationship to melt and freeze onset in the central Arctic, Abstract C53B-01 presented at 2010 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif.

2010