Anne M. Thompson

Anne M. Thompson, Senior Scientist Emeritus at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Senior Research Faculty at the Univ. of Maryland-Baltimore County, is best known for theoretical and observational advances in atmospheric chemistry, including: (1) characterization of Earth’s atmospheric oxidizing capacity ( Science , 1992) and its relationship to climate change; (2) design of NASA’s Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) network, proving that there is not a sharp stratosphere-troposphere discontinuity in the tropics but rather a “tropopause transition layer” in a region satellites struggle to resolve; (3) finding that SHADOZ records relatively modest tropical ozone trends (JGR, 2021). Thompson’s focus on technological enhancements to the ozonesonde instrument has fostered capacity-building in Asia, South America and Africa. A veteran of dozens of field campaigns, Thompson’s 2019 SCOAPE oceanographic cruise validated satellite observations of air pollution from oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico. As Penn State Meteorology Professor (2005-2013), Thompson was a sought-after mentor and served as a Fulbright scholar in South Africa, studying fire impacts and urban pollution. Awards include AGU’s Revelle Medal, COSPAR’s Nordberg Medal, and the American Meteorological Society’s Suomi Technology Medal.