Dr. Lance E. Christensen                   

Atmospheric Observations Group Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California

Dr. Lance E. Christensen has been at JPL since 1998.  He is a researcher in the Atmospheric Observations Group and is co-investigator (Chris Webster PI) for Earth in situ instruments ALIAS-I (aircraft) and ALIAS-II (balloon).

He started at JPL as a physical chemistry graduate student at the California Institute of Technology under Professor Okumura and Dr. Stanley P. Sander at JPL and helped develop a laser flash photolysis instrument for the study of chemical reaction kinetics using dual near-IR diode-laser wavelength-modulation and UV absorption spectroscopy.

Current projects:

1) Measurement/analysis of tracers (methane, carbon monoxide, etc.) in Earth's atmosphere with the ALIAS flight instruments.

2) Measurement/analysis of total water and water isotopes (vapor + liquid + solid) in Earth's atmosphere with laser spectrometers.

3) Development of a laser spectrometer for the measurement of ¹³C/¹²C in carbon dioxide and methane.

Education:

1997-2002    Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, Caltech, Pasadena, California

1992-1996    B.S. Chemistry (honors), Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Professional Experience:

1998-2000    Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Chemistry, Caltech

1996-1997    Laboratory Technician - 3M Corp., Maplewood, Minnesota

Papers:

• Christensen, L. E.; Brunner, B., Truong, K. N., Mielke, R. E., Webster, C. R.; Coleman, M., "Measurement of sulfur isotope compositions by tunable laser spectroscopy of SO₂ ", Analytical Chemistry, 79, 9261-9268 (2007)

• 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)

• Christensen, L. E.; Okumura, M.; Hansen, J. C.; Sander, S. P.; 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)

• Hagan, D.E.; Webster, C.R.; Farmer, C.B.; May, R.D.; Herman, R.L.; Weinstock, E.M.; Christensen, L.E.; Lait, L.R.; Newman, P.A., “Validating AIRS Upper Atmosphere Water Vapor Retrievals using Aircraft and Balloon In Situ Measurements”, GRL, 31, (2004).

• Christensen, L. E; Miller, C. E.; Sloan, J. J.; Okumura, M.; Sander, S. P.; “Measurements of the Rate Constant for the HO₂ +NO₂ +N₂ → HO₂NO₂ Reaction Using Near-infrared Wavelength-Modulation Spectroscopy and UV-Visible Absorption Spectroscopy”, J. Phys. Chem. A., 108, 80-91 (2004)

• Christensen, L. E.; Okumura, M; Sander, S. P.; Salawitch, R. J.; Toon, G. C.; Sen, B.; Blavier, J.-F.; Jucks, K. W.; “Kinetics of HO₂  + HO₂ → H₂O₂: Implications for Stratospheric H₂O₂”, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(9), 13-1 (2002).

Personal interests:

World travel (with Kathleen, my wife)

Cello

Politics and Economics

Working on ALIAS-I in the field.

WB-57 aircraft.  ALIAS-I is in the right wing pod with the red flag attached to it.

My better half, Kathleen Christensen.