Robert John Wilson
Space Scientist
Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center, Planetary Systems Branch (STT)
Email: Robert.J.Wilson@nasa.gov
Phone: 650-604-0026
Professional Biography
I received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University in 1979 and received an MS in Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences from Princeton University in 1993. I held a civil service position as a member of the Atmospheric Physics, Chemistry and Climate Group at the NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton NJ until February 2017. I am now a member of the Mars Climate Modeling Center at NASA Ames Research Center. My research interests include the meteorology and dynamics of planetary atmospheres and I have extensive experience working with general circulation models. I developed the GFDL Mars General Circulation Model for use in investigating issues related to Martian climate, specifically dust lifting and the transport of aerosols and volatiles. I have been active in collaborations with teams associated with the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer and Mars Climate Sounder instruments.
Education
M.S. Atmosphere and Ocean Science, Princeton University, 1993.
Research Interests
Planetary atmospheres, Martian weather, and climate.
Select Publications
Greybush, S.J., H.E. Gillespie, and R.J. Wilson (2018), Transient eddies in the TES/MCS Ensemble Mars Atmosphere Reanalysis System (EMARS), Icarus, 317, 158-181, https://doi.org/10.1016j/j.icarus.2018.07.001.
Mooring, T.A., and R.J. Wilson, Transient eddies in the MACDA Mars Reanalysis (2015), J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 120(10), doi:10.1002/2015JE004824.
Wilson, R. J., and S. D. Guzewich (2014). Influence of water ice clouds on nighttime tropical temperature structure as seen by the Mars Climate Sounder, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL060082.
Wilson, R.J., S.R. Lewis, L. Montabone, and M.D. Smith, 2008: The influence of water ice clouds on martian tropical atmospheric temperatures, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L07202, doi:10.1029/2007GL032405.
Basu, S., R.J. Wilson, M.I. Richardson, and A.P. Ingersoll, 2006: Simulation of spontaneous and variable global dust storms with the GFDL Mars GCM, J. Geophys. Res., 111, E09004, doi:10.1029/2005JE002660.
Richardson, M.I., and R.J. Wilson, 2002: Investigation of the nature and stability of the martian seasonal water cycle with a general circulation model, J. Geophys. Res., 107(E5), 10.1029/2001JE001536.
Wilson, R.J., and K. Hamilton, 1996: Comprehensive model simulation of thermal tides in the Martian atmosphere. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 53:1290-1326.
Select Conference Papers
Wilson, R.J., J.M. Murphy, and D. Tyler (2017), Assessing atmospheric thermal forcing from surface pressure data: Separating thermal tides and local topographic influence, Mars Atmosphere: Modeling and Observations, 6th International Workshop, Granada, Spain. http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/granada2017/abstracts/wilson_granada2017.pdf
Wilson, R.J., S.J. Greybush, T.H. McConnochie, and D. Kass (2014) Assessment of seasonal and interannual variability in TES and MCS observations, 8th International Meeting on Mars, Pasadena, CA. http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/8thmars2014/pdf/1468.pdf
Wilson, R.J., E. Millour, T. Navarro, F. Forget, and M.A. Kahre, 2014. GCM simulations of aphelion season tropical cloud and temperature structure, in Mars Atmosphere: Modeling and Observations, 5th International Workshop, Oxford, UK. http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/oxford2014/abstracts/wilson_clouds_oxford2014.pdf
Wilson, R.J., D. Hinson, and M.D. Smith, GCM simulations of transient eddies and frontal systems in the Martian atmosphere, Granada, Spain, 2006. http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/granada2006/abstracts/Wilson3_Granada2006.pdf