GML Staff

Gary Morris

Research Physical Scientist

Ozone and Water Vapor

Mailing Address:
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
325 Broadway R/GML
Boulder CO 80305-3328


Email: gary.morris@noaa.gov

gary morris

Gary joined NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) as the Ozone and Water Vapor Division (OZWV) Lead in December 2021. In July 2022, he assumed the role of Acting Deputy Director of GML in addition to his OZWV division lead role. In May 2024, he was appointed as full-time Deputy Director of GML. While serving in these two roles, Gary’s work was recognized at the national level for his contributions to NOAA. In December 2023, Gary received the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research’s Employee of the Year Award in the category of leadership. Two months later, in February 2024, Gary received the Department of Commerce’s Silver Medal Award for his contributions to the NOAA’s response to the Hunga-Tonga volcanic eruption (January 2022) in helping to organize and deploy assets to the field to make measurements in the plume downwind of the volcano.

Gary has led GML’s response to NOAA’s Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) program for the last three years, and last year, Gary led the team responsible for preparing for and organizing GML’s Science Review (October 2024). In November 2024, he was reassigned to OZWV as a full-time physical scientist to focus on his research pursuits in the areas of stratospheric chemistry and dynamics, and air quality. Gary continues to provide service to GML through his active participation in numerous committees, including the Awards Committee, and the GML Space Committee.

Gary came to NOAA after a 25-year career in academia as a professor of physics and environmental science, including four years as Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN and six years as Dean of Natural Sciences at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. As a leader, Gary is dedicated to building strong teams; mentoring, developing, and supporting award-winning scientists; and creating and promoting a transparent organizational environment. As a scientist, Gary has studied atmospheric electricity, dynamics, and chemistry using trajectory modeling, satellite remote sensing data, and in situ data from balloon and surface instruments. From 2004–2018, he established and led the Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP), flying ozonesondes regularly from urban sites, primarily throughout Texas, to identify local and remote contributions to boundary layer pollution.

Scientifically, Gary continues to serve on the Assessment for Standard Operating Procedures for Ozonesondes (ASOPOS) panel, an international body reporting to the World Meteorological Organization on best practices for preparing, calibrating, and processing data from ozonesondes. In January 2025, Gary assumed the role of editor for the Atmospheric Composition section of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) annual State of the Climate Report. He also works with NASA’s TICOSONDE project in Costa Rica, using balloon sondes to measure profiles of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from local volcanoes (2012–2018), and NASA’s SHADOZ project, gathering ozonesonde profile data throughout the tropics and extratropics. Just before arriving at NOAA, Gary co-invented and patented a new, lightweight, inexpensive approach for measuring SO2 in situ on a balloon payload. This new instrument has been deployed and demonstrated effective in volcanic plumes in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and most recently, at LaReunion Island after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano in January, 2022 (which led to the Silver Medal Award from the Department of Commerce).

Education:

  • Ph.D., Space Physics and Astronomy, Rice University (1995)
  • M.S., Space Physics and Astronomy, Rice University (1992)
  • A.B., Mathematics, Physics, Washington University (1989)

Awards:

  • NOAA Boulder Outreach Gold Star Award - 3 stars (2024)
  • Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award (2024)
  • NOAA Boulder Outreach Gold Star Award - 4 stars (2023)
  • NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Employee of the Year Award - Leadership (2023)
  • Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award - NOAA Ambassador’s Program (2023)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, SEAC4RS (2013)
  • Fulbright Scholar, Japan - United States Educational Commission (2008–2009)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, TC4 (2008)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, UARS Team (2006)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment North America Science Team (2005)
  • Outstanding Faculty Award - Rice University Pre-Medical Society (2003)
  • Outstanding Faculty Associate, Martel College, Rice University (2002)
  • Distinguished Faculty Associate, Martel College, Rice University (2001)
  • National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (1994–1997)
  • Graduate Fellowship for Global Change, Department of Energy (1992 - 1994)
  • Graduate Student Summer Program, USRA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (1992)

Prior Appointments:

  • NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Deputy Director (2024) and Acting Deputy Director (2022 - 2024)
  • NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Ozone and Water Vapor Division Lead (2021 - 2024)
  • Professor of Environmental Science and Physics, St. Edward’s University (2020–2022)
  • Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Physics, St. Edward’s University (2014–2020)
  • Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Physics, Valparaiso University (2010–2014)
  • Assistant and Associate Professor of Physics, Valparaiso University (2004– 2006, 2006–2010)
  • Weiss Instructor of Physics, Rice University (2000–2004)
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics, Valparaiso University (1998–2000)
  • Research Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Maryland Baltimore County (1997–1998)

Recent Relevant Publications (2017 - present):

(For a full list, see my Google Scholar Page)

  1. Chang, K.L., O.R. Cooper, A. Gaudel, I. Petropavlovskikh, P. Effertz, G. Morris, and B.C. McDonald, “Challenges in detecting free tropospheric ozone trends in a sparsely sampled environment,” Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6197-6218, doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6197-2024, 2024.
  2. Liu, C., L. Jorgensdottir, P. Walter, G.A. Morris, J.H. Flynn, and P. Kucera, “On the detection of icing conditions at altitude in conjunction with mesoscale convective complexes using balloon sondes,” Monthly Weather Rev., 151, 2397-2412, doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0062.1, 2023.
  3. Johnson, B.J., P. Cullis, J. Booth, I. Petropavlovskikh, G. McConville, B. Hassler, G.A. Morris, C. Sterling, S. Oltmans, “South Pole Station ozonesondes: variability and trends in the springtime Antarctic ozone hole 1986–2021,” Atmos. Chem., Phys., 23,doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3133-2023, 2023.
  4. Yoon, S., A. Kotsakis, S.L. Alvarez, M.G. Spychala, E. Klovenski, P. Walter, G. Morris, E. Corrales, A. Alan, J.A. Diaz, and J.H. Flynn, “Development and testing of a novel sulfur dioxide sonde,” Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4373-4384, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4373-2022, 2022.
  5. Tarasick, D.W., H.G.J. Smit, A.M. Thompson, G.A. Morris, J.C. Witte, J. Davies, T. Nakano, R.Van Malderen, R.M. Stauffer, B.J. Johnson, R. Stübi, S.J. Oltmans, and H. Vömel, “Improving ECC Ozonesonde Data Quality: Assessment of Current Methods and Outstanding Issues, Earth and Space Science, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000914, 20 January 2021.
  6. Vömel, H., H.G.J. Smit, D. Tarasick, B. Johnson, S.J. Oltmans, H. Selkirk, A.M. Thompson, R.M. Stauffer, J.C. Witte, J. Davies, R. van Malderen, G.A. Morris, T. Nakano, and R. Stübi, “A New Method to Correct the ECC Ozone Sonde Time Response and its Implications for ‘Background Current’ and Pump Efficiency,” Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5667-5680, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5667-2020, 2020.
  7. Wilkins, J.L. B. de Foy, A.M. Thompson, D.A. Peterson, E.J. Hyer, C. Graves, J. Fishman, and G.A. Morris, “Evaluation of Stratospheric Intrusions and Biomass Burning Plumes on the Vertical Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone over the Midwestern U.S.,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 1JD032454, 125(18), https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032454, 2020.
  8. Stauffer, R.M., A.M. Thompson, D.E. Kollonige, D.W. Tarasick, J.M. Davies, H. Vömel, J.C. Witte, G.A. Morris, R. van Malderen, B.J. Johnson, R.R. Querel, H.B. Selkirk R. Stübi, and H.G.J. Smit, “A Post-2013 Drop-off in Total Ozone at Half of Global Ozonesonde Stations: ECC Instrument Artifacts?” Geophys. Res. Lett., 47(11), https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086791, 2020.
  9. Edwards, R.P., M. Engle, and G. Morris, “Evaluation of El Nino-Southern Oscillation Influence on Ozone Exceedances Along the United States Gulf Coast,” Atmos. Environ., doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.117127, 222, 2020.
  10. Thompson, A.M., H.G.J. Smit, J.C. Witte, R.M. Stauffer, B.J. Johnson, G. Morris, P. von der Gathen, R. van Maldren, J. Davies, A. Piters, M. Allart, F. Posny, R. Kivi, P. Cullis, N.T.H. Anh, E. Corrales, T. Machinini, F.R. deSilva, G. Paiman, K. Thiong’o, Z. Zainal, G.B. Brothers, K.R. Wolff, T. Nakano, R. Stübi, G. Romanens, G.J.R. Coetzee, J.A. Diaz, S. Mitro, M. Mohamad, and S.-Y. Ogino, “Ozonesonde Quality Assurance: The JOSIE-SHADOZ (2017) Experience,” Bull. Amer. Meterol. Soc., 100(1), 155 – 171, 2019.
  11. Edwards, R., O. Sale, and G. Morris, “Evaluation of El Nino-Southern Oscillation Influence on 30 Years of Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations in Houston,” Atmos. Environ., 192, 72 – 83, 2018.
  12. Huang, G. X. Liu, K. Chance, K. Yang, P.K. Bhartia, Z. Cai, M. Allaart, G. Ancellet, B. Calpini, G.J.R. Coetzee, E. Cuevas-Agullló, M. Cupeiro, H. DeBacker, M.K. Dubey, H.E. Fuelberg, M. Fujiwara, S. Godin-Beekmann, T.J. Hall, B. Johnson, J. Everette, R. Kivi, B. Kois, N. Komala, G. König-Langlo, G. Laneve, T. Leblanc, M. Marchand, K.R. Minschwaner, G. Morris M.J. Newchurch, S.-Y. Ogino, N. Ohkawara, A.J.M. Piters, F. Posny, R. Querel, R. Scheele, F.J. Schmidlin, R.C. Schnell, O. Schrems, H. Selkirk, M. Shiotani, P. Skrivánková, R. Stübi, G. Taha, D.W. Tarasick, A.M. Thompson, V. Thouret, M.B. Tully, R. van Malderen, “Validation of 10-year SAO OMI Ozone Profile (PROFOZ) Product Using Ozonesonde Observations,” Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10 (7), 2455 – 2475, doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2455-2017, 2017.
  13. Caicedo, V., B. Rappenglück, B. Lefer, G. Morris, D. Toledo, R. Delgado, “Comparison of Aerosol Lidar Retrieval Methods for Boundary Layer Height Detection Using Ceiliometer Aerosol Backscatter Data,” Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10 (4), 1609 – 1622, doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1609-2017, 2017.
  14. Kotsakis, A., G.A. Morris, B. Lefer, W. Jeon, A. Roy, K. Minschwaner, A.M. Thompson, and Y. Choi, “Ozone Production by Corona Discharges During a Convective Event in DISCOVER-AQ Houston,” Atmos. Environ., 161, 13 – 17, 2017.

Patent Published:

Flynn, J. and G.A. Morris, A method for directly measuring SO2 and other trace gases by electrochemical cell (ecc) sonde, United States: US20200011832A1, 2021.