ESRL/GML Staff
Gary Morris

Staff Listing


Gary Morris

Acting Deputy Director

Ozone and Water Vapor Division Lead

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 in December 2021 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 and diverse teams; mentoring, developing, and supporting award-winning scientists; and to creating and promoting an inclusive, equitable, respectful, and 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. Gary serves 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. He also worked with the TICOSONDE project in Costa Rica, using balloon sondes to measure profiles of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from local volcanoes (2012–2018). 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.

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:
  • Fulbright Scholar, Japan - United States Educational Commission (2008–2009)
  • National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (1994–1997)
Prior Appointments:
  • 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):
  1. 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.
  2. 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, 2021.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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., 222, doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.117127, 2020.
  7. 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, doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0311.1, 2019.
  8. 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, doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.08.032, 2018.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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, doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.04.018, 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.