michael s. town         
town AT lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
photo
 Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement
CNRS/UJF (UMR 5183)
54 rue Molière
38402 - Saint Martin d'Hères cedex (France)

Tél.  +33 4 76 82 42 66
Fax   +33 4 76 82 42 01

home
research
I am currently a post-doc at the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement.
My research is centered around the climate of the polar regions.
My current interests include:
    Antarctic meteorology and climatology
    Greenlandic meteorology and climatology
    Polar clouds
    Stable boundary layer processes
    Stable isotopes in polar snow
Publications:

2009
 F. Rabier, A. Bouchard, E. Brun, A. Doerenbecher, S. Guedj, V. Guidard, F. Karbou, V.-H. Peuch, L. E. Amraoui, D. Puech, C. Genthon, G. Picard, M. S. Town, A. Hertzog, F. Vial, P. Cocquerez, S. A. Cohn, T. Hock, J. Fox, H. Cole, D. Parsons, J. Powers, K. Romberg, J. VanAndel, T. Deshler, J. Mercer, J. S. Haase, L. Avallone, L. Kalnajs, C. R. Mechoso, A. Tangborn, A. Pellegrini, Y. Frenot, J.-N.Thépaut, A. McNally, G. Balsamo, P. Steinle, 2009: The Concordiasi project in Antarctica, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Soc., (in review).

Genthon, C., M. S. Town,  V. Favier, D. Six, S. Argentini, and A. Pellegrini, 2009: Meteorological atmospheric boundary layer measurements and ECMWF Analyses during summer at Dome C, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., (in review).

Froyland, H., N. Untersteiner, M. S. Town, and S. G. Warren, 2009: Evaporation and Precipitation over Arctic Sea Ice in Summer during the IGY, 1957-1958. J. Geophys. Res., (in review).

Town, M. S., and V. P. Walden, 2009: The surface energy budget over the South Pole and turbulent heat fluxes as a function of an empirical bulk Richardson number. J. Geophys. Res., (in press).

Warren, S. G., and M. S. Town, 2009: Antarctica. Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate, (in press), Oxford Univ. Press.


2008
Town, M. S., S. G. Warren, V. P. Walden, and E. D. Waddington, 2008: Effect of atmospheric water vapor on modification of stable isotopes in near-surface snow on ice sheets.  J. Geophys. Res., 113, D24303, doi:10.1029/2008JD009852.

Town, M. S., E. D. Waddington, V. P. Walden, and S. G. Warren, 2008: Temperatures, heating rates, and vapor pressures in the near-surface snow of East Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 54, 487-498.

Hagler, G., M. Bergin, E. Smith, M. Town, and J. Dibb, 2008: Local anthropogenic impact on particulate elemental carbon concentrations at Summit, Greenland, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 2485-2491.


2007
Town, M. S., V. P. Walden, and S. G. Warren, 2007: Cloud Cover over the South Pole from Visual Observations, Satellite Retrievals and Surface-Based Infrared Radiation Measurements, J. Climate, 20, 544-559.


2005
Walden, V. P., M. S. Town, B. Halter, and J. W. V. Storey, 2005: First Measurements of Sky Brightness at Dome C, Antarctica, Pub. of the Astronomical Soc. of the Pacific, 117, 300-308.

Town, M. S., V. P. Walden, and S. G. Warren, 2005 : Spectral and Broadband Longwave Downwelling Radiation Fluxes, Cloud Radiative Forcing, and Fractional Cloud Cover over the South Pole, J. Climate, 18, 4235-4252.


2004
Hudson, S. R., M. S. Town, V. P. Walden, and S. G. Warren, 2004: Temperature, Humidity, and Pressure Response Times at Low Temperatures, J. Atmos. Ocea. Tech., 21, 825-836.


2001
Cooper, O. R., J. L. Moody, T. D. Thornberry, M. S. Town, and M. A. Carroll, 2001: PROPHET 1998 meteorological overview and air-mass classification, J. Geophys. Res., 106, D20, 24 298-24 299.

Pippin, M., S. Bertman, T. D. Thronberry, M. S. Town, M. A. Carroll, 2001: Seasonal variations of PAN, PPN, and O3 at the upper Midwest PROPHET site, J. Geophys. Res., 106, D20, 24 451-24 463.

Selected conference proceedings:

Town, M. S., and V. P. Walden, 2004: Uncertainty analysis of data from the Polar Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (PAERI) during the South Pole Atmospheric Radiation and Cloud Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE), Internationational Radiation Symposium, 23-28 August 2004, Busan, South Korea.
curriculum vitae
dissertation
Some other areas of interest of mine are:
climate change
abrupt climate change
alternative energy (biodiesel, wind power)
outreach and youth education
Links:

LGGE
CONCORDIASI

Warren Group
Von P. Walden
SPARCLE
Department of Atmospheric Sciences - University of Washington
Glaciology group - University of Washington