Joanne Simpson
Joanne Simpson was a retired meteorological scientist whose most notable work was carried out in the study of cloud systems and hurricanes. Simpson published over 190 articles in the field of meterology and worked at NASA for over twenty years. Before retiring, Simpson held the position of Chief Scientist for Meteorology at NASA.
Joanne Simpson passed away on March 4, 2010. She has been described as the first woman to ever receive a Ph.D in meteorology.
Joanne Simpson and Climate Change
Joanne Simpson was not trained in climate science. Her career was spent studying meterology with a particular focus on tropical regions. In one letter, Dr. Simpson states that claims of human-induced climate change are based on air-surface climate models that she describes as frail.
As a scientist, Simpson desires more complete data and recommends that the climate science community use the data from NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) to test its theories and climate models.
Despite what Joanne Simpson described as “incomplete information,” she also said “we must act on the recommendations of Gore and the IPCC because if we do not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and the climate models are right, the planet as we know it will in this century become unsustainable.”
