astronomy

M. Joan Alexander

M. Joan Alexander is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand M. Joan Alexander rather than just read about it. In short: M. Joan Alexander is an atmospheric scientist known for her research on gravity waves and their role in atmospheric circulation.

Key takeaways

M. Joan Alexander belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect M. Joan Alexander to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of M. Joan Alexander from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

M. Joan Alexander is an atmospheric scientist known for her research on gravity waves and their role in atmospheric circulation.

Education and career Alexander earned a B.S. in chemistry from Purdue University in 1981 and a M.S. in Astrophysical, Planetary & Atmospheric Sciences from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1989. She then completed her Ph.D. in Astrophysical, Planetary & Atmospheric Sciences in 1992 from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Following her Ph.D., Alexander worked at Hughes Aircraft Company, Great Lakes Chemical Company, Martin Marietta Aerospace Corporation before moving to the University of Colorado, Boulder as a Research Assistant in 1987. In 1992 she moved to the University of Washington, first as postdoctoral faculty (1992-1994) and then as a research assistant professor. In 1998 she joined NorthWest Research Associates where she is a senior research scientist; she also holds the position of Professor Adjoint at the University of Colorado, Boulder. From 2004 to 2006, Alexander was the president of the Atmospheric Sciences section of the American Geophysical Union.

Research Alexander's research interests include atmospheric dynamics, waves, convection, global circulation modeling, mesoscale modeling, satellite, aircraft, balloon-borne observations, and middle atmosphere studies. Alexander's early research examined changes in atomic oxygen in the atmospheres of Venus and Mars. Following this period, she began examining waves in the atmosphere such as high-frequency gravity waves formed during storms. She also established the conditions to adequately characterize gravity waves in the stratosphere, how to parameterize gravity waves in climate models, and how satellite imagery can be used to track atmospheric gravity waves. Through this research, Alexander is able to link gravity waves with climate modeling and modeling of storms. Alexander's research uses high altitude balloons that circle the globe in the stratosphere and collect data on the air and winds. In 2020, Alexander received funding from the National Science Foundation to use data from balloons being launched by Loon LLC to provide internet service; the high resolution data from the balloons will allow Alexander and colleagues to track gravity waves in the atmosphere and use the resulting data to improve weather and climate models.

Selected publications Alexander, M. J.; Holton, J. R.; Durran, D. R. (1995-06-15). "The Gravity Wave Response above Deep Convection in a Squall Line Simulation". Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 52 (12): 2212–2226. Bibcode:1995JAtS...52.2212A. doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1995)052<2212:TGWRAD>2.0.CO;2. hdl:2060/19960048434. ISSN 0022-4928. S2CID 122955810. Alexander, M. J. (1998). "Interpretations of observed climatological patterns in stratospheric gravity wave variance". Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 103 (D8): 8627–8640. Bibcode:1998JGR...103.8627A. doi:10.1029/97JD03325. ISSN 2156-2202. Fritts, David C.; Alexander, M. Joan (2003). "Gravity wave dynamics and effects in the middle atmosphere". Reviews of Geophysics. 41 (1): 1003. Bibcode:2003RvGeo..41.1003F. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.713.2000. doi:10.1029/2001RG000106. ISSN 1944-9208. S2CID 122701606. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |citeseerx= (help) Alexander, M. J.; Geller, M.; McLandress, C.; Polavarapu, S.; Preusse, P.; Sassi, F.; Sato, K.; Eckermann, S.; Ern, M.; Hertzog, A.; Kawatani, Y. (2010). "Recent developments in gravity-wave effects in climate models and the global distribution of gravity-wave momentum flux from observations and models". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. 136 (650): 1103–1124. Bibcode:2010QJRMS.136.1103A. doi:10.1002/qj.637. hdl:11336/16993. ISSN 1477-870X. S2CID 33500010.

Awards Bjerknes Lecturer, American Geophysical Union (2000) Fellow, American Meteorological Society (2006) Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2017)

References

External links M. Joan Alexander publications indexed by Google Scholar Bjerknes Lecture, M. Joan Alexander - AGU Fall Meeting 2000 on YouTube

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with M. Joan Alexander

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what M. Joan Alexander claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to M. Joan Alexander before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about M. Joan Alexander ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of M. Joan Alexander

In research: M. Joan Alexander appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses M. Joan Alexander in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: M. Joan Alexander is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fellows of the American Geophysical Union, Fellows of the American Meteorological Society, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for M. Joan Alexander outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “M. Joan Alexander” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study M. Joan Alexander in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what M. Joan Alexander means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain M. Joan Alexander out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is M. Joan Alexander in simple terms?

M. Joan Alexander is an atmospheric scientist known for her research on gravity waves and their role in atmospheric circulation.

Why does M. Joan Alexander matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study M. Joan Alexander?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on M. Joan Alexander.