astronomy

Marilyn Raphael

Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael rather than just read about it. In short: Marilyn N. Raphael is a Trinidadian climatologist, best known for her work on climate change and variability in the high latitude southern hemisphere.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Marilyn N. Raphael is a Trinidadian climatologist, best known for her work on climate change and variability in the high latitude southern hemisphere. She is a professor and former chair of the Department of Geography at UCLA, has authored an award-winning text, and sits in leadership positions on a number of international polar research initiatives. In 2023, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society. She was elected a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.

Early life and education Raphael was born and grew up in Trinidad and Tobago. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in geography from McMaster University in 1984, and a Master of Arts and PhD in geography (1990) from Ohio State University. Her PhD work focused on atmospheric circulation and sensible heat flux in the Northern Hemisphere.

Career Raphael's research interests are global climate change and variability, specifically climate dynamics in the middle and high latitude of the Southern Hemisphere and the interaction between Antarctic sea ice and the atmosphere. Her research uses global climate models and also large-scale observational databases. Raphael has been teaching at UCLA since 1998 and spent time as departmental chair (2010–2013). Notable courses include: Climatology, Environmental Impact Analysis, Seminar - Environmental Studies, Tropical Climatology, and Issues in Geographical Inquiry.

Influences

Growing up, education was of the utmost importance for Raphael. Her mother was one of the key driving factors for pushing an education because she saw that education was the key to advancing in life. Raphael's path to climatology specifically was internally driven; however, she had people in her life that served as role models and mentors. Her high school teacher as well as her undergraduate adviser were both very encouraging of her pursuits into the geosciences. Raphael's interest in the Southern Hemisphere specifically came about when she was pursuing her PhD in geography.

Positions and accomplishments

Marilyn N. Raphael is a professor in the Department of Geography at UCLA and is a former chair of the department, serving between 2010 and 2013. Raphael is a co-chair of the Science Committee of Antarctic Research (SCAR) expert group Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt). She is also a co-lead of the World Climate Research Programme's Polar Climate Predictability Initiative. Raphael has also served on the National Research Council's Committees on Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations. Raphael's co-authored book, The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide, received an Atmospheric Science Librarians International (ASLI) Choice Award in 2010.

Selected bibliography Raphael, M.N., Holland, M.M., Landrum, L. et al., 2019. Links between the Amundsen Sea Low and sea ice in the Ross Sea: seasonal and interannual relationships. Climate Dynamics, 52: 2333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4258-4 Raphael, M.N. and Hobbs, W., 2014. The influence of the large‐scale atmospheric circulation on Antarctic sea ice during ice advance and retreat seasons. Geophysical Research Letters, 41(14): 5037-5045. Fry, J. L., Graf, H.-F., Grotjahn, R., Raphael, M. N., Saunders, C., & Whitaker, R., 2010. The encyclopedia of weather and climate change: A complete visual guide. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press. Raphael, M.N., 2007. The influence of atmospheric zonal wave three on Antarctic sea ice variability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 112: D12. Raphael, M. and Holland, M., 2006. Twentieth Century Simulation of the Southern Hemisphere Climate in Coupled Models. Part I: Large Scale Circulation Variability, Climate Dynamics, 26: 217–228 Holland, M.M and Raphael, M.N., 2006 Twentieth Century Simulation of the Southern Hemisphere Climate in Coupled Models. Part II: Sea Ice Conditions and Variability. Climate Dynamics, 26: 229–245 Raphael, M.N., 2004. A zonal wave 3 index for the Southern Hemisphere. Geophysical Research Letters, 31 Raphael, M. N., 2003. Impact of observed sea-ice concentration on the Southern Hemisphere extratropical atmospheric circulation in summer. J. Geophys. Res., 108 (D22): 4687 Raphael, M.N., 2003. Recent, Large-Scale Changes in the Extratropical Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation. J. Clim., 16 (17): 2915–2924. Raphael, M.N., 2003. A possible influence of the tropical quasi-biennialoscillation on the variability of the extratropical circulation in the Southern Hemisphere. J. Geophys. Res., 108(D22).

References

External links Marilyn Raphael, UCLA Department of Geography

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marilyn Raphael

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael

In research: Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael 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: Marilyn Raphael is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 21st-century American scientists, 21st-century American women scientists, 21st-century earth scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marilyn Raphael 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.

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How to study Marilyn Raphael in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marilyn Raphael in simple terms?

Marilyn N. Raphael is a Trinidadian climatologist, best known for her work on climate change and variability in the high latitude southern hemisphere.

Why does Marilyn Raphael 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 Marilyn Raphael?

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 Marilyn Raphael.