Profile of Claire L. Parkinson

Abstract

When people think of research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), sea ice may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, has spent 4 decades studying sea ice. Parkinson's use of satellite data has revealed clear and sometimes unexpected long-term changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice coverage. Meanwhile, as project scientist for NASA's Aqua satellite, she oversees the collection of data used by scientists around the world. Parkinson has received numerous honors for her accomplishments, including election to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2009 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2016. Claire Parkinson speaking at the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. Image courtesy of Steve Graham (photographer).