Joel Thornton
Professor and chair, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Air pollution, Wildfires
Expertise: Tracking wildfire smoke impacts on air quality and climate, detecting emissions
Joel Thornton is an atmospheric scientist who studies the impacts of human activities on air quality and climate through changes to the atmosphere. He studies what controls the formation and removal of short-lived greenhouse gases, such as methane and ozone, and the formation and growth of airborne particulates. These atmospheric components, affected by both human activities and natural processes, have important effects on human health, ecosystems and the climate system. Thornton’s recent research has involved flying aircraft through wildfire smoke plumes to study the properties and fate of wildfire smoke particles.
