Research Interests

I am an atmospheric scientist specializing in boundary layer meteorology and field campaign observations. My research spans a wide number of applications including wind energy, land surface-atmosphere flux exchange processes, flow over complex terrain, and more recently, characterization of the stratosphere.  I frequently plan and execute field campaigns to better understand atmospheric flow over forest canopies and complex terrain. I also recently led a project which launched single and tandem balloons into the stratosphere for turbulence and aerosol collection. Recent campaigns include the 2017 Solar Eclipse, DOE’s Second Wind Forecasting Improvement Project (WFIP2), the Hill Flow Study (HilFlowS), atmospheric transport experiments at the Nevada Test Site, the Beryllium Isotopes for Resolving Dynamics in the Stratosphere (BIRDIES), the Forest Flow Study (ForestFlowS), and DOE's Third Wind Forecasting Improvement Project (offshore WFIP3). I am the PI of the Diablo Grassland AmeriFlux tower at Site 300 (Altamont, California) and the Wind River Old-Growth Forest AmeriFlux tower in Washington State.

Professional Committees Served

• 2023-2025, DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Science Board
• 2016–2019, American Meteorological Society’s Board on Atmospheric Biogeoscience
• 2016–2019, American Meteorological Society’s Committee on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• 2012–2016, American Meteorological Society’s Committee on Renewable Energy
• 2012, American Meteorological Society’s Policy Statement on Energy Production and Earth Observations: Drafting Team

Ph.D., Atmospheric Science, University of California at Davis, 2008

B.S., Biology (Ecology Concentration), Environmental Studies, Baylor University, 1998

50) Wharton, S., Brown, M.J., Dexheimer, D., Fast, J., Newsom, R.K., Schalk, W.W., Wiersema, D.J. (2023) Capturing smoke plume behavior in complex terrain: an overview of the Nevada National Security Site Meteorological Experiment (METEX21), Frontiers in Earth Science (11) doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1251153

49) Wiersema, D.J., Wharton, S., Arthur, R.S., Juliano, T.W. Lundquist, K.A., Glascoe, L.G., Newsom, R.K., Schalk, W.W., Brown, M.J., Dexheimer, D. (2023) Assessing turbulence and mixing parameterizations in the gray-zone of multiscale simulations over mountainous terrain during the METEX21 field experiment. Frontiers in Earth Science (11) doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1251180

48) Beydoun, H., Caldwell P.M., Stein, E.V., Wharton, S. (2023) Tracing the rain formation pathways in numerical simulations of deep convection. J Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 15: e2022MS003413. doi.org/10.1029/2022MS003413

47) Pichugina, Y.L., Banta, R.M., Brewer, W.A., Kenyon, J., Olson, J.B., Turner, D.D., Wilczak, J., Baidar, S., Lundquist, J.K., Shaw, W.J., Wharton, S. (2022) Model evaluation by measurements from collocated remote sensors in complex terrain, Weather and Forecasting 37: 1829-1853

46) Wharton. S, Foster, K. (2022) Deploying taller turbines in complex terrain: A hill flow study (HilFlowS) perspective, Energies 15: 2672, doi.org/10.3390/en15072672

45) Denis, E.H., Morrison, K.A., Wharton, S., Phillips, S.M., Meyers, S.C., Foxe, M.P., Ewing, R.G. (2021) Trace explosive residue detection of HMX and RDX in post-donation dust from an open-air environment. Talanta 227: 122124, doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122124

44) Helbig, M., Gerken, T., Beamesderfer, E., Wharton, S, et al. (2021) Integrating continuous atmospheric boundary layer and tower-based flux measurements to advance understanding of land-atmosphere interactions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 307: 108509, doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108509

43) Rey-Sanchez, A. C., Wharton, S., Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, J., Paw U, K.T., Hemes, K., Fuentes, J., Osuna, J., Ribeiro, J.V., Szutu, D., Verfaillie, J., Baldocchi, D. (2021) Evaluation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height from Wind Profiling Radar and Slab Models and its Responses to Seasonality of Land Cover, Subsidence, and Advection, J Geophysical Research-Atmosphere 126, e2020JD033775, doi:10.1029/2020JD033775

42) Phillips, M.C., Harilal, S.S., Yeak, J., Jones, J.R., Wharton, S., Bernacki, B. (2020) Standoff detection of chemical plumes from high explosive open detonations using swept-wavelength external cavity quantum cascade lasers. J Applied Physics 128, 163103, doi: 10.1063/5.0023228

41) Djalalova, I.V., Bianco, L., Akish, E., Wilczak, J.M., Olson, J.B., Kenyon, J.S., Wharton, S., et al., (2020) Wind ramp events validation in NWP forecast models during the second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP2) using the Ramp Tool and Metric (RT&M), Weather and Forecasting 35: 2407-2421

40) Pichugina, Y., Banta, R., Brewer, A., Bianco, L., Draxl, L., Kenyon, J., Lundquist J., Olson, J., Turner D., Wharton, S., et al. (2020) Evaluating the WFIP2 updates to the HRRR model using scanning Doppler lidar measurements in the complex terrain of the Columbia River Basin, J Renewable and Sustainable Energy 12, 043301:doi.org/10.1063/5.0009138

39) Arthur, R.S., Mirocha, J.D., Marjanovic, N., Hirth, B.D., Schroeder, J.L., Wharton, S., Chow, F.K. (2020) Multi-scale simulations of wind farm performance during a frontal passage. Atmosphere 11: 245, doi:10.3390/atmos11030245

38) Wilczak, J., Stoelinga, M., Berg, L., Sharp, J., Draxl, C., McCaffrey, K., Banta, R., Bianco, L., Djalalova, I., Lundquist, J., Muradyan, P., Choukulkar, A., Leo, L., Bonin, T., Eckman, R., Long, C., Worsnop, R., Wharton, S., et al. (2019) The second wind forecast improvement project (WFIP2): observational field campaign. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 100(9): 1701-1723

37) Higgins, C.W., Drake, S, Kelley, J.R., Oldroyd, H.J., Jensen, D., Wharton, S. (2019) Ensemble-averaging resolves rapid atmospheric response to the 2017 total solar eclipse. Frontiers in Earth Science 7(198): doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00198

36) Jiang, Y., Still, C.J., Rastogi, B., Page, G.F.M., Wharton, S., Meinzer, F.C., Voelker, S., Kim, J.B. (2019) Trends and controls on water-use efficiency of an old-growth coniferous forest in the Pacific Northwest. Environmental Research Letters 14(7): doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab2612

35) Rastogi, R., Berkelhammer, M., Wharton, S., Whelan, M.E., Meinzer, F.C., Noone, D., Still, C.J. (2018) Ecosystem fluxes of carbonyl sulfide in an old-growth forest: temporal dynamics and responses to diffuse radiation and heat waves. Biogeosciences 15, 7127-7139

34) Rastogi, B., Berkelhammer, M., Wharton, S., Whelan, M.E., Itter, M.S., Leen, J.B., Gupta, M.X., Noone, D., Still, C.J. (2018) Large uptake of atmospheric OCS observed at a moist old growth forest: Controls and implications for carbon cycle applications. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, 123, 3424-3438, doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004430

33) DuBois, S., Desai, A.R., Singh, A., Serbin, S.P., Goulden, M.L., Baldocchi, D.D., Ma, S., Oechel, W.C., Wharton, S., Kruger, E.L., Townsend, P.A. (2018) Using imaging spectroscopy data to detect spatial and temporal variation in terrestrial ecosystem productivity across a water-stressed landscape. Ecological Applications 28(5): 1313-1324

32) Wharton, S., Ma, S., Baldocchi, D.D., Falk, M., Newman, J.F., Osuna, J.L., Bible, K. (2017) Influence of regional nighttime atmospheric regimes on canopy turbulence and gradients at a closed and open forest in mountain-valley terrain. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 237: 18-29

31) Yang, B., Qian, Y., Berg, L.K., Ma, P.-L., Wharton, S., Bulaevskaya, V., Yan, H., Hou, Z., Shaw, W.J. (2017) Sensitivity of turbine-height wind speeds to parameters in Planetary Boundary-Layer and Surface-Layer Schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, Boundary-Layer Meteorology 162: 117-142

30) Bonin, T.A., Newman, J.F., Klein, P.M., Chilson, P.B., Muschinski, A., Wharton, S. (2016) Improvement of vertical velocity statistics measured by a Doppler lidar through comparison with sonic anemometer observations. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9: 5833-5852

29) Newman, J.F., Bonin, T.A., Klein, P.M., Wharton, S., Newsom, R.K. (2016) Testing and validation of multi-lidar scanning strategies for wind energy applications. Wind Energy 19: 2239-2254

28) Wagle, P., Xiao, X., Kolb, T.E., Law, B.E., Wharton, S., Monson, R.K., Chen, J., Blanken, P.D., Novick, K.A., Dore, S., Noormets, A., Gowda, P.H. (2016) Differential responses of carbon and water vapor fluxes to climate among evergreen needleleaf forests across the United States. Ecological Processes 5(8): doi:10.1186/s13717-016-0053-5

27) Wharton, S., Falk. M. (2016) Climate indices strongly influence old-growth forest carbon       exchange. Environmental Research Letters 11(4): doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/04401

26) Newman, J.F., Klein, P.M., Wharton, S., Sathe, A., Bonin, T.A., Chilson, P.B., Muschinski, A. (2016) Evaluation of three lidar scanning strategies for turbulence measurements. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9: 1993-2013

25) Klein, P, Bonin, T.A., Newman, J.F., Turner, D.D., Chilson, P.B., Wainwright, C.E., Blumberg, W.G., Mishra, S., Carney, M., Jacobsen, E.P., Wharton, S., Newsom, R.K. (2015) LABLE: A multi-institutional, student-led, atmospheric boundary-layer experiment. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 96(10): 1743-1764

24) Wharton, S., Newman, J.F., Qualley, G., Miller, W.O. (2015) Measuring turbine inflow with vertically-profiling lidar in complex terrain. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 142: 217-231

23) Taylor, A.J., Lai, C.-T., Hopkins, F., Wharton, S., Bible, K., Xu, X.-M., Phillips, C., Bush, S., Ehleringer, J.R. (2015) Radiocarbon-based partitioning of soil respiration in an old-growth coniferous forest. Ecosystems 18: 459-470

22) Toomey, M., Friedl, M., Frolking, S., Hufkens, K., Klosterman, S., Sonnentag, O., Wharton, S., et al. (2015) Greenness indices from digital cameras predict the timing and seasonal dynamics of canopy-scale photosynthesis. Ecological Applications 25(1): 99-115

21) Bulaevskaya, V., Wharton, S., Clifton, A., Qualley, G., Miller, W.O. (2015) Power curve modeling in complex terrain using statistical models. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 7:013103: doi:10.1063/1.4904430

20) Wharton, S., Simpson, M., Osuna, J.L., Newman, J.F., Biraud, S.C. (2015) Role of surface energy exchange for simulating wind turbine inflow: a case study in the Southern Great Plains, USA. Atmosphere 6: 21-49

19) Marjanovic, N., Wharton, S., Chow, F.K. (2014) Investigation of model parameters for high-resolution wind energy forecasting: case studies over simple and complex terrain. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 134: 10-24

18) Wharton, S., Lundquist, J.K. (2012) Assessing atmospheric stability and its impact on rotor-disk wind characteristics at an onshore wind farm. Wind Energy 15: 525-546

17) Wharton, S., Falk, M., Bible, K., Schroeder, M., Paw U, K.T. (2012) Old-growth CO2 flux measurements reveal high sensitivity to climate anomalies across seasonal, annual and decadal time scales. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 161: 1-14

16) Peltoniemi, M., Pulkkinen, M., Kolari, P., Duursma, R., Montagnani, L., Wharton, S., et al. (2012) Does canopy mean nitrogen concentration explain variation in canopy light use efficiency across 14 contrasting forest sites? Tree Physiology 32: 200-218

15) Wharton, S., Lundquist, J.K. (2012) Atmospheric stability affects wind turbine power collection. Environmental Research Letters 7(1): doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/7/1/014005

14) Xiao, J.-F., Zhuang, Q., Law, B.E., Baldocchi, D.D., Chen, J., Richardson, A.D., Melillo, J.M., Davis, K.J., Hollinger, D.Y., Wharton, S. et al. (2011) Assessing net ecosystem carbon exchange of U.S. terrestrial ecosystems by integrating eddy covariance flux measurements and satellite observations. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151: 60-69

13) Yi, C., Ricciuto, D., Runze, L., Wolbeck, J., Xu, X., Nilsson, M., Wharton, S. et al. (2010) Climate controls of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents. Environmental Research Letters 5(3), doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/5/3/034007

12) Gea-Izquierdo G., Bergeron, Y., Margolis, H., Makela, A., Black, T.A., Dunn, A., Hadley, J., Paw U, K.T., Falk, M., Wharton, S. et al. (2010) Modeling acclimation of photosynthesis to temperature in evergreen conifer forests. New Phytologist 188: 175-186

11) Xiao, J.-F., Zhuang Q., Law, B.E., Chen, J., Baldocchi, D.D., Cook, D.R., Oren, R., Richardson, A.D., Wharton, S. et al. (2010) A continuous measure of gross primary production for the Conterminous U.S. derived from MODIS and AmeriFlux data. Remote Sensing of Environment 114: 576-591

10) Wharton, S., Chasmer, L., Falk, M., Paw U, K.T. (2009) Strong links between teleconnections and canopy CO2 exchange found at a Pacific Northwest old-growth forest from flux tower and MODIS EVI data. Global Change Biology 15: 2187-2205

9) Wharton, S., Schroeder, M., Bible, K., Falk, M., Paw U, K.T. (2009) Stand-level gas-exchange responses to seasonal drought in very young versus old Douglas-fir forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Tree Physiology 29: 959-974

8) Wharton, S., Schroeder, M., Paw U, K.T., Falk, M., Bible, K. (2009) Turbulence considerations for comparing ecosystem exchange over old-growth and clear-cut stands for limited fetch and complex canopy flow conditions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 149: 1477-1490

7) van Gorsel, E., Delpierre, N., Leuning, R., Black, A., Munger, J.W., Wofsy, S., Aubinet, M.,Feigenwinter, C., Wharton, S. et al. (2009) Estimating nocturnal ecosystem respiration from the vertical flux and change in storage of CO2. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 149: 1919-1930

6) Turner, D.P., Ritts, W.D., Wharton, S., Thomas, C., Monson, R., Black, T.A., Falk, M. (2009) Assessing FPAR source and parameter optimization scheme in application of a diagnostic carbon flux model. Remote Sensing of Environment 113: 1529-1539

5) Xiao, J.-F., Zhuang, Q., Baldocchi, D., Law, B., Richardson, A., Chen, J., Oren, R., Starr, G., Noormets, A., Ma, S., Verma, S., Wharton, S. et al. (2008) Estimation of net ecosystem carbon exchange for the conterminous United States by combining MODIS and AmeriFlux data. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 1827-1847

4) Falk, M., Wharton, S., Schroeder, M., Ustin, S.L., Paw U, K.T. (2008) Flux partitioning in an old-growth forest: seasonal and interannual dynamics. Tree Physiology 28: 509-520

3) Cheng, Y.-B., Wharton, S., Ustin, S.L., Zarco-Tejada, P.J., Falk, M., Paw U, K.T. (2007) Relationships between MODIS resolution imaging spectroradiometer water indices and tower flux data in an old-growth conifer forest. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 1: 1-26

2) Falk, M., Paw U, K.T., Wharton, S., Schroeder, M. (2005) Is soil respiration a major contributor to the carbon budget within a Pacific Northwest old-growth forest? Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 135: 269-283

1) Paw U, K.T., Wharton, S., Kochendorfer, J. (2004) Evapotranspiration: measuring and modeling. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 664: 537-554

• Editor’s Choice, J Agricultural and Forest Meteorology for Helbig et al. (2021)
• 2021 Global Security Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, for recognition of METEX21 execution
• 2019 Global Security Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, for recognition of S300 FE2 execution
• 2019 SPOT Award, Physical and Life Sciences, LLNL for recognition of patent award
• 2016 SPOT Award, Physical and Life Sciences, LLNL, for recognition of community outreach
• 2016 Global Security Directorate Bronze Award, LLNL, for recognition of successful IWS audit
• 2014 Global Security Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, for recognition of wind energy research
• 2012 Global Security Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, for recognition of educational outreach
• 2012 SPOT Award, Physical and Life Sciences, LLNL, for recognition of Newsline article
• 2012 Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award for carbon-climate links, World Meteorological Organization, in recognition of co-authorship of “Climate Control of Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Across Biomes and Continents”, Yi, C. et al., ERL (5) 2010
• 2010 Outstanding Post-Doctorate Fellow, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, LLNL

• 2010 Global Security Directorate Silver Award, LLNL, for recognition of PI leadership