Marilyn Raphael

Biosketch

Marilyn Raphael grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, where from childhood her inquisitive mind was fascinated by the islands’ clouds, winds, and sudden showers. That curiosity about weather, and a determination to understand the larger forces behind those everyday phenomena, laid the foundation for her development as a physical geographer. She earned her BA (Hons) in Geography from McMaster University (Canada), her Ph.D. in Geography from The Ohio State University, and has spent much of her career as a Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was drawn to the multidisciplinary nature of science practiced at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder and is an Affiliate Scientist there. She has served as Chair of the Department of Geography at UCLA, and Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, also at UCLA. She is a former President of the American Association of Geographers, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the American Philosophical Society. Marilyn has authored, co-authored and co-edited articles and books on the Southern Hemisphere climate with a focus on the Antarctica sea ice system.

Research Interests

Marilyn Raphael’s research interests lie in climate variability and change in the high latitude Southern Hemisphere. Her work focuses on Antarctic sea ice variability, specifically the way in which the sea ice and the large-scale atmospheric circulation interact, thereby creating potential for prediction of the Antarctic climate at the seasonal, interannual and decadal timescales. She uses large climate databases, sophisticated statistical analyses, and theoretical climate models to determine and understand how Antarctic sea ice both responds to and shapes the climate system. Her current research seeks to understand the nature of the recent extreme variability in Antarctic sea ice and what it means for the future of the Antarctic sea ice system. The results of her research have implications for the Antarctic climate, global climate change and the global, societal response. She is active in the scientific community including service as Chair of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) expert group, Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt). In this role, she promotes research on Antarctic sea ice observations and modeling and coordinates the efforts of the international sea ice community, bringing together expertise on the observational and modeling aspects of the climate.