Kelly A. Balmes

University of Washington, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Kelly A. Balmes is a climate researcher whose work focuses on understanding how aerosols—tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere—directly influence Earth’s radiation budget. Her key research areas include aerosol direct radiative effects (DRE), aerosol optical depth (AOD) diurnal variations, and the integration of ground-based observations with radiative transfer models. Balmes’s major contributions involve quantifying the direct radiative forcing of aerosols under both clear and cloudy skies, providing critical data for improving climate models. Her most cited paper, “Aerosol Direct Radiative Effects at the ARM SGP and TWP Sites: Clear Skies” (2021, 17 citations), uses the NASA Langley Fu-Liou radiation model with observed inputs to estimate DRE at key Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites. She further advanced the field by examining the diurnal cycle of AOD at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site (11 citations) and, notably, produced the first all-sky estimate of aerosol DRE at SGP (10 citations), incorporating both clear and cloudy conditions. Balmes’s work is foundational for understanding aerosol-climate interactions, offering empirical benchmarks that enhance the accuracy of global climate projections.