Tyler J. Thorsen

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Langley Research Center

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Tyler J. Thorsen is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on the critical intersection of aerosols, clouds, and radiation, with a particular emphasis on improving satellite and ground-based remote sensing retrievals. His work centers on quantifying aerosol optical depth (AOD) and understanding the direct radiative effects of aerosols—key factors in climate modeling. Thorsen’s most cited study, "The Diurnal Variation of the Aerosol Optical Depth at the ARM SGP Site" (2021, 11 citations), provides novel insights into how AOD changes throughout the day under both clear and cloudy skies using Raman lidar data from the Department of Energy’s Southern Great Plains facility. He has also advanced validation techniques for satellite-derived AOD products, as demonstrated in his 2025 work on CALIPSO lidar ocean surface backscatter. In a notable methodological contribution, Thorsen quantified the lower-bound uncertainty in observational estimates of the aerosol direct radiative effect and forcing (2020), providing a crucial benchmark for interpreting climate data. His research is instrumental in refining how we observe and model aerosol impacts on Earth’s energy balance, directly supporting efforts to reduce uncertainty in climate projections.