Dr. Alex Guenther

Dr. Guenther is an international leader in atmospheric and terrestrial ecosystem research who has published more than 280 peer-reviewed journal articles.  He has developed numerical models that are widely used by the scientific and regulatory communities to simulate biogenic reactive gas and aerosol emissions for air quality and climate modeling.  He has led more than 40 integrative field studies on six continents in tropical, temperate, and boreal ecosystems to provide observations to advance understanding of biogenic emissions and their role in air quality and climate.  He served as chair of the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA) and Integrated Land-Ecosystem Process Study (iLEAPS) core activities of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) and was a contributing author for the Third and Fourth Assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He comes to us from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2013-2015) where he promoted advancements in understanding the role of ecosystem-atmosphere interactions in climate change.  He also led PNNL’s Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL) atmospheric aerosol science theme focus where his work spanned and further integrated PNNL’s extensive measurement capabilities, including the Atmospheric Measurements Laboratory and the laboratory’s diverse programs in atmospheric, ecosystem, and climate modeling.

Prior to PNNL he was Senior Scientist and Section Head, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), from 1991-2013 where he was responsible for systematic advancement of groundbreaking measurements and modeling of biogenic emissions and their impact on the earth system.  This led to his development of the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature, or MEGAN, a model that is a critical component of many of the climate and air quality models used by researchers today.  In addition to its wide use in research, MEGAN is also an essential tool used by regulatory agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Research areas: Simulations of Air / Water Pollution and Climate; Chemistry, Processes, and Measurements

Education: 

• Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University (1989)
• M.S. in Environmental Engineering, Washington State University (1986)
• B.S. in Biology, University of Puget Sound (1984)

Awards & Honors: 

• 2015: Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
• 2012:  University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Outstanding Publication Award
• 2011:  Yoram J. Kaufman Award for Unselfish Cooperation in Research, American Geophysical Union
• 2008:  Haagen-Smit Outstanding Publication Prize
• 2007:  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science and Technological Achievement Award
• 2004:  Elected Chair of the Gordon Conference on Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere