Science Team | Alex Turner

Alex Turner

Atmospheric Chemistry & Carbon Cycle feedbacks
University of Washington

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Alex Turner is an Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington where he works on atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle.

Education

  • PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry | Harvard University | 2012 - 2017
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering | University of Colorado at Boulder | 2008 - 2012

Professional Experience

  • 2021 - present: Assistant Professor, University of Washington
  • 2017 - 2020: Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California at Berkeley

Closing tropical data gaps to resolve global carbon-budget uncertainties

References

Bader, W., Bovy, B., Conway, S., Strong, K., Smale, D., Turner, A. J., et al. (2017). The recent increase of atmospheric methane from 10 years of ground-based NDACC FTIR observations since 2005. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 17(3), 2255–2277. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2255-2017
Bloom, A. A., Bowman, K. W., Lee, M., Turner, A. J., Schroeder, R., Worden, J. R., et al. (2017). A global wetland methane emissions and uncertainty dataset for atmospheric chemical transport models (WetCHARTs version 1.0). GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT, 10(6), 2141–2156. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2141-2017
Bousserez, N., Henze, D. K., Rooney, B., Perkins, A., Wecht, K. J., Turner, A. J., et al. (2016). Constraints on methane emissions in north america from future geostationary remote-sensing measurements. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 16(10), 6175–6190. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6175-2016
Buchwitz, M., Schneising, O., Reuter, M., Heymann, J., Krautwurst, S., Bovensmann, H., et al. (2017). Satellite-derived methane hotspot emission estimates using a fast data-driven method. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 17(9), 5751–5774. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5751-2017
Comer-Warner, S. A., Nguyen, A. T. Q., Nguyen, M. N., Wang, M., Turner, A., Le, H., et al. (2022). Restoration impacts on rates of denitrification and greenhouse gas fluxes from tropical coastal wetlands. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149577
Cusworth, D. H., Jacob, D. J., Sheng, J.-X., Benmergui, J., Turner, A. J., Brandman, J., et al. (2018). Detecting high-emitting methane sources in oil/gas fields using satellite observations. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 18(23), 16885–16896. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16885-2018
Eldridge, D. L., Korol, R., Lloyd, M. K., Turner, A. C., Webb, M. A., Miller, T. F., III, & Stolper, D. A. (2019). Comparison of experimental vs theoretical abundances of <SUP>13</SUP>CH<sub>3</sub>d and <SUP>12</SUP>CH<sub>2</sub>d<sub>2</sub> for isotopically equilibrated systems from 1 to 500 °c. ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY, 3(12), 2747–2764. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00244
Eldridge, D. L., Turner, A. C., Bill, M., Conrad, M. E., & Stolper, D. A. (2023). Experimental determinations of carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionations and methane clumped isotope compositions associated with ethane pyrolysis from 550 to 600 °c. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA, 355, 235–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.06.006
ERASIN, B., TURNER, A., & WHEATLEY, A. (1994). A FIXED-FILM BIOASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF MICROPOLLUTANTS TOXIC TO ANAEROBIC SLUDGES. ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA, 298(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2670(94)90037-X
Hajny, K. D., Floerchinger, C. R., Lopez-Coto, I., Pitt, J. R., Gately, C. K., Gurney, K. R., et al. (2022). A spatially explicit inventory scaling approach to estimate urban CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00121
Jacob, D. J., Turner, A. J., Maasakkers, J. D., Sheng, J., Sun, K., Liu, X., et al. (2016). Satellite observations of atmospheric methane and their value for quantifying methane emissions. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 16(22), 14371–14396. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14371-2016
Laughner, J. L., Neu, J. L., Schimel, D., Wennberg, P. O., Barsanti, K., Bowman, K. W., et al. (2021). Societal shifts due to COVID-19 reveal large-scale complexities and feedbacks between atmospheric chemistry and climate change. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 118(46). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109481118
Maasakkers, J. D., Jacob, D. J., Sulprizio, M. P., Turner, A. J., Weitz, M., Wirth, T., et al. (2016). Gridded national inventory of US methane emissions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 50(23), 13123–13133. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02878
Nguyen, N. H., Turner, A. J., Yin, Y., Prather, M. J., & Frankenberg, C. (2020). Effects of chemical feedbacks on decadal methane emissions estimates. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 47(3). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085706
Ouwerkerk, D., Turner, A. F., & Klieve, A. V. (2008). Diversity of methanogens in ruminants in queensland. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE, 48(6-7), 722–725. https://doi.org/10.1071/EA08049
Sheng, J.-X., Jacob, D. J., Turner, A. J., Maasakkers, J. D., Benmergui, J., Bloom, A. A., et al. (2018). 2010-2016 methane trends over canada, the united states, and mexico observed by the GOSAT satellite: Contributions from different source sectors. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 18(16), 12257–12267. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12257-2018
Sheng, J.-X., Jacob, D. J., Turner, A. J., Maasakkers, J. D., Sulprizio, M. P., Bloom, A. A., et al. (2018). High-resolution inversion of methane emissions in the southeast US using SEAC<SUP>4</SUP>RS aircraft observations of atmospheric methane: Anthropogenic and wetland sources. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 18(9), 6483–6491. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6483-2018
Sheth, A., & Turner, A. (2002). Kinetics and economics of catalytic steam gasification of broiler litter. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE, 45(4), 1111–1121.
Tan, Z., Zhuang, Q., Henze, D. K., Frankenberg, C., Dlugokencky, E., Sweeney, C., et al. (2016). Inverse modeling of pan-arctic methane emissions at high spatial resolution: What can we learn from assimilating satellite retrievals and using different process-based wetland and lake biogeochemical models? ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 16(19), 12649–12666. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12649-2016
Trabue, S., Scoggin, K., McConnell, L. L., Li, H., Turner, A., Burns, R., et al. (2013). Performance of commercial nonmethane hydrocarbon analyzers in monitoring oxygenated volatile organic compounds emitted from animal feeding operations. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, 63(10), 1163–1172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2013.804464
TURNER, A., HAUK, P., SATURNO, A., & PARR, R. (1964). DESCRIPTION OF DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRONS IN METHANE MOLECULE. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 40(7), 1919– &. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1725423
Turner, A. C., Korol, R., Eldridge, D. L., Bill, M., Conrad, M. E., Miller, T. F., III, & Stolper, D. A. (2021). Experimental and theoretical determinations of hydrogen isotopic equilibrium in the system CH<sub>4</sub>-h<sub>2</sub>-h<sub>2</sub>o from 3 to 200 °c. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA, 314, 223–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.04.026
Turner, A. C., Pester, N. J., Bill, M., Conrad, M. E., & Knauss, K. G. (2022). Experimental determination of hydrogen isotope exchange rates between methane and water under hydrothermal conditions. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA, 329, 231–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.04.029
Turner, A. J., & Jacob, D. J. (2015). Balancing aggregation and smoothing errors in inverse models. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 15(12), 7039–7048. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7039-2015
Turner, A. J., Jacob, D. J., Wecht, K. J., Maasakkers, J. D., Lundgren, E., Andrews, A. E., et al. (2015). Estimating global and north american methane emissions with high spatial resolution using GOSAT satellite data. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 15(12), 7049–7069. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7049-2015
Turner, A. J., Jacob, D. J., Benmergui, J., Wofsy, S. C., Maasakkers, J. D., Butz, A., et al. (2016). A large increase in US methane emissions over the past decade inferred from satellite data and surface observations. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 43(5), 2218–2224. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067987
Turner, Alexander J., Frankenbergb, C., Wennberg, P. O., & Jacob, D. J. (2017). Ambiguity in the causes for decadal trends in atmospheric methane and hydroxyl. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 114(21), 5367–5372. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1616020114
Turner, Alexander J., Jacob, D. J., Benmergui, J., Brandman, J., White, L., & Randles, C. A. (2018). Assessing the capability of different satellite observing configurations to resolve the distribution of methane emissions at kilometer scales. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 18(11), 8265–8278. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8265-2018
Turner, Alexander J., Fung, I., Naik, V., Horowitz, L. W., & Cohen, R. C. (2018). Modulation of hydroxyl variability by ENSO in the absence of external forcing. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 115(36), 8931–8936. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807532115
Turner, Alexander J., Frankenberg, C., & Kort, E. A. (2019). Interpreting contemporary trends in atmospheric methane. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 116(8), 2805–2813. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814297116
Turner, A. M., & Kaiser, R., I. (2020). Exploiting photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry to explore molecular mass growth processes to complex organic molecules in interstellar and solar system ice analogs. ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH, 53(12), 2791–2805. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00584
Turner, A. M., Abplanalp, M. J., & Kaiser, R. I. (2016). PROBING THE CARBON-PHOSPHORUS BOND COUPLING IN LOW-TEMPERATURE PHOSPHINE (PH<sub>3</sub>)-METHANE (CH<sub>4</sub>) INTERSTELLAR ICE ANALOGUES. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 819(2). https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/819/2/97
Turner, A. M., Abplanalp, M. J., Blair, T. J., Dayuha, R., & Kaiser, R. I. (2018). An infrared spectroscopic study toward the formation of alkylphosphonic acids and their precursors in extraterrestrial environments. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES, 234(1). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/aa9183
Tzompa-Sosa, Z. A., Mahieu, E., Franco, B., Keller, C. A., Turner, A. J., Helmig, D., et al. (2017). Revisiting global fossil fuel and biofuel emissions of ethane. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES, 122(4), 2493–2512. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025767
Worden, J. R., Turner, A. J., Bloom, A., Kulawik, S. S., Liu, J., Lee, M., et al. (2015). Quantifying lower tropospheric methane concentrations using GOSAT near-IR and TES thermal IR measurements. ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES, 8(8), 3433–3445. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3433-2015
Yu, X., Millet, D. B., Henze, D. K., Turner, A. J., Delgado, A. L., Bloom, A. A., & Sheng, J. (2023). A high-resolution satellite-based map of global methane emissions reveals missing wetland, fossil fuel, and monsoon sources. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 23(5), 3325–3346. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3325-2023
Zhang, C., Wang, J., Turner, A. M., Marks, J. H., Chandra, S., Fortenberry, R. C., & Kaiser, R. I. (2023). On the formation of vinylamine (c<sub>2</sub>h<sub>3</sub>NH<sub>2</sub>) in interstellar ice analogs. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 952(2). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acd451
Zhang, C., Zhu, C., Turner, A. M., Antonov, I. O., Garcia, A. D., Meinert, C., et al. (2023). Processing of methane and acetylene ices by galactic cosmic rays and implications to the color diversity of kuiper belt objects. SCIENCE ADVANCES, 9(22). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg6936
Zhou, L., Maity, S., Abplanalp, M., Turner, A., & Kaiser, R. I. (2014). ON THE RADIOLYSIS OF ETHYLENE ICES BY ENERGETIC ELECTRONS AND IMPLICATIONS TO THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL HYDROCARBON CHEMISTRY. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 790(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/790/1/38
Zhu, C., Turner, A. M., Abplanalp, M. J., & Kaiser, R. I. (2018). Formation and high-order carboxylic acids (RCOOH) in interstellar analogous ices of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and methane(CH<sub>4</sub>). ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES, 234(1). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/aa9f28