NCICS
North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

Otis Brown

Otis Brown

Satellite Remote Sensing, Climate Policy, Engagement, Resilience Phone: +1 828.257.3001 Email: Otis_Brown@ncsu.edu Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3111-1507

Biography

Dr. Brown’s specialties are the development of quantitative methods for the processing and use of satellite remotely-sensed observations to study Earth System processes, with a focus on ocean color and infrared observations, satellite oceanography, and the development and application of new approaches to study climate variability, stakeholder engagement, and resiliency. Historically, his experimental focus was on western boundary current variability, however, recently his interests have shifted to areas of observable climate change impact and approaches to developing resiliency. This latter effort includes use of longer term space-based observations to quantify the impacts of climatic variability, the engagement of stakeholders, and developing decision tools to support resiliency. He collaborated with Professor Mary Doyle at the University of Miami to found the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy as a sustainable approach to the training of the next generation of Earth System managers and researchers.

Dr. Brown is the founding Director of NCICS and a Research Professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at NC State University. He is also a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Publications

2015

Kilpatrick, K. A., G. Podestá, S. Walsh, E. Williams, V. Halliwell, M. Szczodrak, O. B. Brown, P. J. Minnett, and R. Evans, 2015: A decade of sea surface temperature from MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment, 165, 27-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.04.023

2013

Trenberth, K. E., R. A. Anthes, A. Belward, O. Brown, T. Habermann, T. R. Karl, S. Running, B. Ryan, M. Tanner, and B. Wielicki, 2013: Challenges of a sustained climate observing system. Climate Science for Serving Society, G. R. Asrar, and J. W. Hurrell, Eds., Springer Netherlands, 13-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6692-1_2

2008
Beal, L. M., J. M. Hummon, E. Williams, and O. Brown (2008), Five years of Florida Current Structure and Transport from the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Explorer of the Seas, J. Geophys. Res., 113 (C06001), doi:10.1029/2007JC004154.
 
Framiñan, M. B., A. Valle-Levinson, H. H. Seplveda and O. B. Brown (2008), Tidal Variations of Flow, Shear and Stratification at the Rio de La Plata Estuary Turbidity Front, J. Geophys. Res., 113 (C08035) doi:10.1029/2006JC004038.
2001
Minnett, P. J., R. O. Knuteson, F.A. Best, B.J. Osborne, J. A. Hanafin and O. B. Brown, 2001. The Marine-Atmosphere Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI), a high-accuracy, sea-going infrared spectroradiometer. J. Atmos. and Oceanic Tech.,18, 994-1013.
 
Yang, Q., B. Parvin, A.J. Mariano, E. Ryan, R.H. Evans and O.B. Brown. Seasonal and intinterannual studies of vortices in sea surface temperature data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, Oceanography from Space Venice 2000 special issue).
2000
Kearns, E.J., J.A. Hanafin, R.H. Evans, P.J. Minnett, and O.B. Brown. An independent assessment of Pathfinder AVHRR sea-surface temperature accuracy using the Marine Atmosphere Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI). Bull. Am. Met. Soc. 81, 1525-1536.
1998
An Overview of MODIS Capabilities for Ocean Science Observations. IEEE, Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 36(4): 1250-1265, (with Wayne E. Esaias, M. Abbott, I. Barton, J.W. Campbell, K.L. Carder, D.K. Clark, R.H. Evans, F.E. Hoge, H.R. Gordon, W.M. Balch, R. Letelier, and P.J. Minnett). 1985 - Phytoplankton blooming off the U.S. East Coast: A satellite description. Science, 229: 163-167 (with Evans, Brown, Gordon, Smith and Baker).
1997
Agulhas Ring Dynamics from TOPEX/POSEIDON Satellite Altimeter Data. J. Mar. Res., 55: 861-883, (with G. Goni, S. Garzoli, A. Roubicek and D. Olson).
1996
Study of the Rio de la Plata Turbidity Front, Part I: Spatial and Temporal Distribution. Continental Shelf Research. Continental Shelf Res. 16(10): 1259-1282, (with M.B. Framiñan).
 
Observations of the infrared radiative properties of the ocean-implications for the measurement of sea surface temperature via Satellite Remote Sensing. Bull. Am. Met. Soc., 77(1): 41-51, (with Smith, Knuteson, Revercomb, Feltz, Howell, Menzel, Nalli, J. Brown, Minnett and McKeown).
 
Assimilation of Sea Surface Height Data into an Isopycnic Ocean Model.  J.Phys.Oceanog., 26(7): 1189-1213, (with C. Forbes).
1995
Mesoscale Ocean Variability Signal from GEOSAT Altimeter Data in the SW Atlantic Ocean: A Comparison of Orbit Error in three different GEOSAT Data Sets. Bolm Inst. Oceanogr., 43(2): 101-110 (with G. Goni, G. Podestá, J. Brown.)
1993
Eddy and wave dynamics in the South Atlantic as diagnosed from GEOSAT altimeter data. J. Geophys. Res., 98(C7): 12,297-12,314 (with Forbes, Leaman and Olson).
 
Calibration of AVHRR Infrared Channels: A New Approach to Nonlinear Correction. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 98(C10): 18,157-18,269. (with Brown and R. Evans).
1991
The annual cycle of satellite-derived sea surface temperature in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. J. Climate , 4(4): 457-467 (with Podestá and Evans).
 
Efficient objective analysis of dynamically heterogeneous and nonstationary fields via the parameter matrix. Deep Sea Res., 39(7/8): 1255-1271 (with Mariano).
1990
Surface-ocean color and deep-ocean carbon flux: How close a connection? Deep-Sea Res., 37(8): 1331-1343 (with Deuser, Muller-Karger, Evans, Esaias and Feldman).
1986
Warm Core Rings: A statistical study of their behavior. Deep Sea Res., 33(11/12): 1459-1473 (with Cornillon, Emmerson and Carle).

Presentations

2015

Brown, O., K. Kunkel, and J. Dissen, 2015: Opportunities in Climate Analytics for Utilities. Utility Analytics Executive Advisory Council, August 2015.

Brown, O., K. Kunkel, and J. Dissen, 2015: Storm Data for Utilities. Utility Analytics Storm Analytics Working Group Presentation, September 2015.

Brown, O., and K. E. Kunkel, 2015: State of the Climate Science in Identification of Risks; Presentation and Use of Data from National Climate Center and Affiliates. invited talk, Executive Forum on Business and Climate Workshop: Private Property, Information Disclosure, and the Roles of Insurance and Government,, Chapel, NC, 20 March.

Dissen, J., J. L. Privette, T. G. Houston, D. P. Brown, K. Gleason, and R. A. Leduc Clarke, 2015: A New Approach to Climate Services at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). 2015 AMS Annual Meeting, January 7, 2015.

2014

Jones, P. R., N. A. Ritchey, G. Peng, V. A. Toner, H. Brown, and K. Roberts, 2014: ISO, FGDC, DIF and Dublin Core – making sense of metadata standards for Earth Science data. AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA, 15 – 19 December 2014.