
Ellen Mosley-Thompson
Distinguished University Professor
82C Scott Hall / 1140 Derby Hall
154 North Oval Mall
Columbus OH 43210
Areas of Expertise
- Paleoclimatology
- Ice Cores
- Climate Change
Education
- Ph.D. 1979, Geography (Climatology, Atmospheric Science), The Ohio State University
- M.A. 1975, Geography (Climatology, Atmospheric Science), The Ohio State University
- B.S. 1970, Physics, Marshall University
Current CV: Ellen Mosley-Thompson CV
Brief Biography: Ellen Mosley-Thompson Brief Bio
Ice Core Paleoclimatology Research Group Publications
Ice Core Paleoclimatology Research Group Web Page
Interests: Paleoclimatology, Ice Cores, Climate Change
Current Research:
Ellen Mosley-Thompson is a Distinguished University Professor in the
Department of Geography (Atmospheric Science Program) and a Senior Research
Scientist in the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University.
She uses the chemical and physical properties preserved in cores collected from both
polar ice sheets and high mountain glaciers to reconstruct Earth’s complex climate history.
These records indicate that Earth’s climate has moved outside the range of natural variability
experienced over at least the last 2000 years. She has led nine expeditions to
Antarctica and six to Greenland to retrieve ice cores. In 2010 she led the field team for
the ice core drilling project on Bruce Plateau (Antarctic Peninsula), a U.S. contribution to
the International Polar Year, where the team collected a 448-meter core to bedrock.
She has published 156 peer-reviewed papers and is the recipient of 62 research grants.
She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and is a Fellow of the American
Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She
served on the NRC-NAS Committee that produced the report “The Arctic in the Anthropocene: Emerging Research Questions.”
Courses Taught:
Geography 3901H-Global Climate and Environmental Change: Individuals Matter.
Professional Appointments:
2010-2025 Distinguished University Professor, The Ohio State University
1995-2025 Professor, Department of Geography (Atmospheric Science, Climatology),
The Ohio State University
1996-2025 Senior Research Scientist, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The
Ohio State University
2009-2018 Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State
University
1990-94 Associate Professor, Department of Geography (Atmospheric Science,
Climatology), The Ohio State University
1988-96 Research Scientist, Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State
University
1984-87 Senior Research Associate, Institute of Polar Studies, The Ohio State
University
1979-83 Research Associate, Institute of Polar Studies, The Ohio State University
1973-79 Graduate Research Associate, Institute of Polar Studies, The Ohio State
University
Key Indications of Scholarly Excellence:
Elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences, April 27, 2009
Elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, April 2011
Elected Member of the American Philosophical Society, April 2009
Benjamin Franklin Medal, The Franklin Institute, April 2012
Dan David Prize, University of Tel Aviv, Israel, May 19, 2008
The Common Wealth Award for Science and Invention, April 20, 2002
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, May 26, 2009
Additional Indicators of Scholarly Excellence
Green Energy Ohio, Pioneer of the Year (2013) Award, April 30, 2014
Joseph Sullivant Medal, The Ohio State University, December 15, 2013
Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Pennsylvania, May 13, 2013
Distinguished University Professor, The Ohio State University, 2010
Honorary Doctor of Science, Colgate University, May 17, 2009
American Alpine Club, David R. Brower Award for Outstanding Service in Mountain
Conservation, February 21, 2009
Alumni Medalist Award, The Ohio State University, November 9, 2007
Elected, OSU Sphinx Chapter Senior Member, Spring, 2007
Roy Chapman Andrews Society, 2007 Distinguished Explorer Award
Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service, The Ohio State University,
December 17, 2005
Distinguished University Lecturer, The Ohio State University, August 24, 2004
Distinguished University Scholar Award, The Ohio State University, April 21, 2003
Marsmhall University, Distinguished Alumna for Community Achievement, April, 26, 2003
Inducted into Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, October 7 by Governor Taft
John C. Marshall Award, the highest award given by Marshall University (for
distinguished scholarship), March 7, 2002
Recognitions:
The Mosley-Thompson Cirques (Antarctica) located at 78º01´S; 161º28´E were named
after Ellen Stone Mosley-Thompson, glaciologist and climatologist at The Ohio State
University. Since 1974, Dr. Mosley-Thompson has analyzed ice samples from
Antarctica and she has conducted field research at South Pole, Siple Station, and the
Plateau Remote Camp.
Current and Recent National Service Activities:
2012-19 National Academy of Sciences, U.S. National Committee for Quaternary
Research, Member
2016-18 AGU, Global Environmental Change Focus Group, President
2015-16 AGU, Global Environmental Change Focus Group, Fellows Committee, Chair
2010-15 National Academy of Sciences, Polar Research Board, Member
2013-14 National Academy of Sciences, Study Group on Emerging Research
Questions in the Arctic (Member)
Research Publications and Activities:
Refereed Publications: 156 total
Research Expeditions: 16 total
Funded Research Programs: 62 total
Select Publications:
Zhong, ZP, O. Zablocki, YF. Li, J. L. Van Etten, E. Mosley-Thompson, V. L. Rich, L. G. Thompson, M. B. Sullivan. 2024. Glacier-preserved Tibetan Plateau viral community probably linked to warm–cold climate variations. Nature Geoscience. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01508-z. PDF
Thompson, L.G., T.-D. Yao, M.E. Davis, E. Mosley-Thompson, H.-A. Synal, G. Wu, J.F. Bolzan, S. Kutuzov, E. Beaudon, M.R. Sierra-Hernández and J. Beer. 2024. Ice Core Evidence for an Orbital-Scale Climate Transition on the Northwest Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Science Reviews, 324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108443. PDF
Lamantia, K., L. Thompson, M. Davis, E. Mosley-Thompson, and H. Stahl. 2023. Unique collections of 14C-dated vegetation reveal Mid-Holocene fluctuations of the Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 128(11). https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007297. PDF.
Liu, Z., B. Yuntao, L. Thomspon, E. Mosley-Thomspon, C. Tabor, G.J. Zhang, M. Yan, M. Lofverstom, I. Montanez and J. Oster. 2023. Tropical mountain ice core δ18O: A Goldilocks indicator for global temperature change. Science Advances, 9(45). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adi6725. PDF | Supplementary Material
Weber, A.M., L.G. Thompson, M. Davis, E. Mosley-Thompson, E. Beaudon, D. Kenny, P.-N. Lin and R. Sierra-Hernández. 2023. Drivers of δ18O Variability Preserved in Ice Cores from Earth's highest Tropical Mountain. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128(19). https://doi.Org/10.1029/2023JD039006. PDF | Supporting Information
Thompson, L.G., J. P. Severinghaus, T. Yao, M. E. Davis, E. Mosley-Thompson, E. Beaudon, M. R. Sierra-Hernández and S. E. Porter. 2022. Use of δ18Oatm in dating a Tibetan ice core record of Holocene/Late Glacial climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (45). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205545119. PDF | Supplementary Information
Porter, S. E., E. Mosley-Thompson. L. G. Thompson, and A. B. Wilson. 2021. Reconstructing an Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation Index from a Pacific Basin-wide collection of ice core records. Journal of Climate, 34, 3839-3852. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0455.1. PDF | Supplemental Material
Permana, D. S., L. G. Thompson, E. Mosley-Thompson, and 18 others. 2019. Disappearance of the last tropical glaciers in the Western Pacific Warm Pool (Papua, Indonesia) appears imminent. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(52), 26382-26388, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1822037116.
Porter, S.E., E. Mosley-Thompson, and L.G. Thompson. 2019. Ice core δ18O record linked to Western Arctic sea ice variability. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 124(20), 10784-10801. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031023.
Thompson, L. G., M. E. Davis, E. Mosley-Thompson, E. Beaudon, S.E. Porter, S. Kutuzov, P-N. Lin, V. N. Mikhalenko, and K. R. Mountain. 2017. Impacts of recent warming and the 2015/16 El Niño on tropical Peruvian ice fields. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 122. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD026592.
Porter, S. E., C. L. Parkinson, and E. Mosley-Thompson. 2016. Bellingshausen Sea ice extent recorded in an Antarctic Peninsula ice core. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 121, 13,886–
13,900, https://doi:10.1002/ 2016JD025626.
Goodwin, B. P., E. Mosley-Thompson, A. B. Wilson, S. E. Porter, and M. Roxana Sierra-
Hernandez. 2016. Accumulation variability in the Antarctic Peninsula: The role of large-scale
atmospheric oscillations and their interactions. Journal of Climate, 29(7), 2579-2596,
doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0354.1.