Phone 508-444-1532 | Email jfrancis@whrc.org
Dr. Jennifer Francis comes to WHRC from the Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. She is world-renowned for her research on Arctic climate change impacts and the resulting effect on weather in other regions of the world. Dr. Francis’ research has focused specifically on the connection between the rapidly warming Arctic and a weakened jet stream. She is regularly quoted in major media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, and in 2019, she testified to the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee on climate change and its connection to extreme weather. Dr. Francis received her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington and her undergraduate degree from San Jose State. Before becoming a senior scientist, she served on the WHRC President’s Council.
CV PDF | Publications Research Gate
Kapsch, M.-L., N. Skific, R.G. Graversen, M. Tjernstrom, and J.A. Francis. 2018. Summers with low Arctic sea ice linked to persistence of spring atmospheric circulation patterns. Climate Dynamics. doi:10.1007/s00382-018-4279-z
Chen, L., J.A. Francis, and E. Hanna. 2018. The “Warm-Arctic/Cold-Continents” pattern during 1901-2010. International Journal of Climatology. doi:10.1002/joc.5725
Cohen, J., K. Pfeiffer, and J.A. Francis. 2018. Warm Arctic episodes linked with increased frequency of extreme winter weather in the United States. Nature Communications. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02992-9
Francis, J.A. 2017. Why are Arctic linkages to extreme weather still up in the air? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 98:2551–2557. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0006.1
Wu, B., K. Yang, and J.A. Francis, 2017. A cold event in Asia during January-February 2012 and its possible association with Arctic sea-ice loss. Journal of Climate. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0115.1
Francis, J.A, S.J. Vavrus, and J. Cohen. 2017. Amplified Arctic warming and mid-latitude weather: New perspectives on emerging connections. WIREs Climate Change, E474. doi:10.1002/wcc.474
Cohen, J., J.A. Francis, and K. Pfeiffer. 2017. Winter 2015/2016: A turning point in ENSO-based seasonal forecasts. Oceanography, 30(1). doi:oceanog.2017.115
Screen, J.A. and J.A. Francis, Contribution of sea-ice loss to Arctic amplification is regulated by Pacific Ocean decadal variability, 2016: Nature Climate Change, doi:10.1038/NCLIMATE3011.
Liu, J., Z. Chen, J.A. Francis, T. Mote, and Y. Hu. 2016. Has Arctic sea ice loss contributed to increased surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet? Journal of Climate. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0391.1
Overland, J.E., K. Dethloff, J.A. Francis, R.J. Hall, E. Hanna, S.-J. Kim, J.A. Screen, T.G. Shepherd, and T. Vihma. 2016. Nonlinear response of midlatitude weather to the changing Arctic. Nature Climate Change. doi:10.1038/NCLIMATE3121
Wu, B., K. Yang, and J.A. Francis. 2016. Summer Arctic dipole wind pattern affects the winter Siberian High. International Journal of Climatology, 36(13). doi:10.1002/joc.4623
Francis, J.A. and N. Skific. 2015. Evidence linking rapid Arctic warming to mid-latitude weather patterns. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 373. doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0170
Francis, J.A. and S.J. Vavrus. 2015. Evidence for a wavier jet stream in response to rapid Arctic warming. Environmental Research Letters, 10. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/1/014005
Francis, J. A., and S. J. Vavrus. 2015. Consequences of a rapidly warming Arctic. In: Climate Change and Public Health, J. A. Patz and B. Levy [Eds.]. ISBN: 9780190202453. Oxford University Press, New York.
Think this polar vortex was cold? It should have been colder. Quoted in National Geographic. February 1, 2019
Why the Midwest’s deep freeze may be a consequence of climate change. Interview on PBSNewsHour. January 31, 2019
Chicago’s record for coldest temperature ever could fall as polar vortex has city ‘in the crosshairs’. Quoted in the Chicago Tribune. January 30, 2019
Midwest Prepares for Subzero Polar Vortex. Quoted in The Wall Street Journal. January 28, 2019
Brace for the Polar Vortex; It May Be Visiting More Often. Quoted in The New York Times. January 18, 2019
Extreme weather in 2018 was a raging, howling signal of climate change. Quoted in The Washington Post. December 31, 2018
Why Hurricane Michael’s Power Caught Forecasters Off Guard. Quoted in The New York Times. October 11, 2018
As Florence’s Power Nears the Carolinas, Residents Brace for the Worst. Quoted in The New York Times. September 11, 2018
Climate change may mean more spring snowstorms in the future. Perspective piece in The Washington Post. March 21, 2018
Is warming in the Arctic behind this year’s crazy winter weather? Guest article in Market Watch. January 12, 2018
The stubborn worry about climate change that just won’t go away. Quoted in The Washington Post. July 10, 2017
Hurricane Sandy Spawns Storm of Climate Research. Quoted in Scientific American. October 29, 2014