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Philip Christensen

Philip Christensen

Regents Professor and Ed and Helen Korrick Professor of Geological Sciences, School of Earth and Space Exploration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

phil.christensen@asu.edu

480-965-7105

School of Earth and Space Exploration
Arizona State University
PO Box 871404
Tempe, AZ 85287-1404

Titles

  • Distinguished Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
  • Regents Professor and Ed and Helen Korrick Professor of Geological Sciences, School of Earth and Space Exploration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Biography

Philip R. Christensen is a Regents Professor and the Ed and Helen Korrick Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. As a geologist and geophysicist, his research interests focus on the composition, processes, and physical properties of Mars, the Earth, and other planetary surfaces. He uses spectroscopy, radiometry, field observations, and numerical modeling to study the geology and history of planets and moons. Over the past decade he has studied urban environments and growth worldwide using satellite data. He has built five science instruments that have flown on NASA missions to Mars, including the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera on Mars Odyssey, the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) instruments on the Mars Exploration Rovers, and the TES on Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Observer. Christensen was awarded NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2003 for his work on infrared observations of Mars, NASA's Public Service Medal in 2005, and the G.K. Gilbert Award of the Geological Society of America in 2008. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He teaches courses in Mars exploration and urban remote sensing.

Education

  • PhD, Geophysics and Space Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1981
  • MS, Geophysics and Space Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1978
  • BS, Geology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1976

Expertise

External Links

Journal Articles

2016

Ehlmann, B. L., F. S. Anderson, J. Andrews-Hanna, D. C. Catling, P. R. Christensen, B. A. Cohen, C. D. Dressing, C. S. Edwards, L. T. Elkins-Tanton, K. A. Farley, C. I. Fassett, W. W. Fischer, A. A. Fraeman, M. P. Golombek, V. E. Hamilton, A. G. Hayes, C. D. Herd, B. Horgan, R. Hu, B. M. Jakosky, J. R. Johnson, J. F. Kasting, L. Kerber, K. M. Kinch, E. S. Kite, H. A. Knutson, J. I. Lunine, P. R. Mahaffy, N. Mangold, F. M. McCubbin, J. F. Mustard, P. B. Niles, C. Quantin-Nataf, M. S. Rice, K. M. Stack, D. J. Stevenson, S. T. Stewart, M. J. Toplis, T. Usui, B. P. Weiss, S. C. Werner, R. D. Wordsworth, J. J. Wray, R. A. Yingst, Y. L. Yang and K. J. Zahnle. 2016. The sustainability of habitability on terrestrial planets: Insights, questions, and needed measurements from Mars for understanding the evolution of Earth‐like worlds. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets(1927-1961):121. DOI: 10.1002/2016JE005134. (link )

2003

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 2003. Identification of fugitive dust generation, transport, and deposition areas using remote sensing. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 9(2):151-165. DOI: 10.2113/?9.2.151. (link )

2001

Stefanov, W. L. and P. R. Christensen. 2001. Classification of global urban centers using ASTER data: Preliminary results from the Urban Environmental Monitoring Program. American Geophysical Union EOS Transactions 82(20):10-11. (link )

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 2001. Monitoring urban land cover change: An expert system approach to land cover classification of semiarid to arid urban centers. Remote Sensing of Environment 77(2):173-185. DOI: 10.1016/S0034-4257(01)00204-8. (link )

2000

Christensen, P. R., J. L. Bandfield, V. E. Hamilton, D. A. Howard, M. D. Lane, J. L. Piatek, S. W. Ruff and W. L. Stefanov. 2000. A thermal emission spectral library of rock-forming minerals. Journal of Geophysical Research 105(E4):9735-9739. DOI: 10.1029/1998JE000624. (link )

1999

Stefanov, W. L. and P. R. Christensen. 1999. Comparative analysis of soil development on semiarid hillslopes using linear deconvolution of thermal infrared multispectral scanner (TIMS) data. American Geophysical Union EOS Transactions 80(46):442.

1997

Christensen, P. R. and J. Pearl. 1997. Initial data from the Mars Global Surveyor thermal emission spectrometer experiment: Observations of the Earth. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 102(E5):10,875-10,880. DOI: 10.1029/97JE00637. (link )

1996

Edgett, S. K. and P. R. Christensen. 1996. K-12 Education Outreach Program initiated by a university research team for the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer Project.. Journal of Geoscience Education 183-188.

Posters

2009

Prashad, L., P. R. Christensen, S. Anwar, E. Engle and S. Dickenshied. 2009. JEarth - Analytical imagery application for practitioners and researchers. Tempe, AZ. Poster presented at 11th Annual Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) Poster Symposium, January 15, 2009, Global Institute of Sustainability. (link )

2000

Stefanov, W. L. and P. R. Christensen. 2000. Comparison analysis of soil development on semiarid hillslopes using linear deconvolution of Thermal Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) data. Poster presented at 19 January 2000, CAP LTER Second Annual Poster Symposium, Center for Environmental Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 2000. Monitoring urban land cover change: An expert system approach to land cover classification of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Poster presented at 2-4 August 2000, Long-Term Ecological Research: Unifying Principles and Global Applications, LTER All Scientists Meeting, Snowbird, UT.

1999

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 1999. Land cover classification of Maricopa County using Landstat thematic mapper data. Poster presented at the 22 January 1999, CAP LTER First Annual Poster Symposium, Center for Environmental Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe.

Presentations

2001

Stefanov, W. L., P. R. Christensen and M. S. Ramsey. 2001. Remote sensing of urban ecology at regional and global scales: Results from the Central Arizona - Phoenix LTER site and ASTER Urban Environmental Monitoring Program. (on supplemental CD-ROM).

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 2001. Mapping of fugitive dust generation, transport, and deposition in the Nogales, Arizona, region using Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data.

2000

Stefanov, W. L., M. S. Ramsey and P. R. Christensen. 2000. Monitoring urban land cover change: An expert system approach to land cover classification of the Phoenix metropolitan area. August 6-10, Long-Term Ecological Research National All Scientist Meeting at Ecological Society of America Meeting, Snowbird, UT.

1999

Ramsey, M. S., W. L. Stefanov and P. R. Christensen. 1999. Monitoring world-wide urban land cover changes using ASTER: Preliminary results from the Phoenix, AZ, LTER site. Proceedings of the 13th Applied Geol. Remote Sensing Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.