Pablo Clemente-Colón

Satellite Oceanography & Climatology Division

U.S. National Ice Center
Chief Scientist

Pablo Clemente-Colón photo Pablo Clemente-Colón has served since 2005 as the Chief Scientist at the National/Naval Ice Center (NIC). In that position, Dr. Clemente-Colon serves as Senior Scientific Advisor responsible for providing research and science policy guidance to the NIC Director and Deputy Director. He lead a Polar Science Team to develop new and innovative environmental products, and oversees the NIC Science Officer and management of the Science and Applied Technology Department.

From 1979 until 2005, Dr. Clemente-Colon worked as an Oceanographer at the NOAA / NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), where he conducted satellite remote sensing ocean research studies in NESDIS, within NOAA, and in collaboration with other national and international agencies.

Awards & Honors

NOAA Administrator's Award - Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 1 October 2009.
Navy Meritorious Public Service Award with Medal - Department of the Navy U.S. Fleet Forces Command, 17 April 2008.
Arctic Service Medals - Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard (2007 and 2008)
NOAA Bronze Medal - Department of Commerce NOAA (1999)

Academic Affiliations

2009 - Present: Ad Honorem Professor,
Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, PR Serve as Remote Sensing Research Advisor in graduate committees.
2008 - Present: Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Oceanography, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
Serve as adjunct Assistant Professor of Oceanography responsible for teaching and the development of Polar Oceanography and Polar Science classes.
2002 - Present: Advisory Committee Member
NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS), Howard University, Washington, DC
Serve as Oceanography and Remote Sensing Advisor
2000 - Present: Research Associate
Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas (ICCM), Gran Canaria, Spain
Participate in Remote Sensing research and other academic activities

Other Professional Activities

NESDIS/STAR Sea Ice Team Leader (2003-Present)
NESDIS/STAR Sea Surface Roughness Team Member
North American Ice Service (NAIS) Science Committee Co-Chair
International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) Science and Technology Standing Committee Member (Co-Chair 2007-2009)
Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Sea Ice subgroup (SIS) Executive Committee Member
Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) Sea Ice (SI) Working Group Member
NOAA International Affairs Council (IAC) Polar Committee Member
Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) Technical Advisory Board (TAB) Member
ORA Liaison to the EUMETSAT Oceans and Ice Satellite Applications Facility (O&ISAF)
GOES-R Algorithm Working Group (AWG) Cryosphere Algorithm Team (AT) Member
International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP) Executive Committee Member (2005-Present)
International Programme for Antarctic Buoys (IPAB) Executive Committee Member (2005-Present)

Most Recent Publications

2009

Clemente-Colón, P., 2009, Teledetección del hielo polar y clima [Remote Sensing of Polar ice and climate], book chapter in Oceanografía por Satélite: Fundamentos y Aplicaciones [Satellite Oceanography: Foundations and Applications]. Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Editorial Tébar, S.L., Madrid, in press.

Li, X., W. Zheng, W. G. Pichel, C.-Z. Zou, P, Clemente-Colón, and E. Maturi, 2009: Multisatellite observations and numerical simulation of an along-coast cumulus cloud line induced by sea breeze circulation, International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 30, No. 14, 20 July 2009, 3573–3584.

Nghiem, S.V.. I. G. Rigor, P. Clemente-Colón, D.K. Perovich, and G. Neumann, 2009, Observations of the Decline of Arctic Sea Ice, JPL abstract release and poster at 3rd Symposium on the Impacts of and Ice- Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations, 9-11 June, Annapolis, MD.

Nghiem, S.V.. I. G. Rigor, A. Richter, J.P. Burrows, P. B. Shepson, J. Bottenheim, D.G. Barber, A. Steffen, J. Latonas, F. Wang, G. Stern, P. Clemente-Colón, S. Martin, D.K. Hall, P. Tackett, G. Neumann, and M.G. Asplin, 2009, Chemical Anomalies in the Arctic Troposphere from Sea Ice to Mountainsides, under review by Nature Geoscience.

2008

Clemente-Colón, P. (2007), The Poles, (lead author), book chapter in Hidden Depths: Atlas of the Oceans, HarperCollins, NOAA, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, UK's National Oceanography Centre (NOC), ISBN 978-0-06-134514-2.

Nghiem, S.V., I. G. Rigor, P. Clemente-Colón, D.K. Perovich, and G. Neumann; New record reduction of Arctic perennial sea ice in winter 2008, JPL Science Research Article, JPL D-44233, 13 March 2008.

Shin, D.-B., L. S. Chiu, and P. Clemente-Colón, Effects of atmospheric water and surface wind on passive microwave retrievals of sea ice concentration: a simulation study, Intl. J. Rem. Sens., DOI: 0.1080/01431160801978999, 14 July 2008.

2007

Li, X., W. Zheng, W. G. Pichel, C. Zou, and P. Clemente-Colón (2007), Coastal katabatic winds imaged by SAR, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L03804, doi:10.1029/2006GL028055.

Nghiem, S.V.. I.G. Rigor, D.K. Perovich, P. Clemente-Colón, J.W. Weatherly, and G. Neumann (2007), Rapid reduction of Arctic perennial sea ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol. 34, L19504, doi:10.1029/2007GL031138, 200.

Pichel, W. and P. Clemente-Colón, Active microwave remote sensing for marine applications – current status and future plans, North Pacific Environmental Satellite Workshop for Coastal and Marine Applications, May 29-30, 2007, Juneau, Alaska, Abstract, Published on CD November 2007.

Pichel, W., T. Veenstra, J. Churnside, D. Foley, K. Friedman, R. Brainard, J. Nicoll, and P. Clemente-Colón, GhostNet – Marine debris detection in the North Pacific and Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific Environmental Satellite Workshop for Coastal and Marine Applications, May 29-30, 2007, Juneau, Alaska, Abstract. Published on CD November 2007.

Pichel, W.G., J.H. Churnside, T.S. Veenstra, D.G. Foley, K.S. Friedman, R.E. Brainard, J.B. Nicoll, Q. Zheng, P. Clemente-Colón (2007), Marine debris collects within the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 54, pp. 1207-1211.

2006

Clemente-Colón, P. and W.G. Pichel, 2006: Remote Sensing of Marine Pollution, Remote Sensing of the Marine Environment, J. Gower (Editor), Manual of Remote Sensing, Third Edition, Volume 6, A. N. Rencz, Editor- in-Chief, ASPRS, ISBN 1-57083-080-0.

Nalli, N.R., P. Clemente-Colón, P.J. Minnett, M. Szczodrak, V. Morris, E. Jospeh, M.D. Goldberg, C.D. Barnet, W.W. Wolf, A. Jessup, R. Branch, R.O. Knuteson, and W.F.Feltz, Ship-based measurements for infrared sensor validation during Aerosol and Ocean Science Expedition 2004. Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 111, 2006, pp.doi:10.1029/2005JD006385, 2006.

Nghiem, S.V., Y. Chao, G. Newumann, P. Lii, D.K. Perovich, T. Street, and P. Clemente-Colón, 2006: Depletion of perennial sea ice in the East Arctic Ocean, Geophysics Research Letters, Vol. 33, L17501, doi:L10.1029/2006GL027198.

Pichel, W., P. Clemente-Colón, T. Veenstra, J. Churnside, D. Foley, K. Friedman, R. Brainard, J. Nicoll, Q. Zheng, Multi-platform Satellite Observations of the North Pacific Subtropical Frontal Zone and their Utility to Marine Debris Detection, Proceedings of the International Geosciences and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) 2006, July 31 - August 4, 2006, Denver, CO.

Pichel, W., P. Clemente-Colón, X. Li, K. Friedman, F. Monaldo, D. Thompson, C. Wackerman, C. Jackson, R. Beal, H. Graber, J. McGuire, J. Nicoll, E. Malaret, and R. Espiritu, Status of the Development and Implementation of a NOAA SAR Products System for Coastal and Marine Operational Applications, OceanSAR 2006, Institute of Ocean Technology, St. John's, NL, October 23 to 25, 2006.

Rigor, I.G., M. Hanna, P. Clemente-Colón, and T. Street, 2006, Forecasting the Condition of Sea Ice on Weekly to Seasonal Time Scales, poster presented at the NOAA Climate Observation Program 4th Annual System Review, Silver Spring, MD. 10-12 May 2006.

Walker, N.. K. Partington, D. Simonin, T. Street, P. Clemente-Colón, S. Helfrich, and T. Skagemo-Andreassen, 2006: The role of Near Real Time Envisat ASAR Global Monitoring Mode data in Arctic and Antarctic operational ice services, SeaSAR 2006, Frascati, Italy January 21-28, 2006. H. Lacoste and L. Ouwehand (eds.), ESA SP-613. European Space Agency. published on CDROM, p. 30.1.

E-mail to: Pablo.Clemente-Colon@noaa.gov