Christopher A. Shuman
Research Assoc. Professor
Geography and Environmental Systems
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II
Nasa/Gsfc Location--Off Campus Code 615
Education
Ph D The Pennsylvania State University 1992
MS The Pennsylvania State University 1987
BS Moravian College 1982
About
Dr. Christopher A. Shuman is a Research Scientist within the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). He has been employed by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC's) Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) since 2011. Before joining JCET, he was with UMBC's Goddard Earth Sciences & Technology Center for four years. In 2014, he became affiliated with UMBC's Geography and Environmental Systems Department as a Research Associate Professor.
From 2001-2007, Dr. Shuman was a Physical Scientist with the Cryospheric Sciences Branch (now Laboratory) at GSFC, and the Deputy Project Scientist for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Mission from 2001 to 2005, as well as an Adjunct Research Faculty at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) at the University of Maryland, College Park. From 1999-2001, Dr. Shuman was an Assistant Research Scientist at ESSIC. From 1996-1998, he was a Visiting Research Fellow with the Universities Space Research Association at GSFC’s Oceans and Ice Branch working with Dr. Robert A. Bindschadler. From 1994-1996, he was a National Research Council, Resident Research Associate at GSFC’s Oceans and Ice Branch, Greenbelt, MD working with Dr. Robert A. Bindschadler. From 1992-1994, he was a Research Associate at the Earth System Science Center and Department of Geosciences of The Pennsylvania State University, working with Dr. Richard B. Alley.
Dr. Shuman received his Ph.D. in Geosciences in 1992 and his M.S. in Geology in 1987 from The Pennsylvania State University, and his B.S. in Geology in 1982 from Moravian College.
Research Interests
Currently, Dr. Shuman is primarily working on large iceberg calving events from Antarctica in collaboration with other researchers at NASA GSFC and abroad. He is also contributing to outreach events on changes to Antarctic ice shelves and glaciers. Additional research on mountain glacier losses in the tropics is ongoing. Previously, he has authored or co-authored research papers on ice elevation changes and glacier mass losses using altimetry in combination with other remote sensing in the Antarctica Peninsula, on the accuracy of the first ICESat mission's data over Antarctica's large subglacial lakes. He has also worked on composite temperature records derived from automatic weather stations (AWS), passive microwave data from SMMR and SSM/I and IR data from AVHRR satellite sensors. In addition, Dr. Shuman has successfully matched those records through stratigraphic correlation with stable isotope temperature proxy profiles in shallow snow layers. He has worked extensively in Greenland (7 deployments) and Antarctica (6 field deployments plus more recent Operation Ice Bridge flights from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica). He began his cryospheric career helping to date the 3054 m long Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2's (GISP2) deep ice core in 1992. He was the longest serving member of the Polar DAAC Advisory Group (PoDAG) and also served on the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) advisory board and is still serving on the Executive Committee of the Cryosphere Sciences Section (was Focus Group) of American Geophysical Union. https://cryosphere.agu.org/leadership/
Teaching Interests
Cryospheric sciences, remote sensing of polar regions.
Selected Classes
- Spring 2016 GES 400 – Earth's Cryosphere
Intellectual Contributions
SCAMBOS,, T. A., Shuman, Christopher A. (2016). Comment on "Mass gains of the Antarctic ice sheet exceed losses" by H. J. Zwally and others. FirstView 1–5 Journal of Glaciology.