Joanne Simpson

Biography

Joanne Simpson was the first woman in the United States to earn a PhD in meteorology, receiving her doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1949. She conducted pioneering research on tropical clouds and hurricanes, proposing the influential 'hot tower' hypothesis that explained how tropical cumulonimbus clouds drive global atmospheric circulation. At NASA, she led the development of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which revolutionized our understanding of tropical rainfall and its role in global climate.

乔安妮·辛普森是美国第一位获得气象学博士学位的女性，1949年从芝加哥大学获得博士学位。她对热带云系和飓风进行了开创性研究，提出了具有深远影响的'热塔'假说，解释了热带积雨云如何驱动全球大气环流。在NASA，她领导开发了热带降雨测量任务（TRMM）卫星，彻底改变了我们对热带降雨及其在全球气候中作用的理解。

Key Achievements

• First woman in the US to earn a PhD in meteorology (1949)

  美国第一位获得气象学博士学位的女性（1949年）

• Proposed the influential 'hot tower' hypothesis

  提出有影响力的'热塔'假说

• Led development of NASA's TRMM satellite

  领导开发NASA的TRMM卫星

References & Citations

1. Wikipedia: Joanne Simpson — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanne_Simpson
2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Joanne Simpson tribute.