Maegan A. DeLessio

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About

Maegan A. DeLessio is an atmospheric scientist whose research centers on the critical challenge of representing brown carbon (BrC)—a light-absorbing organic aerosol from biomass burning—in Earth system models. Her work directly addresses the significant uncertainties in BrC’s radiative forcing, a key factor in climate prediction. In her highly cited 2024 paper, “Modeling atmospheric brown carbon in the GISS ModelE Earth system model” (14 citations), she pioneered the integration of BrC’s complex optical properties into a major climate model, enabling more accurate simulations of its atmospheric impacts. Building on this, her 2025 study, “Harmonizing Aerosol Model Parameters With Retrieval Property Assumptions” (1 citation), tackles a fundamental methodological gap: the mismatch between how models represent BrC and how satellite retrievals observe it. By proposing a framework to reconcile these differences, DeLessio is improving the consistency and reliability of aerosol-climate assessments. Her work is essential for advancing our understanding of biomass burning’s role in the climate system, and she is emerging as a leading voice in the effort to harmonize model physics with observational data.