CIRES Council of Fellows>

John Wahr

Ph.D., University of Colorado, 1979
Professor, Physics

E-mail: wahr@lemond.colorado.edu
Office: Duane Physics F727
Phone: 303-492-8349
Web: Department of Physics

Research Interests

Theoretical geophysics; earth rotation; earth and ocean tides; earth/ocean and earth/atmosphere interactions; terrestrial normal modes; crustal deformation.

Current Research Projects

Time-variable gravity and its earth science applications; rotation of the Earth; earth, ocean, and planetary tides; polar ice balance; global sea level rise; geophysical applications of InSAR; post-glacial deformation.

Selected Publications

Wahr, J., M. Molenaar, and F. Bryan, 1998. Time-Variability of the Earth’s Gravity Field: Hydrological and Oceanic Effects and Their Possible Detection Using GRACE, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 30205-30230.

Wahr, J., T. vanDam, K. Larson, and O. Francis, 2001. Geodetic measurements in Greenland and their implications. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 16,567-16,582.

Wahr, J., S. Swenson, V. Zlotnicki, and I. Velicogna, Time-Variable Gravity From GRACE: First Results, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L11501, doi:10.1029/2004GL019779, 2004.

Velicogna, I. and J. Wahr. Measurements of time variable gravity shows mass loss in Antarctica. Sci-ence, 311, 1754-1756, 2006.

Velicogna, I. and J. Wahr. Significant acceleration of Greenland ice mass loss in spring, 2004. Nature, 022 Sep 2006 doi:10.1038/nature05168, 2006.

Wahr, J.M., M.T. Zuber, D.E. Smith, and J.I. Lunine. Tides on Europa, and the thickness of Europa’s icy shell. J. Geophys. Res. - Planets, 111, E12005, doi:10.1029/2006JE002729, 2006.

Furuya, M., K. Mueller, and J. Wahr, 2007. Active Salt Tectonics in the Needles District, Canyonlands (Utah) as Detected by Interferometric SAR and Point Target Analysis: 1992--2002, J. Geophys, Res., 112, B06418, doi:10.1029/2006JB004302.

Khan, S.A., J. Wahr, L.A. Stearns, G.S. Hamilton, T. van Dam, K.M.. Larson, and O. Francis, 2007. Elastic uplift in southeast Greenland due to rapid ice mass loss, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L21701, doi:10.1029/2007GL031468.

Honors and Awards

• Charles A. Whitten Medal of the American Geophysical Union (2006)
• Vening Meinesz Medal of the European Geosciences Union (2004)
• Vening Meinesz Medal from Utrecht and Delft Universities in The Netherlands (1998)
• James B. Macelwane Award of the American Geophysical Union (1985)
• Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (1985)
• Guy Bomford Prize for Geodetic Researchfrom the International Association of Geodesy and London’s Royal Society (1983)

Professor Wahr is a CIRES Teaching Faculty.