Research Scientist
Bay Area Environmental Research Institute/NASA Ames Research Center
I am a research scientist with BAERI working with the Mars Climate Modeling Center at NASA Ames Research Center. I am interested in climates of all planets (Mars, Earth and beyond), but, in particular, the climate, habitability and unique spectral signatures of arid, land exoplanets. In recent years, I've modified a Mars global climate model to simulate dry exoplanets in the habitable zone of their host star. My work is focused on the impact of radiatively active atmospheric dust and coupling with the planetary hydrological cycle.
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Research
Land Exoplanets
What controls the climate on arid, Mars-like Exoplanets?
Atmospheric dust impacts planetary climate by absorbing and scattering incoming stellar radiation and outgoing planetary infrared radiation. On exoplanets that orbit different stellar types and that have different geochemical evolutionary histories, the impact of dust may be increased on minimized. If dust accumulates to high levels, as in simulations of a Mars-like exoplanet at present-day Earth orbit, dust can act as a greenhouse agent, raising surface temperatures above freezing while at the same time flattening the reflected light spectrum and making characterization of the planetary climate more difficult. Future studies will investigate the role of the dust cycle coupled with clouds and for planets orbiting different stellar types.
Present Day Mars
Could Wind Turbines Generate Power for a Future Human Mission to Mars?
Despite its low atmospheric density, simulations of wind turbine power output demonstrate that across large fractions of the Mars surface, wind power is significant. In particular wind power could act as a complement to solar arrays, providing power at night, in the winter hemisphere and during local or large scale dust storms.
Are Interplanetary Dust Particles Responsible for Water Ice Cloud Nucleation in the Middle Atmosphere?
Approximately 3 tons of interplanetary dust impact the top of the Mars atmosphere every day. Some of this dust, entering with sufficient speeds, will burn up and form smoke particles. On Earth, micrometeoric smoke acts as a site for cloud nucleation in the polar stratosphere. A similar process may be acting in the middle atmosphere of Mars.
How Do Water Ice Clouds Impact Dust Lifting?
The present day Mars climate is dusty. If winds are strong enough, surface dust is lofted into the atmosphere and advected regionally. Radiatively active water ice clouds change the atmospheric thermal profile and, therefore, can impact wind speeds and potentially dust storm initiation, growth and propagation. One prevailing mystery on Mars is the source of interannual variability for dust lifting. What makes one storm grow to global scales? Perhaps water ice clouds play a role.
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Education
September 2012 - May 2019
University of Colorado-Boulder
PhD, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences​
September 2007 - May 2011
University of Wisconsin - Madison
B.S. Astronomy & Microbiology
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Publications & Presentations
Refereed Publications
Refereed Publications
Hartwick, V.L., Toon, O.B., Lundquist, J.K., Pierpaoli, O.A., and Kahre, M.A. (2022) Assessment of wind energy resource potential for future human missions to Mars, Nat Asttron.
Hartwick, V.L., Haberle, R.M., Kahre, M.A., and Wilson, R.J. (2022) The dust cycle on Mars at different orbital distances from the sun: An investigation of the impact of radiatively active dust on land planet climate, ApJ 941, 54.
Hartwick, V.L., Toon, O.B., and Heavens, N.G. (2019) High-altitude water ice cloud formation on Mars controlled by interplanetary dust particles, Nature Geoscience, 68, 8.
Recent Scientific Meetings
Hartwick, V. L., Toon, O. B., The Influence of Atmospheric Dust on Polar Cloud Opacity, 2018, American Geophysical Union Meeting #50, Oral Presentation
Hartwick, V. L., Toon, O. B., Can Radiatively Active Water Ice Clouds Warm the Early Martian Climate?, 2017, American Geophysical Union Meeting #49, Poster Presentation
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Press & Media
Press
NASA says wind could power human missions on Mars
Pranshu Verma - Washington Post
December 19, 2022
Wind Power on Mars Can Power Human Habitats, Scientists Discover
Becky Ferreira - Vice
December 19, 2022
Mysterious Clouds on Mars Formed by ‘Meteoric Smoke,’ Study Says
Becky Ferreira - Vice Motherboard
June 17, 2019
Media
AbGradCon 2016 - Boulder, CO
Micrometeorites and Mars: How interplanetary dust particles influence the present day Martian climate
You've made it to the bonus section. I am a lifetime Green Bay Packers fan - as they say, green and gold 'til I'm dead and cold. My favorite animal is the lion, but I'm also a fan of the Andean spectacled bear. I have run one "ultra-marathon" (27.06 miles) and will never do it again. Proud Hufflepuff. Currently reading: War and Peace (extremely slowly). I have been known to throw an excellent pillow fort party.