Tom Ryerson

Principal Scientist and Director, Stratospheric and Tropospheric Aerosol Research (STAR) Program

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Tom Ryerson joined SilverLining as an atmospheric science and mission strategy advisor following more than 25 years at NOAA leading the development of advanced atmospheric measurement systems and large-scale airborne research campaigns. During his career, Tom served as a Lead Mission Scientist and Principal Investigator for major NOAA and NASA airborne missions, directing complex, multi-agency field campaigns focused on atmospheric chemistry, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality.

Tom has led airborne quantification efforts during major environmental crises including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Aliso Canyon methane leak, where his rapid-response atmospheric measurements provided critical data for federal and state damage assessments. His research has advanced understanding of reactive nitrogen chemistry, methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure, urban air pollution trends and the relationship between atmospheric composition and climate change. He also contributed to NASA’s Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission, helping establish foundational global datasets for climate and atmospheric chemistry modeling.

Throughout his career, Tom developed and refined high-sensitivity airborne instrumentation and measurement techniques that became benchmark systems across NOAA and NASA research fleets. His work has helped shape emissions verification methods, atmospheric monitoring capabilities and environmental policy approaches used by federal agencies, regulators, and scientific institutions around the world.