Her groundbreaking work suggests that rapid Arctic warming is linked to shifting weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, driving more persistent weather regimes that can lead to periods of extreme temperature and/or precipitation.
Dr. Francis’ work has sparked scientific debate and drawn public attention. She authored three articles in Scientific American, and testified to the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Security in 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee in 2019, and to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works in 2013.
Dr. Francis’ excellence in climate communications was recognized by the American Geophysical Union when she received the union’s Climate Science Communication Prize in 2020, and she is frequently asked by major media outlets to provide expertise on various topics related to climate and extreme weather.
Sailing has been an enduring source of inspiration for Dr. Francis’ work. She circumnavigated the globe with her husband in the 1980s and currently lives aboard her sailboat, Saphira, eight months of the year.
