Crosspost: Q&A: Kate Marvel on the physics and emotions of climate change

Today's crosspost was originally published on Physics Today on November 19, 2025. In this interview by Jessica Duncombe, astrophysicist turned climate physicist Kate Marvel discusses her journey from astrophysics to climate science, her work at NASA, and being a writer.

(From Physics Today)

PT: How did you get interested in climate science?

MARVEL: Some contacts recommended I try climate modeling during my first postdoc, so I went and talked to climate modeler Ken Caldeira. We ended up writing this crazy paper together. It was about hypothetically putting wind turbines in the jet stream. If we did that, how much energy could be extracted before we shut down global wind?

I was intrigued because the research question was nuts. I came from astrophysics, this field that tries to explain the entire universe. And I found myself being surprised that we didn’t know how much wind we have in the jet stream. I liked climate science because it addressed questions that seemed big and interesting and expansive but also relevant.

I also came from a hypercompetitive theoretical-physics department during my PhD where every seminar felt like a blood sport. Going to a seminar in climate science, I noticed that people were asking questions about things they were curious about as opposed to feeling the pressure to know everything. I liked the culture a lot better.

Read Marvel's full interview at https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/q-a-kate-marvel-on-the-physics-and-emotions-of-climate-change

In March 2026, Marvel left NASA to work for Project Drawdown, a non-profit organization leading science-based climate solutions. Find out more about Project Drawdown at https://www.facebook.com/projectdrawdown and about Kate at marvelclimate.com.