About

Stephanie Pfirman is Deputy Director and Foundation Professor at the School of Ocean Futures and a Senior Sustainability Scientist in the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on understanding and responding to the changing Arctic, developing innovative approaches to formal and informal education, and exploring the intersection between diversity and interdisciplinarity. With over 30 years of teaching experience, she has facilitated capstone and thesis projects, explored global futures, climate systems, and climate change responses, as well as the past, present, and future Arctic. Her work also includes museum exhibition design, science communication, leadership, polar exploration, environmental data analysis, energy resources, and oceanography. Pfirman has led or co-led approximately $25 million in federal and agency grants spanning research, education, and human resources. Her Arctic research emphasizes the implications of sea ice changes, including origin, drift, and melt patterns, notably the Last Ice Area, and has addressed melting glaciers and sea ice pollution. She has been recognized as a fellow of the AAAS and a lifetime National Associate of the National Research Council. Pfirman has contributed significantly to interdisciplinary and environmental education, leading initiatives such as the NSF-supported Polar Learning and Responding Climate Change Education Partnership and co-producing award-winning educational tools. Her professional and leadership roles include serving on NSF advisory committees, the NAS Polar Research Board, and various study committees on Arctic research and sea ice imagery. Prior to joining ASU in 2018, she chaired the Department of Environmental Science at Barnard College for 25 years, held joint appointments at Columbia University, and was a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. Her earlier positions include Arctic researcher in Germany, staff scientist for the US House of Representatives, and oceanographer for the US Geological Survey. She holds a PhD in Oceanography and Oceanographic Engineering from MIT/Woods Hole and a BA in Geology from Colgate University.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Ecology
• Oceanography
• Business
• Psychology
• Computer Science
• Environmental science
• Physical geography
• Climatology
• Social psychology
• Geography
• Finance
• Environmental planning
• Environmental resource management
• Economics
• Natural resource economics
• Geology

Selected publications

• Researchers Report Stronger Interdisciplinary Capacities by Participating in a Long-Term Cross-Disciplinary Team

  SAGE Open · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  While previous research has shown how cross-disciplinary research informs impactful research publications and patents, much less is known about how such work alters the capacities and subsequent investigative behaviors of researchers themselves. We address this topic with an exploratory longitudinal case study of a mid-size cross-disciplinary team funded between 2010 and 2018. With data from 12 years of surveys and interviews, we show that the researchers perceived significant changes to their collaboration practices and gains in their subsequent scientific and cross-disciplinary institutional knowledge, including public and cross-disciplinary communication abilities. These results provide information for funders of cross-disciplinary research about the potential long-term impacts of such projects on team members. As cross-disciplinary teams become more prevalent to address critical problems, these results also indicate routes for further fruitful research to better understand how membership on such teams impacts individual team members.

  PublisherDOI

• Sea ice influence on the neon balance of the surface waters in the Arctic Ocean

  Marine Chemistry · 2025-11-20

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Neon (Ne) and Helium (He) isotope data sets collected in the ‘Switchyard’ region of the Arctic Ocean between 2005 and 2013 show a distinct excess in Ne concentrations in the upper waters, mostly in the surface mixed layer of ice-covered waters. The average ΔNe values have an excess in the ice-covered surface layer of about 7.5 %. These observed Ne concentrations fall above those expected from solubility equilibrium with the atmosphere and typical excess air concentrations due to partial and/or full bubble dissolution. Meanwhile, the average Δ 4 He values which are close to 3.5 %, are constant with depth in the Switchyard Region. In contrast, data sets from several Greenland and Norwegian seas (GSNS) cruises where samples were collected in waters without sea ice cover show that both ΔNe and Δ 4 He values are nearly constant with depth. The Greenland and Norwegian Seas serve as a control region, representing a similar open-ocean field environment but lacking sea-ice formation in the regions where our samples were taken. This contrast allows us to isolate the neon saturation anomalies that arise specifically due to sea-ice formation processes in the Arctic Ocean. We attribute the near surface ΔNe anomaly in the Switchyard area of the Arctic Ocean to the rejection of Ne during sea-ice formation. Using sea-ice formation estimates from the oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) method as a base line, we derive a central Arctic Ocean, field-based Ne sea-ice/seawater partition coefficient of 0.38 ± 0.05. This estimate indicates stronger rejection of Ne during ice formation into surface waters than has been previously reported. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the Ne budget in the sea-ice covered Arctic Ocean and can serve as a framework for studying other ice-covered surface ocean regions. • Surface waters beneath Arctic sea ice contain a clear excess of neon, revealing a distinct gas imbalance. • Sea-ice formation drives the neon anomaly by rejecting neon into surface ocean waters. • A new field-based central Arctic Ocean estimate of the Ne sea-ice/seawater partition coefficient of 0.38 ± 0.05, calculated using δ 18 O-derived ice formation rates, indicates that neon is excluded more strongly during sea-ice formation than previously reported.

  PublisherDOI

• Revisiting the Last Ice Area projections from a high-resolution Global Earth System Model

  Communications Earth & Environment · 2025-01-23 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  The Last Ice Area-located to the north of Greenland and the northern Canadian Arctic Archipelago-is expected to persist as the central Arctic Ocean becomes seasonally ice-free within a few decades. Projections of the Last Ice Area, however, have come from relatively low resolution Global Climate Models that do not resolve sea ice export through the waterways of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Nares Strait. Here we revisit Last Ice Area projections using high-resolution numerical simulations from the Community Earth System Model, which resolves these narrow waterways. Under a high-end forcing scenario, the sea ice of the Last Ice Area thins and becomes more mobile, resulting in a large export southward. Under this potentially worst-case scenario, sea ice of the Last Ice Area could disappear a little more than one decade after the central Arctic Ocean has reached seasonally ice-free conditions. This loss would have profound impacts on ice-obligate species.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Association Between Masculine Contest Culture and Turnover Intentions for Women <scp>STEM</scp> Faculty: The Moderating Role of Positive Dyadic Coping

  Personal Relationships · 2025-10-29

  articleSenior author

  ABSTRACT Women in historically male‐dominated careers such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) contend with masculine contest cultures (MCCs). MCCs are work environments that encourage competition to achieve dominance, promotions, and other rewards. Such workplaces induce stress, particularly for those in the numerical minority, who experience pressure to adhere to masculine norms. Although support from one's romantic partner can buffer negative experiences of workplace stress, limited research exists about the role of partner (positive) dyadic coping when faced with hostile work environments. Grounded in the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping, we conducted a two‐phase sequential mixed‐method study. Phase 1 included a cross‐sectional study that examined whether women faculty's perceptions of MCC in STEM departments at research‐focused universities were associated with turnover intentions, and if partner positive dyadic coping buffered this association. Phase 2 included a qualitative study, applying a thematic analysis to explore how women STEM faculty experience their partner's supportive behaviors during times of workplace stress. Findings highlight how romantic partner support can buffer negative experiences of workplace stress. This research calls attention to university administrators to think beyond the workplace when identifying support resources for faculty in promoting well‐being.

  PublisherDOI

• Stable isotope δ¹⁸O dynamic fractionation coefficient between water and sea ice in the Arctic Ocean

  Journal of Glaciology · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Variations in stable oxygen isotopic compositions in sea ice provide information on environmental conditions during sea ice formation and also are important in understanding the regional and temporal aspects of the fresh water budget of the Arctic Ocean. We analyzed the oxygen isotope fractionation between sea ice and sea water using ice core and surface ocean samples obtained in a field study in the Lincoln Sea/Switchyard region of the Arctic Ocean. Using the Sea Ice Tracking Utility, we track the sea ice backward in time along drift trajectories, and use a simple model to calculate ice growth rates. Our results indicate that sea ice at the bottom of the floes that we sampled in the Switchyard Region grew within the past winter along a trajectory extending back to the North Pole. The effective fractionation coefficients from the bottom ice layers and the parent water mass are close to 2.11‰ with a standard error of ±0.06‰. Knowing this sea-ice oxygen isotope fractionation coefficient for high Arctic drifting ice is critical for use of equations for mass balance, salinity, oxygen isotopes and nutrients to calculate water mass fractions and sources to understand freshwater balance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sea Ice Influence on the Neon Balance of the Surface Waters in the Arctic Ocean

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Preparing students and early-career researchers for ethical decision-making in community-engaged research in the Arctic

  The Polar Journal · 2025-07-03

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Polar Plasticity: Impact of COVID-19 on the US Polar Research Community

  Sustainability · 2025-02-19

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Polar research was especially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because of its reliance on travel for remote fieldwork, large-scale scientific infrastructure, ecologically stressed environments, and elevated health risks to remote communities. In this study, we seek to understand how the polar science community responded to these challenges. Our data employ formal documentary evidence from the U.S. National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (OPP) and semi-structured interviews with 21 academic polar scientists based in the United States. Combining on-the-ground experiences with real-time responses from a leading federal funding agency reveals impacts and highlights opportunities to support polar research and researchers in the coming years. Polar researchers and OPP were often able to respond to challenges plastically: increasing support for community engagement and onsite staffing, switching methods, pivoting to archival work, or building new theoretical or experimental capacity. That said, pandemic disruptions brought known problems in the field to the fore, such as the investments in time and other resources needed for knowledge co-production and fieldwork. Individual and policy-level strategies to address those problems point the way toward sustainable polar science, including recognition of the multiple methodologies and people needed for successful work; incorporation of technologies that enhance scientific capacity while expanding access and inclusion; and attention to career development, especially for early-career and community collaborators.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ocean Futures: A New Paradigm and Teaching in the Age of Ocean Change

  2024-03-09

  preprintOpen access

  The new School of Ocean Futures (oceans.asu.edu) at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ, USA) has embarked on a novel way of teaching ocean science with a forward-looking philosophy that centers on the current and future states of the ocean. While situated in Arizona State University&amp;#8217;s main campus, it leverages the location of its two offshore campuses, the Center of Global Discovery and Conservation Science in Hilo, Hawaii, and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in Bermuda. The Ocean Futures programs combine aspects of traditional ocean science teaching with ocean stewardship, partnerships, and Indigenous knowledge, and focus on the communities that live with the ocean and are affected by its rapid change. In this presentation we will introduce the curriculum of the new degree, as well as the challenges encountered, and best practices learned. Novel courses include &amp;#8220;Introduction to Ocean Futures&amp;#8221;, a capture course that aims at increasing the interdisciplinary knowledge of oceans, while actively seeking to increase diversity and retention in the field via inclusive pedagogical practices, the historical context of oceanography and an emphasis on developing a mindset of empowerment for change. It is followed by &amp;#8220;Ocean Communities&amp;#8221;, a course that immerses students through an ethnobotanical lens in global mountain to ocean cultural connections, while elaborating on how various human communities engage, exchange, and build relationships with regional resources. The students will receive hands-on aquatic knowledge through field courses at BIOS, the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, and Antarctica. The curriculum culminates with an ocean workshop and capstone course that will allow the students to work directly with partners to address real-world challenges facing coastal communities and marine systems.&amp;#160;&amp;#160;

  PublisherDOI

• Stable Isotope δ 18 O Dynamic Fractionation Coefficient between Water and Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean

  2024-12-10

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Variations in stable oxygen isotopic compositions in sea ice provide information on environmental conditions during sea ice formation, and also are important in understanding regional and temporal aspects of the freshwater budget of the Arctic Ocean. We analyzed the oxygen isotope fractionation between sea ice and seawater using ice core and surface ocean samples obtained in a field study in the Lincoln Sea/Switchyard region of the Arctic Ocean. Using the Sea Ice Tracking Utility (SITU) we track the sea ice backward in time along drift trajectories, and use a simple model to calculate ice growth rates. Our results indicate that sea ice at the bottom of the floes that we sampled in the Switchyard Region grew within the past winter along a trajectory extending back to the North Pole. The effective fractionation coefficients from the bottom ice layers and the parent water mass are close to 2.11 ‰ with a standard error of ± 0.06 ‰. Knowing this sea ice oxygen isotope fractionation coefficient for high Arctic drifting ice is critical for use of equations for mass balance, salinity, oxygen isotopes and nutrients to calculate water mass fractions and sources to understand freshwater balance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Vulnerability of the Arctic Marginal Ice Zone to Changes in Drifting Ice

  NSF · $344k · 2006–2010

• Discovering the Hudson River Estuary through an Experiential Curriculum in Environmental Science at Barnard College

  NSF · $150k · 2005–2008

• Polar Weekend Fair Baltimore MD

  NSF · $36k · 2009–2010

• Collaborative Research: NYC International Polar Weekend 2008-2009

  NSF · $40k · 2008–2011

Frequent coauthors

• Bruno Tremblay

  McGill University

  38 shared

• R. Newton

  Environment Agency

  33 shared

• Peter Schlösser

  31 shared

• Patricia DeRepentigny

  17 shared

• Robin E. Bell

  Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

  13 shared

• Jessica Brunacini

  Michigan State University

  11 shared

• Samar Khatiwala

  University of Oxford

  10 shared

• Hajo Eicken

  University of Alaska Fairbanks

  10 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Sciences

  Columbia University

  1992

• M.S., Earth and Environmental Sciences

  Columbia University

  1987

• B.A., Geology

  Harvard University

  1983

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sc…
• Lifetime National Associate of the National Research Council…
• Parent's Choice award for EcoChains