JGR

JGR
Title	JGR
Discipline	Geosciences
Abbreviation	JGR
Publisher	American Geophysical Union
Country	United States
Frequency	Monthly
History	1916–present
Impact factor	4.5

JGR is a major peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research in the geophysical sciences. It serves as a venue for observational, theoretical, and modeling studies spanning atmospheric, terrestrial, oceanic, and planetary sciences. The journal communicates findings to researchers associated with institutions such as NASA, NOAA, USGS, Imperial College London, and California Institute of Technology, and intersects with work from international agencies like the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Overview

JGR focuses on original research across multiple geophysical domains including atmospheric physics, oceanography, hydrology, seismology, planetary science, and geomagnetism, with common connections to studies conducted at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, ETH Zurich, and Max Planck Society. Typical articles employ data from platforms such as Landsat, Sentinel-1, Aqua, TRMM, and from field programs run by British Antarctic Survey or Australian Antarctic Division. Contributors often belong to research groups linked to Princeton University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and University of Tokyo.

History and Naming

The journal traces its roots to early 20th-century efforts by organizations including the American Geophysical Union and collaborations with scientists at Smithsonian Institution and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Over time it evolved through editorial stewardship that included figures affiliated with Columbia University, University of Cambridge, and University of California, Berkeley. Its name reflects a long tradition in geophysical reporting comparable to other landmark publications such as Nature Geoscience and Science Advances. Notable historical episodes intersect with major projects like the International Geophysical Year and missions such as Voyager program and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Scope and Publications

The journal publishes original research articles, technical notes, review articles, and occasional commentaries tied to projects run by institutions like NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and National Oceanography Centre. Its topical scope encompasses studies using methods developed at centers including CERN (for instrumentation cross-disciplinary work), Argonne National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Special issues have been organized around themes such as climate change assessments aligned with work by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and around datasets from missions like GRACE and ICESat. The journal also coordinates publication pipelines with societies such as the Royal Astronomical Society and the Geological Society of America for multidisciplinary volumes.

Editorial Structure and Policies

Editorial oversight is provided by an editor-in-chief and associate editors drawn from universities and research institutions including Stanford University, Yale University, University of Washington, Carnegie Institution for Science, and National Taiwan University. The peer review process commonly involves external reviewers from organizations such as NOAA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, European Southern Observatory, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Policies emphasize data availability (with links to archives like PANGAEA and Zenodo), reproducibility, and adherence to ethical standards promulgated by professional bodies including the Committee on Publication Ethics. The journal follows standard practices for conflict-of-interest disclosure used at institutions like Wellcome Trust and funding acknowledgments referencing agencies such as the National Science Foundation and European Research Council.

Impact and Reception

JGR has influenced fields connected to notable initiatives and personalities associated with James Hansen, Gavin Schmidt, Susan Solomon, Walter Munk, and Roger Revelle through papers that informed policymaking at bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and assessments used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Landmark studies published in the journal have been cited in reports from IPCC, National Research Council (United States), and white papers by Office of Science and Technology Policy (United States). Reception in the scientific community places the journal alongside peers like Geophysical Research Letters and Journal of Climate for both methodological rigor and breadth.

Notable Works and Contributions

Among influential contributions are observational syntheses using data from TOPEX/Poseidon, analyses of seismicity drawing on catalogs maintained by International Seismological Centre, studies of ocean circulation referencing Argo floats, and planetary research leveraging results from Cassini–Huygens and Mars Global Surveyor. Papers in the journal have advanced understanding of phenomena studied at sites such as Mauna Loa Observatory, Piton de la Fournaise, Yellowstone National Park, and Haleakala Observatory. Contributions have also included methodological innovations from researchers affiliated with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and instrumentation developments with ties to European Space Agency missions.

Access and Availability

The journal is published by the American Geophysical Union with subscription access and options for open-access publication under article processing charges administered similarly to arrangements at Elsevier and Springer Nature. Digital access is provided through platforms used by libraries at institutions like University of California and University of Michigan and integrated into discovery services provided by CrossRef and ORCID. Data and supplementary materials are commonly archived in repositories such as PANGAEA, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, and Figshare, facilitating reuse by communities connected to centers like European Space Agency and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Category:Geophysics journals