Alexander Thompson (b. 1980) is an American physical oceanographer and science communicator whose research centers on light–ice interactions and ocean optics. He earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he specialized in radiative transfer in polar seas. Thompson has led field campaigns in McMurdo Sound and the Fram Strait, conducted ice-station work in Svalbard, and developed hyperspectral instruments for ships and sea ice. He is an associate professor of marine physics and a frequent contributor to national science magazines.
As a writer, Alexander Thompson bridges technical research and narrative science, bringing readers from the lab bench to the floe edge. His popular science books, including Reflections in the Crystal Sea (2022) and Fort Harrow (2024), explore how light structures marine ecosystems and how polar change ripples through global climate. When not at sea, he mentors early-career researchers and photographs coastal light phenomena near his home in Seattle.
