Editors’ Vox is a blog from AGU’s Publications Department.
We are delighted to share that Kris Karnauskas has just taken over as the Editor-in-Chief of Geophysical Research Letters. We asked him some questions about his own research interests and his vision for the journal.
What are your own areas of scientific interest?
Growing up in the Midwest, I was captivated by the weather systems that shaped our seasons—severe spring storms and long, snowy winters that occasionally granted a school snow day.
I pursued a degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where synoptic meteorology was a cornerstone. My interest in climate dynamics began in graduate school in Maryland, leading me to take up physical oceanography to understand the coupled dynamics that reign over the tropics.
Over time, my interests broadened to encompass marine ecosystem and longer-term global change, especially during my years at Lamont and Woods Hole. Since joining the faculty of CU Boulder, I’ve even become interested in the intersection of climate and human health. It’s a lot of fun to be modeling equatorial ocean dynamics one day and collaborating with environmental epidemiologists the next.
What does it mean to you to serve as Editor-in-Chief of Geophysical Research Letters?
It’s a tremendous honor to serve the AGU community as Editor-in-Chief of GRL. I’ve been an Editor with GRL since 2022 and served JGR: Oceans for over a decade before that, so this role feels like a natural progression—and a privilege. GRL has been a cornerstone of geoscientific research for 50 years and is now at the forefront of the open access movement.
This shared experience is what makes society journals like GRL special: we editors are also authors, reviewers, and readers.
Publishing my first paper in GRL remains a vivid memory—the thrill of submission tempered by the anxiety of awaiting expert feedback.
I still carry that mix of emotions when I submit papers today, and I haven’t forgotten how impactful supportive reviewers and editors were early in my career.
This shared experience is what makes society journals like GRL special: we editors are also authors, reviewers, and readers. We serve our community with humility and compassion, making a tangible difference in the scientific enterprise.
What makes Geophysical Research Letters special?
GRL is indeed a special journal. The journal focuses on research at the forefront of an AGU discipline while fostering broad, interdisciplinary relevance across the Earth and space sciences. Its concise format challenges authors to communicate their findings effectively, making it accessible—and enjoyable—beyond disciplinary boundaries. GRL’s scope spans all AGU disciplines, from oceanography to space sciences, with themes like climate and global change woven throughout.
Supported by a diverse editorial board representing a wide array of scientific expertise and global perspectives, GRL has, for half a century, showcased the most noteworthy research in the field. Its impact extends not only within the research community but also in shaping our understanding of—and relationship with—the natural world.
What are some of the challenges of leading this journal?
GRL’s strengths also present unique challenges. The journal is massive—of the roughly 21,000 submissions received across AGU’s 24 journals in 2024, GRL accounted for 25%. GRL’s 5,337 submissions in 2024 represented an incredible 20% increase over 2023. Managing this volume keeps our 60-member editorial board pretty busy. Submission demographics are evolving, too, with about half now coming from Chinese institutions—a proportion that has doubled in five years—while submissions from Africa and Latin America remain low (around 2%).
Behind the scenes is a continuous process of working to ensure that our editorial board reflects the global AGU community in terms of scientific breadth, geography and diversity. Maintaining the highest standards of rigorous and fair peer review and achieving swift turnaround times are ongoing priorities. Balancing these goals while avoiding burnout among our dedicated editors and reviewers remains a delicate and vital task.
How do you plan to take the journal forward in the coming years?
I aim to ensure that society journals like GRL remain beacons of excellence, fostering trust and visibility for groundbreaking Earth and space research.
I’m fortunate to build on the foundation established by my predecessors, especially the late Professor Hari Rajaram, whose steadfast leadership left GRL in an excellent position.
Looking ahead, we are actively diversifying the editorial board to better represent our global community of authors. I also plan to enhance outreach efforts and address barriers that limit submissions from underrepresented regions, particularly Africa and Latin America.
In an era of high publishing pressures and the proliferation of for-profit journals, I aim to ensure that society journals like GRL remain beacons of excellence, fostering trust and visibility for groundbreaking Earth and space research.
—Kris Karnauskas ([email protected], 
0000-0001-8121-7321), University of Colorado Boulder, United States