Local News Archive - Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory

NPR Highlights 2023 IMPACTS Campaign

02/27/2023

National Public Radio's All Things Considered recently featured NASA's 2023 IMPACTS campaign

Earth Expeditions: A Nervous Flier’s Guide to Riding the Snowy Skies

02/06/2023

This blog comes to you from NASA’s P-3 plane for the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign.

GPM Mentorship Program Registration Opens

01/18/2023

The second edition of the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) Mentorship program is now open for registration. Limited seats are available.

In 2022 over 50 participants from around the world learned from top subject matter experts on a wide array of precipitation-related topics. IMERG, DPR, ground validation, data discovery, and processing were some of the many topics discussed in the program. 12 capstone projects were also developed by the participants in close collaboration with SMEs who acted as mentors.

In 2023, the program will continue to offer a unique training opportunity to users (novice to intermediate). Staff will also introduce exciting upgrades, for an even more interactive and competitive learning experience. The deadline to register is Jan. 31, 2023.

IMPACTS 2023 Begins

01/06/2023

The IMPACTS field campaign is flying out of Wallops to study how snowstorms form. By flying through and around storms, IMPACTS is collecting data to improve forecasts of snowstorms from space. This is the fourth year of the IMPACTS mission.

2022 610AT Peer Awards Announced

12/07/2022

On December 6, 2022, ESD's Atmospheres organization hosted its annual peer awards ceremony in hybrid format. The 2022 610AT Peer Awards included:

Best Senior Author Publication: Tianle Yuanz (613/UMD) and Jerald Ziemke (614/Morgan State Univ.); Best Science Highlight or Nugget: Sujung Go (613/Morgan State Univ.) and Ghassan Taha (614/Morgan State Univ.); Distinguished Contribution Group Award: Lisa Nalborczyk (612/SSAI), Cathy Newman (613/SSAI), and Tyeisha Philson (614/SSAI), Susannah Pearce (613/GST), Rashida Holland (613/GST), and Nathan Perrin (613/GST) and NO2 Sonde Instrument Team (614 ) – Steve Bailey (555), Andrew Swanson (614/UMBC), Hieu Nguyen (JSC-OD/CACI NSS), Reem Hannun (614/UMBC), Ryan Stauffer (614), and Tom Hanisco (614); Field Campaign Support: Taka Iguchi (612/UMD); Science: Chris Kidd (612/UMD) and Can Li (614/UMD); Engineering and/or Instrument Development or Support: Jason St Clair (614/UMBC) and Michael Gray (614/SSAI); Science Software Development: Vinay Kayetha (614/SSAI) and Robert Joyce (612/SSAI); IT or Web Support: Frank Gomez (61A/ADNET); Administrative or Business Support: Kyu-Myong Kim (613/NASA), Linda Whetzel (614/X3M Systems), and Carol Holcombe (157.1/NASA); Outreach or Mentoring: Andrea Portier (612/SSAI); Special Recognition Award: G. Thomas Arnold (613/SSAI).

Lab Members Support ARSET Training

10/25/2022

NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Program completed an intermediate, online training titled, "Accessing and Analyzing Air Quality Data from Geostationary Satellites." This three-part training, offered in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute Of Environmental Research (NIER, South Korea), provided an overview of geostationary capabilities for monitoring air quality around the world, introduced geostationary aerosol datasets from GOES-East, GOES-West, Himawari 8, and the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), and presented data access and python tools to read and analyze the datasets. This training was delivered by Pawan Gupta (USRA/MSFC), Melanie Follette-Cook (612), Sarah Strode (614/MSU), and guest speakers Aaron Naeger (TEMPO/MSFC), Amy Huff and Sujung Go (613/UMBC). Selwyn Hudson-Odoi (612/UMBC), David Barbato (612/UMBC), Sarah Cutshall (612/SSAI), and Jonathan O’Brien (612/SSAI) supported the training. In attendance were 860 participants from 102 countries and 38 US states. Approximately 425 unique organizations were represented.

GPM Monitors Hurricane Ian

09/29/2022

Hurricane Ian became one of the strongest hurricanes on record to strike Florida when it made landfall Wednesday, Sept. 28th, 2022. The NASA/JAXA GPM Core Observatory provided data on the storm and its movements.

Rodell and Tao named Class of 2022 AGU Fellows

09/19/2022

We are happy to announce Dr. Matthew Rodell and Dr. Wei-Kuo Tao have been elected to the Class of 2022 AGU Fellows. This is a tremendous acknowledgement of their significant scientific achievements and contributions to the broader community. Congratulations to Matt and Wei-Kuo for this well-earned honor!

Dr. George Huffman Named Recipient of 2022 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science

08/11/2022

George Huffman speaking in front of a video screen

We are thrilled to announce the selection of Dr. George Huffman as the 2022 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science winner.

Dr. Huffman is being recognized for outstanding contributions to, and leadership of, algorithm development, science, and applications of the TRMM and GPM multi-satellite precipitation analyses.

Dr. Huffman received his B.S. in Physics at The Ohio State University (1976) and a Ph.D. in Meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1982). He then was an Assistant Professor at University of Maryland, College Park, then moved to GSFC in 1988, where he consulted until entering government service in 2012. Dr. Huffman’s primary focus has been the design, implementation, and extension of combined (satellite-gauge) estimates of global precipitation. The resulting data sets include the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly and daily products (carried out as a contribution to the World Climate Research Program, WCRP); the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis; and the successor NASA Global Precipitation Measurements (GPM) mission’s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG). Allied work includes estimating errors and extreme precipitation event statistics. Dr. Huffman is the Project Scientist for GPM, as well as the lead for the GPM Multi-satellite Algorithm Team. His research has resulted in 145 publications, 15 as first author, and numerous presentations. As well, he is the Chief for the Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Lab, Code 612, at GSFC. Recent awards include NASA/GSFC Special Act Team Award, Earth Sciences Division Lab Management, 2021; NASA/GSFC Robert H. Goddard Group Award for Science, IMERG Development Team, 2019; Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, 2019; and NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 2018.

George will be presented with the William Nordberg Memorial Award during a future Scientific Colloquium.

NASA GLOBE Land Cover Challenge 2022: Land Cover in a Changing Climate

07/26/2022

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program invites you to take part in our upcoming Land Cover Challenge: “Land Cover in a Changing Climate.”

The photos you take using The GLOBE Program’s GLOBE Observer app document the current land cover and may also show evidence of land cover or land use change in the area. We especially encourage you to look for places you know have changed (or where you know change is coming), and put any information about the reasons or timing for that change in the field notes section. While existing land cover databases (such as the 50-year record from the Landsat satellite) may be able to indicate where change is happening, they don’t always include the reasons why those changes occurred, so any local, on-the-ground knowledge you share with us can be especially helpful.

Earth Expeditions Blog: Planning, Coordinating and Communicating – The Science Behind Winter Storm Chasing Experiments

02/25/2022

As the snowstorm headed through New York on February 24, one professor at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York spent the hours leading up to it preparing his students to head right into the storm.

Earth Expeditions Blog: Storm Chasing Scientists Fly Into the Clouds to Understand Winter Snowstorms

02/23/2022

Imagine the feeling of flying on an airplane. Smooth sailing, clear skies, not a cloud in sight. It’s a relaxing ride that many take for work or recreational travel. Now imagine flying through clouds, with the turbulence of different intensities...

Earth Expeditions Blog: Up, up and away – Launching Balloons in a Blizzard

02/07/2022

Andrew Janiszeski and Troy Zaremba blow up a weather balloon in a dark hotel lobby. The weather was calm last night when they drove into Plymouth, Massachusetts, but this morning a blizzard is raging outside. Snow is piling up in the hotel parking lot, wind gusts are near 70mph, and the power is out – but they have a job to do...

2022 IMPACTS Winter Field Campaign Begins

01/10/2022

Various personnel are supporting the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign. Follow along at the SnowIMPACTS Twitter feed (maintained by Univ. of Washington) or learn more here.

Lang Highlights India's 2021 Monsoon

11/09/2021

Stephen Lang (612/SSAI) wrote an article using IMERG to examine precipitation patterns for the 2021 monsoon in India. The article was shared to web and social media by Jacob Reed (617/Telophase).

2021 610AT Peer Awards Announced

11/05/2021

On November 5, 2021, ESD's Atmospheres organization hosted a virtual awards ceremony with 134 attendees. The following employees were awarded a 2021 610AT Peer Award — Best Senior Author Publication: Sampa Das (614/UMD) and Lauren Zamora (613/UMD); Best Science Highlight or Nugget: Ryan Kramer (613/UMBC) and Lisa Milani (612/UMD); Distinguished Contribution Group Award: Wallops Airborne Topographic Mapper team (ATM), James K. Yungel (615/SSAI), Serdar S. Manizade (615/SSAI), Matthew A. Linkswiler (615/SSAI), Kyle A. Krabill (840), Craig Swenson (615/SSAI), Alexey Chibisov (615/SSAI), Carl Schirtzinger (615/ASRC), and Michael Studinger (615); Technical or Field Campaign Support: Theresa Graydus (610.W/ASRC), Carl Schirtzinger (615/ASRC), and Brian Lowe (610/Peraton), Kenneth Christian (612/UMD), and Alexander Kotsakis (614/USRA); Outstanding performance Science: David Haffner (614/SSAI), Melanie Follette-Cook (614/MSU), Toshihisa Matsui (612/UMD), and Daeho Jin (613/USRA); Engineering and/or Instrument Development or Support: Jason St Clair (614/UMBC); Science Software Development: Zachary Fasnacht (614/SSAI) and Liang-Kang Huang (614/SSAI); IT or Web Support: Paul Hubanks (613/ADNET) and Ashley Barrientos (610/ADNET); Administrative or Business Support: Marion August (613/X3M); Outreach or Mentoring: Dorian Janney (612/ADNET), Santiago Gasso, (613/UMD), Emily Wilson (610), and Ralph Kahn (613); Special Recognition Award: Mariel Friberg (613/UMD), Lara Clemence (610/GST), and Tamas Varnai (613/UMBC); Special Recognition during COVID-19: Gerald McIntire (612/KBRwyle).

Janney Writes Blog for GLOBE Program

10/05/2021

Dorian Janney (612/ADNET) wrote a blog entitled “Exploring Engineering Solutions for a Changing Climate with NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement mission” for The GLOBE Program website. This blog was shared through several channels, including The Space Foundation’s Teacher Liaisons and Solar System Ambassadors.

Loss of Dr. Gail Skofronick-Jackson

09/09/2021

We are mourning the sudden loss of Dr. Gail Skofronick-Jackson. Gail has been part of NASA's Earth Science Program since 1997. She began her NASA career at Goddard Space Flight Center before she accepted a position as Program Manager of the Weather Focus Area within the HQ Earth Science Division in 2018. At Goddard she served as Chief of the NASA Goddard Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory, and as Project Scientist for the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. She was a brilliant, deeply principled and passionate scientist, and a beloved co-worker and friend. Her impact lives on in our work.

Read a tribute to Gail on the International Precipitation Working Group (IPWG) website.

Chin and Heymsfield Elected AMS Fellows

08/09/2021

Congratulations to Mian Chin (614) and Gerry Heymsfield (612) on their selection as Fellows of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). They will receive their honors at the AMS Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, during the week of January 23–27, 2022.

Division Scientists Provide ARSET Training

05/27/2021

The Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program completed its longest (six part) bilingual series, "Satellite Observations and Tools for Fire Risk, Detection, and Analysis." The training covered the use of Earth observations pre-fire (fire types, conditions, and fire danger), during-fire (thermal anomalies and smoke mapping), and post-fire (burned area, landscape changes, and regrowth), and the content spanned air quality, disasters, and land applications. The course instructors were Melanie Follette-Cook (614/MSU), Pawan Gupta, Amita Mehta (612/UMBC), Erika Podest, Sean McCartney (610/SSAI), Juan Torres-Pérez, Zach Bengtsson, Robert Field (611/CU), and Ana Prados (614/UMBC); and guest presenters Elijah Orland (617/USRA) and Blanca Rios. Brock Blevins (614/SSAI), Selwyn Hudson-Odoi (612/UMBC), David Barbato (614/UMBC) and Jonathan O’Brien (614/SSAI) supported the training. There were 2,544 attendees from 110 countries and 47 US states. Approximately 1,200 unique organizations were represented.
en Español

Paper Selected for IEEE Award

05/07/2021

The article "An active–passive microwave land surface database from GPM" was selected as the winner of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society 2020 Transactions Prize Paper Award. The Award will be presented at IGARSS 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. Congratulations to authors S. Munchak (612), S. Ringerud (612/UMD), L. Brucker (615/USRA), Y. You, I. de Gelis, and C. Prigent.

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