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Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Oreste Reale

(CHIEF SCIENTIST)

Oreste Reale's Contact Card & Information.
Email: oreste.reale-1@nasa.gov
Org Code: 693
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 693
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: SCIENCE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS INC

Brief Bio

Dr. Oreste Reale received his Laurea in geophysical engineering from the University of Trieste, Italy, in 1990, and his Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1996. Dr. Reale worked in Italy from 1996 to 1999 contributing to the development of a meteo-hydrological operational center in Genoa, Italy, and then moved to the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, Maryland, in 1999.

In 2001 he joined NASA Goddard through the cooperative agreement GEST, led by UMBC.  In 2011, he continued working at Goddard through USRA, in the successor cooperative agreement GESTAR. In GESTAR, he become Senior Scientist and Group Lead, Associate Director in 2015, and finally served as Director of GESTAR from February 16th, 2019 to November 30th, 2021.

Dr. Reale was appointed Chief Scientist of SSAI on December 1st, 2021. In this role, he oversees SSAI's Internal Research and Development (IRAD) and SSAI's Office of Sponsored Programs. He has continuously been member of the NASA Sounder Science Team since 2011, as PI of four grants (2011-2015; 2015-2018; 2018-2022, 2022-2026), focused on the assimilation of infrared radiances from hyper spectral sensors in the GEOS system. Previously, Dr. Reale was PI of a 3-year NASA grant on Observing System Simulation Experiments (2006-2009), and co-I of NASA grants on the African Monsoon (2007-2009), on Calipso-CloudSat (2010-2014), and on long-term predictability of tropical cyclones (2011-2014).

His current focus is on the design of an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) framework for Mars. This project started with support by USRA/IRAD (2019-2021), continued with SSAI's IRAD resources and is currently co-funded by NASA GSFC.

Research Interests

General Circulation of the Atmosphere of Mars, Atmospheric Dynamics on Mars

Solar System: Mars

Dr. Reale is interested in the general circulation of the Martian atmosphere, Mars atmospheric model inter comparison, and observing system simulation experiments for Mars.

Observing System Experiments with focus on assimilation of radiances from hyper spectral Infrared sensors

Earth Science: Weather

Dr. Reale is member of the NASA Sounder Science Team and Principal Investigator of a funded NASA grant to study the impact of AIRS and CrIS data on tropical cyclone forecasting within a global data assimilation and forecast framework, focused on the assimilation of radiances in cloud-affected regions.

Atmospheric Dynamics, Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology, Tropical Meteorology, Data Impact studies

Earth Science: Weather

Dr. Reale's research interest include atmospheric dynamics, synoptic-dynamic meteorology, tropical meteorology, extreme precipitation forecasting, impact of aerosols on atmospheric dynamics.

Positions/Employment

Chief Scientist

SSAI - Greenbelt, Maryland

December 2021 - Present

GESTAR, Director

USRA - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

February 2019 - November 2021

GESTAR, Associate Director

USRA - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

2015 - February 2019

GESTAR, Senior Scientist, Group Lead

USRA - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

2011 - 2015


Research Scientist

GEST/UMBC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

2001 - 2011

Awards

2018 Recipient of the "USRA Manager of the Year" Award

2011 UMD Distinguished Alumnus Awardee for the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park

2005 Recipient of the Outstanding Performance Award from the Laboratory for Atmospheres at the NASA GSFC

2004 Recipient of the Outstanding Performance Award from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office/Sounding Research Team at the NASA GSFC

2002 Recipient of the Outstanding Performance Award from the Data Assimilation Office/Sounding Research Team, in the Laboratory for Atmospheres at the NASA GSFC

Selected Publications

Refereed

2025. "Impact of assimilating SMAP observations over land on tropical cyclone representation: A case study of Tropical Cyclone Idai.", Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 151 (772): e5018 [10.1002/qj.5018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Role of Tropical Easterly Jet on the Bay of Bengal’s Tropical Cyclones: Observed Climatology and Future Projection.", Journal of Climate, 36 (17): 5825-5840 [10.1175/jcli-d-22-0804.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Impact of assimilating adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on the analysis of Polar Lows and Mediterranean Sea Tropical-like Cyclone in a global modeling and data assimilation framework.", Weather and Forecasting, 37 (7): 1117–1134 [10.1175/waf-d-21-0068.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Sensitivity of low tropospheric Arctic temperatures to assimilation of AIRS cloud‐cleared radiances: Impact on mid‐latitude waves.", Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 147 (741): 4032-4047 [10.1002/qj.4166] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Impact of adaptively thinned AIRS cloud-cleared radiances on tropical cyclone representation in a global data assimilation and forecast system.", Weather and Forecasting, 33 (4): 908-931 [10.1175/waf-d-17-0175.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Tropical Cyclones in the 7km NASA Global Nature Run for use in Observing System Simulation Experiments.", Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 34 (1): 73-100 [10.1175/JTECH-D-16-0094.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Large-scale controls on Atlantic tropical cyclone activity on seasonal time scales.", Journal of Climate, 29 6727-6749 [10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0098.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Sensitivity of tropical cyclones to parameterized convection in the NASA GEOS-5 model.", J. Climate, 28 (2): 551-573 [10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00104.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Impact of assimilated and interactive aerosol on tropical cyclogenesis.", Geophys. Res. Lett, 41 (9): 3282-3288 [10.1002/2014GL059918] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "A Characterization of African Easterly Waves on 2.5–6-Day and 6–9-Day Time Scales.", J. Climate, 26 (18): 6750-6774 [10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00336.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "African Easterly Jet: Barotropic Instability, Waves, and Cyclogenesis.", Journal of Climate, 25 (5): 1489-1510 [10.1175/2011JCLI4241.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "AIRS impact on analysis and forecast of an extreme rainfall event (Indus River Valley, Pakistan, 2010) with a global data assimilation and forecast system.", J. Geophys. Res., 117 (D8): D08103 [10.1029/2011JD017093] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Impact of Interactive Aerosol on the African Easterly Jet in the NASA GEOS-5 Global Forecasting System.", Weather and Forecasting, 26 (4): 504-519 [10.1175/WAF-D-10-05025.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "AIRS impact on precipitation analysis and forecast of tropical cyclones in a global data assimilation and forecast system.", Geophys. Res. Lett, 37 (2): L02806 [10.1029/2009GL041494] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "African Easterly Jet: Structure and Maintenance.", Journal of Climate, 22 4459-4480 [DOI: 10.1175/2009JCLI2584.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "AIRS impact on the analysis and forecast track of tropical cyclone Nargis in a global data assimilation and forecasting system.", Geophysical Research Letters, 36 (6): L06812 [10.1029/2008GL037122] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Atlantic Tropical Cyclogenetic Processes during SOP-3 NAMMA in the GEOS-5 Global Data Assimilation and Forecast System.", Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 66 (12): 3563-3578 [10.1175/2009JAS3123.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Improving forecast skill by assimilation of quality-controlled AIRS temperature retrievals under partially cloudy conditions.", Geophysical Research Letters, 35 (8): L08809 [10.1029/2007GL033002] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Preliminary evaluation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts' (ECMWF) Nature Run over the tropical Atlantic and African monsoon region.", Geophysical Research Letters, 34 (22): L22810 [10.1029/2007gl031640] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Improving Hurricane Prediction through Innovative Global Modeling.", Extending the Horizons: Advances in Computing, Optimization and Decision Technologies, 40192 [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Hurricane Forecasts with a Global Mesoscale-Resolving Model: Preliminary Results with Hurricane Katrina(2005).", Geophys. Res. Lett., L13813 [doi:10.1029/2006GL026143] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "The 0.125 degree finite-volume general circulation model on the NASA Columbia supercomputer: Preliminary simulations of mesoscale vortices.", Geophysical Research Letters, 33 (5): L05801 [10.1029/2005GL024594] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Hurricane Forecasts with a Global Mesoscale-Resolving Model: Preliminary Results with Hurricane Katrina (2005).", Geophys Res Lett, 33 L13813 [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Application of SeaWinds scatterometer and TMI-SSM/I rain rates to hurricane analysis and forecasting.", ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 59 (4): 233-243 [10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2005.02.007] [Journal Article/Letter]

2005. "Hurricane forecasting with the high-resolution NASA finite volume general circulation model.", Geophys. Res. Lett., 32 (3): L03807 [10.1029/2004GL021513] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Water Vapor Sources of the October 2000 Piedmont Flood.", Journal of Hydrometeorology, 5 (4): 693-712 [10.1175/1525-7541(2004)005<0693:wvsoto>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Variational Continuous Assimilation of TMI and SSM/I Rain Rates: Impact on GEOS-3 Hurricane Analyses and Forecasts.", Mon. Weather Rev., 132 (8): 2094-2109 [10.1175/1520-0493(2004)132<2094:VCAOTA>2.0.CO;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Modeling the Effect of Land Surface Evaporation Variability on Precipitation Variability. Part II: Time- and Space-Scale structure.", Journal of Hydrometeorology, 3 (4): 451-466 [10.1175/1525-7541(2002)003<0451:mteols>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Modeling the Effect of Land Surface Evaporation Variability on Precipitation Variability. Part I: General Response.", Journal of Hydrometeorology, 3 (4): 433-450 [10.1175/1525-7541(2002)003<0433:mteols>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2001. "Evaporative moisture sources during a sequence of floods in the Mediterranean region.", Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (10): 2085-2088 [10.1029/2000gl012379] [Journal Article/Letter]

2001. "Tropical Cyclone–Like Vortices in the Extratropics: Observational Evidence and Synoptic Analysis.", Weather and Forecasting, 16 (1): 7-34 [10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0007:tclvit>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Modeling the effects of vegetation on Mediterranean climate during the Roman Classical Period Part I: Climate history and model sensitivity.", Global and Planetary Change, 25 (3-4): 163-184 [10.1016/s0921-8181(00)00002-3] [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Modeling the effects of vegetation on Mediterranean climate during the Roman Classical Period: Part II. Model simulation.", Global and Planetary Change, 25 (3-4): 185-214 [10.1016/s0921-8181(00)00003-5] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2021. "Building a standardized Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) framework for Mars.", Vol. 53, Issue 4 (Planetary/Astrobiology Decadal Survey Whitepapers), 53 (4): [10.3847/25c2cfeb.0483bad0] [Journal Article/Letter]

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