Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Ghassan Taha

(RESEARCH SCIENTIST)

Ghassan Taha's Contact Card & Information.
Email: ghassan.taha-1@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.5979
Org Code: 614
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 614
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: MORGAN STATE UNIV.

Brief Bio


Dr. Taha received his Ph.D in Atmospheric Physics in 2000 from University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and B.S. in Applied Physics from Kuwait university in 1988.

Before joining Morgan State university in December 2021, Dr. Taha worked at USRA for 9 years and SSAI for six years. He also worked for University of Arizona at NASA Langley Research Centre as part of the SAGE III meteor team. He is currently the PI of the OMPS LP aerosol products.

Research Interests


Aerosol and trace gases measurements

Earth Science: Remote Sensing

Ozone and aerosol limb retrieval algorithm developments, as well theoretical and experimental studies relating to trace gases and atmospheric aerosol variability and trends using satellite remote sensing techniques. Validation and measurement's quality of trace gases and aerosol profiles.

Positions/Employment


Senior Research Scientist

Morgan State University - NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

November 2021 - Present


Senior Scientist/Manager

Universities Space Research Association - NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

September 2020 - November 2021


Senior Scientist

Universities Space Research Association - NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

September 2018 - September 2020


Research Scientist III

Universities Space Research Association - NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

January 2012 - September 2018


Senior Scientist

SSAI - NASA GSFC, Lanham, Maryland

May 2006 - December 2011


Atmospheric Scientist

SAIC - NASA LaRC, Hampton, Virginia

December 2004 - May 2005


Research Scientist

University of Arizona - NASA LaRC, Hampton, Virginia

August 2000 - December 2004

Education


Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 2000

B.S. Applied Physics, Kuwait University, 1988

Awards


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Group Achievement Award, 2011.

SSAI Publication Awards, 10/2006, 03/2007, 08/2007, 03/2009, and 3/2011.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Group Achievement Award, 2007.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Group Achievement Award, 2004.

Grants


Algorithm Development and Validation Towards an Improved Aerosol Extinction Profile Dataset from the Suomi NPP OMPS LP

OMPS LP aerosol retrieval - NASA ROSES (NNH17ZDA001N-TASNPP) - Awarded: 2018-03-31


Dates: 2018-06-01  - 2021-05-31


Validation of SAGE III/ISS solar and lunar products using backward and forward trajectories

SAGE III/ISS Validation - NASA ROSES (NNH17ZDA001N-SAGEIII) - Awarded: 2018-03-30



Atmospheric retrievals from SAGE III limb scatter measurements

SAGE III/ISS LS retrieval - NASA ROSES (NNH17ZDA001N-SAGEIII) - Awarded: 2018-06-01


Dates: 2018-06-01  - 2021-05-31


Effects of the Asian summer monsoon dynamics on aerosol composition and interannual variability in the UT/LS

Asian monsoon aerosol - NASA ROSES (NNH19ZDA001N-AURAST) - Awarded: 2020-03-15


Dates: 2021-06-01  - 2024-05-31


Algorithm Development and Validation of the Aerosol Extinction Profile Dataset from the Suomi NPP OMPS Limb Profiler

OMOPS LP aerosol retrieval - NASA ROSES (NNH20ZDA001N-SNPPSP,) - Awarded: 2021-10-15


Dates: 2021-10-15  - 2021-10-15

Selected Publications


Refereed

2023. "Investigating a Persistent Stratospheric Aerosol Layer Observed over Southern Europe during 2019." Remote Sensing 15 (22): 5394 [10.3390/rs15225394] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Unexpectedly rapid aerosol formation in the Hunga Tonga plume." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120 (46): [10.1073/pnas.2219547120] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Estimated Climate Impact of the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai Eruption Plume." Geophysical Research Letters 50 (18): [10.1029/2023gl104634] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Cross Equatorial Transport of the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai Eruption Plume." Geophysical Research Letters 50 (4): [10.1029/2022gl102443] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "SAGE III/ISS ozone and NO2 validation using diurnal scaling factors." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15 (20): 6145-6161 [10.5194/amt-15-6145-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Perturbations in stratospheric aerosol evolution due to the water-rich plume of the 2022 Hunga-Tonga eruption." Communications Earth & Environment 3 (1): 248 [10.1038/s43247-022-00580-w] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Analysis and Impact of the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai Stratospheric Water Vapor Plume." Geophysical Research Letters 49 (20): [10.1029/2022gl100248] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Tracking the 2022 Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai aerosol cloud in the upper and middle stratosphere using space‐based observations." Geophysical Research Letters [10.1029/2022gl100091] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Unexpected Repartitioning of Stratospheric Inorganic Chlorine After the 2020 Australian Wildfires." Geophysical Research Letters 49 (14): [10.1029/2022gl098290] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Variability of the Aerosol Content in the Tropical Lower Stratosphere from 2013 to 2019: Evidence of Volcanic Eruption Impacts." Atmosphere 13 (2): 250 [10.3390/atmos13020250] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Cloud and Aerosol Distributions From SAGE III/ISS Observations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126 (23): [10.1029/2021jd035550] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Tracking aerosols and SO2 clouds from the Raikoke eruption: 3D view from satellite observations." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14 (12): 7545-7563 [10.5194/amt-14-7545-2021] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The long-term transport and radiative impacts of the 2017 British Columbia pyrocumulonimbus smoke aerosols in the stratosphere." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21 (15): 12069-12090 [10.5194/acp-21-12069-2021] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Australia’s Black Summer pyrocumulonimbus super outbreak reveals potential for increasingly extreme stratospheric smoke events." npj Climate and Atmospheric Science 4 (1): 38 [10.1038/s41612-021-00192-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "OMPS LP Version 2.0 Multi-wavelength Aerosol Extinction Coefficient Retrieval Algorithm." Atmos. Meas. Tech. 14 1015–1036 [10.5194/amt-2020-329] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Stratospheric aerosol layer perturbation caused by the 2019 Raikoke and Ulawun eruptions and their radiative forcing." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21 (1): 535-560 [10.5194/acp-21-535-2021] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Validation of SAGE III/ISS solar water vapor data with correlative satellite and balloon‐borne measurements." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres [10.1029/2020jd033803] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Global Climate." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 101 (8): S9-S128 [10.1175/bams-d-20-0104.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Evaluation of the OMPS/LP stratospheric aerosol extinction product using SAGE III/ISS observations." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13 (6): 3471-3485 [10.5194/amt-13-3471-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Validation of SAGE III/ISS Solar Occultation Ozone Products With Correlative Satellite and Ground‐Based Measurements." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (11): [10.1029/2020jd032430] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Stratospheric Injection of Massive Smoke Plume from Canadian Boreal Fires in 2017 as seen by DSCOVR‐EPIC, CALIOP and OMPS‐LP Observations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres [10.1029/2020jd032579] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Transport of the 2017 Canadian wildfire plume to the tropics via the Asian monsoon circulation." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19 (21): 13547-13567 [10.5194/acp-19-13547-2019] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "MISR Radiance Anomalies Induced by Stratospheric Volcanic Aerosols." Remote Sensing 10 (12): 1875 [10.3390/rs10121875] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler (LP) Version 1 aerosol extinction retrieval algorithm: theoretical basis." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 11 (5): 2633-2651 [10.5194/amt-11-2633-2018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Validation of 10-year SAO OMI Ozone Profile (PROFOZ) product using ozonesonde observations." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (7): 2455-2475 [10.5194/amt-10-2455-2017] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Altitude registration of limb-scattered radiation." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (1): 167-178 [10.5194/amt-10-167-2017] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Ground-based assessment of the bias and long-term stability of 14 limb and occultation ozone profile data records." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9 (6): 2497-2534 [10.5194/amt-9-2497-2016] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "SCIAMACHY stratospheric aerosol extinction profile retrieval using the OMPS/LP algorithm." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 4 (3): 547-556 [10.5194/amt-4-547-2011] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Ozone profile retrieval from GOMOS limb scattering measurements." J. Geophys. Res. 113 (D23): D23307 [10.1029/2007JD009409] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Data analysis and retrieval algorithms for the ozone mapping and profiler suite/limb profiler instrument." Proc. SPIE 7107, Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere XIII 71070 71070T [10.1117/12.800672] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Validation of ozone profiles retrieved from Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III limb scatter measurements." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 112 (D13): 2006JD007679 [10.1029/2006jd007679] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Validation of Odin/OSIRIS stratospheric NO2profiles." Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (D7): D07310 [10.1029/2006jd007586] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Black Carbon Measurement using Laser Integrating Plate Method." Aerosol Science and Technology 41 (3): 266-276 [10.1080/02786820601156224] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Geophysical validation of SCIAMACHY Limb Ozone Profiles." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6 (1): 197-209 [10.5194/acp-6-197-2006] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Ozone profiles in the high-latitude stratosphere and lower mesosphere measured by the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS)-II: Comparison with other satellite sensors and ozonesondes." Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (D11): D11S02 [10.1029/2005jd006439] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Intercomparison of ILAS-II version 1.4 aerosol extinction coefficient at 780 nm with SAGE II, SAGE III, and POAM III." Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (D11): D11S05 [10.1029/2005jd006315] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Validation of Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) III version 4 stratospheric water vapor." Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (D11): D11301 [10.1029/2005jd006763] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Comparison of Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II version 6.2 water vapor with balloon-borne and space-based instruments." Journal of Geophysical Research 109 (D18): D18313 [10.1029/2004jd004859] [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "SAGE III aerosol extinction measurements: Initial results." Geophysical Research Letters 30 (12): [10.1029/2003gl017317] [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Water vapour column abundance retrieval using multispectral radiometer measurements in Sydney, Australia." Australian Meteorological Magazine 51 (3): [Journal Article/Letter]

1999. "New method for inferring total ozone and aerosol optical thickness from multispectral extinction measurements using eigenvalue analysis." Geophysical Research Letters 26 (20): 3085-3088 [10.1029/1999gl010823] [Journal Article/Letter]