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Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (610.1) Home

For further details about the research, systems, and products of the GMAO, see GMAO Research.

Featured Video

Paint by Particle

Satellites, balloon-borne instruments and ground-based devices make 30 million observations of the atmosphere each day. Yet these measurements still give an incomplete picture of the complex interactions within Earth's atmosphere. Enter climate models. Through mathematical experiments, modelers can move Earth forward or backward in time to create a dynamic portrait of the planet. NASA Goddard’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office recently ran a simulation of the atmosphere that captured how winds whip aerosols around the world. Such simulations allow scientists to better understand how these tiny particulates travel in the atmosphere and influence weather and climate. In this visualization, covering August 2006 to April 2007, watch as dust and sea salt swirl inside cyclones, carbon bursts from fires, sulfate streams from volcanoes—and see how these aerosols paint the modeled world.

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Press Releases & Feature Stories

Aqua image of Issaac

The Two Tails of Hurricane Isaac: Part 1

04.19.2013
Prior to “Superstorm Sandy” landing on the U.S. East Coast in October 2012, another hurricane – Isaac – captured headlines and posed a serious danger to the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
TRMM's Precipitation Radar were used to construct these 3D images of Isaac and Katrina.

The Two Tails of Hurricane Isaac: Part 2

04.19.2013
Isaac threatened the same region that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Isaac made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane almost exactly seven years after Category 3 Katrina.
NMME thumbnail

GEOS-5 contributions to the National Multi-Model Ensemble

03.25.2013
The GMAO is an integral part of the National Multi-Model Ensemble project, an effort to improve intra-seasonal-to-interannual climate forecasting.
Visualization of smoke and other aerosols on globe

Planet on Fire

03.07.2013
Combining observations from the MODIS instruments onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites with the GEOS-5/GOCART atmosphere model reveals fire's global reach.
B/W thumbnail of SSW event

GEOS-5 Successfully Predicts Stratospheric Sudden Warming Event

01.30.2013
The GMAO's near-real-time meteorological analyses and weather forecasts with GEOS-5 successfully predicted the major stratospheric sudden warming event of January 2013.
See all Press Releases & Feature Stories »

Office News

Upgrade to GEOS-5 Observation Impact Monitoring

04.08.2013
The GEOS-5 Observation Impact Monitoring System has been upgraded to include the effects of moist physical processes. The upgrade provides more accurate estimates of observation impact in GEOS-5, especially for moist-sensitive observations from AIRS, MHS, TMI, and some wind observations. View Observation impacts.

Arctic Boreal Zone Workshop Report Available

02.04.2013
The report from the NASA workshop on Earth System Modeling and Field Experiments in the Arctic Boreal Zone is now available with other materials from the workshop held at Goddard, May 22-24, 2012.

GEOS-5 Aerosol Simulation in Science World

02.04.2013
An article in a recent edition of Science World, a Classroom Magazine for Secondary Schools, describes GMAO's GEOS-5 aerosol transport simulation.
More Office News »

Overview

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) works to maximize the impact of satellite observations in climate, weather and atmospheric composition prediction using comprehensive global models and data assimilation. To achieve this goal, the GMAO develops models and assimilation systems, generates products to support NASA instrument teams and the NASA Earth science program, and undertakes scientific research to inform system development pathways.

Assimilation systems have been developed for the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface. GMAO's long-term goal is an integrated Earth system model and assimilation system that treats the individual components in a more coupled and interactive manner. GMAO works within numerous national and international collaborations to support its mission.

Contact Us

Sarah Ann Nipwoda
301.614.6142
Administrative Assistant [610.1]
Dr. Michele M Rienecker
301.614.6142
Chief [610.1]
                                                                                                                                                                                        
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  • Last Updated: 06/19/2013