Local News

PACE Spacecraft Arrives at NASA's Kennedy

2023.11.15

The transport carrier containing NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) observatory spacecraft was offloaded at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.

2023 Clarivate (Web of Science) Highly Cited Researchers

2023.11.14

Benjamin Cook (611), Joanna Joiner (614), Alexei Lyapustin (613), Doug Morton (618), Ben Poulter (618), Matt Rodell (610), Alex Ruane (611), and Eric Vermote (619) were selected as 2023 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate (Web of Science). Recipients are recognized for their exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year.

2023 Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics (HBG) Awards Announced

2023.10.20

It is a pleasure to announce the selections for the 2023 Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics (HBG) Annual Peer Awards!

Administrative/Business Support
• Deborah Brasel – Code 610HBG
• Kitty Sanchez – Code 616
• Kathy Regul – Code 617
• Kishawn Sutton – Code 617
• Sandra Bussard – Code 618
• Barret Einfalt – Code 618
• Amy Scully – Code 618
• Shina Dave – Code 61A


Career Achievement
• Jan McGarry – Code 61A


Outreach
• Sara Blumberg – Code 616
• Ian Carroll – Code 616
• Genevieve de Messieres – Code 618
• Ayia Lindquist – Code 618
• Nyssa Rayne – Code 618


Scientific Achievement
• Rachel Tilling – Code 615
• Andrew Sayer – Code 616
• Weston Anderson – Code 617
• Augusto Getirana – Code 617
• Goutam Konapala – Code 617
• Timothy Lahmers – Code 617
• Bailing Li – Code 617
• Fadji Maina – Code 617
• Elijah Orland – Code 617
• Thomas Stanley – Code 617
• Carrie Vuyovich – Code 617
• Shane Coffield – Code 618
• Liz Hoy – Code 618
• Elisabeth Larson – Code 618
• Tempest McCabe – Code 618


Scientific/Technical Support
• Rodney Coleman – Code 610
• Charlie Seljos – Code 610
• Jeff Lee – Code 615
• LeeAnne Roberts – Code 615
• Christine Sadlik – Code 615
• Patricia Vornberger – Code 615
• Albert Wu – Code 615
• Sean Bailey – Code 616
• Ivona Cetinic – Code 616
• David Norris – Code 616
• Emerson Sirk – Code 616
• OCI Technical Leadership Team – Code 616
- Gerhard Meister (Team Lead), Joseph Knuble, Leland Chemerys, Ulrik Gliese
• PACE SDS Prelaunch Data Processing Team – Code 616
- John Wilding (Team Lead), Joel Gales, Liang Hong, Tommy Owens, Don Shea, Fred Patt
• Hiroko Beaudoing – Code 617
• Rajat Bindlish – Code 617
• Abheera Hazra – Code 617
• Thomas Holmes – Code 617
• Eric Kemp – Code 617
• Justin Pflug – Code 617
• Melissa Wrzesien – Code 617
• Emery Bacon – Code 618
• Boryana Efremova – Code 618
• Nathan Kelley – Code 618
• Jason Kraft – Code 618
• Aaron Pearlman – Code 618
• Timothy Shuman – Code 618
• Jennifer Beall – Code 61A
• Marshall Finch – Code 61A
• Evan Hoffman – Code 61A
• Joseph Nicholas – Code 61A
• Katherine Pazamickas – Code 61A
• Xu Yang – Code 61A


Best Publication – First Author Civil Servant
• Brooke Medley – Code 615 – for the October 2022 publication – “Simulations of firn processes over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets: 1980-2021”

Best Publication – First Author Non-Civil Servant
• Anthony Campbell – Code 618 – for the November 2022 publication – “Global hotspots of salt marsh change and carbon emissions”

Rodell Featured in AGU Newsletter

2023.09.15

Matt Rodell (610) was featured in AGU’s September "Hydro-Fellows Speak: Matthew Rodell, American Geophysical Union."

Notes from the Field: Passing the Earth Science Baton in Bhutan

2023.08.24

Scientists visited Bhutan to launch a new rice mapping tool, and built many connections along the way.

Dr. Steven Platnick Named Recipient of 2023 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science

2023.08.15

We are thrilled to announce the selection of Dr. Steven Platnick as the 2023 William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science recipient.

Dr. Platnick is being recognized for pushing the envelope of innovation in cloud property remote retrieval, interpretation, and worldwide dissemination.

Dr. Platnick's research includes theoretical/experimental studies of satellite, aircraft, and ground-based cloud remote sensing. He has been involved extensively with remote sensing field studies, including use of the MODIS Airborne Simulator instrument flown on the NASA ER-2 along with flight scientist roles in several field campaigns. He is a member of the MODIS and S-NPP Atmosphere Science Team working on operational cloud optical and microphysical products, as well as the MODIS Atmosphere Team Lead.

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

ESD Personnel Serve as ARSET Water Quality Trainers/Speakers

2023.08.04

July 18 - July 25, NASA ARSET just completed an advanced, online training titled Monitoring Water Quality of Inland Lakes using Remote Sensing. This three-part training focused on demonstrating the use of remote sensing observations from Landsat 8 and 9, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-3 for assessing water quality parameters, including chlorophyll-a concentration and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) in inland lakes. This training also highlighted the importance of in situ measurements of these parameters, coincident with satellite observations, in developing methodologies for operational water quality monitoring. ARSET trainers Amita Mehta (612/UMBC) and Sean McCartney (610/SSAI) delivered the training along with guest speakers Bridget Seegers (616/MSU) and Blake Schaeffer (US EPA). Melanie Follette-Cook (612), Brock Blevins (612/SSAI), Selwyn Hudson-Odoi (612/UMBC), David Barbato (612/UMBC), Sarah Cutshall (612/SSAI), Natasha Johnson-Griffin (612/GST), Suzanne Monthie (612/GST), and Jonathan O’Brien (612/SSAI) supported the training. In attendance were 1,054 participants from 108 countries and 32 U.S. states. Approximately 500 unique organizations were represented.

Goddard Monitors Smoke from Canada Wildfires

2023.06.07

An unusually intense start to Canada’s wildfire season filled skies with smoke in May 2023. Then, at the beginning of June, scores of new fires raged in the eastern Canadian province of Quebec. NASA’s Aqua satellite, operated at Goddard, has captured imagery of the smoke. The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) based at Goddard has computed models of where the smoke may travel in coming days.

ARSET Completes Advanced Training in Mexico

2023.06.02

NASA ARSET completed an advanced, in-person training in Nuevo León, Mexico, May 8-11, 2023, titled La Teledetección para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres por Sequías, Incendios Forestales e Indundaciones en México. This four-day workshop was in collaboration with the Mexican Civil Protection Agency of the Municipality of García, Nuevo León, Mexico, and covered methodologies for generating disaster-related products from satellite data relevant to the assessment of droughts, fires, and floods. The content was adapted to states in Mexico that have suffered these catastrophes in recent years. This training enhanced the ability to identify at-risk disaster areas in Mexico to better prepare Civil Protection Agencies across the country in planning, mitigation, and recovery strategies. This training was delivered by Erika Podest (JPL/Caltech), Sean McCartney (610/SSAI), and Amita Mehta (612/UMBC). Melanie Follette-Cook (612), Brock Blevins (612/SSAI), Selwyn Hudson-Odoi (612/UMBC), David Barbato (612/UMBC), Sarah Cutshall (612/SSAI), Natasha Johnson-Griffin (612/GST), Sue Monthie (612/GST), and Jonathan O’Brien (612/SSAI) supported the training. In attendance were 33 participants from 10 states and Mexico City.

Kumar Named a 2022 Arthur S. Fleming Award Recipient

2023.05.26

Congratulations to Dr. Sujay Kumar for his 2022 Arthur S. Fleming Award. Named in honor of Arthur S. Flemming, awardees are recognized for excellence in federal service. Dr. Kumar was recognized in the category of Applied Science and Engineering. Dr. Kumar researches Earth remote sensing measurement and modeling within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Hydrological Sciences Lab. For the past 20 years, he has led the development of the Land Information System (LIS) modeling system, which is used worldwide in applications of water resources management, food security assessments, and flood and drought monitoring and prediction.

Ott Presents Air Quality Visualizations to Visiting Leaders

2023.04.25

Dr. Lesley Ott, research meteorologist and climate scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, left, briefs Vice President Kamala Harris, President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, on U.S. and Korean partnerships to improve the way scientists observe air quality and the use of space in addressing the climate crisis, Tuesday, April 25, 2023, during a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. (Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Division Members Support Bilingual NASA ARSET Training

2023.04.11

NASA ARSET just completed an advanced, bilingual, online training titled "Crop Mapping using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Optical Remote Sensing." This three-part training built on previous ARSET agricultural trainings. Here we presented more advanced radar remote sensing techniques using polarimetry and a canopy structure dynamic model to monitor crop growth. The training also covered how to apply machine learning methods to classify crop type using a time series of Sentinel-1 & Sentinel-2 imagery. ARSET trainers Sean McCartney (610/SSAI) and Erika Podest (JPL/Caltech) delivered the training along with guest speakers Armando Marino (University of Stirling), Krištof Oštir (University of Ljubljana), Matej Račič (University of Ljubljana), Heather McNairn (AAFC/AAC), Emily Lindsay (AAFC/AAC), and Xianfeng Jiao (AAFC/AAC). Brock Blevins (612/SSAI), Selwyn Hudson-Odoi (612/UMBC), David Barbato (612/UMBC), Sarah Cutshall (612/SSAI), Natasha Johnson-Griffin (612/GST), and Jonathan O’Brien (612/SSAI) supported the training. In attendance were 1,977 participants from 127 countries and 37 US states. Approximately 900 unique organizations were represented. You can access the materials en español here.

Liu Ground Water Paper is a 2022 Top 25 Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Article

2023.04.07

Pang-Wei Liu’s (617/SSAI) publication is awarded as one of the Top 25 most downloaded papers for 2022 in Nature Communications in the category of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. The paper is titled “Groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley accelerates during megadrought.” Rajat Bindlish (617) and Matt Rodell (610) are co-authors. The paper uses GRACE and GRACE-FO data to estimate groundwater variations in Central Valley, California, during 2003-2021. The study quantified groundwater loss rates during the period and found that the groundwater depletion is accelerating.

Terra, Aqua, and Aura Data Continuity Workshop Dates Announced and Questions and Answers Posted

2023.04.03

NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura Data Continuity Workshop will be held virtually on May 23-25, 2023. Sessions will run daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time/10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central Time/8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) has posted a questions and answers document on the Request for Information’s (RFI) Landing Page. When they become available following the close of the RFI, NSPIRES will post on the RFI’s landing page under “Other Documents” 1) a Workshop Agenda, 2) Registration link and 3) Webex Information. Agenda suggestions and additional questions or comments may be emailed to david.b.considine@nasa.gov; please include "NNH23ZDA010L" in the subject line. Request for Information: NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura Data Continuity Workshop Number: NNH23ZDA010L Release Date: March 1, 2023 Response Date: April 4, 2023 Short Direct URL to the RFI: https://go.nasa.gov/TAARFI4VCW

Rodell Interviewed on "Quirks and Quarks"

2023.03.25

Matt Rodell (610) was featured in an interview on CBC Canadian Public Radio’s “Quirks and Quarks with Bob McDonald,” regarding his and Bailing Li’s recent work on hydrological extreme events.

Air Quality Study Selected as Eos Editor's Highlight

2023.03.23

A recent paper published in Earth and Space Science on the NASA/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) May 2019 Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment (SCOAPE) Gulf of Mexico cruise has been selected as an Editor’s Highlight. Less than 2% of papers receive such a distinction! Congratulations to Anne Thompson (610/UMBC lead author) and her co-authors for this recognition.

Water Study in the News

2023.03.13

In their study published in Nature Water, Matt Rodell (610) and Bailing Li (617/UMD) examined 20 years of data from the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites to identify extreme wet and dry events. Articles highlighting this study appeared in many publications, including the Associated Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and CNN.

2023 Poster Party Blowout winners announced

2023.02.16

We had over 175 posters from all four science divisions, as well as a few select entries from the Engineering and Technology Directorate. As one of the few yearly events that brings together the whole Sciences and Exploration Directorate, the large turnout (including GSFC and HQ VIPs) and collaborative communication made the event a great success! While there were so many fantastic contributions, awards were given for outstanding posters in 5 categories:

• Best Poster Title:
  Francesco Civilini (690.1) - How to Train your Lander: Automatic moonquake detection using machine learning
• Best Graphic Design:
  Douglas Rowland (675) - The Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission: NASA's next Living With a Star mission to explore the upper atmosphere
• Best Science as Food:
  Maryam Rahmani (665) - Cosmic Microwave Background/Line Intensity Mapping cake and jell-o
• Best Science Story:
  Shipra Sinha (670) - The Mystery of Magnetospheric Substorms
• Piers Sellers Interdisciplinary Award:
  Erin Delaria (614) - The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE): Observations of Greenhouse Gas Exchange in the Florida Everglades

Peters-Lidard Elected Member of National Academy of Engineering

2023.02.07

Congratulations to Dr. Christa Peters-Lidard, Director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate, for being named one of three NASA-affiliated newly-elected members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Dr. Peters-Lidard was honored for contributions to understanding land-atmosphere interactions, soil moisture monitoring and modeling, and leadership in Earth system modeling.

Three SED Scientists named 2022 AAAS Fellows

2023.01.31

Three Sciences and Exploration Directorate scientists have been named 2022 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise. Rita Sambruna (600) was recognized in Astronomy, Jennifer Wiseman (660) was recognized in Physics, and Dorothy Peteet (611) was recognized in Earth Science. Congratulations to all!

Rodell Featured on AGU Podcast

2023.01.13

Listen to Matt Rodell, Deputy Director of Earth Sciences for Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics, in the AGU Third Pod From the Sun episode "33-Spaceship Earth: Discovering water on Earth from space."

2022 610AT Peer Awards Announced

2022.12.07

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).

2022 Clarivate (Web of Science) Highly Cited Researchers

2022.11.17

Matt Rodell (610), Rolf Reichle (610.1), Ben Cook (611), Alex Ruane (611), Alexei Lyapustin (613), Joanna Joiner (614), Doug Morton (618), and Ben Poulter (618) were selected as 2022 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate (Web of Science). Recipients are recognized for their exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year.

JPSS-2 and LOFTID Launch!

2022.11.10

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite, with NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) technology demonstration along for the ride, lifted off from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California this morning, Nov. 10! Powered by 860,000 pounds of thrust from the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket’s RD-180 engine, launch occurred at 1:49 a.m. PST.