Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Lahouari Bounoua

(Associate Chief)

Lahouari Bounoua's Contact Card & Information.
Email: lahouari.bounoua@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.6631
Org Code: 618
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 618
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Brief Bio


Dr. Lahouari Bounoua joined NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Biospheric Sciences Branch in 1993 as a junior member of one of the finest and largest (1991-2000) Earth Observing System (EOS) Interdisciplinary Science (IDS) group – The Sellers-Mooney ‘Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions’ group to work on the second generation of the NASA’s Simple Biosphere model (SiB2). His role in the IDS was to revise the aerodynamic formulation and turbulent processes in SiB2 to account for spatial and temporal scale, implement the coupling of SiB2 into a Global Climate Model (GCM) and perform long-term GCM-simulations assessing the impact of increased atmospheric CO2 on global climate. A unique feature of that work was the a-priori incorporation of satellite observations into the land surface model formulation and data stream, explicitly accounting for fourteen land cover and land use classes whose phenology was completely described using remotely sensed data. This seminal work was finished at about the same time as the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and led to the first paper published in 1996 in Science simulating the direct and indirect physical interactions between global terrestrial vegetation and climate under different atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In parallel, the publication of the SiB2 model formulation, along with its satellite-generated biophysical data, and its implementation in a GCM in 1996 was followed by an explosion of publications in the field of Biosphere-Atmosphere exchanges, and the newly developed photosynthesis model was adopted by several research groups around the world. To date (2024), the SiB2 publication has been cited more than 2450 times in peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bounoua has subsequently added an urban ecosystem into the SiB2 land surface model and continued to work on many aspects of the interactions between land surface, including urban areas, and climate and published several papers on the subject between 1996 and 2024 some of which have received noted public interest.

In 2010 Dr. Bounoua published original research quantifying the negative feedback of vegetation to greenhouse warming. This modeling approach showed that when leaf growth is allowed in vegetation along with down-regulation of physiological activity under increased atmospheric CO2 concentration, the associated increase in precipitation contributes primarily to increase evapotranspiration rather than runoff and resulted in an additional cooling effect not fully accounted for in previous simulations with elevated CO2. This research was published in Geophysical Research Letters and highlighted in the journal Nature among the most viewed science papers for the week of January 31, 2011. The work was also highlighted in Nature Geoscience and Nature Climate Change and several national and international media outlets.

Dr. Bounoua’s work on the global patterns in human consumption of net primary production was published in Nature in 2004 and has since been widely cited in more than 898 citations.

Dr. Bounoua’s work on urbanization consisted of first including an urban canopy sub-model into the SiB2 model and testing it in different climate settings. In 2015, Dr. Bounoua led an interdisciplinary group of scientists from 8 prestigious US institutions to map urbanization and model its aggregate impact on U.S surface climate. A summary of this research was published in Environmental Research Letters (ERL) and was received with great enthusiasm both by the scientific community and the public at large. The paper has been selected by ERL editors, for the month of August 2015, and highlighted for its particular significance, advances made in the field, multidisciplinary interest, and scientific impact. The paper was also reported about in several media outlets around the world. Dr. Bounoua was invited by the Washington DC Mayer to attend and present his work at the 2015 Tree Summit: Greening the District through Collaboration.

The relevance of Dr. Bounoua’s work in using Earth observations to characterize and model land surface elements is reflected in his citation index of more than 10700 citations throughout his carrier. Dr. Bounoua’s h-index is 33.


Research Interests

Land Cover / Use

Earth Science: Land Cover/Use

 Use of multi-scale remote sensing data to develop land cover and land use maps at different space and time scale suitable to capture the essence and changes of land surface processes.

Current Projects

Combining Satellite Data and Models to Assess the Impacts of Urbanization on the Continental US Surface Climate; Bounoua et al. 2012, Interdisciplinary Research Science (IDS)

Land Disturbance

In terms of ecological impact, urbanization is one of the most significant and long lasting forms of land transformation and its extent of increase is at least proportional to population growth and economic development. This project research aims to advance our understanding of urbanization as a form of land use, the mechanisms by which it affects surface climate and the environment and the feedbacks of these changes at local, regional and continental scales in an attempt to address the core of the following questions:
1) What is the local, regional and continental impact of existing urbanization on the US current climate?
2) What is the aggregate impact of urbanization on continental US climate since pre-urban era in terms of carbon loss, freshwater gain and surface temperature changes?
3) What are the observed trends and patterns of urban expansion in the US and how are they likely to continue in the near-future?
4) What is the impact of urban growth on near-future climate in the US?
5) Will urban growth exacerbate the projected climate warming and wetting through the UHI and precipitation effects?
6) What are the socio-economic consequences for populations? And to what extent can these consequences be mitigated

A Satellite Supported Inverse Biophysical Modeling Approach for the Detection of Irrigated Agricultural Land and the Determination of the Amount of Irrigation in Arid and Semi Arid Regions. Bounoua et al., 2010.

Hydrology / Water Cycle

One of the world's most vital needs is a stable supply of food and water. The Earth’s population increases roughly by 75 million persons each year, and agricultural food production must increase to keep up with the continuously growing demand. Agriculture is the world’s largest fresh water-use sector and has a strong influence on the water cycle, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, through the diversion of surface water and extraction of underground water.

We combine remote sensing data from Landsat and MODIS and an inverse biophysical modeling approach to detect irrigated agricultural lands in arid and semi arid regions and to quantify the amount of water used for irrigation.  We will also develop and apply change scenarios based on climate, population, technology and agricultural demand, and examine the impact of these changes on agricultural lands and their adaptability to a changing climate

Chlorophyll fluorescence Measurements from Space

Vegetation & Soil

 This research attempts to measure Chlorophyll fluorescence from Space.  Fluorescence is an important physical property in plants and is an indicator of their stress which affects the stomatal functions and the entire ecosystem response.

Evaluating and predicting water consumption by irrigated agriculture in the semi-arid regions of Israel and the U.S.

Hydrology / Water Cycle


The research consists of an evaluation  and prediction of the  water consumption by irrigated agriculture in the semi-arid regions of Israel and the U.S.

Assessing the impact of urban land conversion on local and regional surface climate and its socioeconomic consequences in Western North Africa

Remote Sensing

Urbanization represents a small areal fraction of global land transformation; however, it occupies earth’s most fertile and productive lands, and its ecological impact is significant and long lasting on the landscape. Over the last few decades, urban expansion has been rapid and significant, especially in developing countries where the population is becoming increasingly urban and where changing land rights and ownership have led to expansion of suburban areas. North Africa, is emblematic of these trends and represents a hotspot for land cover land use change that did not benefit from much exploration. There, urban policies need improvement to accommodate the growing number of households forced to live in urban outskirts because of housing prices, and more generally to address environmental, economic, and social issues and regulate urban development as defined by the United Nations framework. Research on the specific physical processes associated with urbanization is needed to assess the impact of urban land conversion on local and regional surface climate and its impact on society. This research will help us understand the interactions between urban landscapes and surface climate and the relationships between urban land use and societies, and will provide managers and policymakers a knowledge platform to consider in urban planning in the context of Climate actions

Terra Mission

Remote Sensing

 Actively supporting the Terra Project Science Office

Positions/Employment

Physical Scientist, AST, Earth Sciences Remote Sensing

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Greenbelt, MD, USA

June 2005 - Present

Reviews, advise and conducts complex analysis and development studies in support of major organization programs.  Work involves planning, developing and coordinating Earth Science Studies through the analysis of data obtained from instruments aboard space and airborne vehicles.  Studies include atmospheric, biologic and terrestrial processes and interactions.  Focus is on the biosphere and how land surface processes interact with climate and affect life on Earth.  

Assistant Professor Research Faculty

Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA - University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA

June 1996 - May 2005

The work I performed while at University of Maryland is broad in scope as I worked on several projects.

• Atmospheric General Circulation Models.
o Developed a Physical Parameterizations of soil moisture  
o Worked on development of Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer Schemes-SVATS
o Extensive work on characterization of land surface with satellite data
o Worked on coupling SVATS to a global and regional climate model.
o Performed a number of GCM runs simulating the effect of CO2 increase on climate 
o Use of satellite data and the coupled climate model to design, carry on and analyze global climate
   simulations addressing interactions between vegetation physiological and morphological components
   and climate.
o Assessed changes in climate resulting from changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, vegetation density, restoration of pre-industrial land cover and impacts of future land cover change.

Research Scientist

University Space Research Association - NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Biospheric Sciences Branch, Code 614.4 Greenbelt, MD, USA.

September 1993 - June 1996

o Use of remote sensing data to characterize land cover at regional and global scales
o Performs Global circulation Models integrations to assess the impact of increased CO2 on climate
o Assessed the sensitivity of climate to changes in vegetation density at global scale.

Post-Doctoral research Associate

State of Florida - Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida

January 1993 - June 1993

 radiative transfer modeling
soil moisture parameterization

Education

  • PhD in Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 1992. Thesis: "Sensitivity of Climate to land Surface Processes",   T.N. Krishanmurti.
  • MS in Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 1990. Thesis: "Thermodynamic Budget of a Five-day Wave over the Sahara During Summer",  T.N. Krishnamurti.
  • World Meteorological Organization Class I Engineer in Meteorology, IHFR, Oran, Algeria 1980.  Thesis:" Relation entre Champs de Vent, Genese et Propagation des Lignes de Graines Ouest Africaines", Y. Tourre.
  • Diplome d'Etudes Superieur (DES) in Solid body Physics, Universite Es Senia, Oran, Algeria, 1978.

Professional Societies

• Member of the American Meteorological Society

member

1995 - Present

• Member of the American Geophysical Union.

Member

1995 - Present

• Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Member

2000 - Present

Awards

• Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Year 2009 Peer Award for Outstanding Education

 and Outreach, 2009


• University Space Research Association Excellence in Research, 1996



. Pecora Team Award 2019, In recognition to the significant contribution to the Terra mission

Grants

 A Satellite Supported Inverse Biophysical Modeling Approach for the Detection of Irrigated Agricultural Land and the Determination of the Amount of Irrigation in Arid and Semi Arid Regions. 

NASA/Land Cover Land Use Change - NASA (NNH09DA001N) - Awarded: 2012-01-19


Dates: 2012-01-31  - 2014-12-31

Coverage: 0.50

Amount 761,790

 Combining Satellite Data and Models to Assess the Impacts of Urbanization on the Continental United States Surface Climate”

NASA/Inter Disciplinary Science - NASA (NNH11ZDA001N) - Awarded: 2012-06-01


Dates: 2012-06-01  - 2015-06-01

Coverage: 0.50

Amount 1,175,642

Publications

Refereed

2024. "Predictive modelling on Spatial–temporal Land Use and Land Cover changes at the Casablanca-Settat Region in Morocco." Modeling Earth Systems and Environment [10.1007/s40808-024-02107-y] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Urban Sustainability Development in Morocco, a Review." Urban Science 8 (2): 28 [10.3390/urbansci8020028] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Using Satellite Data to Characterize Land Surface Processes in Morocco." Remote Sensing 15 (22): 5389 [10.3390/rs15225389] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Sustainable Development in Algeria’s Urban Areas: Population Growth and Land Consumption." Urban Science 7 (1): 29 [10.3390/urbansci7010029] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Preface, special issue of “20th Anniversary of Terra Science”." Remote Sensing of Environment 271 112889 [10.1016/j.rse.2022.112889] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Combining Satellite Data and Spatial Analysis to Assess the UHI Amplitude and Structure within Urban Areas: The Case of Moroccan Cities." Urban Science 5 (3): 67 [10.3390/urbansci5030067] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Cities Exacerbate Climate Warming." Urban Science 5 (1): 27 [10.3390/urbansci5010027] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Delineation of vulnerable areas to water erosion in a mountain region using SDR-InVEST model: A case study of the Ourika watershed, Morocco." Scientific African 10 e00646 [10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00646] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Emerging and Re-Emerging Leishmaniases in the Mediterranean Area: What Can Be Learned from a Retrospective Review Analysis of the Situation in Morocco during 1990 to 2010?." Microorganisms 8 (10): 1511 [10.3390/microorganisms8101511] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Comparison of MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Air Temperature Over Global in 2015." IGARSS 2020 - 2020 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 4403-4406 [10.1109/igarss39084.2020.9324516] [Proceedings]

2020. "Remote monitoring of agricultural systems using NDVI time series and machine learning methods: a tool for an adaptive agricultural policy." Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13 (16): 796 [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Assessment of Sustainability Development in Urban Areas of Morocco." Urban Science 4 (2): 18 [10.3390/urbansci4020018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Assessment of Sustainability Development in Urban Areas of Morocco." Urban Science [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "A Satellite Assessment of the Urban Heat Island in Morocco." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 45 (1): 16-34 [10.1080/07038992.2019.1601007] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration over the Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District, USA." Agronomy 8 (12): 278 [10.3390/agronomy8120278] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "A Method for Mapping Future Urbanization in the United States." Urban Science 2 (2): 40 [10.3390/urbansci2020040] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Mapping urbanization in the United States from 2001 to 2011." Applied Geography 90 123-133 [10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.12.002] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Regional Impacts of Urbanization in the United States." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 1-13 [10.1080/07038992.2017.1317208] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Using Landsat, MODIS, and a Biophysical Model to Evaluate LST in Urban Centers." Remote Sensing 8 (11): 952 [10.3390/rs8110952] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Modeling impact of urbanization in us cities using simple biosphere model SiB2." 2016 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) [10.1109/igarss.2016.7730764] [Proceedings]

2016. "Modeling the Urban Impact on Semiarid Surface Climate: A Case Study in Marrakech, Morocco." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 42 (4): 379-395 [10.1080/07038992.2016.1194746] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Modeling Surface Climate in US Cities Using Simple Biosphere Model SiB2." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 41 (6): 525-535 [10.1080/07038992.2015.1110013] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Impact of urbanization on US surface climate." Environ. Res. Lett. 10 (8): 084010 [10.1088/1748-9326/10/8/084010] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Evapotranspiration trends over the Eastern United States during the 20th Century." Hydrology 2 (2): 93-111 [10.3390/hydrology2020093] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Mapping Biophysical Parameters for Land Surface Modeling over the Continental US Using MODIS and Landsat." Dataset Papers in Science 2015 (Article ID 564279): 11 pp. [10.1155/2015/564279] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Leishmaniasis in Morocco: diseases and vectors." Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease 4 (2): S530–S534 [10.1016/S2222-1808(14)60671-X] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Comparison of MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Air temperature over the Continental USA Meteorological Stations." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 40 (2): 110-122 [10.1080/07038992.2014.935934] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Combining Satellite Data and Models to Assess Vulnerability to Climate Change and its Impact on Food Security in Morocco." Sustainability 6 (4): 1729-1746 [10.3390/su6041729] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Linking Climate to Incidence of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (L. major) in Pre-Saharan North Africa." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 10 (8): 3172-3191 [10.3390/ijerph10083172] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "The relationship between seed weight, germination and biochemical reserves of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) in Morocco." New Forests 44 (3): 385-397 [10.1007/s11056-012-9348-2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Exploring the influence of impervious surface density and shape on urban heat islands in the northeast United States using MODIS and Landsat." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 38 (4): 441-451 [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Exploring the influence of impervious surface density and shape on urban heat islands in the northeast United States using MODIS and Landsat." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 38 (4): 441-451 [10.5589/m12-036] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Urban heat island effect across biomes in the continental USA." 2010 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 1920-1923 [10.1109/igarss.2010.5653907] [Proceedings]

2010. "Characterizing urban heat islands of global settlements using MODIS and nighttime lights products." Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 36 (3): 185-196 [10.5589/m10-039] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Remote sensing of the urban heat island effect across biomes in the continental USA." Remote Sensing of Environment 114 (3): 504-513 [10.1016/j.rse.2009.10.008] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Quantifying the negative feedback of vegetation to greenhouse warming: A modeling approach." Geophys. Res. Lett 37 (23): L23701 [10.1029/2010GL045338] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Impact of Urban Growth on Surface Climate: A Case Study in Oran, Algeria." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 48 (2): 217-231 [10.1175/2008JAMC2044.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "A New Methodology for Estimating the Unpredictable Component of Seasonal Atmospheric Variability." J Climate 20 (15): 3888-3901 [10.1175/JCLI4216.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Radiative and Physiological Effects of Increased CO2, How does this interaction affect Climate in the Mediterranean Region?." Nato Sci Series: IV: Earth and Environ Sci 79 39-50 [Article in Book]

2007. "The Gray Wave of the Great Transformation." Our Changing Planet: The View from Space 291-297 [Article in Book]

2006. "Ambient air pollution by aromatic hydrocarbons in Algiers." Atmos Environ 40 (21): 3995-4003 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.02.033] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "The Impact of Land Cover Change on Surface Energy and Water Balance in Mato Grosso, Brazil." Earth Interactions 10 (19): 1-17 [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Sensitivity of surface climate to land surface parameters: A case study suing the simple biosphere model SiB2." J Geophys Res 111 10 pp [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "ISLSCP Initiative II global data sets: Surface boundary conditions and atmospheric forcings for land-atmosphere studies." J. Geophys. Res. 111 (D22): D22S01 [10.1029/2006JD007366] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Exploring global patterns of net primary production carbon supply and demand using satellite observations and statistical data." J Geophys Res 111 (D22S12): 8 pp [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Consequences of land use change for ecosystem services: A future unlike the past." GeoJournal 61 (4): 345-351 [10.1007/s10708-004-5051-y] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Global patterns in human consumption of net primary production." Nature 429 (24): 870-873 [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "The consequences of urban land transformation on net primary productivity in the United States." Remote Sensing of Environment 89 434-443 [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Effects of land cover conversion on surface climate." Climate Change 52 (1): 29-64 [10.1023/A:1013051420309] [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Influence of the inter annual variability of vegetation on the surface energy balance - a global sensitivity study." Journal of Hydrometeorology 3 (6): 617-629 [Journal Article/Letter]

2002. "Human modification of the landscape and surface climate in the next fifty years." Global Change Biology 8 (5): 438458 [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "A Global 9-yr Biophysical Land Surface Dataset from NOAA AVHRR Data." Journal of Hydrometeorology 1 (2): 183-199 [10.1175/1525-7541(2000)001<0183:AGYBLS>2.0.CO;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Sensitivity of climate to changes in NDVI." Journal of Climate 13 (13): 2277-2292 [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "A mechanism for the influence of vegetation on the response of the diurnal temperature range to changing climate." Geophys Res Lett 27 (20): 3381-3384 [10.1029/1999GL010947] [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Global interannual variations in sea surface temperature and land surface vegetation, air temperature, and precipitation." J. Climate 14 1535-1549 [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Interactions between vegetation and climate: Radiative and physiological effects of doubled atmospheric CO2." Climate 12 309-324 [Journal Article/Letter]

1999. "Combining satellite data and biogeochemical models to estimate global effects of human-induced land cover change on carbon emissions and primary productivity." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 13 (3): 803-815 [10.1029/1999GB900037] [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "A Revised Land Surface Parameterization (SiB2) for Atmospheric GCMS. Part I: Model Formulation." Journal of Climate 9 (4): 676-705 [10.1175/1520-0442(1996)009<0676:ARLSPF>2.0.CO;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "A Revised Land Surface Parameterization (SiB2) for GCMS. Part III: The Greening of the Colorado State University General Circulation Model." J. Climate 9 (4): 738-763 [10.1175/1520-0442(1996)009<0738:ARLSPF>2.0.CO;2] [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "Comparison of Radiative and Physiological Effects of Doubled Atmospheric CO₂ on Climate." Science 271 (5254): 1402-1406 [10.1126/science.271.5254.1402] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2010. "Irrigation Requirement Estimation using Vegetation Indices and Inverse Biophysical Modeling." 2010 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) 1823 - 1826 [10.1109/IGARSS.2010.5649325] [Proceedings]

2009. "Mapping continuous urbanization from Multi-temporal Moderate Resolution Sensors - Case Study on Yangtze Delta, China." Proc MultiTemp 291-298 [Other]

1995. "Global modeling of short- to mid-term responses of the terrestrial biosphere to increasing atmospheric CO2." Proc. of symposium of Photosythesis and Remote Sensing, Montpelier, France, 8//28-31/95 [Proceedings]

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