Tesfa Worku Meshesha
(RESEARCH SCIENTIST)
| Email: | tesfaworku.meshesha@nasa.gov |
| Org Code: | |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 616 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE CO |
Brief Bio
Dr. Tesfa Woru Meshesha is an Assistant Research Scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (via GESTAR II / University of Maryland Baltimore County), specializing in terrestrial and biosphere modeling, carbon dynamics, and water quality at Hydrology and Ocean ecology lab.
His work integrates process-based models, land-use data, and climate scenarios to quantify carbon and nutrient fluxes from land to aquatic systems.
Previously, He worked at the University of California Merced and the City University of New York / New York City Department of Environmental Protection, focusing on hydrology, wildfire impacts, and climate-resilient water resource management, including AI-driven decision support tools.
Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. Research focus includes hydrological modeling, climate change impacts, land-use dynamics, and sustainable water and ecosystem management.
Research Interests
Modelling on terrestrial and biosphere model (Ecosystem Demography model) combined with the Land-Use Harmonization dataset. Apply biogeochemical models to improve our understanding of oceans, Land Use/Land Cover dynamics; Nutrient load and transport, Natural Resources Management; Environmental Science.
Earth Science: Hydrology / Water CycleMy work develops and applies terrestrial and biosphere models to quantify carbon and nutrient fluxes under changing land use and climate conditions. My work integrates large environmental datasets with process-based models to analyze land–water–atmosphere interactions and support quantitative decision-making. Modelling carbon transport, processes, and its impact on water quality and aquatic ecosystems. It helps in providing fluxes of carbon and nutrients from land to rivers under varying land use and land cover change scenarios.
Current Projects
CMS
Ocean Biogeochemical Modeling
Modelling on terrestrial and biosphere model (Ecosystem Demography model) combined with the Land-Use Harmonization dataset provides fluxes of carbon and nutrients from land to rivers.
Positions/Employment
Assistant Research Scientist
NASA GSFC - University of Maryland - - Greenbelt, MD, USA
August 2024 - Present
Assistant Project scientist
University of California Merced, USA - Merced, California
March 2023 - July 2024
Postdoctoral Associate
City University of New York (CUNY) - New York, USA
January 2021 - February 2023
Postdoctoral researcher
Athabasca University - Edmonton, Canada
March 2019 - June 2020
Assistant Professor
Debre Berhan University - Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
September 2017 - November 2022
Teaching Experience
o Undergraduate courses:
- Hydrology (Surface and groundwater hydrology),
- Water resources planning and management,
- Open channel hydraulics,
- Water resources and environmental management,
- Climate change and Water resources.
o Postgraduate courses:
- Geomorphology,
- Terrain analysis,
- Integrated water resources management,
- Surface water hydrology,
- Modelling of water systems, fluvial processes.
Education
Doctoral Degree Researcher (Ph.D.) in Hydrology (July 2014 - October 2018)
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Department of Water resources Development and management.
Graduate Student (MSc.) in water resources engineering and management (September 2010 – July 2011)
Addis Ababa University, Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Professional Societies
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Member
2023 - Present
Ethiopian Geophysical Union - International (ETGU-I)
Member
2023 - Present
Professional Service
1. Reviewer (16 papers) for several ISI, SCI and SCOPUS indexed journals including
- Advance in Meteorology (IF= 1.491),
- International journal of river basin management (Tylor and Francis),
- Environmental Earth Science (Springer) (IF= 2.180),
- Earth System Science (Springer) (IF= 1.646),
- Journal of hydrometeorology (IF=3.891),
- remote sensing (IF=4.509), water (IF=2.544)
2. Thesis Advisor for:
- undergraduate (10),
- postgraduate (3) students, and
- Doctoral degree (1continuing)
3. Editorial board membership of Universe Scientific Publishing for Advance in Geoscience.
Awards
- Outstanding Teacher’s Award
- kelpfire project
- Received the Indian government fellowship program
- Received the “University Grant Commission (UGC)
- Postdoctoral fellowship
- Postdoctoral research associate
Special Experience
- AI Powered application Development
- Responsive application development
- API integration
Talks, Presentations and Posters
Invited
Sustainable water resources management under climate change.
December 12, 2021
Organic carbon model development and its impact on water quality.
December 11, 2021
Other
Watersheds dynamics following wildfires: implications on hydrologic responses
December 13, 2024
Integrating lateral carbon fluxes into global ocean carbon Estimates
December 9, 2024
Wildfire Impacts on Watershed Transport of Sediment to Coasts
April 6, 2024
The KelpFire Project investigates the climate change-driven impacts of wildfires on watershed sediment transports along the coast. This study examines how increased wildfires lead to water-repellant soils and altered coastal water environments. We utilize the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to determine the discharge and sediment loads affecting the watersheds. Four SWAT models were run: a Baseline (no fire), Burned - Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS), Burned - Wildfire Burn Severity and Emissions Inventory (WBSE), and Observed (using USGS data). Results indicated a significant post-fire increase in discharge (1.5 - 3.8 times greater) and sediment loads (0.6 - 12.9 times greater), consistent across all burned models.
Tools to Assess Coastal Water Quality Impacts from Wildfires California Wildfires Conference
October 24, 2023
Wildfire Resilience for Coastal Communities: Reducing Impact on Coastal Waters & Infrastructure. California Wildfire conference, Simi valley, California
October 24, 2023
Wildfire Impacts on Watershed Transport of Carbon to Coasts NASA Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Joint Sciences Workshop
May 8, 2023
Modelling runoff–sediment response to land use/land cover changes dynamics.
December 2020
Trend Analysis of Rainfall and Temperature Using Statistical Approach and Its Implication on Crop Production in Beressa Watershed, Ethiopia.
December 2019
Hydrological simulation of an ungauged catchment (kharun watershed) using swat. International conference on "Sustainable Technologies for Intelligent Water Management
November 10, 2018
Prediction of Monthly Runoff and Sediment for Agricultural Watershed using SWAT. International Conference on Sustainable Technologies for Intelligent Water Management
December 2018
Towards Integrated Water Resources Management considering hydro-Climatological Scenarios: An Option for Sustainable Development.
December 2018
Impact of Urban landuse change on Discharge – A Case Study of Vadodara, India, 5th swat (soil & water assessment tools) conference & workshop in southeast & east Asia (SWAT sea v
December 2018
Climate Change Variability (Rainfall and Temperature) and Its Implication on Crop Production.
December 2018
Towards Integrated Water Resources Management considering hydro-Climatological Scenarios: An Option for Sustainable Development.
December 2018