Dr. Matsui received a Ph.D. in atmospheric science from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, in 2007. Since then, he joined NASA GSFC, Mesoscale Atmospheric Process Laboratory (C612) through university co-ops. His research focuses on investigating moist convection and precipitation processes associated with aerosols, land surface, and climate, integrating theoretical studies, process modeling, remote sensing, and instrument simulation. These results have been published in his 90+ journal and book publications. His recent research foci are 1) revealing the role of cumulus thermals within deep convection, 2) supporting the AOS mission through generating instrumental simulators, and 3) developing a next-generation limited-area model with GEOS5.
Toshi Matsui
(Associate Research Scientist)
| Email: | toshihisa.matsui-1@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.5658 |
| Org Code: | 612 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 612 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK |
Brief Bio
Education
- Colorado State University: Department of Atmospheric Science, Ph.D, 2007
- University of South Carolina: School of Environment, MS, 2002.
- Kobe University: Department of Civil Engineering, BA 1999.
Professional Service
- Editor of AMS Atmospheric and Ocean Technology (JTECH)
Awards
- CSU-NASA CEAS Fellowship, 2002-2006
- NASA GSFC Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Branch: Exceptional Scientific Research, 2008
- NASA GSFC Laboratory for Atmosphere: Outstanding Performance Award – Science, 2009
- NASA GSFC Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Branch: Exceptional Scientific Research, 2012
- NASA GSFC RHG Exceptional Achievement for Science Team - GPM Algorithm Team, 2015
- NASA GSFC Group Achievement Award - Global Precipitation Measurement Post-Launch Team, 2015
- NASA GSFC Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Branch: Best Scientific Paper, 2015 (“Satellite View of Quasi-Equilibrium States in Tropical Convection and Precipitation Microphysics”)
- NASA GSFC Earth Sciences Division Atmospheres: Best Senior Author Publication, 2016
- NASA GSFC Group Achievement Award – Goddard Mesoscale Dynamics and Modeling Group, 2017
- ESSIC UMD: Best Scientific Paper, 2020 (“POLARRIS: A POLArimetric Radar Retrieval and Instrument Simulator”)
- NASA GSFC Laboratory for Atmosphere: Outstanding Performance Award – Science, 2021
Other Professional Information
- Editor of AMS Atmospheric and Ocean Technology (JTECH) journal
- NASA AeroCenter/Cloud-Precipitation Center, organizer
Special Experience
Dr. Matsui has contributed to developing and applying high-resolution regional and process atmospheric modeling (NU-WRF and GCE) and instrumental simulators (G-SDSU) for decades.
NU-WRF: Developed at NASA, NU-WRF is based on the WRF ARW model and WRF-Chem, incorporating NASA-developed physics modules (led by Dr. C. Peters-Lidard). It features inline/offline coupling with various modeling frameworks, including the GSFC Land Information System and G-SDSU. It utilizes initial/lateral boundary conditions from NASA's global models and analyses (GEOS5 and MERRA2) alongside default NCEP and ERA data. NU-WRF is designed for horizontal resolutions compatible with satellite-resolvable scales (250m-5km), which is crucial for resolving regional-scale convection with affordable computational resources. Dr. Matsui oversees the model's architecture and development strategy, contributing to the Goddard radiation and microphysics package and, more recently, the NSSL lightning microphysics package and inline polarimetric radar simulators.
GCE: The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model, developed and refined at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center over three decades (led by Dr. W.-K. Tao), is a multi-dimensional, non-hydrostatic idealized cloud-resolving model (CRM). It is initialized by sounding data or driven by large-scale forcing in idealized environments. GCE has been used to develop precipitation and latent heat algorithms for TRMM and GPM satellites and advance the fundamental understanding of cloud, convection, and precipitation processes. Dr. Matsui contributes to the modernization of the GCE code for improved efficiency and higher-resolution simulations under the BLOSSOM project and is used to understand the dynamics and microphysics of cumulus thermals.
G-SDSU: The Goddard Satellite Data Simulation Unit (G-SDSU) is a comprehensive, multi-satellite simulator. It includes passive microwave, radar, visible infrared, lidar, and broadband simulators. G-SDSU translates geophysical parameters from mesoscale land-atmosphere models into satellite-observable signals, such as radiance, brightness temperatures, and backscatter, for applications in radiance-based evaluation, data assimilation systems and satellite algorithm development. Recently, POLARRIS was developed to fully utilize ground-based scanning Doppler polarimetric radar, including NASA's NPOL and D3R. G-SDSU has been released to JAXA and is being used as a spinoff version (Joint Simulator). Currently, it is being reinvented to support the Atmospheric Observing System (AOS) mission.
Publications
Refereed
2024. "Lightning and Radar Measures of Mixed-Phase Updraft Variability in Tracked Storms during the TRACER Field Campaign in Houston, Texas." Monthly Weather Review 152 (12): 2753-2769 [10.1175/mwr-d-24-0060.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "A thermal-driven graupel generation process to explain dry-season convective vigor over the Amazon." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 24 (18): 10793-10814 [10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Updraft dynamics and microphysics: on the added value of the cumulus thermal reference frame in simulations of aerosol–deep convection interactions." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22 (2): 711-724 [10.5194/acp-22-711-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Precipitation Retrievals from Passive Microwave Cross-Track Sensors: The Precipitation Retrieval and Profiling Scheme." Remote Sensing 13 (5): 947 [10.3390/rs13050947] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Impacts of Varying Concentrations of Cloud Condensation Nuclei On Deep Convective Cloud Updrafts – A Multimodel Assessment." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences [10.1175/jas-d-20-0200.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Evaluating Precipitation Features and Rainfall Characteristics in a Multi‐Scale Modeling Framework." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 12 (8): [10.1029/2019ms002007] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Impacts of Aerosol and Environmental Conditions on Maritime and Continental Deep Convective Systems Using a Bin Microphysical Model." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (12): [10.1029/2019jd030952] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Use of polarimetric radar measurements to constrain simulated convective cell evolution: a pilot study with Lagrangian tracking." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 12 (6): 2979-3000 [10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Impact of radiation frequency, precipitation radiative forcing, and radiation column aggregation on convection-permitting West African monsoon simulations." Climate Dynamics [10.1007/s00382-018-4187-2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Impact of Assimilated Precipitation-Sensitive Radiances on the NU-WRF Simulation of the West African Monsoon." Monthly Weather Review 145 (9): 3881-3900 [10.1175/mwr-d-16-0389.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Integrated modeling of aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes at satellite-resolved scales." Environmental Modelling and Software 67 149-159 [Full Text] [doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2015.01.007] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Satellite view of quasi-equilibrium states in tropical convection and precipitation microphysics." Geophysical Research Letters 42 (6): 1959–1968 [10.1002/2015GL063261] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Implementation of an aerosol-cloud microphysics-radiation coupling into the NASA Unified WRF: Simulation results for the 6-7 August 2006 AMMA special observing period." Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 140 (684): 2158-2175 [10.1002/qj.2286] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCE): Improvements and applications for studying precipitation processes." Atmospheric Research 143 392-424 [10.1016/j.atmosres.2014.03.005] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Introducing multisensor satellite radiance-based evaluation for regional Earth System modeling." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 119 (13): 8450-8475 [10.1002/2013JD021424] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Current and Future Perspectives of Aerosol Research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society early view [10.1175/ BAMS-D-13-00153.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2013. "GPM Satellite Simulator over Ground Validation Sites." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 94 (11): 1653-1660 [10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00160.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Ten-year climatology of summertime diurnal rainfall rate over the conterminous U.S." Geophys. Res. Lett. 37 (13): L13807 [10.1029/2010GL044139] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Improving a spectral bin microphysical scheme using TRMM satellite observations." Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc. 136 (647): 382-399 [10.1002/qj.569] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Evaluation of Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations Using Satellite Radiance Observations and Multifrequency Satellite Simulators." J Atmos Ocea Tech 26 (7): 1261–1274 [10.1175/2008JTECHA1168.1] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. " Goddard Multi-Scale Modeling Systems with Unified Physics." Annales Geophysics 27 3055-3064 [10.5194/angeo-27-3055-2009] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "Role of atmospheric aerosol concentration on deep convective precipitation: Cloud-resolving model simulations." J. Geophys. Res. 112 (D24): D24S18 [10.1029/2007JD008728] [Journal Article/Letter]
2006. "Satellite-based assessment of marine low cloud variability associated with aerosol, atmospheric stability, and the diurnal cycle." J. Geophys. Res. 111 (D17): D17204 [10.1029/2005JD006097] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "Impact of aerosols and atmospheric thermodynamics on cloud properties within the climate system." Geophys Res Lett 31 (6): L06109 [10.1029/2003GL019287] [Journal Article/Letter]
Non-Refereed
2015. "NUMERICAL MODELS | Cloud-System Resolving Modeling and Aerosols." Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences 222-231 [10.1016/b978-0-12-382225-3.00511-9] [Article in Book]