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Dr. Alexander E. Kotsakis

Photo of ALEXANDER KOTSAKIS

Dr. Alexander E. Kotsakis

  • ASSISTANT RESEARCH SCIENTIST
  • 301.614.6548
  • NASA/GSFC
  • Mail Code: 613
  • JESSUP , MD 20794
  • Employer: UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

    • Current Projects

    AI/ML Planteary Boundary Layer Retrieval Development and Hyperspectral Microwave Instrument Development

    Positions/Employment

    8/2023 - Present

    Assistant Research Scientist

    University of Maryland College Park/ESSIC, Greenbelt, MD

    Dr. Kotsakis is contributing to the development of an AI/ML planetary boundary layer (PBL) retrieval algorithm using his extensive knowledge of the boundary layer meteorology and assists in trade studies for future hyperspectral microwave sensors.

    1/2022 - 7/2023

    Assistant Research Scientist

    ERT, Inc., Laurel, MD
    7/2018 - 12/2021

    NPP Postdoctoral Fellow (USRA)

    Advisor: Robert J Swap, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
    1/2018 - 6/2018

    Research Staff

    University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
    1/2017 - 12/2017

    Research Assistant

    University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
    1/2014 - 12/2016

    Teaching Assistant

    University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Education

    B.S. Meteorology/Minor in Mathematics, Valparaiso University, 2013

    Ph.D. Atmospheric Science, University of Houston, 2017

     

    Publications

    Refereed

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. A. E. Kotsakis, N. Abuhassan, L. N. Lamsal, R. J. Swap, D. R. Blake, A. Townsend‐Small, and H. D. Wecht. 2023. "Two Air Quality Regimes in Total Column NO2 Over the Gulf of Mexico in May 2019: Shipboard and Satellite Views." Earth and Space Science, 10 (3): [10.1029/2022ea002473]

    Gambacorta, A., J. Piepmeier, M. Stephen, et al. J. Santanello, J. Blaisdell, I. Moradi, W. McCarty, R. Rosenberg, A. Kotsakis, J. MacKinnon, F. Gambini, P. Mohammed, R. Kroodsma, I. Adams, and P. Racette. 2023. "Advancing Atmospheric Thermodynamic Sounding from Space using Hyperspectral Microwave Measurements." IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 1-16 [10.1109/jstars.2023.3269697]

    Shrestha, S., S. Yoon, M. H. Erickson, et al. F. Guo, M. Mehra, A. A. Bui, B. C. Schulze, A. Kotsakis, C. Daube, S. C. Herndon, T. I. Yacovitch, S. Alvarez, J. H. Flynn, R. J. Griffin, G. P. Cobb, S. Usenko, and R. J. Sheesley. 2022. "Traffic, transport, and vegetation drive VOC concentrations in a major urban area in Texas." Science of The Total Environment, 838: 155861 [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155861]

    Yoon, S., A. Kotsakis, S. L. Alvarez, et al. M. G. Spychala, E. Klovenski, P. Walter, G. Morris, E. Corrales, A. Alan, J. A. Diaz, and J. H. Flynn. 2022. "Development and testing of a novel sulfur dioxide sonde." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 15 (14): 4373-4384 [10.5194/amt-15-4373-2022]

    Kotsakis, A., J. T. Sullivan, T. F. Hanisco, et al. R. J. Swap, V. Caicedo, T. A. Berkoff, G. Gronoff, C. P. Loughner, X. Ren, W. T. Luke, P. Kelley, P. R. Stratton, R. Delgado, N. Abuhassan, L. Shalaby, F. C. Santos, and J. Dreessen. 2022. "Sensitivity of total column NO2 at a marine site within the Chesapeake Bay during OWLETS-2." Atmospheric Environment, 277: 119063 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119063]

    Spinei, E., M. Tiefengraber, M. Müller, et al. M. Gebetsberger, A. Cede, L. Valin, J. Szykman, A. Whitehill, A. Kotsakis, F. Santos, N. Abbuhasan, X. Zhao, V. Fioletov, S. C. Lee, and R. Swap. 2021. "Effect of Polyoxymethylene (POM-H Delrin) offgassing within Pandora head sensor on direct sun and multi-axis formaldehyde column measurements in 2016–2019." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 14: 647–663 [10.5194/amt-14-647-2021]

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. N. K. Abuhassan, A. E. Kotsakis, R. J. Swap, and H. Wecht. 2020. "SCOAPE: Satellite and Shipboard Views of Air Quality along the Louisiana Coast." EM: The Magazine for Environmental Managers, (Oct. 2020): 28-33 [Full Text (Link)]

    Sadeghi, B., Y. Choi, S. Yoon, et al. J. Flynn, A. Kotsakis, and S. Lee. 2020. "The characterization of fine particulate matter downwind of Houston: Using integrated factor analysis to identify anthropogenic and natural sources." Environmental Pollution, 262: 114345 [10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114345]

    Robinson, J., A. Kotsakis, F. Santos, et al. R. Swap, K. E. Knowland, G. Labow, V. Connors, M. Tzortziou, N. Abuhassan, M. Tiefengraber, and A. Cede. 2020. "Using networked Pandora observations to capture spatiotemporal changes in total column ozone associated with stratosphere-to-troposphere transport." Atmospheric Research, 238: 104872 [10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.104872]

    Demetillo, M. G., J. F. Anderson, J. A. Geddes, et al. X. Yang, E. Y. Najacht, S. A. Herrera, K. M. Kabasares, A. E. Kotsakis, M. T. Lerdau, and S. E. Pusede. 2019. "Observing Severe Drought Influences on Ozone Air Pollution in California." Environmental Science & Technology, acs.est.8b04852 [10.1021/acs.est.8b04852]

    Kotsakis, A., Y. Choi, A. Souri, W. Jeon, and J. Flynn. 2019. "Characterization of Regional Wind Patterns Using Self-Organizing Maps: Impact on Dallas-Fort Worth Long-Term Ozone Trends." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 58 (4): 757-772 [10.1175/jamc-d-18-0045.1]

    Buysse, C. E., J. A. Munyan, C. A. Bailey, et al. A. Kotsakis, J. A. Sagona, A. Esperanza, and S. E. Pusede. 2018. "On the effect of upwind emission controls on ozone in Sequoia National Park." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18 (23): 17061-17076 [10.5194/acp-2017-1006]

    Kotsakis, A., G. A. Morris, B. Lefer, et al. W. Jeon, A. Roy, K. Minschwaner, A. M. Thompson, and Y. Choi. 2017. "Ozone production by corona discharges during a convective event in DISCOVER-AQ Houston." Atmospheric Environment, 161: 13-17 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.04.018]

    Souri, A. H., Y. Choi, X. Li, A. Kotsakis, and X. Jiang. 2016. "A 15-year climatology of wind pattern impacts on surface ozone in Houston, Texas." Atmospheric Research, 174-175: 124-134 [10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.02.007]

    Non-Refereed

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. N. K. Abuhassan, A. E. Kotsakis, R. J. Swap, and H. Wecht. 2020. "Satellite and shipboard views of air quality along the Louisiana coast: The 2019 SCOAPE (Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment) cruise." EM: Environmental Manager Special Issue: 6 pp.

    Professional Societies

    American Meteorological Society, 2009 - Present
    American Geophysical Union, 2014 - Present
    European Geophysical Union, 2019 - Present
    Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2023 - Present

    Talks, Presentations and Posters

    Impacts of Biomass Burning on Free-Tropospheric Ozone Photochemistry over the Southern United States

     1 / 10 / 2018

    American Meteorological Society 98th Annual Meeting

    Characterization of Wind Patterns over Texas Using Self-Organizing Maps: Impact on Dallas-Fort Worth Long Term Ozone Trends

     12 / 14 / 2017

    2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

    Impact of Synoptic & Global Scale Features On The Year-To-Year Variability of Ozone Exceedances in Houston

     1 / 13 / 2016

    American Meteorological Society 96th Annual Meeting

    Coronal Induced Production of Ozone from a Thunderstorm During DISCOVER-AQ 2013

     5 / 8 / 2015

    2015 DISCOVER-AQ Team Meeting, Boulder, CO

    Sources of Ozone in the Free Troposphere in Houston During DISCOVER-AQ 2013

     12 / 2014

    2014 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

    Investigation of Idabel, Oklahoma Ozone Concentration Pre and Post-Frontal Passage

     4 / 24 / 2013

    2013 Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship

    Publications

    Refereed

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. A. E. Kotsakis, N. Abuhassan, L. N. Lamsal, R. J. Swap, D. R. Blake, A. Townsend‐Small, and H. D. Wecht. 2023. "Two Air Quality Regimes in Total Column NO2 Over the Gulf of Mexico in May 2019: Shipboard and Satellite Views." Earth and Space Science 10 (3): [10.1029/2022ea002473]

    Gambacorta, A., J. Piepmeier, M. Stephen, et al. J. Santanello, J. Blaisdell, I. Moradi, W. McCarty, R. Rosenberg, A. Kotsakis, J. MacKinnon, F. Gambini, P. Mohammed, R. Kroodsma, I. Adams, and P. Racette. 2023. "Advancing Atmospheric Thermodynamic Sounding from Space using Hyperspectral Microwave Measurements." IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing 1-16 [10.1109/jstars.2023.3269697]

    Shrestha, S., S. Yoon, M. H. Erickson, et al. F. Guo, M. Mehra, A. A. Bui, B. C. Schulze, A. Kotsakis, C. Daube, S. C. Herndon, T. I. Yacovitch, S. Alvarez, J. H. Flynn, R. J. Griffin, G. P. Cobb, S. Usenko, and R. J. Sheesley. 2022. "Traffic, transport, and vegetation drive VOC concentrations in a major urban area in Texas." Science of The Total Environment 838 155861 [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155861]

    Yoon, S., A. Kotsakis, S. L. Alvarez, et al. M. G. Spychala, E. Klovenski, P. Walter, G. Morris, E. Corrales, A. Alan, J. A. Diaz, and J. H. Flynn. 2022. "Development and testing of a novel sulfur dioxide sonde." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15 (14): 4373-4384 [10.5194/amt-15-4373-2022]

    Kotsakis, A., J. T. Sullivan, T. F. Hanisco, et al. R. J. Swap, V. Caicedo, T. A. Berkoff, G. Gronoff, C. P. Loughner, X. Ren, W. T. Luke, P. Kelley, P. R. Stratton, R. Delgado, N. Abuhassan, L. Shalaby, F. C. Santos, and J. Dreessen. 2022. "Sensitivity of total column NO2 at a marine site within the Chesapeake Bay during OWLETS-2." Atmospheric Environment 277 119063 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119063]

    Spinei, E., M. Tiefengraber, M. Müller, et al. M. Gebetsberger, A. Cede, L. Valin, J. Szykman, A. Whitehill, A. Kotsakis, F. Santos, N. Abbuhasan, X. Zhao, V. Fioletov, S. C. Lee, and R. Swap. 2021. "Effect of Polyoxymethylene (POM-H Delrin) offgassing within Pandora head sensor on direct sun and multi-axis formaldehyde column measurements in 2016–2019." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14 647–663 [10.5194/amt-14-647-2021]

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. N. K. Abuhassan, A. E. Kotsakis, R. J. Swap, and H. Wecht. 2020. "SCOAPE: Satellite and Shipboard Views of Air Quality along the Louisiana Coast." EM: The Magazine for Environmental Managers 28-33 [Full Text (Link)]

    Sadeghi, B., Y. Choi, S. Yoon, et al. J. Flynn, A. Kotsakis, and S. Lee. 2020. "The characterization of fine particulate matter downwind of Houston: Using integrated factor analysis to identify anthropogenic and natural sources." Environmental Pollution 262 114345 [10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114345]

    Robinson, J., A. Kotsakis, F. Santos, et al. R. Swap, K. E. Knowland, G. Labow, V. Connors, M. Tzortziou, N. Abuhassan, M. Tiefengraber, and A. Cede. 2020. "Using networked Pandora observations to capture spatiotemporal changes in total column ozone associated with stratosphere-to-troposphere transport." Atmospheric Research 238 104872 [10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.104872]

    Demetillo, M. G., J. F. Anderson, J. A. Geddes, et al. X. Yang, E. Y. Najacht, S. A. Herrera, K. M. Kabasares, A. E. Kotsakis, M. T. Lerdau, and S. E. Pusede. 2019. "Observing Severe Drought Influences on Ozone Air Pollution in California." Environmental Science & Technology acs.est.8b04852 [10.1021/acs.est.8b04852]

    Kotsakis, A., Y. Choi, A. Souri, W. Jeon, and J. Flynn. 2019. "Characterization of Regional Wind Patterns Using Self-Organizing Maps: Impact on Dallas-Fort Worth Long-Term Ozone Trends." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 58 (4): 757-772 [10.1175/jamc-d-18-0045.1]

    Buysse, C. E., J. A. Munyan, C. A. Bailey, et al. A. Kotsakis, J. A. Sagona, A. Esperanza, and S. E. Pusede. 2018. "On the effect of upwind emission controls on ozone in Sequoia National Park." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18 (23): 17061-17076 [10.5194/acp-2017-1006]

    Kotsakis, A., G. A. Morris, B. Lefer, et al. W. Jeon, A. Roy, K. Minschwaner, A. M. Thompson, and Y. Choi. 2017. "Ozone production by corona discharges during a convective event in DISCOVER-AQ Houston." Atmospheric Environment 161 13-17 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.04.018]

    Souri, A. H., Y. Choi, X. Li, A. Kotsakis, and X. Jiang. 2016. "A 15-year climatology of wind pattern impacts on surface ozone in Houston, Texas." Atmospheric Research 174-175 124-134 [10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.02.007]

    Non-Refereed

    Thompson, A. M., D. E. Kollonige, R. M. Stauffer, et al. N. K. Abuhassan, A. E. Kotsakis, R. J. Swap, and H. Wecht. 2020. "Satellite and shipboard views of air quality along the Louisiana coast: The 2019 SCOAPE (Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment) cruise." EM: Environmental Manager Special Issue 6 pp

                                                                                                                                                                                            
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