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Nikolay Balashov

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Nikolay Balashov

  • POSTDOC FELLOW
  • 301.286.2515
  • NASA/GSFC
  • Mail Code: 610.1
  • Greenbelt , MD 20771
  • Employer: UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

    • Brief Bio

    Dr. Nikolay V. Balashov is a visiting research assistant scientist employed by the department of Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences of the University of Maryland (UMD) physically located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). He works at Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO; Code 610.1) in carbon cycle research group with Lesley Ott. His current work concerns analyzing carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) output from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing Model (GEOS). The recent work includes using mentioned GEOS CO2 and CO fields for flight planning of the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT) – America mission in 2019 as well as for better understanding of 2019 flooding event in the Midwestern and Southern US and its effects on vegetation carbon storage. Additionally, Nikolay works on air quality forecasting research, exploring ways to interpret probabilistic forecasts in such a way as to maximize their prediction skill. Dr. Balashov has participated and supported NASA field campaigns over the past several years, launching ozonesondes during Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEACR4S) in 2013 and Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) in 2014 and helped with weather forecasting and flight planning for ACT-America as well as performed duties of mission scientist on a number of flights over 2017-2019.    

    Research Interests

    Modeling and Observing Atmospheric Carbon

    Quantification of methane and carbon dioxide emissions using a variety of observing platforms (e.g. towers, aircrafts, and satellites) and corresponding models (e.g. NASA GEOS). I am interested in understanding uncertainties in methodologies such as inverse modeling and related statistical optimization techniques.


    Modeling and Analysis of Air Quality

    Air quality prediction (particularly surface ozone) with statistical models, effects of meteorology on surface ozone, interpretation of probabilistic air quality forecasts.


    Positions/Employment

    4/2021 - Present

    Visiting Assistant Research Scientist

    Department of Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) at University of Maryland (UMD), Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD

    Evaluation and analysis of CO2 in NASA’s GEOS

    Teaching Experience

    Teaching Assistant, Pennsylvania State University (2015-2016)

    Graded assignments and held office hours for Principles of Atmospheric Measurements class; helped teach and assisted in planning computer projects for Application of Computers to Meteorology class


    Education

    The Pennsylvania State University; BS in Meteorology; December 2012

    The Pennsylvania State University; BM in Music Composition; December 2012

    The Pennsylvania State University; MS in Meteorology; December 2012

    The Pennsylvania State University; PhD in Meteorology; December 2016

    Awards

    ACT-America NASA Group Achievement Award (2020)

    3rd Place Poster Presentation, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Category, 30th Penn State Annual Graduate Student Exhibition (2015)

    NASA SEAC4RS Group Achievement Award (2015)

    1st Place Undergraduate Poster Presentation Session, 14th Penn State Annual Environmental Chemistry Student Symposium (2011)

    Publications

    Refereed

    Miles, N. L., K. J. Davis, S. J. Richardson, et al. T. Lauvaux, D. K. Martins, A. J. Deng, N. Balashov, K. R. Gurney, J. Liang, G. Roest, J. A. Wang, and J. C. Turnbull. 2021. "The influence of near-field fluxes on seasonal carbon dioxide enhancements: results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Carbon Balance and Management, 16 (1): 4 [10.1186/s13021-020-00166-z]

    Balashov, N. V., K. J. Davis, N. L. Miles, et al. T. Lauvaux, S. J. Richardson, Z. R. Barkley, and T. A. Bonin. 2020. "Background heterogeneity and other uncertainties in estimating urban methane flux: results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20 (7): 4545-4559 [10.5194/acp-20-4545-2020]

    Barkley, Z. R., K. J. Davis, S. Feng, et al. N. Balashov, A. Fried, J. DiGangi, Y. Choi, and H. S. Halliday. 2019. "Forward Modeling and Optimization of Methane Emissions in the South Central United States Using Aircraft Transects Across Frontal Boundaries." Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (22): 13564-13573 [10.1029/2019gl084495]

    Miles, N. L., S. J. Richardson, T. Lauvaux, et al. K. J. Davis, N. V. Balashov, A. Deng, J. C. Turnbull, C. Sweeney, K. R. Gurney, R. Patarasuk, I. Razlivanov, M. O. Cambaliza, and P. B. Shepson. 2017. "Quantification of urban atmospheric boundary layer greenhouse gas dry mole fraction enhancements in the dormant season: Results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Elem Sci Anth, 5 (0): 27 [10.1525/elementa.127]

    Balashov, N. V., A. M. Thompson, and G. S. Young. 2017. "Probabilistic Forecasting of Surface Ozone with a Novel Statistical Approach." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 56 (2): 297-316 [10.1175/jamc-d-16-0110.1]

    Balashov, N. V., A. M. Thompson, S. J. Piketh, and K. E. Langerman. 2014. "Surface ozone variability and trends over the South African Highveld from 1990 to 2007." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 119 (7): 4323-4342 [10.1002/2013jd020555]

    Thompson, A. M., N. V. Balashov, J. C. Witte, et al. J. G. Coetzee, V. Thouret, and F. Posny. 2014. "Tropospheric ozone increases over the southern Africa region: bellwether for rapid growth in Southern Hemisphere pollution?" Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14: 9855-9869 [10.5194/acp-14-9855-2014]

    Cooper, O. R., D. D. Parrish, J. Ziemke, et al. N. V. Balashov, M. Cupeiro, I. E. Galbally, S. Gilge, L. Horowitz, N. R. Jensen, J.-F. Lamarque, V. Naik, S. J. Oltmans, J. Schwab, D. T. Shindell, A. M. Thompson, V. Thouret, Y. Wang, and R. M. Zbinden. 2014. "Global distribution and trends of tropospheric ozone: An observation-based review." Elementa Sci. Anthropocene, 2: 000029 [doi:10.12952/journal.elementa.000029]

    Brief Bio

    Dr. Nikolay V. Balashov is a visiting research assistant scientist employed by the department of Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences of the University of Maryland (UMD) physically located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). He works at Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO; Code 610.1) in carbon cycle research group with Lesley Ott. His current work concerns analyzing carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) output from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing Model (GEOS). The recent work includes using mentioned GEOS CO2 and CO fields for flight planning of the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT) – America mission in 2019 as well as for better understanding of 2019 flooding event in the Midwestern and Southern US and its effects on vegetation carbon storage. Additionally, Nikolay works on air quality forecasting research, exploring ways to interpret probabilistic forecasts in such a way as to maximize their prediction skill. Dr. Balashov has participated and supported NASA field campaigns over the past several years, launching ozonesondes during Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEACR4S) in 2013 and Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) in 2014 and helped with weather forecasting and flight planning for ACT-America as well as performed duties of mission scientist on a number of flights over 2017-2019.    

    Publications

    Refereed

    Miles, N. L., K. J. Davis, S. J. Richardson, et al. T. Lauvaux, D. K. Martins, A. J. Deng, N. Balashov, K. R. Gurney, J. Liang, G. Roest, J. A. Wang, and J. C. Turnbull. 2021. "The influence of near-field fluxes on seasonal carbon dioxide enhancements: results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Carbon Balance and Management 16 (1): 4 [10.1186/s13021-020-00166-z]

    Balashov, N. V., K. J. Davis, N. L. Miles, et al. T. Lauvaux, S. J. Richardson, Z. R. Barkley, and T. A. Bonin. 2020. "Background heterogeneity and other uncertainties in estimating urban methane flux: results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 (7): 4545-4559 [10.5194/acp-20-4545-2020]

    Barkley, Z. R., K. J. Davis, S. Feng, et al. N. Balashov, A. Fried, J. DiGangi, Y. Choi, and H. S. Halliday. 2019. "Forward Modeling and Optimization of Methane Emissions in the South Central United States Using Aircraft Transects Across Frontal Boundaries." Geophysical Research Letters 46 (22): 13564-13573 [10.1029/2019gl084495]

    Miles, N. L., S. J. Richardson, T. Lauvaux, et al. K. J. Davis, N. V. Balashov, A. Deng, J. C. Turnbull, C. Sweeney, K. R. Gurney, R. Patarasuk, I. Razlivanov, M. O. Cambaliza, and P. B. Shepson. 2017. "Quantification of urban atmospheric boundary layer greenhouse gas dry mole fraction enhancements in the dormant season: Results from the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX)." Elem Sci Anth 5 (0): 27 [10.1525/elementa.127]

    Balashov, N. V., A. M. Thompson, and G. S. Young. 2017. "Probabilistic Forecasting of Surface Ozone with a Novel Statistical Approach." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 56 (2): 297-316 [10.1175/jamc-d-16-0110.1]

    Balashov, N. V., A. M. Thompson, S. J. Piketh, and K. E. Langerman. 2014. "Surface ozone variability and trends over the South African Highveld from 1990 to 2007." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 119 (7): 4323-4342 [10.1002/2013jd020555]

    Thompson, A. M., N. V. Balashov, J. C. Witte, et al. J. G. Coetzee, V. Thouret, and F. Posny. 2014. "Tropospheric ozone increases over the southern Africa region: bellwether for rapid growth in Southern Hemisphere pollution?" Atmos. Chem. Phys. 14 9855-9869 [10.5194/acp-14-9855-2014]

    Cooper, O. R., D. D. Parrish, J. Ziemke, et al. N. V. Balashov, M. Cupeiro, I. E. Galbally, S. Gilge, L. Horowitz, N. R. Jensen, J.-F. Lamarque, V. Naik, S. J. Oltmans, J. Schwab, D. T. Shindell, A. M. Thompson, V. Thouret, Y. Wang, and R. M. Zbinden. 2014. "Global distribution and trends of tropospheric ozone: An observation-based review." Elementa Sci. Anthropocene 2 000029 [doi:10.12952/journal.elementa.000029]

                                                                                                                                                                                            
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    • Last Updated: 09/21/2023