Dr. Lok N. Lamsal is a GESTAR-affiliated Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. His current research areas include development/improvement of retrieval algorithm for atmospheric trace gases from orbital and suborbital UV-visible sensors, validation of algorithm/products, and interpretation of satellite observations using in-situ data and model simulations. Prior to joining NASA, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. He received a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the Institute of Remote Sensing, University of Bremen, Germany.
Lok N Lamsal
(SCIENTIST)
Org Code: 614
NASA/GSFCMail Code: 614
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE CO
Brief Bio
Positions/Employment
Senior Research Scientist
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
November 2021 - Present
Senior Scientist (Earth Science)
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology & Research, Universities Space Research Association - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
May 2018 - November 2021
Scientist II/Scientist III
Goddard Earth Sciences Technology & Research, Universities Space Research Association - NASA Goddard Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
2011 - 2018
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dalhousie University - Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
2006 - 2011
Research Assistant
University of Bremen - University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, D-28359, Bremen, Deutschland
2002 - 2006
Lecturer (Physics)
Tribhuvan University - Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
1999 - 2001
Awards
- NASA Robert H. Goddard Science Team Award (2021)
- NASA Goddard Earth Science Division Best Science Highlight or Nugget Award (2020)
- NASA Goddard Earth Science Division Distinguished Contribution Group Award
(2020)
- AMS Special Award – OMI Team (2020)
- William T. Pecora Award - OMI International Team (2018)
- NASA DISCOVER-AQ Group Achievement Award (2017)
- USRA President's Individual Excellence Award (2016)
- NASA Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Science Award (2015)
- NASA Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres Outstanding Performance in Science
Award (2015)
- GESTAR Excellence Award (2014)
- Graduate scholarship – University of Bremen (2001-2002)
- M.Sc. Dissertation Grants, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (1998)
Publications
Refereed
Joiner, J., S. Marchenko, Z. Fasnacht, et al. L. Lamsal, C. Li, A. Vasilkov, and N. Krotkov. 2023. Use of machine learning and principal component analysis to retrieve nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with hyperspectral imagers and reduce noise in spectral fitting Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 16 (2): 481-500 [10.5194/amt-16-481-2023]
Liu, J., S. A. Strode, Q. Liang, et al. L. D. Oman, P. R. Colarco, E. L. Fleming, M. E. Manyin, A. R. Douglass, J. R. Ziemke, L. N. Lamsal, and C. Li. 2022. Change in Tropospheric Ozone in the Recent Decades and Its Contribution to Global Total Ozone Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 127 (22): [10.1029/2022jd037170]
Ziemke, J. R., N. A. Kramarova, S. M. Frith, et al. L. Huang, D. P. Haffner, K. Wargan, L. N. Lamsal, G. J. Labow, R. D. McPeters, and P. K. Bhartia. 2022. NASA Satellite Measurements Show Global‐Scale Reductions in Free Tropospheric Ozone in 2020 and Again in 2021 During COVID‐19 Geophysical Research Letters 49 (15): [10.1029/2022gl098712]
Pearlman, A., M. Cook, B. Efremova, et al. F. Padula, L. Lamsal, J. McCorkel, and J. Joiner. 2022. Polarization Performance Simulation for the GeoXO Atmospheric Composition Instrument: NO2 Retrieval Impacts Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15 (15): 4489–4501 [doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4489-2022]
Cooper, M. J., R. V. Martin, M. S. Hammer, et al. P. F. Levelt, P. Veefkind, L. N. Lamsal, N. A. Krotkov, J. R. Brook, and C. A. McLinden. 2022. Global fine-scale changes in ambient NO2 during COVID-19 lockdowns Nature 601 (7893): 380-387 [10.1038/s41586-021-04229-0]
Joiner, J., Z. Fasnacht, W. Qin, et al. Y. Yoshida, A. P. Vasilkov, C. Li, L. Lamsal, and N. Krotkov. 2022. Use of Hyper-Spectral Visible and Near-Infrared Satellite Data for Timely Estimates of the Earth’s Surface Reflectance in Cloudy and Aerosol Loaded Conditions: Part 1–Application to RGB Image Restoration Over Land With GOME-2 Frontiers in Remote Sensing 2 [10.3389/frsen.2021.716430]
Swartz, W. H., N. Krotkov, L. Lamsal, et al. G. Otter, F. van Kempen, J. Boldt, F. Morgan, L. van der Laan, W. Zimbeck, S. Storck, Z. Post, S. Janz, M. Kowalewski, C. Li, P. Veefkind, and P. Levelt. 2021. CHAPS: a sustainable approach to targeted air pollution observation from small satellites Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XXV [10.1117/12.2600175]
Li, J., Y. Wang, R. Zhang, et al. C. Smeltzer, A. Weinheimer, J. Herman, K. F. Boersma, E. A. Celarier, R. W. Long, J. J. Szykman, R. Delgado, A. M. Thompson, T. N. Knepp, L. N. Lamsal, S. J. Janz, M. G. Kowalewski, X. Liu, and C. R. Nowlan. 2021. Comprehensive evaluations of diurnal NO2 measurements during DISCOVER-AQ 2011: effects of resolution-dependent representation of NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> emissions Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21 (14): 11133-11160 [10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021]
Allen, D. J., K. E. Pickering, L. Lamsal, et al. D. M. Mach, M. G. Quick, J. Lapierre, S. Janz, W. Koshak, M. Kowalewski, and R. Blakeslee. 2021. Observations of Lightning NOx Production From GOES‐R Post Launch Test Field Campaign Flights Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126 (8): [10.1029/2020jd033769]
Vasilkov, A., N. Krotkov, E.-S. Yang, et al. L. Lamsal, J. Joiner, P. Castellanos, Z. Fasnacht, and R. Spurr. 2021. Explicit and consistent aerosol correction for visible wavelength satellite cloud and nitrogen dioxide retrievals based on optical properties from a global aerosol analysis Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14 (4): 2857-2871 [10.5194/amt-14-2857-2021]
Lamsal, L. N., N. A. Krotkov, A. Vasilkov, et al. S. V. Martchenko, W. Qin, E.-S. Yang, Z. Fasnacht, J. Joiner, S. Choi, D. Haffner, W. H. Swartz, B. Fisher, and E. Bucsela. 2021. Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Aura nitrogen dioxide standard product version 4.0 with improved surface and cloud treatments Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14 455-479 [10.5194/amt-14-455-2021]
Sathe, Y., P. Gupta, M. Bawase, et al. L. Lamsal, F. Patadia, and S. Thipse. 2020. Surface and Satellite Observations of Air Pollution in India during COVID-19 Lockdown: Implication to Air Quality Sustainable Cities and Society 102688 [10.1016/j.scs.2020.102688]
Soni, M., S. Verma, H. Jethava, et al. S. Payra, L. Lamsal, P. Gupta, and J. Singh. 2020. Impact of COVID-19 on the Air Quality over China and India Using Long-term (2009-2020) Multi-satellite Data Aerosol and Air Quality Research 21 (3): 200295 [10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0295]
Liu, F., A. Page, S. A. Strode, et al. Y. Yoshida, S. Choi, B. Zheng, L. N. Lamsal, C. Li, N. A. Krotkov, H. Eskes, R. van der A, P. Veefkind, P. F. Levelt, O. P. Hauser, and J. Joiner. 2020. Abrupt decline in tropospheric nitrogen dioxide over China after the outbreak of COVID-19 Science Advances 6 (28): eabc2992 [10.1126/sciadv.abc2992]
Choi, S., L. N. Lamsal, M. Follette-Cook, et al. J. Joiner, N. A. Krotkov, W. H. Swartz, K. E. Pickering, C. P. Loughner, W. Appel, G. Pfister, P. E. Saide, R. C. Cohen, A. J. Weinheimer, and J. R. Herman. 2020. Assessment of NO2; observations during DISCOVER-AQ and KORUS-AQ field campaigns Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13 (5): 2523-2546 [10.5194/amt-13-2523-2020]
Liu, F., B. N. Duncan, N. A. Krotkov, et al. L. N. Lamsal, S. Beirle, D. Griffin, C. A. McLinden, D. L. Goldberg, and Z. Lu. 2020. A methodology to constrain carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants using satellite observations of co-emitted nitrogen dioxide Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 99-116 [10.5194/acp-20-99-2020]
Goldberg, D. L., Z. Lu, T. Oda, et al. L. N. Lamsal, F. Liu, D. Griffin, C. A. McLinden, N. A. Krotkov, B. N. Duncan, and D. G. Streets. 2019. Exploiting OMI NO2 satellite observations to infer fossil-fuel CO2 emissions from U.S. megacities Science of The Total Environment 695 133805 [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133805]
Silvern, R. F., D. J. Jacob, L. J. Mickley, et al. M. P. Sulprizio, K. R. Travis, E. A. Marais, R. C. Cohen, J. L. Laughner, S. Choi, J. Joiner, and L. N. Lamsal. 2019. Using satellite observations of tropospheric NO2 columns to infer long-term trends in US NOx emissions: the importance of accounting for the free tropospheric NO2 background Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19 (13): 8863-8878 [10.5194/acp-19-8863-2019]
Griffin, D., X. Zhao, C. A. McLinden, et al. F. Boersma, A. Bourassa, E. Dammers, D. Degenstein, H. Eskes, L. Fehr, V. Fioletov, K. Hayden, S. K. Kharol, S.-M. Li, P. Makar, R. V. Martin, C. Mihele, R. L. Mittermeier, N. Krotkov, M. Sneep, L. N. Lamsal, M. T. Linden, J. V. Geffen, P. Veefkind, and M. Wolde. 2019. High-Resolution Mapping of Nitrogen Dioxide With TROPOMI: First Results and Validation Over the Canadian Oil Sands Geophysical Research Letters 46 (2): 1049-1060 [10.1029/2018gl081095]
Tzortziou, M., O. Parker, B. Lamb, et al. J. Herman, L. Lamsal, R. Stauffer, and N. Abuhassan. 2018. Atmospheric Trace Gas (NO2 and O3) Variability in South Korean Coastal Waters, and Implications for Remote Sensing of Coastal Ocean Color Dynamics Remote Sensing 10 (10): 1587 [10.3390/rs10101587]
Anenberg, S. C., D. K. Henze, V. Tinney, et al. P. L. Kinney, W. Raich, N. Fann, C. S. Malley, H. Roman, L. Lamsal, B. Duncan, R. V. Martin, A. van Donkelaar, M. Brauer, R. Doherty, J. E. Jonson, Y. Davila, K. Sudo, and J. C. Kuylenstierna. 2018. Estimates of the Global Burden of Ambient PM2.5, Ozone, and NO2 on Asthma Incidence and Emergency Room Visits Environmental Health Perspectives 126 (10): 107004 [10.1289/ehp3766]
Vasilkov, A., E.-S. Yang, S. Marchenko, et al. W. Qin, L. Lamsal, J. Joiner, N. Krotkov, D. Haffner, P. K. Bhartia, and R. Spurr. 2018. A cloud algorithm based on the O2-O2 477 nm absorption band featuring an advanced spectral fitting method and the use of surface geometry-dependent Lambertian-equivalent reflectivity Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 11 (7): 4093-4107 [10.5194/amt-11-4093-2018]
Majid, A., M. Val Martin, L. N. Lamsal, and B. N. Duncan. 2017. A decade of changes in nitrogen oxides over regions of oil and natural gas activity in the United States Elem Sci Anth 5 (0): 76 [10.1525/elementa.259]
Krotkov, N. A., L. N. Lamsal, E. A. Celarier, et al. W. H. Swartz, S. V. Marchenko, E. J. Bucsela, K. L. Chan, M. Wenig, and M. Zara. 2017. The version 3 OMI NO2 standard product Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (9): 3133-3149 [10.5194/amt-10-3133-2017]
Lorente, A., K. Folkert Boersma, H. Yu, et al. S. Dörner, A. Hilboll, A. Richter, M. Liu, L. N. Lamsal, M. Barkley, I. De Smedt, M. Van Roozendael, Y. Wang, T. Wagner, S. Beirle, J.-T. Lin, N. Krotkov, P. Stammes, P. Wang, H. J. Eskes, and M. Krol. 2017. Structural uncertainty in air mass factor calculation for NO<sub>2</sub> and HCHO satellite retrievals Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (3): 759-782 [10.5194/amt-10-759-2017]
Lamsal, L. N., S. J. Janz, N. A. Krotkov, et al. K. E. Pickering, R. J. Spurr, M. G. Kowalewski, C. P. Loughner, J. H. Crawford, W. H. Swartz, and J. R. Herman. 2017. High-resolution NO2 observations from the Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper: Retrieval and validation Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 122 (3): 1953-1970 [10.1002/2016jd025483]
Zhang, L., D. K. Henze, G. A. Grell, et al. O. Torres, H. Jethva, and L. N. Lamsal. 2017. What factors control the trend of increasing AAOD over the United States in the last decade? Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 122 (3): 1797-1810 [10.1002/2016jd025472]
Vasilkov, A., W. Qin, N. Krotkov, et al. L. Lamsal, R. Spurr, D. Haffner, J. Joiner, E.-S. Yang, and S. Marchenko. 2017. Accounting for the effects of surface BRDF on satellite cloud and trace-gas retrievals: a new approach based on geometry-dependent Lambertian equivalent reflectivity applied to OMI algorithms Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (1): 333-349 [10.5194/amt-10-333-2017]
Ialongo, I., J. Herman, N. Krotkov, et al. L. Lamsal, K. F. Boersma, J. Hovila, and J. Tamminen. 2016. Comparison of OMI NO2 observations and their seasonal andweekly cycles with ground-based measurements in Helsinki Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9 (10): 5203-5212 [10.5194/amt-9-5203-2016]
Zoogman, P., X. Liu, R. Suleiman, et al. W. Pennington, D. Flittner, J. Al-Saadi, B. Hilton, D. Nicks, M. Newchurch, J. Carr, S. Janz, M. Andraschko, A. Arola, B. Baker, B. Canova, C. Chan Miller, R. Cohen, J. Davis, M. Dussault, D. Edwards, J. Fishman, A. Ghulam, G. González Abad, M. Grutter, J. Herman, J. Houck, D. Jacob, J. Joiner, B. Kerridge, J. Kim, N. Krotkov, L. Lamsal, C. Li, A. Lindfors, R. Martin, C. McElroy, C. McLinden, V. Natraj, D. Neil, C. Nowlan, E. O׳Sullivan, P. Palmer, R. Pierce, M. Pippin, A. Saiz-Lopez, R. Spurr, J. Szykman, O. Torres, J. Veefkind, B. Veihelmann, H. Wang, J. Wang, and K. Chance. 2016. Tropospheric emissions: Monitoring of pollution (TEMPO) Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer 186 17-39 [10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.05.008]
Krotkov, N. A., C. A. McLinden, C. Li, et al. L. N. Lamsal, E. A. Celarier, S. V. Marchenko, W. H. Swartz, E. J. Bucsela, J. Joiner, B. N. Duncan, K. F. Boersma, J. P. Veefkind, P. F. Levelt, V. E. Fioletov, R. R. Dickerson, H. He, Z. Lu, and D. G. Streets. 2016. Aura OMI observations of regional SO2 and NO2 pollution changes from 2005 to 2015 Atmos. Chem. Phys. 16 (7): 4605-4629 [10.5194/acp-16-4605-2016]
Duncan, B. N., L. N. Lamsal, A. M. Thompson, et al. Y. Yoshida, Z. Lu, D. G. Streets, M. M. Hurwitz, and K. E. Pickering. 2016. A space-based, high-resolution view of notable changes in urban NO x pollution around the world (2005-2014) J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 121 (2): 976–996 [10.1002/2015jd024121]
Krotkov, N. A., C. A. McLinden, C. Li, et al. L. N. Lamsal, E. A. Celarier, S. V. Marchenko, W. H. Swartz, E. J. Bucsela, J. Joiner, B. N. Duncan, K. F. Boersma, J. P. Veefkind, P. F. Levelt, V. E. Fioletov, R. R. Dickerson, H. He, Z. Lu, and D. G. Streets. 2015. Aura OMI observations of regional SO2 and NO2 pollution changes from 2005 to 2014 Atmos. Chem. Phys. 16 4605-4629 [10.5194/acp-16-4605-2016]
Lu, Z., D. G. Streets, B. de Foy, et al. L. N. Lamsal, B. N. Duncan, and J. Xing. 2015. Emissions of nitrogen oxides from US urban areas: estimation from Ozone Monitoring Instrument retrievals for 2005–2014 Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15 10367-10383 [10.5194/acp-15-10367-2015]
Strode, S. A., J. M. Rodriguez, J. A. Logan, et al. O. R. Cooper, J. C. Witte, L. N. Lamsal, M. R. Damon, B. H. Van Aartsen, S. D. Steenrod, and S. E. Strahan. 2015. Trends and variability in surface ozone over the United States Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 120 [10.1002/2014JD022784]
Lamsal, L. N., B. N. Duncan, Y. Yoshida, et al. N. A. Krotkov, K. E. Pickering, D. G. Streets, and Z. Lu. 2015. U.S. NO2 trends (2005–2013): EPA Air Quality System (AQS) data versus improved observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Atmos. Env. 110 130-143 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.03.055]
Tang, W., D. S. Cohan, A. Pour-Biazar, et al. L. N. Lamsal, A. T. White, X. Xiao, W. Zhou, B. H. Henderson, and B. F. Lash. 2015. Influence of satellite-derived photolysis rates and NO<sub>x</sub> emissions on Texas ozone modeling Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15 (4): 1601-1619 [10.5194/acp-15-1601-2015]
Lamsal, L. N., N. A. Krotkov, E. A. Celarier, et al. W. H. Swartz, K. E. Pickering, E. J. Bucsela, J. F. Gleason, R. V. Martin, S. Philip, H. Irie, A. M. Cede, J. R. Herman, A. Weinheimer, J. J. Szykman, and T. N. Knepp. 2014. Evaluation of OMI operational standard NO2 column retrievals using in situ and surface-based NO2 observations Atmos. Chem. Phys. 14 11,587-11,609 [10.5194/acp-14-11587-2014]
Flynn, C. M., K. E. Pickering, J. H. Crawford, et al. L. N. Lamsal, N. A. Krotkov, J. R. Herman, A. Weinheimer, G. Chen, X. Liu, J. Szykman, S.-C. Tsay, C. P. Loughner, J. Hains, P. Lee, R. R. Dickerson, J. W. Stehr, and L. Brent. 2014. Relationship between column-density and surface mixing ratio: Statistical analysis of O3 and NO2 data from the July 2011 Maryland DISCOVER-AQ mission Atmospheric Environment 92 429-441 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.04.041]
McLinden, C. A., V. Fioletov, K. F. Boersma, et al. S. K. Kharol, N. A. Krotkov, L. N. Lamsal, P. A. Makar, R. V. Martin, J. P. Veefkind, and K. Yang. 2014. Improved satellite retrievals of NO2 and SO2 over the Canadian oil sands and comparisons with surface measurements Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 14 (7): 3637-3656 [10.5194/acp-14-3637-2014]
Streets, D., B. de Foy, B. N. Duncan, et al. L. N. Lamsal, C. Li, and Z. Lu. 2014. Using Satellite Observations to Measure Environmental Manager 64 16-21
Streets, D. G., T. Canty, G. R. Carmichael, et al. B. de Foy, R. R. Dickerson, B. N. Duncan, D. P. Edwards, J. A. Haynes, D. K. Henze, M. R. Houyoux, D. J. Jacobi, N. A. Krotkov, L. N. Lamsal, Y. Liu, Z. Lu, R. V. Martini, G. G. Pfister, R. W. Pinder, R. J. Salawitch, and K. J. Wechti. 2013. Emissions estimation from satellite retrievals: A review of current capability Atmospheric Environment 77 1011-1042 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.05.051]
Bucsela, E. J., N. A. Krotkov, L. N. Lamsal, et al. W. H. Swartz, P. K. Bhartia, K. F. Boersma, J. P. Veefkind, J. F. Gleason, and K. E. Pickering. 2013. A new stratospheric and tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> retrieval algorithm for nadir-viewing satellite instruments: applications to OMI Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 6 (10): 2607-2626 [10.5194/amt-6-2607-2013]
Lamsal, L. N., R. V. Martin, D. D. Parrish, and N. A. Krotkov. 2013. Scaling Relationship for NO2 Pollution and Urban Population Size: A Satellite Perspective Environmental Science & Technology 47 (14): 7855-7861 [10.1021/es400744g]
Duncan, B. N., Y. Yoshida, B. de Foy, et al. L. N. Lamsal, D. G. Streets, Z. Lu, K. E. Pickering, and N. A. Krotkov. 2013. The observed response of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 columns to NOx emission controls on power plants in the United States: 2005–2011 Atmospheric Environment 81 102-111 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.08.068]
Oetjen, H., S. Baidar, N. A. Krotkov, et al. L. N. Lamsal, M. Lechner, and R. Volkamer. 2013. Airborne MAX-DOAS measurements over California: Testing the NASA OMI tropospheric NO₂ product J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 118 (13): 7400–7413 [10.1002/jgrd.50550]