Author: Cazzy Medley

ESSIC scientists attend the NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions Science Team Meeting. From left to right: Veljko Petkovic, Ralph Ferraro, Rachael Kroodsma, Lisa Milani, Chris Kidd, Robert Adler

ESSIC Attends NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions Science Team Meeting

September 25, 2023

Last week, NASA held its annual meeting of the Precipitation Measurement Mission (PMM) Science Team at the University of Minnesota. The team consists of approximately 40 principal investigators and several other co-investigators. ESSIC has eight scientists involved in this capacity. The PMM scientists present the current status of their projects that are centered around the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission and its constellation of other satellites.

Xin-Zhong Liang Elected as AGU Fellow

September 20, 2023

Xin-Zhong Liang has been elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He joins 55 other individuals in the 2023 Class of Fellows. Since 1962, the AGU Union Fellows Committee has selected less than 0.1% of members as new Fellows. AGU, a nonprofit organization that supports 130,000 enthusiasts to experts worldwide in Earth and space sciences, annually recognizes a select number of individuals as part of its Honors and Recognition program.

Figure: Regionally averaged rates in all regions and in three depth zones: the twilight zone (top row, Ez to Ez + 500 m), the midnight zone (middle row, Ez + 500 m to 3 km below sea level), and the abyss (bottom row, 3 km below sea level to the bottom). The bounds of the color axes are the same for each row, each being an order of magnitude smaller than that of the row above.

Respiration Patterns in the Dark Ocean

September 19, 2023

ESSIC/CISESS Visiting Associate Research Scientist David S. Trossman is co-author on a new paper in Global Biogeochemical Cycles titled “Respiration Patterns in the Dark Ocean”.

Grand Challenges Team Meets With County Stakeholders

September 13, 2023

Last week, the Grand Challenges team, led by ESSIC Director Ellen Williams, met with Matt Fleming, Executive Director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, to begin a partnership to better understand the climate and environmental issues and priorities of Anne Arundel county and the city of Annapolis.

Using Satellite Data to Help Protect Coral Reefs

August 25, 2023

UMD/NOAA Coral Reef Watch has been using new satellite products to enact real change to protect coral reefs from the threats of climate change.

On a crop assessment tour in Zimbabwe, 2023. Credit: Weston Anderson

Early Career Scientist Spotlight: Weston Anderson

August 8, 2023

ESSIC Assistant Research Scientist Weston Anderson was recently featured in NASA’s Sciences and Exploration Directorate Early Career Scientist Spotlight.

Milani Teaches Earth Science Abroad

August 8, 2023

This month, the 2023 Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) Mentorship program comes to an end. The project, coordinated by ESSIC Assistant Research Scientist Lisa Milani with the help of colleagues Andrea Portier and Vaso Mantas, involved ten Italian teachers from four different schools. The effort included three lectures about “the Water Cycle”, “Weather and Climate” and “GPM products and applications” and targeted middle- and high-school teachers aiming to apply outreach material in the classroom context. After the three lectures, the teachers involved their students in a practical project applying language, programming and science contents and skills.

Around the world, agricultural practices have developed as a function of topography, soil type, crop type, annual rainfall, and tradition. Featured above (clockwise from the upper left) are agricultural lands in Minnesota, Kansas, northwest Germany, southern Brazil, Bangkok, Thailand, and eastern Bolivia. Image courtesy of NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

New Study Reveals Irrigation’s Mixed Effects Around the World

July 24, 2023

A new study by an international team of researchers shows how irrigation affects regional climates and environments around the world, illuminating how and where the practice is both untenable and beneficial.

Sampa Das Receives 2023 Robert H. Goddard Honor Award

July 20, 2023

ESSIC Research Scientist Sampa Das has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Robert H. Goddard Honor Award, NASA’s Center-level award selected annually by an awards committee based on the nominations from the peers. Das received an award under the category of “Excellence in Science”. She is one of the 9 individuals selected for 2023 across the Sciences and Exploration Directorate.

Bull Run flows into Occoquan Drinking water reservoir (Photo by Sujay Kaushal)

A New Way to Monitor Water Quality

July 18, 2023

A new study led by Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) scientist Sujay Kaushal introduces a new way to think about water quality monitoring along urban streams that could help researchers more accurately track pollutants across waterways.