Using Space-Based and Airborne Observations To Study Direct and Indirect Human Impacts on Atmospheric Composition
Prof. Eric Kort
Associate Chair, Dept. of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
University of Michigan
Monday September 29, 2025, 2 PM ET
Abstract:
Human driven emissions of a range of compounds into the atmosphere have profound impacts on climate and air quality. In our current era, not only are anthropogenic emissions large enough to be globally impactful, but these emissions can rapidly change in response to various technologic, economic, and regulatory pressures. Changing environmental conditions driven by these human emissions can in turn cause changes in ecosystem fluxes and atmospheric chemistry, further perturbing atmospheric composition. Our observational capability is rapidly evolving, enabling the use of airborne and space-based observations to identify, quantify, and improve understanding of dynamically changing natural and anthropogenic controls of atmospheric composition. In this talk I will discuss examples showing how observations are advancing our understanding of methane emissions from wetlands, methane and refrigerant emissions from cities, and nitrous oxide emissions from croplands.
Biosketch:
Dr. Kort is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Michigan, Prof. Kort was a W.M. Keck Institute for Space Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. Prof. Kort’s research focuses on greenhouse gases and air pollutants and has advanced our ability to observe and quantify human impacts on the atmosphere using ground, airborne, and space-based observations. His work has been shown on the floor of the US Senate and has advanced our understanding of emissions from oil and gas production, wetlands, cities, and agricultural regions. Kort is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award and the NASA New Investigator Program award in Earth Science. Kort holds a Ph.D. and S.M. degree in Applied Physics from Harvard University and a B.S. in physics from Pomona College.
Webinar:
Event site: https://go.umd.edu/kort
Zoom Webinar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarwebinars
Zoom Meeting ID: 918 7733 3086
Zoom password: essic
US Toll: +13017158592
Global call-in numbers: https://umd.zoom.us/u/aMElEpvNu
For IT assistance:
Cazzy Medley: cazzy@umd.edu
Resources:
Seminar schedule & archive: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminar
Seminar Google calendar: https://go.umd.edu/essicseminarcalendar
Seminar recordings on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ESSICUMD
