Goddard Space Flight Center

Observation-constrained clear-sky direct radiative forcing of black carbon containing aerosols reveals distinct radiative regimes across urban Asia

Black carbon (BC) aerosols exert a strong yet uncertain influence on the atmospheric energy balance, yet their radiative forcing estimates remain poorly constrained. Current top-down and bottom-up approaches remain limited in resolving how microphysical evolution and column prope...

Ten rules to increase the usability of earth observation mission datasets

Abstract Publicly-funded Earth Observation (EO) missions present unprecedented challenges and opportunities for observing our changing planet and applying the knowledge gained to benefit society. As EO mission data continue to grow in volume and complexity, a paradigm shift in ho...

Neural Surrogate HMC: On Using Neural Likelihoods for Hamiltonian Monte Carlo in Simulation‐Based Inference

Abstract Bayesian inference methods such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) typically require repeated computations of the likelihood function, but in some scenarios, this is infeasible and alternative methods are needed. Simulation‐based inference methods address this problem by...

Rapid increase of climate extremes reveals new areas of concern in Amazonia

Abstract Amazonia is highly sensitive to climate extremes, yet we lack an Amazon-wide assessment that examines the spatial-temporal changes in these extreme conditions. We address this within seasons and across the hydrological year, using a quantiles approach that integrates the...

The Photospheric Imprints of Coronal Electric Currents. I. Magnetic Structure near Polarity Inversion Lines

Abstract Flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are powered by magnetic energy stored in coronal electric currents. Here, we use photospheric vector magnetic field observations to study currents in active regions 10930 and 11158, which both produced eruptive, X-class flares. We...

Leveraging JEDI for atmospheric composition: a unified framework for evaluating observations and model forecasts

Accurate evaluation of both observations and forecasts is essential for advancing atmospheric composition research and improving operational prediction. Traditionally, this has relied on separate workflows with product-specific preprocessing, often limiting reproducibility and cr...

Pulsed Infrared Emission from Magnetar 4U 0142+61 Detected by JWST

Abstract We report on a JWST observation of the magnetar 4U 0142+61 on 2024 August 18 with the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). NIRCam observed the magnetar for 33 minutes in timing mode, providing a time resolution of 2.5 s. In the F410M filter (pivot wavelength 4.08 μ m), we meas...

Toward Pristine Return: Probabilistic Sample Response Modeling of Vibration Sensing for Planetary Samples

Planetary sample return missions can impose extreme mechanical forces on both spacecraft and the returned samples collected from a planetary surface that they contain. The chain of custody phases from entry/descent/landing to curation each present distinct vibration, shock, and d...

Estimating the source altitude of auroral precipitation from dispersed Alfvén waves in the dayside ionosphere

Abstract. The VISIONS-2 sounding rockets performed in-situ measurements of the active dayside auroral region. Numerous broadband dispersed signatures up to keV energies are visible in the electron electrostatic analyser data, typical of Alfvénic precipitation. In order to charact...

Modelling wetland methane emission estimates by leveraging new observations of anthropogenic point-source plumes

Abstract. Satellite retrieval capabilities for detecting methane (CH4) diffuse and point sources have increased drastically over the last decade. These observations are playing an important role in atmospheric inversion systems to optimize emissions from anthropogenic and natural...

A decagon wave around Saturn’s south pole

Saturn has a unique long-lived, nearly stationary hexagon wave close to its north pole that is coupled to an intense eastward jet. Despite decades of observation, no similar wave has been reported so far in the southern hemisphere or elsewhere on Saturn. Ground-based and Hubble S...

A cross-instrument closure and polarimetric study for improving sub-millimeter polarimeter-radiometer ice cloud microphysics retrievals

Abstract. Ice cloud microphysical properties, such as phase, shape, size and density, introduce significant uncertainties and biases that affect our understanding of how clouds influence weather and climate. The upcoming spaceborne sub-millimeter radiometers are expected to help...

Delayed submarine caldera subsidence creates extreme tsunami hazard

The 2022 Hunga volcano eruption generated one of the largest and most destructive volcanic tsunamis ever recorded. We interpret the timing, nature and relative hazard of volcanic-tsunamigenic processes by combining geophysical, oceanographic, atmospheric, and eye-witness observat...

Landsat Instrument Suite (LandIS) sensor design for the Landsat 10 mission

Landsat 10 will be the upcoming mission in the 50+ year Landsat series of Earth observation platforms. The centerpiece of the observatory will be a super-spectral imager known as the Landsat Instrument Suite (LandIS). The sensor will feature 26 spectral channels from the visible...

Evaluation of Pandora HCHO and NO 2 with airborne in situ observations

Abstract. The Pandora Global Network (PGN) is a system of ground-based spectrometers reporting continuous daytime column HCHO and NO2. While the Direct Sun (DS) NO2 product has been well studied, the Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX DOAS) products are...

Coastal North America In Situ Chlorophyll and Optical Dataset

Abstract. Chlorophyll is a crucial climate variable and remotely sensed satellite chlorophyll estimates are essential to understanding large-scale biological processes. Current ocean color chlorophyll algorithms, however, are less accurate in optically complex inland and coastal...

Earliest simultaneous multi-color optical observations of GRB 230328B: from 41 seconds to the host-galaxy identification

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the long-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 230328B, combining prompt γ-ray observations with exceptionally early simultaneous optical photometry and extensive X-ray, radio, and host-galaxy follow-up. NUTTELA-TAO began simultaneous g′r′i′...

A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications – version four

Abstract. A global in situ dataset for validation of satellite products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) is presented. This version of the compilation, with data starting in 1996, extends to 2025, which is important for the validation of recent algorit...

Strategic design of methane observation networks to improve emission estimates: A case study in Africa

Abstract. Ground-based and satellite atmospheric observations are essential for reducing uncertainties in methane (CH4) emissions by atmospheric inversion, particularly in data-sparse regions such as Africa. However, adding new observation sites does not yield linear improvements...

Resolving circumarctic zero-curtain phenomena with AI-integrated earth observations

<title>Abstract</title> Across the circumarctic, permafrost landscapes store approximately 1700 billion metric tons of organic carbon - nearly twice atmospheric levels - yet reservoir stability depends on the zero-curtain, a subsurface thermal plateau that emerges when latent hea...