National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

The GMAO Research Site

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) supports NASA's Earth Science mission. Activities in Earth System modeling and data assimilation aim to maximize the impact of satellite observations on analyses and predictions of the atmosphere, ocean, land and cryosphere.

Science Snapshots

Science Snapshot Archive »

Impacts of 2019 Boreal Forest Fires on Atmospheric Pollution

Using the NASA/GMAO numerical model GEOS and the observation-based QFED, fire emissions and transport from 2019 northern hemisphere summer Boreal fires have been analyzed and are compared with previous years.

Historic Greenland Ice Melt Event Follows European Heatwave

In late July 2019, the Greenland ice sheet experienced one of the most extensive melt events on record. The event triggered above-freezing temperatures across approximately 60 percent of the ice sheet. Climate model forecasts suggest that increasing Arctic air temperatures will continue to accelerate ice sheet mass loss and affect a range of other Arctic processes.

Air Pollutant Forecasts Using the NASA GEOS-CF Model: Global Modeling Assessment of Pollutants During Wildfires

The May and June 2019 wildfires that occurred in Alberta, Canada led to increased smog, which resulted in air quality warnings issued in that region. GEOS-CF was able to simulate in near real-time how these fires impacted the change in pollutant concentrations by using satellite observations to constrain fire emissions.

Impact of Satellite Sea Surface Salinity Observations on ENSO Predictions

Assimilating satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) from NASA’s Aquarius and SMAP instruments improves the analyses of the near-surface density and the mixed layer depth (MLD).