Seminar Announcement**
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*Why we need huge datasets of space-based Earth observations, examples of
what we do with them for studying airborne dust, smoke, and pollution, and
how an involved statistician might help out*

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*Ralph Kahn*

*NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center*

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*Johnson Center G19 - Gold Room**
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*4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030***

*Time: 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.***

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*Date: Friday, Feb 22, 2013 ***
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Abstract*

From a human perspective, Earth is a huge planet, and environmental
conditions are enormously diverse. Yet we care very much about even
small-scale and short-lived phenomena, as they affect climate and determine
habitability.  As such, satellite-borne instruments that can make frequent,
global observations are central to our study of current conditions, and are
indispensable for efforts to predict future change.  As a window into the
nature of massive Earth science data sets, I will use space-based
measurements of aerosols: desert dust, volcanic ash, wildfire smoke, and
pollution particles.  The environmental context for these measurements,
general data set attributes, key questions these data are intended to
address, and the need for coupling such observations with climate and air
quality numerical models, will be covered.  The final aspect of the
seminar, how statisticians might help out, will be explored during
discussion at the end of the presentation.


-- 
Yunpeng Zhao, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Statistics
Volgenau School of Engineering <[log in to unmask]>
George Mason University
Engineering Building, Room 1719, MS 4A7
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444

Phone: 703-993-1674
Email: [log in to unmask]