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A man in an orange jacket, black pants, and white bucket hat faces the left side of the frame, carrying a fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft over his shoulder across a field of green grass. On the wing reaching towards the camera is the words Black Swift Technologies in a serif font with a silhouette of a black bird.
This visualization uses satellite data to show the movement of water vapor and precipitation

Atmospheric Science Branch

The Atmospheric Science Branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center conducts cutting-edge research to advance understanding of the structure, composition, and dynamic behavior of Earth’s atmosphere—and how these processes affect climate, air quality, agricultural water use and production, and life on our planet. The branch supports NASA missions through scientific analysis, calibration and validation activities, and campaign leadership, with a focus on atmospheric profiling, boundary layer dynamics, cloud-aerosol interactions, and trace gas transport.

Branch scientists lead major airborne science campaigns and advance satellite mission readiness by developing and deploying novel sensors, conducting field measurements, and analyzing atmospheric data. As a hub for hardware innovation and instrument invention, the branch is pioneering next-generation lidar systems, sunphotometers, and quantum-enhanced remote sensing technologies—pushing the boundaries of what is measurable and enabling new frontiers in Earth and planetary exploration.

Through its contributions to scientific missions, technology development, and the expansion of exploratory capabilities, the Atmospheric Science Branch directly supports the exploration goals of NASA’s Science Directorate—delivering knowledge to guide climate resilience, inform air quality and wildfire response, and enable the next generation of remote sensing missions across Earth and the solar system.

Meet the Team about Atmospheric Science Branch

Branch Chief

Charles Gatebe

NASA Ames Atmospheric Science Branch

Meet the Team

The strength of the Atmospheric Science Branch lies in its people – scientists, engineers, and technical staff who lead field campaigns, develop breakthrough technologies, and turn atmospheric data into knowledge that helps protect our planet and communities.

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Satellite Missions:

The Atmospheric Science Branch (SGG) leads and contributes to a range of NASA missions, field campaigns, and technology development efforts that support atmospheric research, satellite validation, and next-generation exploration. Below is a spotlight on some of our current high-impact projects:

INSPYRE

Injected Smoke and Pyrocumulonimbus Experiment (INSPYRE)

The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) team—led by Ju-Mee Ryoo—is part of NASA’s INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment (INSPYRE).
MMS will provide critical atmospheric state measurements, including wind, temperature, pressure, and humidity, to help constrain the physical processes that link extreme wildfire behavior to pyroCb formation and vertical smoke transport.
The campaign will test the hypothesis that increasing wildfire size and intensity—driven by climate warming—will amplify pyroCb activity, leading to deeper and more frequent smoke injections into the stratosphere. INSPYRE builds on the branch’s longstanding expertise in airborne measurement and climate-relevant trace gas dynamics and represents a vital contribution to NASA’s efforts to monitor, understand, and respond to Earth system change.

Learn More About INSPYRE
A map of North America shows several wide swaths of purple illustrating smoke in the atmosphere as measured by NASA's TEMPO instrument during wildfires in Manitoba from June 2, 2025.
The TEMPO mission detects and highlights movement of smoke originating from fires burning in Manitoba on June 2. Seen in purple hues are observations made by TEMPO in the ultraviolet spectrum compared to Advanced Baseline Imagers (ABIs) on NOAA’s GOES-R series of weather satellites that do not have the needed spectral coverage. The NOAAGOES-R data paired with NASA’s TEMPO data enhance state and local agencies’ ability to provide near-real-time smoke and dust impacts in local air quality forecasts.
NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research

Suborbital Missions

The Atmospheric Science Branch (SGG) leads and contributes to a range of NASA missions, field campaigns, and technology development efforts that support atmospheric research, satellite validation, and next-generation exploration. Below is a spotlight on some of our current high-impact projects:

A satellite image shows a chunk of California. with deep blue eater on the left, yellowis land, and light green mountains that run down the length of California and form a valley that looks like a bowl full of gray clouds.

Ozone Where We Live (OWWL)

This citizen-science–driven project engages San Joaquin Valley residents and civilian pilots to deploy low-cost ozone and air pollutant sensors. Volunteers place sensors at homes, schools, libraries—or fly them aboard small aircraft—to collect ground-level ozone data in real time. The data are shared via CCAC’s SJVAir online map, empowering communities with actionable air quality <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/ozone-where-we-live/">insights</a>.

Learn More About OWWL
OpenET Program Manager Forrest Melton stands in field with two farmers, checking satellite data on a handheld device.

OpenET: Ranch Management Support (FARMS) Tool

The OpenET initiative delivers satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ET) data at fine, field-level resolution to empower better water management across the western United States. Its latest evolution, the FARMS (Farm and Ranch Management Support) tool, enables small-scale farmers and ranchers to access timely, actionable water-use insights via a mobile-friendly, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ames/ames-science/farming-with-data-openet-launches-new-tool-for-farmers-and-ranchers/">map-based interface.</a>

Learn More About FARMS
Aerial view of Amish countryside with patchwork fields in shades of tan, green, and brown. White farmhouses and barns dot the landscape under a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

FarmFlux

Reem Hannun’s FarmFlux EVS-4 proposal was selected to field the Rapid Ozone Experiment (ROZE) instrument for measuring ozone fluxes. Hannun helped develop this high-precision ozone sensor as part of ongoing efforts to study air quality and land-atmosphere exchange.

Learn More About FarmFlux
Featured Story

FARMing with Data: OpenET Launches new Tool for Farmers and Ranchers

A NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-supported research and development team is making it easier for farmers and ranchers to…

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Additional Projects and Programs

New Black Logo, with white letters NEX and a globe lit up with light blue and white colors, of NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) Program

NASA Earth Exchange (NEX)

The NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) combines state-of-the-art supercomputing, Earth system modeling, and NASA remote sensing data feeds to deliver a work environment for exploring and analyzing terabyte- to petabyte-scale datasets covering large regions, continents, or the entire globe.

Official logo for the DEVELOP program.

DEVELOP

DEVELOP projects are run at NASA ARC and coordinated by researchers in the Biospheric Science Branch.  DEVELOP participants work closely with science advisors in the Earth Science Division to apply Earth observations to address real-world problems. This allows DEVELOP participants to build both research and science communication skills to help set them up for success in the workforce.

ARSET

Biospheric science branch personnel Juan Torres-Pérez, Justin Fain and Sativa Cruz lead the Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) Ecological Conservation Thematic Area. They provide online and in-person trainings on the use of NASA Earth Observations and remote sensing technologies for various terrestrial and aquatic applications including land cover and land use change detection, vegetation and aquatic indices, monitoring coastal and marine ecosystems, and biodiversity management.

Disaster Response Coordination System (DRCS)

Ames is a participating center in NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System (DRCS). These activities at Ames are co-led by the biospheric and atmospheric science branches, who maintain dedicated coordinators in the Earth Sciences Division to actively monitor for disaster threats, network with emergency management agencies, and connect Ames’ Earth Observation experts with emergency responders during disaster response situations.

Screenshot showing a simulated flights over the continental US using the NAS Digital Twin. The image shows thousands of traditional aircraft and dozens of hybrid electric aircraft in certain areas of the US, mostly in the northeast.

Earth Science Digital Twins

Biospheric science branch researchers Matthew Johnson, Jia Jung, Justin Fain, Weile Wang, Jessca McCarty are working with NASA’s Land Cover Land Use Change (LCLUC) Science Team to develop NASA Land Earth Science Digital Twins (L-ESDT). The goal of this Digital Twins model is to better understand the impact of LCLUC on weather and climate.