NCCS and Partners Presenting Advances at
Hybrid 2021 AGU Fall Meeting


Researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS), Computational Information and Sciences and Technology Office (CISTO), and Sciences and Exploration Directorate (SED), and additional partner organizations are participating in the 2021 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. AGU is being held for the first time as a hybrid event in 2021, both live in New Orleans, Louisiana, and “online everywhere” 13–17 December 2021. Between the NASA exhibit and AGU Scientific Program, these researchers are giving more than 50 presentations describing advances across a variety of computing and science domains.


NASA Exhibit

This year, NASA is also hosting a hybrid exhibit at the AGU Fall Meeting, with both in-person and virtual components. Exhibit centerpieces include a NASA Science Theater and a Learning Area, with presentations given live onsite in New Orleans and available as on-demand recordings online. Using NASA’s virtual exhibit platform, live chat sessions will allow virtual attendees to ask questions of presenters and other subject matter experts. Additional virtual content will include science news, science data, and ways to get involved with NASA.

For the first time, NASA’s AGU virtual exhibit is available to the broader public, with registration available free of charge at https://go.nasa.gov/NASA_AGU2021.

NASA Exhibit Schedule

Note: All presentation times are in Central Standard Time (CST).

Monday, 13 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
5:15 –
5:30 PM		 NASA’s Earth Information System: A Cloud-Based Open Science Platform for Integrated Earth Science and Applications Alexey Shiklomanov,
NASA Goddard		 Science Theater Hyperwall
Tuesday, 14 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
12:15 –
12:30 PM		 AGU Michael H. Freilich Student Visualization Competition Winners: Visual of Visuals Lucas Zurbuchen,
Northwestern University		 Science Theater Hyperwall
5:00 –
5:15 PM		 Storms to Slides: How NASA Data Can Help Us to Better Assess Disasters Around the World Dalia Kirschbaum,
NASA Goddard		 Science Theater Hyperwall
Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
3:30 –
4:00 PM		 How to Use the NCCS GIS Portal (Virtual Demo and Live Chat) Jim Shute, NCCS Learning Area - Online Only
Thursday, 16 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
11:00 –
11:15 AM		 NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Peter Griffith,
NASA Goddard		 Science Theater Hyperwall

NASA’s new Earth Information System (EIS) is the subject of several presentations in the NASA exhibit and AGU Scientific Program. This scientific visualization of the EIS-Freshwater project illustrates the integration of data from NASA remote sensing instruments with Earth science models developed through Open Science tools, enabling access to science by a broad set of users. Image by Sujay Kumar and Barbara Talbott, NASA Goddard.

AGU Scientific Program

As in past years, the 2021 AGU Scientific Program offers oral presentations and posters. This year’s hybrid format mixes in-person, online only, and hybrid presentations combining recorded full-length presentations with live overviews via videoconferencing into the presentation rooms. In the table below, follow the title links for co-authors, abstracts, and other information.

Scientific Program Schedule

Note: All presentation times are in Central Standard Time (CST).

Navigate By Date
Monday, 13 December 2021 Tuesday, 14 December 2021 Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Thursday, 16 December 2021 Friday, 17 December 2021


Monday, 13 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
10:01 –
10:06 AM 		A12A-03 - Combining In-Situ Data, Satellites, and Models to Support Air Quality Forecasting from Global to Sub-City Scales Carl Malings,
Universities Space Research Association		 Convention Center - New Orleans Theater B
10:23 –
10:28 AM		 IN12A-08 - Advancing Organizational Capabilities in AI/ML through Collaboration, Community Building, and a Deep Learning Academy Brandon Smith,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 286-287
12:45 –
12:50 PM		 A13F-01 - Dynamical Sensitivity in Response to a Wide Range of Abrupt CO2 Forcings Clara Orbe,
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)		 Convention Center - Room 283-285
2:35 –
2:40 PM		 A14D-02 - Role of Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions in Determining Multi-Decadal Trends of Solar Radiation Reaching the Surface Mian Chin,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 294-296
3:25 –
3:30 PM		 SY14A-09 - Earth Information System (EIS)-Freshwater: A Cloud-Based Open System for Integrated Hydrological Cycle Studies Sujay Kumar,
NASA Goddard		 Online Only
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 A15H-1749 - Effects of Anthropogenic European SO2 Emissions on North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Behavior Cyril Gilman,
Columbia University of New York		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 B15C-1445 - Encouraging Collaborative Research During ABoVE Through Coordinated Data Management Elizabeth Embury Hoy, Global
Science and Technology, Inc.		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 B15E-1480 - Interactive Biogenic Emissions and Drought Stress Effects on Biosphere-Atmosphere-Chemistry in NASA GISS ModelE Elizabeth Klovenski,
University of Houston		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM 		H15P-1227 - A Principled Approach to Melting Snowflakes and the Production of Mixed-Phase Hydrometeor Particle Distributions Craig Pelissier,
CISTO		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM 		H15W-1312 - Evaluation of Surface Fractional Water Impacts on SMAP Soil Moisture Retrieval Jinyang Du,
University of Montana		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F

A melting snowflake visualization from the poster “A Principled Approach to Melting Snowflakes and the Production of Mixed-Phase Hydrometeor Particle Distributions” (H15P-1227) being presented by Craig Pelissier, CISTO. Visualization by Craig Pelissier, CISTO.


Tuesday, 14 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
8:20 –
8:25 PM		 A21D-05 - Strategies and Development of Global PBL Data Assimilation Including PBL Height in the GMAO GEOS System Yanqiu Zhu,
NASA Goddard 		 Convention Center - Room 283-285
8:38 –
8:43 AM		 IN21A-08 - Towards Scalable & GPU Accelerated Earth Science Imagery Processing: An AI/ML Case Study Jordan Caraballo-Vega, NCCS Convention Center - Room 286-287
9:45 –
9:48 AM		 IN22B-01 - Improving Data Exploration of Earth Systems Model Data with iViz: A Powerful Easy-to-use Interactive Visualization Toolkit Vanessa Valenti,
CISTO		 Convention Center - eLightning Theater III
10:06 –
10:09 AM		 IN22B-08 - Diagnosing NASA Earth Science Models (ESM) Using a Live Visualization Environment: A Novel Approach Deepthi Raghunandan,
University of Maryland College Park		 Convention Center - eLightning Theater III
1:20 –
1:27 PM		 A23D-06 - Satellite-Based Emission Estimates of Tropospheric Bromine During Arctic Spring in the GEOS-Chem Model Pam Wales,
Universities Space Research Association		 Convention Center - New Orleans Theater B
1:29 –
1:37 PM		 IN23A-08 - Using Large Volumes of DigitalGlobe Satellite Data for Machine Learning Tree Mapping (Invited) Compton J. Tucker,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 286-287
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 A25F-1729 - DSCOVR EPIC Level 2 Processing Marshall Sutton,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 A25I-1804 - The Sensible and Latent Heat Surface Fluxes in Extratropical Cyclones through their Lifecycle Catherine M. Naud,
Columbia University of New York		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 IN25C-0466 - Ensemble Learning Methods & Deep Learning for the Task of Cloud Detection Jordan Caraballo-Vega, NCCS Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 SH25F-2155 - Driving of Reconnection in the Heliospheric Current Sheet by Thermal Nonequilibrium Spiro K. Antiochos,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
8:42 –
8:48 AM		 A31A-08 - Effect of Mineral Composition upon Dust Optical Properties and Direct Radiative Forcing Vincenzo Obiso,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Room 280-282
8:54 –
9:00 AM		 A31A-10 - A Review of Dust Optical Properties used in Earth and Mars System Modeling, as well as Remote Sensing Applications Patricia Castellanos,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 280-282
9:47 –
9:52 AM		 IN32B-01 - Leveraging High Performance Computing Cloud Based Resources for Advancing Science at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Invited) John H. (Hoot) Thompson,
CISTO		 Convention Center - Room 288-290 and Online
9:55 –
10:00 AM		 H32I-03 - Evaluation of NMME-Based Hydrologic Drought Forecasts over Africa Abheera Hazra,
NASA Goddard		 Online Only
9:56 –
10:01 AM		 IN32B-02 - A Gateway to Science. Democratizing Science, and Access to Scientific Resources Ramón Ramírez-Liñán, NCCS Convention Center - Room 288-290 and Online
12:45 –
12:50 PM		 A33E-01 - MERRA-2 Ocean, NASA's Coupled Reanalysis and Seasonal Forecast Suite (Invited) Andrea Molod,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 294-296
12:55 –
1:00 PM		 A33F-03 - Snow Reconciles Observed and Simulated Phase Partitioning and Increases Cloud Feedback in GISS-ModelE3 Grégory Cesana,
NASA GISS		 Online Only
2:40 –
2:45 PM		 GC34B-02 - Land Use Land Cover Classification in the Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia, Using Convolutional Neural Networks Woubet G. Alemu,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 206-207
2:44 –
2:47 PM		 B34D-04 - Application of Machine Learning Approaches to Identify Factors Important for Tree Growth in Boreal Zones Mark Carroll,
CISTO		 Convention Center - eLightning Theater IV
2:56 –
3:02 PM		 A34D-05 - Impacts of a Tropical Volcanic Eruption on Seasonal Forecasts with the NASA GEOS-S2S System (Invited) Valentina Aquila,
American University		 Convention Center - Room 283-285
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 A35D-1656 - Historical and Future Contingency of COVID-19 Lockdown Impacts on Atmospheric Composition and Climate in the GISS ModelE Jonathan E. Hickman,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 C35D-0902 - PolarMERRA: A Polar-Focused Global Reanalysis Project for Scientific and Stakeholder Needs Lauren C. Andrews,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 NH35E-0524 - Using Remotely Sensed Information to Support Landslide Hazard and Exposure Assessment Throughout the Disaster Lifecycle Dalia Kirschbaum,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F

In his invited oral presentation “Using Large Volumes of DigitalGlobe Satellite Data for Machine Learning Tree Mapping” (IN23A-08), Compton J. Tucker, NASA Goddard, will show the latest results of semi-arid tree crown mapping over large areas at the 50-centimeter scale.


Thursday, 16 December 2021
Time Title Presenter Location
10:20 –
10:25 AM		 A42D-08 - Modeling Primary Brown Carbon in the GISS ModelE Earth System Model Maegan DeLessio,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Room 275-277
10:20 –
10:25 AM		 A42G-08 - Using Airborne and Ground Observations in combination with OMI Radiances to Improve the Representation of Biomass Burning Aerosols Optical Properties in a Global Model (Invited)  Sampa Das,
 NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 280-282
2:33 –
2:38 PM		 IN44A-01 - Spectraclass: A Framework for Graph-Based Semi-Supervised Classification of Spectral Imagery Thomas Patrick Maxwell, NCCS Convention Center - Room 288-290
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 B45G-1701 - Contributing Mechanisms to Skillful Seasonal Forecasts of Spring Carbon Uptake Eunjee Lee,
Universities Space Research Association		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 C45B-0998 - Evaluating Simulated Antarctic Ice Sheet Mass Balance in the NASA GISS ModelE GCM Patrick M. Alexander,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 P45B-2420 - Effects of Spin-Orbit Resonances and Tidal Heating near the Outer Edge of the Habitable Zone Christopher Colose,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM 		P45B-2428 - Modeling Tenuous Atmospheres with ROCKE-3D GCM: Application to the Paleo-Moon Volcanically-Induced Atmosphere Igor Aleinov,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
Friday, 17 December 2021
8:03 –
8:09 AM		 IN51A-01 - Towards a Next Generation NASA Fire Information System: Harnessing the Full Power of NASA Fire Data and Models (Invited) Alexey Shiklomanov,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 288-290
8:05 –
8:10 AM		 A51A-02 - A Hybrid Data, Modeling and Deep Learning Approach for Prediction of the Small-Scale Dynamics of the Upper Troposphere Donifan Barahona,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 278-279
8:05 –
8:10 AM		 B51B-01 - Counting Trees in African Drylands (Invited) Compton J. Tucker,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 231-232
8:09 –
8:15 PM		 IN51A-02 - Collaborative Sea-Level Science on NASA’s Science Managed Cloud Environment: Toward an Earth Information System (Invited) Denis Felikson,
NASA Goddard 		Convention Center - Room 288-290
8:15 –
8:21 AM		 IN51A-03 - NASA’s Earth Information System (EIS) (Invited) Christa Peters-Lidard, NASA Goddard Convention Center - Room 288-290
8:21 –
8:27 AM		 IN51A-04 - Earth Information System (EIS) - Freshwater: A Pilot Study Exploring Open Science on the Cloud (Invited) Brendan McAndrew,
NASA Goddard		 Convention Center - Room 288-290
1:00 –
1:05 PM		 A53C-04 - Evaluating the Lifecycle of Cold Pools in the NASA GISS-E3 GCM Using Observations from the PISTON Field Campaign Patrick Orenstein,
Columbia University of New York		 Convention Center - Room 283-285
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 A55C-1394 - The Impact of Observational Errors on the Optimization of GCM Free Parameters Gregory Elsaesser,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 B55M-1360 - Trees Outside Forests in Global Drylands Martin Brandt,
University of Copenhagen		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F
4:00 –
6:00 PM		 GC55D-0456 - Diverging Shifts in the Frequency and Intensity of Compound Daytime and Nighttime Hot Extremes under Anthropogenic Forcings Felicia Chiang,
NASA GISS		 Convention Center - Poster Hall, D-F

A sample interface from the new Spectraclass software framework being presented in “Spectraclass: A Framework for Graph-Based Semi-Supervised Classification of Spectral Imagery” (IN44A-01) by Thomas Patrick Maxwell, NCCS.


Jarrett Cohen, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center