Key Insights from the 10th DSCOVR EPIC and NISTAR Science Team Meeting: NASA’s Latest Discoveries

From October 16 to 18, 2024, the 10th Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) meeting took place, gathering over 50 scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Participants included experts from various NASA centers, universities, and U.S. Department of Energy labs, with one international attendee from Estonia. This gathering focused on the highlights of DSCOVR’s Earth-observing work.

The event kicked off with a notable appearance by former Vice President Al Gore. Gore, who was part of the initial planning for the DSCOVR mission, shared his reflections on the project and commended the team’s efforts in launching and managing the mission over the last decade.

Following Gore, key mission leaders from GSFC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared updates. Thomas Neumann welcomed everyone and highlighted the good health of the DSCOVR spacecraft, with ongoing observations from its instruments, EPIC and NISTAR. Alexander Marshak summarized the mission’s achievements and ongoing research related to space weather, while NOAA’s Elsayed Talaat discussed the future of Earth and space studies from the mission’s unique vantage point.

The meeting served as a platform to assess DSCOVR’s operations over the past year. Participants learned about progress in data handling, including new outreach efforts to help users. Amanda Raab from NOAA provided an update on the mission’s status, noting that previously encountered issues were resolved. Hazem Mahmoud illustrated a significant increase in data downloads and international engagement, highlighting DSCOVR’s transition to Amazon Web Services for data processing.

A discovery regarding a new type of mirage seen from EPIC was discussed. Additionally, researchers presented data confirming the EPIC instrument’s stability over its decade-long operation. Presentations indicated that aside from minor adjustments due to temperature changes, EPIC’s performance has remained remarkably stable.

On NISTAR’s contributions, Steven Lorentz outlined the instrument’s continued success in measuring solar radiation reflected from Earth. Comparisons between EPIC and NISTAR data prove valuable for climate research. Moreover, Andrew Lacis shared findings on global variations in Earth’s albedo, underscoring the mission’s significance in climate model evaluations.

The session also expanded on EPIC’s data products, particularly in monitoring atmospheric ozone and aerosols. Researchers revealed a 10% drop in tropospheric ozone over the Northern Hemisphere since early 2020, attributed to changing weather patterns and reduced pollution. Ozone product accuracy was validated against ground-based observations.

Aerosol data retrieval improvements were showcased, with significant agreement found compared to existing networks. Various studies revealed insights into smoke and dust characteristics over different regions, enhancing understanding of air quality globally.

Participants also explored EPIC’s ability to provide critical information about cloud properties and oceanic conditions. Advances in processing ocean surface radiation were discussed, which have led to improved biogeochemical product models. Furthermore, insights into vegetation parameters were shared, confirming consistency with other satellite data.

The meeting concluded with a discussion led by key researchers on enhancing the visibility of EPIC and NISTAR to the wider community. The EPIC website now features daily data on aerosol indices and cloud properties, with plans to introduce additional products soon.

Overall, the 2024 DSCOVR meeting emphasized the mission’s ongoing contributions to Earth science and the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing data accessibility and usability. As global interest in DSCOVR rises, scientists look forward to the next meeting, eager to engage with data users and share new findings.

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Earth Science