JOINT SEMINAR 2026
Everything, Everywhere, All the Time: Bridging Process Science and Global Monitoring in Satellite Observations of Clouds and Storms
| Speaker | Prof Johnny Luo, The City College of City University of New York , USA |
| Date/Time | Wednesday, 1 Apr, 3pm |
| Location | S11-02-07 Conference Room |
| Host/Co-Host | Visiting Prof Yi Ming/Dr Salinas Cortijo, Santo Valenti |
Abstract
Space-borne Earth Observations often face a fundamental trade-off between depth and breadth: “Process-focused” missions, such as CloudSat and EarthCARE, act as microscopes; they provide deep, process-level insights into cloud microphysics and dynamics (hence “everything”) but suffer from sparse sampling. Conversely, “monitoring-oriented” missions, such as global geostationary (GEO) IR constellations, act as wide-angle security cameras, offering high-frequency, multi-decadal continuity (hence “everywhere, all the time”) but primarily observing cloud-top properties.
This seminar presents a framework to break this trade-off by using physical principles and diagnostics derived from process-focused missions to augment global monitoring data. We demonstrate how process-level diagnostics – specifically convective mass flux – can be integrated into a multi-decadal, GEO-based Convection Tracking database. By bridging these two paradigms, we can reconstruct the hidden internal dynamics of storms globally from the early 1980s to the present. This approach moves us beyond isolated snapshots toward a continuous, global understanding of how storm regimes respond to a changing climate, effectively achieving a view of cloud and storm processes that is “everything, everywhere, all the time.”
Biography
Dr. Z. Johnny Luo is Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The City College of City University of New York (CUNY). He received his B.S. from Peking University and Ph.D. from Columbia University in Atmospheric Science. Prof. Luo’s research focuses on satellite remote sensing of clouds and convection, as well as the use of satellite observations to investigate convective dynamics and to construct long-term storm databases. He also participates in airborne field campaigns flying instrumented aircraft in and around convective storms to study convective transport of trace gases and pollutants. Prof. Luo has served as a Science Lead of the NASA mission SEAC4RS, contributed to the NASA Senior Review panel, and currently serves as a science team member and Co-Investigator for several ongoing NASA satellite missions, including the Earth Venture mission INCUS.
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