GISS Personnel Directory

Dr. Gregory Elsaesser

Columbia University
E-mail: gregory.elsaesser@columbia.edu

Research Bio/Interests

Gregory Elsaesser's research focuses on the use of observations from multiple satellites (Aqua AIRS, GPM, TRMM) and NASA/DOE field campaigns to improve our understanding of convection and the environment in which it is developing. Knowledge gained is used to improve GISS-ModelE Earth system model (ESM) parameterizations. He maintains a close connection with the satellite observational product development community, currently serving as the NASA Co-Chair for Obs4MIPs, and maintaining the widely-used Multisensor Advanced Climatology of Liquid Water Path (MAC-LWP) record for improved cloud LWP observations in stratocumulus regimes and constraints on total LWP observations in deep convective regions.

Regarding GISS ESM development, Dr. Elsaesser recently advanced representation of convective ice and liquid and detrainment of condensate into stratiform clouds, leading to improvement in global cloud condensate simulation in the GISS Model E3 ESM. He also leads the effort at GISS to use machine learning to automate tuning of the ModelE ESM atmosphere.

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Recent Publications

Sebok, A., C. Schumacher, G.S. Elsaesser, and S.E. Giangrande, 2026: Hydrometeor transport and the stratiform water budget in Amazonian mesoscale convective systems. J. Atmos. Sci., in press, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-25-0156.1.

Carslaw, K.S., L.A. Regayre, U. Proske, A. Gettelman, D.M.H. Sexton, Y. Qian, L. Marshall, O. Wild, M. van Lier-Walqui, A. Oertel, S. Peatier, B. Yang, J.S. Johnson, S. Li, D.T. McCoy, B.M. Sanderson, C.J. Williamson, G.S. Elsaesser, K. Yamazaki, and B.B.B. Booth, 2026: Opinion: The importance and future development of perturbed parameter ensembles in climate and atmospheric science. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, no. 7, 4651-4667, doi:10.5194/acp-26-4651-2026.

Fridlind, A.M., G.S. Elsaesser, M. van Lier-Walqui, G.V. Cesana, E. Weatherhead, G. Tselioudis, G. Schmidt, D. Barahona, B. Cairns, W.D. Collins, D. Considine, L. Cucurull, L. DiGirolamo, A. Emory, O. Hasekamp, S. He, R. Kramer, M. Lebsock, T. Lee, S. Leroy, W. Lin, S. Lugauer, D. Miller, J. Mülmenstädt, L. Oreopoulos, D.J. Posselt, and M.D. Zelinka, 2026: Towards a climate OSSE framework for satellite mission design. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 107, no. 4, E431-E445, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0242.1.

Inoue, K., M. Kelley, A.M. Fridlind, M. Biasutti, and G.S. Elsaesser, 2026: Accurate column moist static energy budget in climate models. Part 1: Conservation equation formulation, methodology, and primary results demonstrated using GISS ModelE3. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 18, no. 3, e2025MS005564, doi:10.1029/2025MS005564.

Kuang, C., S.E. Giangrande, S.P. Serbin, P. Campbell, G.S. Elsaesser, P. Gentine, T. Heus, N.L. Hickmon, M. Oue, J.M. Peters, G.N. Raghunathan, M.T. Ritsche, J.N. Smith, M. Spychala, A.L. Steiner, and A. Theisen, 2026: The U.S. DOE ARM user facility establishes a new site for studies of land-aerosol-cloud interactions in the Southeastern U.S. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 107, no. 1, E1-E8, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-25-0072.1.

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