Kenneth E. Pickering Home Page

Kenneth E. Pickering
Adjunct Professor
Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science		Senior Physical Scientist
University of Maryland 					Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch                   
College Park, Maryland  20742				NASA Goddard Space Flight Center                   
Phone: (301) 405-7639					Greenbelt, Maryland  20771
Fax:   (301) 314-9482          				Phone:  (301) 614-5986	Fax:  (301)  614-5903
pickerin@atmos.umd.edu

Research Interests:

Deep convection and its effect on tropospheric chemistry
Evaluation of parameterizations of deep convective transport in mesoscale and global models
Production and redistribution of NOx from lightning in convective clouds
Photochemical modeling of ozone production
Air quality applications of satellite observations

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Pickering's research interests are focused on atmospheric chemistry and the meteorology of atmospheric transport of trace gas species. Dr. Pickering's work has centered on simulation of vertical transport of trace gases by deep convective clouds and calculation of the subsequent perturbations to photochemical ozone production in the troposphere. For example, he worked on simulations of convection and chemical tracer transport over Brazil during the NASA TRACE-A (Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry Near the Equator - Atlantic) experiment, which was conducted during the Southern Hemisphere biomass burning season. Dr. Pickering is the PI of a NASA project to evaluate convective transport in a global chemical transport model and a chemistry/climate model using cloud-resolving model simulations for observed convective events. Dr. Pickering has led several efforts to better constrain the amount of production of NOx by lightning. These efforts have employed cloud-resolving model simulations using observed lightning flash rates and use of NO2 observations from the OMI instrument on NASA's Aura satellite. He has led the implementation of lightning NOx production algorithms for NASA's Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemical transport model and for EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. He is also using OMI data in assessing tropospheric NO2 trends relative to changing NOx emissions over the Eastern and Central US. Dr. Pickering has participated as part of the theory and flight planning teams for many NASA and NSF atmospheric chemistry field campaigns.

Dr. Pickering received his Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Maryland in 1987. Prior to his Ph.D. studies, he was employed by a private consulting company in the field of air pollution meteorology. He received his M.S. degree in Atmospheric Science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1975 and his B.S. from Rutgers University in 1973. Dr. Pickering was the recipient of the NASA Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch Contractor Award for Scientific Achievement in 1992, the Universities Space Research Association Scientific Excellence Award in 1993, and the University of Maryland Department of Meteorology Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the Air and Waste Management Association.

Selected publications:

Pickering, K. E., Y. Wang, W.-K. Tao, C. Price, and J.-F. Mueller, Vertical distributions of lightning NOx for use in regional and global chemical transport models, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31,203-31,216, 1998. ABSTRACT
Pickering, K. E., et al., Convective transport of biomass burning emissions over Brazil during TRACE-A, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 23,993-24,012, 1996. ABSTRACT
Pickering, K. E., A. M. Thompson, D. P. McNamara, M. R. Schoeberl, H. E. Fuelberg, R. O. Loring, Jr., M. V. Watson, K. Fakhruzzaman, and A. S. Bachmeier, TRACE-A trajectory intercomparison, 1. Effects of different input analyses, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 23,909-23,926, 1996. ABSTRACT
Pickering, K. E., A. M. Thompson, W.-K. Tao, R. B. Rood, D. P. McNamara, and A. M. Molod, Vertical transport by convective clouds: Comparisons of three modeling approaches, Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 1089-1092, 1995.
Pickering, K. E., A. M. Thompson, W.-K. Tao, and T. L. Kucsera, Upper tropospheric ozone production following mesoscale convection during STEP/EMEX, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 8737-8749, 1993.
Stenchikov, G., R. Dickerson, K. Pickering, W. Ellis, B. Doddridge, S. Kondragunta, O. Poulida, J. Scala, W.-K. Tao, 1996: Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange in a Mid-Latitude Mesoscale Convective Complex: Part 2, Numerical Simulations, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 6837-6851.
Allen, D. J., K. E. Pickering, G. L. Stenchikov, A. M. Thompson, and Y. Kondo, A Three-dimensional total odd nitrogen (NOy) simulation during SONEX using a stretched-grid chemical transport model, J. Geophys. Res.. submitted, 1999.
DeCaria, A. J., K. E. Pickering, G. L. Stenchikov, J. R. Scala, J. L Stith, J. E. Dye, B. A. Ridley, and P. Laroche, A cloud-scale model study of lightning-generated NOx in an individual thunderstorm during STERAO-A, J. Geophys. Res., submitted, 1999.

Complete List of Publications

Research projects:

Multiscale Atmospheric Transport Modeling for Subsonic Assessment (Funded by NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program, 1995-1997)

Collaborators:

Shian-Jiann Lin, Wei-Kuo Tao, Yansen Wang, Ricky Rood, Anne Douglass

Vertical Transport Processes in the SASS/GMI Chemical Transport Model: Development, Evaluation, and Assessment Activities (Funded by the NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program, 1998-2000)

Collaborators:

Dale Allen, Ricky Rood, Wei-Kuo Tao, Yansen Wang

Tropospheric Convection and Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange: Effects on Photochemistry, Aerosols and Climate (An Earth Observing System Interdisciplinary Science Investigation (EOS/IDS) funded by NASA Office of Earth Science, 1997-2000)

Collaborators:

Georgiy Stenchikov, Russ Dickerson, Michael Fox-Rabinovitz, Robert Hudson, Wei-Kuo Tao, Dale Allen, Grad. Res. Asst. Rokjin Park

Project Description

Numerical Simulation of Clouds and Photochemistry for STERAO-A Deep Convection: Nowcasts and Post-mission Diagnostic Studies (Funded by NSF Atmospheric Chemistry Program, 1996-1999)

Collaborators:

Georgiy Stenchikov, John Scala, Anne Thompson, Grad. Res. Asst. Alex DeCaria

STERAO-A Pictures

Participation in SONEX (SASS(Subsonic Assessment) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment) (Funded by NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program through Dr. Anne Thompson, PI, NASA/GSFC, 1997-1999)

Participation in PEM Tropics-B (Pacific Exploratory Mission - Tropics Part B) (Funded by NASA Tropospheric Chemistry Program through Dr. Anne Thompson, PI, NASA/GSFC, 1998-2000)

Prepared by Ken Pickering (pickerin@atmos.umd.edu) - Last updated on March 22, 2011

Kenneth E. Pickering Adjunct Professor Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park

Research Interests:

Biographical Sketch

Selected publications:

Research projects:

Multiscale Atmospheric Transport Modeling for Subsonic Assessment (Funded by NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program, 1995-1997)

Collaborators:

Vertical Transport Processes in the SASS/GMI Chemical Transport Model: Development, Evaluation, and Assessment Activities (Funded by the NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program, 1998-2000)

Collaborators:

Tropospheric Convection and Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange: Effects on Photochemistry, Aerosols and Climate (An Earth Observing System Interdisciplinary Science Investigation (EOS/IDS) funded by NASA Office of Earth Science, 1997-2000)

Collaborators:

Numerical Simulation of Clouds and Photochemistry for STERAO-A Deep Convection: Nowcasts and Post-mission Diagnostic Studies (Funded by NSF Atmospheric Chemistry Program, 1996-1999)

Collaborators:

Participation in SONEX (SASS(Subsonic Assessment) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment) (Funded by NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program through Dr. Anne Thompson, PI, NASA/GSFC, 1997-1999)

Participation in PEM Tropics-B (Pacific Exploratory Mission - Tropics Part B) (Funded by NASA Tropospheric Chemistry Program through Dr. Anne Thompson, PI, NASA/GSFC, 1998-2000)