David N. Whiteman

Goddard Space Flight Center, Howard University

Papers

Total Citations

186

H-Index

About

David N. Whiteman is a leading atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on the remote sensing of aerosols and water vapor, and their critical roles in climate and air quality. He is renowned for advancing ground-based and airborne lidar and radiometric techniques to characterize atmospheric composition. A cornerstone of his impact is his 2014 paper evaluating AERONET precipitable water vapor against microwave radiometry, GPS, and radiosondes at ARM sites, which has garnered 165 citations and established a benchmark for satellite and model validation. More recently, his 2021 work on spatiotemporal changes in aerosol properties due to hygroscopic growth—published in the context of the DISCOVER-AQ campaign—has provided novel insights into how water uptake alters aerosol radiative forcing and heating rates. With 21 citations already, this study highlights his ongoing contributions to understanding aerosol-cloud interactions. Whiteman’s work is instrumental in improving climate models and satellite retrievals, making him a key figure in bridging observational data with atmospheric process understanding.