Papers
19
Total Citations
1,311
H-Index
13
About
Shobha Kondragunta is a leading atmospheric scientist whose research has fundamentally advanced our ability to monitor aerosols — tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere that affect air quality, climate, and public health — using satellite remote sensing. Based at NOAA/NESDIS, she has made pioneering contributions to the development and validation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval algorithms across multiple satellite platforms, including geostationary GOES satellites and the polar-orbiting Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument. Her most influential work centers on the VIIRS aerosol data products, with her 2013 foundational algorithm paper accumulating over 300 citations, establishing VIIRS as a critical next-generation tool for global aerosol observation. She was instrumental in developing the GOES Aerosol/Smoke Product (GASP), which enabled near-real-time aerosol monitoring at unprecedented 30-minute temporal resolution — a capability impossible with polar-orbiting platforms alone. Her validation studies rigorously benchmarked satellite retrievals against trusted ground-based AERONET sunphotometer networks across North America and East Asia. With a body of work spanning geostationary and polar-orbiting systems, dust detection algorithms, and operational aerosol products, Kondragunta's research has directly informed air quality forecasting, aviation safety, and environmental health monitoring on a global scale.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Suomi‐NPP VIIRS aerosol algorithms and data products301 citations · 2013
- 2Preliminary evaluation of S‐NPP VIIRS aerosol optical thickness151 citations · 2014
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- 9Dust aerosol index (DAI) algorithm for MODIS57 citations · 2014
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