R. A. Ferrare

About

Richard A. Ferrare is a prominent atmospheric scientist at NASA Langley Research Center whose research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of aerosol properties, atmospheric composition, and their interactions with climate. Specializing in lidar remote sensing, aerosol characterization, and airborne measurement techniques, Ferrare has made landmark contributions to both instrumentation development and large-scale field campaigns. His work with NASA's High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) has enabled precise vertical profiling of aerosol extinction, backscatter, and depolarization, providing critical validation data for satellite missions including CALIPSO/CALIOP — work reflected in highly cited studies exceeding 120 citations. Ferrare played a key role in major field missions such as SEAC⁴RS, MILAGRO, DISCOVER-AQ, DRAGON, and ACEPOL, helping to design measurement strategies that linked airborne observations with satellite retrievals and ground-based networks like AERONET. His contributions to NASA's MERRA-2 aerosol reanalysis — now cited nearly 930 times — underscore his influence on global climate modeling and data assimilation. More recently, his pioneering work on retrieving cloud condensation nuclei profiles from lidar data opens promising new pathways for understanding aerosol indirect effects. Ferrare's career exemplifies the integration of cutting-edge instrumentation with collaborative, mission-driven atmospheric science.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The MERRA-2 Aerosol Reanalysis, 1980 Onward. Part II: Evaluation and Case Studies

   929 citations · 2017
2. 2
   Planning, implementation, and scientific goals of the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC⁴RS) field mission

   236 citations · 2016
3. 3
   An accuracy assessment of the CALIOP/CALIPSO version 2/version 3 daytime aerosol extinction product based on a detailed multi-sensor, multi-platform case study

   122 citations · 2011
4. 4
   NASA LaRC airborne high spectral resolution lidar aerosol measurements during MILAGRO: observations and validation

   122 citations · 2009
5. 5
   An overview of mesoscale aerosol processes, comparisons, and validation studies from DRAGON networks

   100 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Aerosol retrievals from different polarimeters during the ACEPOL campaign using a common retrieval algorithm

   82 citations · 2020
7. 7
   Observations of rapid aerosol optical depth enhancements in the vicinity of polluted cumulus clouds

   78 citations · 2014
8. 8
   Hyperspectral aerosol optical depths from TCAP flights

   65 citations · 2013
9. 9
   Simulation of the transport, vertical distribution, optical properties and radiative impact of smoke aerosols with the ALADIN regional climate model during the ORACLES-2016 and LASIC experiments

   64 citations · 2019
10. 10
    Retrieval of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Number Concentration Profiles From Lidar Extinction and Backscatter Data

    52 citations · 2018

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links