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Robert Nelson

Photo of Robert Nelson

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Phone:

818-354-0281

Fax:

8183543223

Curriculum Vitae:

Click here

Member of:

Tropospheric Composition

Biography

Dr. Nelson is an Algorithm Scientist in the Radiation Sciences group at JPL and serves as the Algorithm Lead for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-2/3) missions. His expertise lies in refining the accuracy of space-based, near-infrared CO2 retrievals—a focus he has maintained since his graduate studies. Dr. Nelson’s research centers on advancing atmospheric gas and aerosol retrieval algorithms, detecting and quantifying small-scale greenhouse gas sources, and developing novel data products from satellite observations. Notably, he helped lead the development of versions 10 and 11 of the ACOS XCO2 retrieval algorithm.

Education

  • B.S. in Meteorology from Iowa State University (2012)
  • M.S. in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University (2015)
  • Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University (2019)

Professional Experience

  • Scientist - Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2021-present)
  • Postdoctoral Researcher - Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2019-2021)
  • Graduate Research Assistant - Colorado State University (2012-2019)

Research Interests

  • Satellite and in situ measurements of greenhouse gases
  • Near-infrared greenhouse gas retrieval algorithms
  • Small-scale GHG sources and sinks
  • Carbon cycle science / climate change

Selected Awards

  • JPL Team Award (OCO-3/EMIT Power Plant Study Team) (2025)
  • JPL Team Award (Earth Science Senior Review Team) (2023)
  • JPL Team Award (OCO-3 Geolocation Team) (2023)
  • JPL Voyager Award (OCO-3 SAMs) (2022)
  • JPL Team Award (OCO-2 & OCO-3 B10 Development) (2020)
  • JPL Voyager Award (OCO-3 IOC) (2019)
  • American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellow (2012-2013)

Selected Publications

  1. Keely, W., Mauceri, S., Nelson, R., Laughner, J., O’Dell, C. W., Massie, S., Baker, D., Kiel, M., Lamminpää, O., Hobbs, J., Chatterjee, A., Taylor, T., Wennberg, P., Crowell, S., Stephens, B., and Payne, V.: Uncertainty‐aware machine learning bias correction and filtering for OCO‐2: 2, Earth and Space Sci., 12, e2025EA004329, doi:10.1029/2025EA004329, 2025.
  2. Mauceri, S., Keely, W., Laughner, J., O’Dell, C. W., Massie, S., Nelson, R., Baker, D., Kiel, M., Lamminpää, O., Hobbs, J., Chatterjee, A., Taylor, T., Wennberg, P., Crowell, S., Stephens, B., Payne, V. H.: Uncertainty-aware machine learning bias correction and filtering for OCO-2: 1, Earth and Space Sci., 12, e2025EA004328, doi:10.1029/2025EA004328, 2025.
  3. Sanghavi, S., Frankenberg, C., Nelson, R. R., O’Dell, C., Rosenberg, R., Joiner, J.: Impact of Raman scattering on SIF retrievals from hyperspectral satellite observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 52, e2024GL112777, doi:10.1029/2024GL112777, 2025.
  4. Nelson, R. R., Kulawik, S. S., O'Dell, C., McDuffie, J., and Eldering, A.: Improving OCO-2 XCO2 retrievals through the scaling of singular value decomposition-based temperature and water vapor profiles, Earth Space Sci., 12, e2024EA003975, doi:10.1029/2024EA003975, 2025.
  5. Virtanen, T. H., Sundström, A.-M., Suhonen, E., Lipponen, A., Arola, A., O'Dell, C., Nelson, R. R., and Lindqvist, H.: A global perspective on CO2 satellite observations in high AOD conditions, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 929–952, doi:10.5194/amt-18-929-2025, 2025.
  6. Moeini, O., Nassar, R., Mastrogiacomo, J.-P., Dawson, M., O’Dell, C. W., Nelson, R. R., Chatterjee, A.: Quantifying CO2 emissions from smaller anthropogenic point sources using OCO-2 target and OCO-3 snapshot area mapping mode observations, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 130, doi:10.1029/2024JD042333, 2025.
  7. Nelson, R. R., Cusworth, D. H., Thorpe, A. K., Kim, J., Elder, C. D., Nassar, R., and Mastrogiacomo, J.-P.: Comparing point source CO2 emission rate estimates from near-simultaneous OCO-3 and EMIT observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 51, doi:10.1029/2024GL113002, 2024.
  8. Cusworth, D. H., Thorpe, A. K., Miller, C. E., Ayasse, A. K., Jiorle, R., Duren, R. M., Nassar, R., Mastrogiacomo, J.-P., and Nelson, R. R.: Two years of satellite-based carbon dioxide emission quantification at the world's largest coal-fired power plants, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14577–14591, doi:10.5194/acp-23-14577-2023, 2023.
  9. Nelson, R. R., Witek, M. L., Garay, M. J., Bull, M. A., Limbacher, J. A., Kahn, R. A., Diner, D. A.: Improving the coverage of MISR aerosol retrievals over shallow, turbid, and eutrophic waters, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4947–4960, doi:10.5194/amt-16-4947-2023, 2023.
  10. Taylor, T. E., O'Dell, C. W., Baker, D., Bruegge, C., Chang, A., Chapsky, L., Chatterjee, A., Cheng, C., Chevallier, F., Crisp, D., Dang, L., Drouin, B., Eldering, A., Feng, L., Fisher, B., Fu, D., Gunson, M., Haemmerle, V., Keller, G. R., Kiel, M., Kuai, L., Kurosu, T., Lambert, A., Laughner, J., Lee, R., Liu, J., Mandrake, L., Marchetti, Y., McGarragh, G., Merrelli, A., Nelson, R. R., Osterman, G., Oyafuso, F., Palmer, P. I., Payne, V. H., Rosenberg, R., Somkuti, P., Spiers, G., To, C., Wennberg, P. O., Yu, S., Zong J.: Evaluating the consistency between OCO-2 and OCO-3 XCO2 estimates derived from the NASA ACOS version 10 retrieval algorithm, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3173–3209, doi:10.5194/amt-16-3173-2023, 2023.
  11. Bell, E., O’Dell, C. W., Taylor, T. E., Merrelli, A., Nelson, R. R., Kiel, M., Eldering, A., Rosenberg, R., Fisher, B.: Exploring bias in OCO-3 Snapshot Area Mapping mode via geometry, surface, and aerosol effects, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 109–133, doi:10.5194/amt-2022-241, 2023.
  12. Nassar, R., Moeini, O., Mastrogiacomo, J. P., O'Dell, C. W., Nelson, R. R., Kiel, M., Chatterjee, A., Eldering, A. and Crisp, D.: Tracking CO2 emission reductions from space: A case study at Europe’s largest fossil fuel power plant, Front. Remote Sens., 3, 98, doi:10.3389/frsen.2022.1028240, 2022.
  13. Wu, D., Liu, J., Wennberg, P. O., Palmer, P. I., Nelson, R. R., Kiel, M., Eldering, A.: Towards sector-based attribution using intra-city variations in satellite-based emission ratios between CO2 and CO, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14547–14570, doi:10.5194/acp-2021-1029, 2022.
  14. Taylor, T. E., O’Dell, C. W., Crisp, D., Kuze, A., Lindqvist, H., Wennberg, P. O., Chatterjee, A., Gunson, M., Eldering, A., Fisher, B., Kiel, M., Nelson, R. R., Merrelli, A., Osterman, G., Chevallier, F., Palmer, P. I., Feng, L., Deutscher, N. M., Dubey, M. K., Feist, D. G., García, O. E., Griffith, D. W. T., Hase, F., Iraci, L. T., Kivi, R., Liu, C., de Mazière, M., Morino, I., Notholt, J., Oh, Y.-S., Ohyama, H., Pollard, D. F., Rettinger, M., Roehl, C. M., Schneider, M., Sha, M. K., Shiomi, K., Strong, K., Sussmann, R., Té, Y., Velazco, V. A., Vrekoussis, M., Warneke, T., Wunch, D.: An eleven year record of XCO2 estimates derived from GOSAT measurements using the NASA ACOS version 9 retrieval algorithm, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 325–360, doi:10.5194/essd-14-325-2022, 2022.
  15. Nelson, R. R., Eldering, A., Crisp, D., Merrelli, A. J., O’Dell., C. W.: Retrieved wind speed from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 6889-6899, doi:10.5194/amt-13-6889-2020, 2020.
  16. Johnson, M. S., Schwandner, F. M., Potter, C. S., Nguyen, H. M., Bell, E., Nelson, R. R., Philip, S., O’Dell, C. W.: Carbon dioxide emissions during the 2018 Kilauea volcano eruption estimated using OCO-2 satellite retrievals, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL090507, doi:10.1029/2020GL090507, 2020.
  17. Taylor, T. E., Eldering, A., Merrelli, A., Kiel, M., Somkuti, P., Cheng C., Rosenberg, R., Fisher, B., Crisp, D., Basilio, R., Bennett, M., Cervantes, D., Chang, A., Dang, L., Frankenberg, C., Haemmerle, V. R., Keller, G. R., Kurosu, T., Laughner, J. L., Lee, R., Marchetti, Y., Nelson, R. R., O'Dell, C. W., Osterman, G., Pavlick, R., Roehl, C., Schneider, R., Spiers, G., To, C., Wells, C., Wennberg, P. O., Yelamanchili, A., Yu, S.: OCO-3 early mission operations and initial (vEarly) XCO2 and SIF retrievals, Remote Sens. Enviro., 251, 112032, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2020.112032, 2020.
  18. Sanghavi, S., Nelson, R., Frankenberg, C., Gunson, M.: Aerosols in OCO-2/GOSAT retrievals of XCO2: an information content and error analysis, Remote Sens. Environ., 251, 112053, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2020.112053, 2020.
  19. Kulawik, S. S., O'Dell, C., Nelson, R. R., and Taylor, T. E.: Validation of OCO-2 error analysis using simulated retrievals, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5317–5334, doi:10.5194/amt-2018-368, 2019.
  20. Nelson, R. R. and O’Dell, C. W.: The Impact of Improved Aerosol Priors on Near-Infrared Measurements of Carbon Dioxide, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 1495–1512, doi:10.5194/amt-12-1495-2019, 2019.
  21. O'Dell, C. W., Eldering, A., Wennberg, P. O., Crisp, D., Gunson, M. R., Fisher, B., Frankenberg, C., Kiel, M., Lindqvist, H., Mandrake, L., Merrelli, A., Natraj, V., Nelson, R. R., Osterman, G. B., Payne, V. H., Taylor, T. E., Wunch, D., Drouin, B. J., Oyafuso, F., Chang, A., McDuffie, J., Smyth, M., Baker, D. F., Basu, S., Chevallier, F., Crowell, S. M. R., Feng, L., Palmer, P. I., Dubey, M., García, O. E., Griffith, D. W. T., Hase, F., Iraci, L. T., Kivi, R., Morino, I., Notholt, J., Ohyama, H., Petri, C., Roehl, C. M., Sha, M. K., Strong, K., Sussmann, R., Te, Y., Uchino, O., and Velazco, V. A.: Improved retrievals of carbon dioxide from Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 with the version 8 ACOS algorithm, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6539–6576, doi:10.5194/amt-11-6539-2018, 2018.
  22. Nelson, R. R., Crisp, D., Ott, L. E., O’Dell, C. W.: High-accuracy measurements of total column water vapor from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 12261–12269, doi:10.1002/2016GL071200, 2016.
  23. Nelson, R. R., O’Dell, C. W., Taylor, T. E., Mandrake, L., and Smyth, M.: The potential of clear-sky carbon dioxide satellite retrievals, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1671–1684, doi:10.5194/amt-9-1671-2016, 2016.
  24. Taylor, T. E., O'Dell, C. W., Frankenberg, C., Partain, P. T., Cronk, H. Q., Savtchenko, A., Nelson, R. R., Rosenthal, E. J., Chang, A. Y., Fisher, B., Osterman, G. B., Pollock, R. H., Crisp, D., Eldering, A., and Gunson, M. R.: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) cloud screening algorithms: validation against collocated MODIS and CALIOP data, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 973–989, doi:10.5194/amt-9-973-2016, 2016.

Projects

OCO-2 - Orbiting Carbon Observatory
OCO-3 - Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3