NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dr. Arthur Y. Hou is the Mission Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, an international satellite partnership to provide accurate precipitation measurements from space around the world every few hours. He is a Senior Scientist in the Science and Exploration Directorate at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and a member of the CloudSat Applications Advisory Group. He had previously served as the U.S. Deputy Project Scientist for the joint U.S.-Japan Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM).

His research interests include dynamic meteorology, climate modeling, and data assimilation, currently focusing on the use of space-based observations of cloud and precipitation information in global modeling and data assimilation. As GPM Mission Scientist, he provides scientific oversight for achieving the mission’s many science objectives and application goals, including delivering high-resolution precipitation data in near real time for better monitoring and prediction of high-impact weather events such as hurricanes. He also leads a research team for developing innovative methods to assimilate precipitation information into global forecast systems to improve climate analyses and numerical prediction skills. His recent work has demonstrated the potential of assimilating rainfall data for improving the forecast of tropical storm track trajectory and rainfall intensity at early stages of hurricane development.

Dr. Hou received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and an S.B. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Related Web Sites:

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)

Rob Gutro
Goddard Space Flight Center