Dara Entekhabi
Bio
Professor Entekhabi's general research objective is to develop understanding of coupled land-atmosphere processes with a focus on Earth remote sensing, linkages between climate and the water cycle, land-atmosphere interaction, and groundwater-surface water interaction. The application of this understanding is directed towards the design of skillful prediction systems. The approach begins with the characterization of relevant heterogeneous fields such as precipitation, soil moisture and vegetation. Sensors on board satellites and aircraft, surface radar, and networks of in situ instruments are used to collect data that are then converted into fields of useful variables by merging them with models. In this data assimilation process models impose physical constraints on the retrievals.
He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Science Team Leader of the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission.