Prashant Kumar

Dr. Prashant Kumar is working on assimilation of the Indian satellite data in the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model. He customized and implemented the operational weather forecasting available from MOSDAC, Space Applications Centre, ISRO. These weather forecasts are disseminated to around one million farmers through Karnataka (KSNDMC), Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Gujarat state natural disaster and management agencies. Emphasizing the need for solar energy, he provided high temporal resolution solar radiation forecasts for “Solar Calculator” application developed by VEDAS, Space Applications Centre. This application was highlighted in the “Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment” event at COP26, 2021 by Prime Minister under “One Sun, One World, One Grid” theme. Dr. Kumar developed a procedure to assimilate Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) observations using High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) method and demonstrated applications to predict extreme weather events like thunderstorm, cyclone, etc. This procedure is implemented in the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for operational very short range weather predictions.

Dr. Kumar provided crucial Weather forecasts for all satellite launches from SHAR, ISRO. He is a member of the expert weather committee of ISRO for all satellite launches from SHAR. He highlighted the importance of satellite rainfall assimilation using four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation and Particle filter methods to improve monsoon rainfall forecasts. This research has been highlighted in Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) as NASA Giovanni publications. He developed procedures to assimilate all-sky radiances from SAPHIR, Megha-Tropiques satellite and INSAT-3D & INSAT-3R satellites in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. This technology has been transferred to various national agencies for operational/research applications of the Indian meteorological satellites. He contributed in RAiDER software for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission under NISAR Tropospheric Working Group. He received NASA Team Award for NISAR Tropospheric Model Down-Selection Team. He developed a long-term (2000-2020) high spatial and temporal resolution merge rainfall product over India under ISRO-JAXA project. This hourly merge rainfall product is crucial for various meteorological and hydrological applications.

Dr. Kumar demonstrated need for non-linear data assimilation using INSAT-3D/3R satellite measurements. This study is first of its kind for global communities in which satellite radiances are assimilated using non-linear and non-Gaussian data assimilation techniques. These implementations resolve existing deficiencies in the operational variational and Kalman filter method in the field of data assimilation. He performed various observing system simulation experiments (OSSE) and Adjoint sensitivity experiments to demonstrate importance of Indian satellites and defining future sensors for weather applications. He also developed a hybrid data-assimilation technique to assimilate satellite observations for Martian and Venusian Atmosphere. Currently, he is working on assimilation of non-Gaussian and non-linear observations using Particle Filter, development of model error, modeling of background error for hydrometeors (like rain, cloud, etc.), weak constraint variational data assimilation, model parameter optimization using variational method, etc. He published 80 publications in international peer reviewed journals (cumulative impact factor is 260), and various SAC/ISRO scientific reports, newsletters, etc.