Dr. Sebastian Eastham

Seb’s Eastham's work is focused on understanding and reducing the atmospheric impacts of anthropogenic emissions using high-resolution computational models of the atmosphere in concert with Earth observations. This ranges from high-fidelity local simulations of single exhaust plumes up to global-scale numerical models of the atmosphere. His research also benefits from the application of machine learning methods to Earth observation data, such as ongoing work to identify and characterize aircraft condensation trails - and from there quantify their climate impacts -- in geostationary satellite imagery. The long-term goal of his work is to enable near real-time integration of observational (monitor, aircraft, and satellite) data into computational models of the environment, supporting unprecedented accuracy and insights with regards to environmental decision making for impact mitigation and environmental justice.

At the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment (LAE), Dr. Eastham’s work is focused on understanding, quantifying, and mitigating the environmental impacts of anthropogenic emissions using computational models and aerospace assets. This includes the climate impacts of supersonic aviation, the atmospheric chemistry of aircraft emissions, possible unintended consequences of geoengineering, and the formation and effects of aircraft condensation trails (“contrails”).

Central to his work is the development and application of state-of-the-science computational models of the Earth system, ranging in scope from individual aircraft exhaust plumes to the global atmosphere. His work also leverages the growing stream of Earth observation data from aerospace assets, including using satellite observations during COVID lockdowns to understand the effect of emissions reduction on air quality, using aircraft plume intercept data to improve our understanding of contrail impacts, and applying machine learning techniques to geostationary satellite data to quantify US-wide contrail coverage. By merging these two approaches, Easthamaims to develop models of the Earth system which leverage near real-time data streams to deliver novel capabilities in environmental impact assessment and mitigation.