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Attila Komjathy

Researcher

About

Bio

Attila Komjathy is the Group Supervisor of Near Earth Tracking Systems Group (335S)  and a Principal member of the Tracking Systems and Applications Section at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the California Institute of Technology, specializing in remote sensing techniques for terrestrial and planetary applications.

He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering of the University of New Brunswick, Canada where he currently also serves as an adjunct professor. Dr. Komjathy spent four years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is recipient of several NASA awards including an Exceptional Space Act Award, Best Paper and JPL Group Achievement Awards. Dr. Komjathy is JPL’s primary interface to the GATEW working group (Global Navigation Satellite System Augmentation to Tsunami Early Warning System) under the leadership of IUGG and IAG . He is an Editorial Board member of the AGU’s Radio Science and also served as associate editor for Springer’s GPS Solutions ­– the Journal of Global Navigation Satellite Systems. In addition, he serves as Commission Chair for the URSI National Committee “Ionosphere and Radio Propagation” since 2018. The US Institute of Navigation elected Dr. Komjathy as a Fellow for contributions to remote sensing of Earth’s ionosphere using GNSS signals in 2015.

Education

  • Post-doc at University of Colorado at Boulder, 1997-2001
  • Ph.D., University of New Brunswick, Canada, 1997
  • Dipl. Eng., University of Miskolc, Hungary, 1989

Research Interests

Dr. Komjathy investigates GPS and other sensors to study the temporal and spatial variation of the global ionosphere including the use of global empirical, physics-based and assimilative ionospheric models. Specializes in developments of real-time remote sensing techniques conducting research in natural hazards detection of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions using ground- and space-based GNSS data and infrasound measurements. Dr. Komjathy leads new activities that expand the group’s focus beyond GNSS-related remote sensing techniques, targeting novel terrestrial and planetary applications including planetary surface and atmospheric coupling.

Dr. Komjathy’ team developed two innovative techniques to potentially detect and measure seismicity on Venus: 1) an orbiting infrared camera to look for seismic-wave-generated Venus airglow perturbations and 2) infrasound detection using balloon platforms on Venus. Dr. Komjathy designed, organized and conducted major Earth analogue field experiments to test precise pressure sensors to detect infrasound signals using aerostats and piloted hot-air balloons.

Experience

Professional Experience

Works at JPL since 2001

Achievements

Awards & Recognitions

Publications

  1. Bowman, D. C., Norman, P. E., Pauken, M. T., Albert, S. A., Dexheimer, D., Yang, X., Krishnamoorthy, S., Komjathy, A., and Cutts, J. A. (2020) “Multi-hour Stratospheric Flights with Heliotrope Solar Hot-Air Balloon”. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-19-0175.1
  2. Inchin, P. A., Snively, J. B.,Zettergren, M. D., Komjathy, A.,Verkhoglyadova, O. P., and Tulasi Ram, S. (2020). Modeling of ionospheric responses to atmospheric acoustic and gravity waves driven by the 2015 Nepal Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics,125,e2019JA027200. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JA027200
  3. Meng, X., Vergados, P., Komjathy, A. and Verkhoglyadova, O. (2019). Upper atmospheric responses to surface disturbances: An observational perspective. Radio Science, 54, 1076–1098. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RS006858
  4. Krishnamoorthy, S. V.H. Lai, A. Komjathy, M. T. Pauken, J. A. Cutts, R. F. Garcia, D. Mimoun, J.M. Jackson, D.C. Bowman, E.Kassarian, L. Martire, A. Sournac, and A. Cadu (2019). “Aerial Seismology Using Balloon-Based Barometers,” in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2019.2931831
  5. Savastano, G., Komjathy, A., Shume, E., Vergados, P., Ravanelli, M., Verkhoglyadova, O., Meng, X., Crespi, M. (2019). Advantages of Geostationary Satellites for Ionospheric Anomaly Studies: Ionospheric Plasma Depletion Following a Rocket Launch, Remote Sens. 2, 11, 1734. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11141734
  6. Vergados, P., Komjathy, A and X. Meng (2019). “Ionosphere Remote Sensing I: TID for Detection, Monitoring, and Forecasting Natural and Manmade Hazardous Events,” Book Chapter in Position, Navigation, and Timing Technologies in the 21st Century, Integrated Satellite Navigation, Sensor Systems and Civil Applications, Editors: Jade Morton, Frank van Diggelen, James Spilker Jr., Bradford Parkinson (in press).
  7. Bowman, D., J. Lees, J. Cutts, A. Komjathy, et al. (2019). Co-author of Book chapter “Geoacoustic Observations on Drifting Balloon-Borne Sensors” in “Infrasound Monitoring for Atmospheric Studies” by Springer Verlag“ (in press). https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319751382
  8. Krishnamoorthy, S., Komjathy, A., Pauken, M. T., Cutts, J. A., Garcia, R. F., Mimoun, D., et al. (2018). Detection of Artificially Generated Seismic Signals Using Balloon-Borne Infrasound Sensors. Geophysical Research Letters, 45. https://doi.org/10.1002/2018GL077481
  9. Savastano, G., A. Komjathy, O. Verkhoglyadova, A. Mazzoni, M. Crespi, Y. Wei and A.J. Mannucci (2017). “Real-Time Detection of Tsunami Ionospheric Disturbances with a Stand-Alone GNSS Receiver: A Preliminary Feasibility Demonstration.: Sci. Rep. 7, 46607; doi:10.1038/srep46607
  10. Durgonics, T., A. Komjathy, O. Verkhoglyadova, E. B. Shume, H.-H. Benzon, A. J. Mannucci, M. D. Butala, P. Høeg, and R. B. Langley (2017). Multi-instrument observations of a geomagnetic storm and its effects on the Arctic ionosphere: A case study of the 19 February 2014 storm, Radio Sci., 52, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016RS006106
  11. Komjathy, A., Y.-M. Yang, X. Meng, O. Verkhoglyadova, A. J. Mannucci, and R. B. Langley (2016). Review and perspectives: Understanding natural-hazards-generated ionospheric perturbations using GPS measurements and coupled modeling, Radio Sci, 51, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015RS005910
  12. Vergados, P., A. Komjathy, T. F. Runge, M. D. Butala, and A. J. Mannucci (2016). Characterization of the impact of GLONASS observables on receiver bias estimation for ionospheric studies, Radio Sci., 51, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015RS005831
  13. Shume, E. B., A. Komjathy, R. B. Langley, O. Verkhoglyadova, M. D. Butala, and A. J. Mannucci (2015). Intermediate scale plasma irregularities in the polar ionosphere inferred from GPS radio occultation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062558

Google Scholar Listed Publications:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gHs13iMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao