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Prabhakar Group Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Research Interests

Atmospheric aerosols play an important role in the planet's climate. However, they are highly variable in their physical and chemical properties, as well as their spatial and temporal distributions. This makes quantifying their impacts challenging. My group uses field observations, both ground and airborne, to characterize particles and learn about their role in the formation of warm, and cold clouds. 

Studying pollutants in the atmosphere is essential for protecting our health and environment. My more recent research interest has been in air quality, focusing on chemical spills, wildfires, and microplastics. My work includes investigating the long-term effects of the East Palestine train derailment and the impact of wildfire emissions in the Midwest. I am also exploring how to detect microplastics in the air using in-situ and remote observations. Students are encouraged to join my team to gain practical experience and help find solutions to environmental issues.

To learn more about some of my research, watch this video on Superheroes of Science.

Publications
  • Coelho, Paula*; Fitzgerald, Gracie; Isaacson, Kristofer; Diop, Rasul; Prabhakar, Gouri; Heffner, Stephanie; Verma, Akshat; Youngblood, Jeffrey; Choi, Youn Jeong; Surdyka, Stefanie; Spears, Samuel; Frisbee, Marty D.; Del Real, Katherine; Gustafson, Lauren; Torrez, Ana Maria; Proctor, Caitlin; Lee, Linda; Whitehead, Heather ; Doudrick, Kyle; Harpur, Brock; Whelton, Andrew (2024): Environmental and Private Property Contamination Following the Norfolk Southern Chemical Spill and Chemical Fires in Ohio, Environ. Sci.:Water Res. Technol., https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ew00456f
  • Joseph Schlosser, Hossein Dadashazar, Eva-Lou Edwards, Ali Hossein Mardi, Gouri Prabhakar, Connor Stahl, Haflidi Jonsson, Armin Sorooshian (2020), Relationships between Giant Sea Salt Aerosol and Marine Boundary Layer Conditions: Insights from Repeated Identical Flight Patterns, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., doi: 10.1029/2019jd032346
  • Armin Sorooshian, Alexander B. MacDonald, Hossein Dadashazar, Kelvin H. Bates, Matthew M. Coggon, Jill S. Craven, Ewan Crosbie, Scott P. Hersey, Natasha Hodas, Jack J. Lin, Arnoldo Negron Marty, Lindsay C. Maudlin, Andrew R. Metcalf, Shane M. Murphy, Gouri Prabhakar, Tracey A. Rissman, Taylor Shingler, Varuntida Varutbangkul, Zhen Wang, Roy K. Woods, Patrick Y. Chuang, Athanasios Nenes, Haflidi H. Jonsson, Richard C. Flagan and John H. Seinfeld (2018): A multi-year data set on aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology interactions for marine stratocumulus clouds, Data, doi: 10.1038/sdata.2018.26
  • Gouri Prabhakar, Caroline Parworth, Xiaolu Zhang, Hwajin Kim, Dominique Young, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, Luke D. Ziemba, John B. Nowak, Timothy H. Bertram, Ian C. Faloona, Qi Zhang and Christopher D. Cappa (2017): Observational assessment of the role of nocturnal residual-layer chemistry in determining daytime surface particulate nitrate concentrations, Chem. Phys., doi: 10.5194/acp-17-14747-2017
  • Sorooshian, G. Prabhakar, H. Jonsson, R. K. Woods, R. C. Flagan and J. H. Seinfeld (2015): On the presence of giant particles downwind of ships in the marine boundary layer, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1002/2015GL063179
  • Gouri Prabhakar, Armin Sorooshian, Emily Toffol, Avelino F. Arellano and Eric Betterton (2014): Spatiotemporal distribution of airborne particulate metals and metalloids in a populated arid region, Environ., 92, 339 – 347, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.04.044
  • Gouri Prabhakar, B. Ervens, Z. Wang, L. Maudlin, M. M. Coggon, H. H. Jonsson, J. H. Seinfeld and A. Sorooshian (2014), Sources of nitrate in stratocumulus cloud water: Airborne measurements during the 2011 E-PEACE and 2013 NiCE studies (2014): Env., 97, 166 – 173, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.08.019
  • Gouri Prabhakar, E. A. Betterton, W. Conant and B. M. Herman, Effect of urban growth on aerosol optical depth – Tucson, AZ, 35 years later (2014) Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 53, 1876 – 1885, doi: 10.1175/JAMC-D-14-0001.1
  • Wang, A. Sorooshian, G. Prabhakar, M. M. Coggon and H. H. Jonsson (2014): Impact of emissions from shipping, land, and the ocean on stratocumulus cloud water elemental composition during the 2011 E-PEACE Field Campaign, Atmospheric Environment, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.01.020

For an updated list of publications, visit my Google Scholar profile.

 

Undergraduate Student Publications

  • Braun, Emma and Shirley, Audrey (2023), "The Effects of Wildfire Aerosol Emissions on Air Quality," The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research: Vol. 13, Article 40, doi: 10.7771/2158-4052.1655
  • Robinson, Joseph (2022), Agricultural Aerosols: The Impact of Farming Activity on Ice Nucleating Particles, The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research: Vol. 12, Article 11, doi: 10.7771/2158-4052.1570