Engineering topics

Davis, Douglas D.

Publications and source records attributed to Davis, Douglas D..

10 records

NASA NTRS2003

Tropospheric Modeling Studies of TRACE-P Data: Investigations of the HO(x)/NO(x)/O3 Photochemical System and Its Coupling to Sulfur/Aerosol Species

During the duration of the NASA Grant NCC1-01-24, members of research team consisted of: D. Davis, G. Chen, S. Liu, C. Song, B. DiNunno, J. Nowak, and X. Gong. The major goal of our group effort was that of analyzing data from several NASA field studies and then preparing manuscripts for publication reflecting these analyses. Many of the papers so published were initiated by members of the Davis group; however, for a great many others one or more group members assisted other PI'S in writing their manuscripts. Both types of manuscripts are listed below as representing the final product from this grant.

Davis, Douglas D.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Tropospheric Diagnostic Modeling Studies of PEM-Tropics B Field Data: Investigation of the HOx/NOx/O3 Photochemical System and its Coupling to Sulfur Chemistry

Over the time period of this NASA grant the PI has helped plan and execute the PEM-Tropics B field program. He has also helped organize and co-chair two data workshops which have focused on the detailed analysis of PEM-Tropics B data. His direct participation in these analyses has led to his involvement in 13 manuscripts, nine of which are in print, two in press, and two submitted. A complete list of papers is given.

Davis, Douglas D.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Tropospheric Diagnostic Modeling Studies of PEM-Tropics Field Data: Investigation of the HO(x)/NO(x)/O3 Photochemical System and Its Coupling to Sulfur and Halogen Chemistry

Over the time period of this NASA grant the PI has helped plan and execute in the PEM-Tropics A field program. He has also helped organize and co-chair three data workshops which have focused on the detailed analysis of PEM-Tropics A data. His direct participation in these analyses has led to his major involvement in 10 manuscripts, 5 of which are in print, 3 in press, and 2 submitted. A complete list of papers is included in the report.

Davis, Douglas D.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Western Pacific Tropospheric Ozone and Potential Vorticity: Implications for Asian Pollution

Tropospheric ozone (03) cross sections measured with lidar from a DC-8 aircraft over the western Pacific correspond closely with potential vorticity (PV). Both are transported from the middle latitude stratosphere, although this is not the only source of 03, and both have sinks in the tropical boundary layer. 03 and PV are good indicators of photochemical and transport process interactions. In summer, some Asian pollution, raised by convection to the upper troposphere, passes southward into the tropics and to the Southern Hemisphere. In winter, subsidence keeps the pollution at low altitudes where it moves over the ocean towards the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with photochemical destruction and secondary pollutant generation occurring en route. Convection raises this modified air to the upper troposphere, where some re may enter the stratosphere. Thus winter Asian pollution may at have a smaller direct influence on the global atmosphere than it would if injected at other longitudes and seasons.

Browell, Edward V.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Operational overview of the NASA GTE/CITE 3 airborne instrument intercomparisons for sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, and carbon disulfide

This paper reports the overall experimental design and gives a brief overview of results from the third airborne Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (CITE 3) mission conducted as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment. The primary objective of CITE 3 was to evaluate the capability of instrumentation for airborne measurements of ambient concentrations of SO2, H2S, CS, dimethyl sulfide, and carbonyl sulfide. Ancillary measurements augmented the intercomparison data in order to address the secondary objective of CITE 3 which was to address specific issues related to the budget and photochemistry of tropospheric sulfur species. The CITE 3 mission was conducted on NASA's Wallops Flight Center Electra aircraft and included a ground-based intercomparison of sulfur standards and intercomparison/sulfur science flights conducted from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, followed by flights from Natal, Brazil. Including the transit flights, CITE 3 included 16 flights encompassing approximately 96 flight hours.

Hoell, James M., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An intercomparison of aircraft instrumentation for tropospheric measurements of sulfur dioxide

As part of the NASA Tropospheric Chemistry Program, a series of field intercomparisons have been conducted to evaluate the state-of-the art for measuring key tropospheric species. One of the objectives of the third intercomparison campaign in this series, Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation 3 (CITE 3), was to evaluate instrumentation for making reliable tropospheric aircraft measurements of sulfur dioxide, dimethyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide. This paper reports the results of the intercomparisons of five sulfur dioxide measurement methods ranging from filter techniques, in which samples collected in flight are returned to the laboratory for analyses (chemiluminescent or ion chromatographic), to near real-time, in-flight measurements via gas chromatographic, mass spectrometric, and chemiluminescent techniques. All techniques showed some tendency to track sizeable changes in ambient SO2 such as those associated with altitude changes. For SO2 mixing ratios in the range of 200 pptv to a few ppbv, agreement among the techniques varies from about 30% to several orders of magnitude, depending upon the pair of measurements intercompared. For SO2 mixing ratios less than 200 pptv, measurements from the techniques are uncorrelated. In general, observed differences in the measurement of standards do not account for the flight results. The CITE 3 results do not unambiguously identify one or more of the measurement techniques as providing valid or invalid SO2 measurements, but identify the range of 'potential' uncertainty in SO2 measurements reported by currently available instrumentation and as measured under realistic aircraft environments.

Gregory, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An intercomparison of aircraft instrumentation for tropospheric measurements of carbonyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon disulfide

This paper reports results of NASA's Chemical Instrumentation and Test Evaluation (CITE 3) during which airborne measurements for carbonyl sulfide (COS), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon disulfide (CS2) were intercompared. Instrumentation included a gas chromatograph using flame photometric detection (COS, H2S, and CS2), a gas chromatograph using mass spectrometric detection (COS) and CS2), a gas chromatograph using fluorination and subsequent SF6 detection via electron capture (COS and CS2), and the Natusch technique (H2S). The measurements were made over the Atlantic Ocean east of North and South America during flights from NASA's Wallops Flight Center, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil, in August/September 1989. Most of the intercomparisons for H2S and CS2 were at mixing ratios less than 25 pptv and less than 10 pptv, respectively, with a maximum mixing ratio of about 100 pptv and 50 pptv, respectively. Carbonyl sulfide intercomparisons were at mixing ratios between 400 and 600 pptv. Measurements were intercompared from data bases constructed from time periods of simultaneous or overlapping measurements. Agreement among the COS techniques averaged about 5%, and individual measurements were generally within 10%. For H2S and at mixing ratio greater than 25 pptv, the instruments agreed on average to about 15%. At mixing ratios less than 25 pptv the agreement was about 5 pptv. For CS2 (mixing ratios less than 50 pptv), two techniques agreed on average to about 4 pptv, and the third exhibited a bias (relative to the other two) that varied in the range of 3-7 pptv. CS2 mixing ratios over the ocean east of Natal as measured by the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer technique were only a few pptv and were below the detection limits of the other two techniques. The CITE 3 data are used to estimate the current uncertainty associated with aircraft measurements of COS, H2S, and CS2 in the remote troposphere.

Gregory, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An intercomparison of instrumentation for tropospheric measurements of dimethyl sulfide: Aircraft results for concentrations at the parts-per-trillion level

This paper reports results from NASA's Chemical Instrumentation and Test Evaluation (CITE 3) during which airborne measurements of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from six instruments were intercompared. Represented by the six instruments are three fundamentally different detection principles (flame photometric, mass spectrometric, and electron capture after fluorination); three collection/preconcentration methods (cryogenic, gold wool absorption, and polymer absorbent); and three types of oxidant scrubbers (solid phase alkaline, aqueous reactor, and cotton). The measurements were made over the Atlantic Ocean in August/September 1989 during flights from NASA's Wallops Flight Center, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil. The majority of the intercomparisons are at DMS mixing ratios less than 50 pptv. Results show that instrument agreement is of the order of a few pptv for mixing ratios less than 50 pptv and to within about 15% above 50 pptv. Statistically significant (95% confidence) measurement biases were noted among some of the techniques. However, in all cases, any bias is small and within the accuracy of the measurements and prepared DMS standards. Thus, we conclude that the techniques intercompared during CITE 3 provide equally valid measurements of DMS in the range of a few pptv to 100 pptv (upper range of the intercomparisons).

Gregory, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Airborne sulfur trace species intercomparison campaign: Sulfur dioxide, dimethylsulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide

Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of sulfur trace gases are presented. The intercomparison was part of the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) and was conducted during the summer of 1989. The intercomparisons were conducted on the Wallops Electra aircraft during flights from Wallops Island, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil. Sulfur measurements intercompared included sulfur dioxide (SO2), dimethylsulfide (DMS), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon disulfide (CS2), and carbonyl sulfide (OCS). Measurement techniques ranged from filter collection systems with post-flight analyses to mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph systems employing various methods for measuring and identifying the sulfur gases during flight. Sampling schedules for the techniques ranged from integrated collections over periods as long as 50 minutes to one- to three-minute samples every ten or fifteen minutes. Several of the techniques provided measurements of more than one sulfur gas. Instruments employing different detection principles were involved in each of the sulfur intercomparisons. Also included in the intercomparison measurement scenario were a host of supporting measurements (i.e., ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, total sulfur, aerosols, etc.) for purposes of: (1) interpreting results (i.e., correlation of any noted instrument disagreement with the chemical composition of the measurement environment); and (2) providing supporting chemical data to meet CITE-3 science objectives of studying ozone/sulfur photochemistry, diurnal cycles, etc. The results of the intercomparison study are briefly discussed.

Gregory, Gerald L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Airborne intercomparison of nitric oxide measurement techniques

Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of nitric oxide (NO) are discussed. The intercomparison was part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment and was conducted during missions flown in the fall of 1983 and spring of 1984. Instruments intercompared included a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) system and two chemiluminescence instruments (CL). NO mixing ratios from below 5 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) to greater than 100 pptv were reported, with the majority less than 20 pptv. Good correlation was observed between the measurements reported by the CL and LIF techniques. The general level of agreement observed for the ensemble of measurements obtained during the two missions provides the basis from which one can conclude that equally 'valid' measurements of background levels of NO can be expected from either CL or LIF instruments. At the same time the periods of disagreement that were observed between the CL and LIF instruments as well as between the two CL instruments highlight the difficulty of obtaining reliable measurements with NO mixing ratios in the 5-20 pptv range and emphasize the vigilance that should be maintained in future NO measurements.

Hoell, James M., Jr.↗