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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Multi-Evaporator Miniature Loop Heat Pipe for Small Spacecraft Thermal Control

This paper presents the development of the Thermal Loop experiment under NASA's New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 (ST8) Project. The Thermal Loop experiment was originally planned for validating in space an advanced heat transport system consisting of a miniature loop heat pipe (MLHP) with multiple evaporators and multiple condensers. Details of the thermal loop concept, technical advances and benefits, Level 1 requirements and the technology validation approach are described. An MLHP breadboard has been built and tested in the laboratory and thermal vacuum environments, and has demonstrated excellent performance that met or exceeded the design requirements. The MLHP retains all features of state-of-the-art loop heat pipes and offers additional advantages to enhance the functionality, performance, versatility, and reliability of the system. In addition, an analytical model has been developed to simulate the steady state and transient operation of the MHLP, and the model predictions agreed very well with experimental results. A protoflight MLHP has been built and is being tested in a thermal vacuum chamber to validate its performance and technical readiness for a flight experiment.

Ku, Jentung↗
NASA NTRS2024

Post-Synthetic Modification of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Aerogels with Silica Coatings for Enhanced Thermal Stability

Maintaining high surface area and porosity at high temperatures is important when considering aerogels for use in thermal management systems. The mesoporous structure of aerogels results in extremely low thermal conductivity, making them lightweight, high performance insulating materials. Maintaining these properties requires innovative routes to suppress sintering and pore collapse as use temperatures rise. The current work aims to improve the pore structure stability of yttria-stabilized zirconia aerogels by the addition of a SiO 2 coating. The functionalization of surface hydroxyl groups by the addition of SiO 2 is hypothesized to mitigate condensation reactions, which are a driving force for shrinkage and pore structure collapse. Zirconia aerogels with 0, 10 and 30 mol% yttria (YO 1.5 ) additions were coated in a tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) solution and exposed to temperatures up to 1200°C. Crystal structure, pore structure, and aerogel morphology were investigated to understand changes in aerogel thermal stability. The SiO 2 coating exhibited a greater influence on pore stability over yttria concentration, with specific surface area of the coated aerogels being twice that of the uncoated aerogels up to 1000°C. However, the presence of the SiO 2 coating promoted rapid sintering and densification at 1200°C, establishing an upper use temperature for SiO 2 and a need to develop other coating chemistries.

aerogel↗
NASA NTRS1994

Influence of ocean surface conditions on atmospheric vertical thermodynamic structure and deep convection

The authors analyze the influence of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and surface wind divergence on atmospheric thermodynamic structure and the resulting effects on the occurrence of deep convection using National Meteorological Center radiosonde data and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program data for July 1983-July 1985. The onset of deep convection requires not only the existence of positive convective available potential energy (CAPE), but also an unstable planetary boundary layer (PBL). A stable PBL is observed to suppress deep convection even when CAPE is positive. Variations of SST have a major effect on CAPE, but surface wind divergence can also affect deep convection by changing the lapse rate in the lower troposphere and humidity in the PBL. Specifically, when SST is greater than or equal to 28 C, CAPE is always positive, and surface wind divergence does not qualitatively change the buoyancy profile above the PBL. Strong surface wind divergence, however, stabilizes the PBL so as to suppress the initiation of deep convection. In warm SST regions, CAPE is greater than 0 regardless of assumptions about condensate loading, although the pseudoadiabatic limit is more consistent with the observed deep convection than the reversible moist-adiabatic limit under these circumstances. When SST is less than 27 C, CAPE is usually negative and inhibits convection, but strong surface wind convergence can destabilize the inversion layer and moisten the PBL enough to make the atmosphere neutrally stable in the mean. As a result, deep convection is generally enhanced either when SST is greater than or equal to 28 C in the absence of strong surface wind divergence or when strong surface wind convergence occurs even if SST is less than 27 C. The anomalous suppression of deep convection in the warm area of the equatorial west Pacific lying between the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and south Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) is probably caused by dryness in the PBL and an inversion in that area. The seasonal cycles of deep convection and surface wind divergence are in phase with the maximum solar radiation and lead SST for one to three months in the central Pacific. The change of PBL relative humidity plays a critical role in the changeover to convective instability in this case. The seasonal change of deep convection and associated clouds seems not to have important effects on the seasonal change of local SST in the central Pacific.

Fu, Rong↗
NASA NTRS2003

Creation and Distribution of CAIs in the Protoplanetary Nebula

CaAl rich refractory mineral inclusions (CAIs) found at 1 - 10% mass fraction in primitive chondrites appear to be several million years older than the dominant (chondrule) components in the same parent bodies. A prevalent concern is that it is difficult to retain CAIs for this long against gas-drag-induced radial drift into the sun. We assess a hot inner (turbulent) nebula context for CAI formation, using analytical models of nebula evolution and particle diffusion. We show that outward radial diffusion in a weakly turbulent nebula can prevent significant numbers of CAI-size particles from being lost into the sun for times of 1 - 3 x 10(exp 6) years. To match the CAI abundances quantitatively, we advocate an enhancement of the inner hot nebula in silicate-forming material, due to rapid inward migration of very primitive, silicate and carbon rich, meter-sized objects. 'Combustion' of the carbon into CO would make the CAI formation environment more reduced than solar, as certain observations imply. Abundant CO might also play a role in mass-independent chemical fractionation of oxygen isotopes as seen in CAIs and associated primitive, high-temperature condensates.

Cuzzi, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The effect of volume phase changes, mass transport, sunlight penetration, and densification on the thermal regime of icy regoliths

The present quantitative modeling of convective, condensational, and sublimational effects on porous ice crust volumes subjected to solar radiation encompasses the effect of such insolation's penetration of visible bandpass-translucent light, but opaque to the IR bandpass. Quasi-steady-state temperatures, H2O mass fluxes, and ice mass-density change rates are computed as functions of time of day and ice depth. When the effects of latent heat and mass transport are included in the model, the enhancement of near-surface temperature due to the 'solid-state greenhouse effect' is substantially diminished. When latent heat, mass transport, and densification effects are considered, however, a significant solid-state greenhouse effect is shown to be compatible with both morphological evidence for high crust strengths and icy shell decoupling from the lithosphere.

Fanale, Fraser P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Formation of iron metal and grain coagulation in the solar nebula

The interstellar grain population in the giant molecular cloud from which the sun formed contained little or no iron metal. However, thermal processing of individual interstellar silicates in the solar nebula is likely to result in the formation of a population of very small iron metal grains. If such grains are exposed to even transient magnetic fields, each will become a tiny dipole magnet capable of interacting with other such dipoles over spatial scale orders of magnitude larger than the radii of individual grains. Such interactions will greatly increase the coagulation cross-section for this grain population. Furthermore, the magnetic attraction between two iron dipoles will significantly increase both the collisional sticking coefficient and the strength of the interparticle binding energy for iron aggregates. Formation of iron metal may therefore be a key step in the aggregation of planetesimals in a protoplanetary nebula. Such aggregates may have already been observed in protoplanetary systems. The enhancement in the effective interaction distance between two magnetic dipoles is directly proportional to the strength of the magnetic dipoles and inversely proportional to the relative velocity. It is less sensitive to the reduced mass of the interacting particles (alpha M(exp -1/2)) and almost insensitive to the initial number density of magnetic dipoles (alpha n(sub o)(exp 1/6)). We are in the process of measuring the degree of coagulation in our condensation flow apparatus as a function of applied magnetic field and correlating these results by means of magnetic remanance acquisition measurements on our iron grains with the strength of the magnetic field to which the grains are exposed. Results of our magnetic remanance acquisition measurements and the magnetic-induced coagulation study will be presented as well as an estimate of the importance of such processes near the nebular midplane.

Nuth, Joseph A., III↗
NASA NTRS1977

Interaction of NaCl/g/ and HCl/g/ with condensed Na2SO4

Na2SO4(l)-NaCl(g) interactions were studied at a total pressure of one atmosphere of air or oxygen for various temperatures of Na2SO4(l) and for various partial pressures of NaCl(g) and H2O(g). Mass spectrometric sampling techniques were used to identify and monitor gas phase species. Continuous recording thermomicrogravimetric measurements were conducted to determine condensed phase weight change rates. Experimental measurements were supplemented with thermodynamic calculations. Numerous experiments were performed at sample temperatures of 900 and 1000 C with 300 ppm NaCl(g). In these experiments, the reproducibility of the Na2SO4 vaporization weight loss rate and initial weight gain upon addition of NaCl(g) were found to be satisfactory. It was found that the addition of NaCl(g) to air flowing over Na2SO4(l) at 900 and 1000 C enhances the rate of weight loss of the Na2SO4(l). This enhancement increases when H2O(g) is also added to the air flow.

Stearns, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Solar Wind Ablation of Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres

Internal plasma sources usually arise in planetary magnetospheres as a product of stellar ablation processes. With the ignition of a new star and the onset of its ultraviolet and stellar wind emissions, much of the volatiles in the stellar system undergo a phase transition from gas to plasma. Condensation and accretion into a disk is replaced by radiation and stellar wind ablation of volatile materials from the system- Planets or smaller bodies that harbor intrinsic magnetic fields develop an apparent shield against direct stellar wind impact, but UV radiation still ionizes their gas phases, and the resulting internal plasmas serve to conduct currents to and from the central body along reconnected magnetic field linkages. Photoionization and thermalization of electrons warms the ionospheric topside, enhancing Jeans' escape of super-thermal particles, with ambipolar diffusion and acceleration. Moreover, observations and simulations of auroral processes at Earth indicate that solar wind energy dissipation is concentrated by the geomagnetic field by a factor of 10-100, enhancing heavy species plasma and gas escape from gravity, and providing more current carrying capacity. Thus internal plasmas enable coupling with the plasma, neutral gas and by extension, the entire body. The stellar wind is locally loaded and slowed to develop the required power. The internal source plasma is accelerated and heated, inflating the magnetosphere as it seeks escape, and is ultimately blown away in the stellar wind. Bodies with little sensible atmosphere may still produce an exosphere of sputtered matter when exposed to direct solar wind impact. Bodies with a magnetosphere and internal sources of plasma interact more strongly with the stellar wind owing to the magnetic linkage between the two created by reconnection.

Moore, Thomas Earle↗
NASA NTRS1991

Influence of mass diffusion on the stability of thermophoretic growth of a solid from the vapor phase

The stability of solid planar growth from a binary vapor phase with a condensing species dilute in a carrier gas is examined when the ratio of depositing to carrier species molecular mass is large and the main diffusive transport mechanism is thermal diffusion. It is shown that a deformation of the solid-gas interface induces a deformation of the gas phase isotherms that increases the thermal gradients and thereby the local mass deposition rate at the crests and reduces them at the valleys. The initial surface deformation is enhanced by the modified deposition rates in the absence of appreciable Fick/Brownian diffusion and interfacial energy effects.

Castillo, J. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dynamical Considerations of Hypothesized Vertically Stacked Meridional Circulation Cells in the Ice Giant Atmospheres

This study examines the dynamical implications of the vertically stacked meridional circulation structure hypothesized for the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. The existence of vertically stacked circulation cells was first hypothesized for Jupiter to explain the puzzling observation during Voyager and Galileo missions that Jupiter’s thunderstorms tend to erupt in regions where the atmosphere is expected to have enhanced static stability rather than reduced static stability. Since then, Juno has added a wealth of data, including the deep ammonia distribution, to add further context to this hypothesis. For the Ice Giant planets, a similar hypothesis for vertically stacked circulation was proposed to explain the meridional distribution of methane in the upper troposphere near the 1-bar level, and further hypothesized that Uranus and Neptune may harbor three layers of cells at depth driven by condensations of methane for the top cell, hydrogen sulfide-methane mixture for the middle cell, and ammonia-hydrogen sulfide-methane mixture for the lowest cell. This study examines the dynamical implications of the existence of such vertically stacked cells. Specifically, using the Eulerian Mean framework in the beta-plane, we derive the constraints for the eddy momentum flux, diabatic heating (i.e. latent heat), and eddy heat flux required to balance the vertically stacked circulation. Using these constraints, observable effects will be identified to guide future observations by the upcoming missions to Uranus and Neptune that may test the hypothesized vertically stacked circulation.

Kunio M Sayanagi↗
NASA NTRS1987

Antarctic stratospheric chemistry of chlorine nitrate, hydrogen chloride, and ice - Release of active chlorine

The reaction rate between atmospheric hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine nitrate (ClONO2) is greatly enhanced in the presence of ice particles; HCl dissolves readily into ice, and the collisional reaction probability for ClONO2 on the surface of ice with HCl in the mole fraction range from about 0.003 to 0.010 is in the range from about 0.05 to 0.1 for temperatures near 200 K. Chlorine is released into the gas phase on a time scale of at most a few milliseconds, whereas nitric acid (HNO3), the other product, remains in the condensed phase. This reaction could play an important role in explaining the observed depletion of ozone over Antarctica; it releases photolytically active chlorine from its most abundant reservoir species, and it promotes the formation of HNO3 and thus removes nitrogen dioxide from the gas phase. Hence it establishes the necessary conditions for the efficient catalytic destruction of ozone by halogenated free radicals.

Molina, Mario J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Middle atmosphere ion measurements during January, 1976

Parachute-borne measurements of electrical parameters in the stratosphere and mesosphere are discussed which were made in January 1976 as part of a 'coordinated winter-anomaly program' conducted at Wallops Flight Center, Va. The instruments used included Gerdien condensers, a blunt conductivity probe, and UV lamps for obtaining a measure of atmospheric NO. Measurements of the positive component of electrical conductivity on two 'anomalous' and two 'normal' days are compared, wave-interaction electron densities over the height range from 50 to 90 km are determined for the four days, and the effects of the UV lamps on one 'normal' and one 'anomalous' day are described. The results are shown to support the hypothesis that the enhancements in positive ion conductivity observed on 'anomalous' days are caused by a reduction of the aerosol population that is a 'normal' feature of the stratosphere and mesosphere. A possible scenario for this reduction is considered which involves electric-field transport of aerosol particles out of the upper stratosphere and mesosphere.

Hale, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Direct and remote sensing observations of the effects of ships on clouds

Under certain conditions ships can affect the structure of shallow overlying layer clouds. It has been suggested that this is due to particles emitted from the ships, which increase the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei in the air, which, in turn, increases the concentrations of cloud droplets and reduces the average size of the droplets. Two ship track signatures in stratus clouds were observed simultaneously from a satellite and from an aircraft. The airborne measurements showed that in the ship tracks the droplet sizes and concentrations, as well as the total concentrations of particles, were substantially different from those in adjacent clouds. Furthermore, in-situ solar radiation measurements showed a significant enhancement in the upwelling radiance within the ship tracks at visible wavelengths and a significant reduction in radiance at 2.2 micrometers. Remote sensing measurements from the NOAA-10 satellite showed the effects of these differences in cloud structure as an enhancement in cloud reflectivity at 0.63 and 3.7 micrometers. These observations support the contention that ship track signatures in clouds are produced primarily by particles generated by ships.

Radke, Lawrence F.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Modeling of Laser Vaporization and Plume Chemistry in a Boron Nitride Nanotube Production Rig

Flow in a pressurized, vapor condensation (PVC) boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) production rig is modeled. A laser provides a thermal energy source to the tip of a boron ber bundle in a high pressure nitrogen chamber causing a plume of boron-rich gas to rise. The buoyancy driven flow is modeled as a mixture of thermally perfect gases (B, B2, N, N2, BN) in either thermochemical equilibrium or chemical nonequilibrium assuming steady-state melt and vaporization from a 1 mm radius spot at the axis of an axisymmetric chamber. The simulation is intended to define the macroscopic thermochemical environment from which boron-rich species, including nanotubes, condense out of the plume. Simulations indicate a high temperature environment (T > 4400K) for elevated pressures within 1 mm of the surface sufficient to dissociate molecular nitrogen and form BN at the base of the plume. Modifications to Program LAURA, a finite-volume based solver for hypersonic flows including coupled radiation and ablation, are described to enable this simulation. Simulations indicate that high pressure synthesis conditions enable formation of BN vapor in the plume that may serve to enhance formation of exceptionally long nanotubes in the PVC process.

Gnoffo, Peter A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mechanisms of deterioration of intermediate moisture food systems

A study of shelf stability in intermediate moisture foods was made. Major efforts were made to control lipid oxidation and nonenzymatic browning. In order to determine means of preventing these reactions, model systems were developed having the same water activity content relationship of intermediate moisture foods. Models were based on a cellulose-lipid and protein-lipid system with glycerol added as the humectant. Experiments with both systems indicate that lipid oxidation is promoted significantly in the intermediate moisture range. The effect appeared to be related to increased mobility of either reactants or catalysts, since when the amount of water in the system reached a level where capillary condensation occurred and thus free water was present, the rates of oxidation increased. With added glycerol, which is water soluble and thus increases the amount of mobile phase, the increase in oxidation rate occurs at a lower relative humidity. The rates of oxidation were maximized at 61% RH and decreased again at 75% RH probably due to dilution. No significant non-enzymatic browning occurred in the protein-lipid systems. Prevention of oxidation by the use of metal chelating agents was enhanced in the cellulose system, whereas, with protein present, the lipid soluble chain terminating antioxidants (such as BHA) worked equally as well. Preliminary studies of foods adjusted to the intermediate moisture range bear out the results of oxidation in model systems. It can be concluded that for most fat containing intermediate moisture foods, rancidity will be the reaction most limiting stability.

Labuza, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Biomass-burning Aerosols in South East-Asia: Smoke Impact Assessment (BASE-ASIA)

Biomass burning has been a regular practice for land clearing and land conversion in many countries, especially those in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. However, the unique climatology of Southeast Asia is very different than that of Africa and South America, such that large-scale biomass burning causes smoke to interact extensively with clouds during the peak-burning season of March to April. Significant global sources of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, CH4), chemically active gases (e.g., NO, CO, HC, CH3Br), and atmospheric aerosols are produced by biomass burning processes. These gases influence the Earth-atmosphere system, impacting both global climate and tropospheric chemistry. Some aerosols can serve as cloud condensation nuclei, which play an important role in determining cloud lifetime and precipitation, hence, altering the earth's radiation and water budget. Biomass burning also affects the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon compounds from the soil to the atmosphere; the hydrological cycle (i.e., run off and evaporation); land surface reflectivity and emissivity; as well as ecosystem biodiversity and stability. Analyses from satellite measurements reveal that smoke is frequently present solar (emitted thermal) radiation from clouds due to smoke aerosols can be reduced (enhanced) by as much as 100 (20) W/sq m over the month of March 2000. In addition, the reduction in cloud spectral reflectance at 670 run is large enough to lead to significant errors in retrieving cloud properties (e.g., optical thickness and effective radius) from satellite measurements. The fresh water distribution in this region is highly dependent on monsoon rainfall; in fact, the predictability of the tropical climate system is much reduced during the boreal spring. Estimating the burning fuel (e.g., bark, branches, and wood), an important part of studying regional carbon cycle, may rely on utilizing a wide range of distinctive spectral features in the shortwave and longwave regions. Therefore, to accurately assess the impact of smoke aerosols in this region requires continuous observations from satellites, aircraft, networks of ground-based instruments and dedicated field experiments. A new initiative will be proposed and discussed.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗
NASA NTRS2019

Algae to Enhance Water Recovery for Future Space Habitats

Bioregenerative technologies have been suggested for human life support in space for decades. Such technologies have not yet been incorporated due to 1) assumed unreliability and 2) bioregeneration rates for given processes are slower when compared to equivalent physical/chemical treatment technologies. Slower treatment capacity for biological system result in larger technology infrastructure (i.e., higher mass, power, and volume requirements), and thus less attractive. Current ISS (International Space Station) life support systems are strictly physical/chemical. However, bioregenerative systems are being suggested for future surface systems (on the Moon or Mars) due to the limited access to resupplied materials and continued need for resiliency and sustainability. In the realm of water reclamation, the ISS system processes only urine, metabolic condensates, and hygiene (i.e., handwash and oral, no shower or laundry) waters with 75 percent closure. For future surface habitats with 4 crew members, approximately 30 liters per day of wastewater will be generated, containing estimated 850 milligrams per liter NH4-N. Conventional algae PBRs (photobioreactors) require dilution to accommodate such high concentrations of ammonium. If dilution is required, resulting technology hardware will increase dramatically in mass. A new approach was explored, whereby high carbon dioxide (1200-2000 parts per million) and light (400-600 micromoles per square meter per second) conditions were provided to treat the undiluted wastewater stream. Daily treatment capacity for Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris was observed to be 85 and 107 milligrams NH4-N per gram of biomass, respectively. This preliminary study shows that there is capacity to increase ammonium removal rates by algal species, and thus reactor size (mass and volume) for future surface systems. Smaller reactor volumes will help bioregenerative treatment technologies compete with the presently accepted physical/chemical treatment technologies.

Water Purification↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Study of Direct and Cloud-Mediated Radiative Forcing of Climate Due to Aerosols

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that in the southeastern US and eastern China, the general greenhouse warming due to anthropogenic gaseous emissions is dominated by the cooling effect of anthropogenic aerosols. To verify this model prediction in eastern China and southeastern US, we analyzed regional patterns of climate changes at 72 stations in eastern China during 1951- 94 (44 years), and at 52 stations in the southeastern US during 1949-94 (46 years) to detect the fingerprint of aerosol radiative forcing. It was found that the mean rates of change of annual mean daily, maximum, minimum temperatures and diurnal temperature range (DTR) in eastern China were 0.8, -0.2, 1.8, and -2.0 C/100 years respectively, while the mean rates of change of annual mean daily, maximum, minimum temperatures and DTR in the southeastern US were -0.2, -0.6, 0.2, and -0.8 C/100 years, respectively. This indicates that the high rate of increase in annual mean minimum temperature in eastern China results in a slightly warming trend of daily temperature, while the high rate of decrease in annual mean maximum temperature and low rate of increase in annual mean minimum temperature lead to the cooling trend of daily temperature in the southeastern US. We found that the warming from the longwave forcing due to both greenhouse gases and aerosols was completely counteracted by the shortwave aerosol forcing in the southeastern US in the past 46 years. A slightly overall warming trend in eastern China is evident; winters have become milder. This finding is explained by hypothesizing that increasing energy usage during the past 44 years has resulted in more coal and biomass burning, thus increasing the emission of absorbing soot and organic aerosols in eastern China. Such emissions, in addition to well-known Asia dust and greenhouse gases, may be responsible for the winter warming trend in eastern China that we have reported here. The sensitivity of aerosol radiative properties to aerosol composition, size distribution, relative humidity (RH) is examined for the following aerosol systems: inorganic and organic ions (Cl-, Br-, NO3 -, SO4 2-, Na+, NH4 +, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCOO-, CH3COO-, CH3CH2COO-, CH3COCOO-, OOCCOO2-, MSA-1); water-insoluble inorganic and organic compounds (elemental carbon, n-alkanes, SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and other organic compounds). The partial molar refraction method was used to calculate the real part of the refractive index. It was found that the asymmetry factor increased by approximately 48% with the real part varying from 1.40 to 1.65, and the single scattering albedo decreased by 24% with the imaginary part varying from -0.005 to -0.1. The asymmetry factor increased by 5.4 times with the geometric standard deviation varying from 1.2 to 3.0. The radiation transmission is very sensitive to the change in size distribution; other factors are not as significant. To determine the aerosol direct radiative forcing (ADRF), the aerosol optical depth (AOD) values at the three operational wavelengths (415, 500 and 673 nm) were determined at a regionally representative site, namely, Mt. Gibbs (35.78 deg N, 82.29 deg W, elevation 2006 m) in Mt. Mitchell State Park, NC, and a site located in an adjacent valley (Black Mountain, 35.66 deg N, 82.38 deg W, elevation 951 m) in the southeastern US. The two sites are separated horizontally by 10 km and vertically by 1 km. It was found that the representative total AOD values at 500 nm at the valley site for highly polluted (HP), marine (M) and continental (C) air masses were 0.68 +/- 0.33, 0.29 +/- 0.19 and 0.10 +/- 0.04, respectively. A search-graph method was used to retrieve the columnar size distribution (number concentration N, effective radius reff and geometric standard deviation=?g) from the optical depth observations at three operational wavelengths. The ground albedo, single scattering albedo and imaginary part of the refractive index were calculated using a mathematically unique procedure involving a Mie code and a radiative transfer code in conjunction with the retrieved aerosol size distribution, AOD, and diffuse-direct irradiance ratio. It was found that N, r(eff) and sigma(g) were in the ranges of 10 to 1.7 x 10(exp 4)/cubic cm, 0.09 to 0.68 micrometers and 1.12 to 2.95, respectively. The asymmetry factor and single scattering albedo were in the ranges of 0.63 to 0.75 and 0.74 to 0.97 respectively. The ground albedo for the forested terrain and imaginary part of refractive index were found to be in the ranges of 0.06 to 0.29 and 0.005 to 0.051 respectively. On the basis of these aerosol radiative properties obtained at the research sites and computations using the Column Radiation Model (CRM) of National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM3), it was found that the average cloud-free 24-hour ADRF values were -13 +/- 8, -8 +/- 3, -33 +/- 16 W/square m for marine, continental, and polluted air masses, respectively. On the assumption that the fractional coverage of clouds is 0.61, it was estimated that the annual mean ADRF was 7 +/- 2 W/square m in the southeastern US. The review with respect to the current knowledge of organic acids shows that aerosol formate and acetate concentrations range from 0.02 to 5.3 nmol/cubic m and from 0.03 to 12.4 nmol/cubic m respectively, and that between 34% to 77% of formate and between 21% to 66% of acetate are present in the fine fraction of aerosols. It was found that although most (98-99%) of these volatile organic acids were present in the gas phase, their concentrations in the aerosol particles were sufficient to make them a good candidate for cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). It is hypothesized that organic acids are at least one of the primary sources of CCN in the atmosphere due to their ubiquitous presence in the troposphere, especially over the continental forested areas. The results of our measurements at Palmer Station, Antarctica show that the daily average CCN concentrations at 0.3% and 1% supersaturations ranged from 0.3 to 160/cubic cm and from 4 to 168/cubic cm, respectively, during the period from 17 January to 26 February, 1994. New evidence for substantial and definitive CCN enhancement near and within cloud has been observed at Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina. The results show that the average monthly CCN concentrations were 460 +/- 217, 386 +/- 286, 429 +/- 228 and 238 +/- 134/cubic cm for in-cloud, overcast, clear and rainy conditions, respectively. The typical CCN spectra show that there were a lot of small CCN produced and the ion concentrations (especially H+ and SO4 2-) were very high during the CCN enhancement period. The significantly positive correlation between black carbon (BC) and CCN at 1% supersaturation indicates that a percentage of the BC measured at the site may be in the form of an internal mixture and participated in the formation of CCN.

Yu, Shao-Cai↗