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At least 289 records · Page 16

Scraping Unstructured Data to Explore the Relationship between Rainfall Anomalies and Vector-Borne Disease Outbreaks

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue account for 17% of all infectious disease cases and lead to more than 700,000 deaths per year. Tracking and predicting the spread of vector-borne diseases is a vital task that could save hundreds of thousands of lives annually. Oftentimes, the first reports of vector-borne disease outbreaks occur through emails and online reporting systems long before they are officially documented. Tracking and predicting the emergence and spread of vector-borne disease outbreaks requires extracting data from these unstructured sources in combination with historical weather and climate data to understand the underlying background triggers and disease dynamics. In this work, we develop a data extraction pipeline for the online outbreak reporting website ProMED-mail that utilizes a web scraper, transformer neural network summarizer, and named entity recognizer to obtain a dataset of malaria, dengue, zika, and chikungunya outbreaks over the last 30 years. This scraped dataset was further analyzed in association with global rainfall anomalies derived from NASA’s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM [Global Precipitation Mission] (IMERG) dataset. This preliminary analysis was to understand the effect of global rainfall patterns on the spread of vector-borne diseases. Analysis of the ProMED-mail and GPM data shows that vector-borne disease outbreaks are clustered towards the tropics and outbreaks are often amplified during the rainy seasons. Our scraped dataset can be a valuable tool in creating comprehensive georeferenced disease records for modeling and predicting future outbreaks.

Web scraping↗

Development of a Web-Based Visualization Platform for Climate Research Using Google Earth

Recently, it has become easier to access climate data from satellites, ground measurements, and models from various data centers, However, searching. accessing, and prc(essing heterogeneous data from different sources are very tim -consuming tasks. There is lack of a comprehensive visual platform to acquire distributed and heterogeneous scientific data and to render processed images from a single accessing point for climate studies. This paper. documents the design and implementation of a Web-based visual, interoperable, and scalable platform that is able to access climatological fields from models, satellites, and ground stations from a number of data sources using Google Earth (GE) as a common graphical interface. The development is based on the TCP/IP protocol and various data sharing open sources, such as OPeNDAP, GDS, Web Processing Service (WPS), and Web Mapping Service (WMS). The visualization capability of integrating various measurements into cE extends dramatically the awareness and visibility of scientific results. Using embedded geographic information in the GE, the designed system improves our understanding of the relationships of different elements in a four dimensional domain. The system enables easy and convenient synergistic research on a virtual platform for professionals and the general public, gr$tly advancing global data sharing and scientific research collaboration.

Sun, Xiaojuan↗

Calibrating Historical IR Sensors Using GEO, and AVHRR Infrared Tropical Mean Calibration Models

Long-term, remote-sensing-based climate data records (CDRs) are highly dependent on having consistent, wellcalibrated satellite instrument measurements of the Earth's radiant energy. Therefore, by making historical satellite calibrations consistent with those of today's imagers, the Earth-observing community can benefit from a CDR that spans a minimum of 30 years. Most operational meteorological satellites rely on an onboard blackbody and space looks to provide on-orbit IR calibration, but neither target is traceable to absolute standards. The IR channels can also be affected by ice on the detector window, angle dependency of the scan mirror emissivity, stray-light, and detector-to-detector striping. Being able to quantify and correct such degradations would mean IR data from any satellite imager could contribute to a CDR. Recent efforts have focused on utilizing well-calibrated modern hyper-spectral sensors to intercalibrate concurrent operational IR imagers to a single reference. In order to consistently calibrate both historical and current IR imagers to the same reference, however, another strategy is needed. Large, well-characterized tropical-domain Earth targets have the potential of providing an Earth-view reference accuracy of within 0.5 K. To that effort, NASA Langley is developing an IR tropical mean calibration model in order to calibrate historical Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instruments. Using Meteosat-9 (Met-9) as a reference, empirical models are built based on spatially/temporally binned Met-9 and AVHRR tropical IR brightness temperatures. By demonstrating the stability of the Met-9 tropical models, NOAA-18 AVHRR can be calibrated to Met-9 by matching the AVHRR monthly histogram averages with the Met-9 model. This method is validated with ray-matched AVHRR and Met-9 biasdifference time series. Establishing the validity of this empirical model will allow for the calibration of historical AVHRR sensors to within 0.5 K, and thereby establish a climate-quality IR data record.

Scarino, Benjamin↗

Wichita Climate: Using Satellite Data to Identify Neighborhoods Vulnerable to Extreme Heat for Equitable Climate Mitigation and Planning

Wichita, Kansas is facing a host of climate threats, one being extreme heat that is manifested through the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The uneven distribution of heat risk in Wichita across socioeconomic status is an environmental justice issue. We worked with the City of Wichita to map heat exposure, tree canopy, and heat risk in order to support the City's climate resilience initiatives. To visualize heat exposure, we quantified and mapped average summer heat from 2013–2021 using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) night-time LST. To understand tree canopy cover gaps, we created a tree canopy map using 2021 PlanetScope imagery, which identified 20% more trees than the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD) tree canopy coverage estimates for Wichita. To characterize high risk areas, we used socioeconomic census data and existing social vulnerability indices, highlighting populations that were exposed and vulnerable to extreme heat. The spatial analyses demonstrated that heat exposure is concentrated in the city center and southwest Wichita, areas that are also low in tree canopy coverage. The three census block groups and 17 census tracts with the highest heat risk primarily circle the city center, in areas home to more socially vulnerable populations and near enough to the dense urban center to feel significant urban heat island effects.

Brooke Laird↗

Wichita Climate: Using Satellite Data to Identify Neighborhoods Vulnerable to Extreme Heat for Equitable Climate Mitigation and Planning

Wichita, Kansas is facing a host of climate threats, one being extreme heat that is manifested through the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The uneven distribution of heat risk in Wichita across socioeconomic status is an environmental justice issue. We worked with the City of Wichita to map heat exposure, tree canopy, and heat risk in order to support the City's climate resilience initiatives. To visualize heat exposure, we quantified and mapped average summer heat from 2013–2021 using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) night-time LST. To understand tree canopy cover gaps, we created a tree canopy map using 2021 PlanetScope imagery, which identified 20% more trees than the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD) tree canopy coverage estimates for Wichita. To characterize high risk areas, we used socioeconomic census data and existing social vulnerability indices, highlighting populations that were exposed and vulnerable to extreme heat. The spatial analyses demonstrated that heat exposure is concentrated in the city center and southwest Wichita, areas that are also low in tree canopy coverage. The three census block groups and 17 census tracts with the highest heat risk primarily circle the city center, in areas home to more socially vulnerable populations and near enough to the dense urban center to feel significant urban heat island effects.

Brooke Laird↗

Global SO 2 Data Record from OMPS Instruments on the JPSS Constellation

NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) SO 2 climate data record (CDR) started in 2004, with the launch of the Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and is now being continued with the SNPP/Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) launched in 2011. Both OMI and SNPP/OMPS SO 2 CDRs are produced with the Goddard principal component analysis (PCA) spectral fitting algorithm. An advantage of the data-driven PCA retrieval technique is that it enables highly consistent retrievals from different instruments, by inherently accounting for various instrumental factors. To further extend the EOS SO 2 CDR, we are implementing the PCA SO 2 retrieval algorithm with the L1B measurements from OMPS instruments flying on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) constellation. In this presentation, we will provide an update on our progress in NOAA-20 (launched in 2017) and NOAA-21 (launched in 2022) PCA SO2 retrievals. We will focus on our new NOAA-20/OMPS PCA SO 2 EOS continuity product, to be publicly released in fall of 2023. We will present statistical analyses on the quality of NOAA-20 PCA SO 2 product, including retrieval noise, biases over background areas, and long-term stability. We will compare our PCA SO 2 retrievals from NOAA-20 with those from OMI, SNPP/OMPS, and S5P/TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) for anthropogenic sources as well as large volcanic plumes. We will also discuss the application of a new machine learning technique that helps to further reduce the noise of NOAA-20 SO 2 retrievals. In addition, we will present preliminary PCA SO 2 retrievals from NOAA-21/OMPS, including those from direct readout implementation for aviation disaster avoidance. Finally, we will share some first results applying the PCA algorithm to NASA’s geostationary TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument to obtain hourly, high resolution SO 2 data over North America.

SO2↗

Continuing Long-term Global SO 2 Data Record with JPSS OMPS Instruments

NASA’s long-term Earth Observing System (EOS) SO 2 climate data record (CDR) started with Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI, launched in 2004) and is now being continued with the SNPP/Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS, launched in 2011). Both OMI and SNPP/OMPS SO 2 CDRs are produced with the Goddard principal component analysis (PCA) spectral fitting algorithm. By inherently accounting for various instrumental factors, the PCA technique enables highly consistent retrievals between different instruments. In this presentation, we will provide an overview on our effort to further extend the EOS SO 2 CDR, by implementing the PCA SO 2 algorithm with multiple OMPS instruments flying on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) constellation, including NOAA-20 (launched in 2017) and NOAA-21 (launched in 2022). We will present results analyzing our new NOAA-20/OMPS PCA SO 2 EOS continuity product, to be publicly released in fall of 2023. We will show statistical analyses on the quality of NOAA-20 PCA SO 2 product, such as retrieval noise, biases over background areas, and long-term stability. We will employ a previously established top-down method to estimate SO2 emissions from selected large point sources, using NOAA-20 SO 2 retrievals and assimilated wind fields as input. The SO 2 emission estimates derived from NOAA-20 retrievals will be compared with those from OMI, SNPP/OMPS, and S5P/TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument). We will also demonstrate the application of a new machine learning technique that further reduces the noise of NOAA-20 SO 2 retrievals. Finally, we will present preliminary PCA SO 2 retrievals from recently launched satellite sensors, including NOAA-21/OMPS and NASA’s geostationary TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument.

SO2↗

Climate Lecture 20: The Educational Global Climate Model (EdGCM)

Climate change will profoundly impact Earth's environmental health as well as the world's economic and geopolitical landscape over the coming decades. The impacts of climate change are, in fact, already beginning to be experienced and have the potential to affect every living plant and animal on Earth within decades. Given this reality, every citizen of this planet should have the right to knowledge about the Earth's climate system and have the option to adapt to, or help mitigate the profound changes that are coming. In addition, a portion of the workforce needs to be capable of interpreting and analyzing climate information because, since the impacts of climate change will be widespread, pervasive, and continue to change over time, more professions will be interacting with climate data. We are already at, or past, the point where educators and their students require access to the scientific and technological resources - computer models, data, and visualization tools - that scientists use daily in the study of climate change. Although scientists use many methods to study Earth's climate system, global climate models (GCMs) have become the primary tools for exploring the complex interactions between components of the entire system: atmosphere, oceans, and land. GCMs are used to make projections of future climate change, to simulate climates of the past, and even to help scientists look for life on other planets. Like any model, a GCM can help people evaluate actions before they are taken. Like Business Intelligence software, they are Climate Intelligence tools. Unfortunately, GCMs are black boxes to most people. A previous chapter in this book by Gary Russell, entitled Building a Climate Model, is one example of the growing body of literature aimed at the general public describing the inner workings of global climate models. This literature goes a long way toward explaining climate model fundamentals. However, it will not be enough to alleviate their black-box nature unless people are afforded hands-on, authentic learning experiences as well.

Chandler, Mark A.↗

Assimilation of Blended Satellite Soil Moisture Data Products to Further Improve Noah-MP Model Skills

Microwave satellite remote sensing has enabled observations of soil moisture (SM) at the global scale, and multiple SM data products have been developed in the past decades. However, single-sensor-based measurements are insufficient for continuous spatiotemporal coverage. In the context of its climate program, the Climate Change Initiative, the European Space Agency (ESA) has developed robust, long term, global scale, multi instrument satellite derived time series of climate data record for key component of the climate system, including soil moisture (CCI), while the Soil Moisture Operational Product System (SMOPS) was specifically developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to offer the real time blended SM datasets through merging all available individual products. Before combining, all individual SM data ingested into both SMOPS and CCI blended products are scaled to Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) 0-10 cm SM climatology. Benefiting from land surface model evolution and the availability of high-quality forcing data, GLDAS has become more comprehensive to track SM changes and dynamic trends. The development of GLDAS and the scaling procedure in CCI and SMOPS leave an open scientific and operational question: do the blended satellite SM data products have added value comparing to the GLDAS product? This study clearly reveals that both CCI and SMOPS can provide the reliable SM observations with independent information, although their climatology matches well with GLDAS. Relative to assimilation of GLDAS 0-10 cm SM data, Noah-MP model can be further improved by assimilating the blended satellite SM observations with respect to the quality-controlled in situ measurements. The strong consistency of results presented in this paper proves that the blended satellite SM data products are more useful than the GLDAS product in terms of improving Noah-MP model performance.

Jifu Yin↗

Western Sonoran Desert Water Resources: Evaluating Rock Pool Hydroperiod Fluctuation using Climate Variables to Inform Habitat Monitoring and Protection in the Western Sonoran Desert

Ephemeral freshwater rock pools, known as tinajas, have great biologic and cultural importance as sources of surface water in the western Sonoran Desert (WSD). Tinaja flooding and drying cycles, known as hydroperiods, vary based on meteorologic and climatologic conditions; however, a lack of extensive research relating climatic impacts to tinajas puts these critical ecosystems further at risk. The National Park Service (NPS) and the University of Arizona monitor the physical and ecological condition of tinajas in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM), AZ, using resource-intensive strategies: in situ trail cameras and direct measurements. To aid monitoring efforts, the NASA DEVELOP team aimed to incorporate remote sensing into NPS strategies by analyzing spatiotemporal climate data and tinaja hydroperiods in OPCNM between 1979–2022. Using Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS), University of Idaho Gridded Surface Meteorological Dataset (gridMET), and OpenET data, the team generated climatology maps and time series for OPCNM. The team compared these data to daily in situ hydroperiod observations from the University of Arizona between 2019–2022. Climate maps and time series showed increases in temperature and solar radiation (p<0.05), while analyses of in situ data showed correlations of hydroperiods with precipitation and evapotranspiration. End products identified high-risk tinajas and demonstrated that Earth observations can successfully be correlated with in situ hydroperiod observations. These results will support NPS efforts to prioritize water resource management and inform protocols driving the conservation of tinajas in OPCNM.

Anne Britton↗

Bioclimatic distribution of vegetation for general circulation model studies

Four global bioclimatic schemes which qualify climates on the basis of the distribution of vegetation, including the Holdridge (1947), Thornthwaite (1948), Koeppen (1936), and Troll and Paffen (1964) schemes, were applied to two global climate data sets to produce maps of global vegetation distribution: the Rand set described by Schutz and Gates (1971, 1973, and 1974) and the Shea (1986) data set. The results show that only 38 to 40 percent of the observed land surface, mapped as 31 vegetation types, could be replicated by applying the four schemes to these data sets. The simulations were significantly improved by further subdividing and regrouping the climates defined by the schemes and by regrouping the observed vegetation types. With these alterations, 77 percent of the predicted vegetative landscape coresponded with the observed distribution of vegetation.

Prentice, Katharine Culbertson↗

Estimating Irrigation Water Requirements using MODIS Vegetation Indices and Inverse Biophysical Modeling

An inverse process approach using satellite-driven (MODIS) biophysical modeling was used to quantitatively assess water resource demand in semi-arid and arid agricultural lands by comparing the carbon and water flux modeled under both equilibrium (in balance with prevailing climate) and non-equilibrium (irrigated) conditions. Since satellite observations of irrigated areas show higher leaf area indices (LAI) than is supportable by local precipitation, we postulate that the degree to which irrigated lands vary from equilibrium conditions is related to the amount of irrigation water used. For an observation year we used MODIS vegetation indices, local climate data, and the SiB2 photosynthesis-conductance model to examine the relationship between climate and the water stress function for a given grid-cell and observed leaf area. To estimate the minimum amount of supplemental water required for an observed cell, we added enough precipitation to the prevailing climatology at each time step to minimize the water stress function and bring the soil to field capacity. The experiment was conducted on irrigated lands on the U.S. Mexico border and Central Asia and compared to estimates of irrigation water used.

Imhoff, Marc L.↗

Suomi NPP VIIRS Ocean Color Data Product Early Mission Assessment

Following the launch of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polarorbiting Partnership (NPP) spacecraft, the NASA NPP VIIRS Ocean Science Team (VOST) began an evaluation of ocean color data products to determine whether they could continue the existing NASA ocean color climate data record (CDR). The VOST developed an independent evaluation product based on NASA algorithms with a reprocessing capability. Here we present a preliminary assessment of both the operational ocean color data products and the NASA evaluation data products regarding their applicability to NASA science objectives.

NPP↗

Can We Use the QA4ECV Black-sky Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) using AVHRR Surface Reflectance to Assess Terrestrial Global Change?

NOAA platforms provide the longest period of terrestrial observation since the 1980s. The progress in calibration, atmospheric corrections and physically based land retrieval offers the opportunity to reprocess these data for extending terrestrial product time series. Within the Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables (QA4ECV) project, the black-sky Joint Research Centre (JRC)-fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) algorithm was developed for the AVHRR sensors on-board NOAA-07 to -16 using the Land Surface Reflectance Climate Data Record. The retrieval algorithm was based on the radiative transfer theory, and uncertainties were included in the products. We proposed a time and spatial composite for providing both 10-day and monthly products at 0.05º × 0.05º. Quality control and validation were achieved through benchmarking against third-party products, including Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) datasets produced with the same retrieval algorithm. Past ground-based measurements, providing a proxy of FAPAR, showed good agreement of seasonality values over short homogeneous canopies and mixed vegetation. The average difference between SeaWiFS and QA4ECV monthly products over 2002–2005 is about 0.075 with a standard deviation of 0.091. We proposed a monthly linear bias correction that reduced these statistics to 0.02 and 0.001. The complete harmonized long-term time series was then used to address its fitness for the purpose of analysis of global terrestrial change.

AVHRR↗

Progress Towards AIRS Science Team Version-7 at SRT

The AIRS Science Team Version-6 retrieval algorithm is currently producing level-3 Climate Data Records (CDRs) from AIRS that have been proven useful to scientists in understanding climate processes. CDRs are gridded level-3 products which include all cases passing AIRS Climate QC. SRT has made significant further improvements to AIRS Version-6. At the last Science Team Meeting, we described results using SRT AIRS Version-6.22. SRT Version-6.22 is now an official build at JPL called 6.2.4. Version-6.22 results are significantly improved compared to Version-6, especially with regard to water vapor and ozone profiles. We have adapted AIRS Version-6.22 to run with CrIS/ATMS, at the Sounder SIPS which processed CrIS/ATMS data for August 2014. JPL AIRS Version-6.22 uses the Version-6 AIRS tuning coefficients. AIRS Version-6.22 has at least two limitations which must be improved before finalization of Version-7: Version-6.22 total O3 has spurious high values in the presence of Saharan dust over the ocean; and Version-6.22 retrieved upper stratospheric temperatures are very poor in polar winter. SRT Version-6.28 addresses the first concern. John Blaisdell ran the analog of AIRS Version-6.28 in his own sandbox at JPL for the 14th and 15th of every month in 2014 and all of July and October for 2014. AIRS Version-6.28a is hot off the presses and addresses the second concern.

CrIS↗

An Update on Global Satellite-Based Precipitation Products and Services at NASA GES DISC

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) is home to major NASA satellite precipitation measurement missions including the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) as well as other NASA projects. Accurate and timely available global and regional precipitation products play an important role in research and applications around the world. The GES DISC provides near-real-time, near-global precipitation products (e.g.IMERG) to support a wide variety of interdisciplinary research and operational activities including flood modeling, landslides, crop monitoring and assessment, vector-borne diseases, etc. Climate data record products (e.g.GPCP3) are essential for climate research, assessment, model evaluation and applications. To facilitate data access and exploration, the GES DISC has developed data services such asGiovanni, an online visualization and analysis tool for easy access to over 2000 satellite- and model-based variables. Established in the mid 1980s, the GES DISC also distributes data in other disciplines including hydrology, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric dynamics, etc. In this presentation, we will present an update on global precipitation products and data services including the new IMERG V06B suite, the latest version of GPCP (Version 3) and value-added data subsetting services (L34RS, L2S).

Liu, Zhong↗

Algorithmically detected rain-on-snow flood events in different climate datasets: a case study of the Susquehanna River basin

Abstract. Rain-on-snow (RoS) events in regions of ephemeral snowpack – such as the northeastern United States – can be key drivers of cool-season flooding. We describe an automated algorithm for detecting basin-scale RoS events in gridded climate data by generating an area-averaged time series and then searching for periods of concurrent precipitation, surface runoff, and snowmelt exceeding predefined thresholds. When evaluated using historical data over the Susquehanna River basin (SRB), the technique credibly finds RoS events in published literature and flags events that are followed by anomalously high streamflow as measured by gauge data along the river. When comparing four different datasets representing the same 21-year period, we find large differences in RoS event magnitude and frequency, primarily driven by differences in estimated surface runoff and snowmelt. Using dataset-specific thresholds improves agreement between datasets but does not account for all discrepancies. We show that factors such as meteorological forcing and coupling frequency, as well as choice of land surface model, play roles in how data products capture these compound extremes and suggest care is to be taken when climate datasets are used by stakeholders for operational decision-making.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A User-Focused Renovation of CERES Metadata

Production software and public data products for Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) continue to evolve as the project extends its climate data record. The data management team for CERES is currently undertaking major renovations of both code and data products, the latter of which is, of course, in service of improving user experience. A major mode of CERES’ data product improvement is in renovating products’ metadata. Metadata standards have evolved since CERES began producing its data products in 2000. In its twentieth year, CERES essentially asked the question: how would the project design its data products if it could start all over again? With forthcoming editions, this rebirth will be realized. CERES has redesigned its metadata standards to best position itself for data discoverability. The project has used the latest standards being developed in NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information Systems (ESDIS) Project’s Unified Metadata Model (UMM) documentation; collaborated with the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) to ensure compliance with Common Metadata Repository compatibility, and continued compliance with Climate and Forecast (CF) Conventions. In doing so, the team created its own, internal document for proper metadata creation and metadata verification software that is deployed prior to all code deliveries. This presentation will discuss this redesign process, as well as needs met and those that are still outstanding in the search for an improved user experience with CERES data products.

Kathleen Dejwakh↗