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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

NASA and Mt. St. Helens

NASA technology played an important part in the Mt. St. Helen's aftermath, not only in scientific studies, but also in disaster assessment and relief operations. A particular problem was maintaining communications with rescue ground crews and evacuation helicopters operating in the smoke-obscured area. The key element came from NASA's ATS-3 satellite, which is capable of beaming to and receiving signals from small, simple antennas on the ground, and a communications jeep developed by the Air Force. NASA also helped to assess the environmental impact of the eruption. A specially-instrumented aircraft operated by several NASA Centers took samples of the volcanic material at various points over the U.S. and tracked the volcano's plume. A NASA instrumented balloon penetrated the plume and the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment Satellite tracked the global spread of the volcanic "veil."

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Stratospheric HNO3 quantification from line-by-line nonlinear least-squares analysis of high-resolution balloon-borne solar absorption spectra in the 870/cm region

Line parameters for the nu(5) and 2nu(9) bands and associated hot bands of HNO3 have been calculated and compared with laboratory spectra, and the results are presented. Spectral intervals near 870/cm for which best agreement was obtained are used to quantitatively analyze HNO3 absorption features in 0.02/cm resolution stratospheric solar absorption spectra.

Goldman, A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

On the Stratospheric Chemistry of Hydrogen Cyanide

HCN profiles measured by solar occultation spectrometry during 10 balloon flights of the JPL MkIV instrument are presented. The HCN profiles reveal a compact correlation with stratospheric tracers. Calculations with a 2D-model using established rate coefficients for the reactions of HCN with OH and O(1D) severely underestimate the measured HCN in the middle and upper stratosphere. The use of newly available rate coefficients for these reactions gives reasonable agreement of measured and modeled HCN. An HCN yield of approx.30% from the reaction of CH3CN with OH is consistent with the measurements.

photochemical properties↗
NASA NTRS1987

Ozone isotope measurements in the stratosphere

Mass spectrometer measurements of ozone made during two balloon flights included its heavy isotopes at mass 49 and 50. Both flights were flown during the day and during summer from Palestine, TX. At float altitudes above 42 km the enrichments in heavy ozone were 41 percent and 23 percent, respectively. The enrichment appears to be mass independent since, at high altitudes, both 49 and 50 show the same enhancement. During the descent the enrichment in heavy ozone decreased, faster during the first flight than during the second, reaching values between 15 and 20 percent above 30 km. Near and below this altitude another increase is observed. During a night flight, previously reported, an enhancement in heavy ozone of over 40 percent at 32 km was found, decreasing both toward higher and lower altitudes.

Mauersberger, K.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Concentration of carbon monoxide in the upper stratosphere

The concentration of telluric carbon monoxide has been determined in the upper stratosphere from infrared solar spectra recorded by balloon in October 1978 and September 1979, over Texas. The average mixing ratios were found to be (2.1 plus or minus 3) x 10 to the -8th ppv and (3.7 plus or minus 0.4) x 10 the the -8th ppv above the float altitudes of 30.6 and 36.8 km, respectively. The concentration profile deduced from all the measurements indicates that the CO mixing ratio increases in the upper stratosphere, from (1 plus or minus 0.3) x 10 to the -8th ppv at 30.6 km, to about 4 x 10 to the -8th ppv above 41 km.

Zander, R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Solar irradiance in the stratosphere - Implications for the Herzberg continuum absorption of O2

A set of solar irradiance observations is analyzed that were performed from the third Solar Absorption Balloon Experiment (SABE-3) as the payload ascended through the stratosphere from 32 to 39 km. Comparison of these data with calculations of the attenuated irradiance based on simultaneous ozone and pressure measurements made from the payload suggests a refinement of the cross section values used in photochemical models. More ultraviolet radiation in the 200-210 nm spectral region reaches the middle stratosphere than is predicted by the absorption data presently available. It is suggested that significantly smaller values for the Herzberg continuum of O2 be used in future models.

Frederick, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Carbon dioxide measurements in the stratosphere

A mass spectrometer experiment for the analysis of minor constituents in the stratosphere has been flown successfully four times from Palestine, Texas on board a balloon gondola. The carbon dioxide mixing ratio, which shows unexpectedly large variations in the stratosphere, reached 400 ppm in one particular night flight. This is about 20% higher than the ground value. Evidence is presented that the experiment performed well during each of the balloon flights. The isotopic ratio C-12/C-13 was measured and found in good agreement with previous air analyses showing a depletion of C-13.

Mauersberger, K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Submillimeter measurement of stratospheric chlorine monoxide

The measurement of the ClO concentration in the stratosphere provides crucial information on the mechanism for ozone depletion by catalytic reactions involving chlorine. Two rotational transitions of ClO, J = 35/2 - 33/2 and J = 37/2 - 35/2 have been identified in balloon-borne high-resolution spectra of the stratospheric emission in the submillimeter region. The measurements provide information on the ClO concentration at altitudes around 28 km. In the case of afternoon measurements obtained in April 1979, a scaling factor of 0.85 (+0.67, -0.64) is observed, and in the case of afternoon and early morning measurements obtained in October 1982, a scaling factor of 0.88 (+0.18, -0.08) is observed.

Carli, B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Simulation of Ozone and Long Lived Tracers in the GSFC Two-Dimensional Model

The GSFC two-dimensional transport and chemistry model has been used for a wide variety of scientific and assessment studies of stratospheric ozone. Transport is a key element in the ozone simulations, and we have recently upgraded our model transport formulation to include much of the information about atmospheric transport processes available from existing data sets. To properly evaluate the model transport, it is desirable to examine the effects of transport and photochemistry separately. Recently, high quality observations of several long lived stratospheric tracers have become available from aircraft, balloon, and satellite measurement systems. This data provides a means to do a detailed model transport evaluation, as has been done in the recent Models and Measurements Intercomparison Project II. In this paper, we will discuss the GSFC 2D model simulations of ozone together with model-data comparisons of long lived tracers such as methane and the age of air transport diagnostic. We will show that the model can reproduce many of the transport-sensitive features observed in the stratosphere, and can compare reasonably well with measurements of both total ozone and long lived tracers simultaneously. We will also discuss the model deficiencies in simulating some of the detailed aspects of the observations.

Fleming, Eric L.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exceptional stratospheric contribution to human fingerprints on atmospheric temperature

In 1967, scientists used a simple climate model to predict that human-caused increases in atmospheric CO 2 should warm Earth’s troposphere and cool the stratosphere. This important signature of anthropogenic climate change has been documented in weather balloon and satellite temperature measurements extending from near-surface to the lower stratosphere. Stratospheric cooling has also been confirmed in the mid to upper stratosphere, a layer extending from roughly 25 to 50 km above the Earth’s surface (S 25 − 50 ). To date, however, S 25 − 50 temperatures have not been used in pattern-based attribution studies of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we perform such a “fingerprint” study with satellite-derived patterns of temperature change that extend from the lower troposphere to the upper stratosphere. Including S 25 − 50 information increases signal-to-noise ratios by a factor of five, markedly enhancing fingerprint detectability. Key features of this global-scale human fingerprint include stratospheric cooling and tropospheric warming at all latitudes, with stratospheric cooling amplifying with height. In contrast, the dominant modes of internal variability in S 25 − 50 have smaller-scale temperature changes and lack uniform sign. These pronounced spatial differences between S 25 − 50 signal and noise patterns are accompanied by large cooling of S 25 − 50 (1 to 2 ° C over 1986 to 2022) and low S 25 − 50 noise levels. Our results explain why extending “vertical fingerprinting” to the mid to upper stratosphere yields incontrovertible evidence of human effects on the thermal structure of Earth’s atmosphere.

climate modeling↗
NASA NTRS2016

Scientific Ballooning Technologies Workshop STO-2 Thermal Design and Analysis

The heritage thermal model for the full STO-2 (Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory II), vehicle has been updated to model the CSBF (Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility) SIP-14 (Scientific Instrument Package) in detail. Analysis of this model has been performed for the Antarctica FY2017 launch season. Model temperature predictions are compared to previous results from STO-2 review documents.

Long Duration Balloon↗
NASA NTRS1985

Balloon-based interferometric techniques

A balloon-borne triple-etalon Fabry-Perot Interferometer, observing the Doppler shifts of absorption lines caused by molecular oxygen and water vapor in the far red/near infrared spectrum of backscattered sunlight, has been used to evaluate a passive spaceborne remote sensing technique for measuring winds in the troposphere and stratosphere. There have been two successful high altitude balloon flights of the prototype UCL instrument from the National Scientific Balloon Facility at Palestine, TE (May 80, Oct. 83). The results from these flights have demonstrated that an interferometer with adequate resolution, stability and sensitivity can be built. The wind data are of comparable quality to those obtained from operational techniques (balloon and rocket sonde, cloud-top drift analysis, and from the gradient wind analysis of satellite radiance measurements). However, the interferometric data can provide a regular global grid, over a height range from 5 to 50 km in regions of clear air. Between the middle troposphere (5 km) and the upper stratosphere (40 to 50 km), an optimized instrument can make wind measurements over the daylit hemisphere with an accuracy of about 3 to 5 m/sec (2 sigma). It is possible to obtain full height profiles between altitudes of 5 and 50 km, with 4 km height resolution, and a spatial resolution of about 200 km, along the orbit track. Below an altitude of about 10 km, Fraunhofer lines of solar origin are possible targets of the Doppler wind analysis. Above an altitude of 50 km, the weakness of the backscattered solar spectrum (decreasing air density) is coupled with the low absorption crosssection of all atmospheric species in the spectral region up to 800 nm (where imaging photon detectors can be used), causing the along-the-track resolution (or error) to increase beyond values useful for operational purposes. Within the region of optimum performance (5 to 50 km), however, the technique is a valuable potential complement to existing wind measuring systems and can provide a low cost addition to powerful active (LIDAR) wind measuring systems now under development.

Rees, David↗
DOE OSTI2023

Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment (BIRDIE) (Field Campaign Report)

The Beryllium Isotopes in Rainfall for Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Dynamics Experiment or BIRDIE was a precipitation collection campaign designed to measure cosmogenic isotopes of beryllium in rainfall and other forms of precipitation across the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory. Precipitation samples were collected over three weeks (May 21-June 10, 2022) at 11 SGP sites across a 120-km 2 domain in northern and central Oklahoma. The field campaign targeted summertime convection rain events. We aimed to capture any spatial and/or temporal variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 (10Be) and beryllium-7 (7Be) across the ARM SGP site during these rainfall events. The ratio of 10Be to 7Be (10/7Be) has been shown to be a powerful tracer for transport processes in the stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) system (e.g., Koch and Rind 1998). Any observed variability is analyzed to see if it could be linked to STE processes, including overshooting of deep convection clouds that penetrate the lower stratosphere. Six wet weather system events were collected within our three-week span. Five out of six of these rainfall events are classified as moderately to strongly convective. Those events are studied in more detail. The five systems also follow each other over a short period of 11 days. In our rainfall samples we observed spatial and event variability in the concentrations of beryllium-10 and -7 that resulted in variability of 10/7Be ratios. Each weather event appeared to exhibit a unique 10/7Be pattern across the domain that was not directly linked to storm total precipitation amount. To better understand the causes for this spatial variability, cloud characteristics in the domain were looked at to assess cloud type, cloud height, and depth information. We also ran Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model back trajectories to identify possible air mass and moisture origins across our events. Detailed analysis is ongoing. The purpose of this technical report is to provide background on using cosmogenic isotopes as atmospheric tracers, describe the experimental design, and present the beryllium concentration and ratio data. Lastly, we note that BIRDIE coincided with two other deep convection field campaigns in the area: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) experiment (https://dcotss.org/) centered in Salina, Kansas, and the Targeted Observation by Radars and (uncrewed aerial systems) UAS of Supercells (TORUS) experiment (https://catalog.eol.ucar.edu/torus_2022) across the U.S. Central Plains. Additionally, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL) team at DCOTSS attempted to measure 10Be/7Be ratios on aerosols collected in situ in the lower and mid-stratosphere over Kansas using high-altitude balloons. Precipitation samples were also collected on the ground in Salina, Kansas.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1985

Hierarchical structure of stratospheric wind fluctuations

In order to verify the gravity-wave-breaking theories, high resolution observations of middle-stratospheric winds were carried out by balloon-borne anemometers. The observed features were summarized, the parameters of waves generating the turbulence were estimated, and the effect on the general circulation and the transport process were discussed.

Yamanaka, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Cryogenic optical systems and instruments II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 23, 24, 1986

The topics of the present conference encompass cryogenic optical system design considerations, cryogenic instruments and their components, the design and performance of cryogenic dewars for space, and technologies supporting cryogenic systems and instruments. Attention is given to the Space IR Telescope Facility (SIRTF) observatory's design and on-orbit servicing, hardware development for the Gravity Probe-B program, the multiband imaging photometer aboard SIRTF, and the SIRTF wide field, diffraction-limited array camera. Also discussed are the cryogenic star-tracking telescope for Gravity Probe-B, a balloon-borne spectrometer for measurement of lower stratospheric trace constituents, the primary mirror support system design for a cryogenic space telescope, and the SQUID readout and ultralow magnetic fields of Gravity Probe-B.

Melugin, Ramsey K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Accuracy and Precision in the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) Dataset 1998-2000 in Light of the JOSIE-2000 Results

A network of 12 southern hemisphere tropical and subtropical stations in the Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes (SHADOZ) project has provided over 2000 profiles of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone since 1998. Balloon-borne electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes are used with standard radiosondes for pressure, temperature and relative humidity measurements. The archived data are available at:http: //croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz. In Thompson et al., accuracies and imprecisions in the SHADOZ 1998- 2000 dataset were examined using ground-based instruments and the TOMS total ozone measurement (version 7) as references. Small variations in ozonesonde technique introduced possible biases from station-to-station. SHADOZ total ozone column amounts are now compared to version 8 TOMS; discrepancies between the two datasets are reduced 2\% on average. An evaluation of ozone variations among the stations is made using the results of a series of chamber simulations of ozone launches (JOSIE-2000, Juelich Ozonesonde Intercomparison Experiment) in which a standard reference ozone instrument was employed with the various sonde techniques used in SHADOZ. A number of variations in SHADOZ ozone data are explained when differences in solution strength, data processing and instrument type (manufacturer) are taken into account.

Witte, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Far-infrared measurement of stratospheric carbon monoxide

The stratospheric vertical distribution of CO is obtained from balloon-based FIR limb thermal emission spectra by analyzing several limb sequences of the R8 and R1 spectral lines at 34.588 and 49.932/cm, respectively. This constitutes the first determination of the stratospheric CO profile from IR thermal emission spectra. The results, indicating 24.6 + or - 7.6 ppbv at 21 km and 34.4 + or - 10.1 ppbv at 37 km, are compared with the remote-sensing and in situ measurements by other groups and with photochemical-dynamical model calculations.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A comparison of dustsonde and LIDAR measurements of stratospheric aerosols

This paper describes the results and analysis of an experiment to compare the stratospheric aerosol profiles as measured by a balloon-borne in situ particle counter and by the backscattered light from a ground-based laser radar (LIDAR) operating at a wavelength of 6943 A. The profile comparison agrees within the experimental errors for particles with radii greater than 0.25 micrometer and for altitudes between 15 and 28 kilometers. Following the calibration tests, the LIDAR was used to monitor the stratospheric aerosols at Hampton, Virginia. Enhanced backscatter appeared sporadically in November and December of 1974 over Hampton; scattering ratios averaged over altitude increments of 450 meters range from 1.10 at 20 kilometers in early November to 3.3 at 17 kilometers on December 18. The source of this enhanced backscattering is attributed to the aerosols associated with the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala in mid-October.

Remsberg, E. E.↗