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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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32 records · Page 2

Development and Implementation of Software for Visualizing and Editing Multidimensional Flight Simulation Input Data

In a real-time or batch mode simulation that is designed to model aircraft dynamics over a wide range of flight conditions, a table look- up scheme is implemented to determine the forces and moments on the vehicle based upon the values of parameters such as angle of attack, altitude, Mach number, and control surface deflections. Simulation Aerodynamic Variable Interface (SAVI) is a graphical user interface to the flight simulation input data, designed to operate on workstations that support X Windows. The purpose of the application is to provide two and three dimensional visualization of the data, to allow an intuitive sense of the data set. SAVI also allows the user to manipulate the data, either to conduct an interactive study of the influence of changes on the vehicle dynamics, or to make revisions to data set based on new information such as flight test. This paper discusses the reasons for developing the application, provides an overview of its capabilities, and outlines the software architecture and operating environment.

Whelan, Todd Michael

Lifetime extension drop-test of real-world corroded 5 Quart Hagan nuclear material storage container

A 5Qt Hagan container with a 20-year history of nuclear material storage was challenged with three successive drop tests at a height of 3.7 meters. The total mass of the test package was 12.1 kg. The 1st and 2nd drop tests (center of gravity over the container bottom corner but 180 degrees apart on the container bottom face) passed the pre- and post- impact helium leak criterion at less than 1.00E-6 atm-cc/sec (ambient cubic centimeters per second). The 3rd and final test (center of gravity over top corner) failed with a post-impact gross leak of 1.1E-1 atmcc/sec. The RRFMC (Respirable Release Fraction Measurement Chamber) is a drop tower test system that is critical for the sustainability of the SAVY-4000™ series and Hagan-type (NFT Inc. Golden CO) nuclear material storage containers. These are the primary in-use nuclear material storage container types at the Los Alamos National Laboratory TA-55 facility. Results are presented to expand the technical knowledge basis for container lifetime, regarding actual exposure to corrosive gas species on the container inner surfaces. The primary source of general corrosion throughout the container is gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl). This gas is generated by the degradation of the polyvinylchloride (PVC) bag-out bag. Additionally, in most cases, the nuclear material itself also releases HCl gas (due to residual chemical components associated with the material formation). The RRFMC drop tower gives the end-user the ability record and analyze high-speed video and photography and if needed aerosol mass release measurements. In this report the principal issue is the physical deformation of the 5Qt Hagan container. There were no mass release experiments of test aerosol mass in the present study.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W

The Use of High Spectral Resolution Bands for Estimating Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (A Par)

Most remote sensing estimations of vegetation variables such as Leaf Area Index (LAI), Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (APAR), and phytomass are made using broad band sensors with a bandwidth of approximately 100 nm. However, high resolution spectrometers are available and have not been fully exploited for the purpose of improving estimates of vegetation variables. A study directed to investigate the use of high spectral resolution spectroscopy for remote sensing estimates of APAR in vegetation canopies in the presence of nonphotosynthetic background materials such as soil and leaf litter is presented. A high spectral resolution method defined as the Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (CARI) was developed for minimizing the effects of nonphotosynthetic materials in the remote estimates of APAR. CARI utilizes three bands at 550, 670, and 700 nm with bandwidth of 10 nm. Simulated canopy reflectance of a range of LAI were generated with the SAIL model using measurements of 42 different soil types as canopy background. CARI obtained from the simulated canopy reflectance was compared with the broad band vegetation indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Simple Ratio (SR)). CARI reduced the effect of nonphotosynthetic background materials in the assessment of vegetation canopy APAR more effectively than broad band vegetation indices.

Kim, Moon S.

The red edge in arid region vegetation: 340-1060 nm spectra

The remote sensing study of vegetated regions of the world has typically been focused on the use of broad-band vegetation indices such as NDVI. Various modifications of these indices have been developed in attempts to minimize the effect of soil background, e.g., SAVI, or to reduce the effect of the atmosphere, e.g., ARVI. Most of these indices depend on the so-called 'red edge,' the sharp transition between the strong absorption of chlorophyll pigment in visible wavelengths and the strong scattering in the near-infrared from the cellular structure of leaves. These broadband indices tend to become highly inaccurate as the green canopy cover becomes sparse. The advent of high spectral resolution remote sensing instrument such as the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) has allowed the detection of narrow spectral features in vegetation and there are reports of detection of the red edge even for pixels with very low levels of green vegetation cover by Vane et al. and Elvidge et al., and to characterize algal biomass in coastal areas. Spectral mixing approaches similar to those of Smith et al. can be extended into the high spectral resolution domain allowing for the analysis of more endmembers, and potentially, discrimination between material with narrow spectral differences. Vegetation in arid regions tends to be sparse, often with small leaves such as the creosote bush. Many types of arid region vegetation spend much of the year with their leaves in a senescent state, i.e., yellow, with lowered chlorophyll pigmentation. The sparseness of the leaves of many arid region plants has the dual effect of lowering the green leaf area which can be observed and of allowing more of the sub-shrub soil to be visible which further complicates the spectrum of a region covered with arid region vegetation. Elvidge examined the spectral characteristics of dry plant materials showing significant differences in the region of the red edge and the diagnostic ligno-cellulose absorptions at 2090 nm and 2300 nm. Ray et al. detected absorption at 2100 nm in AVIRIS spectra of an abandoned field known to be covered by a great deal of dead plant litter. In order to better study arid region vegetation remote sensing data, it is necessary to better characterize the reflectance spectra of in situ, living, arid region plants.

Ray, Terrill W.

Assessing the Relationship Between Spectral Vegetation Indices and Shrub Cover in the Jornada Basin, New Mexico

We assessed the statistical relations between Spectral Vegetation Indices (SVI's) derived from SPOT multi-spectral data and semi-arid shrub cover at the Jornada LTER site in New Mexico. Despite a limited range of shrub cover in the sample the analyses resulted in r(sup 2) values as high as 0 central dot 77. Greenness SVI's (e.g., Simple Ratio, NDVI, SAVI, PVI and an orthogonal Greenness index) were shown to be more sensitive to shrub type and phenology than brightness SVis (e.g., green, red and near-infrared reflectances and a Brightness index). The results varied substantially with small-scale changes in plot size (60m by 60m to 100m by 100m) as a consequence of landscape heterogeneity. The results also indicated the potential for the spectral differentiation of shrub types, and shrubs from grass, using multi-temporal, multi-spectral analysis.

Duncan, Jeff

Analysis of Vegetation and Atmospheric Correction Indices for Landsat Images

Vegetation and Atmospheric Indices are mathematical combinations of remote sensing bands which are useful in distinguishing the various values of the spectral reflectance. In this paper we study how the applications of various atmospherically corrected indices and vegetation indices can aide in retrieving the amount of surface reflectance from a remotely sensed image. Specifically, this paper studies and compares three vegetation indices and one atmospherically resistant index. These indices include the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), the Green Vegetation Index (GVI), and the Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index (ARVI), respectively. The algorithms attempt to estimate the optical characteristics of Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. It will be shown that the NDVI algorithm followed by the ARVI correcting algorithm provided significant improvements in the tonal qualities of the retrieved images. The results are presented on 1987 TM images over the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and are compared with a set of United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S) maps.

Bush, Tasha R.

Estimating Major Ion and Nutrient Concentrations in Mangrove Estuaries in Everglades National Park Using Leaf and Satellite Reflectance

Coastal mangrove ecosystems are under duress worldwide because of urban development, sea-level rise, and climate change, processes that are capable of changing the salinity and nutrient concentration of the water utilized by the mangroves. This study correlates long-term water chemistry in mangrove environments, located in Everglades National Park,with mangrove spectral reflectance measurements made at both the leaf and canopy scales. Spectral reflectance measurements were collected using a handheld spectrometer for leaf-level measurements and Landsat 5TMdata for regional coverage. Leaf-level reflectance data were collected from three mangrove species (i.e., red, black and white mangroves) across two regions; a tall mangrove (approximately 18m) and dwarf mangrove (1- 2 m) region. The reflectance data were then used to calculate a wide variety of biophysical reflectance indices (e.g., NDVI, EVI, SAVI) to determine signs of stress. Discrete, quarterly water samples from the surface water, groundwater, and pore water (20 and 85 cm depths) and daily autonomous surface water samples were collected at each site and analyzed for major anions (Cl(−) and SO(2(-)/4)), cations (Na(+), K(+), Mg(sup 2(+)), and Ca(sup 2(+)), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP).Mangrove sites that exhibited the highest salinity and ionic concentrations in the surface and subsurface water also had the lowest near-infrared reflectance at both the leaf and satellite levels. Seasonal reflectance responses were measured in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths at both the leaf and canopy scales and were strongly correlated with nutrient and ionic concentrations in the surface and subsurface water, even though there was no significant separability between the three mangrove species. Study sites that experienced the greatest variability in surface and subsurface water ionic concentrations also exhibited the greatest fluctuations in NIR spectral reflectance. Landsat 5TM images were able to detect tall and dwarf mangroves by the differences in spectral indices (e.g., NDVI, NDWI, and EVI) because of the variability in the background conditions amongst the environments. In addition, Landsat 5TM images spanning 16 years (1993- 2009) were successfully used to estimate the seasonal variability in ionic concentrations in the surface water across the Florida Coastal mangrove ecotone. This study has shown that water chemistry can be estimated indirectly by measuring the change in spectral response at the leaf- or satellite-scale. Furthermore, the results of this research may be extrapolated to similar coastal mangrove systems throughout the Caribbean and world-wide wherever red, black, and white mangroves occur.

Mangroves

Vegetation Change Detection in Southern California Solar Energy Developments

Change detection from satellite sensor vegetation indices (VIs) presents an opportunity to monitor trends and disturbances at the regional scale for southern California's Mojave and Lower Colorado Deserts. Renewable energy sites are being constructed in this region on public lands under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We have developed a framework for VI change detection over the past two decades, with initial focus on three sites, Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and a proximal group of Development Focus Areas (DFAs), for comparison between protected and development-targeted lands. Three Terra MODIS VIs (normalized difference [NDVI], enhanced [EVI], soil-adjusted [SAVI]) were evaluated in the Breaks for Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) setting for the regional MODIS 250-m resolution grid to estimate significant time series shifts (breakpoints) from February 2000 to May 2018. All three VIs tended to detect the maximum number of breakpoints at a grid location, but cross-correlations with precipitation and comparison with timing of wildfire burns near the study sites for breakpoint density (proportion of area with a breakpoint) showed that NDVI had the strongest response to these major disturbances, supporting its use for subsequent analysis. Time series of NDVI breakpoint change densities for individual solar energy sites did not have a consistent vegetation response following construction. Bootstrapping showed that the DFAs had significantly larger kurtosis and variance in the positive NDVI breakpoint distribution than did the protected sites, but there was no significant difference in the negative distribution for all three sites. The inconsistent post-construction NDVI signal and the large number of breakpoints overall suggested that the largest changes in vegetation cover density were tied to seasonal precipitation amounts. The distributional results indicated that existing site-specific conditions were the main control on VI responses, given the history of human disturbances in the DFAs. Although the results do not support persistent VI disturbances resulting from recent solar energy development, continued monitoring and examination of other ecological variables and surface temperatures will be vital to the long-term protection of this desert environment.

Potter, Christopher S.

Assessing the Feasibility of Using Various Earth Observations to Monitor Environmental Trends Associated with River Flow Impediments Near Energy Intake Structures

Grassing events, characterized by the release of river vegetation in large quantities, are often responsible for major flow impediments surrounding industrial water intake structures. These sudden flow impediments halt critical municipal functions, such as cooling at energy generating facilities, leading to widespread energy disruptions for surrounding communities. Because the origin and cause of grassing events in rivers are largely unknown, employees at these facilities can only reactively respond after they occur by pausing energy generation to manually remove the accumulation of aquatic vegetation. In 2023, the Dresden Generating Station, in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey, began looking into using remote sensing methodologies to locate floating aquatic vegetation surrounding their intake structure located along the Kankakee River in northern Illinois. This project contributed to this effort by conducting a case study that compared the performance, practicality, and feasibility of using various Earth observations (Landsat 9 OLI-2, Landsat 8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and DOVE PlanetScope) and vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, SAVI, and GCI) to monitor aquatic vegetation in the Kankakee River. Additionally, this study incorporated several environmental metrics to identify potential triggers for grassing events. Results from this project found that while Landsat sensors provide a lower spatial resolution than commercial satellite Earth observations, areas of aquatic vegetation were similarly identified; therefore, it may not be necessary to acquire expensive, high-resolution datasets for continued monitoring. Finally, preliminary correlation analyses showed a potential negative relationship between the river discharge and the presence of aquatic vegetation (-0.875 correlation coefficient), suggesting that periods of low flow could lead to large releases in aquatic vegetation.

Marisa Smedsrud

The Reaction of Atomic Hydrogen with an Imine: Direct Kinetic Measurements and Computational Studies

Imines are of interest in the combustion modeling of nitrogen-based fuels such as ammonia, as intermediates in atmospheric oxidation of amines, and may offer a new class of environmentally benign substitutes for perhalogenated reagents. Elementary gas-phase rate constants for the consumption of H atoms by 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanimine were measured over 294–736 K using the laser flash photolysis/atomic resonance fluorescence technique. The results are summarized as 3.0 × 10 –11 exp(−14.5 kJ mol –1 /RT) cm 3 molecule –1 s –1 with a confidence interval of ±13%. These are the first temperature-dependent kinetic experiments on an imine of the form R 2 C═NH and thereby provide the only validation of transition-state modeling for such systems. Several pathways are feasible; comparison of theory and experiment suggests the dominant channel is addition of H atoms to the nitrogen atom. On this basis, the observations are rationalized quantitatively. Computations also yield the thermochemistry of (CF 3 ) 2 CNH, with Δ f H 298 = −1232 kJ mol –1 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH

Measurements of Radical Reactivity with an Imine, (CF 3 ) 2 CNH: Rate Constants for Chlorine Atoms and Hydroxyl Radicals and the Global Warming Potential

The rate constant kOH for the reaction of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroprop-2-imine with OH radicals was measured relative to two reference compounds, CH 3 F and CH 3 CHF 2 , to be k OH = (4.2 ± 1.1) × 10 −14 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 at 295 K. This implies an atmospheric lifetime with respect to consumption by OH of 0.75 years. Reaction with Cl atoms yielded k Cl = (7.9 ± 1.7) × 10 −16 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 at 295 K, and reaction with O 3 has an upper limit of k O3 < 4 × 10 −23 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 , so that the atmospheric consumption by Cl and O 3 is negligibly slow. Absolute infrared cross sections of the imine yield a radiative efficiency of 0.34 W m −2 ppb −1 , which is corrected to 0.23 W m −2 ppb −1 for the effects of atmospheric lifetime. The imine’s corresponding 100-year global warming potential is 64 ± 19. This value is an upper limit, given that heterogenous atmospheric removal paths, such as hydrolysis in water droplets, are not included.

climate metric

Urbanization and malaria have a contextual relationship in endemic areas: A temporal and spatial study in Ghana

In West Africa, malaria is one of the leading causes of disease-induced deaths. Existing studies indicate that as urbanization increases, there is corresponding decrease in malaria prevalence. However, in malaria-endemic areas, the prevalence in some rural areas is sometimes lower than in some peri-urban and urban areas. Therefore, the relationship between the degree of urbanization, the impact of living in urban areas, and the prevalence of malaria remains unclear. This study explores this association in Ghana, using epidemiological data at the district level (2015–2018) and data on health, hygiene, and education. We applied a multilevel model and time series decomposition to understand the epidemiological pattern of malaria in Ghana. Then we classified the districts of Ghana into rural, peri-urban, and urban areas using administratively defined urbanization, total built areas, and built intensity. We converted the prevalence time series into cross-sectional data for each district by extracting features from the data. To predict the determinant most impacting according to the degree of urbanization, we used a cluster-specific random forest. We find that prevalence is impacted by seasonality, but the trend of the seasonal signature is not noticeable in urban and peri-urban areas. While urban districts have a slightly lower prevalence, there are still pockets with higher rates within these regions. These areas of high prevalence are linked to proximity to water bodies and waterways, but the rise in these same variables is not associated with the increase of prevalence in peri-urban areas. The increase in nightlight reflectance in rural areas is associated with an increased prevalence. We conclude that urbanization is not the main factor driving the decline in malaria. However, the data indicate that understanding and managing malaria prevalence in urbanization will necessitate a focus on these contextual factors. Finally, we design an interactive tool, ’malDecision’ that allows data-supported decision-making.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES

Tropospheric Wind Profiles Obtained with the GLOW Molecular Doppler Lidar during the 2002 International H2O Project

The Goddard Lidar Observatory for Winds (GLOW) is a mobile direct detection Doppler lidar system hich uses the double edge technique to measure the Doppler shift of the molecular backscattered laser signal at a wavelength of 355 nm. In the spring of 2002 GLOW was deployed to the western Oklahoma profiling site (36 deg 33.500 min N, 100 deg 36.371 min W) to participate in the International H2O Project (MOP). During the MOP campaign over 240 hours of wind profiles were obtained with the GLOW lidar in support of a variety of scientific investigations.

Gentry, Bruce M.