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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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NASA NTRS2000

Multiple Satellite Observations of High-Latitude Ionospheric Outflows

We will present reported observations of up- and down-flows of topside ionospheric thermal plasmas from multiple near-simultaneous tracks through the high-latitude topside ionosphere. From several Southern polar passes, it has been possible to construct plots of field-aligned flows of O+ observed by the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment(TIDE) on the POLAR spacecraft near 5000 km altitude together with vertical ion flow observations from one or more DMSP spacecraft near 800 km altitude. We will also involve simulations from our Dynamic Fluid-Kinetic(DyFK) modeling of polar plasma transport and display resulting altitude profiles of ion parallel velocities and densities, and overlay those profiles with the "conjunction" measurements by DMSP(800 km) and POLAR(approx. 5000 km altitude). We also will present simultaneous observations of POLAR auroral UVI images with field-aligned flows.

Horwitz, J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Solar Wind Influence on the Oxygen Content of Ion Outflow in the High Altitude Polar Cap During Solar Minimum Conditions

We correlate solar wind and IMF properties with the properties of O(+) and H(+) in the polar cap in early 1996 during solar minimum conditions at altitudes between 5.5 and 8.9 Re geocentric using the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the POLAR satellite. Throughout the high altitude polar cap, we observe H(+) to be more abundant than O(+). H(+) is a significant fraction of both the ionosphere and the solar wind, and O(+) is not a significant species in the solar wind. O(+) is the major species in the ionosphere so the faction of O(+) present in the magnetosphere is commonly used as a measure of the ionospheric contribution to the magnetosphere. For these reasons, 0+ is of primary interest in this study. We observe O(+) to be most abundant at lower latitudes when the solar wind speed is low (and low Kp), and at higher solar wind speeds (and high Kp) O(+) is observed across most of the polar cap. We also find that O(+) density and parallel flux are well organized by solar wind dynamic pressure; they both increase with solar wind dynamic pressure. H(+) is not as highly correlated with solar wind and IMF parameters, but H(+) density and parallel flux have some negative correlation with IMF By, and some positive correlation with VswBIMF. In this solar minimum data set, H(+) is dominant so that contributions of this plasma to the plasma sheet would have a very low O(+) to H(+) ratio.

Elliott, Heather A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Search for Unconfined Fluvial Outflow Deposits on Mars

Fluvial processes have been active during a large portion of Martian history, as evidenced by a variety of erosional features, ranging from concentrations of small channels to scour features generated by floods that affected enormous areas on Mars. Most research efforts prior to Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) focused on channelized reaches since these were some of the most convincing fluvial features on the planet. Since MGS reached its planned mapping orbit in 1999, a new era of Mars exploration has been opened. The m-scale resolution of the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), the precise elevation measurements of the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), and the compositional constraints derived from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) allows one now to search for deposits as well as erosional landforms. Here we describe our initial efforts at a search for deposits on Mars where flow was no longer confined within a topographic channel. We are using both new MGS and existing Viking data, in conjunction with field results of fluvial deposits in unconfined reaches from central Australia and elsewhere as analogues for the deposit characteristics to search for on Mars. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Zimbelman, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Solar Wind Influence on the Oxygen Content of Ion Outflow in the High-Altitude Polar Cap During Solar Minimum Conditions

We correlate solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) properties with the properties of O(+) and H(+) during early 1996 (solar minimum) at altitudes between 5.5 and 8.9 R(sub E) geocentric using the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the Polar satellite. Throughout the high-altitude polar cap we observe H(+) to be more abundant than O(+). O(+) is found to be more abundant at lower latitudes when the solar wind speed is low (and Kp is low), while at higher solar wind speeds (and high Kp), O(+) is observed across most of the polar cap. The O(+) density and parallel flux are well organized by solar wind dynamic pressure, both increasing with solar wind dynamic pressure. Both the O(+) density and parallel flux have positive correlations with both V(sub SW)B(sub IMF) and E(sub SW). No correlation is found between O(+) density and IMF Bz, although a nonlinear relationship with IMF By is observed, possibly due to a strong linear correlation with the dynamic pressure. H(+) is not as highly correlated with solar wind and IMF parameters, although H(+) density and parallel flux are negatively correlated with IMF By and positively correlated with both V(sub SW)B(sub IMF) and E(sub SW). In this solar minimum data set, H(+) is dominant, so that contributions of this plasma to the plasma sheet would have very low O(+) to H(+) ratios.

Elliott, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Aerosol Radiative Forcing in Asian Continental Outflow

Aerosols in elevated layers were sampled with FSSP-probes and wire impactors over the Pacific ocean aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft. Analyses of particle size and morphology identifies two distinctly different aerosol types for cases when the mid-visible extinctions exceed 0.2/km. Smaller sizes (effective radii of 0.2 um) and moderate absorption (mid-visible single scattering albedo of.935) are typical for urban-industrial pollution. Larger sizes (effective radii of 0.7 um) and weak absorption (mid-visible single scattering albedo of 0.985) identify dust. This aerosol classification is in agreement with its origin as determined by airmass back trajectory analysis. Based on lidar vertical profiling, aerosol dominated by dust and urban-industrial pollution above 3km were assigned mid-visible optical depths of 0.50 and 0.27, respectively. Radiative transfer simulations, considering a 50% cloud-cover below the aerosol layers, suggest (on a daily tP C)C> basis) small reductions (-4W/m2) to the energy budget at the top of the atmosphere for both aerosol types. For c' 0 dust, more backscattering of sunlight (weaker solar absorption) is compensated by a stronger greenhouse effect due to larger sizes. Forced reductions to the energy budget at the surface are 12W/m2 for both aerosol types. In contrast, impacts on heating rates within the aerosol layers are quite different: While urban-industrial aerosol warms the layer (at +0.6K/day as solar heating dominates), dust cools (at -0.5K/day as infrared cooling dominates). Sensitivity tests show the dependence of the aerosol climatic impact on the optical depth, particle size, absorptivity, and altitude of the layers, as well as clouds and surface properties. Climatic cooling can be eliminated (1) for the urban-industrial aerosol if absorption is increased to yield a mid-visible single scattering albedo of 0.89, or if the ocean is replaced by a land surface; (2) for the dust aerosol if the effective radius is increased from 0.7 to 1.2 um. The removal of low-level clouds doubles the cooling at the top of the atmosphere to about -8W/m2.

Pueschel, R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Ion Outflow Observations

The characteristics of out-flowing ions have been investigated under various circumstances. In particular the upwelling of ions from the cleft region has been studied to attempt to look at source characteristics (e.g., temperature, altitude). High altitude (6-8 Re) data tend to show ions species that have the same velocity and are adiabatically cooled. Such ions, while representative of their source, can not provide an accurate picture. Ion observations from the TIDE detector on the Polar spacecraft show an energy (or equivalently a velocity) spectrum of ions as they undo the geomagnetic mass spectrometer effect due to convection-gravity separation of the different species. Consolidation of this type of data into a complete representation of the source spectrum can be attempted by building a set of maximum-phase-space- density-velocity pairs and attributing the total to the source.

Mellot, Mary↗
NASA NTRS2003

Mound Spring Complexes in Central Australia: An Analog for Martian Groundwater Fed Outflow Channels?

The arid inland of Australia contains a diversity of landscapes and landscape processes, often of great antiquity, extending back to the Mesozoic and Paleozoic. The potential of this landscape as a source of Mars analogs has, however, been little explored. The few examples studied so far include radiation-tolerant microbes in thermal springs and hematite-silica hydrothermal alteration near Arkaroola in the Finders Ranges, and aeolian landforms at Gurra Gurra water hole the north east of Arkaroola. Further Australian Mars analog studies were provided by the studies of Bourke and Zimbelman of the paleoflood record of the Todd and Hale Rivers in central Australia. To facilitate study of such analogues, Mars Society Australia has embarked on a project to construct a Mars Analog Research Station near Arkaroola. The international scientific community will soon have the opportunity to participate in Mars analog studies in central Australia utilizing this facility. An area of considerable Mars analog potential is the mound spring complexes that occur at the margins of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) which underlies 22% of the Australian continent and covers 1.7 million km2. The mound springs are formed when ground water flows to a topographic low, and subsurface strata dips up causing a hydrological head at the surface. Minerals precipitated at the spring discharge zone form low mesas or "mounds", the height of which are controlled by the hydrological head. This paper describes the Dalhousie Mound Spring Complex (DMC) in the northern part of South Australia (Figure 1), and its potential as a Mars analog. Hydrogeology: The DMC consists of a cluster of more than 60 active springs formed by natural discharge from the GAB). Total measured discharge from the GAB is 1.74 GL per day, estimated unfocussed natural leakage through the aquaclude is thought be approximately equal to this figure. Some 54 ML per day are currently discharged by the DMC, 3% of the measured total. The discharged artesian waters are of low to moderate salinity (700 - 9400 ppm), near neutral pH (6.8-7.3) and warm (20-46 C). The elevated temperatures are due to passage of the groundwater through deeply buried (up to 3 km) aquifers in an region of high heat flow, rather than magmatic heating. The waters also contain high levels of dissolved iron and H2S and less than 1 ppm dissolved oxygen. The water is carried in the Late Jurassic Algebuckina Sandstone beneath the aquaclude of the Bulldog Shale. It is brought near the surface by the mid-Cenozoic Dalhousie anticline and the ground water flow focused along a series of faults that breach the anticline's crest.

Clarke, J. D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Study of Ion Outflow as a Source of Plasma for the Magnetosphere

Spacecraft measurements beginning in the early 1970 s gave indications that the ionosphere was a contributor to the energetic particle population of the Earth s magnetosphere This surprising result ran counter to the previously accepted model that the magnetospheric plasmas, because of their higher energies, must have come from the solar wind. Indeed, the original discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts, with energies of millions of electron volts, set a strong community belief in the sun as the plasma source because of the dramatic difference in the radiation belt energy and that of the Earth s ionospheric source.

Chappell, Charles R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Limb congestion enhances the synchronization of sympathetic outflow with muscle contraction

In this report, we examined if the synchronization of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) with muscle contraction is enhanced by limb congestion. To explore this relationship, we applied signal-averaging techniques to the MSNA signal obtained during short bouts of forearm contraction (2-s contraction/3-s rest cycle) at 40% maximal voluntary contraction for 5 min. We performed this analysis before and after forearm venous congestion; an intervention that augments the autonomic response to sustained static muscle contractions via a local effect on muscle afferents. There was an increased percentage of the MSNA noted during second 2 of the 5-s contraction/rest cycles. The percentage of total MSNA seen during this particular second increased from minute 1 to 5 of contraction and was increased further by limb congestion (control minute 1 = 25.6 +/- 2.0%, minute 5 = 32.8 +/- 2.2%; limb congestion minute 1 = 29.3 +/- 2.1%, minute 5 = 37.8 +/- 3.9%; exercise main effect <0.005; limb congestion main effect P = 0.054). These changes in the distribution of signal-averaged MSNA were seen despite the fact that the mean number of sympathetic discharges did not increase over baseline. We conclude that synchronization of contraction and MSNA is seen during short repetitive bouts of handgrip. The sensitizing effect of contraction time and limb congestion are apparently due to feedback from muscle afferents within the exercising muscle.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2003

Reactive Nitrogen in Asian Continental Outflow over the Western Pacific: Results from the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P)Airborne Mission

We present here results for reactive nitrogen species measured aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific TRACE-P) mission. The large-scale distributions total reactive nitrogen (NO(sub y,sum) = NO + NO2 + HNO3 + PAN + C(sub 1)-C(sub 5) alkyl nitrates) and O3 and CO were better defined in the boundary layer with significant degradation of the relationships as altitude increased. Typically, NO(sub y,sum) was enhanced over background levels of approx.260 pptv by 20-to-30-fold. The ratio C2H2/CO had values of 1-4 at altitudes up to 10 km and as far eastward as 150degE, implying significant vertical mixing of air parcels followed by rapid advection across the Pacific. Analysis air parcels originating from five principal Asian source regions showed that HNO3 and PAN dominated NO(sub y,sum). Correlations of NO(sub y,sum) with C2Cl4 (urban tracer) were not well defined in any of the source regions, and they were only slightly better with CH3Cl (biomass tracer). Air parcels over the western Pacific contained a complex mixture of emission sources that are not easily resolvable as shown by analysis of the Shanghai mega-city plume. It contained an intricate mixture of pollution emissions and exhibited the highest mixing ratios of NO(sub y,sum) species observed during TRACE-P. Comparison of tropospheric chemistry between the earlier PEM-West B mission and the recent TRACE-P data showed that in the boundary layer significant increases in the mixing ratios of NO(sub y,sum)species have occurred, but the middle and upper troposphere seems to have been affected minimally by increasing emissions on the Asian continent over the last 7 years.

Talbot, R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Outflow Channels Influencing Martian Climate: Global Circulation Model Simulations with Emplaced Water

The existence of surface water on Mars in past geologic epochs is inferred on the basis of geomorphologic interpretation of spaceflight images, and is supported by the recent Mars Odyssey identification of ice-rich soils [1]. The Mars Exploration Rovers have provided further chemical evidence for past surface hydrologic activity [2]. One issue is whether this water-rich climate ever existed in a steady state, or whether it was triggered by catastrophic events such as large impacts [3], and/ or catastrophic outburst floods, the topic of consideration here.

Santiago, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Monitoring Fram Strait sea ice outflow and thin ice thickness

We propose to: 1) use sequential SAR maps to monitor the profile of sea ice motion through Fram Strait over the period 2003 throught 2005; and 2) explore the potential of using L-band polarimetric data to determine the thickness of thin ice over the same region.

Fram Strait sea ice thickness↗
NASA NTRS1995

HH110 Jet Near Infrared Imaging. I. The Outflow Mixing Layer?

Near infrared images are presented of the Herbig-Haro 110 jet centered at the molecular hydrogen lines. The ratio of these lines provides a preliminary diagnostic of molecular gas excitation, which is expected from low velocity shocks and turbulent processes. It is suggested that the morphological properties of the molecular hydrogen emission are consistent with that of a boundary layer.

infrared astronomy Herbig-Haro objects gas jets mo↗