Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Primary Production”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Studying Earth's Environment From Space: Classroom and Laboratory Activities with Instructor Resources

Standard, text-book based learning for earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences has been limited by the unavailability of quantitative teaching materials. While a descriptive presentation, in a lecture format, of discrete satellite images is often adequate for high school classrooms, this is seldom the case at the undergraduate level. In order to address these concerns, a series of numerical exercises for the Macintosh was developed for use with satellite-derived Sea Surface Temperature, pigment and sea ice concentration data. Using a modified version of NIH Image, to analyze actual satellite data, students are able to better understand ocean processes, such as circulation, upwelling, primary production, and ocean/atmosphere coupling. Graphical plots, image math, and numerical comparisons are utilized to substantiate temporal and spatial trends in sea surface temperature and ocean color. Particularly for institutions that do not offer a program in remote sensing, the subject matter is presented as modular units, each of which can be readily incorporated into existing curricula. These materials have been produced in both CD-ROM and WWW format, making them useful for classroom or lab setting. Depending upon the level of available computer support, graphics can be displayed directly from the CD-ROM, or as a series of color view graphs for standard overhead projection.

Smith, Elizabeth A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Search for Carbonates on Mars

Liquid water is presently unstable at the Martian surface, where the mean atmospheric pressure is 6 mbar (due to CO2) and the winter diurnal temperature ranges from 150 K at the pole to 220 K at the equator. Liquid water is widely regarded as a basic requirement for living systems, suggesting that life as we know it is not possible in present surface environments on Mars. However, life may survive within "oases" where liquid water is present. Potential oases on Mars include subsurface hydrothermal systems or deeply buried aquifers where chemoautolithotrophic microorganisms may exist. Potential metabolic strategies for primary production in such environments on Mars (and for the microbial mediation of geologic processes!) encompass the full range presently known for subsurface environments on the Earth (e.g. sulphate reduction, methanogenesis, acetogenesis, etc).

Farmer, Jack D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Mixed Layer Drift Revealed by Satellite Data

For the first time we are able to derive ocean currents using the wavelet algorithm for feature tracking from two different sensors (MODIS and SeaWiFS) on different satellites. Satellite ocean color data provide an important insight to the marine biosphere because of their capability to quantify certain fundamental properties (such as phytoplankton pigment concentration, marine primary production, etc.) on a global basis. The mixed layer drift can be derived because the ocean color signal bears information from a much larger depth (10 to 30 meters) as compared with the sea surface temperature data. Although the drifter data are very limited in the study area, the comparison shows a general agreement between drifter data and satellite tracking results, especially for the cases near the Gulf Stream boundary.

Liu, Antony K.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Subsurface Intertidal Microbes: A Cryptic Source Of Organic Carbon For Beach Ecosystems

Some freshwater, marine or hotspring beaches have no visible source of primary production, yet beneath the surface is an interstitial photosynthetic microbial community. To assess the significance of this source of organic carbon, we measured in situ carbon fixation rates in an intertidal marine beach through a diurnal cycle. Gross fixation for a transect (99 x 1 m) perpendicular to the shore was approx. 4041 mg C fixed/ day, or approx. 41 mg C fixed/ sq m day. In contrast, an adjacent well-established cyanobacterial (Lyngbya) mat was approx. 12 x as productive (approx. 490 mg C fixed/sq m day). Thus, subsurface sand mats may be an overlooked, yet important, endogenous source of organic carbon for intertidal ecosystems, as well as a sink in the global carbon cycle.

Rothschild, Lynn J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

High Frequency, Long Time Series Measurements from the Bermuda Testbed Mooring in Support of SIMBIOS

It has been recognized that optical moorings are important platforms for the validation of Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). It was recommended that optical moorings be maintained in order to: (1) provide long-term time series comparisons between in situ and SeaWIFS measurements of normalized water-leaving radiance; (2) develop and test algorithms for pigment biomass and phytoplankton primary productivity; and (3) provide long-term, virtually continuous in situ observations which can be used to determine and optimize the accuracy of derived satellite products. These applications require the use of in situ radiometers for long periods of time to evaluate and correct for inherent satellite undersampling (aliasing and biasing) and degradation of satellite color sensors (e.g., drifts as experienced by the Coastal Zone Color Scanner). The Bermuda Testbed Mooring (BTM) program was initiated in 1994 at a site located about 80km southeast of Bermuda in waters of about 4530 m depth. In August 1997, with NASA's support, we started to provide the Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) program with large volumes of high frequency, long-term time-series bio-optical data from the BTM for SeaWiFS satellite ocean color groundtruthing and algorithm development. This NASA supported portion of the BTM activity spanned three years and covered five BTM deployments. During these three years, the quality of radiometric data has improved dramatically. Excellent agreement between BTM moored data and both SeaWiFS and nearby ship profile radiometric data demonstrate that technical advances in the moored optical observations have reduced the major difficulties that moored platforms face: biofouling and less frequent calibration.

Dickey, Tommy↗
NASA NTRS2002

Seasonal to Decadal-Scale Variability in Satellite Ocean Color and Sea Surface Temperature for the California Current System

Support for this project was used to develop satellite ocean color and temperature indices (SOCTI) for the California Current System (CCS) using the historic record of CZCS West Coast Time Series (WCTS), OCTS, WiFS and AVHRR SST. The ocean color satellite data have been evaluated in relation to CalCOFI data sets for chlorophyll (CZCS) and ocean spectral reflectance and chlorophyll OCTS and SeaWiFS. New algorithms for the three missions have been implemented based on in-water algorithm data sets, or in the case of CZCS, by comparing retrieved pigments with ship-based observations. New algorithms for absorption coefficients, diffuse attenuation coefficients and primary production have also been evaluated. Satellite retrievals are being evaluated based on our large data set of pigments and optics from CalCOFI.

Mitchell, B. Greg↗
NASA NTRS2001

Benthic Marine Cyanobacterial Mat Ecosystems: Biogeochemistry and Biomarkers

Cyanobacterial mats are complete ecosystems that can include processes of primary production, diagenesis and lithification. Light sustains oxygenic photosynthesis, which in turn provides energy, organic matter and oxygen to the community. Due to both absorption and scattering phenomena, incident light is transformed with depth in the mat, both in intensity and spectral composition. Mobile photo synthesizers optimize their position with respect to this light gradient. When photosynthesis ceases at night, the upper layers of the mat become reduced and sulfidic. Counteracting gradients of oxygen and sulfide combine to provide daily-contrasting environments separated on a scale of a few mm. The functional complexity of mats, coupled with the highly proximal and ordered spatial arrangement of biota, offers the potential for a staggering number of interactions. At a minimum, the products of each functional group of microorganisms affect the other groups both positively and negatively. For example, cyanobacteria generate organic matter (potential substrates) but also oxygen (a toxin for many anaerobes). Anaerobic activity recycles nutrients to the photosynthesizers but also generates potentially toxic sulfide. The combination of benefits and hazards of light, oxygen and sulfide promotes the allocation of the various essential mat processes between light and dark periods, and to various depths in the mat. Observations of mats have produced numerous surprises. For example, obligately anaerobic processes can occur in the presence of abundant oxygen, highly reduced gases are produced in the presence of abundant sulfate, meiofauna thrive at high sulfide concentrations, and the mats' constituent populations respond to environmental changes in complex ways. While photosynthetic bacteria dominate the biomass and productivity of the mat, nonphotosynthetic, anaerobic processes constitute the ultimate biological filter on the ecosystem's emergent biosignatures, including those sedimentary textures, organic compounds, and minerals that enter the fossil record. The ability of cyanobacterial mats to channel abundant solar energy into the creation and maintenance of complex structures and processes has created a multitude of consequences, both for sedimentation and for the early evolution of our biosphere.

DesMarais, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Making Sense of Plant Health

Ciencia, Inc. created a new device, known as a Portable Photosynthesis Analyzer, or Phase Fluorometer, that provides real-time data about the photochemical efficiency of phytoplankton and other plant forms. The commercial version of this technology is used for photosynthesis research and offers major benefits to the field of life science. This new instrument is the first portable instrument of its kind. Through a license agreement with Ciencia, Oriel Instruments, of Stratford, Connecticut, manufactures and markets the commercial version of the instrument under the name LifeSense.TMLifeSense is a 70 MHz single-frequency fluorometer that offers unrivaled capabilities for fluorescence lifetime sensing and analysis. LifeSense provides information about all varieties of photosynthetic systems. Photosynthesis research contributes important health assessments about the plant, be it phytoplankton or a higher form of plant life. With its unique sensing capabilities, LifeSense furnishes data regarding the yield of a plant's photochemistry, as well as its levels of photosynthetic activity. The user can then gain an extremely accurate estimate of the plant's chlorophyll biomass, primary production rates, and a general overview of the plant's physiological condition.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Optical Index of Phytoplankton Photoacclimation and Its Relation to Light-Saturated Photosynthesis in the Sea

In relation to understanding ocean biology at the global scale, one of NASA's primary foci has been measurements of near-surface concentrations of phytoplankton chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is an important light-absorbing pigment in phytoplankton. The absorbed light energy is used to fix carbon in the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, in turn, is critical to the growth of phytoplankton and the function of entire marine ecosystems. Thus, the use of satellite surface chlorophyll data to estimate primary production in the ocean has been a key focus of much biological oceanography research. One of the major challenges in this research is to develop relationships that allow a given chlorophyll concentration (a standing stock) to be interpreted in terms of carbon fixation (a rate). This problem centers on the description of the light-saturated photosynthetic rate, Pbmax. In this paper, we describe how optical measurements of light attenuation provide information on particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations. We then show how the ratio of POC to chlorophyll (Theta) provides critical information on variability in Pbmax. We then test this relationship between Theta and Pbmax using field data from a variety of open ocean ecosystems.

Behrenfeld, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Scale Closure in Upper Ocean Optical Properties: From Single Particles to Ocean Color

Predictions of chlorophyll concentration from satellite ocean color are an indicator of primary productivity, with implications for foodwebs, fisheries, and the global carbon cycle. Models describing the relationship between optical properties and chlorophyll do not account for much of the optical variability observed in natural waters, because of the presence of seawater constituents that do not covary with phytoplankton pigments. in order to understand variability in these models, the optical contributions of seawater constituents were investigated. A combination of Mie theory and flow cytometry was used to determine the diameter, complex refractive index, and optical cross-sections of individual particles. In New England continental shelf waters, eukaryotic phytoplankton were the main particle contributors to absorption and scaftering. Minerals were the main contributor to backscattering (bb) in the spring, whereas in the summer both minerals and detritus contributed to bb. Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria were relatively unimportant optically. Seasonal differences in the spectral shape of remote sensing reflectance, Rrs, were contributed to approximately equally by eukaryotic phytoplankton absorption, dissolved absorption, and non-phytoplankton bb. Differences between measurements of bb and Prs and modeled values based on chlorophyll concentration were caused by higher dissolved absorption and non-phytoplankton bb than were assumed by the model.

Green, Rebecca E.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Photochemical Studies of Chemistry in the Outer Solar System

The goal of the proposed science investigation is to gain a quantitative understanding of chemical processes and their coupling with atmospheric dynamics in the reducing atmospheres of the outer solar system, with a particular focus on Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) observations and future experiments such as the Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan. The proposed work is divided into two related tasks. We have carried out a systematic comparison between atmospheric models for every giant planet and Titan, which employ a consistent set of photochemical reactions. Combined with recent observations of hydrocarbon species by ISO, this can provide the most rigorous test of our current understanding of the photochemistry of hydrocarbon in the outer solar system. The emphasis will be on the methyl radical (CH3), first detected by IS0 in the atmospheres of Saturn and Neptune (Bezard et al. 1998). CH3 is one of the most important radicals in the hydrocarbon photochemistry because it is the primary product of methane photolysis and plays an essential role in forming C2H6, the most abundant and stable C2 species. A fundamental understanding of the distribution of CH3 provides unique insights into the chemistry of hydrocarbons as well as comparative planetology.

Yung, Yuk L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Strangelove Ocean and Deposition of Unusual Shallow-Water Carbonates After the End-Permian Mass Extinction

The severe mass extinction of marine and terrestrial organisms at the end of the Permian Period (approx. 251 Ma) was accompanied by a rapid negative excursion of approx. 3 to 4 per mil in the carbon-isotope ratio of the global surface oceans and atmosphere that persisted for some 500,000 into the Early Triassic. Simulations with an ocean-atmosphere/carbon-cycle model suggest that the isotope excursion can be explained by collapse of ocean primary productivity (a Strangelove Ocean) and changes in the delivery and cycling of carbon in the ocean and on land. Model results also suggest that perturbations of the global carbon cycle resulting from the extinctions led to short-term fluctuations in atmospheric pCO2 and ocean carbonate deposition, and to a long-term (>1 Ma) decrease in sedimentary burial of organic carbon in the Triassic. Deposition of calcium carbonate is a major sink of river-derived ocean alkalinity and for CO2 from the ocean/atmosphere system. The end of the Permian was marked by extinction of most calcium carbonate secreting organisms. Therefore, the reduction of carbonate accumulation made the oceans vulnerable to a build-up of alkalinity and related fluctuations in atmospheric CO2. Our model results suggest that an increase in ocean carbonate-ion concentration should cause increased carbonate accumulation rates in shallow-water settings. After the end-Permian extinctions, early Triassic shallow-water sediments show an abundance of abiogenic and microbial carbonates that removed CaCO3 from the ocean and may have prevented a full 'ocean-alkalinity crisis' from developing.

Rampino, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Early Results from AIRS/AMSU/HSB

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 5, 2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infiared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU/HSB are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an rms error of lK, and layer precipitable water with an rms error of 20%, in cases with up to 80% effective cloud cover. Pre-launch simulation studies indicated that these results should be achievable. Minor modifications have been made to the pre-launch retrieval algorithm as described in this paper. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data are presented and validated as a function of retrieved fractional cloud cover. As in simulation, the degradation of retrieval accuracy with increasing cloud cover is small. Select fields are also compared to those contained in the ECMWF analysis, done without the benefit of AIRS data, to demonstrate information that AIRS can add to that already contained in the ECMWF analysis.

Susskind, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2004

Current results from AlRS/AMSU/HSB

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 4,2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU/HSB are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an rms error of 1K, and layer precipitable water with an rms error of 20%, in cases with up to 80% effective cloud cover. Pre-launch simulation studies indicated that these results should be achievable. Minor modifications have been made to the pre-launch retrieval algorithm as alluded to in this paper. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data are presented and temperature profiles are validated as a function of retrieved fractional cloud cover. As in simulation, the degradation of retrieval accuracy with increasing cloud cover is small. Select fields are also compared to those contained in the ECMWF analysis, done without the benefit of AIRS data, to demonstrate information that AIRS can add to that already contained in the ECMWF analysis. Assimilation of AIRS temperature soundings in up to 80% cloud cover for the month of January 2003 into the GSFC FVSSI data assimilation system resulted in improved 5 day forecasts globally, both with regard to anomaly correction coefficients and the prediction of location and intensity of cyclones.

Susskind, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2004

Environment of Space Interactions with Space Systems

The primary product of this research project was a computer program named SAVANT. This program uses the Displacement Damage Dose (DDD) method of calculating radiation damage to solar cells. This calculation method was developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, and uses fundamental physical properties of the solar cell materials to predict radiation damage to the solar cells. This means that fewer experimental measurements are required to characterize the radiation damage to the cells, which results in a substantial cost savings to qualify solar cells for orbital missions. In addition, the DDD method makes it easier to characterize cells that are already being used, but have not been fully tested using the older technique of characterizing radiation damage. The computer program combines an orbit generator with NASA's AP-8 and AE-8 models of trapped protons and electrons. This allows the user to specify an orbit, and the program will calculate how the spacecraft moves during the mission, and the radiation environment that it encounters. With the spectrum of the particles, the program calculates how they would slow down while traversing the coverglass, and provides a slowed-down spectrum.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Atmospheric Soundings from AIRS/AMSU/HSB

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 5, 2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU/HSB are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an RMS error of 1K, and 1 km layer precipitable water with an rms error of 1K, and 1 km layer precipitable water with an rms error of 20 percent, in cases with up to 80 percent cloud cover. The AIRS data products are significant for studying climate variability and change, as well as for use in initialization of General Circulation Models with the objective of improving analysis fields and subsequent forecast skill. Data assimilation experiments to evaluate the impact of AIRS retrievals on analysis and forecast skill are being conducted. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data will be presented and validated as a function of retrieved fractional cloud cover. Select fields will also be compared to those contained in the ECMWF analysis, done without the benefit of AIRS data, on both an instantaneous and monthly mean basis, to demonstrate information that AIRS can add to that already contained in the ECMWF analysis.

Susskind, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2004

Patterns and Variability in Global Ocean Chlorophyll: Satellite Observations and Modeling

Recent analyses of SeaWiFS data have shown that global ocean chlorophyll has increased more than 4% since 1998. The North Pacific ocean basin has increased nearly 19%. These trend analyses follow earlier results showing decadal declines in global ocean chlorophyll and primary production. To understand the causes of these changes and trends we have applied the newly developed NASA Ocean Biogeochemical Assimilation Model (OBAM), which is driven in mechanistic fashion by surface winds, sea surface temperature, atmospheric iron deposition, sea ice, and surface irradiance. The model utilizes chlorophyll from SeaWiFS in a daily assimilation. The model has in place many of the climatic variables that can be expected to produce the changes observed in SeaWiFS data. This enables us to diagnose the model performance, the assimilation performance, and possible causes for the increase in chlorophyll. A full discussion of the changes and trends, possible causes, modeling approaches, and data assimilation will be the focus of the seminar.

Gregg, Watson↗
NASA NTRS2004

Atmospheric Soundings from AIRS/AMSU/HSB

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 4, 2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU/HSB are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an rms error of lK, and 1 km tropospheric layer precipitable water with an rms error of 20%, in cases with up to 80% effective cloud cover. Pre-launch simulation studies indicated that these results should be achievable. Minor modifications have been made to the pre-launch retrieval algorithm as alluded to in this paper. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data are presented and temperature profiles are validated as a function of retrieved effective fractional cloud cover. As in simulation, the degradation of retrieval accuracy with increasing cloud cover is small. Select fields are also compared to those contained in the ECMWF analysis, done without the benefit of AIRS data, to demonstrate information that AIRS can add to that already contained in the ECMWF analysis. Assimilation of AIRS temperature soundings in up to 80% cloud cover for the month of January 2003 into the GSFC FVSSI data assimilation system resulted in improved 5 day forecasts globally, both with regard to anomaly correlation coefficients and the prediction of location and intensity of cyclones.

Susskind, Joel↗