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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

The modulation of the low-latitude radiation budget by cloud and surface forcing on interannual time scales

Regionally confined interannual perturbations in the tropical radiation budget associated with east-west circulations are examined along with the forcing mechanisms of these perturbations in relation to surface and cloudiness variability. A zonal harmonic analysis of emitted longwave radiation emphasizes that these variations are largely controlled at the planetary wave scale. The overall effect leads to an approximately 50 deg/yr propagation phase speed that is considerably slower than the oceanic Kelvin wave capable of driving east-west longwave (LW) anomalies through SST feedback. Examination of the time-dependent radiative energetics over the tropics reveals that the aforementioned anomaly LW propagation is mainly due to cloud forcing associated with east-west circulation changes. Diabatic heating associated with coupled ocean-atmosphere feedback appears to be larger responsible for the LW anomaly propagation.

Sohn, Byung-Ju↗
NASA NTRS1992

A model for the formation of the extended paraboloidal halos around some impact craters on Venus

Many parabolic-shaped extended impact crater-related features have been found in Magellan synthetic aperture radar and emissivity data covering much of the surface of Venus. They are oriented east-west with the apex to the east and the impact crater located just west of the apex. A model for the formation of the parabolic features is developed based on the injection of small particles into the upper atmosphere at the time of impact, and their subsequent transport to the west by the east-west zonal winds. Fallout times from 50 km in the Venus atmosphere for particles of this size are about two hours, allowing westerly drifts of several hundred kilometers for zonal winds of 50 to 100 m s(exp -1).

Newman, W. I.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Experimental comparison of time synchronization techniques by means of light signals and clock transport on the rotating earth

An experiment was conducted to investigate the equivalence of two methods of time transfer in a noninertial reference frame: by means of an electromagnetic signal using laser light pulses and by means of the slow ground transport of a hydrogen maser atomic clock. The experiment may also be interpreted as an investigation of whether the one-way speeds of light in the east-west and west-east directions on the rotating earth are the same. The light pulses were sent from a laser coupled to a telescope at the NASA Goddard Optical Research Facility (GORF) in Greenbelt, Maryland to the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) in Washington, DC. The optical path was made possible by a 30-cm flat mirror on a water tower near GORF and a 25-cm flat mirror on top of the Washington National Cathedral near USNO. The path length was 26.0 km with an east-west component of 20.7 km. The pulses were reflected back over the same path by a portable array of corner cube reflectors. The transmission and return times were measured with a stationary Sigma Tau hydrogen maser and a University of Maryland event timer at GORF, while the times of reflection were measured with a similar maser and event timer combination carefully transported to USNO. Both timekeeping systems were housed in highly insulated enclosures and were maintained at constant temperatures to within +/- 0.1 C by microprocessor controllers. The portable system was also protected from shock and vibration by pneumatic supports. The difference delta(T) between the directly measured time of reflection according to the portable clock and the time of reflection calculated from the light pulse signal times measured by the stationary clock was determined. For a typical trip delta(T) is less than 100 ps and the corresponding limit on an anisotropy of the one-way speed of light is delta(c/c) is less than 1.5 x 10(exp -6). This the only experiment to date in which two atomic clocks were calibrated at one location, one was slowly transported to the other end of a path, and the times of transmission, reflection, and return of short light pulses sent in different directions along the path were registered.

Nelson, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Galileo EM-2 contributions to the lunar control network

A local control network is being developed using Galileo images that cover the region north of the Apollo area and lie between 10 and 100 degrees east longitude. This network is tied to the Apollo control network and will have a positional accuracy of approximately 500-1500 m. This region has been photographed by Earth-based telescopes and the Mariner 10 and Lunar Orbiter spacecraft, but the Gallileo images are preferred for control because of their superior viewing angles, resolution, and Galileo's geometrically stable sensor. Based on Davies et al., 1987, the potential accuracy of the near-side Apollo network is estimated to be between 50 and 300 m. The laser ranging retroreflector locations at the Apollo 11, 14, and 15 sites and the Lunikhod 2 site have been determined with an accuracy of about 10 m. The locations of the ALSEP transmitters relative to the retroreflectors have also been measured. These known coordinates are used to estimate errors in the Apollo network. The telescopic control is approximately bounded by 75 degrees north and south latitude and 75 degrees east and west longitudes. The accuracy of the telescopic network is thought to be about one to two km. Thus, the Galileo network might improve coordinates in the telescopic area as well as north and east of it.

Davies, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Coronal streamers as detected with the SPARTAN 201-01 white light coronagraph

The preliminary results concerning the fine scale structure analysis of the streamers on the east limb and the region between these streamers, as well as their morphological and physical characteristics are presented. The results were obtained using white light polarized brightness data. The solar corona was observed with an externally occulted white light coronagraph carried on the SPARTAN 201-01 spacecraft for a 47 h period beginning on DOY 101, 1993. At this phase of the solar magnetic activity cycle there were well developed coronal helmet streamers located over both the east and west limbs of the sun. The photometric properties of one streamer found near the south east limb of the sun are similar to those measured of helmet streamers at the time of the 1973 total eclipse by both the ground based white light coronal camera and the Skylab externally occulted coronagraph.

Fisher, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1994

Electrodynamic parameters in the nighttime sector during auroral substorms

The characteristics of the large-scale electrodynamic parameters, field-aligned currents (FACs), electric fields, and electron precipitation, which are associated with auroral substorm events in the nighttime sector, have been obtained through a unique analysis which places the ionospheric measurements of these parameters into the context of a generic substorm determined from global auroral images. A generic bulge-type auroral emission region has been deduced from auroral images taken by the Dynamics Explorer 1 (DE 1) satellite during a number of isolated substorms, and the form has been divided into six sectors, based on the peculiar emission characteristics in each sector: west of bulge, surge horn, surge, middle surge, eastern bulge, and east of bulge. By comparing the location of passes of the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite to the simultaneously obtained auroral images, each pass is placed onto the generic aurora. The organization of DE 2 data in this way has systematically clarified peculiar characteristics in the electrodynamic parameters. An upward net current mainly appears in the surge, with little net current in the surge horn and the west of bulge. The downward net current is distributed over wide longitudinal regions from the eastern bulge to the east of bulge. Near the poleward boundary of the expanding auroral bulge, a pair of oppositely directed FAC sheets is observed, with the downward FAC on the poleward side. This downward FAC and most of the upward FAC in the surge and the middle surge are assoc iated with narrow, intense antisunwqard convection, corresponding to an equatorward directed spikelike electric field. This pair of currents decreases in amplitude and latitudinal width toward dusk in the surge and the west of bulge, and the region 1 and 2 FACs become embedded in the sunward convection region. The upward FAC region associated with the spikelike field on the poleward edge of the bulge coincides well with intense electron precipitation and aurora appearing in this western and poleward protion of the bulge. The convection reversal is sharp in the west of bulge and surge horn sectors, and near the high-latitude boundary of the upward region 1, with a near stagnation region often extending over a large interval of latitude. In the eastern bulge and east of bulge sectors, the region 1 and 2 FACs are located in the sunward convection region, while a spikelike electric field occasionally appears poleward of the aurora but usually not associated with a pair of FAC sheets. In the eastern bulge, magnetic field data show complicated FAC distributions which correspond to current segments and filamentary currents.

Fujii, R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

G301: The Flying Falcon geological remote sensing experiment

Get-Away Special (GAS) G-301, named the Flying Falcon and scheduled for launch on the STS-77 Space Shuttle in April, 1996, is being prepared to perform an experiment designed by the Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The experiment will employ a new type of infrared imager designed and built by a consortium of Teltron Technologies Inc., Hudson Research Inc., and BGSU that is an uncooled, quantrum ferro-electric, infrared return beam vidicon (IRBV) camera capable of detecting thermal infrared radiation throughout the 2.0-50.0 micron wavelength region, and to which an integral, unable Fabry-Perot filter and a telescopic lens have been added. The primary objectives in the experiment include the mapping of methane plumes from solid waste landfills and wetlands in the midwestern U.S., the mapping of methane plumes offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Middle East, brief monitoring for precursors of volcanoes or earthquakes in the South China sea and the East Pacific Rise (about 300 km west of Easter Island), and the mapping of silica content in exposed outcrops and residual soils of the southwestern U.S. and Middle East.

Vincent, Robert K.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Gravity Wave Seeding of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

Some examples from the Atmosphere Explorer E data showing plasma bubble development from wavy ion density structures in the bottomside F layer are described. The wavy structures mostly had east-west wavelengths of 150-800 km, in one example it was about 3000 km. The ionization troughs in the wavy structures later broke up into either a multiple-bubble patch or a single bubble, depending upon whether, in the precursor wavy structure, shorter wavelengths were superimposed on the larger scale wavelengths. In the multiple bubble patches, intrabubble spacings vaned from 55 km to 140 km. In a fully developed equatorial spread F case, east-west wavelengths from 690 km down to about 0.5 km were present simultaneously. The spacings between bubble patches or between bubbles in a patch appear to be determined by the wavelengths present in the precursor wave structure. In some cases, deeper bubbles developed on the western edge of a bubble patch, suggesting an east-west asymmetry. Simultaneous horizontal neutral wind measurements showed wavelike perturbations that were closely associated with perturbations in the plasma horizontal drift velocity. We argue that the wave structures observed here that served as the initial seed ion density perturbations were caused by gravity waves, strengthening the view that gravity waves seed equatorial spread F irregularities.

Singh, Sardul↗
NASA NTRS1997

Carbon in the Former Soviet Union: The Current Balance

This work has been carried out in a period of great changes in Russia that have brought extreme hardships to the scientific community. We have been fortunate in establishing excellent relationships with the Russian scientific community and believe we have helped to retain coherence in circumstances where the continuation of research was in doubt. We have learned much and have been effective in advancing, even establishing, scholars and programs in Russia that might not otherwise have survived the transition. The vigor of the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) is one sign of the value and success of these activities. Largely due to the current political and economic transitions in the former Soviet Union, the forests of much of the FSU are under reduced logging pressure. In addition, there is a decline in air pollution as heavy industry has waned, at least for now. Russian forestry statistics and our personal experience indicate a decline, perhaps as high as 60%, in forest harvesting over the last few years. But, new international market pressures on the forests exist in European Russia and in the Far East. The central government, still the "owner" of Russian forests, is having difficulty maintaining control over forest use and management particularly in the Far East and among the southern territories that have large, nonRussian ethnic populations. Extraordinarily large areas of mixed forest and grasslands, sparse or open forests, and mixed forests and tundra must be considered when calculating forest area It is insufficient to think of Russia as simply forest and nonforest Forest productivity, measured as growth of timber, appears to be in decline in all areas of Russia except in European Russia. Most information and publications on the recent history of these forests is heavily dependent on statistical data from the Soviet era. The interpretation of these data is very much open to debate. Anatoly Shwidenko, a long term collaborator and former senior scientist (mensuration) for the Soviet Committee on Forests, now a scholar at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Vienna, has provided abundant contributions from the data available to him and from his experience. Forest stand carbon is concentrated in the Russian Far East (i.e. Primorski Kray), Central-Southern Siberia and European Russia But, soil carbon can be 10 times forest stand C. Our efforts in mapping the area and changes in area (as well as the internal structure) of forests have made major contributions to our joint understanding of the scale and status of these forests. To realize the importance of this contribution one needs only to recognize that any large scale Soviet-era maps of the area did not include latitude and longitude. Even today, there is great reluctance to provide these data, the basis of any GIS.

Woodwell, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Nitrogen Oxides and Ozones from B-747 Measurements (NOXAR) during POLINAT 2 and SONEX: Overview and Case-Studies on Continental and Marine Convection

In the framework of the project POLINAT 2 (Pollution in the North Atlantic Flight Corridor) we measured NO(x) (NO and NO2) and ozone on 98 flights through the North Atlantic Flight Corridor (NAFC) with a fully automated system permanently installed aboard an in-service Swissair B-747 airliner in the period of August to November 1997. The averaged NO, concentrations both in the NAFC and at the U.S. east coast were similar to that measured in autumn 1995 with the same system. The patchy occurrence of NO(x), enhancements up to 3000 pptv over several hundred kilometers (plumes), predominately found over the U.S. east coast lead to a log-normal NO(x) probability density function. In three case-studies we examine the origins of such plumes by combining back-trajectories with brightness temperature enhanced (IR) satellite imagery, with lightning observations from the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) or with the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) satellite. For frontal activity above the continental U.S., we demonstrate that the location of NO(x) plumes can be well explained with maps of convective influence. For another case we show that the number of lightning flashes in a cluster of marine thunderstorms is proportional to the NO(x) concentrations observed several hundred kilometers downwind of the anvil outflows and suggest that lightning was the dominant source. From the fact that in autumn the NO, maximum was found several hundred kilometers off the U.S. east coast, it can be inferred that thunderstorms triggered over the warm Gulf Stream current are an important source for the regional upper tropospheric NO(x) budget in autumn.

Jeker, Dominique↗
NASA NTRS1997

Nitrogen Oxides and Ozone from B-747 Measurements (NOXAR) During POLINAT-2 and SONEX: Overview and Case Studies on Continental and Marine Convection

In the framework of the project POLINAT 2 (Pollution in the North Atlantic Flight Corridor) we measured NO(x) (NO and NO2) and ozone on 85 flights through the North Atlantic Flight Corridor (NAFC) with a fully automated system permanently installed aboard an in-service Swissair B-747 airliner in the period of August to November 1997. The averaged NO(x) concentrations both in the NAFC and at the U.S. east coast were similar to that measured in autumn 1995 with the same system. The patchy occurrence of NO(x) enhancements up to 3000 pptv over several hundred kilometers (plumes), predominately found over the U.S. east coast lead to a log-normal NO(x) probability density function. In three case studies we examine the origins of such plumes by combining back-trajectories with brightness temperature enhanced (IR) satellite imagery, lightning observations from the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) satellite. We demonstrate that the location of NO(x) plumes can be well explained with maps of convective influence. We show that the number of lightning flashes in cluster of marine thunderstorms is proportional to the NO(x) concentrations observed several hundred kilometers downwind of the anvil outflows. From the fact that in autumn the NO(x) maximum was found several hundred kilometers off the U.S. east coast, it can be inferred that thunderstorms triggered over the warm Gulf Stream current are major sources for the regional upper tropospheric NO(x) budget in autumn.

Jeker, Dominique P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Annual Sea Level Variability Induced by Changes in Sea Ice Extent and Accumulation on Ice Sheets: An Assessment Based on Remotely Sensed Data

Changes of mean annual net accumulation at the surface on the grounded ice sheets of East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and Greenland in response to variations in sea ice extent are estimated using grid-point values 100 km apart. The data bases are assembled principally by bilinear interpolation of remotely sensed brightness temperature (Nimbus-5 ESMR, Nimbus-7 SMMR), surface temperature (Nimbus-7 THIR), and surface elevation (ERS-1 radar altimeter). These data, complemented by field data where remotely sensed data are not available, are used in multivariate analyses in which mean annual accumulation (derived from firn emissivity) is the dependent variable; the independent variables are latitude, surface elevation, mean annual surface temperature, and mean annual distance to open ocean (as a source of energy and moisture). The last is the shortest distance measured between a grid point and the mean annual position of the 10% sea ice concentration boundary, and is used as an index of changes in sea ice extent as well as of mean concentration. Stepwise correlation analyses indicate that variations in sea ice extent of +/-50 km would lead to changes in accumulation inversely of +/-4% on East Antarctica, +/- 10% on West Antarctica, and +4% on Greenland. These results are compared with those obtained in a previous study using visually interpolated values from contoured compilations of field data; they substantiate the findings for the Antarctic ice sheets (+/-4% on East Antarctica, +/-9% in West Antarctica), and suggest a reduction by one half of the probable change of accumulation on Greenland (from +/-8%). The results also suggest a reduction of the combined contribution to sea level variability to +/- 0.19 mm/a (from +/- 0.22 mm/a).

Zwally, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Southern Alaska as an Example of the Long-Term Consequences of Mountain Building Under the Influence of Glaciers

Southern Alaska is a continent-scale region of ongoing crustal deformation within the Pacific-North American plate boundary zone. Glaciers and glacial erosion have dictated patterns of denudation in the orogen over the last approx. 5 My. The orogen comprises three discrete topographic domains from south to north, respectively: (1) the Chugach/St. Elias Range; (2) the Wrangell Mountains; and (3) the eastern Alaska Range. Although present deformation is distributed across the orogen, much of the shortening and uplift are concentrated in the Chugach/St. Elias Range. A systematic increase in topographic wavelength of the range from east to west reflects east-to-west increases in the width of a shallowly-dipping segment of the plate interface, separation of major upper plate structures, and a decrease in the obliquity of plate motion relative to the plate boundary. Mean elevation decays exponentially from approx. 2500 m to approx. 1100 m from east to west, respectively. Topographic control on the present and past distribution of glaciers is indicated by close correspondence along the range between mean elevation and the modern equilibrium line altitude of glaciers (ELA) and differences in the modern ELA, mean annual precipitation and temperature across the range between the windward, southern and leeward, northern flanks. Net, range- scale erosion is the sum of: (1) primary bedrock erosion by glaciers and (2) erosion in areas of the landscape that are ice-marginal and are deglaciated at glacial minima. Oscillations between glacial and interglacial climates controls ice height and distribution, which, in turn, modulates the locus and mode of erosion in the landscape. Mean topography and the mean position of the ELA are coupled because of the competition between rock uplift, which tends to raise the ELA, and enhanced orographic precipitation accompanying mountain building, which tends to lower the ELA. Mean topography is controlled both by the 60 deg latitude and maritime setting of active deformation and by the feedback between shortening and uplift, glacial erosion, and orographic effects on climate accompanying mountain building.

Meigs, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS2000

Consolidating the Cygnus Region 1.809 MeV Emission

The analysis of additional Cygnus observations together with a further improved background model resulted in an update of the 1.809 MeV allsky map. Along with improvements of the data, the Cygnus region has been studied in greater detail and compared to a model of non-stationary nucleosynthesis following the evolution of young OB associations. This model has been vastly extended to include additional observables such as dynamics of the interstellar medium (ISM), following the evolution of superbubbles, and the emission of ionizing ultraviolet light. The rich OB associations Cygnus OB 1 and OB 2 could indeed account for a large fraction of the 'Cygnus West' emission. Emission from 'Cygnus East' however, cannot easily be modelled by the sparse Cygnus OB 7 association. This led to a study on the impact of a newly proposed Al-26 source, massive close binaries. It is found that a very significant Al-26 contribution from massive close binaries would be needed to account for the observed emission in Cygnus East, which would single out this region from other observations. It appears more likely that deeper observations (e.g., in the near infrared) are needed to get a better estimate on the population of massive stars in Cygnus East.

Oberlack, Uwe↗
NASA NTRS2002

Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2003

On Saturday, 2003 May 31, an annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from a broad corridor that traverses the North Atlantic. The path of the Moon's antumbral shadow begins in northern Scotland, crosses Iceland and central Greenland, and ends at sunrise in Baffin Bay (Canada). A partial eclipse will be seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of Europe, the Middle East, central and northern Asia, and northwestern North America. The trajectory of the Moon's shadow is quite unusual during this event. The shadow axis passes to the far north where it barely grazes Earth's surface. In fact, the northern edge of the antumbra actually misses Earth so that one path limit is defined by the day/night terminator rather than by the shadow's upper edge. As a result, the track of annularity has a peculiar "D" shape that is nearly 1200 kilometers wide. Since the eclipse occurs just three weeks prior to the northern summer solstice, Earth's northern axis is pointed sunwards by 22.8 deg. As seen from the Sun, the antumbral shadow actually passes between the North Pole and the terminator. As a consequence of this extraordinary geometry, the path of annularity runs from east to west rather than the more typical west to east. The event transpires near the Moon's ascending node in Taurus five degrees north of Aldebaran. Since apogee occurs three days earlier (May 28 at 13 UT), the Moon's apparent diameter (29.6 arc-minutes) is still too small to completely cover the Sun (31.6 arc-minutes) resulting in an annular eclipse.

Espenak, Fred↗
NASA NTRS2004

Characterization of Asian Dust Properties Near Source Region During ACE-Asia

Asian dust typically originates in desert areas far from polluted urban regions. During transport, dust layers can interact with anthropogenic sulfate and soot aerosols from heavily polluted urban areas. Added to the complex effects of clouds and natural marine aerosols, dust particles reaching the marine environment can have drastically different properties than those from the source. Thus, understanding the unique temporal and spatial variations of Asian aerosols is of special importance in regional-to-global climate issues such as radiative forcing, the hydrological cycle, and primary biological productivity in the mid-Pacific Ocean. During ACE-Asia campaign, we have acquired ground- based (temporal) and satellite (spatial) measurements to infer aerosol physical/optical/radiative properties, column precipitable water amount, and surface reflectivity over this region. The inclusion of flux measurements permits the determination of aerosol radiative flux in addition to measurements of loading and optical depth. At the time of the Terra/MODIS, SeaWiFS, TOMS and other satellite overpasses, these ground-based observations can provide valuable data to compare with satellite retrievals over land. In this paper, we will demonstrate new capability of the Deep Blue algorithm to track the evolution of the Asian dust storm from sources to sinks. Although there are large areas often covered by clouds in the dust season in East Asia, this algorithm is able to distinguish heavy dust from clouds over the entire regions. Examination of the retrieved daily maps of dust plumes over East Asia clearly identifies the sources contributing to the dust loading in the atmosphe~~. We have compared the satellite retrieved aerosol optical thickness to the ground-based measurements and obtained a reasonable agreement between these two. Our results also indicate that there is a large difference in the retrieved value of spectral single scattering albedo of windblown dust between different sources in East Asia.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗
NASA NTRS2004

Surface-Satellite Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SMART)and Chemical, Optical and Microphysical Measurements of In-Situ Troposphere (COMMIT) Research Activities

The GSFC SMART consists of a suite of remote sensing instruments, including many commercially available radiometers, spectrometer, interferometer, and three in-house developed inskuments: micro-pulse lidar (MPL), scanning microwave radiometer (SMiR), and sun-sky-surface photometer (S(sup 3)). SMART cover the spectral range from UV to microwave, and passive to active remote sensing. This is to enrich the EOS-like research activities (i.e., EOS validation, innovative investigations, and long-term local environmental observations). During past years, SMART has been deployed in many NASA supported field campaigns to collocate with satellite nadir overpass for intercomparisons, and for initializing model simulations. Built on the successful experience of SMART, we are currently developing a new ground-based in-situ sampling package, COMMIT, including measurements of trace gases (CO, SO2, NOx, and O3,) concentrations, fine/coarse particle sizers and chemical composition, single- and three-wavelength nephelometers, and surface meteorological probes. COMMIT is built for seeking a relationship between surface in-situ measurements and boundary layer characteristics. This is to enrich EOS-like research on removing boundary layer signal from the entire column from space observation - to deduce the stable (less variability) free-troposphere observations. The COMMIT will try its best to link the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of the boundary layer with radiation. The next major activities for SMART-COMMIT are scheduled for 2004-2006 in BASE-ASIA and EAST-AIRE. The expected close collaboration of BASE-ASIA with various research projects in Asia (i.e., ABC in South Asia, led by Ramanathan et al.; EAST-AIRE in East Asia, led by Li et al.; and APEX in Northeast Asia, led by Nakajima et al.) will definitely provide a better understanding of the impact of the biomass burning and air pollutants on regional-to-global climate, hydrological and carbon cycles, and tropospheric chemistry in Asia.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗
NASA NTRS2004

Dust, Pollution, and Biomass Burning Aerosols in Asian Pacific: A Column Satellite-Surface Perspective

Airborne dusts from northern China contribute a significant part of the air quality problem and, to some extent, regional climatic impact in Asia during spring-time. However, with the economical growth in China, increases in the emission of air pollutants generated from industrial and vehicular sources will not only impact the radiation balance, but adverse health effects to humans all year round. In addition, both of these dust and air pollution clouds can transport swiftly across the Pacific reaching North America within a few days, possessing an even larger scale effect. The Asian dust and air pollution aerosols can be detected by its colored appearance on current Earth observing satellites (e.g., MODIS, SeaWiFS, TOMS, etc.) and its evolution monitored by satellites and surface network. Biomass burning has been a regular practice for land clearing and land conversion in many countries, especially those in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. However, the unique climatology of Southeast Asia is very different than that of Africa and South America, such that large-scale biomass burning causes smoke to interact extensively with clouds during the peak-burning season of March to April. Significant global sources of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, CH4), chemically active gases (e.g., NO, CO, HC, CH3Br), and atmospheric aerosols are produced by biomass burning processes. These gases influence the Earth-atmosphere system, impacting both global climate and tropospheric chemistry. Some aerosols can serve as cloud condensation nuclei, which play an important role in determining cloud lifetime and precipitation, hence, altering the earth's radiation and water budget. Biomass burning also affects the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon compounds from the soil to the atmosphere; the hydrological cycle (i.e., run off and evaporation); land surface reflectivity and emissivity; as well as ecosystem biodiversity and stability. Two new initiatives, EAST-AIRE (East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols: an International Regional Experiment) and BASE-ASIA (Biomass-burning Aerosols in South East-Asia: Smoke Impact Assessment) will be presented and discussed their contribution to better understand the impacts of aerosols on regional-to-global climate, hydrological and carbon cycles, and tropospheric chemistry.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗