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NASA NTRS2006

Temperature-Dependence of Air-Broadened Line Widths and Shifts in the nu3 Band of Ozone

The 9.6-micron bands of O3 are used by many remote-sensing experiments for retrievals of terrestrial atmospheric ozone concentration profiles. Line parameter errors can contribute significantly to the total errors in these retrievals, particularly for nadir-viewing. The McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer at the National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak was used to record numerous high-resolution infrared absorption spectra of O3 broadened by various gases at temperatures between 160 and 300 K. Over 30 spectra were analyzed simultaneously using a multispectrum nonlinear least squares fitting technique to determine Lorentz air-broadening and pressure-induced shift coefficients along with their temperature dependences for selected transitions in the 3 fundamental band of (16)O3. We compare the present results with other measurements reported in the literature and with the ozone parameters on the 2000 and 2004 editions of the HITRAN database.

Smith, Mary A. H.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Polarimetric Retrievals of Cloud Droplet Number Concentrations

Cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) is an important parameter of liquid clouds and is crucial to understanding aerosol-cloud interactions. It couples boundary layer aerosol composition, size and concentration with cloud reflectivity. It affects cloud evolution, precipitation, radiative forcing, global climate and, through observation, can be used to partially monitor the first indirect effect. With its unique combination of multi-wavelength, multi-angle, total and polarized reflectance measurements, the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) retrieves Nd with relatively few assumptions. The approach involves measuring cloud optical thickness, mean droplet extinction cross-section and cloud physical thickness. Polarimetric observations are capable of measuring the effective variance, or width, of the droplet size distribution. Estimating cloud geometrical thickness is also an important component of the polarimetric Nd retrieval, which is accomplished using polarimetric measurements in a water vapor absorption band to retrieve the amount of in-cloud water vapor and relating this to physical thickness. We highlight the unique abilities and quantify uncertainties of the polarimetric approach. We validate the approach using observational data from the North Atlantic and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES). NAAMES targets specific phases in the seasonal phytoplankton lifecycle and ocean-atmosphere linkages. This study provides an excellent opportunity for the RSP to evaluate its approach of sensing Nd over a range of concentrations and cloud types with in situ measurements from a Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP). The RSP and CDP, along with an array of other instruments, are flown on the NASA C-130 aircraft, which flies in situ and remote sensing legs in sequence. Cloud base heights retrieved by the RSP compare well with those derived in situ (R=0.83) and by a ceilometer aboard the R.V. Atlantis (R=0.79). Comparing geometric mean values from 12 science flights throughout the NAAMES-1 and NAAMES-2 campaigns, we find a strong correlation between Nd retrieved by the RSP and CDP (R=0.96). A linear least squares fit has a slope of 0.92 and an intercept of 0.3 cm−3. Uncertainty in this comparison can be attributed to cloud 3D effects, nonlinear liquid water profiles, multilayered clouds, measurement uncertainty, variation in spatial and temporal sampling, and assumptions used within the method. Radiometric uncertainties of the RSP measurements lead to biases on derived optical thickness and cloud physical thickness, but these biases largely cancel out when deriving Nd for most conditions and geometries. We find that a polarimetric approach to sensing Nd is viable and the RSP is capable of accurately retrieving Nd for a variety of cloud types and meteorological conditions.

Droplet concentration↗
NASA NTRS1986

Production of radionuclides in artificial meteorites irradiated isotropically with 600 MeV protons

The understanding of the production of cosmogenic nuclides in small meteorites (R is less than 40 cm) still is not satisfactory. The existing models for the calculation of depth dependent production rates do not distinguish between the different types of nucleons reacting in a meteorite. They rather use general depth dependent particle fluxes to which cross sections have to be adjusted to fit the measured radionuclide concentrations. Some of these models can not even be extended to zero meteorite sizes without logical contradictions. Therefore, a series of three thick target irradiations was started at the 600 MeV proton beam of the CERN isochronuous cyclotron in order to study the interactions of small stony meteorites with galactic protons. The homogeneous 4 pi irradiation technique used provides a realistic meteorite model which allows a direct comparison of the measured depth profiles with those in real meteorites. Moreover, by the simultaneous measurement of thin target production cross sections one can differentiate between the contributions of primary and secondary nucleons over the entire volume of the artificial meteorite.

Michel, R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Kinetics of the reaction of nitric oxide with hydrogen

The reaction of nitric oxide with hydrogen has been studied in the temperature range 2400-4500 K using a shock-tube technique. Mixtures of NO and H2 diluted in argon or krypton were heated by incident shock waves, and the infrared emission from the fundamental vibration-rotation band of NO at 5.3 microns was used to monitor the time-varying NO concentration. The decomposition of nitric oxide behind the shock was found to be modeled well by a fifteen-reaction system. A principal result of the study was the determination of the rate constant k1 for the reaction H + NO yields N + OH, which may be the rate-limiting step for NO removal in some combustion systems. Experimental values of k1 were obtained for each test through comparisons of measured and numerically predicted NO profiles. The data are fit closely by the expression k1 = 1.34 times 10 to the fourteenth power exp(-49 200/RT) cu cm/mole-sec. These data appear to be the first available for this rate constant.

Flower, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

High Resolution Spectroscopy to Support Atmospheric Measurements

The major research activities performed during the cooperative agreement enhanced our spectroscopic knowledge of molecules of atmospheric interest such as H2O (water vapor), O3 (ozone), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), CH4 (methane), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and CO (carbon monoxide). The data required for the analyses were obtained from two different Fourier Transform Spectrometers (FTS); one of which is located at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Kitt Peak, Arizona and the other instrument is located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) at Richland, Washington. The data were analyzed using a modified multispectrum nonlinear least squares fitting algorithm developed by Dr. D. Chris Benner of the College of William and Mary. The results from these studies made significant improvements in the line positons and intensities for these molecules. The measurements of pressure broadening and pressure induced line shift coefficients and the temperature dependence of pressure broadening and pressure induced shift coefficients for hundreds of infrared transitions of HCN, CO3 CH4 and H2O were also performed during this period. Results from these studies have been used for retrievals of stratospheric gas concentration profiles from data collected by several Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) infrared instruments as well as in the analysis of high resolution atmospheric spectra such as those acquired by space-based, ground-based, and various balloon- and aircraft-borne experiments. Our results made significant contributions in several updates of the HITRAN (HIgh resolution TRANsmission) spectral line parameters database. This database enjoys worldwide recognition in research involving diversified scientific fields. The research conducted during the period 2003-2006 has resulted in publications given in this paper. In addition to Journal publications, several oral and poster presentations were given at various Scientific conferences within the United States and abroad.

Venkataraman, Malathy Devi↗
NASA NTRS1991

Laboratory studies of the newly discovered infrared band at 4705.2 cm-1 (2.1253 micrometers) in the spectrum of Io: the tentative identification of CO2

We discuss over 120 laboratory experiments pertaining to the identification of the new absorption band discovered by Trafton et al. (1991) at 4705.2 cm-1 (2.1253 micrometers) in the spectrum of Io. It is shown that this band is not due to overtones or combinations of the fundamental bands associated with the molecules (or their chemical complexes) already identified on Io, namely, SO2, H2S, and H2O. Thus, this band is due to a new, previously unidentified, component of Io. Experiments also demonstrate that the band is not due to molecular H2 frozen in SO2 frosts. Since the frequency of this band is very close to the first overtone of the nu 3 asymmetric stretching mode of CO2, we have investigated the spectral behavior of CO2 under a variety of conditions appropriate for Io. The profile of the Io band is not consistent with the rotational envelope expected for single, freely rotating, gaseous CO2 under Io-like conditions. It was found that pure, solid CO2 and CO2 intimately mixed in a matrix of solid SO2 and H2S produce bands with similar widths (5-10 cm-1), but that these bands consistently fall at frequencies about 10-20 cm-1 (approximately 0.007 micrometer) lower than the Io band. CO2 in SO2 : H2S ices also produces several additional bands that are not in the Io spectra. The spectral fit improves, however, as the CO2 concentration in SO2 increases, suggesting that CO2-CO2 interactions might be involved. A series of Ar : CO2 and Kr : CO2 matrix isolation experiments, as well as laboratory work done elsewhere, show that CO2 clustering shifts the band position to higher frequencies and provides a better fit to the Io band. Various laboratory experiments have shown that gaseous CO2 molecules have a propensity to cluster between 80 and 100 K, temperatures similar to those found on the colder regions of Io. We thus tentatively identify the newly discovered Io band at 4705.2 cm-1 (2.1253 micrometers) with CO2 multimers or "clusters" on Io. Whether these clusters are buried within an SO2 frost, reside on the surface, or are in a residual, steady-state "atmospheric aerosol" population over local coldtraps is not entirely clear, although we presently favor the latter possibility. The size of these clusters is not well defined, but evidence suggests groups of more than four molecules are required. The absorption strength of the 2 nu 3 CO2 cluster overtone determined in the laboratory, in conjunction with the observed strength of the Io band, suggests that the disk-integrated abundance of CO2 is less than 1% that of the SO2. Studies of the sublimation behavior of CO2 indicate that it probably resides predominantly in the cooler areas (< 100 K) of Io. The relative constancy of the Io feature over a variety of orbital phases suggests that the polar regions may contain much of the material. Some consequences of the physical properties of CO2 under conditions pertinent to Io are discussed. The presence of CO2 clusters on Io could be verified by the detection of any one of several other infrared bands associated with the CO2 molecule, of which the strongest are the nu 3 12CO2 asymmetric stretch fundamental near 2350 cm-1 (4.25 micrometers) and the nu 2 bending mode fundamental near 660 cm-1 (15.1 micrometers). Weaker bands that may also be detectable include the nu 3 13CO2 asymmetric stretch fundamental near 2280 cm-1 (4.39 micrometers), the 2 nu 2 + nu 3 combination/overtone band near 3600 cm-1 (2.78 micrometers), and the nu 1 + nu 3 combination band near 3705 cm-1 (2.70 micrometers).

NASA Center ARC↗
NASA NTRS1977

Doubly charged atomic oxygen ions in the thermosphere. I - Photochemistry

Measurements of O(++) concentrations made by the Atmosphere Explorer C satellite are analyzed for altitudes where photochemical equilibrium conditions prevail in order to determine the photochemical sources and sinks of the doubly charged ion. The major loss process is found to be through partial charge exchange with neutral atomic oxygen with a rate coefficient of 1 x 10 to the -11th cu cm/s with an uncertainty of 40%. Above 220 km the major source is photo-ionization of O(+). However, X ray ionization of O (at not greater than 23.3 A) producing O(++) directly through the Auger process provides a better fit to the observed profile at lower altitudes.

Breig, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The vertical distribution of tropospheric ammonia

A one-dimensional tropospheric photochemical model is used to simulate measured profiles of NH3 obtained with the Infrared Heterodyne Radiometer. The relative roles of homogeneous loss, heterogeneous loss, and vertical eddy transport are discussed in terms of selecting parameters which best fit the measurements. The best fit was obtained for a vertical eddy diffusion coefficient of 200,000/sq cm per sec or greater (corresponding to a characteristic vertical transport time in excess of about 35 days), and a characteristic heterogeneous loss time in excess of 10 days. The characteristic homogeneous chemical loss time was found to be about 40 days at the surface and decreased to about 180 days at 10 km, and not very sensitive to model chemical perturbations. Increased ground-level concentrations of NH3 to about 10 ppb, compared to background surface concentrations of about 1 ppb, were measured several weeks after application of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. This suggests that the volatilization of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is rapid, and an important source of NH3. Because of the characteristic times for the loss mechanisms, synoptic time-scale phenomena may play an important role in determining the tropospheric distribution of NH3 concentrations.

Levine, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Alma Measurements of the HNC and HC3N Distributions in Titan's Atmosphere

We present spectrally and spatially resolved maps of HNC and HC3N emission from Titan's atmosphere, obtained using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array on 2013 November 17. These maps show anisotropic spatial distributions for both molecules, with resolved emission peaks in Titan's northern and southern hemispheres. TheHC3N maps indicate enhanced concentrations of this molecule over the poles, consistent with previous studies of Titan's photochemistry and atmospheric circulation. Differences between the spectrally integrated flux distributions of HNC and HC3N show that these species are not co-spatial. The observed spectral line shapes are consistent with HNC being concentrated predominantly in the mesosphere and above (at altitudes z approx.. greater than 400 km), whereas HC3N is abundant at a broader range of altitudes (z approx. equal to 70-600 km). From spatial variations in the HC3N line profile, the locations of the HC3N emission peaks are shown to be variable as a function of altitude. The peaks in the integrated emission from HNC and the line core (upper atmosphere) component of HC3N (at z approx. greater than 300 km) are found to be asymmetric with respect to Titan's polar axis, indicating that the mesosphere may be more longitudinally variable than previously thought. The spatially integrated HNC and HC3N spectra are modeled using the NEMESIS planetary atmosphere code and the resulting best-fitting disk-averaged vertical mixing ratio profiles are found to be in reasonable agreement with previous measurements for these species. Vertical column densities of the best-fitting gradient models for HNC and HC3N are 1.9 × 10(exp 13) per sq.cm and 2.3 × 10(exp 14) per sq.cm, respectively.

ALMA Telescope↗
NASA NTRS1994

Secular evolution of the vertical column abundances of CHClF2 (HCFC-22) in the Earth's atmosphere inferred from ground-based IR solar observations at the Jungfraujoch and at Kitt Peak, and comparison with model calculations

Series of high-resolution infrared solar spectra recorded at the International Scientific Station of the Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, between 06/1986 and 11/1992, and at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona (U.S.A.), from 12/1980 to 04/1992, have been analyzed to provide a comprehensive ensemble of vertical column abundances of CHClF2 (HCFC-22; Freon-22) above the European and the North American continents. The columns were derived from nonlinear least-squares curve fittings between synthetic spectra and the observations containing the unresolved 2 nu(sub 6) Q-branch absorption of CHClF2 at 829.05/cm. The changes versus time observed in these columns were modeled assuming both an exponential and a linear increase with time. The exponential rates of increase at one-sigma uncertainties were found equal to (7.0 +/- 0.35)%/yr for the Junfraujoch data and (7.0 +/- 0.23)%/yr for the Kitt Peak data. The exponential trend of 7.0%/yr found at both stations widely separated in location can be considered as representative of the global increase of the CHClF2 burden in the Earth's atmosphere during the period 1980 to 1992. When assuming two realistic vertical volume mixing ratio profiles for CHClF2 in the troposphere, one quasi constant and the other decreasing by about 13% from the ground to the tropopause, the concentrations for mid-1990 were found to lie between 97 and 111 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) at the 3.58 km altitude of the Jungfraujoch and between 97 and 103 pptv at Kitt Peak, 2.09 km above sea level. Corresponding values derived from calculations using a high vertical resolution-2D model and recently compiled HCFC-22 releases to the atmosphere, were equal to 107 and 105 pptv, respectively, in excellent agreement with the measurements. The model calculated lifetime of CHClF2 was found equal to 15.6 years. The present results are compared critically with similar data found in the literature. On average, the concentrations found here are lower by 15-20% than those derived from in situ investigations; this difference cannot be explained by the absolute uncertainty of +/- 11% assigned presently to the infrared remote measurements.

Zander, R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric Pressure Made Using the Oxygen A-Band

Accurate measurements of greenhouse gas mixing ratios on a global scale are currently needed to gain a better understanding of climate change and its possible impact on our planet. In order to remotely measure greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere with regard to dry air, the air number density in the atmosphere is also needed in deriving the greenhouse gas concentrations. Since oxygen is stable and uniformly mixed in the atmosphere at 20.95%, the measurement of an oxygen absorption in the atmosphere can be used to infer the dry air density and used to calculate the dry air mixing ratio of a greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide or methane. OUT technique of measuring Oxygen uses integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) with an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDF A) laser system and single photon counting module (SPCM). It measures the absorbance of several on- and off-line wavelengths tuned to an O2 absorption line in the A-band at 764.7 nm. The choice of wavelengths allows us to maximize the pressure sensitivity using the trough between two absorptions in the Oxygen A-band. Our retrieval algorithm uses ancillary meteorological and aircraft altitude information to fit the experimentally obtained lidar O2 line shapes to a model atmosphere and derives the pressure from the profiles of the two lines. We have demonstrated O2 measurements from the ground and from an airborne platform. In this paper we will report on our airborne measurements during our 2011 campaign for the ASCENDS program.

Riris, Haris↗
NASA NTRS2014

The Nustar Spectrum of Mrk 335: Extreme Relativistic Effects Within Two Gravitational Radii of the Event Horizon?

We present 3-50 keV NuSTAR observations of the active galactic nuclei Mrk 335 in a very low flux state. The spectrum is dominated by very strong features at the energies of the iron line at 5-7 keV and Compton hump from 10-30 keV. The source is variable during the observation, with the variability concentrated at low energies, which suggesting either a relativistic reflection or a variable absorption scenario. In this work, we focus on the reflection interpretation, making use of new relativistic reflection models that self consistently calculate the reflection fraction, relativistic blurring and angle-dependent reflection spectrum for different coronal heights to model the spectra. We find that the spectra can be well fitted with relativistic reflection, and that the lowest flux state spectrum is described by reflection alone, suggesting the effects of extreme light-bending occurring within approx. 2 gravitational radii (RG) of the event horizon. The reflection fraction decreases sharply with increasing flux, consistent with a point source moving up to above 10 RG as the source brightens. We constrain the spin parameter to greater than 0.9 at the 3(sigma) confidence level. By adding a spin-dependent upper limit on the reflection fraction to our models, we demonstrate that this can be a powerful way of constraining the spin parameter, particularly in reflection dominated states. We also calculate a detailed emissivity profile for the iron line, and find that it closely matches theoretical predictions for a compact source within a few RG of the black hole.

galaxies: active aEuro" galaxies: individual: Mrk ↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analyzing Martian winds and tracer concentrations using Mars Observer data

During the courses of a day, the Mars Observer spacecraft will acquire globally distributed profiles of the martian atmosphere. It is highly desirable that this data be assembled into synoptic weather maps (complete specifications of the atmospheric pressure, temperature, and winds at a given time), which can in turn be used as starting points in the study of many meteorological phenomena. Unfortunately, the special nature of the Mars Observer data presents several challenges above and beyond the usual difficult problem of data initialization. Mars Observer atmospheric data will consist almost exclusively of asynoptic vertical profiles of temperatures (or radiances) and pressures, whereas winds are generally in balance with horizontal gradients of these quantities (which will not be observed). It will therefore be necessary to resort to dynamical models to analyze the wind fields. As a rule, data assimilation into atmospheric models can result in the generation of spurious gravity waves, so special steps must be taken to suppress these. In addition, the asynoptic nature of the data will require a four-dimensional (space and time) data assimilation scheme. The problem is to find a full set of meteorological fields (winds and temperatures) such that, when marched forward in time in the model, they achieve a best fit (in the weighted least-squares sense) to the data. The proposed solution is to develop a model especially for the Mars Observer data assimilation problem. Gravity waves are filtered from the model by eliminating all divergence terms from the prognostic divergence equation. This leaves a diagnostic gradient wind relation between the rotational wind and the temperature field. The divergent wind is diagnosed as the wind required to maintain the gradient wind balance in the presence of the diabatic heating. The primitive equations of atmospheric dynamics (with three principal dependent variables) are thus reduced to a simpler system with a single prognostic equation for temperature - the variable that will be best observed. (This balance system was apparently first derived by Charney as a first-order Rossby number expansion of the equations of motion). Experience with a full primitive equation model of the martian atmosphere indicates that a further simplification is possible: at least for short-term integrations, the model can be linearized about the zonally symmetric basic state.

Houben, Howard C.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Pulsed Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption During the ASCENDS 2009-2011 Airborne Campaigns

We have developed a pulsed lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric CO2 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's ASCENDS mission and have demonstrated the CO2 and O2 measurements from aircraft. Our technique uses two pulsed lasers allowing simultaneous measurement of a single CO2 absorption line near 1572 nm, O2 extinction in the Oxygen A-band, surface height and backscatter profile. The lasers are stepped in wavelength across the CO2 line and an O2 line doublet during the measurement. The column densities for the CO2 and O2 are estimated from the differential optical depths (DOD) of the scanned absorption lines via the IPDA technique. For the 2009 ASCENDS campaign we flew the CO2 lidar on a Lear-25 aircraft, and measured the absorption line shapes of the CO2 line using 20 wavelength samples per scan. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3 to 12.6 km over the Lamont OK, central Illinois, North Carolina, and over the Virginia Eastern Shore. Although the received signal energies were weaker than expected for ASCENDS, clear CO2 line shapes were observed at all altitudes. Most flights had 5-6 altitude steps with 200-300 seconds of recorded measurements per step. We averaged every 10 seconds of measurements and used a cross-correlation approach to estimate the range to the scattering surface and the echo pulse energy at each wavelength. We then solved for the best-fit CO2 absorption line shape, and calculated the DOD of the fitted CO2 line, and computed its statistics at the various altitude steps. We compared them to CO2 optical depths calculated from spectroscopy based on HITRAN 2008 and the column number densities calculated from the airborne in-situ readings. The 2009 measurements have been analyzed and they were similar on all flights. The results show clear CO2 line shape and absorption signals, which follow the expected changes with aircraft altitude from 3 to 13 km. They showed the expected nearly the linear dependence of DOD vs altitude. The measurements showed ~ 1 ppm random errors for 8-10 km altitudes and ~30 sec averaging times. For the 2010 ASCENDS campaigns we flew the CO2lidar on the NASA DC-8 and added an 02lidar channel. During July 2010 we made measurements of CO2 and O2 column absorption during longer flights over Railroad Valley NV, the Pacific Ocean and over Lamont OK. CO2 measurements were made with 30 steps/scan, 300 scans/sec and improved line resolution and receiver sensitivity. Analysis of the 2010 CO2 measurements shows the expected ~linear change of DOD with altitude. For measurements at altitudes> 6 km the random errors were 0.3 ppm for 80 sec averaging times. For the summer 2011 ASCENDS campaigns we made further improvements to the lidar's CO2 line scan and receiver sensitivity. We demonstrated measurements over the California Central Valley, to stratus cloud tops over the Pacific Ocean, over mountain regions with snow, and over several areas with broken clouds. Details of the lidar measurements and their analysis will be described in the presentation.

Abshire, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Pulsed Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption and Range During the ASCENDS 2009-2011 Airborne Campaigns

We have developed a pulsed lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric CO2 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's ASCENDS mission and have demonstrated the CO2 and O2 measurements from aircraft. Our technique uses two pulsed lasers allowing simultaneous measurement of a single CO2 absorption line near 1572 nm, O2 extinction in the Oxygen A-band, surface height and backscatter profile. The lasers are stepped in wavelength across the CO2 line and an O2 line doublet during the measurement. The column densities for the CO2 and O2 are estimated from the differential optical depths (DOD) of the scanned absorption lines via the IPDA technique. For the 2009 ASCENDS campaign we flew the CO2 lidar only on a Lear-25 aircraft, and measured the absorption line shapes of the CO2 line using 20 wavelength samples per scan. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3 to 12.6 km over the Lamont OK, central Illinois, North Carolina, and over the Virginia Eastern Shore. Although the received signal energies were weaker than expected for ASCENDS, clear C02 line shapes were observed at all altitudes. Most flights had 5-6 altitude steps with 200-300 seconds of recorded measurements per step. We averaged every 10 seconds of measurements and used a cross-correlation approach to estimate the range to the scattering surface and the echo pulse energy at each wavelength. We then solved for the best-fit CO2 absorption line shape, and calculated the DOD of the fitted CO2 line, and computed its statistics at the various altitude steps. We compared them to CO2 optical depths calculated from spectroscopy based on HITRAN 2008 and the column number densities calculated from the airborne in-situ readings. The 2009 measurements have been analyzed in detail and they were similar on all flights. The results show clear CO2 line shape and absorption signals, which follow the expected changes with aircraft altitude from 3 to 13 km. They showed the expected nearly the linear dependence of DOD vs altitude. The measurements showed -1 ppm random errors for 8-10 km altitudes and -30 sec averaging times. For the 2010 ASCENDS campaigns we flew the CO2 lidar on the NASA DC-8 and added an O2 lidar channel. During July 2010 we made measurements of CO2 and O2 column absorption during longer flights over Railroad Valley NV, the Pacific Ocean and over Lamont OK. CO2 measurements were made with 30 steps/scan, 300 scans/sec and improved line resolution and receiver sensitivity. Analysis of the 2010 CO2 measurements shows the expected -linear change of DOD with altitude. For measurements at altitudes> 6 km the random errors were 0.3 ppm for 80 sec averaging times. For the summer 2011 ASCENDS campaigns we made further improvements to the lidar's CO2 line scan and receiver sensitivity. The seven flights in the 2011 Ascends campaign were flown over a wide variety of surface and cloud conditions in the US, which produced a wide variety of lidar signal conditions. Details of the lidar measurements and their analysis will be described in the presentation.

Abshire, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

CCD photometry of globular cluster core structure. 2: U-band profiles for 15 candidate collapsed-core clusters

We present U-band CCD surface brightness profiles for 15 of the 21 globular clusters that have been identified as having collapsed cores by Djorgovski & King (1986). Fourteen of the clusters were observed with the Cerro Tololo 4 m telescope; NGC 7078 was observed with the Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6 m telescope (CFHT). We have fitted the profiles with seeing-convolved power laws, both with and without cores, to assess the evidence for central power-law structure and to place upper limits on core radius r(sub c). We find nine of the clusters (NGC 5946, NGC 6284, NGC 6293, NGC 6325, NGC 6342, NGC 6558, NGC 6624, NGC 6681, and NGC 7078) to have unresolved cores, with upper limits r(sub c) less than or = 1.9 arcsecs. Three of the clusters (NGC 6453, NGC 6522, and NGC 7099) have marginally resolved cores, with upper limits in the range 2.7 arcsecs less than or = r(sub c) less than or = 3.4 arcsecs. The remaining three clusters (NGC 6355, NGC 6397, and NGC 6752) have resolved cores. Of the latter three clusters, NGC 6355 and NGC 6752 are consistent with single-mass King model structure. The median cluster distances are 9.2 kpc for those with unresolved cores, 7.2 kpc for those with marginally resolved cores, and 4.1 kpc for those with resolved cores. The 13 clusters that do not resemble single-mass King models have central power-law structure with surface brightness slopes in the range of d ln S/d ln r = -0.6 to -0.8. These slopes are consistent with the models of Grabhorn et al. (1992) for clusters evolving beyond core collapse. The models include a centrally concentrated population of nonluminous remnants with masses in the range 1.2-1.4 solar mass, thus providing evidence for significant neutron star populations in most of our cluster sample. This finding is consistent with the observation of centrally concentrated low-mass X-ray binary and millisecond pulsar populations in several clusters.

Lugger, Phyllis M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Platinum-group elements (PGE) and Rhenium in Marine Sediments across the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary: Constraints on Re-PGE Transport in the Marine Environment

The nature of Re-platinum-group element (PGE; Pt, Pd, Ir, Os, Ru) transport in the marine environment was investigated by means of marine sediments at and across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) at two hemipelagic sites in Europe and two pelagic sites in the North and South Pacific. A traverse across the KTB in the South Pacific pelagic clay core found elevated levels of Re, Pt, Ir, Os, and Ru, each of which is approximately symmetrically distributed over a distance of approx. 1.8 m across the KTB. The Re-PGE abundance patterns are fractionated from chondritic relative abundances: Ru, Pt, Pd, and Re contents are slightly subchondritic relative to Ir, and Os is depleted by approx. 95% relative to chondritic Ir proportions. A similar depletion in Os (approx. 90%) was found in a sample of the pelagic KTB in the North Pacific, but it is enriched in Ru, Pt, Pd, and Re relative to Ir. The two hemipelagic KTB clays have near-chondritic abundance patterns. The approx. 1.8-m-wide Re-PGE peak in the pelagic South Pacific section cannot be reconciled with the fallout of a single impactor, indicating that postdepositional redistribution has occurred. The elemental profiles appear to fit diffusion profiles, although bioturbation could have also played a role. If diffusion had occurred over approx. 65 Ma, the effective diffusivities are approx. 10(exp -13)sq cm/s, much smaller than that of soluble cations in pore waters (approx. 10(exp -5) sq cm/s). The coupling of Re and the PGEs during redistribution indicates that postdepositional processes did not significantly fractionate their relative abundances. If redistribution was caused by diffusion, then the effective diffusivities are the same. Fractionation of Os from Ir during the KTB interval must therefore have occurred during aqueous transport in the marine environment. Distinctly subchondritic Os/Ir ratios throughout the Cenozoic in the South Pacific core further suggest that fractionation of Os from Ir in the marine environment is a general process throughout geologic time because most of the inputs of Os and Ir into the ocean have OsAr ratios greater than or = 1. Mass balance calculations show that Os and Re burial fluxes in pelagic sediments account for only a small fraction of the riverine Os (less than 10%) and Re (less than 0.1%) inputs into the oceans. In contrast, burial of Ir in pelagic sediments is similar to the riverine Ir input, indicating that pelagic sediments are a much larger repository for Ir than for Os and Re. If all of the missing Os and Re is assumed to reside in anoxic sediments in oceanic margins, the calculated burial fluxes in anoxic sediments are similar to observed burial fluxes. However, putting all of the missing Os and Re into estuarine sediments would require high concentrations to balance the riverine input and would also fail to explain the depletion of Os at pelagic KTB sites, where at most approx. 25% of the K-T impactor's Os could have passed through estuaries. If Os is preferentially sequestered in anoxic marine environments, it follows that the OsAr ratio of pelagic sediments should be sensitive to changes in the rates of anoxic sediment deposition. There is thus a clear fractionation of Os and Re from Ir in precipitation out of sea water in pelagic sections. Accordingly, it is inferred here that Re and Os are removed from sea water in anoxic marine depositional regimes.

Lee, Cin-Ty Aeolus↗
NASA NTRS1990

Velocity-Resolved Far-Infrared Spectra of [Fe 2]: Evidence for Mixing and Clumping in SN 1987A

We present approx. 400 km/s resolution profiles of the 17.94 and 25.99 micron [Fe II] transitions from SN 1987A at t approx. 400 days after core collapse. These observations used the facility cooled grating spectrometer aboard NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The two profiles are similar and have FWHM line widths of approx. 2700 km/s. The higher signal-to-noise 18 micron profile is somewhat asymmetric, falling off more steeply on the redshifted side than on the blue. Gaussian fits to the profiles yield an average centroid velocity of 280 +/- 140 km/s relative to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The wings of the profiles extend to velocities is approx. greater than 3000 km/s. This shows that a significant fraction of the iron has been mixed outward into the hydrogen-rich envelope, which has a minimum expansion velocity of 2100-2400 km/s. Both profiles also contain an unresolved 3-5 sigma emission feature on the redshifted wing at nu(LSR) approx. + 3900 km/s. We interpret this feature as emission from a high-velocity clump of material containing approx. 3% of the total iron mass. The total line flux of the 26 micron ground-state transition yields an optically thin, singly ionized iron mass of 0.026 solar mass, relatively independent of the assumed temperature. This is significantly less than the 0.06 Me of Fe+ determined from the decline of the optical light curve and the ionization of measured nickel lines, implying that the iron transitions still have appreciable optical depth. However, because of the small change in the 26 micron line flux from our measurement at 250 days, and the similarity of our profiles to the 1.26 micron [Fe II] profile, most of the emission is believed to originate from optically thin material with a temperature of 4406 +/- 400 K. A comparison of the data with spherically symmetric models indicates a power-law density exponent of -3.2 +/- 1.1 and a minimum expansion velocity of 650 +/- 650 km/s for this optically thin component. The [Fe II] line fluxes and profiles also imply that the remainder of the material has high optical depth and is distributed in clumps throughout the ejecta, rather than being concentrated at low velocities in the center of a smooth density distribution.

Haas, Michael R.↗