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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

The seasonal variation of atmospheric pressure on Mars as affected by the south polar cap

The daily mean pressures at two locations on Mars, observed over 57% of a Martian year, reveal a semiannual oscillation with a peak-to-peak difference that is 26% of the mean pressure. This intrinsically Martian phenomenon is caused by exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the winter polar caps. Evidence is presented that the difference in pressure at the two landers varies with season and that the seasonal variation is not completely removed by hydrostatic correction for the difference in elevation. The mass CO2 sublimed from the south polar cap is estimated to be greater than or equal to 7.9 x 10 to the 12th metric tons, corresponding to a mean thickness of solid CO2 over the maximum extent of that cap of greater than or equal to 23 cm. Estimates are formed of the meridonal wind speed conveying gas out of the dissipating cap and the associated zonal geostrophic wind, both averaged over longitude. The results are approximately 2.3 m/sec and 14 m/sec, respectively.

Hess, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Seasonal variations in the atmospheric distribution of a reactive chlorine compound, tetrachloroethene (CCl2 = CCl2)

Tropospheric mixing ratios of CCl2 = CCl2 were measured at remote surface locations in the Pacific between 71 deg N and 47 deg S during September and December of 1989, and March and June of 1990. The observed gradient of decreasing concentrations from the northern to the southern hemisphere, and very low concentrations in the southern hemisphere throughout the year, indicates a predominant input from the northern hemisphere. Seasonal measurements in the northern hemisphere showed maximum CCl2 = CCl2 concentrations occurring in the late summer. This distinct seasonal variation is strongly coupled to the atmompheric abundance of hydroxyl radical, the only important species responsible for CCl2 = CCl2 removal. With the estimated global CCl2 =CCl2 emissions, the lifetime is calculated to be about 5.4 months which is in good agreement with the 4.0 month estimate obtained from the inverse ratio of its measured hydroxyl reaction rate constant compared with that of methyl-chloroform CH3CCl3.

Wang, Charles J.-L.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Seasonal Variations of Water Vapor in the Lower Stratosphere Inferred from ATMOS/ATLAS-3 Measurements of H2O and CH4

Stratospheric measurements of H2O and CH4 by the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) Fourier transform spectrometer on the ATLAS-3 shuttle flight in November 1994 have been examined to investigate the altitude and geographic variability of H2O and the quantity H = (H2O + 2CH4) in the tropics and at mid-latitudes (8 to 49 deg N) in the northern hemisphere. The measurements indicate an average value of 7.24 +/- 0.44 ppmv for H between altitudes of about 18 to 35 km, corresponding to an annual average water vapor mixing ratio of 3.85 +/- 0.29 ppmv entering the stratosphere. The H2O vertical distribution in the tropics exhibits a wave-like structure in the 16- to 25-km altitude range, suggestive of seasonal variations in the water vapor transported from the troposphere to the stratosphere. The hygropause appears to be nearly coincident with the tropopause at the time of observations. This is consistent with the phase of the seasonal cycle of H2O in the lower stratosphere, since the ATMOS observations were made in November when the H2O content of air injected into the stratosphere from the troposphere is decreasing from its seasonal peak in July-August.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Seasonal Variations of Water Vapor in the Lower Stratosphere Inferred from ATMOS/ATLAS-3 Measurements of H2O and CH4

Stratospheric measurements of H2O and CH4 by the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) Fourier transform spectrometer on the ATLAS-3 shuttle flight in November 1994 have been examined to investigate the altitude and geographic variability of H2O and the quantity H = (H2O + 2CH4) in the tropics and at mid-latitudes (8 to 49 deg N) in the northern hemisphere. The measurements indicate an average value of 7.24 plus or minus 0.44 ppmv for H between altitudes of about 18 to 35 km, corresponding to an annual average water vapor mixing ratio of 3.85 plus or minus 0.29 ppmv entering the stratosphere. The H2O vertical distribution in the tropics exhibits a wave-like structure in the 16- to 25-km altitude range, suggestive of seasonal variations in the water vapor transported from the troposphere to the stratosphere. The hygropause appears to be nearly coincident with the tropopause at the time of observations. This is consistent with the phase of the seasonal cycle of H2O in the lower stratosphere, since the ATMOS observations were made in November when the H2O content of air injected into the stratosphere from the troposphere is decreasing from its seasonal peak in July - August.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Observations of, and sources of the spatial and temporal variability of ozone in the middle atmosphere on climatological time scales (OZMAP) and equatorial dynamics: Seasonal variations of ozone trends

The long term trends (least square linear regression with time) of ozone content at seven European, seven North American, three Japanese and two tropical stations during 21 years (1964 to 1984) are analyzed. In all regions negative trends are observed during the 1970s, but are partly compensated by limited periods of positive trends during the late 1960s and late 1970s. Solely the North American ozone data show negative trends in all 10 year periods. When the long term ozone trends are evaluated for each month of the year separately, a seasonal variation is revealed, which in Europe and North America has largest negative trends in late winter and spring. While in Europe the negative trends in winter/spring are partly compensated by positive trends in summer, in North America the summer values reach only zero, retaining the significant negative trend in annual mean values. In contrast to the antarctic ozone hole, the spring reduction of ozone in Europe and in North America is associated with stratospheric temperatures increasing in the analyzed period and therefore is consistent with the major natural ozone production and loss processes.

Entzian, G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Aerosol iron speciation and seasonal variation of iron oxidation state over the western Antarctic Peninsula

The iron (Fe) speciation and oxidation state have been considered critical factors affecting Fe solubility in the atmosphere and bioavailability in the surface ocean. In this study, elemental composition and Fe speciation in aerosol samples collected at the Palmer Station in the West Antarctic Peninsula were determined using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The elemental composition of coarse-mode (>1 mu m) Fe-containing particles suggests that the region's crustal emission is the primary source of aerosol Fe. The Fe minerals in these aerosol particles were predominantly hematite and biotite, but minor fractions of pyrite and ilmenite were observed as well. The Fe oxidation state showed an evident seasonal variation. Further, the Fe(II) content accounted for 71% of the total Fe in the austral summer, while this fraction dropped to 60% in the austral winter. Multivariate linear models involving meteorological parameters suggested that the wind speed, relative humidity, and solar irradiance were the factors that significantly controlled the percentage of Fe(II) in the austral summer. On the contrary, no relationship was found between these factors and the Fe(II) percentage in the austral winter, suggesting that atmospheric photoreduction and regional dust emission were limited. Moreover, the snow depth was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the aerosol Fe concentration, confirming the limiting effect of snow/ice cover on the regional dust emission. Given that the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced rapid warming during recent decades, the ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula may act as potential dust sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1975

Seasonal variations of NO and O3 at altitudes of 18.3 and 21.3 km

Nitric oxide and ozone concentrations have been measured in situ from a high-altitude research aircraft. Data which show the variations of NO and O3 with the time of year are presented for altitudes of 18.3 and 21.3 km. The extreme values of the observed NO concentrations at 21.3 km are 1.2 billion per cu cm in summer and 0.2 billion per cu cm in winter. At 18.3 km the extreme values are 1.6 billion per cu cm in summer and 0.1 billion per cu cm in winter. The smoothed NO seasonal data show a variation of about a factor of 2.5 at 21.3 km and a factor of 4 at 18.3 km. The ozone data show the generally expected magnitude and seasonal variation. We have used a photochemical model employing the measured ozone concentrations, the mean solar zenith angle, and seasonal HNO3 data reported by others to predict the seasonal NO variation at 20 km. The result is a summer-to-winter NO ratio of 2.5 which is in fair agreement with the observed ratios.

Loewenstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Seasonal variations of D/H and C-13/C-12 ratios of microbial methane in surface sediments

Appreciable seasonal and spatial variation has been found in the delta D and delta C-13 of gas-phase microbial CH4 produced in the marine sediments of Cape Lookout Bight (CLB), North Carolina. The observations provide indirect evidence that the CLB CH4 delta variation reflects variation in the relative contributions of the main CH4 precursors, acetate and CO2/H2. The delta D-CH4 and delta C-13-CH4 are inversely correlated, indicating that microbial consumption is not responsible for the delta variation. While CLB is not strictly representative of wetlands in general, some of the key microbial processes and environmental characteristics that appear largely responsible for the observed CLB CH4 delta variation are probably similar in typical temperate and high-latitude wetlands.

Burke, Roger A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Regional and seasonal variations of surface reflectance from satellite observations at 0.6 micron

A global series of seasonal visible surface reflectance maps derived from NOAA-5 Scanning Radiometer observations is presented. Methods for isolating clear-sky observations from satellite data are evaluated and the magnitude of atmospheric effects (Rayleigh scattering and ozone absorption) are presented. A preliminary analysis of digital vegetation and soils data bases, which were analyzed in conjunction with the satellite observations, is discussed. Regional and global reflectance homogeneity of land-cover types, and snow brightening for types, are presented. Results demonstrate that the statistical approach for isolating clear-sky radiances used in this study obtains accurate enough values for each location to allow meaningful measurements of seasonal, spatial and ecosystem variations in surface reflectance.

Matthews, Elaine↗
NASA NTRS1988

Global surface-water-induced seasonal variations in the earth's rotation and gravitational field

The effects of seasonal changes in continental surface-water storage on the low-degree gravitational-field coefficients (J), the annual wobble excitation (Psi), and the seasonal length-of-day (LOD) variations are investigated by means of numerical simulations based on compiled meteorological data (Willmott et al., 1985) and satellite snow-load estimates (Chao et al., 1987). The formulation of the model equations and the overall characteristics of the data sets are discussed in detail, and the computation results are presented in tables and graphs. The effect on Psi is found to be relatively small due to longitudinal cancellation, but those on LOD and J are considered significant.

Chao, B. F.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Daily and Seasonal Variations of Shallow Seismic Velocities in Southern California From Joint Analysis of H/V Ratios and Autocorrelations of Seismic Waveforms

Establishing a baseline of ongoing secular velocity variations at the subsurface can improve the accuracy of detecting and interpreting short-term velocity changes, and advance the understanding of observed seismic motions and the behavior of subsurface materials. Toward these goals, we develop and apply a deconvolved autocorrelation (DA) method to estimate regional daily and seasonal changes of seismic velocities in southern California. The DA method combines advantages of traditional autocorrelation and Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio, and is used to analyze over 10 years of data recorded by 50 stations. The results indicate widespread daily and seasonal changes of up to 10% and 4%, respectively, in the top tens of meters of the crust. The thickness of the surface layer, distance from the coast, and topographic variations are important factors controlling the amplitudes of the resolved velocity variations. The results suggest that changes of soil moisture and thermoelastic strain are likely dominant factors affecting the daily and seasonal variations, respectively. The developed DA method can improve the accuracy and robustness of estimated changes of subsurface materials at other locations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Chemical degradation of fly ash blended concrete with the seasonal variation of rainwater in a radioactive waste repository: A thermodynamic modeling approach

Highlights: • The thermodynamic model for the cementitious system was successfully developed. • The chemical degradation of concrete was greatly affected by rainwater types. • Inorganic carbon species in rainwater reduced the chemical resistance of concrete. • The durability of concrete to rainwater decreased with increasing fly ash content. This study presents a long-term degradation behavior of fly ash blended concrete in a vault type low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) repository by thermodynamic equilibrium calculations using PHREEQC combined with CEMDATA18 database. Since rainwater plays a predominant role as leachate for the concrete waste container in the repository, the effect of chemical properties of seasonal rainwater on the chemical degradation of concrete was analyzed. In addition, the impact of the blending with fly ash on the chemical degradation was evaluated through a gradual replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by fly ash. Regardless of the replacement level, autumn rainwater showed the greatest influence on the concrete degradation owing to the presence of inorganic carbon species, which induce the carbonation. The resistance of concrete to chemical degradation by rainwater was persistently reduced due to the decreasing formation of portlandite and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) with increasing replacement level.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1994

Global circuit response to seasonal variations in global surface air temperature

Comparisons are made between the seasonal behavior of the global electrical circuit and the surface air temperature for the Tropics and for the globe. Positive correlations between global circuit parameters and temperature are identified on both semiannual and annual timescales. Lightning is the global circuit quantity found most responsive to temperature, with a sensitivity of the order of 10% per 1 C. These findings lend further validity to the use of global circuit measurements as a diagnostic for global change.

Williams, Earle R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Seasonal Variation of Martian Polar Caps: 1999 and 2001 MOC Data

The seasonal Martian polar caps wax and wane in response to condensation and sublimation of carbon dioxide resulting from seasonal insolation changes on Mars. Numerous data exist on observations of the recession or sublimation phases in the visible portion of the spectrum for the last two centuries. William Herschel published the first quantitative observations of the seasonal recession of the Martian polar caps in 1784. During the next 180 years, ground based observers used a variety of techniques to observe recessions; Slipher summarized these observations in 1962, on the eve of the first space exploration of Mars. Portions of the seasonal cycles of the surface caps that were observed by Mariners 7 and 9 and by Viking as well as ground based studies from 1971-1988 by the International Planetary Patrol were summarized in a review article following the Fourth International Conference on Mars in 1989. Hubble Space Telescope observed points in the seasonal recessions of the south and north caps during the 1990 s. Differences between different Martian regressions have been reported in the past; but, because many of the relevant data sets are localized in longitude, at least some of these results could be an artifact introduced by the considerable longitudinal asymmetry that observed during recessions.

P B James↗
NASA NTRS1981

Seasonal variations of total ozone revealed by the Nimbus-4 BUV data set

Backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) data from the Nimbus-4 spacecraft for the period 1970-1977 have been processed to a refined level. The seasonal and interannual variations of total ozone are examined on a global scale, using daily zonal means of 10 deg latitude bands and a time-latitude cross section. A harmonic analysis was performed on the daily zonal means and the amplitude, days of peak ozone values, and percentage of variance were computed for the annual, semiannual and higer harmonics for several years and each year. A clear quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) was revealed from the tropics to midlatitudes after removing the mean annual wave. Asymmetries in the annual wave in the two hemispheres found earlier for the period 1970-1972 persist through the entire observation period. Interannual variations appear to be the result of the QBO of ozone from low to midlatitudes. Asymmetries in the QBO amplitude phase, and period were also detected in the two hemispheres.

Hilsenrath, E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Seasonal variations in fire conditions are important drivers in the trend of aerosol optical properties over the south-eastern Atlantic

Abstract. From June to October, southern Africa produces one-third of the global biomass burning (BB) emissions by widespread fires. BB aerosols are transported westward over the south-eastern Atlantic with the mid-tropospheric winds, resulting in significant radiative effects. Ascension Island (ASI) is located midway between Africa and South America. From June 2016 to October 2017, a 17-month in situ observation campaign on ASI found a low single-scattering albedo (SSA) as well as a high mass absorption cross-section of black carbon (MACBC), demonstrating the strong absorbing marine boundary layer in the south-eastern Atlantic. Here we investigate the monthly variations of critical optical properties of BB aerosols, i.e. SSA and MACBC, during the BB seasons and the driving factors behind these variations. Both SSA and MACBC increase from June to August and decrease in September and October. The average SSA during the BB seasons is 0.81 at 529 nm wavelength, with the highest mean ∼ 0.85 in October and the lowest ∼ 0.78 in August. The absorption enhancement (Eabs) derived from the MACBC shows similar trends with SSA, with the average during the whole of the BB seasons at ∼ 1.96 and ∼ 2.07 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. As the Eabs is higher than the ∼ 1.5 commonly adopted value by climate models, this result suggests the marine boundary layer in the south-eastern Atlantic is more absorbing than model simulations. We find the enhanced ratio of BC to CO (ΔBC/ΔCO, equal to BC/ΔCO as the BC background concentration is considered to be 0) is well correlated with SSA and MACBC, providing a simple way to estimate the aerosol optical characteristics in the south-eastern Atlantic. The exponential function we proposed can approximate SSA and MACBC with BC/ΔCO, and when BC/ΔCO is small it can capture the rapid growth of SSA as BC/ΔCO decreases. BC/ΔCO is influenced by combustion conditions and aerosol scavenging. From the analysis of the location of BB, the primary source fuel, the water content in the fuel, combined with the mean cloud cover and precipitation in the transport areas of the BB plume, we conclude that the increase in BC/ΔCO from June to August is likely to be caused by burning becoming more flaming. The reduction in the water content of fuels may be responsible for the change in the burning conditions from June to August. The decrease in BC/ΔCO in September and October may be caused by two factors, one being a lower proportion of flaming conditions, possibly associated with a decrease in mean surface wind speed in the burning area, and the other being an increase in precipitation in the BB transport pathway, leading to enhanced aerosol scavenging, which ultimately results in an increase in SSA and MACBC.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2019

Diurnal and Seasonal Variations in Chlorophyll Fluorescence Associated with Photosynthesis at Leaf and Canopy Scales

There is a critical need for sensitive remote sensing approaches to monitor the parameters governing photosynthesis, at the temporal scales relevant to their natural dynamics. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and chlorophyll fluorescence (F) offer a strong potential for monitoring photosynthesis at local, regional, and global scales, however the relationships between photosynthesis and solar induced F (SIF) on diurnal and seasonal scales are not fully understood. This study examines how the fine spatial and temporal scale SIF observations relate to leaf level chlorophyll fluorescence metrics (i.e., PSII yield, YII and electron transport rate, ETR), canopy gross primary productivity (GPP), and PRI. The results contribute to enhancing the understanding of how SIF can be used to monitor canopy photosynthesis. This effort captured the seasonal and diurnal variation in GPP, reflectance, F, and SIF in the O2A (SIFA) and O2B (SIFB) atmospheric bands for corn (Zea mays L.) at a study site in Greenbelt, MD. Positive linear relationships of SIF to canopy GPP and to leaf ETR were documented, corroborating published reports. Our findings demonstrate that canopy SIF metrics are able to capture the dynamics in photosynthesis at both leaf and canopy levels, and show that the relationship between GPP and SIF metrics differs depending on the light conditions (i.e., above or below saturation level for photosynthesis). The sum of SIFA and SIFB (SIFA+B), as well as the SIFA+B yield, captured the dynamics in GPP and light use efficiency, suggesting the importance of including SIFB in monitoring photosynthetic function. Further efforts are required to determine if these findings will scale successfully to airborne and satellite levels, and to document the effects of data uncertainties on the scaling.

Campbell, Petya K.↗