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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Measurements of nitric oxide and total reactive nitrogen in the Antarctic stratosphere - Observations and chemical implications

Results are presented on measurements of NO and the sum of reactive nitrogen species, NO(y), which include NO, NO2, NO3, N2O5, HNO3, and ClONO2 (in addition to ClO, O3, H2O, and N2O measurements), obtained aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft flying over the Antarctica between the latitudes of 53 and 72 deg S during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment. The boundary of the chemically perturbed region (CPR), as indicated by a sharp increase in the level of ClO, occurred near 66 deg S; outside or equatorward of the CPR, the NO(y) mixing ratios ranged between 6 and 12 ppbv, with values decreasing poleward and reaching total NO(y) levels of 4 ppbv or less within 5-deg poleward of the boundary. Data presented in this paper clearly associate the Antarctic ozone decrease with perturbed conditions of ClO, NO(y), and H2O, which are in turn associated with processes defined as nonstandard heterogeneous chemistry, denitrification, and dehydration, respectively.

Fahey, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Stratospheric nitrous oxide distribution in the Southern Hemisphere

Nitrous oxide measurements were made in the Southern Hemisphere as part of the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment in late winter and early spring 1987, covering the altitude range 14-21 km. This paper reports on N2O measurements made by the airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer, which was flown onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Average vertical N2O profiles at latitudes 72 deg S, 54 deg S, and 42 deg S are presented and compared, when possible, with equivalent summer profiles. Latitudinal gradients of N2O on isentropic surfaces are presented and discussed in terms of their implications about the inhibition of horizontal mixing near the polar vortex. Finally, a large-scale distribution of N2O for the region 72 deg S to 42 deg S latitude is presented.

Podolske, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Transport into the south polar vortex in early spring

The effect of transport on the springtime decline in ozone in the southern polar vortex was investiated using data on long-lived gas tracers (N2O, CH4, CCl4, CH3CCl3, CO, CFC-11, CFC-12, and CFC-113) obtained by the ER-2 aircraft in the period between August 23 and September 22 during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment. It was found that, while the concentrations of long-lived trace gases remained relatively constant for fixed potential temperature and latitude, the ozone mixing ratio over the same period declined by more than 50 percent inside the polar vortex near 18-km altitude. These data indicate a substantial photochemical sink of ozone. The evidence of the zero or negative time tendencies for long-lived trace gases and the meridional and vertical gradients of ozone imply that transport is supplying ozone to the polar region during springtime.

Hartmann, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evidence for diabatic cooling and poleward transport within and around the 1987 Antarctic ozone hole

Atmospheric dynamics at altitudes of 17.5-19 km were analyzed using measurements of N2O, total water, total odd-nitrogen species, and potential vorticity (derived from pressures, temperatures, and wind speeds) obtained aboard the ER-2 aircraft flown in the period between August 23 and September 22 during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment. Results indicated a consistent gradual poleward movement of air, extending from about 10 deg in latitude outside the boundary of the ozone hole to about 5 deg inside. Evidence is presented of ongoing diabatic cooling throughout this zone, both inside and outside the chemically perturbed region.

Profitt, M. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The radiative budget of tropical clouds - A case study

Data collected during flight 9 of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP), in Australia (1987), are used in an attempt to define the nature of one particular cirrus outflow region and its radiative impact. To explore the mechanisms by which air is exchanged between the stratosphere and troposphere, a series of instruments was flown on the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft to make measurements relevant to the radiative budget of tropical clouds. The data acquired included upwelling infrared radiance at 10.5 and 6.5 microns (spectral bandwidth of 1 micron); net infrared flux (spectral bandwidth of 3 to 40 microns); cloud particle size distribution; water-vapor and total water (vapor plus condensed phase); aerosol particle size distribution; and ambient temperature.

Ackerman, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Statistical precipitation cell parameter estimation using passive 118-GHz O2 observations

This paper investigates the statistical retrieval of cell top altitude using high-resolution passive 118-GHz multichannel precipitation cell imagery. The observations were made using the millimeter-wave temperature sounder scanning spectrometer aboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft, during the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment and the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment, 1986. Results obtained using a nonlinear statistical 118-GHz cell top altitude retrieval technique are presented, illustrating a systematic method for parameter estimation from noisy nonlinearly dependent observations.

Gasiewski, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

N2O as a dynamical tracer in the Arctic vortex

This paper reports N2O measurements obtained by the Airborne Tunable Laser Absorption Spectrometer from 14 flights of the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the 1989 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition field campaign. In the altitude range expected for ozone loss, N2O has a long photochemical lifetime, making it an excellent tracer of lower stratospheric air motions. As in the southern hemisphere, the zonal wind speed maximum and large gradients of potential vorticity and N2O identify the vortex edge. The N2O profiles inside the vortex indicate net descent relative to outside the vortex and to the summer polar lower stratosphere. The descent of the N2O profile during the Arctic night relative to the summer profile is comparable to the downward shift in the vertical profile observed in the 1987 Antarctic winter vortex. Winter profiles at the poles are very similar above the 435 K potential temperature surface, but divergent below.

Loewenstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Nitric oxide measurements in the Arctic winter stratosphere

Measurements of NO from five flights of the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition are presented. The NO values and vertical gradient near 60 deg N latitude are similar to previous measurements near 50 deg N in winter (Ridley et al., 1984, 1987). The NO latitudinal gradient is distinctly negative outside of the polar vortex, approaching zero at the boundary of the vortex, and remaining below the 20 pptv detection limit inside the vortex. Steady state NO2 and NO(x) (NO + NO2) are calculated from measured NO, O3, and ClO, and modeled photodissociation rates. NO(x) outside the vortex shows a negative dependence on latitude and solar zenith angle. Low NO(x) and NO(x)/NO(y), inside and near the vortex boundary may be indications of heterogeneous removal of ClONO2 and N2O5.

Fahey, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Microwave radiative transfer studies using combined multiparameter radar and radiometer measurements during Cohmex

Theoretical calculations of the upwelling microwave radiances from clouds containing layers of rain, ice, and a melting region were performed at frequencies of 18, 37, and 92 GHz. These frequencies coincide with high-resolution microwave radiometer measurements taken aboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft during the summer 1986 Cohmex (Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment) in Alabama. For purposes of brightness temperature computations, the storms were modeled with rain, melting phase, and ice layers. The melting phase region was composed of water-coated ice spheres defined by a 'melt index' in terms of the volume fraction of water. Single scatter albedo, scattering, and extinction coefficients were computed at the above frequencies as a function of the rain rate and melt index. In addition, multiparameter radar observations of the storm were mapped into a Cartesian space and averaged over regions comparable to the radiometer footprint.

Vivekanandan, J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Remote sounding of the tropical cirrus cloud temperature and optical depth using 6.5 and 10.5-micron radiometers during STEP

A dual-channel retrieval technique involving the water vapor band at 6.5 microns and the window region at 10.5 microns has been developed to infer the temperature and emissivity of tropical anvils. This technique has been applied to data obtained from the ER-2 narrow field-of-view radiometers during two flights in the field observation of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project near Darwin, Australia, January-February 1987. The retrieved cloud temperatures are between 190 and 240 K, while the cloud emissivities derived from the retrieval algorithm range from about 0.2 to 1. Moreover, the visible optical depths have been obtained from the cloud emissivity through a theoretical parameterization with values of 0.5-10. A significant portion of tropical cirrus clouds are found to have optical depths greater than about 6. Because of the parameterization, the present technique is unable to precisely determine the optical depth values for optically thick cirrus clouds.

Liou, K. N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Calibration correction of an active scattering spectrometer probe to account for refractive index of stratospheric aerosols

The use of the active scattering spectrometer probe (ASAS-X) to measure sulfuric acid aerosols on U-2 and ER-2 research aircraft has yielded results that are at times ambiguous due to the dependence of particles' optical signatures on refractive index as well as physical dimensions. The calibration correction of the ASAS-X optical spectrometer probe for stratospheric aerosol studies is validated through an independent and simultaneous sampling of the particles with impactors; sizing and counting of particles on SEM images yields total particle areas and volumes. Upon correction of calibration in light of these data, spectrometer results averaged over four size distributions are found to agree with similarly averaged impactor results to within a few percent: indicating that the optical properties or chemical composition of the sample aerosol must be known in order to achieve accurate optical aerosol spectrometer size analysis.

Pueschel, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Thermodynamic structure of the stratocumulus-capped boundary layer on 7 July, 1987

As part of project First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE), a mission was carried out on 7 July 1987 to study the thermodynamic structure of a boundary layer which is in transition from a clear to a cloudy state. The National Center for Aeronautical Research (NCAR) Electra flew a pattern in tight coordination with the NASA ER-2 aircraft near 122 West, 31.6 North off the coast of California. A description is given here of the thermodynamic structure. The purpose is to derive the entrainment rate and the fluxes of the thermodynamic variables. To this end researchers represent the data in conserved variable diagrams.

Boers, Reinout↗
NASA NTRS1989

Analysis of the boreal forest-tundra ecotone: A test of AVIRIS capabilities in the Eastern Canadian subarctic

A comparison was conducted between ground reflectance spectra collected in Schefferville, Canada and imaging spectrometer observations acquired by the AVIRIS sensor in a flight of the ER-2 Aircraft over the same region. The high spectral contrasts present in the Canadian Subarctic appeared to provide an effective test of the operational readiness of the AVIRIS sensor. Previous studies show that in this location various land cover materials possess a wide variety of visible/near infrared reflectance properties. Thus, this landscape served as an excellent test for the sensing variabilities of the newly developed AVIRIS sensor. An underlying hypothesis was that the unique visible/near infrared spectral reflectance patterns of Subarctic lichens could be detected from high altitudes by this advanced imaging spectrometer. The relation between lichen occurrence and boreal forest-tundra ecotone dynamics was investigated.

Goward, Samuel N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Data analysis and archival

The purpose of this task is the acquisition, distribution, archival, and analysis of data collected during and in support of the Upper Atmospheric Research Program (UARP) field experiments. Meteorological and U2 data from the 1984 Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) was analyzed to determine characteristics of internal atmospheric waves. CDROM's containing data from the 1987 STEP, 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Expedition (AAOE), and the 1989 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE) were produced for archival and distribution of those data sets. The AASE CDROM contains preliminary data and a final release is planned for February 1990. Comparisons of data from the NASA ER-2 Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) with radar tracking and radiosonde data show good agreement. Planning for a Meteorological Support Facility continues. We are investigating existing and proposed hardware and software to receive, manipulate, and display satellite imagery and standard meteorological analyses, forecasts, and radiosonde data.

Danielsen, Edwin F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Remote measurements of the structure of midwest thunderstorm tops and anvils from high altitude aircraft

Results are presented from observations by a visible and IR scanning radiometer, a scanning passive microwave radiometer, and a nadir-viewing cloud lidar system (CLS), carried out from ER-2 overflights for two midwest severe weather events both of which presented following phenomena: (1) a group of severe thunderstorms which later transformed into a linear mesoscale convective system, and (2) a severe thunderstorm which produced large hail. Most of the aircraft in situ and remote measurements pointed to a deep subsidence region and gravity waves downstream of the overshooting cloud tops. The observations do not support a radiative explanation for the warm areas in the anvil.

Heymsfield, Gerald M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Ozone Hole Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (Pre-Flight)

The first segment of this video gives an overview of the Ozone Hole Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition, an international effort using balloon payloads, ground based instruments, and airborne instruments to study ozone depletion and the hole in the ozone over Antarctica which occurs every spring. False color imagery taken from NASA's Nimbus 7 satellite which documents daily changes in ozone is also shown. The second segment of this video shows actual take-off and flight footage of the two aircraft used in the experiment: the DC-8 Flying Laboratory and the high flying ER-2.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

The Origins of Air Parcels Uplifted in a Two Dimensional Gravity Wave in the Tropical Upper Troposphere During the NASA Stratosphere Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP)

During January and February 1987, as part of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project, the NASA ER-2 made 11 flights from Darwin, Australia to investigate dehydration mechanisms in the vicinity of the tropical tropopause. After the monsoon onset in the second week of January, steady easterly flow of 15-25 ms (exp -1) was established in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over northern Australia and adjacent seas. Penetrating into this regime were elements of the monsoon convection such as overshooting convective turrets and extensive anvils including cyclone cloud shields. In cases of the latter, the resulting flow obstructions tended to produce mesoscale gravity waves. In several instances the ER- 2 meteorological and trace constituent measurements provide a detailed description of the structure of these gravity waves. Among these was STEP Flight 6, 22-23 January. It is of particular interest to STEP because of the close proximity of ice-laden and dehydrated air on the same isentropic surfaces. Convective events inject large amounts of ice into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere which may not be completely removed by local precipitation processes. In the present instance, a gravity wave for removed from the source region appears to induce relativity rapid upward motion in the ice-laden air and subsequent dessication. Potential mechanisms for such a localized removal process are under investigation.

Selkirk, Henry B.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Future of Oaks in the Santa Monica Mountains: A Case Study in Using Remote Sensing Data for Species Distributions Models

The Woolsey Fire began on November 8, 2018, and lasted for almost two weeks, during which it burned almost 100,000 acres of valuable landscape and habitat, including a vast area of woodland. The persistence of key woodland species provides aesthetic, monetary, and ecological value to the landscape through carbon sequestration, air temperature moderation, and erosion mitigation, among other ecosystem services. This study investigated the impact of the Woolsey Fire on native woodland species distributions and identified areas suitable for restoration within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The team partnered with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains; National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; California Department of Parks and Recreation, Los Angeles County Division; County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Prevention Services Bureau, Forestry Division; County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning; and the University of Montana. The Earth observations used include data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, NASA ER-2 Jet Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, and RapidEye. The team produced maps of burn severity from the Woolsey Fire, its impact on plant species distributions, and habitat suitability projections for 2050 and 2099 to assist partners in prioritizing areas for restoration. A plant community classification was successfully created using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA). Overall accuracy was assessed at 90.54% by comparing the classification to validation pixels derived from ground truth information provided by our partners.

Roger Ly↗