Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Arm activities”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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

At least 145 records · Page 8

Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter (CCN) Instrument Handbook

The Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter—CCN (Figure 1) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility instrument for measuring the concentration of aerosol particles that can act as cloud condensation nuclei [1, 2]. The CCN draws the sample aerosol through a column with thermodynamically unstable supersaturated water vapor that can condense onto aerosol particles. Particles that are activated, i.e., grown larger in this process, are counted (and sized) by an Optical Particle Counter (OPC). Thus, activated ambient aerosol particle number concentration as a function of supersaturation is measured. Models CCN-100 and CCN-200 differ only in the number of humidifier columns and related subsystems: CCN-100 has one column and CCN-200 has two columns along with dual flow systems and electronics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Radiation Detection Technologies

When governing bodies seek to reduce the spread and development of nuclear material and weapons, arms control and safeguards technologies play an important role in preventing proliferation within a state that has already developed a nuclear weapon. Arms control treaties work to control the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, distribution, or the usage of a certain weapon type or delivery system. Treaty guidelines are met using combinations of monitoring, detection, and verification technologies. 1 To verify compliance, a country must determine if the activities of another country are within the limits and obligations established by the treaty. A verifiable treaty contains an interlocking web of constraints and provisions designed to deter cheating, to make cheating more complicated and more expensive, or to make its detection timelier. In the past, the U.S. has deemed treaties to be effectively verifiable if there is confidence that significant violations can be detected in time to respond and offset any threat that the violation may create for the U.S.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Rapid SACR Observations of Convection at Bankhead National Forest (RAPID) Field Campaign Report

Improving our representation of convective cell processes requires better quantification of convective clouds throughout their entire life cycle. This includes gaining a clearer understanding of the controls on key convective cloud properties, such as updraft intensity, particle size distributions, rainfall rates, and hydrometeor species. Our inability to improve convective cloud process modeling stems, in part, from a limited understanding of convective cell properties, particularly given how rapidly these storms evolve. This lack of detailed observations in the most intense and organized convective storms is especially significant, as large errors remain in representing these clouds, which are critical for severe weather prediction and Earth system model performance. Cloud and precipitation radars are essential tools for studying cloud microphysics and dynamics, particularly in deeper convective clouds. The recent U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility’s third Mobile Facility (AMF3) Bankhead National Forest (BNF) deployment provides a unique opportunity to investigate important land–atmosphere interactions, as well as the environmental controls on deep convective cloud processes, in a location favorable for frequent convection. We operate the X/Ka-band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (X/Ka SACR) using a scan strategy optimized to capture these rapidly evolving clouds and their properties, thereby improving studies of deep convective cloud processes. This effort is strengthened by a complementary and coordinated partnership with ongoing university and multi-agency radar activities collocated in north Alabama—a unique opportunity to examine clouds and precipitation from a lifetime-centric perspective.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Diurnal Trends and Meteorological Factors Influencing the Variability of Fluorescent Bioaerosol in Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado During SAIL

Abstract Despite the crucial role of bioaerosol particles (BAP) in our climate system, local ecosystems, and human health, our grasp on their atmospheric interactions is hampered by a lack of high‐resolution and long‐term data, which is essential for understanding their abundance and variability in response to meteorological conditions. To discern these relationships in a high‐altitude mountainous terrain is even less well‐studied. Therefore, we deployed a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS‐Neo) for three months during the first biologically active season of the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) campaign in summer 2022 on Mt. Crested Butte in Colorado (elevation 3,140 m ASL). Here, we report real‐time fluorescent BAP (FBAP) data collected from 15 June to 13 September 2022, sampled from within the ARM Aerosol Observing System (AOS). To our knowledge, these are the first high altitude (>3,000 m ASL) continuous measurements of FBAP made in North America. During this deployment, we observed on average 21% and as many as 48% (hourly maximum) of particles within the detection size range ( to ) of the WIBS as FBAP. Our analysis presents the diurnal cycles for seven distinct types of FBAP, showing unique patterns and, in some cases, correlations with temperature and solar radiation cycles. Abundance and composition of FBAP varied with relative humidity and precipitation. Precipitation events appeared to both cause emission and removal of FBAP, whereas dust and smoke events had no significant effect, highlighting the critical role of meteorology on FBAP at high altitudes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Use of Remote Sensing and In-Situ Observations to Develop and Evaluate Improved Representations of Convection and Clouds for the ACME Model

The overachieving goal of the whole CMDV-MCS project is to improve understanding of warm season continental convection and to develop treatments of convection and microphysics capable of representing mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) features in large-scale models. Our tasks for this project contributing to the overachieving goal include: (1) Improve the ice nucleation formulation for MG2 and P3 cloud microphysics schemes; (2) Improve the treatment of subgrid dynamics and thermodynamics driving the ice nucleation in E3SM; and (3) Test the performance of improved ice microphysics in E3SM with observation data. In this project, we have (1) Improved the ice nucleation parameterization for MG2 and P3 in E3SM by implementing two advanced empirical parameterizations with connection to aerosols. The two deterministic heterogeneous ice nucleation parameterizations (i.e., DeMott et al., 2015; Niemand et al., 2012) were merged with the MG2 and P3 cloud microphysics schemes in E3SM. Long-term simulations were conducted to examine the impacts of these new parameterizations on simulated cloud properties; (2) Improved the treatment of subgrid dynamics and thermodynamics driving the ice nucleation in E3SM. We evaluated the double Gaussian PDF of vertical velocity simulated by the Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB) and the sub-column vertical velocity sampled from the Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS) in E3SM. We introduced the vertical velocity variance induced by topographic gravity waves for ice nucleation and droplet activation; and (3) Tested the performance of improved ice microphysics in E3SM with observation data. We tested the new treatments of ice nucleation in the single column model (SCM) mode for the stratiform mixed-phase clouds observed during 9-10 October 2004 in the DOE ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) and for the convective clouds observed on 20 May 2011 in the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). Modeled ice nucleating particles (INPs) concentrations were compared against observations collected around the globe.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Different chemical scaffolds bind to L-phe site in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Phe-tRNA synthetase

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt), is one of the deadliest infectious diseases. The rise of multidrug-resistant strains represents a major public health threat, requiring new therapeutic options. Bacterial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) have been shown to be highly promising drug targets, including for TB treatment. These enzymes play an essential role in translating the DNA gene code into protein sequence by attaching specific amino acid to their cognate tRNAs. They have multiple binding sites that can be targeted for inhibitor discovery: amino acid binding pocket, ATP binding pocket, tRNA binding site and an editing domain. Recently we reported several high-resolution structures of M. tuberculosis phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (MtPheRS) complexed with tRNA Phe and either L-Phe or a nonhydrolyzable phenylalanine adenylate analog. Here, in this study, using Nucleic Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) we identified fragments that bind to MtPheRS and we determined crystal structures of their complexes with MtPheRS/tRNA Phe . All the binders interact with the L-Phe amino acid binding site. The analysis of interactions of the new compounds combined with adenylate analog structure provides insights for the rational design of antituberculosis drugs. The 3 ' arm of the tRNA Phe in all the structures was disordered with exception of one complex with D-735 compound. In this structure the 3' CCA end of the acceptor stem is observed in the editing domain of MtPheRS providing insights regarding the post-transfer editing activity of class II aaRS.

Gade, Priyanka [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United State↗

TRACER-Vertical Profile of Aerosol in Convective System (TRACER-VPACS) Field Campaign Report

We investigated physicochemical properties of aerosol at different altitudes during the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER). We used ARM’s tethered balloon system (TBS) and multi-modal offline analysis techniques available at DOE’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL). The main scientific aim of this project was to understand the influence of the vertical profile of aerosol composition on the properties of deep convective clouds. The effect of aerosol properties on convective activity is still poorly understood and debated. For example, previous studies suggested that higher concentration of hygroscopic aerosol may lead to lower collection efficiency and eventually delay in onset of precipitation and total amount of precipitation. However, some observations suggested that increased aerosol concentration may result in vigorous convection and a higher amount of precipitation. In addition, the radiative forcing of the ambient aerosol is strongly influenced by the vertical distribution of aerosols and their chemical composition, and not well constrained in climate models. The estimation of the indirect effect of aerosol also has a significant uncertainty due to the spatial variation of the aerosol, especially at the cloud base. Detailed size-resolved chemical composition studies of aerosol and their microphysical properties, along with in situ measurements from ARM’s mobile facilities, help to improve our understanding of the role of aerosol in deep convective cloud formation over a broad range of environmental thermodynamic and aerosol conditions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

ARM Data for Examining the Ice-Nucleating Particles from SGP Part II (ExINP-SGP II) Gas Adsorption Analyzer

Knowledge of airborne particulate matter (PM), especially the particles that have supermicron diameters, is key for understanding ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Supported by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, we sampled PM and surface soil materials at the Southern Great Plains observatory (SGP; 36° 36′ 18″ N, 97° 29′ 6″ W) to systematically compare the INP abundance and ice nucleation efficiency of different SGP samples (i.e., airborne versus surface materials). The field campaign, named Examing INP from SGP II (ExINP-SGP II), was conducted from 20 January to 20 April, 2021. Our data analysis products include (1) physical surface sorption characterization data (i.e., BET, pore volume) of two sets of samples -- SGP Soil and USDA, (2) X-ray diffraction spectra for the same two samples, (3) immersion freezing assay-based ice nucleation active mass density data as a function of freezing temperature for both ambient and surface samples, and (4) time-series data of ambient meteorological conditions, concentration particle counter-derived aerosol particle concentration, and aerosol particle sizer measurement during ExINP-SGP II.

3Flex,BET specific surface area and pore volume, A↗

AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Neutron and Gamma Dose Characterization Preliminary Results

Integral Experiment Request (IER) 484 is part of a series of dose characterization and nuclear accident dosimeter (NAD) exercises performed under the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP). The Armed Forces Radiobilogy Research Institute (AFRRI) 1.1 MW Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) Mark-F reactor is the third facility to undergo a dose study to establish reference dose values. A preliminary measurement was performed earlier this year, where a variety of foils were irradiated and activation gamma rays were measured using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The data was taken and analyzed to calculate the neutron spectrum in the irradiation facility. This paper will present preliminary results of the neutron dose measured. The characterization of the AFRRI dose field is planned in August.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

CCN data from TAMU TRACER campaign in the Houston TX region from July to September 2022

During TRACER, the Texas A&M Rapid Onsite Atmospheric Measurements Van (ROAM-V) was deployed to capture airmasses behind (maritime) and ahead (continental) of the passage of the sea-breeze front through Houston. On select sampling days, ROAM-V sampled in the morning/mid-day on the coast and then transited to a second inland site for the afternoon/evening. The suite of instruments deployed on ROAM-V included a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC; GRIMM Model 5.403 CPC), Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS; TSI 3750 detector, TSI 3082 classifier, TSI 3088 neutralizer, TSI 3081A Differential Mobility Analyzer), Cloud Condensation Nuclei counter (Droplet Measurement Technologies CCN Counter), micro pulse lidar (Droplet Measurement Technologies Micro Pulse LiDAR (miniMPL)), and a Davis Rotating Uniform size-cut Monitor (DRUM; DRUMAir 4-DRUM). Before sampling at each location, the latitude and longitude were recorded using the GPS on the phone application “My Altitude”. Onboard the ROAM-V, aerosol samples are drawn through a shared isokinetic inlet at a flow rate ranging from 3.5 to 7.0 LPM. A portion of this flow is directed through a cyclone impactor (Brechtel, Inc. Model SCC 0.732) and 0.5 LPM is directed to the CCN. To calculate particle losses, we used a two-step method. First, the measured SMPS size distributions were used to calculate particle loss through the inlet during sampling. Second, the corrected SMPS data was used to calculate the average of the total losses per scan down the CCN line. Then, the correction was applied to the CCN data. This calculation was done separately for each deployment location due to changes in the measured size distributions between locations. Particle loss from diffusion (based on Kesten, 1991 and Gormley, 1949), inertial impaction in 90-degree bends (based on Aerosol Measurement, 2011 and Crane, 1977), and cyclone impactor efficiency (based on Dirgo, 1985) were included in the loss calculation. When the SMPS was not sampling at a location (in the case of an instrument malfunction or operator error), the reported CPC data was corrected with an average of the total losses for the entire campaign at the specified deployment location (e.g., if we needed to correct Galveston data, then the average of all calculated losses at Galveston was taken). These flatline corrections were used for all data on 22/07/13, 22/07/20, 22/07/22, and the data from Galveston on 22/08/09. The supersaturation uncertainty is estimated conservatively at +/- 0.03%, where variation in the inlet temperature, pressure, and calibration technique prevents a more accurate measurement. Confidence in the reported supersaturation measurements is based on a pre-campaign calibration (following the methods from our previous work and Deng, 2014 based on Rose, 2008) in addition to inter-comparisons with the DOE for two days (22/08/18 and 22/09/01) where TAMU was co-located with AMF1. The inter-comparisons show good agreement between our instrument and the DOEs instrument on both days at all supersaturations. After the last inter-comparison on 22/09/01, there was no indication of a malfunction by our instrument through the rest of the campaign. Unfortunately, the instrument was dropped during demobilization. A post-campaign calibration was conducted, which showed a substantial departure from the pre-campaign calibration. The drop may have damaged the instrument’s ability to produce the desired supersaturations. Therefore, we do consider the data after 22/09/01 to be correct, but it should be used with caution. The CCN counter sampled for 3 minutes at each supersaturation setpoint (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2%). At the end of a cycle, the instrument was set to 0.01% supersaturation for 5 minutes. The data is comprised of the last 60 seconds of each supersaturation set point (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2%) to ensure the instrument stabilized and was able to reach thermal equilibrium. We removed the data during the periods where there were operational difficulties, setup, or maintenance. This data was collected for ARM Field Campaign AFC07055 and supported by DOE ASR grant DE-SC0021047. For any further questions, please feel free to contact the instrument PI, Sarah D. Brooks, sbrooks@tamu.edu. Rose et. al. Calibration and Measurement Uncertainties of a Continuous-Flow Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter (DMT-CCNC): CCN Activation of Ammonium Sulfate and Sodium Chloride Aerosol Particles in Theory and Experiment. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 1153-1179, 2008. Deng et. al. Using Raman Microspectroscopy to Determine Chemical Composition and Mixing State of Airborne Marine Aerosols over the Pacific Ocean. Aerosol Science and Technology, Vol 48, Issue 2, 2014. Kesten et. al. Calibration of a TSI Model 3025 Ultrafine Condensation Particle Counter. Aerosol Science and Technology, 15:2, 107-111, 1991. Gormley et. al. Diffusion from a Stream Flowing through a Cylindrical Tube. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol 52, 163-169, 1948. Aerosol Measurement: Principles, Techniques, and Applications, Third Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2011. Crane et. al. Inertial Deposition of Particles in a Bent Pipe. Journal of Aerosol Science, Vol 8, 161-170, 1977. Dirgo et. al. Cyclone Collection Efficiency: Comparison of Experimental Results with Theoretical Predictions. Aerosol Science and Technology, 4:4, 401-415, 1985.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

ARM Data for Examining the Ice-Nucleating Particles from SGP Part II (ExINP-SGP II) X-Ray Diffraction

Knowledge of airborne particulate matter (PM), especially the particles that have supermicron diameters, is key for understanding ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Supported by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, we sampled PM and surface soil materials at the Southern Great Plains observatory (SGP; 36° 36′ 18″ N, 97° 29′ 6″ W) to systematically compare the INP abundance and ice nucleation efficiency of different SGP samples (i.e., airborne versus surface materials). The field campaign, named Examing INP from SGP II (ExINP-SGP II), was conducted from 20 January to 20 April, 2021. Our data analysis products include (1) physical surface sorption characterization data (i.e., BET, pore volume) of two sets of samples -- SGP Soil and USDA, (2) X-ray diffraction spectra for the same two samples, (3) immersion freezing assay-based ice nucleation active mass density data as a function of freezing temperature for both ambient and surface samples, and (4) time-series data of ambient meteorological conditions, concentration particle counter-derived aerosol particle concentration, and aerosol particle sizer measurement during ExINP-SGP II.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

ARM Data for Examining the Ice-Nucleating Particles from SGP Part II (ExINP-SGP II) Aerodynamic Particle Sizer, Condensation Particle Counter, and Meteorological Instrument Data Analysis

Knowledge of airborne particulate matter (PM), especially the particles that have supermicron diameters, is key for understanding ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Supported by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, we sampled PM and surface soil materials at the Southern Great Plains observatory (SGP; 36° 36′ 18″ N, 97° 29′ 6″ W) to systematically compare the INP abundance and ice nucleation efficiency of different SGP samples (i.e., airborne versus surface materials). The field campaign, named Examing INP from SGP II (ExINP-SGP II), was conducted from 20 January to 20 April, 2021. Our data analysis products include (1) physical surface sorption characterization data (i.e., BET, pore volume) of two sets of samples -- SGP Soil and USDA, (2) X-ray diffraction spectra for the same two samples, (3) immersion freezing assay-based ice nucleation active mass density data as a function of freezing temperature for both ambient and surface samples, and (4) time-series data of ambient meteorological conditions, concentration particle counter-derived aerosol particle concentration, and aerosol particle sizer measurement during ExINP-SGP II.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Engineering a tumor-selective prodrug T-cell engager bispecific antibody for safer immunotherapy

T-cell engaging (TCE) bispecific antibodies are potent drugs that trigger the immune system to eliminate cancer cells, but administration can be accompanied by toxic side effects that limit dosing. TCEs function by binding to cell surface receptors on T cells, frequently CD3, with one arm of the bispecific antibody while the other arm binds to cell surface antigens on cancer cells. On-target, off-tumor toxicity can arise when the target antigen is also present on healthy cells. The toxicity of TCEs may be ameliorated through the use of pro-drug forms of the TCE, which are not fully functional until recruited to the tumor microenvironment. This can be accomplished by masking the anti-CD3 arm of the TCE with an autoinhibitory motif that is released by tumor-enriched proteases. Here, we solve the crystal structure of the antigen-binding fragment of a novel anti-CD3 antibody, E10, in complex with its epitope from CD3 and use this information to engineer a masked form of the antibody that can activate by the tumor-enriched protease matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2). We demonstrate with binding experiments and in vitro T-cell activation and killing assays that our designed prodrug TCE is capable of tumor-selective T-cell activity that is dependent upon MMP-2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a similar masking strategy can be used to create a pro-drug form of the frequently used anti-CD3 antibody SP34. This study showcases an approach to developing immune-modulating therapeutics that prioritizes safety and has the potential to advance cancer immunotherapy treatment strategies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Aerosol Inlets for a Mid-Sized Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS)

The purpose of this technical report is to document the efforts to design and test two inlet systems for aerosol sampling suitable for deployment on a medium-sized fixed-wing Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). This work, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, was conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the ARM Aircraft Facility (AAF) starting in November 2017. The current work is a part of AAF efforts to instrument the ArcticShark (a mid-sized UAS owned and operated by the AAF) for atmospheric research and develop a scientific payload for deployment on a similar-sized UAS with minimal adaptation and integration. An aerosol inlet system is necessary to sample and transport ambient air sample to the scientific instrumentation with minimal distortions to the aerosols. Two isokinetic aerosol inlets were designed: the first is a simple passive system for a single instrument suitable to be installed in a wing pylon; the second is a system with active control designed to sample and distribute air among several heterogeneous instruments and to provide basic humidity control of the air sample so that the measured aerosol parameters should correspond to “dry” conditions (a common requirement). Both systems could be easily adapted for deployment on another platform and/or with a different set of instrumentation. Several conducted flight tests showed that the inlets’ performance met our design goals.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Outflow from Outer-arm Starburst in a Grazing Collision between Galaxies

Gemini NIFS K-band spectra and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array {sup 12}CO J=1→0, HCO{sup +}, and 100 GHz continuum observations are used to study a bright starburst clump on an outer arm of the interacting galaxy NGC 2207. This clump emits 23% of the total 24 μm flux of the galaxy pair and has an optically opaque dust cone extending out of its 170 pc core. The measured CO accounts for the dark cone extinction if almost all the gas and dust there are in front of the star clusters. An associated approaching CO outflow has v {sub z} ~ 16 km s{sup -1}, an estimated molecular mass 8 × 10{sup 6} M {sub ⊙}, and rises to heights ~0.9 kpc. A receding CO outflow on the far side with v {sub z} ~ 28 km s{sup -1} is less extensive. The observed star formation in the core over 10 Myr can supply the dark cone kinetic energy of roughly 2 × 10{sup 52} erg via supernovae and stellar winds. Other signs of intense activity are a variable radio continuum, suggesting an embedded supernova or other outburst; X-ray emission possibly from an X-ray binary or intermediate-mass black hole, depending on the extinction; and Brγ and He i lines with 82 km s{sup -1} line widths and fluxes consistent with excitation by embedded O-type stars. According to previous models, the retrograde encounter suffered by NGC 2207 caused the loss of angular momentum. This compressed its outer disk. We suggest that the resulting inward crashing stream hit a massive H i clump on the preexisting spiral arm and triggered the observed starburst.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-ARb ARM Southern Great Plains burn site- Lamont

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ARb ARM Southern Great Plains burn site- Lamont. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ARb ARM Southern Great Plains burn site- Lamont produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The ARM SGP Burn site is located in the native tallgrass prairies of the USDA Grazinglands Research Laboratory near El Reno, OK. One of two adjacent 35 ha plots, the US-ARb plot was burned on 2005/03/08. The second plot, US-ARc, was left unburned as the control for experimental purposes. Aside from 2005, the region evaded burning activities for at least 15 years. Current disturbances consist of only light grazing activities.

Torn, Margaret↗

Kent Island Boundary Layer Field Campaign Report

Understanding the mechanisms governing the urban atmospheric environment is critical for informing urban populations about the impacts of climate change and associated mitigation and adaptation measures. The U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility’s Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE) was conducted to study the interactions among the earth’s surface, the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), aerosols, atmospheric composition, clouds, radiation, and precipitation at each experimental site, and to examine how the spatial gradients across the region interact to create the climate conditions in Baltimore. In this activity we performed weekly soundings, alternating between day and night from Kent Island, to get low-frequency, long-term observations of ABL/lower tropospheric thermodynamic structure. However, during the CoURAGE intensive operational period (IOP), we performed high-frequency sampling (2x/day), at times coinciding with CoURAGE IOP soundings at the main site. The short-term, high-frequency sounding information that was launched at 12Z and 18Z was to complement the longer-term data set.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Baselining the Indirect Effect by Improving Quantification of Sea Spray and Marine Sources at Ascension Island (Final Report)

Oceans cover two-thirds of the Earth and understanding the interactions of aerosols with clouds in these large marine regions requires quantifying the man-made contributions to the budget of cloud-drop forming particles (known as cloud condensation nuclei, or CCN) relative to the non-manmade “baseline” conditions and understanding the meteorology of boundary layer clouds. Modeling studies have shown substantial uncertainties and sensitivities to natural marine CCN sources, meaning that to reduce uncertainties in indirect effects we must be able to better quantify the CCN budget in ocean regions. While models provide important constraints on these uncertainties, actually reducing uncertainties requires substantial observations in open-ocean and coastal regions in order to establish the baseline on which manmade emissions are added. The tropical South Atlantic Ocean is one of the least-sampled regions of the planet, making the comprehensive measurements of the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds (LASIC) campaign provides the longest record of aerosol size distribution measurements from a differential mobility analyzer in a cloud-influenced marine location in the ARM database, with 17 months of ground-based aerosol size distribution measurements. This project addressed the research topic of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions (ACI) by supporting three publications from the LASIC measurements: 1. The ARM measurements were combined with a new value-added technique that was pioneered by the Russell group for quantifying sea salt. This quantification of sea salt uses supermicron scattering measurements for retrieving reasonable sea spray mass concentrations, providing the best-available, observationally-constrained estimate of the sea spray mode properties when supermicron size distribution measurements are not available. 2. The fitted modes of the distribution were used to investigate the signatures of cloud processing for very clean to very smoky aerosol conditions, revealing not only differences in the particles that activate in clouds but also in the mechanisms that control that droplet formation process. In clean air, the size required to form a cloud droplet is influenced by the number of particles, as well as how quickly particles take up water during growth in cloud. 3. Building on this aerosol characterization, cloud and meteorological conditions were used to evaluate aerosol-related changes in cloud albedo and optical depth. We introduced a new method of decomposing the impact of aerosols on clouds known as the Twomey effect by incorporating retrieved supersaturation from two independent sets of observations to constrain the feedback of aerosol particles on cloud properties. The method quantifies the reduction of the Twomey effect at high aerosol concentrations, which has never been explained quantitatively by observations. In addition, the results provide the first direct validation for the conditions observed in the tropical South Atlantic of a parcel-based approach that is embedded in many climate models. Together these findings illustrate how ARM extended field campaigns in stratocumulus-covered regions can be used to constrain ACI processes with direct observations, providing specific radiative effects without models. By making such process-specific constraints available to improve ACI in global climate models, ARM observations play a key role in supporting model development.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗