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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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NASA NTRS1985

Behavior of decaying El Chichon cloud over Toyokawa, Japan (35 deg N) observed by 532-NM lidar

The stratospheric aerosol state in 1982 and 1983 was in a violet excitation due to the eruption of Mt. El Chichon. A number of direct and indirect soundings of the stratosphere confirmed that the aftereffect of it covered almost the entire Northern Hemisphere by the end of 1982 (e.g., POLLACK et al., 1983). The lidar system constructed at Toyokawa (34.8 deg N, 137.4 deg E) have entered routine base observations since December 1982 (IWATA et al., 1983). The state of observations was 8 months after the eruption, and researchers missed monitoring the drastic variations in the stratosphere just following the event. However, the El Chichon cloud over Japan was reported to have reached the second maximum concentration in November or December 1982 according to the lidar observations at Tsukuba, Nagoya and Fukuoka, so the researchers' observations corresponded to the decaying phase of it. Presented are some characteristics of the aerosol profile over Toyokawa during a period of 20 months from December 1982 to July 1984.

Takagi, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Numerical simulation of El Chichon volcanic cloud

The stratospheric volcanic cloud from the eruption of El Chichon, Mexico, on April 4, 1982 was observed routinely by a Nd:YAG lidar system from April 18, 1982 at Kyushu University. There were two phenomena detected by lidar observation of the El Chichon volcanic cloud: (1) The main enhanced layer was formed in the summer easterly wind region over Fukuoka (33.5 deg N, 130.4 deg E). The layer had two high gradient top and bottom boundaries. The layer width slowly broadened until September 1982, when the easterly wind changed to the westerly wind. A similar phenomenon was observed after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in May 1980. (2) The stratospheric integrated backscattering coefficient (IBC) reached a peak value on May 3, 1982. It then gradually decreased until August, but reincreased significantly from September to December 1982. After January 1983, IBC decreased slowly. This remarkable reincrease had not been seen in past increases which had been observed by lidar at Kyushu University. These phenomena are briefly discussed.

Shibata, T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Halite particles injected into the stratosphere by the 1982 El Chichon eruption

A cascade impactor was flown on board a U-2 aircraft to gather particulate samples in the stratosphere at 18-21 km altitude after the El Chichon eruptions of 1982. Halite particles were observed, which posed a hazard for the catalytic destruction of ozone. No halite particles were observed a month after the eruptions, while a 40 percent increase in HCl was detected at 12 km, an increase which could have been augmented by halite transformations. The halite proportion of the volcanic clouds was of the same proportion of NaCl as in the volcanic ash around El Chichon. The results indicate that halite forms in eruption clouds of volcanos with alkalic magmas.

Woods, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Microplankton species assemblages at the Scripps Pier from March to November 1983 during the 1982-1984 El Nino event

A semiweekly sampling program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pier was begun in 1983 during an El Nino event. Microplankton data for March to November 1983 show a temporal sequence of species assemblages of the 24 important taxa, with a residence time of 1 to 4 weeks. From March to early September, the assemblages consisted of typial neritic taxa. From mid-September to mid-November, the presence of oceanic warm-wave species was associated with positive temperature anomalies characteristic of the El Nino condition. During the period studied numerical abundances were low.

Reid, F. M. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Airborne lidar measurements of El Chichon stratospheric aerosols, May 1983

An experimental survey flight to determine the spatial distribution and aerosol characteristics of the El Chichon-produced stratospheric aerosol was conducted in May 1983. The mission included several different sensors flown abroad the NASA Convair 990 at latitudes between 72 deg. and 56 deg. S. This report presents the lidar data from that flight mission. Representative profiles of lidar backscatter ratio, plots of integrated backscattering function versus latitude, and contours of backscatter mixing ratio versus altitude and latitude are given. In addition, tables containing numerical values of the backscatter ratio and backscattering function versus altitude are supplied for each profile. By May 1983, material produced by the El Chichon eruptions of late March-early April 1982 had spread throughout the latitudes covered by this mission. However, the most massive portion of the material resided north of 33 deg. N and was concentrared below 21 km. In this latitude region (33 deg. N to 72 deg. N), peak backscatter ratios at a wavelength of 0.6943 microns varied between 3.5 and 4.5, and the peak integratred backscattering function was about 18 X 10 to the -4 power/sr, corresponding to a peak optical depth calculated to be approximately 0.08. This report presents the results of this mission in a ready-to-use format for atmospheric and climatic studies.

Mccormick, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Airborne lidar measurements of El Chichon stratospheric aerosols, January 1984

A lidar-equipped NASA Electra aircraft was flown in January 1984 between the latitude of 38 and 90 deg N. One of the primary purposes of this mission was to determine the spatial distribution and aerosol characteristics of El Chichon produced stratospheric material. Lidar data from that portion of the flight mission between 38 deg N and 77 deg N is presented. Representative profiles of lidar backscatter ratio, a plot of the integral backscattering function versus latitude, and contours of backscatter mixing ratio versus altitude and latitude are given. In addition, tables containing numerical values of the backscatter ratio and backscattering function versus altitude are applied for each profile. These data clearly show that material produced by the El Chichon eruptions of late March-early April 1982 had spread throughout the latitudes covered by this mission, and that the most massive portion of the material resided north of 55 deg N and was concentrated below 17 km in a layer that peaked at 13 to 15 km. In this latitude region, peak backscatter ratios at a wavelength of 0.6943 microns were approximately 3 and the peak integrated backscattering function was about 15 X 10 to the -4/sr corresponding to a peak optical depth of approximately 0.07. This report presents the results of this mission in a ready-to-use format for atmospheric and climatic studies.

Mccormick, M. Patrick↗
NASA NTRS1986

Rainfall over oceans inferred from Nimbus 7 SMMR - Application to 1982-83 El Nino

Nimbus 7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) measurements at five frequencies in the region 6.6 to 37 GHz, at a resolution of 155 km, are analyzed to infer precipitation over the global oceans. The microwave data show, on this spatial scale, that the combined liquid water in the clouds and rain increases the brightness temperature almost linearly with frequency in the 6.6-18-GHz region, while at 37 GHz such a simple relationship is not noticed. Further, as the atmospheric water-vapor absorption and the effects of scattering by precipitation particles are relatively weak at 6.6 and 10.7 GHz, a technique to remotely sense the liquid water content in the atmosphere is developed based on the brightness measurements at these two frequencies. Seasonal mean patterns of liquid water content in the atmosphere derived from SMMR over global oceans relate closely to climatological patterns of precipitation. Based on this, an empirical relationship is derived to estimate precipitation over the global oceans, with an accuracy of about + or - 30 percent, on a seasonal basis from satellite measurements made during the three years (1979-81) before the recent El Nino event. The deviations from these three-year means, in the precipitation, produced by the 1982-83 el Nino event are then deduced from the SMMR measurements. In the Pacific, the precipitation over the ITCZ in the north, the South Pacific Convergence Zone, and the oceans around Indonesia is drastically reduced. At the same time a substantial increase in precipitation is observed over the normally dry central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Prabhakara, C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The El-Nino, the Southern Oscillation and the earth rotation

The relationship between length of day (LOD) variations and the Southern Oscillation (SO), and with the associated El Nino phenomenon, is studied. Interannual changes in the LOD are shown to be linearly related to a SO sea level pressure index. A possible physical mechanism for this relationship is the thermal winds caused by changes in the equator to pole heat transports associated with El Nino events and the SO.

Eubanks, T. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Effects of El Chichon on stratospheric aerosols late 1982 to early 1984

Stratospheric aerosols collected over the western U.S. from late 1982 to early 1984 show the strong effects of El Chichon's eruption. Although mineral particles disappeared during this period, large acid droplets were still common. Because these have never been seen in prevolcanic, background-level collections, they apparently result from increased droplet growth made possible by the unusual abundance of sulfate. Aerosol size distributions show a wide variety of multimodal curves due to mixing of air masses containing aerosols of various ages or histories. Toward the end of the study time there are fewer large aerosols because of gravitational settling and poleward transport. The result is a steady reduction in sulfate, as most aerosol mass is concentrated in a small number of large droplets. Even the later sulfate levels are, however, five times typical prevolcanic background contents. Thus the influence of El Chichon on high-altitude was still considerable 22 months after eruption.

Snetsinger, K. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Remote sensing of water vapor convergence, deep convection, and precipitation over the tropical Pacific Ocean during the 1982-1983 El Nino

Using data collected by SMMR on board the Nimbus 7 satellite, estimates of atmospheric water vapor were obtained over the tropical Pacific Ocean during the 1982-1983 El Nino. A parameterization that physically relates the synoptic and convective scales was employed, making it possible to explicitly resolve convective elements and rain cells for poorly resolvable measurements. The derived water vapor flux convergences were analyzed during the El Nino episode to map the inferred deep convection and estimated rainfall over regions impacted by the event, and the inferred monthly rainfall amounts were compared with observations for 14 island and coastal stations in the Pacific Ocean.

Ardanuy, Philip E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Ozone destruction through heterogeneous chemistry following the eruption of El Chichon

The results of ozone observations at northern midlatitudes in late 1982 through 1983, following the eruption of El Chichon are discussed, together with the observations of other trace gases which may be linked to possible variations in ozone chemistry. These results are related to the in situ aerosol observations following the El Chicon eruption, with particular attention given to data relevant to heterogeneous reactions, such as the aerosol surface area and weight percent H2SO4. It is shown that, at midlatitudes, the observed volcanic-particle surface area reached a maximum of about 50 sq microns/cu m (above a typical background value of about 0.75) at an altitude of 18-20 km in early 1983; this enhancement of surface area is about the same as that encountered in stratospheric clouds in the Antarctic, suggesting a possible basis for ozone depletion through heterogeneous chemistry. The fraction of ozone reduction that may have occurred as a result of heterogeneous chemicl effects is estimated.

Hofmann, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Heterogeneous reactions with NaCl in the El Chichon volcanic aerosols

Previous investigations of the effects of the 1982 eruption of the El Chichon volcano could not explain all the observations of changes in O3, HCl, NO and NO2 simultaneously without proposing unproven chemical reactions. Since reactions between solid NaCl and gaseous ClNO3 and N2O5 rapidly produce photochemically active chlorine species and solid NaNO3 in laboratory experiments, it is suggested that these reactions could have occurred with the NaCl observed to be present in the El Chichon sulfuric acid areosols. As a consequence, it is predicted that HCl should increase substantially, while NO(x) should decrease, in agreement with the measurements after the eruption. Ozone should be only slightly affected by these reactions. Reactions between solid NaCl and the acids H2SO4 and HNO3 might prove to be important, but sufficient evidence regarding their efficiency and the pressure of HNO3 in the aerosols is lacking.

Michelangeli, Diane V.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Diminished effects of El Chichon on stratospheric aerosols, early 1984 to late 1986

Stratospheric aerosol collections by wire impactors, taken mainly over the western U.S. from early 1984 to late 1986, show the diminishing effects of El Chichon's 1982 eruption, and provide a set of data for judging subsequent volcanic effects. Decrease in sulfate burden during the study time is due to preferential gravitational settling-out of large (above 0.5-micron diameter) sulfate aerosol droplets. As a result of settling from higher levels, lower altitude (12.2-15.2 km) air early in 1984 tends to contain more sulfate than higher level (19.8-21.3 km) air. As of late 1986, however, high- and low-altitude sulfate contents have decreased and are similar, suggesting large-particle settling has been completed. The later sulfate collection size distributions resemble unimodal background spectra, whereas earlier ones are bimodal. Average sulfate load for all altitudes decreases during the period of study from 0.4 to 0.08 microgram/cu m. The latter value is somewhat higher than a volcanically unenriched pre-El Chichon level, suggesting that even as of 1987, stratospheric background had not been obtained.

Snetsinger, K. G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Onset of the 1997-1998 El Nino and its Impact on the Phytoplankton Community of the Central Equatorial Pacific

Using physical and bio-optical data from moorings in the central equatorial Pacific, the perturbations to phytoplankton biomass and productivity associated with the onset of the 1997-98 El Nino event were investigated. The data presented depict the physical progression of El Nino onset, from reversal of the trade winds in the western equatorial Pacific, through eastward propagation of equatorially trapped Kelvin waves and advection of waters from the nutrient-poor western equatorial warm pool. The physical perturbations led to fluctuations in phytoplankton biomass, quantum yield of fluorescence and a 50% reduction in primary productivity.

Chavez, F. P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

El Nino, La Nina and VLBI Measured LOD

VLBI is one of the most important techniques for measuring Earth orientation parameters (EOP), and is unique in its ability to make high accuracy measurements of UT1, and its time derivative, which is related to changes in the length of day, conventionally called LOD. These measurements of EOP give constraints on geophysical models of the solid-Earth, atmosphere and oceans. Changes in EOP are due either to external torques from gravitational forces, or to the exchange of angular momentum between the Earth, atmosphere and oceans. The effect of the external torques is strictly harmonic and nature, and is therefore easy to remove. We analyze an LOD time series derived from VLBI measurements with the goal of comparing this to predictions from AAM, and various ENSO indices. Previous work by ourselves and other investigators demonstrated a high degree of coherence between atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) and EOP. We continue to see this. As the angular momentum of the atmosphere increases, the rate of rotation of the Earth decreases, and vice versa. The signature of the ENSO is particularly strong. At the peak of the 1982-83 El Nino increased LOD by almost 1 ms. This was subsequently followed by a reduction in LOD of 0.75 ms. At its peak, in February of 1998, the 1997-98 El Nino increased LOD by 0.8 msec. As predicted at the 1998 Spring AGU, this has been followed by an abrupt decrease in LOD which is currently -0.4 ms. At this time (August, 1998) the current ENSO continues to develop in new and unexpected ways. We plan to update our analysis with all data available prior to the Fall AGU.

Clark, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Data Assimilation Into a Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Model: Application to the 1997-1998 El Nino

As part of JPL's ocean data assimilation effort to study ocean circulation and seasonal-interannual climate variability, sea level anomaly observed by TOPEX altimeter, together with sea surface temperature and wind stress data, are assimilated into a simple coupled ocean atmosphere model of the tropical Pacific. Model-data consistency is examined. Impact of the assimilation (as initialization) on El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts is evaluated. The coupled model consists of a shallow water component with two baroclinic modes, an Ekman shear layer, a simplified mixed-layer temperature equation, and a statistical atmosphere based on dominant correlations between historical surface temperature and wind stress anomaly data. The adjoins method is used to fit the coupled model to the data over various six-month periods from late 1996 to early 1998 by optimally adjusting the initial state, model parameters, and basis functions of the statistical atmosphere. On average, the coupled model can be fitted to the data to approximately within the data and representation errors (5 cm, 0.5 C, and 10 sq m/sq m for sea level, surface temperature, and pseudo wind stress anomalies, respectively). The estimated fields resemble observed spatio-temporal structure reasonably well. Hindcasts/forecasts of the 1997/1998 El Nino initialized from forced estimated ocean states and parameters are much more realistic than those simply initialized from ocean states (see figure below). In particular, the ability of the model to produce significant warming beyond the initial state is dramatically improved. Parameter estimation, which compensates for some model errors, is found to be important to obtaining better fits of the model to data and to improving forecasts.

Lee, Tong↗
NASA NTRS1999

Reinforcement Learning in a Nonstationary Environment: The El Farol Problem

This paper examines the performance of simple learning rules in a complex adaptive system based on a coordination problem modeled on the El Farol problem. The key features of the El Farol problem are that it typically involves a medium number of agents and that agents' pay-off functions have a discontinuous response to increased congestion. First we consider a single adaptive agent facing a stationary environment. We demonstrate that the simple learning rules proposed by Roth and Er'ev can be extremely sensitive to small changes in the initial conditions and that events early in a simulation can affect the performance of the rule over a relatively long time horizon. In contrast, a reinforcement learning rule based on standard practice in the computer science literature converges rapidly and robustly. The situation is reversed when multiple adaptive agents interact: the RE algorithms often converge rapidly to a stable average aggregate attendance despite the slow and erratic behavior of individual learners, while the CS based learners frequently over-attend in the early and intermediate terms. The symmetric mixed strategy equilibria is unstable: all three learning rules ultimately tend towards pure strategies or stabilize in the medium term at non-equilibrium probabilities of attendance. The brittleness of the algorithms in different contexts emphasize the importance of thorough and thoughtful examination of simulation-based results.

Bell, Ann Maria↗
NASA NTRS1997

PACES Participation in Educational Outreach Programs at the University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is involved in several initiatives to improve science education within the El Paso area public schools. These include outreach efforts into the K- 12 classrooms; training programs for in-service teachers; and the introduction of a strong science core curricula within the College of Education. The Pan American Center for Earth and Environmental Studies (PACES), a NASA-funded University Research Center, will leverage off the goals of these existing initiatives to provide curriculum support materials at all levels. We will use currently available Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) materials as well as new materials developed specifically for this region, in an effort to introduce the Earth System Science perspective into these programs. In addition, we are developing curriculum support materials and classes within the Geology and Computer Departments, to provide education in the area of remote sensing and GIS applications at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dodge, Rebecca L.↗