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At least 145 records · Page 8

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NASA NTRS1974

Terrestrial applications of FEP-encapsulated solar cell modules

The NASA-Lewis Research Center program of transferring the FEP-encapsulated solar cell technology developed for the space program to terrestrial applications is presented. The electrical power system design and the array mechanical design are described, and power systems being tested are discussed. The latter are located at NOAA-RAMOS weather stations at Sterling, Va., and Mammoth Mountain, Calif.; on the roof of the Lewis Research Center; on a NOAA-Coast Guard buoy in the Gulf of Mexico; in a U.S. Forest Service mountaintop voice repeater station in the Inyo National Forest, Calif., and in a backpack charger for portable transmitter/receivers being used in the same place. Preliminary results of testing are still incomplete, but show that rime ice can cause cracks in modular cells without damaging the FEP though, which keeps the grid lines intact, and that electrically active elements of the module must be completely sealed from salt water to prevent FEP delamination.

Forestieri, A. F.↗

NASA NTRS1979

On the dynamic forcing of short-term climate fluctuations by feedback mechanisms

Various internal feedback mechanisms in the ocean atmosphere system were studied. A variability pattern of sea surface temperature with a quasibiennial oscillation (QBO) was detected off the coast of Senegal, in the Gulf of Guinea and even in the Gulf Stream as it leaves the North American continental shelf. Possible physical connections between some of these QBO's were pointed out by a hypothetical feedback model. Interaction of a QBO with the annual cycle may lead to beating frequencies resembling climatic trends of a duration of several years.

Reiter, E. R.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Feasibility of Estimating Relative Nutrient Contributions of Agriculture using MODIS Time Series

Around the Gulf of Mexico, high-input crops in several regions make a significant contribution to nutrient loading of small to medium estuaries and to the near-shore Gulf. Some crops cultivated near the coast include sorghum in Texas, rice in Texas and Louisiana, sugarcane in Florida and Louisiana, citrus orchards in Florida, pecan orchards in Mississippi and Alabama, and heavy sod and ornamental production around Mobile and Tampa Bay. In addition to crops, management of timberlands in proximity to the coasts also plays a role in nutrient loading. In the summer of 2008, a feasibility project is planned to explore the use of NASA data to enhance the spatial and temporal resolution of near-coast nutrient source information available to the coastal community. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the viability of nutrient source information products applicable to small to medium watersheds surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. Conceptually, these products are intended to complement estuarine nutrient monitoring.

Ross, Kenton W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Feasibility of Estimating Relative Nutrient Contributions of Agriculture and Forests Using MODIS Time Series

Ross, Kenton W.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Gulf Stream model

Surface elevation deviations in the Gulf Stream region off the eastern coast of the United States between Wallops Island, Virginia and Miami, Florida were investigated. The main causes of surface elevation deviations are geoid perturbations due to the continental shelf and the geostrophic adjustment of the density field due to the Gulf Stream. Quantitative surface elevation profiles were calculated based on geophysical measurements of gravity anomalies and hydrographic data. The results are presented graphically along with contemporaneous weather data. Comparisons are made between the profiles based on hydrographic data and a mean theoretical model. The theory of geostrophic flows including some classical Gulf Stream models is also presented briefly.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2009

An Analysis of Moisture Fluxes into the Gulf of California

This study examines the nature of episodes of enhanced warm-season moisture flux into the Gulf of California. Both spatial structure and primary time scales of the fluxes are examined using the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis data for the period 1980-2001. The analysis approach consists of a compositing technique that is keyed on the low-level moisture fluxes into the Gulf of California. The results show that the fluxes have a rich spectrum of temporal variability, with periods of enhanced transport over the gulf linked to African easterly waves on subweekly (3-8 day) time scales, the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) at intraseasonal time scales (20-90 day), and intermediate (10-15 day) time-scale disturbances that appear to originate primarily in the Caribbean Sea-western Atlantic Ocean. In the case of the MJO, enhanced low-level westerlies and large-scale rising motion provide an environment that favors large-scale cyclonic development near the west coast of Central America that, over the course of about 2 weeks, expands northward along the coast eventually reaching the mouth of the Gulf of California where it acts to enhance the southerly moisture flux in that region. On a larger scale, the development includes a northward shift in the eastern Pacific ITCZ, enhanced precipitation over much of Mexico and the southwestern United States, and enhanced southerly/southeasterly fluxes from the Gulf of Mexico into Mexico and the southwestern and central United States. In the case of the easterly waves, the systems that reach Mexico appear to redevelop/reorganize on the Pacific coast and then move rapidly to the northwest to contribute to the moisture flux into the Gulf of California. The most intense fluxes into the gulf on these time scales appear to be synchronized with a midlatitude short-wave trough over the U.S. West Coast and enhanced low-level southerly fluxes over the U.S. Great Plains. The intermediate (10-15 day) time-scale systems have zonal wavelengths roughly twice that of the easterly waves, and their initiation appears to be linked to an extratropical U.S. East Coast ridge and associated northeasterly winds that extend well into the Caribbean Sea during their development phase. The short (3-8 day) and, to a lesser extent, the intermediate (10-15 day) time-scale fluxes tend to be enhanced when the convectively active phase of the MJO is situated over the Americas.

Wu, Man-Li C.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Biogeochemistry of aragonite mud and oolites.

Amino acids were determined on an analyzer similar to that described by Hare (1969) in carbonate mud samples from locations in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Persian Gulf, and Florida Bay, and in oolites from the Gulf of Suez, the Abu Dhabi coast, the Bahamas, and Baffin Bay, Texas. A histogram, tables, and chromatograms of the results are given.

Mitterer, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Mud Volcanoes - Analogs to Martian Cones and Domes (by the Thousands!)

Mud volcanoes are mounds formed by low temperature slurries of gas, liquid, sediments and rock that erupt to the surface from depths of meters to kilometers. They are common on Earth, with estimates of thousands onshore and tens of thousands offshore. Mud volcanoes occur in basins with rapidly-deposited accumulations of fine-grained sediments. Such settings are ideal for concentration and preservation of organic materials, and mud volcanoes typically occur in sedimentary basins that are rich in organic biosignatures. Domes and cones, cited as possible mud volcanoes by previous authors, are common on the northern plains of Mars. Our analysis of selected regions in southern Acidalia Planitia has revealed over 18,000 such features, and we estimate that more than 40,000 occur across the area. These domes and cones strongly resemble terrestrial mud volcanoes in size, shape, morphology, associated flow structures and geologic setting. Geologic and mineralogic arguments rule out alternative formation mechanisms involving lava, ice and impacts. We are studying terrestrial mud volcanoes from onshore and submarine locations. The largest concentration of onshore features is in Azerbaijan, near the western edge of the Caspian Sea. These features are typically hundreds of meters to several kilometers in diameter, and tens to hundreds of meters in height. Satellite images show spatial densities of 20 to 40 eruptive centers per 1000 square km. Many of the features remain active, and fresh mud flows as long as several kilometers are common. A large field of submarine mud volcanoes is located in the Gulf of Cadiz, off the Atlantic coasts of Morocco and Spain. High-resolution sonar bathymetry reveals numerous km-scale mud volcanoes, hundreds of meters in height. Seismic profiles demonstrate that the mud erupts from depths of several hundred meters. These submarine mud volcanoes are the closest morphologic analogs yet found to the features in Acidalia Planitia. We are also conducting laboratory analyses of surface samples collected from mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan, Taiwan and Japan. X-ray diffraction, visible / near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy show that the samples are dominated by mixed-layer smectite clays, along with quartz, calcite and pyrite. Thin section analysis by optical and scanning electron microscopy confirms the mineral identifications. These samples also contain chemical and morphological biosignatures, including common microfossils, with evidence of partial replacement by pyrite. The bulk samples contain approximately 1 wt% total organic carbon and 0.4 mg / gm volatile hydrocarbons. The thousands of features in Acidalia Planitia cited as analogous to terrestrial mud volcanoes clearly represent an important element in the sedimentary record of Mars. Their location, in the distal depocenter for massive Hesperian-age floods, suggests that they contain fine-grained sediments from a large catchment area in the martian highlands. We have proposed these features as a new class of exploration target that can provide access to minimally-altered material from significant depth. By analogy to terrestrial mud volcanoes, these features may also be excellent sites for the sampling martian organics and subsurface microbial life, if such exist or ever existed.

Allen, Carlton C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sunglint-aided Methane Retrieval: Using Sentinel-2 to Quantify Offshore Oil and Gas Emissions

The extraction, production, and transportation of oil and gas via activities such as intentional venting and fugitive emissions are leading contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions. Offshore operations comprise a significant percentage of all oil and gas operations, yet emission monitoring over the ocean is insufficient. Due to low surface reflectance over the ocean, remote sensing measurements offshore are limited. Therefore offshore contributions to the overall global methane budget are unknown. Regulators such as the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) are unable to validate operator-reported methane emission estimates. The NASA DEVELOP Program partnered with BOEM, BSEE, and SkyTruth to identify potential offshore methane sources in the Gulf of Mexico. Drawing upon existing retrieval methods to detect and quantify onshore methane emissions (Varon et al., 2021), we selected sunglint scenes to detect methane plumes over the ocean in Sentinel-2 imagery. We detected two methane plumes at the Constitution complex in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Pointe-Noire, Congo. If expanded, these methods could serve a vital role in validating operator reporting and quantifying climate impacts of offshore oil and gas operations - complementing those of next generation satellites.

Katherine Howell↗

NASA NTRS2012

Field and Satellite Observations of the Formation and Distribution of Arctic Atmospheric Bromine Above a Rejuvenated Sea Ice Cover

Recent drastic reduction of the older perennial sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has resulted in a vast expansion of younger and saltier seasonal sea ice. This increase in the salinity of the overall ice cover could impact tropospheric chemical processes. Springtime perennial ice extent in 2008 and 2009 broke the half-century record minimum in 2007 by about one million km2. In both years seasonal ice was dominant across the Beaufort Sea extending to the Amundsen Gulf, where significant field and satellite observations of sea ice, temperature, and atmospheric chemicals have been made. Measurements at the site of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen ice breaker in the Amundsen Gulf showed events of increased bromine monoxide (BrO), coupled with decreases of ozone (O3) and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), during cold periods in March 2008. The timing of the main event of BrO, O3, and GEM changes was found to be consistent with BrO observed by satellites over an extensive area around the site. Furthermore, satellite sensors detected a doubling of atmospheric BrO in a vortex associated with a spiral rising air pattern. In spring 2009, excessive and widespread bromine explosions occurred in the same region while the regional air temperature was low and the extent of perennial ice was significantly reduced compared to the case in 2008. Using satellite observations together with a Rising-Air-Parcel model, we discover a topographic control on BrO distribution such that the Alaskan North Slope and the Canadian Shield region were exposed to elevated BrO, whereas the surrounding mountains isolated the Alaskan interior from bromine intrusion.

Nghiem, Son V.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Aspects of the evolution of the marine boundary layer during cold-air outbreaks off the southeast coast of the United States

Remote sensing and in situ measurements that were obtained in February 1986 were combined with the results from a boundary-layer model to study aspects of the evolution of the maine boundary layer (MBL) during two cold-air outbreaks (CAO) off the southeast coast of the United States. Maximum total heat fluxes occurred over the Gulf Stream northeast of Cape Hatteras where very cold, dry air encountered the Gulf Stream and where the wind speeds were very large. Maximum 6-h values for the total heat flux were as high as 2015 W/m. The magnitude of the area-average heat flux in the MBL was influenced not only by the surface air and dewpoint temperatures and the surface wind speeds off the coast but also by the area covered by Gulf Stream water (sea surface temperature greater than 22 C). The heat flux distribution off the coast rapidly produced large horizontal temperature and humidity differences over distances on the order of 100 km.

Vukovich, Fred M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

SEASAT demonstration experiments with the offshore oil, gas and mining industries

Despite its failure, SEASAT-1 acquired a reasonable volume of data that can be used by industrial participants on a non-real-time basis to prove the concept of microwave sensing of the world's oceans from a satellite platform. The amended version of 8 experimental plans are presented, along with a description of the satellite, its instruments, and the data available. Case studies are summarized for the following experiments: (1) Beaufort Sea oil, gas, and Arctic operations; (2) Labrador Sea oil, gas, and sea ice; (3) Gulf of Mexico pipelines; (4) U.S. East Coast offshore oil and gas; (5) worldwide offshore drilling and production operations; (6) Equatorial East Pacific Ocean mining; (7) Bering Sea ice project; and (8) North Sea oil and gas.

Mourad, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Some examples of detection of oceanic mesoscale eddies by the Seasat synthetic-aperture radar

This note presents images of three dynamically different regions in the ocean to demonstrate the variety of mesoscale variabilities detected by the Seasat synthetic-aperture radar (SAR). South of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, a cold eddy is observed to form as the result of the southward intrusion of Labrador Sea water, perhaps having led to the birth of a Gulf Stream extension ring. Off the northern coast of California, features resulting from the offshore intrusions of cold upwelling water are observed. Two topographically generated eddies are detected near Misteriosa Bank on the Cayman Ridge in the northwestern Caribbean. Comparisons are made with concurrent NOAA-5 infrared images whenever the eddies have thermal signatures.

Fu, L.-L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Atmospheric Chemical Transport Based on High Resolution Model- Derived Winds: A Case Study

Flight 10 of NASA's Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment (SONEX) extended southwest of Lajes, Azores. A variety of chemical signatures were encountered. These signatures are examined in detail, relating them to meteorological data from a high resolution numerical model having horizontal grid spacing of 30 and 90 km and 26 vertical levels. The meteorological output at hourly intervals is used to create backward trajectories from the locations of the chemical signatures. Four major categories of chemical signatures are discussed-stratospheric, lightning, continental pollution, and a transition layer. The strong stratospheric signal is encountered just south of the Azores in a region of depressed tropopause height. Three chemical signatures at different altitudes in the upper troposphere are attributed to lightning. Backward trajectories arriving at locations of these signatures are related to locations of cloud-to-ground lightning. Results show that the trajectories pass through regions of lightning 1-2 days earlier over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the southeast coast of the United States. The lowest leg of the flight exhibits a chemical signature consistent with continental pollution. Trajectories arriving at this signature are found to pass over the highly populated Northeast Corridor of the United States. Surface based pollution apparently is lofted to the altitudes of the trajectories by convective clouds along the East Coast that did not contain lightning. Finally, a chemical transition layer is described. Its chemical signature is intermediate to those of lightning and continental pollution. Trajectories arriving in this layer pass between the trajectories of the lightning and pollution signatures. Thus, they probably are impacted by both sources.

Hannan, John R.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Combined MODIS/AMSR-E SST Composites for Regional Weather Applications

Recent applications of a high resolution MODlS composite SST product have clearly shown the importance of developing high-resolution SST data sets for coastal applications and modeling. In general, coupling between the oceans and atmospheres has been closely linked to SST gradients and fronts, indicating a need for high resolution SSTs, specifically in the areas of large gradients associated with coastal regions. Thus an accurate determination of SST gradients has become critical for determining the appropriate air-sea coupling and the influence on ocean modeling. Recent research is focused on improving the accuracy and spatial coverage of the current operational MODIS SST composite product provided by the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPORT) project and distributed to the community. GHRSST-PP MODlS data and microwave AMSR-E data are being combined to produce composite data sets for both the West Coast and East Coast of the United States, including the Gulf of Mexico. The use of 1 km MODIS data has explicit advantages over other SST products including its global coverage and high resolution. The AMSR-E data will reduce the latency of the composites. A strategy for utilizing the error characteristics contained in the GHRSST data has been developed. This strategy will include using the error characteristics directly to calculate weights in the SST composites, uncertainty maps based on the composite biases and RMS errors, and latency products calculated in the compositing process. Recent accomplishments include the development of an enhanced compositing approach based on the error-weighted combination of recent clear MODIS SST values, where the error contributions come from measurement error, potential cloud contamination, and data latency sources. Future plans call for the inclusion of AMSR-E SST values with appropriate weights based upon measurement accuracy, MODIS-AMSR-E SST bias, and latency.

Jedlovec, Gary↗

NASA NTRS2010

Detection of Natural Oil Seeps in the Atlantic Ocean Using MODIS

Natural oil seepage is the release of crude oil into the ocean from fissures in the seabed. Oil seepage is a major contributor to the total amount of oil entering the world s oceans. According to a 2003 study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), 47 percent of oil entering the world s oceans is from natural seeps, and 53 percent is from human sources (extraction, transportation, and consumption). Oil seeps cause smooth oil slicks to form on the water s surface. Oil seeps can indicate the location of stores of fossil fuel beneath the ocean floor. Knowledge of the effect of oil seepage on marine life and marine ecosystems remains limited. In the past, remote sensing has been used to detect oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and off of the coast of southern California. This project utilized sun glint MODIS imagery to locate oil slicks off of the Atlantic coast, an area that had not previously been surveyed for natural oil seeps using remote sensing. Since 1982, the Atlantic Ocean has been closed to any oil and gas drilling. Recently, however, the U.S. Minerals Management Services (MMS) has proposed a lease for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. Determining the location of seepage sites in the Atlantic Ocean will help MMS locate potential deposits of oil and natural gas, thereby reducing the risk of leasing areas for petroleum extraction that do not contain these natural resources.

Reahard, Ross↗

NASA NTRS2003

STS-107 Flight Day 10 Highlights

This video shows the activities of the STS-107 crew (Rick Husband, Commander; William McCool, Pilot; Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Mission Specialists; Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist) during flight day 10 of the Columbia orbiter's final mission. Flight day 10 includes an interview by Mission Control of astronauts Brown, McCool, and Anderson, who answer questions on the mission's spaceborne experiments, as well as biographical and other questions. Much of the video is shot and narrated by Payload Specialist Ramon, who shows the crew members at work on experiments in the SpaceHab RDM (Research Double Module), and performing other tasks. Experiments featured in the video include SOFBALL (Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number), the STARS (Space Technology and Research Students) experiments, and experiments on cancer and osteoporosis. Crew activities shown include making a video of Earth, and preparing for sleep. Earth views shown in the video include the Gulf of Aden, Ghana, Lake Chad, and the coast of North Carolina.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

Astronaut observations of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf during STS-45

As a result of the 1991 Persian Gulf war, between mid-January and June 1991, the Persian Gulf was contaminated with an estimated 4 to 6 million barrels of crude oil, released directly into the Gulf from refinement facilities, transhipment terminals, and moored tankers along the coast of Kuwait, and precipitated from oil fire smoke plumes. To assess the environmental impact of the oil, an international team of marine scientists representing 14 nations was assembled under the auspices of the United Nations International Oceanic Commission and the Regional Organization for Protection of the Marine Environment to conduct detailed surveys of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, including hydrographic, chemical, and biological measurements. To supplement the field surveys and to serve as an aid in data interpretation, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis photographed water features and coastal habitats in the Persian Gulf during mission STS-45 (24 March to 02 April 1992). The astronauts collected 111 hand-held, color photographs of the Gulf (72 70-mm photographs and 39 5-inch photographs) from an altitude of 296 km (160 n.mi.). The photographs reveal distributions in water turbidity associated with outflow from the Shatt-al-Arab and water circulation along the entire coast of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, coastal wetlands and shallow-water habitats, and sticks appearing in the sunglint pattern, which appear to be oil.

Ackleson, Steven G.↗