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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Application of vascular aquatic plants for pollution removal, energy and food production in a biological system

Vascular aquatic plants such as water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) (Mart.) Solms and alligator weeds (Alternanthera philoxeroides) (Mart.) Griesb., when utilized in a controlled biological system (including a regular program of harvesting to achieve maximum growth and pollution removal efficiency), may represent a remarkably efficient and inexpensive filtration and disposal system for toxic materials and sewage released into waters near urban and industrial areas. The harvested and processed plant materials are sources of energy, fertilizer, animal feed, and human food. Such a system has industrial, municipal, and agricultural applications.

Wolverton, B. C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Environmental aspects of run-off and siltation in the Anacostia basin from hyperaltitude photographs

The effects of urbanization and highway construction on run-off, erosion and siltation on the Anacostia watershed was analyzed. The analysis was based on changes in land use patterns demonstrated by aerial photographs, geologic and hydrologic data. Subwatersheds were studied in terms of three hypothetical storms of different magnitudes. An approximately 10 percent increase in impervious surface can cause a 12 percent increase in peak discharge for storms of the magnitude of tropical storm Agnes, a 20 percent increase for a 10 hour storm and a 150 percent increase for a thunderstorm. The early discharge from a storm of Agnes' magnitude can be increased by 100 percent. Corresponding effects were observed in soil erosion and siltation from bare construction sites. These effects are interrelated with sewage, oil, and chemical pollution and inadequate public transportation. The net result is steady degradation of the local environment, the estuary and the bay.

Ealy, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Design, fabrication and testing of a wet oxidation waste processing system

The wet oxidation of sewage sludge during space flight was studied for water and gas recovery, and the elimination of overboard venting. The components of the system are described. Slurry and oxygen supply modules were fabricated and tested. Recommendations for redesign of the equipment are included.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1975

Applications of remote sensing to estuarine problems

A variety of siting problems for the estuaries of the lower Chesapeake Bay have been solved with cost beneficial remote sensing techniques. Principal techniques used were repetitive 1:30,000 color photography of dye emitting buoys to map circulation patterns, and investigation of water color boundaries via color and color infrared imagery to scales of 1:120,000. Problems solved included sewage outfall siting, shoreline preservation and enhancement, oil pollution risk assessment, and protection of shellfish beds from dredge operations.

Munday, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Destruction of the recreational, asthetic, agricultural, wildlife conservation and preservation, and residential uses of the land as a result of the abuses of the manufacturing, commercial, extractive, construction, and transportation industries

Explicit concern over land use and abuse stems from the recognition of the negative impacts of unrestrained and unregulated economic, industrial, and population growth upon finite land resources. Only one quarter of the total surface area of the earth is land, and of that a large portion is uninhabitable. The present stresses upon the land include urbanization, urban sprawl and urban congestion; electrical, nuclear industrial park siting requirements; land degradation through stripping surface minerals; land degradation through disposal of radioactive wastes, sewage sludge, solid waste and other industrial wastes; rising demand for agricultural land; and the erosion and destruction of land through elimination of protective coverings such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Applications of remote sensing to estuarine management

Projects for sewage outfall siting for pollution control in the lower Chesapeake Bay wetlands are reported. A dye-buoy/photogrammetry and remote sensing technique was employed to gather circulation data used in outfall siting. This technique is greatly favored over alternate methods because it is inexpensive, produces results quickly, and reveals Lagrangian current paths which are preferred in making siting decisions. Wetlands data were obtained by interpretation of color and color infrared photographic imagery from several altitudes. Historical sequences of photographs are shown that were used to document wetlands changes. Sequential infrared photography of inlet basins was employed to determine tidal prisms, which were input to mathematical models to be used by state agencies in pollution control. A direct and crucial link between remote sensing and management decisions was demonstrated in the various projects.

Munday, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Don't waste waterweeds

Experiments carried out at the NASA National Space Technology Laboratories indicate that water hyacinths can absorb organic chemicals, heavy metals, nutrients, and other materials from waste water while producing large quantities of biomass, which can be used to produce a gas containing 60-80% methane. When grown in sewage free of toxic materials, the biomass can be used as a potential source of fertilizer or animal feed supplements. The use of hot water from nuclear power plants to grow water hyacinths during the winter months is particularly attractive, since the hyacinths could act as an added safety filtration system for the removal of radioactive elements.

Wolverton, B.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Acoustic tracking of woodhead seabed drifters

An investigation was conducted to determine the feasibility of tracking Woodhead seabed drifters that were instrumented with miniature acoustic transmitters having a range in water in excess of 1.0 n.mi. A trial cruise at the entrance of Delaware Bay, with the R.V. Annandale as the sonar-tracking vessel, verified acoustic communications and positioning of the bottom drifters. A demonstration cruise with the R.V. Annandale was also performed in the New York Bight to attempt to collect information on bottom water movement near the sewage-sluge dump site. Results from the tracking mission in the New York Bight suggested that bottom water currents were negligible near the dump site during the time interval from November 7-12, 1975, and that shipboard sonar tracking of acoustic Woodhead seabed drifters could provide useful Lagragian information on bottom water movement caused by tidal and other nonstorm effects.

Mayhue, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Nitrous oxide in fresh water systems: An estimate for the yield of atmospheric N2O associated with disposal of human waste

The N2O content of waters in the Potomac and Merrimack Rivers was measured on a number of occasions over the period April to July 1977. The concentrations of dissolved N2O exceeded those which would apply in equilibrium with air by factors ranging from about 46 in the Potomac to 1.2 in the Merrimack. Highest concentrations of dissolved N2O were associated with sewage discharges from the vicinity of Washington, D. C., and analysis indicates a relatively high yield, 1.3 to 11%, for prompt conversion of waste nitrogen to N2O. Measurements of dissolved N2O in fresh water ponds near Boston demonstrated that aquatic systems provide both strong sources and sinks for atmospheric N2O.

Kaplan, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A summary of the test procedures and operational details of an ocean dumping pollution monitoring experiment conducted 7 October 1976

A remote sensor experiment was conducted at a sewage sludge dump site off the Delaware/Maryland coast. Two aircraft serving as remote sensor platforms flew over the dump site during a sludge dump. One aircraft carried a multispectral scanner and the other aircraft carried a rapid scanning spectrometer. Data from sea-truth stations were collected concurrent with overpasses of the aircraft. All sensors were operational and produced good digital data.

Hypes, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Rapid measurement of bacteria in water

Automated analysis system detects bacteria in saltwater, freshwater, sewage effluent, and other aqueous media. System may be adapted for computer control.

Chappelle, E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Estimation of old field ecosystem biomass using low altitude imagery

Color-infrared photography was used to evaluate the biomass of experimental plots in an old-field ecosystem that was treated with different levels of waste water from a sewage treatment facility. Cibachrome prints at a scale of approximately 1:1,600 produced from 35 mm color infrared slides were used to analyze density patterns using prepared tonal density scales and multicell grids registered to ground panels shown on the photograph. Correlation analyses between tonal density and vegetation biomass obtained from ground samples and harvests were carried out. Correlations between mean tonal density and harvest biomass data gave consistently high coefficients ranging from 0.530 to 0.896 at the 0.001 significance level. Corresponding multiple regression analysis resulted in higher correlation coefficients. The results of this study indicate that aerial infrared photography can be used to estimate standing crop biomass on waste water irrigated old field ecosystems. Combined with minimal ground truth data, this technique could enable managers of wastewater irrigation projects to precisely time harvest of such systems for maximal removal of nutrients in harvested biomass.

Nor, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Multispectral analysis of ocean dumped materials

Experiments conducted in the Atlantic coastal zone indicated that plumes resulting from ocean dumping of acid wastes and sewage sludge have unique spectral characteristics. Remotely sensed wide area synoptic coverage provided information on these pollution features that was not readily available from other sources. Aircraft remotely sensed photographic and multispectral scanner data were interpreted by two methods. First, qualitative analyses in which pollution features were located, mapped, and identified without concurrent sea truth and, second, quantitative analyses in which concurrently collected sea truth was used to calibrate the remotely sensed data and to determine quantitative distributions of one or more parameters in a plume.

Johnson, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The use of Landsat for monitoring water parameters in the coastal zone

Landsats 1 and 2 have been successful in detecting and quantifying suspended sediment and several other important parameters in the coastal zone, including chlorophyll, particles, alpha (light transmission), tidal conditions, acid and sewage dumps, and in some instances oil spills. When chlorophyll a is present in detectable quantities, however, it is shown to interfere with the measurement of sediment. The Landsat banding problem impairs the instrument resolution and places a requirement on the sampling program to collect surface data from a sufficiently large area. A sampling method which satisfies this condition is demonstrated.

Bowker, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Estimation of old field ecosystem biomass using low altitude imagery

Color-infrared photography was used to evaluate the biomass of experimental plots in an old-field ecosystem that was treated with different levels of waste water from a sewage treatment facility. Cibachrome prints at a scale of approximately 1:1,600 produced from 35 mm color infrared slides were used to analyze density patterns using prepared tonal density scales and multicell grids registered to ground panels shown on the photograph. Correlations between mean tonal density and harvest biomass data gave consistently high coefficients ranging from 0.530 to 0.896 at the 0.001 significance level. Corresponding multiple regression analysis resulted in higher correlation coefficients. The results indicate that aerial infrared photography can be used to estimate standing crop biomass on waste water irrigated old field ecosystems. Combined with minimal ground truth data, this technique could enable managers of waste water irrigation projects to precisely time harvest of such systems for maximal removal of nutrients in harvested biomass.

Nor, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Outfall siting with dye-buoy remote sensing of coastal circulation

A dye-buoy remote sensing technique has been applied to estuarine siting problems that involve fine-scale circulation. Small hard cakes of sodium fluorescein and polyvinyl alcohol, in anchored buoys and low-windage current followers, dissolve to produce dye marks resolvable in 1:60,000 scale color and color infrared imagery. Lagrangian current vectors are determined from sequential photo coverage. Careful buoy placement reveals surface currents and submergence near fronts and convergence zones. The technique has been used in siting two sewage outfalls in Hampton Roads, Virginia: In case one, the outfall region during flood tide gathered floating materials in a convergence zone, which then acted as a secondary source during ebb; for better dispersion during ebb, the proposed outfall site was moved further offshore. In case two, flow during late flood was found to divide, with one half passing over shellfish beds; the proposed outfall site was consequently moved to keep effluent in the other half.

Munday, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Characteristic vector analysis as a technique for signature extraction of remote ocean color data

Characteristic vector analysis is being used to extract spectral signatures of suspended matter in the ocean from remote ocean color data collected with MOCS (Multichannel Ocean Color Sensor), a multispectral scanner. Spectral signatures appear to be obtainable either directly from characteristic vectors or through a transformation of these eigenvectors. Quantification of the suspended matter associated with each resulting signature seems feasible using associated coefficients generated by the technique. This paper presents eigenvectors associated with algae, 'sediment', acid waste, sewage sludge, and oil. The results suggest an efficient method of transmitting from satellites multispectral data of pollution in our oceans.

Grew, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Mapping of chlorophyll a distributions in coastal zones

It is pointed out that chlorophyll a is an important environmental parameter for monitoring water quality, nutrient loads, and pollution effects in coastal zones. High chlorophyll a concentrations occur in areas which have high nutrient inflows from sources such as sewage treatment plants and industrial wastes. Low chlorophyll a concentrations may be due to the addition of toxic substances from industrial wastes or other sources. Remote sensing provides an opportunity to assess distributions of water quality parameters, such as chlorophyll a. A description is presented of the chlorophyll a analysis and a quantitative mapping of the James River, Virginia. An approach considered by Johnson (1977) was used in the analysis. An application of the multiple regression analysis technique to a data set collected over the New York Bight, an environmentally different area of the coastal zone, is also discussed.

Johnson, R. W.↗