Austin Health & Air Quality: Identifying Communities Most Susceptible to Heat Exposure in Austin, Texas using NASA Earth Observations
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Margaret McCall↗
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Austin Health & Air Quality: Identifying Communities Most Susceptible to Heat Exposure in Austin, Texas Using NASA Earth Observations
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Margaret McCall↗
Millimetre observations of comets P/Brorsen-Metcalf (1989o) and Austin (1989c1) with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope
Millimeter observations with the IRAM 30 m telescope were conducted in comet P/Brorsen-Metcalf (1989o) on September 1989 and Austin (1989c1) on April and May 1990. The HCN J(1-0) and J(3-2) lines were detected in both comets. The HCN production rate relative to water in P/Brorsen-Metcalf is comparable to that previously measured in comet P/Halley, while that inferred in comet Austin might be smaller by a factor of two. The H2CO(3 sub 12 - 2 sub 11) transition, marginally observed in comet P/Brorsen-Metcalf, was firmly detected in May 1990 in comet Austin. Observations performed at offset positions suggest that the source of H2CO might be distributed. The H2CO abundance is on the order of 0.5 percent that of water for both comets, assuming a scalelength of 10(exp 4) km at 1 AU from the Sun for the distributed source. During the May observing period of comet Austin, two new species were detected for the first time in a comet: hydrogen sulfide (H2S) through its 1(sub 10) - 1(sub 01) ortho line at 169 GHz, and methanol (CH3OH) through J(3-2) delta K = 0 transitions at 145 GHz. Preliminary estimates of their abundances are 1.5 x 10(exp -3) for H2S and 8 x 10(exp -3) for CH3OH.
Colom, P.↗
The Application of Remote Sensing using NASA Earth Observations paired with Sociodemographic Indicators to Identify Communities Most Susceptible to Urban Heat Exposure in Austin, Texas
In recent years, Austin, Texas has experienced an increase in population and urban development. Additionally, the City’s climate—already characterized by periods of extreme heat and drought—continues to change. As temperatures and demand for utilities and cooling resources rise, the number of heat-related deaths and illnesses in socially vulnerable populations (e.g., older, lower-income populations) is expected to increase. The City of Austin, The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) partnered with NASA DEVELOP to examine the distribution of urban heat throughout the City. This project used land surface temperature, greenness, plant water content, and urban surface material analysis parameters derived from NASA Earth observations from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), and Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The project team produced three different indices to create a spatial analysis for the study area including a social vulnerability index (SoVI), heat exposure index (HEI), and an overall heat priority index (HPI) score. This overall score was determined with a weighted analysis of heat-related environmental variables from NASA Earth observations and socioeconomic data from the 2019 American Community Survey. Based on the HPI score, the project team identified 121 census block groups out of 605 total that are designated as being most at risk of adverse impacts from extreme heat events. To test the sensitivity of the HPI, the team used a Monte Carlo analysis using different approaches for geographic scale, variable inclusion, census uncertainty, and index aggregation. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the resulting HPI score showed the metric was consistent with the baseline HPI. This provided increased confidence the score can be used as a tool to make informed infrastructure improvement plans in targeted areas (e.g., siting of cooling centers) and ensure equitable sustainable development.
Ryan Hammock↗
Comparison of the plasma tails of four comets: P/Halley, Okazaki-Levy-Rudenko, Austin, and Levy
Photographic and charge coupled device (CCD) plasma tail observations are compared for four comets: P/Halley (22 nights in 1985/1986), Okazaki-Levy-Rudenko 1989 XIX (1989 December 2), Austin 1990 V (nine nights in 1990), and Levy 1990 XX (two nights in 1991). We present a discussion of several image-processing techniques used to enhance the visibility of the plasma tail features in order to measure velocities, accelerations, and position angles. The data are used to assess the validity of various physical mechanisms proposed to explain plasma tail phenomena. Seven disconnection events were observed in the comet P/Halley data, two in the Austin data, and none for the other comets. Analysis of these data suggests that while the crossing of the solar neutral sheet (the sector boundary) is a prominent factor in the production of a disconnection event, it is likely that several mechanisms are at work. A sector boundary crossing has been ruled out as the cause of either the 1986 April 26 P/Halley disconnection or the 1990 May 5/6 Austin disconnection. The motions of the disconnection events, knots, and condensations in the tails were seen to increase from 30-60 km/s near the nucleus (within 10(exp 6) km) to 80-100 km/s at 10(exp 7) km, consistent with either bulk motion or Alfven waves. Distinguishing between the two cases is not possible with these data. It was found that although the tail ray rotation rate slows as the ray approaches the tail axis, it is not a good indicator of the solar wind speed. Historical plasma tail data are also used to look for clues as to why some comets form well-developed plasma tails and others do not.
Farnham, Tony L.↗
Photometric narrowband CCD imaging of comets P/Brorsen-Metcalf and Austin (1989c1)
Simultaneous wide-field CCD images and conventional aperture photometry were obtained of Comets P/Brorsen/Metcalf (1989o) and Austin (1989c1). These data allow direct testing of absolute calibration of the CCD images and the ability to generate full-come, continuum-subtracted emission band images. Preliminary photometric calibration for a portion of the Brorsen-Metcalf observations yields reduced emission band and continuum fluxes which agree to within about 10 percent with those from the photoelectric observations. Conventional photometry of Comet Austin shows unusual variations among the production rates of the different species as a function of heliocentric distance.
Schleicher, David G.↗
The dust coma of Comet Austin (1989c1)
Thermal-infrared (10 and 20 micron) images of Comet Austin were obtained on UT 30.6 Apr., 1.8, 2.8, and 3.6 May 1990. The NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center 20 pixel bolometer array at the NASA 3 meter Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii was used. The 10.8 micron (FWHM = 5.3 microns) maps were obtained with maximum dimensions of 113 arcsec (57,500 km) in RA and 45 arcsec (23,000 km) in declination, with a pixel size of 4.2 x 4.2 arcsec. A smaller, 45 x 18 arcsec, map was obtained in the 19.2 micron (FWHM = 5.2 microns) bandpass. At the time of these observations Comet Austin's heliocentric and geocentric distances were 0.7 and 0.5 AU respectively. The peak flux density (within the brightest pixel) was 23 + or - 2 Janskys for the first three dates and only marginally lower the last day; i.e., within the observational uncertainties no evidence was found for day-to-day variability like that observed in Comet Halley. A dynamical analysis of the morphology of the extended dust emission is used to constrain the size distribution and production rate of the dust particles. The results of this analysis are compared with similar studies carried out on comets P/Giacobini-Zinner, P/Brorsen-Metcalf, P/Halley, P/Tempel 2, and Wilson (1987).
Campins, Humberto↗
Helium and argon abundance constraints and the thermal evolution of Comet Austin (1989c1)
Far-UV rocketborne spectrometer observations have established upper Ar and He abundance limits on Comet Austin. These limits indicate, relative to solar abundance, that Comet Austin is depleted in He/O and no more than 30-times enriched in Ar/O. Implications of these values for thermal conditions experienced during formation and evolution are discussed.
Stern, S. A.↗
The solar wind structure that caused a large-scale disturbance of the plasma tail of comet Austin
The plasma tail of Comet Austin (1989c1) showed remarkable disturbances because of the solar maximum periods and its orbit. Figure 1 shows photographs of Comet Austin taken in Shibata, Japan, on 29 Apr. 1990 UT, during about 20 minutes with the exposure times of 90 to 120 s. There are two main features in the disturbance; one is many bowed structures, which seem to move tailwards; and the other is a large-scale wavy structure. The bowed structures can be interpreted as arcade structures brushing the surface of both sides of the cometary plasma surrounding the nucleus. We identified thirteen structures of the arcades from each of the five photographs and calculated the relation between the distance of each structure from the cometary nucleus, chi, and the velocity, upsilon. The result is shown. This indicates that the velocity of the structures increases with distance. This is consistent with the result obtained from the observation at the Kiso Observatory.
Kozuka, Yukio↗
Infrared spectroscopy and photometry of Comet Austin 1990 V
3-micron and 10-micron spectra and IR photometry of the dynamically new Comet Austin 1990 V were obtained for March-May 1990. An unusual 9-11 micron emission feature 15-20 percent above the continuum is evident at 0.78 AU postperihelion. The shape, in particular a peak at 11.06 micron, differs from that seen in Halley and several other comets, suggesting a difference in the mineralogy of the silicate grains. The 3.1-7.7 micron spectrum at 0.35 AU shows no obvious feature; feature/continuum contrast of the 3.36 micron emission feature is less than about 5 percent. Based on the IR photometry and a dust model weighted toward small grains, the dust production rate on 6 May at 0.78 AU was about 3 x 10 exp 5 g/s. The corresponding dust/gas mass ratio was about 0.1, classifying Austin as a dust-poor comet. This designation refers only to the relative dust cross section, not to the total mass.
Hanner, Martha S.↗
Long-slit ultraviolet spectroscopy of Comet Austin (1990 V)
The spatial distributions of the brightest features in the far-UV spectrum of Comet Austin were measured, and it is found that they are generally similar to those found for Comet Halley during two rocket observations in 1986. As in Halley, the CO profile can be fit to a radial outflow profile for a source whose size is smaller than the instrumental spatial resolution. Neither the shape nor the magnitude of the extended atomic carbon profiles, however, can be satisfactorily explained by the photodissociation of CO. No evidence is found for an extended source of CO in the coma; thus, suggestions that the additional carbon can come directly from grains are difficult to accept since Austin is a low-dust comet. The presence of the O I 1356 A feature implies that there is a photoelectron excitation source in the coma. The measured O I 1304 A distribution is consistent with H2O being the dominant source of oxygen in the coma. The atomic sulfur profile matches that expected for a daughter product of relatively short-lived parents.
Sahnow, David J.↗
H2O(+) production rates of Comets Austin 1990 V and P/Halley 1986 III
High-spectral-resolution scans of H2O(+) emissions from Austin 1990 V were obtained. A simple model of the ion distribution in the FOV is used to determine a lower limit phi(H2O+) to the H2O(+) ion flux away from the nucleus for each night of observations. A similar analysis is applied to previous observations of H2O(+) emissions from Comet P/Halley 1986 III. It is found that the mean ratio is phi(H2O+)/Q(H2O) is 1.2 x exp -3 for Halley (solar minimum) and 2.6 x 10 exp -3 for Austin (solar maximum).
Schultz, D.↗
Solar heating and cooling demonstration project at Radian Corporation, Austin, Texas
The solar heating and cooling system located at the Radian Corporation, Austin, Texas, is discussed. A technical description of the solar system is presented. The costs of the major components and the cost of installing the system are described. Flow diagrams and photographs of the solar system are provided.
Source record↗
Evolution of the ultraviolet coma of comet Austin (1982g.)
Ultraviolet spectra of comet Austin (1982) obtained in July 1982 at heliocentric distances ranging from 1.10 to 0.81 AU preperihelion with the IUE reveal that the comet is very similar in chemical composition and appearance to comet Bradfield (1979X). In addition, the derived H2O production rate is found to vary with heliocentric distance as r to the -3.6, similar to the r to the -3.7 behavior found for comet Bradfield. It is pointed out, however, that the limited sample rate precludes the observation of the short-term variations which could be produced by a rotating nonuniform cometary nucleus.
Feldman, P. D.↗
Hydrogen production rate from comet Austin 1982g
Meaningful measurements with respect to the cometary Balmer-alpha (H-alpha) emission are difficult and require the use of special equipment. The first ground-based observations of H-alpha emission from a cometary hydrogen corona were conducted on comet Kohoutek 1973 XII with a large-aperture Fabry-Perot spectrometer installed at the McMath solar telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The present investigation is concerned with the second ground-based observations of cometary H-alpha emission carried out during the apparition of comet Austin 1982g. A 150 mm dual-etalon Fabry-Perot spectrometer was employed in the experiment. Use was made of an observatory which is designed for the high spectral resolution study of faint extended sources such as interstellar and geocoronal emission lines. The investigation demonstrates that hydrogen production rates from comets as faint as about 7th magnitude can be routinely measured from the ground at minimal cost.
Shih, P.↗
A radio source occultation experiment with comet Austin 1982g, with unusual results
A radio source occultation by comet Austin 1982g was observed on September 15-16, 1982. A change in the apparent position of 1242 + 41 by 1.3 arcsec occurred when the source was 220,000 km away from the cometary ion tail. If this change was due to refraction by the cometary plasma, it indicates an electron density of the plasma of about 10,000/cu cm. When the radio source was on the other side of the plasma tail, at a distance of 230,000 km, the position angle of the electric vector of the radio source changed gradually over about 140 deg within two hours. This observation cannot be explained in terms of ionospheric Faraday rotation, and results from either an intrinsic change in the radio source or Faraday rotation in the cometary plasma due to a change in the direction and/or strength of the magnetic field. In the latter case, the cometary coma must have an electron density and a magnetic field strength orders of magnitude larger than current theories predict.
De Pater, I.↗
Activities of the Department of Astronomy and McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin
McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin reports on its activities during the period 1 Jan. 1986 to 30 June 1986. Extensive observations of Halley's Comet were obtained. The comet exhibited large variability; moreover, its variability was much more rapid than can be accounted for by water vaporization as the sole controller of activity. Jupiter satellite Io's atmosphere was found to be distended by more than the equilibrium scale height but less than for unimpeded streaming into space. The atmosphere is at least temporarily bound to IO. Uranus' (3-0) H2 quadrupole line shapes require a modification of Baines and Bergstralh's standard model which incorporates at high altitude absorbing haze in addition to the lower haze layer. A fraction of normal H2 equal to 0.25 + or 0.10 is derived, in good agreement with the standard model. This result is unchanged when the preliminary temperature structure derived by the Voyager Radio Occultation Experiment is used instead of Appleby's model c. Out of the six Pluto-Charon mutual events observed this year, data were obtained on four. Preliminary analysis is yielding improved estimates for the diameters, masses, densities, and albedos of these objects.
Smith, H. J.↗
Low elevation angle KU-band satellite measurements at Austin, Texas
At low elevation angles, the propagation of satellite signals is affected by precipitation as well as by inhomogeneties of the refractive index. Whereas precipitation causes fades for relatively small percentages of time, the refractive index variability causes scintillations which can be observed for most of the time. An experiment is now under way in Austin, Texas, in which the right hand circularly polarized 12 GHz beacon of INTELSAT-V/F10 is observed at a 5.8 deg elevation angle, along with the radiometric sky temperature, rainfall rate, humidity, pressure, temperature, and wind speed and direction. The objective of these measurements is to accumulate a database over a period of 2 years and to analyze the probabilities and dynamical behavior of the signal variations in relation to the meteorological parameters. The hardware and software used for the data acquisition and analysis is described and the results from the first year of measurements are presented.
Vogel, Wolfhard J.↗