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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

2-Micron Pulsed Direct Detection IPDA Lidar for Atmospheric CO2 Measurement

A 2-micron high energy, pulsed Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar has been developed for atmospheric CO2 measurements. Development of this lidar heavily leverages the 2-micron laser technologies developed in LaRC over the last decade. The high pulse energy, direct detection lidar operating at CO2 2-micron absorption band provides an alternate approach to measure CO2 concentrations. This new 2-micron pulsed IPDA lidar has been flown in spring of this year for total ten flights with 27 flight hours. It is able to make measurements of the total amount of atmospheric CO2 from the aircraft to the ground or cloud. It is expected to provide high-precision measurement capability by unambiguously eliminating contamination from aerosols and clouds that can bias the IPDA measurement.

Yu, Jirong↗
NASA NTRS1978

Martian atmosphere modeling between 0.4 and 3.5 microns - Comparison of theory and experiment

A model of the lower atmosphere of Mars has been constructed that combines aerosol absorption and scattering with a line-by-line analysis of CO2 and H2O in a multilayer radiative transfer program. Aerosol composition previously inferred from the NASA Lear Jet Observatory data was used to measure the optical complex indices of refraction of appropriate Martian analogs from 0.4 to 2.5 microns. The aerosol vertical particle density scale was deduced using the Viking camera observations of the soil and sky intensities between 0.4 and 1.0 microns in comparison with those modeled using a multilayer Mie scattering program. A comparison of observed Mars atmospheric absorptions was made with those obtained using Lorentz, Voigt, and Doppler line profiles in a multilayer model of the CO2 and H2O. The Voigt line profile of CO2 absorption at approximately 4976 kaysers was then combined in a multilayer aerosol model of the Martian atmosphere. An evaluation of the effect on the line shape was made using several aerosol loadings.

Egan, W. G.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Measurement of Atmospheric CO2 Column Concentrations to Cloud Tops With a Pulsed Multi-Wavelength Airborne Lidar

We have measured the column-averaged atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio to a variety of cloud tops by using an airborne pulsed multi-wavelength integrated-path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar. Airborne measurements were made at altitudes up to 13 km during the 2011, 2013 and 2014 NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) science campaigns flown in the United States West and Midwest and were compared to those from an in situ sensor. Analysis of the lidar backscatter profiles shows the average cloud top reflectance was approx. 5% for the CO2 measurement at 1572.335 nm except to cirrus clouds, which had lower reflectance. The energies for 1 micro-s wide laser pulses reflected from cloud tops were sufficient to allow clear identification of CO2 absorption line shape and then to allow retrievals of atmospheric column CO2 from the aircraft to cloud tops more than 90% of the time. Retrievals from the CO2 measurements to cloud tops had minimal bias but larger standard deviations when compared to those made to the ground, depending on cloud top roughness and reflectance. The measurements show this new capability helps resolve CO2 horizontal and vertical gradients in the atmosphere. When used with nearby full-column measurements to ground, the CO2 measurements to cloud tops can be used to estimate the partial-column CO2 concentration below clouds, which should lead to better estimates of surface carbon sources and sinks. This additional capability of the range-resolved CO2 IPDA lidar technique provides a new benefit for studying the carbon cycle in future airborne and space-based CO2 missions.

atmospheric↗
NASA NTRS2012

Laboratory Studies of Solid Carbon Dioxide in Planetary and Interstellar Ices

Laboratory spectra have shown that CO2. is a powerful diagnostic tool for analyzing infrared data from remote observations, as it has been detected on icy moons in the outer solar system as well as dust grain surfaces in the interstellar medium. IR absorption profiles of CO2 wi thin ice mixtures containing H2O and CH30H change with respect to tem perature and mixture ratios. In this particular study, the CO2 stretch mode around 235O cm (exp -1) (4.3 rricrons) is systematically observ ed in different mixtures with H2O and CH30H in temperature ranges from 15K to 150 K, as well as vibrational modes in the near-IR such as th e combination bands near 3700 cm (exp -1) (2.7 microns) and 5080 (exp -1) (2.0 microns). Additionally, some high?temperature deposits (T > 50 K) of H2O, CH30H, and CO2 ice mixtures were performed to determine the maximum temperatures at which CO2 will deposit on the sample win dow. These data may then be used to interpret spectra obtained from remote IR observations. This research was sponsored by Oak Ridge Associ ated Universities (ORAU) through the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) as well as Ames Research Center and the SETI institute who provided fa cilities and equipment.

White, Douglas↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electrochemically regenerable metabolic CO2 and moisture control system for an advanced EMU application

Regenerable CO2 and moisture removal techniques that reduce expendables and logistics requirements are needed to sustain people undertaking extravehicular activities for the Space Station. NASA has been investigating ways to advance the Electrochemically Regenerable CO2 and Moisture Absorption (ERCA) technology to replace the nonregenerable solid lithium hydroxide absorber for the advanced Portable Life Support System (PLSS). The ERCA technology, due to its use of liquid absorbent, has the ability to effectively satisfy the high metabolic CO2 and moisture removal requirements of PLSS applications. This paper defines the ERCA technology concept and its advantages for the PLSS application, reviews breadboard and subscale testdata and presents the results of design concepts for a prototype Absorber Module of improved performance and the physical characteristics of the projected flight hardware.

Lee, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A new interpretation of the Venera 11 spectra of Venus. I - The 0.94 micron water band

Detailed band models for CO2 and H2O absorption are used to reinterpret Venera 11 spectra of the transmitted sunlight at several levels in the Venus atmosphere. An effective path approximation is used to allow for scattering in the clouds. The atmospheric model has 10 layers and uses 211 CO2 and 15 H2O vibrational transitions at 5/cm resolution. The conclusion of Moroz et al. (1979) that the 0.94 micron feature of the spectra indicates a sharp maximum in the water-vapor profile near 50 km is confirmed. It is also confirmed that such a profile fails to account for the spectra in the 1.13 micron water bands.

Young, L. D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

High-resolution atmospheric spectroscopy using a diode laser heterodyne spectrometer

A tunable-diode-laser radiometer with a spectral resolution of 0.007/cm was used to obtain IR solar absorption spectra in the 9.1-11.1 micron region. Spectra exhibiting absorption by HNO3, CO2, O3, and H2O were obtained in a piecewise manner using emission modes from a single Pb-salt laser local oscillator. The measured spectra were compared to synthetic atmospheric spectra calculated using a line-by-line model. The results demonstrate that high-resolution IR solar absorption spectroscopy and atmospheric extinction measurements can be routinely performed over wide spectral regions using semiconductor lasers.

Hoell, J. M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar occultation sounding of pressure and temperature using narrowband radiometers

A technique for simultaneously retrieving pressure and temperature profiles using satellite-based narrowband radiometer measurements of absorption in the CO2 4.3-micron band is described. Pressure and temperature profiles for earth's upper atmosphere on a global scale can be obtained with errors less than 3% and 3 K, respectively. The p-T information can be used not only for improving the accuracy of inverted gas concentrations in the same absorption experiment but also for investigating the upper atmosphere circulation.

Park, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for ASCENDS O2 Column Measurements

Global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity- Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space to meet the ASCENDS measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud contamination. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby eliminating the need to correct for sidelobe bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. This approach works well for both BPSK and linear swept-frequency modulation techniques. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. A comparison of BPSK and linear swept-frequency is also discussed in this paper. These results are extended to include Richardson-Lucy deconvolution techniques to extend the resolution of the lidar beyond that implied by limit of the bandwidth of the modulation, where it is shown useful for making tree canopy measurements.

Campbell, Joel F.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Abundances of Solid N2 and Gaseous CO2 in Interstellar Dense Molecular Clouds

We present 2338-2322 per centimeter (4.277-4.307 micrometer) infrared spectra of a number of N2-containing mixed molecular ices and demonstrate that the strength of the infrared "forbidden" band due to the N=N stretch near 2328 per centimeter (4.295 micrometer) is extremely sensitive to the composition of the ice. The strength of the 2328 per centimeter N2 fundamental is significantly enhanced relative to that of pure N2 ice when NH3, H2O, or CO2 are present, but is largely unaffected by the presence of CO, CH4 or O2. We use the laboratory data in coil junction with ISO data that probes several lines-of-sight through dense molecular clouds to place limits on the abundance of interstellar solid phase N2 and the composition of the ices. Deriving upper limits is complicated by the presence of overlapping absorptions due to CO2 gas in the clouds and, in some cases, to photospheric CO in the background star. These upper limits are just beginning to be low enough to constrain interstellar grain models and the composition of possible N2-bearing interstellar ices. We outline the search criteria that will need to be met if solid interstellar N2 is to be detected in the future. We also discuss some of the implications of the presence of warm CO2 gas along the lines-of-sight to embedded protostars and demonstrate that its presence may help resolve certain puzzles associated with the previously derived gas/solid CO2 ratios and the relative abundances of polar and nonpolar ices towards these objects. Finally, we briefly comment on the possible implications of these results for the interpretation of N2 detections on outer solar system bodies.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Laser absorption phenomena in flowing gas devices

A theoretical and experimental investigation is presented of inverse Bremsstrahlung absorption of CW CO2 laser radiation in flowing gases seeded with alkali metals. In order to motivate this development, some simple models are described of several space missions which could use laser powered rocket vehicles. Design considerations are given for a test call to be used with a welding laser, using a diamond window for admission of laser radiation at power levels in excess of 10 kW. A detailed analysis of absorption conditions in the test cell is included. The experimental apparatus and test setup are described and the results of experiments presented. Injection of alkali seedant and steady state absorption of the laser radiation were successfully demonstrated, but problems with the durability of the diamond windows at higher powers prevented operation of the test cell as an effective laser powered thruster.

Chapman, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Response of Phanerozoic Surface Temperature to Variations in Atmospheric Oxygen Concentration

Recently, Poulsen et al. (2015) suggested that O2 has played a major role in climate forcing during the Phanerozoic. Specifically, they argued that decreased O2 levels during the Cenomanian stage of the middle Cretaceous (94–100 Ma) could help explain the extremely warm climate during that time. The postulated warming mechanism involves decreased Rayleigh scattering by a thinner atmosphere, which reduces the planetary albedo and allows greater surface warming. This warming effect is then amplified by cloud feedbacks within their 3-D climate model. This increase in shortwave surface forcing, in their calculations, exceeds any decrease in the greenhouse effect caused by decreased O2. Here we use a 1-D radiative-convective climate model (with no cloud feedback) to check their results. We also include a self-consistent calculation of the change in atmospheric ozone and its effect on climate. Our results are opposite to those of Poulsen et al.: we find that the climate warms by 1.4 K at 35% O2 concentrations as a result of increased pressure broadening of CO2 and H2O absorption lines and cools by 0.8 K at 10% O2 as a result of decreased pressure broadening. The surface temperature changes are only about 1 K either way, though, for reasonable variations in Phanerozoic O2 concentrations (10%–35% by volume). Hence, it seems unlikely that changes in atmospheric O2 account for the warm climate of the Cenomanian. Other factors, such as a higher-than-expected sensitivity of climate to increased CO2 concentrations, may be required to obtain agreement with the paleoclimate data.

Atmospheric O2 levels↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spectral albedo and emissivity of CO2 in Martian polar caps - Model results

In this paper, a snow albedo model previously developed for terrestrial snow is extended to the case of CO2 snow on Mars. Pure CO2 snow is calculated to have high albedo at visible wavelengths but not as high as that of water snow. At any given wavelength, the primary variable controlling albedo and emissivity is the snow grain size, with albedo decreasing and emissivity increasing as grain size increases. Observations that red albedo is much higher than blue albedo in the Martian south polar cap indicates that the snow or the atmosphere is contaminated with red dust. The absorption coefficient of CO2 ice in the thermal infrared is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that measured for H2O ice. CO2 snow emissivity is therefore much lower than H2O snow, varying substantially with wavelength and quite sensitive to grain size and emission angle. Factors tending to increase emissivity are large grain size, small emission angle, and large concentrations of dust or water.

Warren, Stephen G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Is there another major constituent in the atmosphere of Mars?

In view of the possible finding of several tens percent of inert gas in the atmosphere of Mars by an instrument on the descent module of the USSR's Mars 6 spacecraft, the likelihood of the correctness of this result was examined. The basis for the well-known fact that the most likely candidate is radiogenic argon is described. It is shown that, for the two important methods of investigating the atmosphere, earth-based CO2 is infrared absorption spectroscopy and S-band occultation, within the estimated 1 standard deviation uncertainties of these methods about 20% argon can be accommodated. Within the estimated 3 standard deviation uncertainties, more than 35% is possible. It is also stated that even with 35% argon the maximum value of heat transfer rate on the Viking 75 entry vehicle does not exceed the design value.

Wood, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Monitoring complex trace-gas mixtures by long-path laser absorption spectrometry

Laser-based spectrophotometric methods, which have been proposed for the detection of trace concentrations of gaseous contaminants, include Raman and passive radiometry. The paper discusses a simple long-path laser absorption method which is capable of resolving complex mixtures of closely related trace contaminants at ppm levels. A number of species were selected which are most likely to accumulate in closed environments, such as submarines or long-duration manned space flights. Absorption coefficients at CO2 laser wavelengths were measured, accurate to + 3 per cent or better, for each of these species. This data base was then used to determine the presence and concentration of the contaminants in prepared mixtures of 12 to 15 gases. Computer programs have been developed which will permit a real-time analysis of the monitored atmosphere. Minimum detectable concentrations for individual species are generally in the ppm range, and are not seriously degraded by interferences even in complex mixtures. Estimates of the dynamic range of this monitoring technique for various system configurations and comparison with other methods of analysis are discussed

Green, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

On the possibility of analytical approximation of line forms during random disorders of the resonance frequencies in molecular vibration-rotation spectra for satellite sounding

The generalization spectral line contour concept and formulas for a two component mixture, as well as consequences of the general formula are discussed. The calculation procedure, initial information, calculation results and comparison of calculations with available experimental data, for radiation absorption in three CO2 bands are presented.

Fomin, V. V.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Stratospheric sounding by infrared heterodyne spectroscopy

Intensity profiles of infrared spectral lines of stratospheric constituents can be fully resolved with a heterodyne spectrometer of sufficiently high resolution (approximately 5 MHz = 0.000167 kaysers at 10 microns). The constituents' vertical distributions can then be evaluated accurately by analytic inversion of the measured line profiles. Estimates of the detection sensitivity of a heterodyne receiver are given in terms of minimum detectable volume mixing ratios of stratospheric constituents, indicating a large number of minor constituents which can be studied. Stratospheric spectral line shapes and the resolution required to measure them are discussed in light of calculated synthetic line profiles for some stratospheric molecules in a model atmosphere. The inversion technique for evaluation of gas concentration profiles is briefly described, and applications to synthetic lines of O3, CO2, CH4, and N2O are given. Some recent heterodyne measurements of CO2 and O3 absorption lines are analytically inverted, and the vertical distributions of the two gases are determined.

Abbas, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Signal averaging limitations in heterodyne- and direct-detection laser remote sensing measurements

The improvement in measurement uncertainty brought about by the averaging of increasing numbers of pulse return signals in both heterodyne- and direct-detection lidar systems is investigated. A theoretical analysis is presented which shows the standard deviation of the mean measurement to decrease as the inverse square root of the number of measurements, except in the presence of temporal correlation. Experimental measurements based on a dual-hybrid-TEA CO2 laser differential absorption lidar system are reported which demonstrate that the actual reduction in the standard deviation of the mean in both heterodyne- and direct-detection systems is much slower than the inverse square-root dependence predicted for uncorrelated signals, but is in agreement with predictions in the event of temporal correlation. Results thus favor the use of direct detection at relatively short range where the lower limit of the standard deviation of the mean is about 2 percent, but advantages of heterodyne detection at longer ranges are noted.

Menyuk, N.↗