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NASA NTRS1989

Manipulating cyanobacteria: Spirulina for potential CELSS diet

Spirulina sp. as a bioregenerative photosynthetic and an edible alga for spacecraft crew in a CELSS, was characterized for the biomass yield in batch cultures, under various environmental conditions. The partitioning of the assimalitory products (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) were manipulated by varying the environmental growth conditions. Experiments with Spirulina have shown that under stress conditions (i.e., high light 160 uE/sq m/s, temperature 38 C, nitrogen or phosphate limitation; 0.1 M sodium chloride) carbohydrates increased at the expense of proteins. In other experiments, where the growth media were sufficient in nutrients and incubated under optimum growth conditions, the total of the algal could be manipulated by growth conditions. These results support the feasibility of considering Spirulina as a subsystem in CELSS because of the ease with which its nutrient content can be manipulated.

Tadros, Mahasin G.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Accurate Biomass Estimation via Bayesian Adaptive Sampling

The following concepts were introduced: a) Bayesian adaptive sampling for solving biomass estimation; b) Characterization of MISR Rahman model parameters conditioned upon MODIS landcover. c) Rigorous non-parametric Bayesian approach to analytic mixture model determination. d) Unique U.S. asset for science product validation and verification.

Wheeler, Kevin R.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Comparative Study of Lettuce and Radish Grown Under Red and Blue Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and White Fluorescent Lamps

Growing vegetable crops in space will be an essential part of sustaining astronauts during long-term missions. To drive photosynthesis, red and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have attracted attention because of their efficiency, longevity, small size, and safety. In efforts to optimize crop production, there have also been recent interests in analyzing the subtle effects of green light on plant growth, and to determine if it serves as a source of growth enhancement or suppression. A comparative study was performed on two short cycle crops of lettuce (Outredgeous) and radish (Cherry Bomb) grown under two light treatments. The first treatment being red and blue LEDs, and the second treatment consisting of white fluorescent lamps which contain a portion of green light. In addition to comparing biomass production, physiological characterizations were conducted on how the light treatments influence morphology, water use, chlorophyll content, and the production of A TP within plant tissues.

Mickens, Matthew A.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Characterization of Particulate Matter Profiling and Alveolar Deposition from Biomass Burning in Northern Thailand: The 7-SEAS Study

Biomass burning (BB) frequently occurs in SouthEast Asia (SEA), which significantly affects the air quality and could consequently lead to adverse health effects. The aim of this study was to characterize particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) emitted from BB source regions in SEA and their potential of deposition in the alveolar region of human lungs. A 31-day characterization of PM profiling was conducted at the Doi Ang Khang (DAK) meteorology station in northern Thailand in March 2013. Substantial numbers of PM (10147 +/- 5800 # per cubic centimeter) with a geometric mean diameter (GMD) of 114.4 +/- 9.2 nm were found at the study site. The PM of less than 2.5 micron in aerodynamic diameter (PM sub 2.5) hourly-average mass concentration was 78.0 +/- 34.5 per cubic microgram whereas the black carbon (BC) mass concentration was 4.4 +/- 2.6 micrograms per cubic meter. Notably, high concentrations of nanoparticle surface area (100.5 +/- 54.6 square micrometers per cubic centimeter) emitted from biomass burning can be inhaled into the human alveolar region. Significant correlations with fire counts within different ranges around DAK were found for particle number, the surface area concentration of alveolar deposition, and BC. In conclusion, biomass burning is an important PM source in SEA, particularly nanoparticles, which has high potency to be inhaled into the lung environment and interact with alveolar cells, leading to adverse respiratory effects. The fire counts within 100 to 150 km shows the highest Pearson's r for particle number and surface area concentration. It suggests 12 to 24 hr could be a fair time scale for initial aging process of BB aerosols. Importantly, the people lives in this region could have higher risk for PM exposure.

biomass burning↗

NASA NTRS2003

Airborne Measurements of Carbonaceous Aerosols in Southern Africa during the Dry Biomass Burning Season

Particulate matter collected aboard the University of Washington's (UW) Convair-580 research aircrafi over southem Afiica during the dry biomass burning season was analyzed for total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), and black carbon (BC) contents using thermal and optical methods. Samples were collected in smoke plumes of burning savanna and in regional haze. A known artifact, produced by the adsorption of organic gases on the quartz filter substrates used to collect the particulate matter samples, comprised a significant portion of the TC collected. Consequently, conclusions derived from the data are greatly dependent on whether or not OC concentrations are corrected for this artifact. For example, the estimated aerosol coalbedo (1 - single scattering albedo (SSA)), which is a measure of aerosol absorption, of the biomass smoke samples is 60% larger using corrected OC concentrations. Thus, the corrected data imply that the biomass smoke is 60% more absorbing than do the uncorrected data. The BC to (corrected) OC mass ratio (BC/OC) of smoke plume samples (0.18 plus or minus 0.06) is lower than that of samples collected in the regional haze (0.25 plus or minus 0.08). The difference may be due to mixing of biomass smoke with background air characterized by a higher BC/OC ratio. A simple source apportionment indicates that biomass smoke contributes about three quarters of the aerosol burden in the regional haze, while other souxes (e.g., fossil fuel burning) contribute the remainder.

Kirchstetter, Thomas W.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Determining Chlamydomonas reinhardtii resistance to ionizing radiation at a genome-wide scale

Spaceflight is a complex mixture of abiotic stresses that causes a myriad of cellular responses including increased genome-wide mutation load. The impact of spaceflight on mutation load is not well understood for most organisms and is especially critical to characterize for candidate microorganisms that could be part of biological life support systems. Prior research in our laboratory revealed an unexpectedly high level of mutation during spaceflight in the eukaryotic green algae, C. reinhardtii. Based on the spectrum of base changes observed, we concluded that the mutations were generated through a molecular mechanism unique to the spaceflight environment. Spaceflight is a complex set of stresses, and we are using an Earth-based analog to test ionizing radiation as a potential causative variable for the unique mutation spectrum observed in spaceflight. C. reinhardtii was grown exposed to chronic radiation from a Cesium-137 source. Four biological replicate cultures of wild-type cells were grown in gas permeable plastic tissue culture bags in liquid media following the design used on the International Space Station (ISS) during the previous space algae experiment. Radiation levels for this experiment approximate ionizing radiation observed on the moon, in low Earth orbit (LEO), and on Earth. Cells from each replicate were passaged to inoculate the next cycle of growth, then samples were taken from each culture to characterize cell morphology, quantify biomass, and extract DNA. Whole genome sequencing from each culture will be used to identify the frequency and types of mutations in each radiation level. In growth cycles 3 and 4, there was a significant increase in biomass accumulation under lunar radiation level compared to LEO or Earth radiation levels. These results such that ionizing radiation affected growth of C. reinhardtii.

Microbiology↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Determining Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Resistance to Ionizing Radiation at A Genome-Wide Scale

Spaceflight is a complex mixture of abiotic stresses that causes a myriad of cellular responses including increased genome-wide mutation load. The impact of spaceflight on mutation load is not well understood for most organisms and is especially critical to characterize for candidate microorganisms that could be part of biological life support systems. Prior research in our laboratory revealed an unexpectedly high level of mutation during spaceflight in the eukaryotic green algae, C. reinhardtii. Based on the spectrum of base changes observed, we concluded that the mutations were generated through a molecular mechanism unique to the spaceflight environment. Spaceflight is a complex set of stresses, and we are using an Earth-based analog to test ionizing radiation as a potential causative variable for the unique mutation spectrum observed in spaceflight. C. reinhardtii was grown exposed to chronic radiation from a Cesium-137 source. Four biological replicate cultures of wild-type cells were grown in gas permeable plastic tissue culture bags in liquid media following the design used on the International Space Station (ISS) during the previous space algae experiment. Radiation levels for this experiment approximate ionizing radiation observed on the moon, in low Earth orbit (LEO), and on Earth. Cells from each replicate were passaged to inoculate the next cycle of growth, then samples were taken from each culture to characterize cell morphology, quantify biomass, and extract DNA. Whole genome sequencing from each culture will be used to identify the frequency and types of mutations in each radiation level. In growth cycles 3 and 4, there was a significant increase in biomass accumulation under lunar radiation level compared to LEO or Earth radiation levels. These results show that ionizing radiation affected growth of C. reinhardtii.

Hope Hersh↗

NASA NTRS1998

Systems Characterization of Temperature, Ph and Electrical Conductivity in Aerobic Biodegradation of Wheat Biomass at Differing Mixing Rates

The purpose of this preliminary study is to observe and relate the rate of mixing to pH and electrical conductivity in an aerobic, continuously stirred bioreactor. The objective is to use data collected from successive experiments as a means of a system characterization. Tests were conducted to obtain these data using a continuously stirred 20 L Cytostir glass reaction vessel as a bioreactor operated without built-in temperature or pH control. The tests were conducted on the lab bench at ambient temperatures. The substrate in the bioreactor was ground wheat biomass obtained from the Biomass Production Chamber at NASA Kennedy Space Center. In this study, the data reflect characteristics of the native (uninoculated) systems as well as inoculated systems. In the native systems, it was found that pi levels became stable after approximately 2 to 3 days. The electrical conductivity levels for the native systems tended to decrease over time. In contrast, ion activity was increased after the introduction of bacteria into the system. This could be correlated with the release of nutrients, due to the activity of the bacteria. Also, there were slight increases in pH in the inoculated system, a result which is expected for a system with no active pr controls. The data will be used to test a mathematical model in an automated system.

Calhoun, M.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Estimation of Crown and Stem Water Content and Biomass of Boreal Forest Using Polarimetric SAR Imagery

Characterization of boreal forests in ecosystem models requires temporal and spatial distributions of water content and biomass over local and regional scales. In this paper, we report on the use of a semi-empirical algorithm for deriving these parameters from polarimetric synthetic aperture radar measurements.

boreal↗

NASA NTRS1995

Brazil Fire Characterization and Burn Area Estimation Using the Airborne Infrared Disaster Assessment (AIRDAS) System

Remotely sensed estimations of regional and global emissions from biomass combustion have been used to characterize fire behavior, determine fire intensity, and estimate burn area. Highly temporal, low resolution satellite data have been used to calculate estimates of fire numbers and area burned. These estimates of fire activity and burned area have differed dramatically, resulting in a wide range of predictions on the ecological and environmental impacts of fires. As part of the Brazil/United States Fire Initiative, an aircraft campaign was initiated in 1992 and continued in 1994. This multi-aircraft campaign was designed to assist in the characterization of fire activity, document fire intensity and determine area burned over prescribed, agricultural and wildland fires in the savanna and forests of central Brazil. Using a unique, multispectral scanner (AIRDAS), designed specifically for fire characterization, a variety of fires and burned areas were flown with a high spatial and high thermal resolution scanner. The system was used to measure flame front size, rate of spread, ratio of smoldering to flaming fronts and fire intensity. In addition, long transects were flown to determine the size of burned areas within the cerrado and transitional ecosystems. The authors anticipate that the fire activity and burned area estimates reported here will lead to enhanced information for precise regional trace gas prediction.

Brass, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Modeling Atmospheric CO2 Processes to Constrain the Missing Sink

We report on a NASA supported modeling effort to reduce uncertainty in carbon cycle processes that create the so-called missing sink of atmospheric CO2. Our overall objective is to improve characterization of CO2 source/sink processes globally with improved formulations for atmospheric transport, terrestrial uptake and release, biomass and fossil fuel burning, and observational data analysis. The motivation for this study follows from the perspective that progress in determining CO2 sources and sinks beyond the current state of the art will rely on utilization of more extensive and intensive CO2 and related observations including those from satellite remote sensing. The major components of this effort are: 1) Continued development of the chemistry and transport model using analyzed meteorological fields from the Goddard Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, with comparison to real time data in both forward and inverse modes; 2) An advanced biosphere model, constrained by remote sensing data, coupled to the global transport model to produce distributions of CO2 fluxes and concentrations that are consistent with actual meteorological variability; 3) Improved remote sensing estimates for biomass burning emission fluxes to better characterize interannual variability in the atmospheric CO2 budget and to better constrain the land use change source; 4) Evaluating the impact of temporally resolved fossil fuel emission distributions on atmospheric CO2 gradients and variability. 5) Testing the impact of existing and planned remote sensing data sources (e.g., AIRS, MODIS, OCO) on inference of CO2 sources and sinks, and use the model to help establish measurement requirements for future remote sensing instruments. The results will help to prepare for the use of OCO and other satellite data in a multi-disciplinary carbon data assimilation system for analysis and prediction of carbon cycle changes and carbodclimate interactions.

Kawa, S. R.↗

NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS TE-6 Biomass and Foliage Area Data

The BOREAS TE-6 team collected several data sets in support of its efforts to characterize and interpret information on the plant biomass, allometry, biometry, sapwood, leaf area index, net primary production, soil temperature, leaf water potential, soil CO, flux, and multivegetation imagery of boreal vegetation. This data set contains measurements of estimates of the standing biomass and leaf area index for the plant species at the TF, CEV, and AUX sites in the SSA and NSA during the growing seasons of 1994 and 1995. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Activity Archive Center (DAAC).

Hall, Forrest G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Algae for controlled ecological life support system diet characterization of cyanobacteria 'spirulina' in batch cultures

Spirulina sp. is a bioregenerative photosynthetic and edible alga for space craft crews in a Closed Ecological Life Support System (CLESS). It was characterized for growth rate and biomass yield in batch cultures, under various environmental conditions. The cell characteristics were identified for one strain of Spirulina: S. maxima. Fast growth rate and high yield were obtained. The partitioning of the assimulatory products (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) were manipulated by varying the environmental conditions. Experiments with Spirulina demonstrated that under stress conditions carbohydrate increased at the expense of protein. In other experiments, where the growth media were sufficient in nutrients and incubated under optimum growth conditions, the total proteins were increased up to almost 70 percent of the organic weight. In other words, the nutritional quality of the alga could be manipulated by growth conditions. These results support the feasibility of considering Spirulina as a subsystem in CELSS because of the ease with which its nutrient content can be manipulated.

Tadros, M. G.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Evaluation of Sentinel-1A Data For Above Ground Biomass Estimation in Different Forests in India

Use of remote sensing data for mapping and monitoring of forest biomass across large spatial scales can aid in addressing uncertainties in carbon cycle. Earlier, several researchers reported on the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for characterizing forest structural parameters and the above ground biomass estimation. However, these studies cannot be generalized and the algorithms cannot be applied to all types of forests without additional information on the forest physiognomy, stand structure and biomass characteristics. The radar backscatter signal also saturates as forest parameters such as biomass and the tree height increase. It is also not clear how different polarizations (VV versus VH) impact the backscatter retrievals in different forested regions. Thus, it is important to evaluate the potential of SAR data in different landscapes for characterizing forest structural parameters. In this study, the SAR data from Sentinel-1A has been used to characterize forest structural parameters including the above ground biomass from tropical forests of India. Ground based data on tree density, basal area and above ground biomass data from thirty-eight different forested sites has been collected to relate to SAR data. After the pre-processing of Sentinel 1-A data for radiometric calibration, geo-correction, terrain correction and speckle filtering, the variability in the backscatter signal in relation tree density, basal area and above biomass density has been investigated. Results from the curve fitting approach suggested exponential model between the Sentinel-1A backscatter versus tree density and above ground biomass whereas the relationship was almost linear with the basal area in the VV polarization mode. Of the different parameters, tree density could explain most of the variations in backscatter. Both VV and VH backscatter signals could explain only thirty and thirty three percent of variation in above biomass in different forest sites of India. Results also suggested saturation of the Sentinel-1A backscatter signal around hundred tonnes per hectare for VV polarization and one hundred and forty five tonnes per hectare for VH polarization. The presentation will highlight the above results in addition to potentials and limitations of Sentinel-1A data for retrieving forest structural parameters. Also, background information on different forest types of India, biomass variations and forest type mapping efforts in the region will be presented.

Data↗

NASA NTRS2010

Application of the Tor Vergata Scattering Model to L Band Backscatter During the Corn Growth Cycle

At the USDA's Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) experimental site in Beltsville, Maryland, USA) a field campaign took place throughout the 2002 corn growth cycle from May 10th (emergence of corn crops) to October 2nd (harvest). One of the microwave instruments deployed was the multi-frequency (X-, C- and L-band) quad-polarized (HH, HV, VV, VH) NASA GSFC/George Washington University (GWU) truck mounted radar. During the field campaign, this radar system provided once a week fully polarized C- and L-band (4.75 and 1.6 GHz) backscatter measurements from incidence angle of 15, 35, and 55 degrees. In support of microwave observations, an extensive ground characterization took place, which included measurements of surface roughness, soil moisture, vegetation biomass and morphology. The field conditions during the campaign are characterized by several dry downs with a period of drought in the month of August. Peak biomass the corn canopies was reached on July 24th with a total biomass of approximately 6.5 kg/sq m. This dynamic range in both soil moisture and vegetation conditions within the data set is ideal for the validation of discrete medium vegetation scattering models. In this study, we compare the L band backscatter measurements with simulations by the Tor Vergata model (ferrazzoli and Guerriero 1996). The measured soil moisture, vegetation biomass and most reliably measured vegetation morphological parameters (e.g. number of leaves, number of stems and stem height) were used as input for the Tor Vergata model. The more uncertain model parameters (e.g. surface roughness, leaf thickness) and the stem diameter were optimized using a parameter estimation routine based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. As cost function for this optimization, the HH and VV polarized backscatter measured and stimulated by the TOR Vergata model for incidence angle of 15, 35, and 55 degrees were used (6 measurements in total). The calibrated Tor Vergata model simulations are in excellent agreement with the measurements of Root Mean Squared Differences (RMSD's) of 0.8, 0.9 and 1.4 dB for incidences of 15, 35 and 55 degrees, respectively. The results from this study that a physically based scattering model with the appropriate parameterization can accurately simulate backscatter measurements and, as such, have the potential of being used for the retrieval of biophysical variables (e.g. soil moisture and vegetation biomass).

Joseph, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Satellite Remote Sensing of Fires, Smoke and Regional Radiative Energy Budgets

Christopher, Sundar A.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Recycle of Inorganic Nutrients for Hydroponic Crop Production Following Incineration of Inedible Biomass

Recovery of resources from waste streams is essential for future implementation and reliance on a regenerative life support system. The major waste streams of concern are from human activities and plant wastes. Carbon, water and inorganics are the primary desired raw materials of interest. The goal of resource recovery is maintenance of product quality to insure support of reliable and predictable levels of life support function performance by the crop plant component. Further, these systems must be maintained over extended periods of time, requiring maintenance of nutrient solutions to avoid toxicity and deficiencies. Today, reagent grade nutrients are used to make nutrient solutions for hydroponic culture and these solutions are frequently changed during the life cycle or sometimes managed for only one crop life cycle. The focus of this study was to determine the suitability of the ash product following incineration of inedible biomass as a source of inorganic nutrients for hydroponic crop production. Inedible wheat biomass was incinerated and ash quality characterized. The incinerator ash was dissolved in adequate nitric acid to establish a consistent nitrogen concentration in all nutrient solution treatments. Four experimental nutrient treatments were included: control, ash only, ash supplemented to match control, and ash only quality formulated with reagent grade chemicals. When nutrient solutions are formulated using only ash following-incineration of inedible biomass, a balance in solution is established representing elemental retention following incineration and nutrient proportions present in the original biomass. The resulting solution is not identical to the control. This imbalance resulted in suppression of crop growth. When the ash is supplemented with nutrients to establish the same balance as in the control, growth is identical to the control. The ash appears to carry no phytotoxic materials. Growth in solution formulated with reagent grade chemicals but matching the quality of the ash only treatment resulted in growth similar to that of the ash only treatment. The ash product resulting from incineration of inedible biomass appears to be a suitable form for recycle of inorganic nutrients to crop production.

Bubenheim, David L.↗

NASA NTRS1998

The 1985 Biomass Burning Season in South America: Satellite Remote Sensing of Fires, Smoke, and Regional Radiative Energy Budgets

Using satellite imagery, more than five million square kilometers of the forest and cerrado regions over South America are extensively studied to monitor fires and smoke during the 1985 biomass burning season. The results are characterized for four major ecosystems, namely: (1) tropical rain forest, (2) tropical broadleaf seasonal, (3) savannah/grass and seasonal woods (SGW), and (4) mild/warm/hot grass/shrub (MGS). The spatial and temporal distribution of fires are examined from two different methods using the multispectral Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Local Area Coverage data. Using collocated measurements from the instantaneous scanner Earth Radiation Budget Experiment data, the direct regional radiative forcing of biomass burning aerosols is computed. The results show that more than 70% of the fires occur in the MGS and SGW ecosystems due to agricultural practices. The smoke generated from biomass burning has negative instantaneous net radiative forcing values for all four major ecosystems within South America. The smoke found directly over the fires has mean net radiative forcing values ranging from -25.6 to -33.9 W m(exp -2). These results confirm that the regional net radiative impact of biomass burning is one of cooling. The spectral and broadband properties for clear-sky and smoke regions are also presented that could be used as input and/or validation for other studies attempting to model the impact of aerosols on the earth-atmosphere system. These results have important applications for future instruments from the Earth Observing System (EOS) program. Specifically, the combination of the Visible Infrared Scanner and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and the combination of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and CERES instruments from the EOS morning crossing mission could provide reliable estimates of the direct radiative forcing of aerosols on a global scale, thereby reducing the uncertainties in current global aerosol radiative forcing values.

Christopher, Sundar A.↗