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At least 397 records · Page 22

Machine Learning Based Aerosol and Ocean Color Joint Retrieval Algorithm for Multiangle Polarimeters over Coastal Waters

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, recently launched in February 2024, carries two multiangle polarimeters (MAPs): the UMBC Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP2) and SRON Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration One (SPEXone). Measurements from these MAPs will greatly advance ocean ecosystem and aerosol studies as their measurements contain rich information on microphysical properties of aerosols and hydrosols. The Multi-Angular Polarimetric Ocean coLor (MAPOL) joint retrieval algorithm has been developed to retrieve aerosol and ocean color information, which uses a vector radiative transfer (RT) model as the forward model. The RT model is computationally expensive, which makes processing a large amount of data challenging. FastMAPOL was developed to expedite retrieval using neural networks to replace the RT forward models. As a prototype study, FastMAPOL was initially limited to open ocean applications where the ocean Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) were parameterized in terms of one parameter: chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla). In this study we further expand the FastMAPOL joint retrieval algorithm to incorporate NN based forward models for coastal waters, which use multi-parameter bio-optical models. In addition, aerosols are represented by six components, i.e., fine mode non absorbing insoluble (FNAI), brown carbon (BrC), black carbon (BC), fine mode non absorbing soluble (FNAS), sea salt (SS) and non-spherical dust (Dust). Sea salt and dust are coarse mode aerosols, while the other components are in the fine mode. The sizes and spectral refractive indices are fixed for each aerosol component, while their abundances are retrievable. The multi-parameter bio-optical model and aerosol components are chosen to represent the coastal marine environment. The retrieval algorithm is applied to synthetic measurements in three different configurations ofMAPs in the PACE mission: HARP2 observations only, SPEXone observations only and combined HARP2 and SPEXone observations. The retrieval results from synthetic measurements show that for aerosol retrieval the SPEXone-only configuration works equally well with the HAPR2-only configuration. On the other hand, for ocean color retrieval the SPEXone instrument provides better information due to its larger spectral coverage. For the surface parameters (wind speed), HARP2 measurements provide better information due to its wide field of view. Combined measurement configuration HARP2+SPEXone performed the best to retrieve all aerosol, ocean color and surface parameters. We also studied the impact of sun glint to aerosol and ocean color retrievals. The retrieval test revealed that wind speed and absorbing aerosol retrieval improves significantly when including measurements at glint geometries. Furthermore, the retrieval algorithm is equipped with modules for atmospheric correction and bidirectional reflectance distribution (BRDF) correction to obtain the remote sensing reflectance, which enables ocean biogeochemistry studies using the PACE polarimeter data.

PACE↗

Physical and mathematical modelling of ladle metallurgy operations

Experimental measurements are reported, on the velocity fields and turbulence parameters on a water model of an argon stirred ladle. These velocity measurements are complemented by direct heat transfer measurements, obtained by studying the rate at which ice rods immersed into the system melt, at various locations. The theoretical work undertaken involved the use of the turbulence Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with the kappa-epsilon model to predict the local velocity fields and the maps of the turbulence parameters. Theoretical predictions were in reasonably good agreement with the experimentally measured velocity fields; the agreement between the predicted and the measured turbulence parameters was less perfect, but still satisfactory. The implications of these findings to the modelling of ladle metallurgical operations are discussed.

El-Kaddah, N.↗

Rapid Corner Detection Using FPGAs

In order to perform precision landings for space missions, a control system must be accurate to within ten meters. Feature detection applied against images taken during descent and correlated against the provided base image is computationally expensive and requires tens of seconds of processing time to do just one image while the goal is to process multiple images per second. To solve this problem, this algorithm takes that processing load from the central processing unit (CPU) and gives it to a reconfigurable field programmable gate array (FPGA), which is able to compute data in parallel at very high clock speeds. The workload of the processor then becomes simpler; to read an image from a camera, it is transferred into the FPGA, and the results are read back from the FPGA. The Harris Corner Detector uses the determinant and trace to find a corner score, with each step of the computation occurring on independent clock cycles. Essentially, the image is converted into an x and y derivative map. Once three lines of pixel information have been queued up, valid pixel derivatives are clocked into the product and averaging phase of the pipeline. Each x and y derivative is squared against itself, as well as the product of the ix and iy derivative, and each value is stored in a WxN size buffer, where W represents the size of the integration window and N is the width of the image. In this particular case, a window size of 5 was chosen, and the image is 640 480. Over a WxN size window, an equidistance Gaussian is applied (to bring out the stronger corners), and then each value in the entire window is summed and stored. The required components of the equation are in place, and it is just a matter of taking the determinant and trace. It should be noted that the trace is being weighted by a constant k, a value that is found empirically to be within 0.04 to 0.15 (and in this implementation is 0.05). The constant k determines the number of corners available to be compared against a threshold sigma to mark a valid corner. After a fixed delay from when the first pixel is clocked in (to fill the pipeline), a score is achieved after each successive clock. This score corresponds with an (x,y) location within the image. If the score is higher than the predetermined threshold sigma, then a flag is set high and the location is recorded.

Morfopoulos, Arin C.↗

The NASA Applied Sciences Program: Volcanic Ash Observations and Applications

Since 2000, the NASA Applied Sciences Program has been actively transitioning observations and research to operations. Particular success has been achieved in developing applications for NASA Earth Observing Satellite (EOS) sensors, integrated observing systems, and operational models for volcanic ash detection, characterization, and transport. These include imager applications for sensors such as the MODerate resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) on NASA Terra and Aqua satellites, and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite; sounder applications for sensors such as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on Aqua, and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on Suomi NPP; UV applications for the Ozone Mapping Instrument (OMI) on the NASA Aura Satellite and the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) on Suomi NPP including Direct readout capabilities from OMI and OMPS in Alaska (GINA) and Finland (FMI):; and lidar applications from the Caliop instrument coupled with the imaging IR sensor on the NASA/CNES CALIPSO satellite. Many of these applications are in the process of being transferred to the Washington and Alaska Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) where they support operational monitoring and advisory services. Some have also been accepted, transitioned and adapted for direct, onboard, automated product production in future U.S. operational satellite systems including GOES-R, and in automated volcanic cloud detection, characterization and alerting tools at the VAACs. While other observations and applications remain to be developed for the current constellation of NASA EOS sensors and integrated with observing and forecast systems, future requirements and capabilities for volcanic ash observations and applications are also being developed. Many of these are based on technologies currently being tested on NASA aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and balloons. All of these efforts and the potential advances that will be realized by integrating them are shared in this presentation.

Murray, John J.↗

International Space Station Data Collection for Disaster Response

Natural disasters - including such events as tropical storms, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires -effect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and also cause billions of dollars (USD) in damage to the global economy. Remotely sensed data acquired by orbital sensor systems has emerged as a vital tool to identify the extent of damage resulting from a natural disaster, as well as providing near-real time mapping support to response efforts on the ground and humanitarian aid efforts. The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique terrestrial remote sensing platform for acquiring disaster response imagery. Unlike automated remote-sensing platforms it has a human crew; is equipped with both internal and externally-mounted remote sensing instruments; and has an inclined, low-Earth orbit that provides variable views and lighting (day and night) over 95 percent of the inhabited surface of the Earth. As such, it provides a useful complement to free-flyer based, sun-synchronous sensor systems in higher altitude polar orbits. While several nations have well-developed terrestrial remote sensing programs and assets for data collection, many developing nations do not have ready access to such resources. The International Charter, Space and Major Disasters (also known as the "International Disaster Charter", or IDC; http://www.disasterscharter.org/home) addresses this disparity. It is an agreement between agencies of several countries to provide - on a best-effort basis - remotely sensed data of natural disasters to requesting countries in support of disaster response. The lead US agency for interaction with the IDC is the United States Geological Survey (USGS); when an IDC request or "activation" is received, the USGS notifies the science teams for NASA instruments with targeting information for data collection. In the case of the ISS, the Earth Sciences and Remote Sensing (ESRS) Unit, part of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate and supporting the ISS Program Science Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, receives notification from the USGS and coordinates targeting and data collection with the NASA ISS sensor teams. If data is collected, it is passed back to the USGS for posting on their Hazards Data Distribution System and made available for download. The ISS International Partners (CSA, ESA, JAXA, Roscosmos/Energia) have their own procedures for independently supporting IDC activations using their assets on ISS, and there is currently no joint coordination with NASA ISS sensor teams. Following completion of ISS assembly, NASA remote sensing assets began collecting IDC response data in May 2012. The initial NASA ISS sensor systems available to respond to IDC activations included the ISS Agricultural Camera (ISSAC), an internal multispectral visible-near infrared wavelength system mounted in the Window Observational Research Facility, or WORF; the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) Facility, where the crew collects imagery through Station windows using off-the-shelf handheld digital visible-wavelength cameras; and the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Oceans (HICO), a visible to near-infrared system mounted externally on the Japan Experiment Module Exposed Facility. The ISSAC completed its primary mission and was removed from the WORF in January 2013. It was replaced by the very high resolution ISS SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System (ISERV) Pathfinder, a visible-wavelength digital camera, telescope, and pointing system. Since the start of IDC response by NASA sensors on the ISS in May 2012 and as of this report, there have been eighty IDC activations; NASA sensor systems have collected data for twenty-three of these events. Of the twenty-three successful data collections, five involved 2 or more ISS sensor systems responding to the same event. Data has also been collected by International Partners in response to natural disasters, most notably JAXA and Roscosmos/Energia through the Urugan program. Data collected in response to IDC activations is delivered by the ISS sensor teams to the ESRS for quality review and transfer to the USGS, where it is ingested into the Hazards Data Distribution System, or HDDS (https://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/; figure 1). This system allows the local agencies that issued the IDC activation request to review and download data. The data is then used to develop secondary products useful for humanitarian response such as flood maps. As of this report, approximately 1000 images collected by NASA ISS sensor systems have been downloaded from the HDDS, indicating that the ISS has assumed a valuable role in disaster response efforts. The ISS is also a unique platform in that it will have multiple users over its lifetime, and that no single remote sensing system has a permanent internal or external berth. This scheduled turnover provides for development of new remote sensing capabilities relevant to disaster response -as well as both research and applied science-and represents a significant contribution to continuance and enhancement of the NASA mission to investigate changes on our home planet.

Stefanov, William L.↗

Magnetohydrodynamic boundary conditions for global models

Boundary conditions in the ionosphere and the upstream solar wind are important in determining the dynamics of global magnetohydrodynamic models of the magnetosphere. It is generally recognized that the orientation of the magnetic field in the upstream solar wind strongly modulates the rate of energy input into the magnetosphere by magnetic reconnection. However, other aspects of the upstream boundary conditions may determine whether the reconnection occurs in a patchy manner, as in flux transfer events, or in a global manner, as in the Paschmann et al. (1979) events. Ionospheric boundary conditions should also affect the reconnection process. For example, ionospheric line-tying can cause x-line motion in the outer magnetosphere. If it is assumed that auroras occur on field lines mapping to x-lines, then auroral motions are different than the local convective motion of the plasma in which they occur. Global magnetohydrodynamic models which incorporate both magnetospheric reconnection and ionospheric convection could be used to investigate the effect of reconnection and convection upon dayside and nightside auroral motions during the course of a magnetic substorm.

Forbes, T. G.↗

Observations and Modeling of Thermal Structure in the Lower Atmosphere and the Upward Propagation of Tides into the Thermosphere

Thermal tides are the atmospheric response to diurnally varying thermal forcing resulting from radiative and convective heat transfer from the surface and from aerosol and gaseous heating within the atmosphere. Tides include sun-synchronous (migrating) waves driven in response to solar heating and additional non-migrating waves resulting from longitudinal variations in the distributions of topography, dust aerosol and water ice clouds. The systematic spatial mapping of temperature over 5 Mars years by the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) has yielded a well-defined climatology of seasonally-varying temperature structures in the lower atmosphere, from 5 to ~80 km. Tide theory and Mars global circulation model (MGCM) simulations are a fruitful framework for relating temperature observations to thermal forcing by aerosol fields [1]. The analysis of density and temperature fields derived from MAVEN IUVS and NGIMS observations have revealed the presence of predominantly zonal wave 2 and 3 features at altitudes of 100-170 km that are almost certainly non-migrating tides propagating upward from the lower atmosphere [2,3]. In this presentation we will use the MCS climatology and MGCM simulations to relate the density variations seen by MAVEN with the seasonally varying tide activity in the lower atmosphere. Large amplitude perturbations in density are most sensitive to the tide components with the longest vertical wavelengths in temperature, which are well resolved in MCS observations.

Mars Climate Sounder (MCS)↗

Applications systems verification and transfer project. Volume 2: Operational applications of satellite snow-cover observations and data-collection systems in the Arizona test site

Ground surveys and aerial observations were used to monitor rapidly changing moisture conditions in the Salt-Verde watershed. Repetitive satellite snow cover observations greatly reduce the necessity for routine aerial snow reconnaissance flights over the mountains. High resolution, multispectral imagery provided by LANDSAT satellite series enabled rapid and accurate mapping of snow-cover distributions for small- to medium-sized subwatersheds; however, the imagery provided only one observation every 9 days of about a third of the watershed. Low resolution imagery acquired by the ITOSa dn SMS/GOES meteorological satellite series provides the daily synoptic observation necessary to monitor the rapid changes in snow-covered area in the entire watershed. Short term runoff volumes can be predicted from daily sequential snow cover observations.

Schumann, H. H.↗

Hot spot heat transfer - Its application to Venus and implications to Venus and earth

Using a model that gives a relationship between surface elevation, lithospheric thickness, and heat flux, the hot spot heat loss mechanism is tested for Venus. The mechanism is found to readily explain the predicted heat loss of the planet with a modest number of hot spots (of the order of 35). Lithospheric thickness variations can explain approximately 93 percent of the mapped topography of Venus. Above a radius of 6053 km, additional compensation is required, and this can be effected by incorporating a variable thickness crust into the model. If it is assumed that the crust is generated on the crests of the hot spots, probably by processes associated with volcanism, the model is consistent with nearly 99 percent of the mapped topography of Venus. In addition, the model is basically consistent with available gravity data and interpretations that suggest compensated topography and great depths of compensation (100-1000 km) for the midlatitudes of the planet. It is thought that the approximately 1 percent of the topography not explained by hot spot crustal generation is compensated at a shallower depth primarily by variations in crustal thickness that are not directly related to hot spot volcanism.

Morgan, P.↗

Attention theory and training research

This study used elements of attention theory as a methodological basis to decompose a complex training task in order to improve training efficiency. The complex task was a microcomputer flight simulation where subjects were required to control the stability of their own helicopter while acquiring and engaging enemy helicopers in a threat enviroment. Subjects were divided into whole-task, part-task, and part/open loop adaptive task groups in a transfer of training paradigm. The effect of reducing mental workload at the early stages of learning was examined with respect to the degree that subordinate elements of the complex task could be automated through practice of consistent, learnable stimulus-response relationships. Results revealed trends suggesting the benefit of isolating consistently mapped sub-tasks for part-task training and the presence of a time-sharing skill over and above the skill required for the separate subtasks.

Connelly, James G., Jr.↗

Impact of Uncertainties and Errors in Converting NWS Radiosonde Hygristor Resistances to Relative Humidity

A set of 2,600 6-second, National Weather Service soundings from NASA's FIRE-II Cirrus field experiment are used to illustrate previously known errors and new potential errors in the VIZ and SDD ) brand relative humidity (RH) sensors and the MicroART processing software. The entire spectrum of RH is potentially affected by at least one of these errors. (These errors occur before being converted to dew point temperature.) Corrections to the errors are discussed. Examples are given of the effect that these errors and biases may have on numerical weather prediction and radiative transfer. The figure shows the OLR calculated for the corrected and uncorrected soundings using an 18-band radiative transfer code. The OLR differences are sufficiently large to warrant consideration when validating line-by-line radiation calculations that use radiosonde data to specify the atmospheric state, or when validating satellite retrievals. in addition, a comparison of observations of RH during FIRE-II derived from GOES satellite, raman lidar, MAPS analyses, NCAR CLASS sondes, and the NWS sondes reveals disagreement in the RH distribution and underlines our lack of an understanding of the climatology of water vapor.

Westphal, Douglas L.↗

Impact of Uncertainties and Errors in Converting NWS Radiosonde Hygristor Resistances to Relative Humidity

A set of 2,600 6-second, National Weather Service soundings from NASA's FIRE-II Cirrus field experiment are used to illustrate previously known errors and new potential errors in the VIZ and SDD brand relative humidity (RH) sensors and the MicroART processing software. The entire spectrum of RH is potentially affected by at least one of these errors. (These errors occur before being converted to dew point temperature.) Corrections to the errors are discussed. Examples are given of the effect that these errors and biases may have on numerical weather prediction and radiative transfer. The figure shows the OLR calculated for the corrected and uncorrected soundings using an 18-band radiative transfer code. The OLR differences are sufficiently large to warrant consideration when validating line-by-line radiation calculations that use radiosonde data to specify the atmospheric state, or when validating satellite retrievals. In addition, a comparison of observations of RE during FIRE-II derived from GOES satellite, raman lidar, MAPS analyses, NCAR CLASS sondes, and the NWS sondes reveals disagreement in the RH distribution and underlines our lack of an understanding of the climatology of water vapor.

Westphal, Douglas L.↗

Heated Surface Temperatures Measured by Infrared Detector in a Cascade Environment

Investigators have used infrared devices to accurately measure heated surface temperatures. Several of these applications have been for turbine heat transfer studies involving film cooling and surface roughness, typically, these measurements use an infrared camera positioned externally to the test section. In cascade studies, where several blades are used to ensure periodic flow, adjacent blades block the externally positioned camera's views of the test blade. To obtain a more complete mapping of the surface temperatures, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center fabricated a probe with an infrared detector to sense the blade temperatures. The probe size was kept small to minimize the flow disturbance. By traversing and rotating the probe, using the same approach as for total pressure surveys, one can find the blade surface temperatures. Probe mounted infrared detectors are appropriate for measuring surface temperatures where an externally positioned infrared camera is unable to completely view the test object. This probe consists of a 8-mm gallium arsenide (GaAs) lens mounted in front of a mercury-cadmium-zinc-tellurium (HgCdZnTe) detector. This type of photovoltaic detector was chosen because of its high sensitivity to temperature when the detector is uncooled. The particular application is for relatively low surface temperatures, typically ambient to 100 C. This requires a detector sensitive at long wavelengths. The detector is a commercial product enclosed in a 9-mm-diameter package. The GaAs lens material was chosen because of its glass-like hardness and its good long-wavelength transmission characteristics. When assembled, the 6.4-mm probe stem is held in the traversing actuator. Since the entire probe is above the measurement plane, the flow field disturbance in the measurement plane is minimized. This particular probe body is somewhat wider than necessary, because it was designed to have replaceable detectors and lenses. The signal for the detector is fed through the hollow probe body. The detector's signal goes to an externally mounted preamplifier. The detector assembly, along with a preamplifier, is calibrated as a function of the surface temperature for various detector temperatures. The output voltage is a function of both the detector and object temperatures.

Boyle, Robert J.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2007

Topics covered include; Rapid Fabrication of Carbide Matrix/Carbon Fiber Composites; Coating Thermoelectric Devices To Suppress Sublimation; Ultrahigh-Temperature Ceramics; Improved C/SiC Ceramic Composites Made Using PIP; Coating Carbon Fibers With Platinum; Two-Band, Low-Loss Microwave Window; MCM Polarimetric Radiometers for Planar Arrays; Aperture-Coupled Thin-Membrane L-Band Antenna; WGM-Based Photonic Local Oscillators and Modulators; Focal-Plane Arrays of Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors; Laser Range and Bearing Finder With No Moving Parts; Microrectenna: A Terahertz Antenna and Rectifier on a Chip; Miniature L-Band Radar Transceiver; Robotic Vision-Based Localization in an Urban Environment; Programs for Testing an SSME-Monitoring System; Cathodoluminescent Source of Intense White Light; Displaying and Analyzing Antenna Radiation Patterns; Payload Operations Support Team Tools; Space-Shuttle Emulator Software; Soft Real-Time PID Control on a VME Computer; Analyzing Radio-Frequency Coverage for the ISS; Nanorod-Based Fast-Response Pressure-Sensitive Paints; Capacitors Would Help Protect Against Hypervelocity Impacts; Diaphragm Pump With Resonant Piezoelectric Drive; Improved Quick-Release Pin Mechanism; Designing Rolling-Element Bearings; Reverse-Tangent Injection in a Centrifugal Compressor; Inertial Measurements for Aero-assisted Navigation (IMAN); Analysis of Complex Valve and Feed Systems; Improved Path Planning Onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers; Robust, Flexible Motion Control for the Mars Explorer Rovers; Solar Sail Spaceflight Simulation; Fluorine-Based DRIE of Fused Silica; Mechanical Alloying for Making Thermoelectric Compounds; Process for High-Rate Fabrication of Alumina Nanotemplates; Electroform/Plasma-Spray Laminates for X-Ray Optics; An Automated Flying-Insect Detection System; Calligraphic Poling of Ferroelectric Material; Blackbody Cavity for Calibrations at 200 to 273 K; KML Super Overlay to WMS Translator; High-Performance Tiled WMS and KML Web Server; Modeling of Radiative Transfer in Protostellar Disks; Composite Pulse Tube; Photometric Calibration of Consumer Video Cameras; Criterion for Identifying Vortices in High- Pressure Flows; Amplified Thermionic Cooling Using Arrays of Nanowires; Delamination-Indicating Thermal Barrier Coatings; Preventing Raman Lasing in High-Q WGM Resonators; Procedures for Tuning a Multiresonator Photonic Filter; Robust Mapping of Incoherent Fiber-Optic Bundles; Extended-Range Ultrarefractive 1D Photonic Crystal Prisms; Rapid Analysis of Mass Distribution of Radiation Shielding; Modeling Magnetic Properties in EZTB; Deep Space Network Antenna Logic Controller; Modeling Carbon and Hydrocarbon Molecular Structures in EZTB; BigView Image Viewing on Tiled Displays; and Imaging Sensor Flight and Test Equipment Software.

Source record↗

Deposit formation and heat transfer in hydrocarbon rocket fuels

An experimental research program was undertaken to investigate the thermal stability and heat transfer characteristics of several hydrocarbon fuels under conditions that simulate high-pressure, rocket engine cooling systems. The rates of carbon deposition in heated copper and nickel-plated copper tubes were determined for RP-1, propane, and natural gas using a continuous flow test apparatus which permitted independent variation and evaluation of the effect on deposit formation of wall temperature, fuel pressure, and fuel velocity. In addition, the effects of fuel additives and contaminants, cryogenic fuel temperatures, and extended duration testing with intermittent operation were examined. Parametric tests to map the thermal stability characteristics of RP-1, commercial-grade propane, and natural gas were conducted at pressures of 6.9 to 13.8 MPa, bulk fuel velocities of 30 to 90 m/s, and tube wall temperatures in the range of 230 to 810 K. Also, tests were run in which propane and natural gas fuels were chilled to 230 and 160 K, respectively. Corrosion of the copper tube surface was detected for all fuels tested. Plating the inside of the copper tubes with nickel reduced deposit formation and eliminated tube corrosion in most cases. The lowest rates of carbon deposition were obtained for natural gas, and the highest rates were obtained for propane. For all fuels tested, the forced-convection heat transfer film coefficients were satisfactorily correlated using a Nusselt-Reynolds-Prandtl number equation.

Giovanetti, A. J.↗

NO2 heterodyne frequency measurements with a tunable diode laser, a CO laser transfer oscillator and CO2 laser standards

Heterodyne frequency measurements have been made on selected groups of nitrogen dioxide rovibronic transitions between 1580.8 and 1650.7/cm. The groups are separated by 7 to 10/cm, and the intent is to provide a limited (and interim) calibration table for the region. In addition to a table of measured frequencies in the region, figures of spectra in the vicinity of the measured lines are included to provide a map for identifying the transitions measured.

Zink, L. R.↗

Earth Survey Applications Division

Accomplishments of research and data analysis conducted to study physical parameters and processes inside the Earth and on the Earth's surface, to define techniques and systems for remotely sensing the processes and measuring the parameters of scientific and applications interest, and the transfer of promising operational applications techniques to the user community of Earth resources monitors, managers, and decision makers are described. Research areas covered include: geobotany, magnetic field modeling, crustal studies, crustal dynamics, sea surface topography, land resources, remote sensing of vegetation and soils, and hydrological sciences. Major accomplishments include: production of global maps of magnetic anomalies using Magsat data; computation of the global mean sea surface using GEOS-3 and Seasat altimetry data; delineation of the effects of topography on the interpretation of remotely-sensed data; application of snowmelt runoff models to water resources management; and mapping of snow depth over wheat growing areas using Nimbus microwave data.

Carpenter, L.↗

Mars dust and cloud opacities and scattering properties

We have recently completed an analysis of the visible emission-phase function (EPF) sequences obtained with the solar-band channel of the Infrared Thermal Mapping (IRTM) instrument onboard the two Viking Orbiters. Roughly 100 of these EPF sequences were gathered during the 1977-1980 period, in which the total broadband (.3-3.0 microns) reflectances of the atmosphere/surface above specific locations on Mars were measured versus emission angle as the spacecraft passed overhead. A multiple scattering radiative transfer program was employed to model the EPF observations in terms of the optical depths of dust/clouds, their single scattering albedos and phase functions, and the Lambert albedos and phase coefficient of the underlying surfaces. Due to the predominance of atmospheric scattering at large atmospheric pathlengths and/or large dust opacities, we were able to obtain strong constraints on the scattering properties of dust/clouds and their opacities for a wide range of latitudes, longitudes, and seasons on Mars.

Clancy, R. T.↗