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At least 469 records · Page 26

Fenestration system energy performance research, implementation, and international harmonization

The research conducted by the NFRC and its contractors adds significantly to the understanding of several areas of investigation. NFRC enables manufacturers to rate fenestration energy performance to comply with building energy codes, participate in ENERGY STAR, and compete fairly. NFRC continuously seeks to improve its ratings and also seeks to simplify the rating process. Several research projects investigated rating improvement potential such as • Complex Product VT Rating Research • Window 6 and Therm 6 Validation Research Project • Complex Product VT Rating Research Conclusions from these research projects led to important changes and increased confidence in the existing NFRC rating process. Conclusions from the Window 6/Therm 6 project will enable window manufacturers to rate an expanded array of products and improve existing ratings. Some research lead to an improved new rating method called the Component Modeling Approach. A primary goal of the CMA was a simplification of the commercial energy rating process to increase participation and make the commercial industry more competitive and code compliant. The project below contributed towards CMA development: • Component Modeling Approach Condensation Resistance Research NFRC continues to implement the Component Modeling Approach program. The program includes the CMA software tool, CMAST, and several procedural documents to govern the certification process. This significant accomplishment was a response the commercial fenestration industry’s need for a simplification of the present NFRC energy rating method (named site built). To date, most commercial fenestration is self-rated by a variety of techniques. The CMA enables commercial fenestration manufacturers to rate according to the NFRC 100/200 as most commercial energy codes require. International Harmonization NFRC achieved significant international harmonization success by continuing its licensing agreements with the Australian Fenestration Rating Council and the Association of Architectural Aluminum Manufacturers of South Africa (AAAMSA) to produce NFRC certified product ratings in their respective nations. NFRC worked in several other nations to introduce the NFRC ratings system: • India • China • Japan • Canada • Thailand • South Africa • Brazil • Korea NFRC attended or hosted several meetings in each of these nations establishing academic, commercial, industrial, and governmental contacts. NFRC presented the NFRC process and then necessary infrastructure steps necessary to achieve harmonization with the NFRC labeling system. NFRC looks forward to continued work toward harmonization in these nations and potentially others.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GOAMAZON). Particulate Matter and Gases Final Campaign Summary

Because of their proven adverse effects on human health and vegetation, and also considering their influence over the local and regional climate, inhalable fine particles (PM2.5) and NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 have been collected at the ARM site located in Manacapuru, Amazon, Brazil, as a part of the GoAmazon 2014/5 project. PM2.5 samples were analyzed through gravimetry, black carbon transmittance, elemental composition by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence, and ionic concentration (cations) by ion chromatography. NO 2 and SO 2 samples were analyzed by ion chromatography, whereas O3 samples were analyzed through ultraviolet-vis spectrophotometry. Sampling of both particulate and gaseous pollutants took place during the two intensive operation periods (IOP1 from February to March 2014, and IOP2 from August to October 2014). Results are interpreted both separately and as a whole with the specific goal of identifying compounds that could affect the population’s health and/or could act as cloud condensation nuclei. Chemical analysis supports the elucidation of the possible origins, transport mechanisms, health effects, and main effects of the assessed pollutants in those environments

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon 2014/15. Nanoparticle Size Distribution (NPSD) Field Campaign Report

Aerosol nucleation and initial growth were investigated during the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) 2014/15 campaign. Aerosol sampling occurred during the wet and dry seasons of 2014, and took place at the T3 measurement site, downwind of the city of Manaus, Brazil. Characterization of the aerosol size distribution from 10 to 500 nm was accomplished through the deployment of a conventional Scanning Mobility Particle Spectrometer (SMPS) and a fine condensation particle counter (> 10 nm). In order to directly measure aerosol nucleation and initial growth, a Nano SMPS (1.5-20 nm) was also deployed, consisting of a condensation particle counter-based electrical mobility spectrometer that was modified for the detection of sub-3 nm aerosol. Measurements of the aerosol size distribution from 1.5 nm to 10 nm were obtained during the first observational period, and from 3 nm to 15 nm during the second observational period. Routine, stable measurement in this size range was complicated due to persistent water condensation in the Nano SMPS and diffusional transport losses

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

GoAmazon 2014/15 Thermal Desorption Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TDCIMS) Field Campaign Report

The Thermal Desorption Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TDCIMS) deployment to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility T3 site in Manacapuru, Brazil, was motivated by two main scientific objectives of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) 2014/15 field campaign. 1) Study the interactions between anthropogenic and biogenic emissions by determining important molecular species in ambient nanoparticles. To address this, TDCIMS data will be combined with coincident measurements such as gas-phase sulfuric acid to determine the contribution of sulfuric acid condensation to nucleation and growth. We can then compare that result to TDCIMS-derived nanoparticle composition to determine the fraction of growth that can be attributed to the uptake of organic compounds. The molecular composition of sampled particles will also be used to attribute specific chemical species and mechanisms to growth, such as the condensation of low-volatility species or the oligomerization of α-dicarbonyl compounds. 2) Determine the source of new ambient nanoparticles in the Amazon. The hypothesis prior to measurements was that potassium salts formed from the evaporation of primary particles emitted by fungal spores can provide a unique and important pathway for new particle production in the Amazon basin. To explore this hypothesis, the TDCIMS recorded the mass spectra of sampled ambient particles using a protonated water cluster Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS). Laboratory tests performed using potassium salts show that the TDCIMS can detect potassium with high sensitivity with this technique.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) 2014/15. Semi-Volatile Thermal Desorption Aerosol Gas Chromatograph (SVTAG) Field Campaign Report

In areas where biogenic emissions are oxidized in the presence of anthropogenic pollutants such as SO2, NOx, and black carbon, it has become increasingly apparent that secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is substantially enhanced. Research is urgently needed to elucidate fundamental processes of natural and anthropogenically influenced VOC oxidation and the contribution of these processes to SOA formation. GoAmazon 2014/15 afforded study of the chemical transformations in the region downwind of Manaus, Brazil, where local biogenic VOC emissions are high, and their chemical oxidation can be studied both inside and outside of the urban plume to differentiate the role of anthropogenic influence on secondary aerosol formation during oxidation of these natural VOC emissions. To understand the connection between primary biogenic VOC emissions and their secondary products that form aerosols, we made time-resolved molecular level measurements by deploying a Semi-Volatile Thermal Desorption Aerosol Gas Chromatograph (SV-TAG) and a sequential filter sampler during two intensive operational periods (IOPs) of the GoAmazon 2014/15 field campaign. The SV-TAG measured semi-volatile organic compounds in both the gas and particle phases and the sequential filter sampler collected aerosols on quartz fiber filters in four-hour increments used for offline analysis. SV-TAG employed novel online derivatization that provided chemical speciation of highly oxygenated or functionalized compounds that comprise a substantial fraction of secondary organic aerosols, yet are poorly characterized. It also provided partitioning of these compounds between the vapor and particle phases at sufficient time resolution to define the importance of competing atmospheric processes. These measurements were supported by offline analysis of the filters using two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-TOF-MS) using both electron impact (EI) and soft vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ionization with derivatization. Speciated chemical data from SV-TAG and filter measurements were used to elucidate the relative importance of potential oxidation pathways by providing detailed information on the product distribution from atmospheric reactions and the quantification of known tracers for various oxidation pathways. Together, these techniques provided unequivocal molecular identification of a wide range of atmospheric organic compounds spanning the volatile, semi-volatile, and non-volatile phases. This level of chemical characterization provided insight into the chemical and physical processes that control the atmospheric oxidation of biogenic VOC and subsequent formation of SOA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

GoAmazon 2014/15 Particle Sampling Field Campaign Report

As a part of the GoAmazon 2014/15 field deployments, samples of atmospheric particles were collected at the T3 field site (3° 12' 46.70" S, 60° 35' 53.0, Manacapuru, Brazil) established in the Amazonian region. The site was located downwind from Manaus and therefore, experienced clean conditions when winds were from northwest and polluted conditions when winds were from Manaus. During the second intensive operational period of GoAmazon 2014/15 (09/06/2014-10/02/2014), multiple samples of particles were collected using a cascade Multi-Orifice Uniform Deposition Impactor (MOUDI-110). Size-resolved samples by MOUDI (0.056-0.1, 0.1-0.18, 0.18-0.32, 0.32-0.56, 0.56-1.0, 1.0-1.8 μm) were collected for 6-12 hours. A variety of substrates, compatible with different spectro-microscopy methods of analysis, were arranged on the impactor stages. Collected aerosol samples are now stored pending laboratory analysis using multi-modal methods of chemical imaging. Our approach is to analyze only the samples of specific interest. We use the field campaign records and data on meteorology, as well as in situ measurements of gases and aerosols, to select the subset of samples for the in-depth laboratory analysis for selected episodes where changes in chemical composition of particles can be correlated with other data recorded at the site. Hence, we do not expect to perform detailed measurements on all samples—rather, only those samples with the greatest potential to provide scientific insight into aerosol chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon: Sounding Enhancement Field Campaign Report

The goal of this campaign was to provide higher temporal sampling of the vertical structure of the atmosphere during the two intensive observational periods (IOPs) of the GoAmazon 2014/15 campaign. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) baseline launches for 2014 and 2015 was 4 sondes/day at 2 am, 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm local time (LT) (6, 12, 18 and 0 Coordinated Universal Time [UTC]). However, rapid changes in boundary layer and free tropospheric temperature, humidity, and wind profiles happen throughout the diurnal cycle over Manaus, Brazil's complex forest canopy with resulting responses in aerosol, cloud, and precipitation characteristics. This campaign increased sampling to 5 sondes/day for the 2014 wet and dry season IOPs by adding a launch at 11 am (15 UTC) to capture rapid changes in boundary layer properties and convective cloud growth during that time. The extra launch also corresponded to the time of day the ARM Gulfstream (G-1) and German HALO aircraft most often flew, thus providing useful measurements of the large-scale environment during the flights. In addition, the extra launch will significantly add to the quality of AMF1 instrument retrievals and variational analysis forcing data set during the IOPs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon 2014/15: Hydroxyl Radical (OH) Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS) Field Campaign Report

The University of California, Irvine, science team (Dr. Saewung Kim, Dr. Roger Seco, Dr. Alex Guenther, and Dr. Jim Smith) deployed a chemical ionization mass spectrometer system for hydroxyl radical (OH) and sulfuric acid quantifications. As part of the GoAmazon 2014/15 field campaign. Hydroxyl radical determines tropospheric oxidation capacity and had been expected to be very low in the pristine rain forest region such as the Brazilian Amazon because of the presence of significant levels of highly reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds and very low levels of NO, which is an OH recycling agent. However, several recent in situ OH observations provided by a laser-induced fluorescence system reported unaccountably high OH concentrations. To address this discrepancy, a series of laboratory and theoretical studies has postulated chemical reaction mechanisms of isoprene that may regenerate OH in photo-oxidation processes. Along with these efforts, potential artifacts on the laser induced fluorescence system from isoprene and its oxidation products also have been explored. Therefore, the first chemical ionization mass spectrometer observations at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s T3 site in Manacapuru, Brazil, are expected to provide a critical experimental constraint to address uncertainty in constraining oxidation capacity over pristine rain forest environments. In addition, we deployed a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer to characterize atmospheric volatile organic compound levels, especially isoprene and its oxidation products, which are critical input parameters for box modeling to simulate OH with different isoprene photo-oxidation schemes. As there has been no report on noticeable new particle formation events, our first in situ sulfuric acid observations in the Amazon rain forest were expected to constrain the reasons behind such observations. The planned field observations during Intensive Observational Periods I and II, post-field campaign calibrations, and preliminary data reports have been completed. We presented preliminary data analysis results at the 2014 American Geophysical Union Fall meeting and the GOAmazon Science Meeting in Boston (May 2015). We are in the process of submitting two more abstracts to the 2015 American Geophysical Union fall meeting while we are preparing two manuscripts to be submitted to (tentatively) the GOAmazon special issue of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Emerging Technologies and Techniques for Wide Area Radiological Survey and Remediation

Technologies to survey and decontaminate wide-area contamination and process the subsequent radioactive waste have been developed and implemented following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant release and the breach of a radiological source resulting in contamination in Goiania, Brazil. These civilian examples of radioactive material releases provided some of the first examples of urban radiological remediation. Many emerging technologies have recently been developed and demonstrated in Japan following the release of radioactive cesium isotopes (Cs-134 and Cs-137) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in 2011. Information on technologies reported by several Japanese government agencies, such as the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the National Institute for Environmental Science (NIES), together with academic institutions and industry are summarized and compared to recently developed, deployed and available technologies in the United States. The technologies and techniques presented in this report may be deployed in response to a wide area contamination event in the United States. In some cases, additional research and testing is needed to adequately validate the technology effectiveness over wide areas. Survey techniques can be deployed on the ground or from the air, allowing a range of coverage rates and sensitivities. Survey technologies also include those useful in measuring decontamination progress and mapping contamination. Decontamination technologies and techniques range from non-destructive (e.g., high pressure washing) and minimally destructive (plowing), to fully destructive (surface removal or demolition). Waste minimization techniques can greatly impact the long-term environmental consequences and cost following remediation efforts. Recommendations on technical improvements to address technology gaps are presented together with observations on remediation in Japan.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

International Energy Outlook 2016 With Projections to 2040

The International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) presents an assessment by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2040. U.S. projections appearing in IEO2016 are consistent with those published in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015). IEO2016 is provided as a service to energy managers and analysts, both in government and in the private sector. The projections are used by international agencies, federal and state governments, trade associations, and other planners and decisionmakers. They are published pursuant to the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91), Section 205(c). The IEO2016 energy consumption projections are divided according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members (OECD) and nonmembers (non-OECD). OECD members are divided into three basic country groupings: OECD Americas (United States, Canada, and Mexico/Chile), OECD Europe, and OECD Asia (Japan, South Korea, and Australia/New Zealand). Non-OECD countries are divided into five separate regional subgroups: non-OECD Europe and Eurasia (which includes Russia); non-OECD Asia (which includes China and India); Middle East; Africa; and non-OECD Americas (which includes Brazil). In some instances, the IEO2016 energy production models have different regional aggregations to reflect important production sources (for example, Middle East OPEC is a key region in the projections for liquids production). Complete regional definitions are listed in Appendix M. IEO2016 focuses exclusively on marketed energy. Nonmarketed energy sources, which continue to play an important role in some developing countries, are not included in the estimates. The IEO2016 projections are based on existing U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations. In general, IEO2016 reflects the effects of current policies—often stated through regulations—within the projections. EIA analysts attempt to interpret the likely effects of announced country targets when the implementation of those targets will require new policies that have not been formulated or announced.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon 2014/15: Parsivel2 Field Campaign Report

One of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Parsivel2 disdrometers was deployed at the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) T3 site in Manacapuru, Brazil at the beginning of the second Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon)2014/15 intensive operational period (IOP2) in September 2014 through the end of the field campaign in December 2015. The Parsivel2 provided one-minute drop-size distribution (DSD) observations that have already been used for a number of applications related to GoAmazon2014/15 science objectives. The first use was the creation of a reflectivity-rain rate (Z-R) relation enabling the calculation of rain rates from the Brazilian Sistema de Protecao da Amazonia (SIPAM) S-band operational radar in Manaus. The radar-derived rainfall is an important constraint for the variational analysis of a large-scale forcing data set, which was recently released for the two IOPs that took place in the 2014 wet and transition seasons, respectively. The SIPAM radar rainfall is also being used to validate a number of cloud-resolving model simulations being run for the campaign. A second use of the Parsivel2 DSDs has been to provide a necessary reference point to calibrate the vertical velocity retrievals from the AMF1 W Band ARM Cloud Radar (WACR) cloud-profiling and ultra-high-frequency (UHF) wind-profiling instruments. Accurate retrievals of in-cloud vertical velocities are important to understand the microphysical and kinematic properties of Amazonian convective clouds and their interaction with the land surface and atmospheric aerosols. Further use of the Parsivel2 DSD observations can be made to better understand precipitation characteristics and their variability during GoAmazon2014/15.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

GoAmazon – Scaling Amazon Carbon Water Couplings

Forests soak up 25% of the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emitted by anthropogenic fossil energy use (10 Gt C y -1 ) moderating its atmospheric accumulation. How this terrestrial CO 2 uptake will evolve with climate change in the 21st century is largely unknown. Rainforests are the most active ecosystems with the Amazon basin storing 120 Gt C as biomass and exchanging 18 Gt C y -1 of CO 2 via photosynthesis and respiration and fixing carbon at 2-3 kg C m -2 y -1 . Furthermore, the intense hydrologic and carbon cycles are tightly coupled in the Amazon where about half of the water is recycled by evapotranspiration and the other half imported from the ocean by Northeasterly trade winds. Climate models predict a drying in the Amazon with reduced carbon uptake while observationally guided assessments indicate sustained uptake. We will resolve this huge discrepancy in the size and sign of the future Amazon carbon cycle by performing the first simultaneous regional scale high frequency measurements of atmospheric CO 2 , H 2 O, HOD, CH 4 , N 2 O and CO at the T3 site in Manacupuru, Brazil as part of DOE's GoAmazon project. Our data will be used to inform and develop DOE's CLM on the tropical carbon-water couplings at the appropriate grid scale (10-50km). Our measurements will also validate the CO 2 data from Japan's GOSAT and NASA's imminent OCO-2 satellite (launch date July 2014).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Chemistry of Atmospheric Aerosols at Pacifichem 2015 Congress

This grant was used to provide participant support for a symposium entitled “Chemistry of Atmospheric Aerosols” at the 2015 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem) that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, on December 15-20, 2015. The objective was to help attract both distinguished scientists as well as more junior researchers, including graduate students, to this international symposium by reducing the financial barrier for its attendance. It was the second time a symposium devoted to Atmospheric Aerosols was part of the Pacifichem program. This symposium provided a unique opportunity for the scientists from different countries to gather in one place and discuss the cutting edge advances in the cross-disciplinary areas of aerosol research. To achieve the highest possible impact, the PI and the symposium co-organizers actively advertised the symposium by e-mail and by announcements at other conferences. A number of people responded, and the end result was a very busy program with about 100 oral and poster presentation described in the attached PDF file. Presentations by invited speakers occupied approximately 30% of time in each of the sessions. In addition to the invited speakers, each session also had contributed presentations, including those by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. This symposium gathered established aerosol chemists from a number of countries including United States, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Brazil, Hongkong, Switzerland, France, and Germany. There were plenty of time for the attendees to discuss new ideas and potential collaborations both during the oral sessions and at the poster sessions of the symposium. The symposium was very beneficial to graduate student researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and junior researchers whose prior exposure to international aerosol chemistry science had been limited. The symposium provided junior researchers with a much broader perspective of aerosol chemistry than that afforded by attending a national meeting. The oral and platform presentation abstracts from the symposium were published in the Pacifichem Congress program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Energy Innovation Clusters and their Influence on Manufacturing: A Case Study Perspective

Innovation clusters have been important for recent development of clean energy technologies and their emergence as mature, globally competitive industries. However, the factors that influence the co-location of manufacturing activities with innovation clusters are less clear. A central question for government agencies seeking to grow manufacturing as part of economic development in their location is how innovation clusters influence manufacturing. Thus, this paper examines case studies of innovation clusters for three different clean energy technologies that have developed in at least two locations: solar PV clusters in California and the province of Jiangsu in China, wind turbine clusters in Germany and the U.S. Great Lakes region, and ethanol clusters in the U.S. Midwest and the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil. These case studies provide initial insight into factors and conditions that contribute to technology manufacturing facility location decisions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Collaborative Project: Contributions of organic compounds to the growth of freshly nucleated atmospheric nanoparticles. Final Report

New-particle formation (NPF) is a significant source of aerosol particles into the atmosphere. However, these particles are initially too small to have climatic importance and must grow, primarily through net uptake of low-volatility species and more volatile gases that react in particles to form stable compounds, from diameters of ~1 nm to 30–100 nm in order to potentially impact climate. At the present time there are uncertainties in the physical and chemical processes associated with the growth of these freshly formed particles that lead to uncertainties in model predictions of aerosol-climate interactions. In this project, we used a combination of field, laboratory, and modelling studies to understand the processes leading to nanoparticle growth and evaluated and improved growth in global aerosol models. During this period this research team has either participated in, or analyzed observations from, four DOE-funded campaigns: the 2013 New Particle Formation Study (NPFS) at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site; the 2013 Biogenic Aerosols – Effects on Clouds and Climate campaign (BAECC) in Hyytiala, Finland; Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) in central Amazonia, Brazil; and, most recently, the 2016 Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign at the SGP site. In addition, the research team explored nanoparticle growth mechanisms in laboratory experiments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, University of California, Irvine, and the CLOUD chamber in Geneva, Switzerland. Modeling efforts resulted in a process-level model that incorporated both salt formation and the uptake of low-volatility organic compounds, which was able to connect measurements of gas and nanoparticle phase compounds observed during NPFS. In total, the results of this work have been described in 32 peer-reviewed publications and 34 invited or conference presentations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Final Report: Collaborative Project: Contributions of organic compounds to the growth of freshly nucleated atmospheric nanoparticles

New-particle formation (NPF) is a significant source of aerosol particles into the atmosphere. However, these particles are initially too small to have climatic importance and must grow, primarily through net uptake of low-volatility species and more volatile gases that react in particles to form stable compounds, from diameters of ~1 nm to 30–100 nm in order to potentially impact climate. At the present time there are uncertainties in the physical and chemical processes associated with the growth of these freshly formed particles that lead to uncertainties in model predictions of aerosol-climate interactions. In this project, we used a combination of field, laboratory, and modelling studies to understand the processes leading to nanoparticle growth and evaluated and improved growth in global aerosol models. During this period this research team has either participated in, or analyzed observations from, four DOE-funded campaigns: the 2013 New Particle Formation Study (NPFS) at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site; the 2013 Biogenic Aerosols – Effects on Clouds and Climate campaign (BAECC) in Hyytiala, Finland; Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) in central Amazonia, Brazil; and, most recently, the 2016 Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign at the SGP site. In addition, the research team explored nanoparticle growth mechanisms in laboratory experiments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, University of California, Irvine, and the CLOUD chamber in Geneva, Switzerland. Modeling efforts resulted in a process-level model that incorporated both salt formation and the uptake of low-volatility organic compounds, which was able to connect measurements of gas and nanoparticle phase compounds observed during NPFS. In total, the results of this work have been described in 32 peer-reviewed publications and 34 invited or conference presentations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Radiological and WMD Threat Posed to National Security By Hezbollah in Latin America

Beginning in the 1980s, Hezbollah and other international terrorist organizations took root in unstable portions of Latin America. Over the years, they have built up considerable capabilities that threaten US national security and the security of allies in the region. However, Hezbollah has separated itself from its counterparts through its actions in Latin America, namely the Israeli Embassy and AMIA bombings in the early 1990s, and continues to do so. While it mainly operates out of the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina in South America, Hezbollah commands cells that span the Western Hemisphere. In the modern-day, Hezbollah conducts drug, weapons, and contraband trafficking and smuggling operations, in addition to its violent attacks. New revelations, involving the increased trafficking and stealing of nuclear and WMD material, populate the world’s nonproliferation roundtables. Latin America is no exception to this trend. It is possible that terrorist organizations, such as Hezbollah, could acquire, develop, and use stolen or illegally obtained nuclear material in a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or some form of WMD. In light of these revelations, the United States should focus more on Hezbollah’s illicit activities in Latin America in the interests of its own national security and its allies’.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

The QCECOR Value-Added Product: Quality-Controlled Eddy Correlation Flux Measurements

Eddy correlation flux (ECOR) measurement system stations are used by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility to provide surface turbulence flux measurements. In recent years, ARM has significantly enhanced its ECOR systems and made them available at all its primary research observatories and mobile facilities. However, the original ECOR data were not corrected through common eddy correlation corrections and still contain suspicious data due to instrument and measurement uncertainties. Such uncertainties in the ECOR surface turbulence fluxes hampered their uses by the user community. To improve the ECOR data, we develop a value-added product (VAP) —the Quality-Controlled Eddy Correlation Flux (QCECOR) — by applying the following necessary corrections and quality control (QC) procedures: Eddy correlation corrections. Determination of the quality-controlled energy fluxes from the corrected ECOR fluxes. Stringent QC checks. Flagging possible incorrect fluxes due to hydrometeor impacts using the collocated surface energy balance system (SEBS) wetness measurements. The QCECOR VAP currently contains two variables: surface latent heat flux (LH) and sensible heat flux (SH), together with their QC flags. When SEBS are collocated with ECOR, the wetness measurements from SEBS are used to flag the LH that may be incorrect due to hydrometeors such as precipitation, dew, or frost. An indeterminate flag is given to those that fail the wetness test. The QCECOR data are currently available at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory for the ARM extended facilities of E1, E3, E5, E6, E10, E14, E16, E21, E24, E31, E33, E37, E38, E39, and E41 updated to 2018. The data are also available at the following AMF sites: PYE (Point Reyes, 2005), NIM (Niamey, Niger, 2006), FKB (Black Forest, Germany, 2007), HFE (Shouxian, China, 2008), GRW (Azores, 2009 to 2010), and MAO (Manacapuru, Brazil, 2014-2015). The algorithm is now in the process of moving to production mode. After that, QCECOR will run automatically for all available ARM sites.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗