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At least 55 records · Page 3

Adaptive Management Using Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Modeling in Response to Climate Variability and Invasive Aquatic Plants for the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Resource

The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub for California's water supply and supports important ecosystem services, agriculture, and communities in Northern to Southern California. Expansion of invasive aquatic plants in the Delta coupled with impacts of changing climate and long-term drought is detrimental to the San Francisco Bay/California Delta complex. NASA Ames Research Center and the USDA-ARS partnered with the State of California to develop science-based, adaptive-management strategies for invasive aquatic plant in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Specific mapping tools developed utilizing satellite and airborne platforms provide regular assessments of population dynamics on a landscape scale and support both strategic planning and operational decision making for resource managers. San Joaquin and Sacramento River watersheds water quality input to the Delta is modeled using the Soil-Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and a modified SWAT tool has been customized to account for unique landscape and management of agricultural water supply and drainage within the Delta. Environmental response models for growth of invasive aquatic weeds are being parameterized and coupled with spatial distribution/biomass density mapping and water quality to study ecosystem response to climate and aquatic plant management practices. On the water validation and operational utilization of these tools by management agencies and how they are improving decision making, management effectiveness and efficiency will be discussed. The project combines science, operations, and economics related to integrated management scenarios for aquatic weeds to help land and water resource managers make science-informed decisions regarding management and outcomes.

Adaptive↗

Using Landsat 8 Satellite Imagery to Analyze Biogeochemical Constituents in the Waters of the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond

The ocean's coastal zones play a key role in our planet's health and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Building on the success of NASA satellite imagery in mapping land cover changes around the globe in response to climate change, deforestation, and natural disasters, I have worked to determine how aquatic reflectance images from the Landsat 8 sensor could be correlated with biogeochemical constituents within the waters of the San Francisco Bay Area and California coastline. By analyzing Landsat 8 satellite imagery from the years 2013-2020 in collaboration with data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), and universities involved with the Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Alert Program (HABMAP), I investigated which areas of the San Francisco Bay and California coastline demonstrated significant correlations with values extracted from the satellite imagery. Using a Chlorophyll Index (CI) ratio calculated from two Landsat 8 satellite reflectance bands, it was found that there is a positive correlation between the CI and calculated oxygen, suspended particulate matter, and silicate from several USGS sampling points. In contrast, there is a significant negative correlation between the CI and salinity, nitrite, and phosphate at those same locations. Moreover, large suspected harmful algal blooms (HABs) along the California coastline seen in the Landsat 8 imagery were corroborated with HAB data from various institutions. Understanding the effectiveness of Landsat 8 aquatic reflectance images will allow scientists to predict HABs and other nutrient cycling that may be harmful to aquatic ecosystems around the world.

Landsat↗

History of San Marco

A brief history is reported of the first San Marco project, a joint program of the United States and Italy. The Project was a three phase effort to investigate upper air density and associated ionosphere phenomena. The initial phase included the design and development of the spacecraft, the experiments, the launch complex, and a series of suborbital flights, from Wallops Island. The second phase, consisting of designing, fabricating, and testing a spacecraft for the first orbital mission, culminated in an orbital launch also from Wallops Island. The third phase consisted of further refining the experiments and spacecraft instrumentation and of establishing a full-bore scout complex in Kenya. The launch of San Marco B, in April 1967, from this complex into an equatorial orbit, concluded the initial San Marco effort.

Caporale, A. J.↗

Elevation changes near the San Gabriel Fault, Southern California

Analysis of repeated leveling observations in the vicinity of the San Gabriel Fault in Southern California indicate subsidence immediately south of the Fault relative to points to the north, south and east. These observations were previously interpreted as reflecting tectonic motions associated with either the 'Palmdale Bulge' or with preseismic effects of the San Fernando earthquake. Relative subsidence between 1953 and 1964 reaches approximately 9 cm and extends over a distance of more than 20 km. Subsidence occurs directly above the Saugus aquifer and shows a temporal correlation with the history of water level decline within the aquifer. The degree of subsidence of individual benchmarks is roughly proportional to the product of aquifer thickness and water level decline at the location of the benchmarks. Thses observations strongly suggest that movements of the surface near the San Gabriel Fault, previously inferred to be of tectonic origin, actually result from near surface sediment compaction within the Saugus basin.

Reilinger, R.↗

CIRSS vertical data integration, San Bernardino study

The creation and use of a vertically integrated data base, including LANDSAT data, for local planning purposes in a portion of San Bernardino County, California are described. The project illustrates that a vertically integrated approach can benefit local users, can be used to identify and rectify discrepancies in various data sources, and that the LANDSAT component can be effectively used to identify change, perform initial capability/suitability modeling, update existing data, and refine existing data in a geographic information system. Local analyses were developed which produced data of value to planners in the San Bernardino County Planning Department and the San Bernardino National Forest staff.

Hodson, W.↗

Preflight study of San Marco D/L GaAs solar cell panels

The solar array for the San Marco D/L spacecraft is described and the performance of 4 GaAs solar cell panels are examined. In comparison to the typical Si solar cell panel for San Marco D/L, it is shown that each GaAs solar cell panel provides at least 23 percent more specific power at maximum output and 28 deg C. Also described here, are several measurements that will be made to evaluate the relative performance of Si and GaAs solar cell panels during the San Marco D/L flight.

Day, J. H., Jr.↗

The Black Mountain asperity - Seismic hazard of the southern San Francisco Peninsula, California

A slip deficit region running 75 km from Black Mountain south of Palo Alto to San Juan Battista is studied to assess earthquake hazard. If this region were ruptured in its entirety, the event would produce a M-sub-s = 6.9 earthquake. The conditional probability of this rupturing in the near future is the highest of any section of the San Andreas fault except Parkfield. This earthquake would rupture 30 km farther northwest and be about 3 times larger than that previously proposed by others (Lindh, 1983, and Sykes and Nishenko, 1984). This constitutes a greater risk to the southern San Francisco Peninsula than previously expected.

Scholz, C. H.↗

Stress near geometrically complex strike-slip faults - Application to the San Andreas fault at Cajon Pass, southern California

A model is presented to rationalize the state of stress near a geometrically complex major strike-slip fault. Slip on such a fault creates residual stresses that, with the occurrence of several slip events, can dominate the stress field near the fault. The model is applied to the San Andreas fault near Cajon Pass. The results are consistent with the geological features, seismicity, the existence of left-lateral stress on the Cleghorn fault, and the in situ stress orientation in the scientific well, found to be sinistral when resolved on a plane parallel to the San Andreas fault. It is suggested that the creation of residual stresses caused by slip on a wiggle San Andreas fault is the dominating process there.

Saucier, Francois↗

An evaluation of the regional acid deposition model surface module for ozone uptake at three sites in the San Joaquin Valley of California

Plants and soils act as major sinks for the destruction of tropospheric ozone, especially during daylight hours when plant stomata open and are thought to provide the dominant pathway for the uptake of ozone. The present study, part of the California Ozone Deposition Experiment, compares predictions of the regional acid deposition model ozone surface conductance module with surface conductance data derived from eddy covariance measurements of ozone flux taken at a grape, a cotton, and a grassland site in the San Joaquin Valley of California during the summer of 1991. Results indicate that the model (which was developed to provide long-term large-area estimates for the eastern United States) significantly overpredicts the surface conductance at all times of the day for at least two important types of plant cover of the San Joaquin Valley and that it incorrectly partitions the ozone flux between transpiring and nontranspiring components of the surface at the third site. Consequently, the model either overpredicts or inaccurately represents the observed deposition velocities. Other results indicate that the presence of dew does not reduce the rate of ozone deposition, contradicting to model assumptions, and that model assumptions involving the dependency of stomata upon environmental temperature are unnecessary. The effects of measurement errors and biases, arising from the presence of the roughness sublayer and possible photochemical reactions, are also discussed. A simpler model for ozone surface deposition (at least for the San Joaquin Valley) is proposed and evaluated.

Massman, W. J.↗

Coulomb Stress Accumulation along the San Andreas Fault System

Stress accumulation rates along the primary segments of the San Andreas Fault system are computed using a three-dimensional (3-D) elastic half-space model with realistic fault geometry. The model is developed in the Fourier domain by solving for the response of an elastic half-space due to a point vector body force and analytically integrating the force from a locking depth to infinite depth. This approach is then applied to the San Andreas Fault system using published slip rates along 18 major fault strands of the fault zone. GPS-derived horizontal velocity measurements spanning the entire 1700 x 200 km region are then used to solve for apparent locking depth along each primary fault segment. This simple model fits remarkably well (2.43 mm/yr RMS misfit), although some discrepancies occur in the Eastern California Shear Zone. The model also predicts vertical uplift and subsidence rates that are in agreement with independent geologic and geodetic estimates. In addition, shear and normal stresses along the major fault strands are used to compute Coulomb stress accumulation rate. As a result, we find earthquake recurrence intervals along the San Andreas Fault system to be inversely proportional to Coulomb stress accumulation rate, in agreement with typical coseismic stress drops of 1 - 10 MPa. This 3-D deformation model can ultimately be extended to include both time-dependent forcing and viscoelastic response.

Smith, Bridget↗

San Marco D/L Post Launch Report No. 2

The San Marco D/L spacecraft, utilizing a NASA supplied Scout expendable launch vehicle, was launched fran the San Marco Range, located off the coast of Kenya, Africa, on March 25, 1988 at 19:50 GMT. The launch was conducted by an Italian crew assisted by LaRC and LTV personnel. The San Marco D/L was the fifth in a series of Italian and United States satellites. The purpose of the mission is to explore the relationship between solar activity and the physics of the equatorial thermosphere and ionosphere. Information now being collected will augment, and be used in correlation with, data and information obtained from ground based facilities and other satellites.

Source record↗

Characterizing Land Surface Change and Levee Stability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Using UAVSAR Radar Imagery

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is one of the primary water sources for the state of California and represents a complex geographical area comprised of tidal marshland, levee rimmed islands that are used primarily for agriculture, and urban encroachment. Land subsidence has dropped many of the Delta islands 3 to >7 meters below mean sea level and requires nearly 1700 km of levees to maintain the integrity of the islands and flow of water through the Delta. The current average subsidence rates for each island varies, with 1.23 cm/yr on Sherman Island and 2.2 cm/yr for Bacon Island, as determined by ground-based instruments located at isolated points in the Delta. The Delta's status as the most critical water resource for the state, an endangered ecosystem, and an area continuously threatened with levee breakage from hydrostatic pressure and the danger of earthquakes on several major faults in the San Francisco area make it a focus of monitoring efforts by both the state and national government. This activity is now almost entirely done by ground-based efforts, but the benefits of using remote sensing for wide scale spatial coverage and frequent temporal coverage is obvious. The UAVSAR airborne polarimetric and differential interferometric L-band synthetic aperture radar system has been used to collected monthly images of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and much of the adjacent Suisun Marsh since July 2009 to characterize levee stability, image spatially varied subsidence, and assess how well the UAVSAR performs in an area with widespread agriculture production.

geographical area↗

Re-evaluation of IIH as the Ideal Terrestrial Analog for Sans: Is There a Better Model to Consider?

While astronauts are returning from long duration spaceflight with multiple ocular signs that mimic those seen in terrestrial patients with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), evidence has yet to prove a clinically significant increase in ICP during space.1 Preliminary research evidence may even suggest that ICP decreases in microgravity. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) has long been considered the ideal terrestrial analogue to Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS).1 However, there are several critical features of SANS that do not complement any reported case of IIH on Earth. These findings mandate a closer look at the accuracy of IIH as a terrestrial SANS analog.

Batliwala, Shehzad↗

Analysis of San Francisco Bar Pilot Dispatch Records: Preliminary Report

Maritime pilots licensed by the San Francisco Board of Pilot Commissioners perform safety-critical tasks in a demanding environment, working in all weather and at all times of day and night. Since 1850, San Francisco maritime pilots have been known as Bar Pilots because their duties include guiding ships safely across the large sand bar that lies west of the Golden Gate. Schedules and Work Hours Records for San Francisco Bay Bar Pilots were analyzed to determine the minimum and maximum work periods, the frequency of extended work hours, the frequency of night work and the rotation of work hours. A mathematical model is being applied to predict fatigue in order to identify schedules that may have a high likelihood of fatigue. This presentation provides a progress report on the research thus far.

marine pilots↗

Growth Response of Water Hyacinth to Environmental Ranges in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

Management of aquatic weeds in complex watersheds and river systems present many challenges to assessment, planning, and implementation of management for aquatic invasive plants. The Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), a USDA sponsored area-wide project including NASA Ames Research Center and State of California Department of Boating and Waterways, is working to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency of invasive plant management in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Expansion of invasive aquatic plants has been detrimental to water management and the ecosystem complex in the San Francisco Bay/California Delta. The portion of DRAAWP reported here focuses on parametrizing the environmental response inputs for the Delta models for prominent invasive aquatic plants. Changing climate, long-term drought, shifts in land use, and variation in water flow and quality from input watersheds lead to wide and unique variation in environmental conditions. Environmental variability occurs across a range of time scales from long-term climate and seasonal trends to short-term water flow mediated variations. Response of invasive aquatic plants are examined using controlled environment growth facilities at time scales of weeks, day, and hours using a combination of study duration and growth assessment techniques to assess water quality, temperature, nutrient, and light effects. These provide response parameters for plant growth models in response to the variation and interact with management and economic models associated with aquatic weed management. Plant growth models are informed by remote sensing and applied spatially across the Delta to balance location and type of aquatic plant, growth response to altered environments and phenology.

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.v↗

The impact of Los Angeles Basin pollution and stratospheric intrusions on the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains as seen by surface measurements, lidar, and numerical models

In this work, the impact of Los Angeles Basin pollution transport and stratospheric intrusions on the surface ozone levels observed in the San Gabriel Mountains is investigated based on a combination of surface and lidar measurements as well as WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) and WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) runs. The number of days with observed surface ozone levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards exhibit a clear seasonal pattern, with a maximum during summer, when models suggest a minimum influence of stratospheric intrusions and the largest impact from Los Angeles Basin pollution transport. Additionally, measured and modeled surface ozone and PM10 were analyzed as a function of season, time of the day, and wind direction. Measurements and models are in good qualitative agreement, with maximum surface ozone observed for southwest and west winds. For the prevailing summer wind direction, slightly south of the ozone maximum and corresponding to south-southwest winds, lower ozone levels were observed. Back trajectories suggest that this is associated with transport from the central Los Angeles Basin, where titration limits the amount of surface ozone. A quantitative comparison of the lidar profiles with WRF-Chem and WACCM models revealed good agreement near the surface, with models showing an increasing positive bias as function of altitude, reaching 75 % at 15 km above sea level. Finally, three selected case studies covering the different mechanisms affecting the near-surface ozone concentration over the San Gabriel Mountains, namely stratospheric intrusions and pollution transport, are analyzed based on surface and ozone lidar measurements, as well as co-located ceilometer measurements and models.

Impact↗

History of the Italian San Marco equatorial mobile range

Events leading to the development of the San Marco Equatorial Range are presented. Included are background information leading to the cooperative space program between the United States and Italy, conceptual planning, training activities, equipment design and fabrication, and range utilization. The technical support provided the San Marco Program by Scout Project Office, and other NASA installations is described.

Nesbitt, H. N.↗

Skylab analysis of San Francisco Bay

The distribution and volume of sediment present in suspension during the Skylab 4 overpass for San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait is studied along with the movement and eventual distribution of both natural and dredged sediment in San Francisco Bay. The most useful Skylab sensor film is found to be the S-190B color photography. Changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and pollutants information simultaneously collected are correlated with the spectral differences observed in the various Skylab data. The techniques outlined should be applicable for coastal and estuarine process studies in other areas. A suspensate concentration of about 2 mg/liter is quite sufficient to tag a surface current system, and the surface structure of currents with over 250 mg/liter can be imaged by using progressively longer wavelength filters.

Steller, D. D.↗