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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Radiative Forcing and Temperature Response to Changes in Urban Albedos and Associated CO2 Offsets

The two main forcings that can counteract to some extent the positive forcings from greenhouse gases from pre-industrial times to present-day are the aerosol and related aerosol-cloud forcings, and the radiative response to changes in surface albedo. Here, we quantify the change in radiative forcing and surface temperature that may be obtained by increasing the albedos of roofs and pavements in urban areas in temperate and tropical regions of the globe. Using the catchment land surface model (the land model coupled to the GEOS-5 Atmospheric General Circulation Model), we quantify the response of the total outgoing (outgoing shortwave+longwave) radiation to urban albedo changes. Globally, the total outgoing radiation increased by 0.5 W/square m and temperature decreased by -0.008 K for an average 0.003 increase in albedo. For the U.S. the total outgoing total radiation increased by 2.3 W/square meter, and temperature decreased by approximately 0.03 K for an average 0.01 increase in albedo. These values are for the boreal summer (Tune-July-August). Based on these forcings, the expected emitted CO2 offset for a plausible 0.25 and 0.15 increase in albedos of roofs and pavements, respectively, for all global urban areas, was found to be approximately 57 Gt CO2 . A more meaningful evaluation of the impacts of urban albedo increases on climate and the expected CO2 offsets would require simulations which better characterizes urban surfaces and represents the full annual cycle.

Menon, Surabi↗
NASA NTRS2010

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Retrievals from Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Solar Occultation Measurements

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment ACE satellite (SCISAT-1) was launched into an inclined orbit on 12 August 2003 and is now recording high signal-to-noise 0.02 per centimeter resolution solar absorption spectra covering 750-4400 per centimeter (2.3-13 micrometers). A procedure has been developed for retrieving average dry air CO2 mole fractions (X(sub CO2)) in the altitude range 7-10 kilometers from the SCISAT-1 spectra. Using the N2 continuum absorption in a window region near 2500 per centimeter, altitude shifts are applied to the tangent heights retrieved in version 2.2 SCISAT-1 processing, while cloudy or aerosol-impacted measurements are eliminated. Monthly-mean XCO2 covering 60 S to 60 N latitude for February 2004 to March 2008 has been analyzed with consistent trends inferred in both hemispheres. The ACE XCO2 time series have been compared with previously-reported surface network measurements, predictions based on upper tropospheric aircraft measurements, and space-based measurements. The retrieved X(sub CO2) from the ACE-FTS spectra are higher on average by a factor of 1.07 plus or minus 0.025 in the northern hemisphere and by a factor of 1.09 plus or minus 0.019 on average in the southern hemisphere compared to surface station measurements covering the same time span. The ACE derived trend is approximately 0.2% per year higher than measured at surface stations during the same observation period.

Rinsland, Curtis P.↗
NASA NTRS2011

CO2 Effects in Space: Relationship to Intracranial Hypertension

This slide presentation reviews the effects of enhanced exposure to CO2 on Earth and in space. The effects of enhanced exposure to CO2 are experienced in almost all bodily systems. In space some of the effects are heightened due to the fluid shifts to the thorax and head. This fluid shift results in increased intracranial pressure, congested cerebral circulation, increased Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Intravenous dilatation. The mechanism of the effect of CO2 on CBF is diagrammed, as is the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) production. A listing of Neuroendocrine targets is included.

Alexander, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Radiative and Physiological Effects of Increased CO2: How Does This Interaction Affect Climate?

Several climate models indicate that in a 2xCO2 environment, temperature and precipitation would increase and runoff would increase faster than precipitation. These models, however, did not allow the vegetation to increase its leaf density as a response to the physiological effects of increased CO2 and consequent changes in climate. Other assessments included these interactions but did not account for the vegetation downregulation to reduce plant's photosynthetic activity and as such resulted in a weak vegetation negative response. When we combine these interactions in climate simulations with 2xCO2, the associated increase in precipitation contributes primarily to increase evapotranspiration rather than surface runoff, consistent with observations, and results in an additional cooling effect not fully accounted for in previous 2xCO2 simulations. By accelerating the water cycle, this feedback slows but does not alleviate the projected warming, reducing the land surface warming by 0.6 C. Compared to previous studies, these results imply that long term negative feedback from CO2-induced increases in vegetation density could reduce temperature following a stabilization of CO2 concentration.

Bounoua, Lahouari↗
NASA NTRS2011

Development of a Pulsed 2-micron Laser Transmitter for CO2 Sensing from Space

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is engaged in the development and demonstration of a highly efficient, versatile, 2-micron pulsed laser that can be used in a pulsed Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL)/Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) instrument to make precise, high-resolution CO2 measurements to investigate sources, sinks, and fluxes of CO2. This laser transmitter will feature performance characteristics needed for an ASCENDS system that will be capable of delivering the CO2 measurement precision required by the Earth Science Decadal Survey (DS).

Singh, Upendra N.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Possible Responsibility of Silicone Materials for Degradation of the CO2 Removal System in the International Space Station

From data concerning the degradation of the CO2 removal system in the International Space Station (ISS) two important features were apparent: (1) The atmosphere within the International Space Station (ISS) contained many organic compounds including alcohols, halocarbons, aldehydes, esters, and ketones, inter alia. Various cyclosiloxanes Dn, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3) and its higher homologs (D4) and (D5) are also present presumably due to offgassing. (2) Screens within the zeolite-containing canisters, used for the removal of CO2, exhibited partial clogging due to zeolitic fragments (dust) along with "sticky" residues, that in toto significantly reduced the efficiency of the CO2 removal process. Samples of the ISS fresh zeolite, used zeolite, filter clogging zeolite particles and residual polymeric materials were examined using, inter alia, NMR, EM and HRSEM. These data were compared to equivalent samples obtained prior and subsequent to Dn polymerization experiments performed in our laboratories using the clean ISS zeolite samples as catalyst. Polysiloxane materials produced were essentially equivalent in the two cases and the EM images demonstrate a remarkable similarity between the ISS filter zeolite samples and the post-polymerization zeolite material from our experiments. In this regard even the changes in the Al/Si ratio from the virgin zeolite material to the filter samples and the post-polymerization laboratory samples samples is noteworthy. This research was supported by a contract from the Boeing Company

Baeza, Mario↗
NASA NTRS2011

Improvements of CO2 and O2 Transmission Modeling for ASCENDS Mission Applications

Simulations using the HITRAN database and other data have been carried out to select the optimum laser wavelengths for the measurements of CO2 and O2 concentrations with the application to the ASCENDS mission. The accuracy set forth for the ASCENDS mission requires accurate line-by-line calculations involving the use of non-Voigt line shapes. To aid in achieving this goal, improved CO2 and O2 transmission calculation methods are being developed. In particular, line-by-line transmission modeling of CO2 was improved by implementing non-Voigt spectral lineshapes. Ongoing work involves extending this approach to the O2 molecule 1.26-1.27micron spectral band.

Pliutau, Denis↗
NASA NTRS2010

Atmospheric CO2: Principal Control Knob Governing Earth's Temperature

Ample physical evidence shows that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the single most important climate-relevant greenhouse gas in Earth s atmosphere. This is because CO2, like ozone, N2O, CH4, and chlorofluorocarbons, does not condense and precipitate from the atmosphere at current climate temperatures, whereas water vapor can and does. Noncondensing greenhouse gases, which account for 25% of the total terrestrial greenhouse effect, thus serve to provide the stable temperature structure that sustains the current levels of atmospheric water vapor and clouds via feedback processes that account for the remaining 75% of the greenhouse effect. Without the radiative forcing supplied by CO2 and the other noncondensing greenhouse gases, the terrestrial greenhouse would collapse, plunging the global climate into an icebound Earth state.

Lacis, Andrew A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Error Analysis and Selection of Optimal Excitation Parameters for the Sensing of CO2 and O2 from Space for ASCENDS Applications

Simulation studies to optimize sensing of CO2 and O2 from space are described. Uncertainties in line-by-line calculations unaccounted for in previous studies identified. Multivariate methods are employed for measurement wavelengths selection. The Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) recommended by NRC Decadal Survey has a stringent accuracy requirements of 0.5% or better in XCO2 retrievals. NASA LaRC and its partners are investigating the use of the 1.57 m band of CO2 and the 1.26-1.27 m band of oxygen for XCO2 measurements. As part of these efforts, we are carrying out simulation studies using a lidar modeling framework being developed at NASA LaRC to predict the performance of our proposed ASCENDS mission implementation [1]. Our study is aimed at predicting the sources and magnitudes of errors anticipated in XCO2 retrievals for further error minimization through the selection of optimum excitation parameters and development of better retrieval methods.

Pliutau, Denis↗
NASA NTRS2011

Does Terrestrial Drought Explain Global CO2 Flux Anomalies Induced by El Nino?

The El Nino Southern Oscillation is the dominant year-to-year mode of global climate variability. El Nino effects on terrestrial carbon cycling are mediated by associated climate anomalies, primarily drought, influencing fire emissions and biotic net ecosystem exchange (NEE). Here we evaluate whether El Nino produces a consistent response from the global carbon cycle. We apply a novel bottom-up approach to estimating global NEE anomalies based on FLUXNET data using land cover maps and weather reanalysis. We analyze 13 years (1997-2009) of globally gridded observational NEE anomalies derived from eddy covariance flux data, remotely-sensed fire emissions at the monthly time step, and NEE estimated from an atmospheric transport inversion. We evaluate the overall consistency of biospheric response to El Nino and, more generally, the link between global CO2 flux anomalies and El Nino-induced drought. Our findings, which are robust relative to uncertainty in both methods and time-lags in response, indicate that each event has a different spatial signature with only limited spatial coherence in Amazonia, Australia and southern Africa. For most regions, the sign of response changed across El Nino events. Biotic NEE anomalies, across 5 El Nino events, ranged from -1.34 to +0.98 Pg Cyr(exp -1, whereas fire emissions anomalies were generally smaller in magnitude (ranging from -0.49 to +0.53 Pg C yr(exp -1). Overall drought does not appear to impose consistent terrestrial CO2 flux anomalies during El Ninos, finding large variation in globally integrated responses from 11.15 to +0.49 Pg Cyr(exp -1). Despite the significant correlation between the CO2 flux and El Nino indices, we find that El Nino events have, when globally integrated, both enhanced and weakened terrestrial sink strength, with no consistent response across events

Schwalm. C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space-Based Measurements of CO2 from the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) Missions

Space-based remote sensing observations hold substantial promise for future long-term monitoring of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The principal advantages of space based measurements include: (1) Spatial coverage (especially over oceans and tropical land) (2) Sampling density (needed to resolve CO2 weather). The principal challenge is the need for high precision To reach their full potential, space based CO2 measurements must be validated against surface measurements to ensure their accuracy. The TCCON network is providing the transfer standard There is a need for a long-term vision to establish and address community priorities (1) Must incorporate ground, air, space-based assets and models (2) Must balance calls for new observations with need to maintain climate data records.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory -↗
NASA NTRS2012

New Approaches to Quantifying Transport Model Error in Atmospheric CO2 Simulations

In recent years, much progress has been made in observing CO2 distributions from space. However, the use of these observations to infer source/sink distributions in inversion studies continues to be complicated by difficulty in quantifying atmospheric transport model errors. We will present results from several different experiments designed to quantify different aspects of transport error using the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM). In the first set of experiments, an ensemble of simulations is constructed using perturbations to parameters in the model s moist physics and turbulence parameterizations that control sub-grid scale transport of trace gases. Analysis of the ensemble spread and scales of temporal and spatial variability among the simulations allows insight into how parameterized, small-scale transport processes influence simulated CO2 distributions. In the second set of experiments, atmospheric tracers representing model error are constructed using observation minus analysis statistics from NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). The goal of these simulations is to understand how errors in large scale dynamics are distributed, and how they propagate in space and time, affecting trace gas distributions. These simulations will also be compared to results from NASA's Carbon Monitoring System Flux Pilot Project that quantified the impact of uncertainty in satellite constrained CO2 flux estimates on atmospheric mixing ratios to assess the major factors governing uncertainty in global and regional trace gas distributions.

Ott, L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Influence of Global Vegetation on Mid-Tropospheric CO2 Early Results

AIRS Mid-Tropospheric CO2 shows a high degree of horizontal variability. Ongoing efforts show AIRS data influenced by global circulation patterns including El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) What is the influence of global vegetation cycle on CO2 seasonal behavior? (1) Can we correlate mid-trop CO2 seasonal variability with global vegetation for different regions? (2) For now: First look at zonal averages and Land Vegetation (ocean biomass later) (3) Goal: Sanity Check on AIRS Data Seasonal Cycle, Solicit interest by carbon cycle community

climatology↗
NASA NTRS2013

Application of CO2 Snow Jet Cleaning in Conjunction with Laboratory Based Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence

The Genesis mission was the first mission returning solar material to Earth since the Apollo program [1,2]. Unfortunately the return of the space craft on September 8, 2004 resulted in a crash landing, which shattered the samples into small fragments and exposed them to desert soil and other debris. Thus only small fragments of the original collectors are available, each having different degrees of surface contamination. Thorough surface cleaning is required to allow for subsequent analysis of solar wind material embedded within. An initial cleaning procedure was developed in coordination with Johnson Space Center which focused on removing larger sized particulates and a thin film organic contamination acquired during collection in space [3]. However, many of the samples have additional residues and more rigorous and/or innovative cleaning steps might be necessary. These cleaning steps must affect only the surface to avoid leaching and re-distribution of solar wind material from the bulk of the collectors. To aid in development and identification of the most appropriate cleaning procedures each sample has to be thoroughly inspected before and after each cleaning step. Laboratory based total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry lends itself to this task as it is a non-destructive and surface sensitive analytical method permitting analysis of elements from aluminum onward present at and near the surface of a flat substrate [4]. The suitability of TXRF has been demonstrated for several Genesis solar wind samples before and after various cleaning methods including acid treatment, gas cluster ion beam, and CO2 snow jet [5 - 7]. The latter one is non-invasive and did show some promise on one sample [5]. To investigate the feasibility of CO2 snow jet cleaning further, several flown Genesis samples were selected to be characterized before and after CO2 snow application with sample 61052 being discussed below.

Schmeling, M.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Development of a Prototype Algal Reactor for Removing CO2 from Cabin Air

Controlling carbon dioxide in spacecraft cabin air may be accomplished using algal photobioreactors (PBRs). The purpose of this project was to evaluate the use of a commercial microcontroller, the Arduino Mega 2560, for measuring key phot~ioreactor variables: dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, light, and carbon dioxide. The Arduino platform is an opensource physical computing platform composed of a compact microcontroller board and a C++/C computer language (Arduino 1.0.5). The functionality of the Arduino platform can be expanded by the use of numerous add-ons or 'shields'. The Arduino Mega 2560 was equipped with the following shields: datalogger, BNC shield for reading pH sensor, a Mega Moto shield for controlling CO2 addition, as well as multiple sensors. The dissolved oxygen (DO) probe was calibrated using a nitrogen bubbling technique and the pH probe was calibrated via an Omega pH simulator. The PBR was constructed using a 2 L beaker, a 66 L box for addition of CO2, a micro porous membrane, a diaphragm pump, four 25 watt light bulbs, a MasterFiex speed controller, and a fan. The algae (wild type Synechocystis PCC6803) was grown in an aerated flask until the algae was dense enough to used in the main reactor. After the algae was grown, it was transferred to the 2 L beaker where CO2 consumption and O2 production was measured using the microcontroller sensor suite. The data was recorded via the datalogger and transferred to a computer for analysis.

Patel, Vrajen↗
NASA NTRS2014

Advanced Sine Wave Modulation of Continuous Wave Laser System for Atmospheric CO2 Differential Absorption Measurements

NASA Langley Research Center in collaboration with ITT Exelis have been experimenting with Continuous Wave (CW) laser absorption spectrometer (LAS) as a means of performing atmospheric CO2 column measurements from space to support the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission.Because range resolving Intensity Modulated (IM) CW lidar techniques presented here rely on matched filter correlations, autocorrelation properties without side lobes or other artifacts are highly desirable since the autocorrelation function is critical for the measurements of lidar return powers, laser path lengths, and CO2 column amounts. In this paper modulation techniques are investigated that improve autocorrelation properties. The modulation techniques investigated in this paper include sine waves modulated by maximum length (ML) sequences in various hardware configurations. A CW lidar system using sine waves modulated by ML pseudo random noise codes is described, which uses a time shifting approach to separate channels and make multiple, simultaneous online/offline differential absorption measurements. Unlike the pure ML sequence, this technique is useful in hardware that is band pass filtered as the IM sine wave carrier shifts the main power band. Both amplitude and Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulated IM carriers are investigated that exibit perfect autocorrelation properties down to one cycle per code bit. In addition, a method is presented to bandwidth limit the ML sequence based on a Gaussian filter implemented in terms of Jacobi theta functions that does not seriously degrade the resolution or introduce side lobes as a means of reducing aliasing and IM carrier bandwidth.

Campbell, Joel F.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Reconciling the Differences between the Measurements of CO2 Isotopes by the Phoenix and MSL Landers

Precise stable isotope measurements of the CO2 in the martian atmosphere have the potential to provide important constraints for our understanding of the history of volatiles, the carbon cycle, current atmospheric processes, and the degree of water/rock interaction on Mars. There have been several different measurements by landers and Earth based systems performed in recent years that have not been in agreement. In particular, measurements of the isotopic composition of martian atmospheric CO2 by the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument on the Mars Phoenix Lander and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) are in stark disagreement. This work attempts to use measurements of mass 45 and mass 46 of martian atmospheric CO2 by the SAM and TEGA instruments to search for agreement as a first step towards reaching a consensus measurement that might be supported by data from both instruments.

Niles, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Carbon Monitoring System Flux Estimation and Attribution: Impact of ACOS-GOSAT X(CO2) Sampling on the Inference of Terrestrial Biospheric Sources and Sinks

Using an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE), we investigate the impact of JAXA Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite 'IBUKI' (GOSAT) sampling on the estimation of terrestrial biospheric flux with the NASA Carbon Monitoring System Flux (CMS-Flux) estimation and attribution strategy. The simulated observations in the OSSE use the actual column carbon dioxide (X(CO2)) b2.9 retrieval sensitivity and quality control for the year 2010 processed through the Atmospheric CO2 Observations from Space algorithm. CMS-Flux is a variational inversion system that uses the GEOS-Chem forward and adjoint model forced by a suite of observationally constrained fluxes from ocean, land and anthropogenic models. We investigate the impact of GOSAT sampling on flux estimation in two aspects: 1) random error uncertainty reduction and 2) the global and regional bias in posterior flux resulted from the spatiotemporally biased GOSAT sampling. Based on Monte Carlo calculations, we find that global average flux uncertainty reduction ranges from 25% in September to 60% in July. When aggregated to the 11 land regions designated by the phase 3 of the Atmospheric Tracer Transport Model Intercomparison Project, the annual mean uncertainty reduction ranges from 10% over North American boreal to 38% over South American temperate, which is driven by observational coverage and the magnitude of prior flux uncertainty. The uncertainty reduction over the South American tropical region is 30%, even with sparse observation coverage. We show that this reduction results from the large prior flux uncertainty and the impact of non-local observations. Given the assumed prior error statistics, the degree of freedom for signal is approx.1132 for 1-yr of the 74 055 GOSAT X(CO2) observations, which indicates that GOSAT provides approx.1132 independent pieces of information about surface fluxes. We quantify the impact of GOSAT's spatiotemporally sampling on the posterior flux, and find that a 0.7 gigatons of carbon bias in the global annual posterior flux resulted from the seasonally and diurnally biased sampling when using a diagonal prior flux error covariance.

biased sampling↗