Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ecological”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 613 records · Page 34

Ecological effects of strip mining in Ohio

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery has identified when reclamation has proved successful, when little lateral extension has occurred in the strip mine, when water has filled an impoundment (4 - 5 acres), and detected narrow contour mines. It has been proven that the CCT contains more information than the imagery received from NASA. A stream is visible in the band 7 digital printout that is not visible in the imagery. Also narrow bodies of water between the high wall and spoils bank and small impoundments (2 - 3 acres) are observed in the digital printout and not in the imagery. Disruption maps (water and bare earth within the mined area) can be made by statistically processing the CCT (decision imagery) or mapping the digital printout with a Bendix digitizer. Reclamation maps will be produced in the near future through decision imagery. There seems little doubt that the mapping of present stripping and the monitoring of the strip mine cycle for changes are practical. Disruption mapping is now an operational capability.

Chase, P. E.↗

Central Atlantic regional ecological test site: A prototype regional environmental information system

The author has identified the following significant results. A comparison of photomorphic regions from an uncontrolled ERTS-1 mosaic of CARETS to land use areas on a map published in the National Atlas revealed close correlations in non-urban regions. Such regional scale analysis of ERTS-1 data has the potential for providing an economical sampling strategy for selecting sites for more detailed field measurements if other environmental variables can be correlated with patterns on ERTS-1 imagery. ERTS-1 imagery has also revealed for the first time the appearance of CARETS during the winter months. Investigators have identified extensive areas of conifers, which have previously been indistinguishable from deciduous vegetation. Imagery has also shown very clearly the extent of snow cover at a particular time over the region. The evaluation of ERTS-1 imagery used for the land use mapping of the shore zone of CARETS, has shown that the presence or absence of elements of an hierarchal system of shoreline landforms can help identify areas of potential rapid change. Changes in land use class distributions on the Barrier Islands signify the environmental response to natural and man-caused processes. Both environmental vulnerability and sensitivity can be estimated from the repetitive ERTS-1 coverage of long reaches of the CARETS coast. Results indicate potential applications to land use planning, management, and regional environmental quality analysis.

Alexander, R. H.↗

ERTS-1 data user investigation of wetlands ecology

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery (enlarged to 1:250,000) is an excellent tool by which large area coastal marshland mapping may be undertaken. If states can sacrifice some accuracy (amount unknown at this time) in placing of boundary lines, the technique may be used to do the following: (1) estimate extent of man's impact on marshes by ditching and lagooning and accelerated successional trends; (2) place boundaries between wetland and upland and hence estimate amount of coastal marshland remaining in the state; (3) distinguish among relatively large zones of various plant species including high and low growth S. alterniflora, J. roemerianus, and S. cynosuroides; and (4) estimate marsh plant species productivity when ground based information is available.

Anderson, R. R.↗

Application of ecological, geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources planning

The author has identified the following significant results. Coastal vegetation species appearing in the ERTS-1 images taken of Delaware Bay have been correlated with ground truth vegetation maps and imagery obtained from high altitude overflights. Multispectral analysis of the high altitude photographs indicated that four major vegetation communities could be clearly discriminated from 60,000 feet altitude including: (1) salt marsh cord grass; (2) salt marsh hay and spike grass; (3) reed grass; and (4) high tide bush and sea myrtle. In addition, human impact can be detected in the form of fresh water impoundments built to attract water fowl, dredge-fill operations and other alterations of the coastal environment. Overlay maps matching the USGS topographic map size of 1:24,000 have been prepared showing the four wetland vegetation communities, fresh water impoundments, and alteration of wetlands by mosquito control ditching and dredge-fill operations. Using these maps, ERTS-1 images were examined by human interpreters and automated multispectral analyzers. Major plant communities of (1) Spartina alterniflora, (2) Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, and (3) Iva frutescens and Baccharis halimifolia can be distinguished from each other and from surrounding uplands in ERTS-1 scanner bands 6 and 7.

Klemas, V.↗

Central Atlantic regional ecological test site: A prototype regional environmental information system

During this reporting period progress was made on a Level III land use classification to respond to more detailed user requirements and to exploit the fullest resolution potential of ERTS data. A small area of the Norfolk-Portsmouth SMSA test site was mapped on Level III, with the use of high altitude aerial photography, topographic maps, and other local maps. It was also decided to attempt to identify as many Level III land uses as possible during the land use mapping of CARETS from ERTS.

Robert H Alexander↗

Mycological studies housed in the Apollo 16 microbial ecology evaluation device

Survival, death, and phenotype count have yielded variation in the number of fungi recovered from the controls and the flight exposed cuvettes during preliminary analysis of postflight first phase data. Also the preliminary analysis was indicative that fungi exposed to specific space flight conditions demonstrated variable survival rates and phenotype counts. Specific space flight conditions included full light space exposure for Chaetomium globosum, exposure at 300- and 254-nanometer wavelengths for Rhodotorula rubra, full light and 280-nanometer wavelength exposure for Trichophyton terrestre, and 254-nanometer wavelength exposure for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In general, phenotype counts for flight cuvettes and survival rates for control cuvettes were higher compared with the remaining cuvettes.

Volz, P. A.↗

Application of ecological, geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources planning

The author has identified the following significant results. Communities containing five different coastal vegetation species, developed marshlands, and fresh water impoundments have been identified in ERTS-1 images. Suspended sediment and circulation patterns in imagery from five ERTS-1 passes over Delaware Bay have been enhanced and correlated with predicted current patterns. Conclusions reached are: (1) ERTS-1 is suitable platform for observing suspended sediment patterns and water masses synoptically over large areas. (2) Suspended sediment acts as a natural tracer allowing photointerpreters to deduce gross current circulation patterns from ERTS-1 imagery. (3) Under atmospheric conditions encountered along the East Coast of the United States MSS band 5 seems to give the best representation of sediment load in upper one meter of water column. (4) In the ERTS-1 imagery the sediment patterns are delineated by three to four neighboring shades of grey. (5) Negative transparencies of the ERTS-1 images give better contrast whenever the suspended sediment tones fall within the first few steps of the grey scale. (6) Color density slicing helps delineate the suspended sediment patterns more clearly and differentiate turbidity levels.

Klemas, V.↗

Ecology and thermal inactivation of microbes in and on interplanetary space vehicle components

The thermal inactivation curve for Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores on the Viking lander is examined. Tests were conducted at 113 C and 25% RH, and over a wide range of temperatures using .001% RH and additions of P2O5 to dry the environment. Results show the 25% RH environment did not significantly reduce the survival curve, while the survival curves for spores treated under the drier .001% RH environment was reduced by a factor of 3.

Campbell, J. E.↗

Ecology and thermal inactivation of microbes in and on interplanetary space vehicle components

Studies were made of atypical organisms found in Bacillus subtilis var. niger spore colonies. Efforts were aimed at: (1) determining the heat sensitivity of these atypical white spores treated under dry heat conditions and their influence on the nature of the survival curve, (2) preparing a new spore crop obtained from spore isolates by purification procedures, and (3) comparing spore crops obtained from Cape Kennedy (SSM-10) and Minnesota (Minn. sp. AAEF) with the old Cincinnati and new purified Cincinnati spore crop under dry heat conditions.

Campbell, J. E.↗

Application of ecological geological and oceanographic ERTS-1 imagery to Delaware's coastal resources planning

The Author has identified the following significant results. Significant results obtained by analysis of digital ERTS-1 data are: (1) Statistical outputs indicating the reliability of discriminating eight coastal vegetation and land use classes on a given group of training sets included: (a) mean and standard deviation of response in each class chosen; (b) contribution tables indicating importance of each channel in discriminating each thematic class from the background; (c) scatter diagrams showing relationships of thematic spectral signatures in spectral space; and (d) classification table showing reliability (in percent) of identification of each thematic class. (2) Thematic color maps at a scale of 1:1,000,000 showing vegetation and land use categories for Delaware's entire coastal zone. (3) Thematic computer plots at specified smaller (i.e. 1:24,000) scales for comparison with existing map data such as U.S.G.S. topographic maps.

Klemas, V.↗