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At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Satellite and Reanalysis Air Quality Data and Services at NASA GES DISC for Public Health Study

Outbreaks of infectious diseases and health can be influenced by airborne and water-borne pollutants. Furthermore, air and water quality are associated with climate variability, industrialization, land use and land cover change, and water resource management. It is therefore crucial to understand environment-disease connections with existing long-term observed and modeled data, particularly for development of early warning systems for infectious disease outbreaks. The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) (https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov) archives large volumes of global environment data that are useful for research and applications regarding environmental factors and public health. Examples of air quality measurements are: Daily satellite remotely sensed data, including Aerosol Index (AI), O3, SO2, CO, and NO2 from Aura/OMI (October 2014 to present), and OMPS-NPP (January 2012 to present, currently research data products only) Hourly and monthly reanalysis modeled data, including PM2.5, O3, CO, SO2, BC, dust, AOD, and aerosol types from MERRA-2 (January 1980 to present) Examples of surface meteorology and land surface measurements are: hourly, daily, and monthly satellite precipitation from TRMM (December 1997 to March 2015) 30-minute and monthly satellite precipitation from GPM (March 2014 to present); Hourly and monthly modeled surface meteorology and land surface condition from MERRA-2 (January 1980 to present) and land surface assimilation models (January 1948 to present), including precipitation, surface temperature, relative humidity, wind, and soil moisture.This presentation will give an overview of relevant environmental data at the NASA GES DISC. Through a number of use cases, such as dust events and active fires, we will introduce data services that assist in finding the right data, enable visualization and analysis of the data online, and allow downloading of data in user-preferred format.

remote sensing data↗
NASA NTRS1975

Lake eutrophication as indicated by ERTS satellite imagery

Light reflectance from water in the laboratory always correlates to the water quality parameter of turbidity. This turbidity is caused by suspended solids in the water and for a particular type of material there is a good correlation between the weight of these suspended solids and turbidity. However, this correlation is different for different types of material. When this suspended material is living green matter as in an eutrophic lake, the changes in reflectance can be detected as changes in brightness on a particular aerial image. Two test sites have shown that there is indeed a good correlation between the brightness on an ERTS image and lake eutrophication.

Scherz, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Application of aerial photography to water-related programs in Michigan

Aerial photography and information system technology were used to generate information required for the effective operation of three water-related programs in Michigan. Potential mosquito breeding sites were identified from specially acquired low altitude 70 mm color photography for the city of Lansing; the inventory identified 35% more surface water areas than indicated on existing field maps. A comprehensive inventory of surface water sources and potential access sites was prepared to assist fire departments in Antrim County with fire truck water-recharge operations. Remotely-sensed land cover/use data for Windsor Township, Eaton County, were integrated with other resource data into a computer-based information system for regional water quality studies. Eleven thematic maps focusing on landscape features affecting non-point water pollution and waste disposal were generated from analyses of a four-hectare grid-based data file containing land cover/use, soils, topographic and geologic (well-log) data.

Enslin, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Criteria for the use of regression analysis for remote sensing of sediment and pollutants

Data analysis procedures for quantification of water quality parameters that are already identified and are known to exist within the water body are considered. The liner multiple-regression technique was examined as a procedure for defining and calibrating data analysis algorithms for such instruments as spectrometers and multispectral scanners.

Whitlock, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Urban Heat Island Phenomenon: How Its Effects Can Influence Environmental Decision Making in Your Community

Reinvestment in urban centers is breathing new life into neighborhoods that have been languishing as a result of explosive suburban development over the past several decades. In cities all over the country, adaptive reuse, brownfields redevelopment, transforming urban landscapes, economies, and quality of life. However, the way in which this development occurs has the potential to exacerbate the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, an existing problem in many areas and one which poses a threat to the long-term sustainability and environmental quality of cities. The UHI phenomenon is rooted in the science of how the land covers respond to solar heating and can adversely effect the environment. This phenomenon is responsible for urban centers having higher air temperatures and poorer air quality than suburban areas. In addition, the UHI phenomenon causes metrological occurrences, degrades water quality, increases energy demands, poses threats to public health and contributes to global warming. While the name of the phenomenon implies that is solely an urban issue, research has shown that the effects of the UHI are becoming prevalent in suburbs, as well. The UHI phenomenon can plague regions - urban centers and their suburbs. Furthermore, heat islands have been found to exist in both city centers and suburban communities. As suburban areas increasingly develop using land covers and building materials common to urban areas, they are inheriting urban problems - such as heat islands. In this way, it may be necessary for non-urban communities to engage in heat island mitigation. The good news is that through education and planning, the effects of the UHI phenomenon can be prevented and mitigated. Heat islands are more a product of urban design rather than the density of development. Therefore, cities can continue to grow and develop without exacerbating the UHI by employing sustainable development strategies.

Estes, Maurice G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Working Toward a Healthy Planet

Using information from NASA s Earth Science Public Health Applications Program, Dr. Maynard will address how remote sensing data and associated technologies can be used toward a better understanding of the links among human health, the environment and weather/climate - and, how this increased understanding plus improved information sharing can empower local health and environmental decision-makers to better predict climate-related health problems, take preventive measures, and improve response actions. Remotely-sensed data and observations are providing powerful new tools for addressing climate and environment-related human health problems through increased capabilities for monitoring and surveillance of parameters useful to such problems as infectious and vector-borne diseases, air and water quality, harmful algal blooms, UV radiation, contaminant and pathogen transport in air and water, and thermal stress. NASA s multi-disciplinary scientific team is demonstrating how satellites from their unique vantage point in space can serve as sentinels for weather, climate, and health problems through studies on asthma, malaria, Rift Valley Fever, Asian and African dust, and West Nile Virus

Maynard, Nancy G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Satellites as Sentinels for Climate and Health

Remotely-sensed data and observations are providing powerful new tools for addressing climate and environment-related human health problems through increased capabilities for monitoring, risk mapping, and surveillance of parameters useful to such problems as vector- borne and infectious diseases, air and water quality,. harmful algal blooms, W radiation, contaminant and pathogen transport in air and water, and thermal stress. Remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIs), global positioning systems (GPS), improved computation capabilities, and interdisciplinary research between the Earth and health science communities, together with local knowledge, are being combined in rich collaborative efforts resulting in more rapid problem-solving, early warning, and prevention in global climate and health issues. These collaborative efforts are enabling increased understanding of the relationships among changes in temperature, rainfall, wind, soil moisture, solar radiation, vegetation, and the patterns of extreme weather events and health issues. This increased understanding and improved information and data sharing, in turn, empowers local health and environmental decision-makers to better predict climate-related health problems, decrease vulnerability, take preventive measures, and improve response actions. This paper provides a number of recent examples of how satellites - from their unique vantage point in space - can serve as sentinels for climate and health.

Maynard, Nancy G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Project to Map and Monitor Baldcypress Forests in Coastal Louisiana, Using Landsat, MODIS, and ASTER Satellite Data

Cypress swamp forests of Louisiana offer many important ecological and economic benefits: wildlife habitat, forest products, storm buffers, water quality, and recreation. Such forests are also threatened by multiple factors: subsidence, salt water intrusion, sea level rise, persistent flooding, hydrologic modification, hurricanes, insect and nutria damage, timber harvesting, and land use conversion. Unfortunately, there are many information gaps regarding the type, location, extent, and condition of these forests. Better more up to date swamp forest mapping products are needed to aid coastal forest conservation and restoration work (e.g., through the Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative or CFCI). In response, a collaborative project was initiated to develop, test and demonstrate cypress swamp forest mapping products, using NASA supported Landsat, ASTER, and MODIS satellite data. Research Objectives are: Develop, test, and demonstrate use of Landsat and ASTER data for computing new cypress forest classification products and Landsat, ASTER, and MODIS satellite data for detecting and monitoring swamp forest change

Spruce, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS2011

Isotopic Evidence for the Source and Fate of Phosphorus in Everglades Wetland Ecosystems

Phosphorus has historically been a limiting nutrient in the Florida Everglades. Increased P loading to the Everglades over the past several decades has led to significant changes in water quality and plant communities. Stormwater runoff that drains agricultural lands and enters the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) are known to contain elevated levels of P, but the exact source of this P has not been fully determined. Here the results of an O isotope study of dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) in both polluted and relatively pristine (or reference) areas of the Everglades are reported. The data reveal spatial and temporal variations in the delta 18O signature of DIP, reflecting the source and the degree of cycling of P. The delta 18O values of DIP collected from the Everglades National Park were close or equal to the predicted delta 18O values of DIP formed in situ in equilibrium with ambient water, indicating that P is quickly cycled in the water column in oligotrophic ecosystems with very low P concentrations. However, most DIP samples collected from areas impacted by agricultural runoff yielded delta 18O values that deviated from the predicted equilibrium DIP delta 18O values based on the delta 18O of water and water temperature, suggesting that biological cycling of P was not rapid enough to remove the fertilizer ?18O signature in the DIP pool from areas receiving high P loading. The delta 18O signature of DIP in impacted areas reflects a mixing of fertilizer P and biologically cycled P, where the relative proportions of biologically cycled vs. fertilizer DIP are controlled by both biological (microbial activities and plant uptake) and hydrologic factors (loading rate and residence time). Using a two-end-member (i.e., fertilizer P and biologically cycled P) mixing model, fertilizers were estimated to contribute about 15 100% of the DIP pool in the highly impacted areas of the northern Everglades, whereas the DIP pool in the reference (i.e., relatively pristine) wetlands in the Everglades National Park was dominated by biologically cycled P. The study shows that O isotopic measurements of dissolved PO(exp 3-, sub 4) can be a useful tool for tracing the fertilizer P inputs to freshwater ecosystems.

Li, Xin↗
NASA NTRS2015

Oyster Fisheries App

This project is creating a cloud‐enabled, HTML 5 web application to help oyster fishermen and state agencies apply Earth science to improve the management of this important natural and economic resource. The Oyster Fisheries app gathers and analyzes environmental and water quality information, and alerts fishermen and resources managers about problems in oyster fishing waters. An intuitive interface based on Google Maps displays the geospatial information and provides familiar interactive controls to the users. Alerts can be tailored to notify users when conditions in specific leases or public fishing areas require attention. The app is hosted on the Amazon Web Services cloud. It is being developed and tested using some of the latest web development tools such as web components and Polymer.

Perez Guerrero, Geraldo A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Process Development for Removal of Siloxanes from ISS Atmosphere

Dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) has been identified as a problematic organic contaminant aboard the ISS. This contaminant was initially identified in humidity condensate and in the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) product water in 2010 when routine water quality monitoring an increasing total organic carbon (TOC) trend in the WPA product water. Although DMSD is not a crew health hazard at the levels observed in the product water, it can degrade the WPA catalytic reactor's effectiveness and cause early replacement of Multifiltration Beds. DMSD may also degrade the performance of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) which uses the WPA product water for electrolysis. An investigation into the source of DMSD has determined that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) compounds are likely hydrolyzing in the Condensing Heat Exchangers (CHX) to form DMSD. PDMS compounds are prevalent aboard ISS from a variety of sources, including crew hygiene products, adhesives, caulks, lubricants, and various nonmetallic materials. PDMS compounds are also known to contribute to CHX hydrophilic coating degradation by rendering it hydrophobic and therefore adversely affecting its ability to effectively transmit water to the condensate bus. Eventually this loss in performance results in water droplets in the air flow exiting the CHX, which may lead to microbial growth in the air ducts and may impact the performance of downstream systems. Several options have been evaluated to address these concerns. Modifications to the Water Processor Multifiltration Beds and Catalytic Reactor for removal of DMSD were not considered viable, and did not address the issue with PDMS compound degradation of the CHX coating. Design concepts are now in development for removing PDMS compounds from the air stream before they can reach the CHX coating, thus preventing coating degradation and hydrolysis of the PDMS compounds to DMSD. This paper summarizes the current status of the effort to treat these contaminants on ISS.

Carter, Layne↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Improving the Representation of Land Surface Processes using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART)

The land surface is a critical part of the earth system as processes related to water, carbon, energy and nitrogen cycling have important implications for climate forcing, air quality, water availability and seasonal atmospheric forecasting. Despite advances in land surface modeling, land surface model performance is often limited because of errors related to initial and boundary conditions, model structure, and parameters. Data assimilation (DA) techniques combined with an expanding network of earth system observations present an opportunity to reduce these errors and improve simulations. Here we apply an Ensemble Kalman Filter DA system as part of the Data Assimilation Research Testbed to a variety of land surface simulations. First, we describe the use of remotely sensed biomass observations to provide improved simulations of plant phenology, carbon and water cycling for regions highly sensitive to climate change (Western US, China, and Arctic). We discuss approaches to account for systemic biases between models and observations, including the use of spatially-varying adaptive ensemble inflation as an alternative approach to re-scaling soil moisture observations. Finally, we discuss a strategy to incorporate complementary observations (snow water equivalent, solar-induced fluorescence) to better constrain the representation of carbon and water cycling across complex terrain.

DART↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Improving the Representation of Land Surface Processes Using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART)

The land surface is a critical part of the earth system as processes related to water, carbon, energy and nitrogen cycling have important implications for climate forcing, air quality, water availability and seasonal atmospheric forecasting. Despite advances in land surface modeling, land surface model performance is often limited because of errors related to initial and boundary conditions, model structure, and parameters. Data assimilation (DA) techniques combined with an expanding network of earth system observations present an opportunity to reduce these errors and improve simulations. Here, we emphasize the implementation of tools and approaches to overcome challenges related to land DA to constrain carbon and water cycling. In particular, we discuss the implementation of adaptive inflation to modify ensemble spread in response to time-varying networks of gridded observations. We also discuss methods to generate ensemble spread through boundary condition (meteorology) forcing that can be applied to site-level applications. Next, we describe the application of vertical localization upon surface soil moisture observations, and forward operators specifically designed for the assimilation of snow and solar-induced fluorescence observations. Finally, we discuss the potential benefit of a quantile conserving filter used to update bounded quantities (state or parameter values).

Brett Raczka↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrochemical deposition of amorphous aluminum oxides on lead pipes to prevent lead leaching into the drinking water

Over 5000 public drinking water systems in the US are out of compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule. Lead leaching from lead pipes is limited by the solubility of a naturally occurring scale. Changes in water quality may cause this scale to become more soluble, releasing lead into the drinking water. We propose a novel electrochemical method to prevent lead leaching from lead pipes. In this method, an aluminum wire and an alkaline phosphate electrolyte are inserted into the pipes. The pipes are then anodized for 2 h by using an external power supply, resulting in the electrodeposition of an insoluble aluminum oxide layer on top of the preexisting scale. This technology was tested on lead pipes from the EBMUD water distribution systems located in Berkeley, CA, using recirculating synthetic and actual tap water for 120 days. The untreated pipes leached an average of 23 ppb and 38 ppb of lead respectively, when using free chlorine and monochloramine as disinfection residuals. In contrast, the treated pipes leached 3 ppb and 5 ppb respectively. These results suggest that the proposed treatment has the potential to prevent lead leaching regardless of the disinfection residual and thus should be further explored in a field trial.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Simulation of high-frequency dissolved oxygen dynamics in a shallow estuary, the Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay

Understanding shallow water biogeochemical dynamics is a challenge in coastal regions, due to the presence of highly variable land-water interface fluxes, tight coupling with sediment processes, tidal dynamics, and diurnal variability in biogeochemical processes. While the deployment of continuous monitoring devices has improved our understanding of high-frequency (12 - 24 hours) variability and spatial heterogeneity in shallow regions, mechanistic modeling of these dynamics has lagged behind conceptual and empirical models. The inherent complexity of shallow water systems is represented in the Corsica River estuary, a small basin within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, where abundant monitoring data have been collected from long-term monitoring stations, continuous monitoring sensors, synoptic sensor surveys, and measurements of sediment-water fluxes. A state-of-the-art modeling system, the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM), was applied to the Corsica domain with a high-resolution grid and nutrient loads from the most recent version of the Chesapeake Bay watershed model. The Corsica SCHISM model reproduced observed high-frequency variability in dissolved oxygen, as well as seasonal variability in chlorophyll-a and sediment-water fluxes. Time-series signal analyses using Empirical Model Decomposition and spectral analysis revealed that the diurnal and M2 tide frequencies are the dominant high-frequency modes and physical transport contributes a larger share to dissolved oxygen budgets than biogeochemical processes on an hourly time scale. Heterogeneity and patchiness in dissolved oxygen resulting from phytoplankton distributions and geometry-driven eddies amplify the physical transport effect, and on longer time scales oxygen is controlled more by photosynthesis and respiration. Our simulation demonstrates that interactions among physical and biological dynamics generate complex high-frequency variability in water quality and non-linear reposes to nutrient loading and environmental forcing in shallow water systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

The first earth resources technology satellite nearly two years of operation

A brief status report on the performance of the ERTS-1, and an overview of the applications derived from the images are presented. The ERTS-1 spacecraft, sensor and picture processing systems have continued to perform almost flawlessly since August 1972. Registered, multispectral images of all major land masses of the earth, both polar and some oceanic regions are continuously made, covering daily an area of about 5 million square kilometers. The systematic repetition of these observations, which were made over most parts of the world at least once every season, and the high accuracy of thematic mapping that can be obtained from the images, have resulted in many applications that have immense potential benefits for developing countries. Among these applications are the detection and accurate mensuration of surface water; the identification and mensuration of forests, rangeland, crops and soils; the monitoring and mapping of water quality, wildlife habitats and of the effects of land use practices on food and water resources; the assessment of flooding and earthquake hazards; and the facilitation of mineral exploration.

Nordberg, W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Computer mapping of turbidity and circulation patterns in Saginaw Bay, Michigan from LANDSAT data

The author has identified the following significant results. LANDSAT was used as a basis for producing geometrically-corrected, color-coded imagery of turbidity and circulation patterns in Saginaw Bay, Michigan (Lake Huron). This imagery shows nine discrete categories of turbidity, as indicated by nine Secchi depths between 0.3 and 3.3 meters. The categorized imagery provided an economical basis for extrapolating water quality parameters from point samples to unsample areas. LANDSAT furnished a synoptic view of water mass boundaries that no amount of ground sampling or monitoring could provide.

Rogers, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Annual review of earth observations from space

An overview is given of the present state of satellites making observations of the earth. Satellite systems discussed include the NOAA series of Synchronous Meteorological Satellites (SMS) and sun-synchronous satellites, the two LANDSATS (formerly called ERTS), and the NIMBUS series. Examples are presented of the types of observations being made as well as their purposes. These include observations of synoptic and mesoscale atmospheric processes for daily weather forecasting, global atmospheric processes for long-range weather forecasting, planetary radiation budget and ocean circulation for monitoring climatic trends, earth dynamics and tectonic structure for mineral exploration and assessing earthquake hazards, atmospheric composition and water quality for environment monitoring, and thematic mapping for monitoring land use, managing crops and water resources, and assessing environmental impacts.

Nordberg, W.↗