SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Precipitable water”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 883 records · Page 49

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2023

Fouling characterization and treatment of water reuse concentrate with membrane distillation: Do organics really matter

Membrane distillation (MD) for the treatment of concentrated brines has been limited in part by membrane fouling, resulting in subsequent flux decline and membrane wetting. This study provides new insight into the identification of fouling and scaling mechanisms and pretreatment strategies for mitigating flux decline with MD treatment of water reuse reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC). Bench-scale direct contact MD experiments were performed with untreated and pretreated ROC. Biological activated carbon (BAC), chemical water softening, or fluidized bed crystallization reactor coupled with ion exchange (FBCR-IX) were selected as pretreatment strategies to isolate the effects of organic fouling and calcium scaling. Organic and inorganic compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Calcium ions were found to be the major contributor to flux decline despite the high organic content in the ROC. Minimal organic fouling is likely because the organic matter in the ROC is hydrophilic, limiting hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions between the organics and the membrane. Furthermore, the water flux declined by 63 % after removing organic compounds by BAC pretreatment, with 60 % of the calcium mass precipitating from the solution. Whereas, the water flux remained constant after removing multivalent ions with fluidized bed crystallization. Cleaning the membrane by acid washing and temperature reversal recovered 73 % and 12 % of the water flux, respectively. The analyses outlined in this study can assist in selecting appropriate fouling and scaling mitigation strategies for water reuse ROC and a wide range of feed solutions used in MD applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2025

Shallow cloud variability in Houston, Texas, during the ESCAPE and TRACER field experiments

Shallow convection plays an important role in Earth's climate system by regulating the vertical transport of heat, moisture, and momentum in the lower troposphere. Aerosols, large-scale meteorology, and low-level convergence influence the spatiotemporal variability in shallow convection, and the coastal urban area of Houston, Texas, is an ideal laboratory to investigate these complex interactions. Here, geostationary satellite and ground-based radar observations from June to September 2022 during the TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER) and Experiment of Sea Breeze Convection, Aerosols, Precipitation, and Environment (ESCAPE) field campaigns are used to characterize the spatial coverage, vertical extent, and precipitation fraction of shallow convective clouds. The fused operational remote sensing datasets over a 250 km × 250 km domain are evaluated against profiling observations. The domain-wide diurnal shallow cloud fractions are used to identify four distinct modes of shallow convection. In all clusters, the domain-wide cloud fractions are consistently higher than the domain-wide precipitation fractions, and shallow cloud fractions are higher over water than they are over land, while the shallow precipitation fractions show the opposite behavior. In the two modes with minimal deep cloud activity, shallow cloud frequency is highest over ocean in the early morning, and there is a transition to higher shallow cloud frequency over land by the afternoon in one cluster or to high shallow cloud frequencies everywhere by the afternoon in the other. Lastly, we find regions with higher shallow cloud top heights and a large region along the coastline where shallow clouds are more likely to precipitate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2019

NCA-LDAS: Overview and Analysis of Hydrologic Trends for the National Climate Assessment

Terrestrial hydrologic trends over the conterminous United States are estimated for 1980–2015 using the National Climate Assessment Land Data Assimilation System (NCA-LDAS) reanalysis. NCA-LDAS employs the uncoupled Noah version 3.3 land surface model at 0.125° 3 0.125° forced with NLDAS-2 meteorology, rescaled Climate Prediction Center precipitation, and assimilated satellite-based soil moisture, snow depth, and irrigation products. Mean annual trends are reported using the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test at p < 0.1 significance. Results illustrate the interrelationship between regional gradients in forcing trends and trends in other land energy and water stores and fluxes. Mean precipitation trends range from +3 to +9 mm/yr in the upper Great Plains and Northeast to -1 to -9 mm/yr in the West and South, net radiation flux trends range from +0.05 to +0.20 W/sq. m yr in the East to -0.05 to -0.20 W/sq. m yr in the West, and U.S.-wide temperature trends average about +0.03K/yr. Trends in soil moisture, snow cover, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and runoff are consistent with forcings, contributing to increasing evaporative fraction trends from west to east. Evaluation of NCA-LDAS trends compared to independent data indicates mixed results. The RMSE of U.S.-wide trends in number of snow cover days improved from 3.13 to 2.89 days/yr while trend detection increased 11%. Trends in latent heat flux were hardly affected, with RMSE decreasing only from 0.17 to 0.16 W/sq. m yr, while trend detection increased 2%. NCA-LDAS runoff trends degraded significantly from 2.6 to 16.1 mm/yr while trend detection was unaffected. Analysis also indicated that NCA-LDAS exhibits relatively more skill in low precipitation station density areas, suggesting there are limits to the effectiveness of satellite data assimilation in densely gauged regions. Overall, NCA-LDAS demonstrates capability for quantifying physically consistent, U.S. hydrologic climate trends over the satellite era.

Michael F. Jasinski↗

DOE OSTI2023

Monsoon Depression Amplification by Horizontal Shear and Humidity Gradients: A Shallow Water Perspective

Transient, synoptic-scale vortices produce a large fraction of total rainfall in most monsoon regions and are often associated with extreme precipitation. However, the mechanism of their amplification remains a topic of active research. For monsoon depressions, which are the most prominent synoptic-scale vortex in the Asian–Australian monsoon, recent work has suggested that meridional gradients in zonal wind in the vortex environment may produce growth through barotropic instability, while meridional gradients in environmental humidity have also been proposed to cause amplification through coupling with precipitating convection. Here, a two-dimensional shallow water model on a sphere with parameterized precipitation is used to examine the relative role played by these two environmental gradients. By systematically varying the meridional moisture gradient and meridional wind shear for both weak, quasi-linear waves and finite-amplitude isolated vortices, we show that rotational winds in the initial vortex are amplified most strongly by meridional shear of the environmental zonal wind, while vortex precipitation rates are most sensitive to environmental moisture gradients. The growth rate in the presence of both gradients is less than the sum of growth rates in the presence of isolated gradients, as the phase relation between moisture and vorticity anomalies becomes distorted with increasing shear. In conclusion, these results suggest that background meridional gradients in both zonal wind and environmental humidity can contribute to the amplification of vortices to monsoon depression strength, but with some degree of decoupling of the dry rotational flow and the moist convection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2019

NCA-LDAS: Overview and Analysis of Hydrologic Trends for the National Climate Assessment

Terrestrial hydrologic trends over the conterminous United States are estimated for 1980-47 2015 using the National Climate Assessment-Land Data Assimilation System (NCA-LDAS) reanalysis. NCA-LDAS employs the uncoupled Noah Version 3.3 land surface model at 0.125 degreesx0.125 degrees forced with NLDAS-2 meteorology, rescaled Climate Prediction Center precipitation, and assimilated satellite-based soil moisture, snow depth and irrigation products. Mean annual trends are reported using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test at p<0.1 significance. Results illustrate the interrelationship between regional gradients in forcing trends, and trends in other land energy and water stores and fluxes. Mean precipitation trends range from +3 to +9 mm/yr in the Upper Great Plains and Northeast to -1 to -9 in the West and South; net radiation flux trends range from +0.05 to +0.20 W/m(exp2)/yr in the East to -0.05 to -0.20 in the West; U.S.-wide temperature trends average about +0.03K/yr. Trends in soil moisture, snow cover, latent and sensible heat fluxes and runoff are consistent with forcings, contributing to increasing evaporative fraction trends from West to East. Evaluation of NCA-LDAS trends compared to independent data indicates mixed results. The RMSE of U.S.-wide trends in number of snow cover days improved from 3.13 to 2.89 days/yr while trend detection increased 11%; Trends in latent heat flux were hardly affected, RMSE decreasing only 0.17 to 0.16 W/m(exp 2)/yr, while trend detection increased 2%; NCA-LDAS runoff trends degraded significantly from 2.6 to 16.1 mm/yr while trend detection was unaffected. Analysis also indicated that NCA-LDAS exhibits relatively more skill in low precipitation station density areas, suggesting there are limits to the effectiveness of satellite data assimilation in densely gaged regions. Overall, NCA-LDAS demonstrates capability for quantifying physically consistent, U.S. hydrologic climate trends over the satellite era.

Snow depth↗

DOE OSTI2025

Numerical case study of the aerosol–cloud interactions in warm boundary layer clouds over the eastern North Atlantic with an interactive chemistry module

The presence of warm boundary layer stratiform clouds over the eastern North Atlantic (ENA) region is commonly influenced by the Azores High, especially during the summer season. To investigate comprehensive aerosol–cloud interactions, this study employs the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a chemistry component (WRF-Chem), incorporating aerosol chemical components that are relevant to the formation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and accounting for aerosol spatiotemporal variation. This study focuses on aerosol indirect effects, particularly the long-range transport of aerosols, in the ENA region under three different weather regimes: a ridge with a surface high-pressure system, a post-trough with a surface high-pressure system, and a weak trough. The WRF-Chem simulations conducted at a near-large-eddy scale offer valuable insights into the model's performance, especially in terms of its ability to use high spatial resolution to capture mesoscale cloud features across various weather regimes. Our result shows that introducing 5 times more aerosols to either non-precipitating or precipitating clouds significantly increases ambient CCN numbers, resulting in, to varying degrees, higher liquid water path (LWP) values. The substantial aerosol–cloud interaction especially occurs in the precipitating clouds and demonstrates the susceptibility of the LWP to changes in CCN under different regimes. Conversely, thin, non-rain clouds at the edges of a cloud system are prone to evaporation, exhibiting an aerosol drying effect. The aerosols released during this process transition back to the accumulation mode, facilitating future activation. This dynamic behavior is not adequately represented in prescribed-aerosol simulations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2016

The Relationships Between Insoluble Precipitation Residues, Clouds, and Precipitation Over California's Southern Sierra Nevada During Winter Storms

Ice formation in orographic mixed-phase clouds can enhance precipitation and depends on the type of aerosols that serve as ice nucleating particles (INP). The resulting precipitation from these clouds is a viable source of water, especially for regions such as the California Sierra Nevada. Thus, a better understanding of the sources of INP that impact orographic clouds is important for assessing water availability in California. This study presents a multi-site, multi-year analysis of single particle insoluble residues in precipitation samples that likely influenced cloud ice and precipitation formation above Yosemite National Park. Dust and biological particles represented the dominant fraction of the residues (64% on average). Cloud glaciation, determined using GOES satellite observations, not only depended on high cloud tops (greater than 6.2 km) and low temperatures (less than -26 C), but also on the composition of the dust and biological residues. The greatest prevalence of ice-phase clouds occurred in conjunction with biologically-rich residues and mineral dust rich in calcium, followed by iron and aluminosilicates. Dust and biological particles are known to be efficient INP, thus these residues are what likely influenced ice formation in clouds above the sites and subsequent precipitation quantities reaching the surface during events with similar meteorology. The goal of this study is to use precipitation chemistry information to gain a better understanding of the potential sources of INP in the south-central Sierra Nevada, where cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions are under-studied and where mixed-phase orographic clouds represent a key element in the generation of precipitation and thus the water supply in California.

Creamean, Jessie M.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Monitoring the daily evolution and extent of snow drought

Abstract. Snow droughts are commonly defined as below-average snowpack at a point in time, typically 1 April in the western United States (wUS). This definition is valuable for interpreting the state of the snowpack but obscures the temporal evolution of snow drought. Borrowing from dynamical systems theory, we applied phase diagrams to visually examine the daily evolution of snow water equivalent (SWE) and accumulated precipitation conditions in maritime, intermountain, and continental snow climates in the wUS using station observations as well as spatially distributed estimates of SWE and precipitation. Using a percentile-based drought definition, phase diagrams of SWE and precipitation highlighted decision-relevant aspects of snow drought such as onset, evolution, and termination. The phase diagram approach can be used in tandem with spatially distributed estimates of daily SWE and precipitation to reveal variability in snow drought type and extent. When combined with streamflow or other environmental data, phase diagrams and spatial estimates of snow drought conditions can help inform drought monitoring and early warning systems and help link snow drought type and evolution to impacts on ecosystems, water resources, and recreation. A web tool is introduced allowing users to create real-time or historic snow drought phase diagrams.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission's Scientific Achievements and Societal Contributions: Reviewing Four Years of Advanced Rain and Snow Observations

Precipitation represents a life-critical energy and hydrologic exchange between the Earth’s atmosphere and its surface. As such, knowledge of where, when, and how much rain and snow falls is essential for scientific research and societal applications. Building on the 17-year success of the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory (GPM-CO) is the first U.S. National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) satellite mission specifically designed with sensors to observe the structure and intensities of both rain and falling snow. The GPM-CO has proved to be a worthy successor to TRMM, extending and improving high-quality active and passive microwave observations across all times of day. The GPM-CO launched in early 2014, is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with sensors that include the NASA-provided GPM Microwave Imager and the JAXA-provided Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar. These sensors were devised with high accuracy standards enabling them to be used as a reference for inter-calibrating a constellation of partner satellite data. These intercalibrated partner satellite retrievals are used with infrared data to produce merged precipitation estimates at temporal scales of 30 minutes and spatial scales of 0.1° x 0.1°. Precipitation estimates from the GPM-CO and partner constellation satellites, provided in near real time and later reprocessed with all ancillary data, are an indispensable source of precipitation data for operational and scientific users. Advances have been made using GPM data, primarily in improving sensor calibration, retrieval algorithms, and ground validation measurements, and used to further our understanding of the characteristics of liquid and frozen precipitation and the science of water and hydrological cycles for climate/weather forecasting. These advances have extended to societal benefits related to water resources, operational numerical weather prediction, hurricane monitoring, prediction, and disaster response, extremes, and disease.

Applications↗

DOE OSTI2022

Stable isotopes of carbon dioxide (CO2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), water and concentrations of greenhouse gases in a mountainous watershed (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Temperature and precipitation variability in response to climate change affects water cycling of watersheds and can potentially impact water quality, water availability, elemental and molecular fluxes, and biogeochemical processes. Here we report the measurements of light stable isotopes and greenhouse gases analysis to a large multidisciplinary project addressing watershed function. Water hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) stable isotopes of snow and water saturated soil were measured to constrain source contributions to groundwater and streamflow. In an effort to better constrain existing nitrogen and carbon cycling models in high-altitude ecosystems, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) greenhouse gases concentrations and stable isotope signatures of CO2, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and water were measured. This dataset includes one CSV file and one Excel file containing data including stable isotopes of carbon dioxide (CO2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), water and concentrations of greenhouse gases. The CSV and Excel files contain the same information/data but have included both versions for accessibility.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1991

Runway drainage characteristics related to tire friction performance

The capability of a runway pavement to rapidly drain water buildup during periods of precipitation is crucial to minimize tire hydroplaning potential and maintain adequate aircraft ground operational safety. Test results from instrumented aircraft, ground friction measuring vehicles, and NASA Langley's Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) track have been summarized to indicate the adverse effects of pavement wetness conditions on tire friction performance. Water drainage measurements under a range of rainfall rates have been evaluated for several different runway surface treatments including the transversely grooved and longitudinally grinded concrete surfaces at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The major parameters influencing drainage rates and extent of flooding/drying conditions are identified. Existing drainage test data are compared to a previously derived empirical relationship and the need for some modification is indicated. The scope of future NASA Langley research directed toward improving empirical relationships to properly define runway drainage capability and consequently, enhance aircraft ground operational safety, is given.

Yager, Thomas J.↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Effect of Solution Chemistries and Freezing Temperatures on the Morphology of Cryogenic Opal-A (COA): Implications for Past Climates on Mars

Cryogenic opal-A (COA) is a type of hydrated amorphous silica that forms when silica-rich geothermal fluids erupt sub-aerially and are exposed to air temperatures below 0 °C. As the fluid cools and water-ice forms, the solution increases in ionic strength and reaches saturation of opal-A. This results in the precipitation of opal-A between water ice crystals. Natural COA is found embedded within frozen fluids near hydrothermal sources, and has been shown to preserve signs of biological activity. In this study, two solution chemistries (hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4)) and three freezing temperatures (-20, -80, -196 ºC) were used to synthesize COA in the lab. SEM analyses showed that COA frozen at -20 ºC in HCl solutions produced smooth silica branches similar to what was observed in previous studies. COA precipitated at lower freezing temperatures demonstrated progressively smaller particle sizes and unique morphologies such as halite dendrites within silica, desiccation cracks, and pores. COA made in H2SO4 solutions was more angular and fragmented than COA made in HCl solutions. Particle size also decreased with decreasing freezing temperature. COA textures have implications for terrestrial samples as well as future samples returned from Mars because they can provide information about past climate and fluid chemistry.

J V Hogancamp↗

DOE OSTI2021

Geochemical reactions and alteration of pore architecture in saturated shale after injection of stimulation fluid

Pore architecture regulates fluid flow between unconventional shale reservoir and hydraulically-induced fractures. Imbibition of stimulation fluid may change this architecture and alter hydrocarbon flow. Hydrothermal experiments were conducted at reservoir conditions (125 °C, 45 MPa) to test two hypotheses: 1) Shale, not stimulation fluid, dominates the geochemistry of an unconventional reservoir containing formation water; and 2) Mineral dissolution and precipitation induced by stimulation fluid is transient and manifests across micro-, meso-, and macro-scales of pore architecture. Experiments replicated a shut-in well in the Cretaceous Baxter Shale, Green River Basin, Wyoming USA. Stimulation fluid was injected into one experiment after formation water (I = 0.35 mol/kg, pH = 6.4) and core reacted for 48 days. This novel approach equilibrated rock and formation water and saturated pores with formation water before introducing stimulation fluid. The second experiment served as a control. Trends of aqueous calcium, silica and aluminum in the injection experiment suggest transient dissolution of calcite and feldspar and/or quartz as well as clay and barite precipitation; mineralogic evidence was limited to calcite dissolution and barite precipitation. The rock maintained reducing conditions (Eh = +0.08 to -0.16 V) despite injection of oxidizing stimulation fluid (Eh = 1.1 V). pH of the stimulation fluid-formation water mixture evolved from 2.3 to pre-injection values (~6) within 24 h. The results indicate that mineral dissolution and precipitation manifest in macropores with barely detectable alteration to micro- and mesopores. Formation water or organic matter in pores may have inhibited access of stimulation fluid to micro- and mesopores

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2023

Seasonal forecasting skill for the High Mountain Asia region in the Goddard Earth Observing System

Seasonal variability of the global hydrologic cycle directly impacts human activities, including hazard assessment and mitigation, agricultural decisions, and water resources management. This is particularly true across the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region, where availability of water resources can change depending on local seasonality of the hydrologic cycle. Forecasting the atmospheric states and surface conditions, including hydrometeorologically relevant variables, at subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) lead times of weeks to months is an area of active research and development. NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) S2S prediction system has been developed with this research goal in mind. Here, we benchmark the forecast skill of GEOS-S2S (version 2) hydrometeorological forecasts at 1–3-month lead times in the HMA region, including a portion of the Indian subcontinent, during the retrospective forecast period, 1981–2016. To assess forecast skill, we evaluate 2 m air temperature, total precipitation, fractional snow cover, snow water equivalent, surface soil moisture, and terrestrial water storage forecasts against the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and independent reanalysis data, satellite observations, and data fusion products. Anomaly correlation is highest when the forecasts are evaluated against MERRA-2 and particularly in variables with long memory in the climate system, likely due to the similar initial conditions and model architecture used in GEOS-S2S and MERRA-2. When compared to MERRA-2, results for the 1-month forecast skill range from an anomaly correlation of R anom =0.18 for precipitation to R anom =0.62 for soil moisture. Anomaly correlations are consistently lower when forecasts are evaluated against independent observations; results for the 1-month forecast skill range from R anom =0.13 for snow water equivalent to R anom =0.24 for fractional snow cover. We find that, generally, hydrometeorological forecast skill is dependent on the forecast lead time, the memory of the variable within the physical system, and the validation dataset used. Overall, these results benchmark the GEOS-S2S system's ability to forecast HMA hydrometeorology.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

How Rains and Floods Become Groundwater: Understanding Recharge Pathways With Stable and Cosmogenic Isotopes

Anthropogenic climate change leads to increased precipitation intensity and exacerbated droughts in California, challenging the reliability and drought resiliency of water supply. Storing floodwater underground via managed aquifer recharge can mitigate these effects through direct infiltration or streambed infiltration. Seasonally dry streams (arroyos) already play an important part in managing groundwater recharge to the Livermore basin (CA). Understanding how, when and where stormwater and arroyo water infiltrate is critical to effectively utilise this strategy. To track water from recent storms (water year 2022–2023, WY23) into the Livermore Valley Groundwater Basin, we analysed stable water isotopes (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) in combination with naturally occurring radioactive isotopic tracers, sulphur-35 ( 35 S, t ½ = 87 days) and tritium ( 3 H, t ½ = 12.3 years). By comparing measurements of δ 18 O, 35 S and 3 H in arroyos to precipitation and groundwater, we classified the relative age and identified source of recharge to 16 wells near two arroyos. Two wells contained water with recent recharge (from WY23) from local precipitation. One well had recent recharge from variable (precipitation and imported water) sources. One well contained imported water recharge. Three wells contained water from mixed recent and older (pre-WY23) waters, from local precipitation sources. Two wells contained recent recharge from local mine settling ponds. Seven wells had older recharge from local precipitation sources. This combination of isotopes allows us to delineate where local and imported water recharges in this highly managed basin and identify locations where managed aquifer recharge is contributing to rapid groundwater infiltration. Our combined interpretation of isotopic water ages and sources in the context of land use shows that local infiltration of precipitation in open spaces is an important recharge mechanism, in addition to the managed arroyo recharge. Finally, a broader familiarity with 35 S will enable more extensive research on the infiltration of urban floodwaters.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

The Role of Atmospheric Rivers on Groundwater: Lessons Learned From an Extreme Wet Year

Abstract In the coastal regions of the western United States, atmospheric rivers (ARs) are associated with the largest precipitation generating storms and contribute up to half of annual precipitation, but the impact of ARs on the integrated hydrologic cycle, specifically on groundwater storage and hydrodynamics, is largely unknown. To better explore the hydrologic behavior of AR versus non‐AR event precipitation, we present a novel combination of two water tracking methods (one in the atmosphere and one in the subsurface) to explicitly track the full lifecycle of water parcels generated by ARs. Simulations of northern California's Cosumnes River watershed during the record wet 2017 water year are performed via the coupling of a high‐resolution regional climate model and a land surface‐groundwater model accounting for lateral groundwater flow. Despite ARs contributing more precipitation than non‐AR storms, we find less AR water is preferentially stored in aquifers by year end. Fractionally, ARs result in 300% less snow derived groundwater‐recharged compared to non‐AR precipitation. Rain‐on‐snow (RoS) plays an important role in AR‐driven discharge, where over 50% of total discharge from ARs snow is from RoS events. Finally, despite record‐breaking annual precipitation, simulated groundwater depletion occurs by year end due to estimates of groundwater pumping activities. The results from these simulations serve as a partial analogue of future hydrologic conditions where ARs are expected to intensify and provide a greater fraction of annual precipitation due to climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2023

Seasonal Forecasting Skill for the High Mountain Asia Region in the Goddard Earth Observing System

Seasonal variability of the global hydrologic cycle directly impacts human activities, including hazard assessment and mitigation, agricultural decisions, and water resources management. This is particularly true across the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region, where availability of water resources can change depending on local seasonality of the hydrologic cycle. Forecasting the atmospheric states and surface conditions, including hydrometeorological relevant variables, at subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) lead times of weeks-to-months is an area of active research and development. NASA’s 15 Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) S2S prediction system has been developed with this research goal in mind. Here, we benchmark the forecast skill of GEOS-S2S (version 2) hydrometeorological forecasts at 1-3 month lead times in the HMA region, including a portion of the Indian Subcontinent, during the retrospective forecast period, 1981-2016. To assess forecast skill, we evaluate 2-m air temperature, total precipitation, fractional snow cover, snow water equivalent, surface soil moisture, and terrestrial water storage forecasts against the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and 20 Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and independent reanalysis data, satellite observations, and data fusion products. Anomaly correlation is highest when the forecasts are evaluated against MERRA-2 and particularly in variables with long memory in the climate system, likely due to similar initial conditions and model architecture used in GEOS-S2S and MERRA-2. When compared to MERRA-2, results for the 1-month forecast skill range from anomaly correlation of R anom =0.18 for precipitation to R anom =0.62 for soil moisture. Anomaly correlations are consistently lower when forecasts are 25 evaluated against independent observations; results for the 1-month forecast skill range from R anom =0.13 for snow water equivalent to R anom =0.24 for fractional snow cover. We find that, generally, hydrometeorological forecast skill is dependent on the forecast lead time, the memory of the variable within the physical system, and the validation dataset used. Overall, these results benchmark the GEOS-S2S system’s ability to forecast HMA hydrometeorology.

GEOS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fractionation of Oxygen Isotopes in Uranium Oxides during Peroxide Precipitation and Dry Air Calcination

The interaction between uranium and oxygen-containing substrates is nearly ubiquitous within the nuclear fuel cycle. Given the well-known and predictable oxygen stable isotope compositions of atmospheric oxygen and meteoric waters around the world, the use of these isotopes as a potential geolocation or processing signature of uranium compounds has been of interest within the nuclear safeguards community. This study focuses on measuring the oxygen-stable isotope composition of synthetically produced uranium oxides to determine the mechanism and extent of fractionation during materials processing relevant to the nuclear fuel cycle. Here, metastudtite [UO 2 O 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] samples were first produced using water and hydrogen peroxide of a known oxygen isotope composition. This starting material was calcined in dry air at temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 1000 °C for 20 h producing oxides ranging in composition from UO 3 +x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) to U 3 O 8 . In addition, calcinations between 500 and 800 °C were performed at different time intervals to evaluate the rate of isotopic equilibration. The δ 18 O values of water bound to metastudtite were measured by thermogravimetric analysis coupled to isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy (TGA–IRIS). A redesigned fluorination manifold was constructed at the University of Utah and was used to extract the bulk oxygen from precipitated and calcined products using bromine pentafluoride (BrF 5 ). Mineralization water on metastudtite (measured by TGA–IRIS) was closely associated with the aqueous environment of precipitation with a fractionation of +3.5 ± 0.6‰. In contrast, bulk oxygen from metastudtite (measured by fluorination and gas chromatography combined with isotope ratio mass spectrometry) was found to have an inconsistent fractionation with precipitation water. Samples calcined in dry air exhibited a wide range of oxygen isotope compositions which increased from δ 18 O = +1.4 ± 0.9‰ at 300 °C to +17.3 ± 0.9‰ at 1000 °C. This variation in δ 18 O values was a result of oxygen exchange with atmospheric O 2 and was found to be rapid at calcination temperatures greater than 600°C—with equilibration occurring in less than 2 h. These results provide insights into the incorporation and exchange of oxygen isotopes during precipitation and calcination processes comparable to those employed within the nuclear fuel cycle and establish a foundation for future investigations to build upon.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗