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At least 901 records · Page 50

Proximate Composition of Seed and Biomass from Soybean Plants Grown at Different Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Concentrations

Soybean plants were grown for 90 days at 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 ubar (ppm) carbon dioxide (CO2) and compared for proximate nutritional value. For both cultivars (MC and PX), seed protein levels were highest at 1000 (39.3 and 41.9 percent for MC and PX) and lowest at 2000 (34.7 and 38.9 percent for MC and PX). Seed fat (oil) levels were highest at 2000 (21.2 and 20.9 percent for MC and PX) and lowest at 5000 (13.6 and 16.6 percent for MC and PX). Seed carbohydrate levels were highest at 500 (31.5 and 28.4 percent for MC and PX) and lowest at 2000 (20.9 and 20.8 percent for MC and PX). When adjusted for total seed yield per unit growing area, the highest production of protein and carbohydrate occurred with MC at 1000, while equally high amounts of fat were produced with MC at 1000 and 2000. Seed set and pod development at 2000 were delayed in comparison to other CO2 treatments; thus the proportionately high fat and low protein at 2000 may have been a result of the delay in plant maturity rather than CO2 concentration. Stem crude fiber and carbohydrate levels for both cultivars increased with increased CO2. Leaf protein and crude fiber levels also tended to rise with increased CO2 but leaf carbohydrate levels decreased as CO2 was increased. The results suggest that CO2 effects on total seed yield out-weighed any potential advantages to changes in seed composition.

Wheeler, R. M.↗

Carbon dioxide and water vapor high temperature electrolysis

The design, fabrication, breadboard testing, and the data base obtained for solid oxide electrolysis systems that have applications for planetary manned missions and habitats are reviewed. The breadboard tested contains sixteen tubular cells in a closely packed bundle for the electrolysis of carbon dioxide and water vapor. The discussion covers energy requirements, volume, weight, and operational characteristics related to the measurement of the reactant and product gas compositions, temperature distribution along the electrolyzer tubular cells and through the bundle, and thermal energy losses. The reliability of individual cell performance in the bundle configuration is assessed.

Isenberg, Arnold O.↗

Critical exponent for the viscosity of carbon dioxide and xenon

The viscosities of carbon dioxide and xenon have been measured near their critical points and the critical exponent y characterizing the asymptotic divergence has been determined. Both fluids yielded exponents in the range y = 0.041 + or - 0.001 and thus also fell in the range y = 0.042 + or - 0.002 from an earlier study of four binary liquids. This agreement between experiments is the first evidence that pure fluids and binary liquids are in the same dynamic universality class. A recent theoretical value for y is 0.032. The 30 percent discrepancy is much greater than the combined errors from experiment and theory. The torsion oscillator viscometer operated at low frequency and low shear rate to avoid systematic errors caused by critical slowing down. Far from T(c) the analysis accounted for the crossover from critical to noncritical temperature dependence, where the latter was obtained from previously published correlations. Corrections for gravitational stratification were included close to T(c).

Berg, R. F.↗

Carbon dioxide emissions from Deccan volcanism and a K/T boundary greenhouse effect

A greenhouse warming caused by increased emissions of carbon dioxide from the Deccan Traps volcanism has been suggested as the cause of the terminal Cretaceous extinctions on land and in the sea. Total eruptive and noneruptive CO2 output by the Deccan eruptions (from 6 to 20 x 10 to the 16th moles) over a period of several hundred thousand years is estimated based on best estimates of the CO2 weight fraction of the original basalts and basaltic melts, the fraction of CO2 degassed, and the volume of the Deccan Traps eruptions. Results of a model designed to estimate the effects of increased CO2 on climate and ocean chemistry suggest that increases in atmospheric pCO2 due to Deccan Traps CO2 emissions would have been less than 75 ppm, leading to a predicted global warming of less than 1 C over several hundred thousand years. It is concluded that the direct climate effects of CO2 emissions from the Deccan eruptions would have been too weak to be an important factor in the end-Cretaceous mass extinctions.

Caldeira, Ken↗

Carbon dioxide and water exchange of a soybean stand grown in the biomass production chamber

Soybean plants were grown under metal halide lamps in NASA's biomass production chamber (BPC). Experiments were conducted to determine whole stand rates of carbon dioxide exchange and transpiration as influenced by time of day, CO2 concentration, irradiance, and temperature. Plants were grown at a population of 24 plants/sq m, a daily cycle of 12 hr light/12 hr dark, and average temperature regime of 26 C light/20 C dark, and a CO2 concentration enriched and maintained at 1000 ppm during the photoperiod. A distinct diurnal pattern in the rate of stand transpiration was measured at both ambient and enriched (1000 ppm) concentration of CO2. Data generated in this study represent true whole stand responses to key developmental and environmental variables and will be valuable in database construction for future working CELSS. Crop growth studies in the BPC were conducted with a high degree of environmental control, gas tightness during growth, and have used large plant stands. These characteristics have placed it in a unique position internationally as a research tool and as a preprototype subcomponent to a fully integrated CELSS. The results from the experiments are presented.

Corey, Kenneth A.↗

Airborne sulfur trace species intercomparison campaign: Sulfur dioxide, dimethylsulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide

Results from an airborne intercomparison of techniques to measure tropospheric levels of sulfur trace gases are presented. The intercomparison was part of the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) and was conducted during the summer of 1989. The intercomparisons were conducted on the Wallops Electra aircraft during flights from Wallops Island, Virginia, and Natal, Brazil. Sulfur measurements intercompared included sulfur dioxide (SO2), dimethylsulfide (DMS), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon disulfide (CS2), and carbonyl sulfide (OCS). Measurement techniques ranged from filter collection systems with post-flight analyses to mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph systems employing various methods for measuring and identifying the sulfur gases during flight. Sampling schedules for the techniques ranged from integrated collections over periods as long as 50 minutes to one- to three-minute samples every ten or fifteen minutes. Several of the techniques provided measurements of more than one sulfur gas. Instruments employing different detection principles were involved in each of the sulfur intercomparisons. Also included in the intercomparison measurement scenario were a host of supporting measurements (i.e., ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, total sulfur, aerosols, etc.) for purposes of: (1) interpreting results (i.e., correlation of any noted instrument disagreement with the chemical composition of the measurement environment); and (2) providing supporting chemical data to meet CITE-3 science objectives of studying ozone/sulfur photochemistry, diurnal cycles, etc. The results of the intercomparison study are briefly discussed.

Gregory, Gerald L.↗

Sublimation rates of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from comet nuclei at large distances from the Sun

One of the more attractive among the plausible scenarios for the major emission event recently observed on Comet Halley at a heliocentric distance of 14.3 AU is activation of a source of ejecta driven by an icy substance much more volatile than water. As prerequisite for the forthcoming detailed analysis of the imaging observations of this event, a simple model is proposed that yields the sublimation rate versus time at any location on the surface of a rotating cometary nucleus for two candidate ices: carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The model's variable parameters are the comet's heliocentric distance r and the Sun's instantaneous zenith angle z.

Sekanina, Zdenek↗

Chemical approaches to carbon dioxide utilization for manned Mars missions

Utilization of resources available in situ is a critical enabling technology for permanent human presence in space. A permanent presence on Mars, for example, requires a tremendous infrastructure to sustain life under hostile conditions (low oxygen, partial pressure, ultraviolet radiation, low temperature, etc.). There are numerous studies on the most accessible of Martian resources: atmospheric carbon dioxide. As a resource on Mars, atmospheric CO2 is: (1) abundant; (2) available at all points on the surface; (3) of known presence, requiring no precursor mission to verify; (4) chemically simple; and (5) can be obtained by simple compression, with no requirements of mining or beneficiation equipment operation. Several novel proposals are presented for CO2 fixation through chemical, photochemical, and photoelectrochemical means.

Hepp, Aloysius F.↗

Analysis of field measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes

Analysis of the field measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes is discussed. These data were examined in conjunction with reflectance obtained from helicopter mounted Modular Multiband Radiometer. These measurements are representative of the canopy scale (10 to 100 m)(exp 2) and provide a good basis for investigating the hypotheses/relationship potentially useful in remote sensing applications. All the micrometeorological data collected during FIFE-89 were processed and fluxes of CO2, water vapor, and sensible heat were calculated. Soil CO2 fluxes were also estimated. Employing these soil CO2 flux values, in conjunction with micrometeorological measurements, canopy photosynthesis is being estimated. A biochemical model of leaf photosynthesis was adapted to the prairie vegetation. The modeled leaf photosynthesis rates were scaled up to the canopy level. This model and a multiplicative stomatal conductance model are also used to calculate canopy conductance.

Verma, Shashi B.↗

Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II measurements of the quasi-biennial oscillations in ozone and nitrogen dioxide

The first measurements ever to show a quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in NO2 have been made by the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II) (SAGE II) and are presented in this work along with observations of the well-known QBO in stratospheric ozone. The SAGE II instrument was launched aboard the Earth Radiation Budget satellite near the end of 1984. Measurements of ozone and nitrogen dioxide through early 1990 are analyzed for the presence of a quasi-biennial oscillation. The measurements show the global extent of both the O3 and NO2 QBO in the 25- to 40-km region of the stratosphere. The SAGE II QBO results for ozone compare favorably to theory and previous measurements. The QBO in NO2 is found to be consistent with the vertical and horizontal transport of NOy. Both species exhibit a QBO at extratropical latitudes consistent with strong meridional transport into the winter hemisphere.

Zawodny, Joseph M.↗

The mid-Cretaceous super plume, carbon dioxide, and global warming

Carbon-dioxide releases associated with a mid-Cretaceous super plume and the emplacement of the Ontong-Java Plateau have been suggested as a principal cause of the mid-Cretaceous global warming. A carbonate-silicate cycle model is developed to quantify the possible climatic effects of these CO2 releases, utilizing four different formulations for the rate of silicate-rock weathering as a function of atmospheric CO2. CO2 emissions resulting from super-plume tectonics could have produced atmospheric CO2 levels from 3.7 to 14.7 times the modern preindustrial value of 285 ppm. Based on the temperature sensitivity to CO2 increases used in the weathering-rate formulations, this would cause a global warming of from 2.8 to 7.7 C over today's glogal mean temperature. Altered continental positions and higher sea level may have been contributed about 4.8 C to mid-Cretaceous warming. Thus, the combined effects of paleogeographic changes and super-plume related CO2 emissions could be in the range of 7.6 to 12.5 C, within the 6 to 14 C range previously estimated for mid-Cretaceous warming. CO2 releases from oceanic plateaus alone are unlikely to have been directly responsible for more than 20 percent of the mid-Cretaceous increase in atmospheric CO2.

Caldeira, Ken↗

Silicon dioxide space coatings studied ellipsometrically

Mechanisms of initial oxidation of silicon for the formation of silicon dioxide have been investigated. The oxidation of silicon in an atomic oxigen plasma environment is found to exhibit two distinct and linear oxide growth curves for each of the plasma powers used in ashing (25, 50, and 100 watts). Data obtained indicate that the exponent to the pressure in the oxide growth rate formula changes from 1.4 + or - 0.1 to 0.7 + or - 0.1 as one crosses the critical thickness. These data contradict the theory predicting that this exponent should be 1 for both regimes. The activation energy for oxidation in the zone reaction regime is found to be 0.17 eV, in contrast to the published value of 1-2 eV for thermally grown oxides.

De, Bhola N.↗

Relating SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference to precipitation and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration - A reappraisal

The relations of Scanning Multi-channel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) 37 GHz polarization difference to precipitation and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are reviewed. Annual precipitation data, a surrogate for green leaf vegetation density, are compared with the coincident SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference from arid and semi-arid West Africa for 1982-85. The SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference was found to be poorly correlated with precipitation in arid and semi-arid zones, contrary to previous reports. Coincident SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference and atmospheric CO2 concentration data from July 1981 to June 1983 are also reviewed. Previously suggested relations of the SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference to atmospheric CO2 concentrations were found to be heavily biased by winter conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. The use of the SMMR 37 GHz polarization difference for determining green leaf vegetation density, net primary production, atmospheric CO2 draw-down and related processes is questioned.

Tucker, C. J.↗

Model for oxygen recombination on silicon-dioxide surfaces. II - Implications toward reentry heating

This paper briefly reviews the model for recombination of oxygen on a silicon-dioxide surface presented in detail in a previous paper. New data supporting the model is also presented. The ramifications of the model toward the production of excited molecular oxygen is examined as it pertains to surface heating. A reentry simulation is given and compared to STS-2 reentry data, and conclusions are drawn as to the implications of the recombination model toward reentry heating. A possible buffering of the heating above a critical temperature associated with the physics of the model is also discussed.

Jumper, E. J.↗

Developing real-time control software for Space Station Freedom carbon dioxide removal

This paper presents AiResearch experience to date in using the NASA/Boeing Application Generator (AG) to develop real-time control systems for the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in Work Package 01. The AG provides an integrated design and development tool encompassing: system analysis, modeling, control law design, simulation, code generation, real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation and operation, and documentation. This allows rapid interactive prototyping of real-time control systems in a single, integrated, environment. Advantages and disadvantages of using the AG for real-time control system development will be addressed, with the CDRA specification to delivery cycle serving as a basis for discussion. Suggestions for improving the AG are offered and observations on its potential as a top-level system specification tool are made.

Rowe, Steven A.↗

A sensitive method for measuring atmospheric concentrations of sulfur dioxide

A new method for measuring tropospheric sulfur dioxide concentrations is proposed which is based on the mist chamber sampling method. At the present stage of development, the detection limit of the method is approximately 20 parts per trillion for a 45-min sampling time, with lower concentrations detectable with lower precision. The overall reproducibility of the method (+/-95 percent confidence intervals) is estimated at +/-10 percent. The technique is relatively simple, inexpensive, and lightweight, making it ideally suited for numerous field applications in atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemical studies from both ground-based and airborne platforms.

Klemm, O.↗

Analysis of thermo-chemical nonequilibrium models for carbon dioxide flows

The aerothermodynamics of thermochemical nonequilibrium carbon dioxide flows is studied. The chemical kinetics models of McKenzie and Park are implemented in separate three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics codes. The codes incorporate a five-species gas model characterized by a translational-rotational and a vibrational temperature. Solutions are obtained for flow over finite length elliptical and circular cylinders. The computed flowfields are then employed to calculate Mach-Zehnder interferograms for comparison with experimental data. The accuracy of the chemical kinetics models is determined through this comparison. Also, the methodology of the three-dimensional thermochemical nonequilibrium code is verified by the reproduction of the experiments.

Rock, Stacey G.↗

Sublimation rates of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from comets at large heliocentric distances

Using a simple model for outgassing from a small flat surface area, the sublimation rates of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, two species more volatile than water ice that are known to be present in comets, are calculated for a suddenly activated discrete source on the rotating nucleus. The instantaneous sublimation rate depends upon the comet's heliocentric distance and the Sun's zenith angle at the location of the source. The values are derived for the constants of CO and CO2 in an expression that yields the local rotation-averaged sublimation rate as a function of the comet's spin parameters and the source's cometocentric latitude.

Sekanina, Zdenek↗