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NASA NTRS2001

Mapping Arid Vegetation Species Distributions in the White Mountains, Eastern California, Using AVIRIS, Topography, and Geology

Our challenge is to model plant species distributions in complex montane environments using disparate sources of data, including topography, geology, and hyperspectral data. From an ecologist's point of view, species distributions are determined by local environment and disturbance history, while spectral data are 'ancillary.' However, a remote sensor's perspective says that spectral data provide picture of what vegetation is there, topographic and geologic data are ancillary. In order to bridge the gap, all available data should be used to get the best possible prediction of species distributions using complex multivariate techniques implemented on a GIS. Vegetation reflects local climatic and nutrient conditions, both of which can be modeled, allowing predictive mapping of vegetation distributions. Geologic substrate strongly affects chemical, thermal, and physical properties of soils, while climatic conditions are determined by local topography. As elevation increases, precipitation increases and temperature decreases. Aspect, slope, and surrounding topography determine potential insolation, so that south-facing slopes are warmer and north-facing slopes cooler at a given elevation. Topographic position (ridge, slope, canyon, or meadow) and slope angle affect sediment accumulation and soil depth. These factors combine as complex environmental gradients, and underlie many features of plant distributions. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data, digital elevation models, digitized geologic maps, and 378 ground control points were used to predictively map species distributions in the central and southern White Mountains, along the western boundary of the Basin and Range province. Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) bands were calculated from the visible and near-infrared AVIRIS bands, and combined with digitized geologic maps and topographic variables using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). CCA allows for modeling species 'envelopes' in multidimensional environmental space, which can then be projected across entire landscapes.

VandeVen, C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Large Alluvial Fans on Mars

Several dozen distinct alluvial fans, 10 to greater than 40 km long downslope are observed exclusively in highlands craters. Within a search region between 0 deg. and 30 deg. S, alluvial fan-containing craters were only found between 18 and 29 S, and they all occur at around plus or minus 1 km of the MOLA-defined Martian datum. Within the study area they are not randomly distributed but instead form three distinct clusters. Fans typically descend greater than 1 km from where they disgorge from their alcoves. Longitudinal profiles show that their surfaces are very slightly concave with a mean slope of 2 degrees. Many fans exhibit very long, narrow low-relief ridges radially oriented down-slope, often branching at their distal ends, suggestive of distributaries. Morphometric data for 31 fans was derived from MOLA data and compared with terrestrial fans with high-relief source areas, terrestrial low gradient alluvial ramps in inactive tectonic settings, and older Martian alluvial ramps along crater floors. The Martian alluvial fans generally fall on the same trends as the terrestrial alluvial fans, whereas the gentler Martian crater floor ramps are similar in gradient to the low relief terrestrial alluvial surfaces. For a given fan gradient, Martian alluvial fans generally have greater source basin relief than terrestrial fans in active tectonic settings. This suggests that the terrestrial source basins either yield coarser debris or have higher sediment concentrations than their Martian counterpoints. Martian fans and Basin and Range fans have steeper gradients than the older Martian alluvial ramps and terrestrial low relief alluvial surfaces, which is consistent with a supply of coarse sediment. Martian fans are relatively large and of low gradient, similar to terrestrial fluvial fans rather than debris flow fans. However, gravity scaling uncertainties make the flow regime forming Martian fans uncertain. Martian fans, at least those in Holden crater, apparently formed around the time of the Noachian-Hesperian boundary. We infer that these fans formed during an episode of enhanced precipitation (probably snow) and runoff, which exhibited both sudden onset and termination.

Moore, Jeffrey M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Thematic mapper study of Alaskan ophiolites

The combinations of Thematic Mapper (TM) bands that best distinguish basalts of the Brooks Range ophiolites were determined. Geochemical analyses, including major, trace, and rare earth elements (REE), are being done in order to study the significance of TM spectral variations that were observed within some of the sampled rock units. An image of the topography of the western Brooks Range and Colville Basin was constructed. Elevation data for the rest of Northern Alaska are being acquired to expand the area covered by the topography image. Two balanced cross sections (one along the eastern margin, the other along the western margin of the Brooks Range) are being constructed, using the techniques of fault-bend and fault-propagation folding. These are being used to obtain regional shortening estimates for the Brooks Range in an attempt to constrain tectonic models for the evolution of Northern Alaska. The TM data are being used to confirm reconnaissance maps and to obtain structural data where no maps exist. Along with the TM data, digital topography, seismic reflection profiles, and magnetic and gravity surveys are examined to better understand the evolution of the Colville Basin, north of the Brooks Range.

Bird, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Caloris Basin - An enhanced source for potassium in Mercury's atmosphere

Enhanced abundances of neutral K in the atmosphere of Mercury have been found above the longitude range containing Caloris Basin. Results of a large data set including six elongations of the planet between June 1986 and January 1988 show typical K column abundances of about 5.4 x 10 to the 8th K atmos/sq cm. During the observing period in October 1987, when Caloris Basin was in view, the typical K column was about 2.7 x 10 to the 9th K atoms/sq cm. Another large value was seen over the Caloris antipode in January 1988. This enhancement is consistent with an increased source of K from the well-fractured crust and regolith associated with this large impact basin. The phenomenon is localized because at most solar angles, thermal alkali atoms cannot move more than a few hundred kilometers from their source before being lost to ionization by solar ultraviolet radiation.

Sprague, Ann L.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Application of High Resolution Topography and Remote Sensing: Imagery to the Kinematics of Fold-and-Thrust Belts

This report summarizes one year of funding for NASA contract NAGW-3691, Application of High Resolution Topography and Remote Sensing: Imagery to the Kinematics of Fold-and-Thrust Belts. I never received year three from NASA. The funds were to support on going tectonic and topographic studies along the front of the central Transverse Ranges and expand the topographic studies to the north. Below are results from the first two years of actual funds that I received from NASA (see attached Federal Cash Transaction Reports). The main focus of this contract was to define and understand the major tectonic processes affecting the formation and evolution of the topography in convergent tectonic settings. The results will be used to test ongoing space-based geodetic measurements and will be compared with present-day seismicity in the central Transverse Ranges and adjacent basins. Two major factors that controls topography in active regions are (1) tectonic uplift due to fault-normal compression and (2) subsequent erosion. The central Transverse and Temblor Ranges are excellent regions for these focused topographic studies. The tectonic processes leading to the mountain building are relatively straightforward and thus are easy to model. Available evidence suggests that the topography in this region is relatively young, - 3.5 Ma or less. In addition,, erosional processes may be relatively easier to model compared to larger and more ancient mountain belts. For example, in larger mountain belts, topographic relief may cause significant orographic effects and high elevation may result in part of the topography located above snowline. Both factors complicate interpretation of erosional processes that may be controlled by elevation. Mountain ranges that are significantly older may have experienced a much wider variety of erosional or climatic conditions over their lifetime. While erosion rates have certainly not been consistent in the Transverse or Temblor ranges over its 3.5 Ma lifetime, we are sure that the region was spared the Pleistocene glaciation that affected parts of the Sierra Nevada Range.

Rubin, Charles↗

NASA NTRS2011

Thickness of Proximal Ejecta from the Orientale Basin from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Data: Implications for Multi-Ring Basin Formation

Quantifying the ejecta distribution around large lunar basins is important to understanding the origin of basin rings, the volume of the transient cavity, the depth of sampling, and the nature of the basin formation processes. We have used newly obtained altimetry data of the Moon from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument to estimate the thickness of ejecta in the region surrounding the Orientale impact basin, the youngest and best preserved large basin on the Moon. Our measurements yield ejecta thicknesses of approx.2900 m near the Cordillera Mountains, the topographic rim of Orientale, decaying to approx.1 km in thickness at a range of 215 km. These measurements imply a volume of ejecta in the region from the Cordillera ring to a radial range of one basin diameter of approx.2.9 x 10(exp 6)cu km and permit the derivation of an ejecta-thickness decay model, which can be compared with estimates for the volume of excavation and the size of the transient cavity. These data are consistent with the Outer Rook Mountains as the approximate location of the transient cavity s rim crest and suggest a volume of approx.4.8 x 10(exp 6)cu km for the total amount of basin ejecta exterior to this location.

Fassett, Caleb I.a↗

NASA NTRS1987

Interseismic deformation for normal fault earthquakes

Comparison between the coseismic vertical deformation associated with normal fault earthquakes and permanent deformation indicated by geologic structure indicates that large deformation must occur during the period between earthquakes. When sufficient geodetic and geologic information is available it is possible to estimate the spatial character of this interseismic deformation. A case in point is the 1983 Borah Peak, Idaho earthquake. This normal fault earthquake produced roughly 5 times as much basin subsidence as it did uplift of the adjacent mountain ranges. In contrast, geophysical and geological observations show that the basin is roughly as deep as the bounding range is high. A similar normal fault event in the Basin and Range, the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, was also accompanied by substantially larger subsidence than uplift. In this case, postseismic geodetic measurements show broad regional uplift with a spatial pattern which is roughly consistent with that proposed for the Borah Peak event. Modeling suggests that postseismic viscoelastic relaxation and strain accumulation in an elastic lithosphere overlying a viscoelastic asthenosphere are possible physical mechanisms to generate interseismic uplift. These mechanisms may be the contemporary expression of those processes responsible for the high elevation of the Basin and Range Province.

Reilinger, Robert↗

NASA NTRS1994

Environmental Perturbations Caused by the Impacts of Comets and Asteroids on Earth

The extinction mechanisms proposed at the Cretaceous-Tertiary geological boundary are reviewed and related to the impact of asteroids or comets in general. For impact energies below 10(exp 4) Megatons (less than 6 x 10(exp 4) years; asteroid diameter less than 650 m), blast, earthquake, and fire may destroy local areas up to 10(exp 5) square m. Tidal waves could flood a kilometer inland over entire ocean basins. The energy range from 105 to 106 Megatons (less than 2 x 10(exp 6) years; asteroid diameter less than 3 km) is transitional. Dust lifted, sulfur released from within impacting asteroids, and soot from fires started by comets can produce climatologically significant optical depths of 10. At energies beyond 10(exp 7) Megatons, blast and earthquake damage is regional (10(exp 6) square cm). Tsunami cresting to 100 m and flooding 20 km inland will sweep the coastal zones of the world's oceans. Fires will be set globally. Light levels may drop so low from the smoke, dust and sulfate that vision is not possible. At energies approaching 10(exp 9) Megatons the ocean surface waters may be acidified by sulfur. The combination of these effects would be devastating.

Toon, Owen B.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Radiogenic Ingrowth of 40CA from Decay of 40K Provides a Powerful Tracer for Understanding the Origins of Felsic Magmas

Over time high K/Ca continental crust produces a unique Ca isotopic reservoir, with measurable 40Ca excesses compared to Earth's mantle (ɛCa=0). Thus, values of ɛCai > 1 indicate a significant crustal contribution to a magma. Values of ɛCai (<1) indistinguishable from mantle Ca indicate that the Ca in those magmas is either directly from the mantle, or is from partial melting of newly formed crust. So, whereas 40Ca excesses clearly define crustal contributions, mantle-like 40Ca/44Ca ratios are not as definitive. Here we present Ca isotopic measurements of intermediate to felsic igneous rocks from the western United States, and two crustal xenoliths found within the Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT). The two crustal xenoliths found within the 28.2 Ma FCT of the southern Rocky Mountain volcanic field (SRMVF) yield ɛCa values of ~4 and ~7.5, respectively. The 40Ca excesses of these possible source rocks are due to long-term in situ 40K decay and suggest that they are Precambrian in age. However, the FCT (ɛCai ~0.3) is within uncertainty of the mantle 40Ca/44Ca. Together, these data indicate that little Precambrian crust was involved in the petrogenesis of the FCT. Nd isotopic analyses of the FCT imply that it was generated from 10- 75% of an enriched component, and the Ca isotopic data appear to restrict that component to newly formed lower crust, or enriched mantle. However, the Ca isotopic data do permit assimilation of some crust with low Ca/Nd; decreasing the 143Nd/144Nd without adding much excess 40Ca to the FCT. Several other large tuffs from the SRMVF and from Yellowstone have ɛCai indistinguishable from the mantle. However, a few large tuffs from the SRMVF show significant 40Ca excesses. These tuffs (Wall Mountain, Blue Mesa, and Grizzly Peak) are likely sourced from near, or within the Colorado Mineral Belt. New isotopic measurements of Mesozoic and Tertiary granites from across the northern Great Basin show a range of ɛCai from 0 to ~3. In these samples ɛCai is generally correlated with ɛSri and is broadly negatively correlated with ɛNdi. However, for granites with similar ɛNdi at a given general location ɛCai can vary significantly (1 to 2 epsilon units). In rocks where low ɛNdi could also be due to melting from enriched reservoirs in the mantle lithosphere, the combination of high ɛCai with low ɛNdi clearly identifies crustal melts.

Mills, Ryan D.↗

NASA NTRS1980

HCMM: Soil moisture in relation to geologic structure and lithology, northern California

The author has identified the following significant results. Detailed examination of Nite-IR images of intermontane basins in arid and/or semiarid areas of California discloses a ring or halo of relatively lighter greytone around the edges of each basin. Intermontane basins in the Northern Coast Range, however, do not show this thermal haloing. The topographic elevation of the haloes in arid basins shows seasonal variation, but it is present on nearly all images. A similar halo encircles many of the volcanoes on the Modoc Plateau and Southern Cascade Range. Although the halo around the arid intermontane basins can possibly be explained in relation to the location of alluvial fans (and perhaps water content of the rocks), a similar explanation cannot be made for the haloes around volcanoes or for the lack of haloes around basins in the Coast Range. Atmospheric thermal layering may be an alternative explanation; however, this explanation is also riddled with inconsistencies.

Rich, E. I.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Water Balance in the Amazon Basin from a Land Surface Model Ensemble

Despite recent advances in land surfacemodeling and remote sensing, estimates of the global water budget are still fairly uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the water budget of the Amazon basin based on several state-ofthe- art land surface model (LSM) outputs. Water budget variables (terrestrial water storage TWS, evapotranspiration ET, surface runoff R, and base flow B) are evaluated at the basin scale using both remote sensing and in situ data. Meteorological forcings at a 3-hourly time step and 18 spatial resolution were used to run 14 LSMs. Precipitation datasets that have been rescaled to matchmonthly Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) andGlobal Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) datasets and the daily Hydrologie du Bassin de l'Amazone (HYBAM) dataset were used to perform three experiments. The Hydrological Modeling and Analysis Platform (HyMAP) river routing scheme was forced with R and B and simulated discharges are compared against observations at 165 gauges. Simulated ET and TWS are compared against FLUXNET and MOD16A2 evapotranspiration datasets andGravity Recovery and ClimateExperiment (GRACE)TWSestimates in two subcatchments of main tributaries (Madeira and Negro Rivers).At the basin scale, simulated ET ranges from 2.39 to 3.26 mm day(exp -1) and a low spatial correlation between ET and precipitation indicates that evapotranspiration does not depend on water availability over most of the basin. Results also show that other simulated water budget components vary significantly as a function of both the LSM and precipitation dataset, but simulated TWS generally agrees with GRACE estimates at the basin scale. The best water budget simulations resulted from experiments using HYBAM, mostly explained by a denser rainfall gauge network and the rescaling at a finer temporal scale.

GPCP↗

NASA NTRS1990

Variations in effective elastic thickness of the North American lithosphere

A technique for estimating flexural rigidity that is not limited to sedimentary basins is used here to map variations in the effective elastic thickness of the North American lithosphere. The effective elastic thickness ranges from a minimum of about 4 km in the Basin and Range Province to more than 100 km in the Precambrian core of the continent. This finding supports the idea that flexural rigidity has increased with time since the last thermal event.

Bechtel, Timothy D.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Radar Altimetry as a Proxy for Determining Terrestrial Water Storage Variability in Tropical Basins

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission has provided us with unforeseen information on terrestrial water-storage (TWS) variability, contributing to our understanding of global hydrological processes, including hydrological extreme events and anthropogenic impacts on water storage. Attempts to decompose GRACE-based TWS signals into its different water storage layers, i.e., surface water storage (SWS), soil moisture, groundwater and snow, have shown that SWS is a principal component, particularly in the tropics, where major rivers flow over arid regions at high latitudes. Here, we demonstrate that water levels, measured with radar altimeters at a limited number of locations, can be used to reconstruct gridded GRACE-based TWS signals in the Amazon basin, at spatial resolutions ranging from 0.5 to 3°, with mean absolute errors (MAE) as low as 2.5 cm and correlations as high as 0.98. We show that, at 3° spatial resolution, spatially-distributed TWS time series can be precisely reconstructed with as few as 41 water-level time series located within the basin. The proposed approach is competitive when compared to existing TWS estimates derived from physically based and computationally expensive methods. Also, a validation experiment indicates that TWS estimates can be extrapolated to periods beyond that of the model regression with low errors. The approach is robust, based on regression models and interpolation techniques, and offers a new possibility to reproduce spatially and temporally distributed TWS that could be used to fill inter-mission gaps and to extend GRACE-based TWS time series beyond its timespan.

Terrestrial water storage↗

NASA NTRS1987

V/STOL aircraft configurations and opportunities in the Pacific Basin

Advanced aircraft configurations offer new transportation options for the Pacific Basin. Described is a range of vehicles from low-disk to high-disk loading aircraft, including high-speed rotorcraft, subsonic vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft, and subsonic short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft. The status and advantages of the various configurations are described. Some of these show promise for satisfying many of the transportation requirements of the Pacific Basin; as such, they could revolutionize short-haul transportation in that region.

Albers, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

V/STOL aircraft configurations and opportunities in the Pacific Basin

Albers, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Environmental Perturbations Caused by the Impacts of Asteroids and Comets

We review the major mechanisms proposed to cause extinctions at the Cretaceous-Tertiary geological boundary following an asteroid impact. We then discuss how the proposed extinction may relate to the impact of asteroids or comets in general. We discuss the limitations of these mechanisms in terms of the spatial scale that may be affected, and the time scale over which the effects may last. Our goal is to provide relatively simple prescriptions for evaluating the importance of colliding objects having a range of energies and compositions. We also identify the many uncertainties concerning the environmental effects of impacts. We conclude that, for impact energies below about 10(exp 4) Mts (megatons of TNT equivalent) - i.e., impact frequencies less than in 6 x 10(exp 4) yr, corresponding to comets and asteroids with diameters smaller than about 400 m and 650 m, respectively - blast damage, earthquakes, and fires should be important on a scale of 10(exp 4) or 10(exp 5) km (exp 2), which corresponds to the area damaged in many natural disasters of recent history. However, tsunami could be more damaging, flooding a kilometer of coastal plane over entire ocean basins. In the energy range of 10(exp 4) to 10 (exp 5) Mts (intervals up to 3 x 10(exp 5) yr; comets and asteroids with sizes up to 800 m and 1.5 km, respectively) water vapor injections and ozone loss become significant on the global scale. In the submicrometer dust injection fraction from the pulverized target material is much higher than is presently thought to be most likely, then dust injection could be important in this energy range.

Toon, Owen B.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Break-up characteristics of Chena River Basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Results from snowmelt model were obtained showing the decreasing changes in snow depth for four elevational ranges in the Chena River Basin. This model is based on the energy balance of the snowpack and the results are shown on attached figures. Also, the measured hydrographs for two stations on the Chena River are shown. The next phase of the study will be to analyze the model using both ERTS-1 imagery and measured field values.

Carlson, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1971

Jurassic and Cretaceous Hagiastridae from the Blake-Bahama Basin /Site 5A, JOIDES Leg I/ and the Great Valley Sequence, California Coast Ranges.

Description of a total of 24 new species and four genuses of Jurassic and Cretaceous Hagiastridae found in the Great Valley Sequence of the California Coast Ranges. Also described are four new species from the late Jurassic strata of the Blake-Bahama Basin. Spumellariina with a spongy meshwork is included in the superfamily Spongodiscacea Haeckel.

Pessagno, E. A., Jr.↗