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At least 109 records · Page 6

GEONEX: Land Monitoring From a New Generation of Geostationary Satellite Sensors

The latest generation of geostationary satellites carry sensors such as ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager on GOES-16) and the AHI (Advanced Himawari Imager on Himawari) that closely mimic the spatial and spectral characteristics of Earth Observing System flagship MODIS for monitoring land surface conditions. More importantly they provide observations at 5-15 minute intervals. Such high frequency data offer exciting possibilities for producing robust estimates of land surface conditions by overcoming cloud cover, enabling studies of diurnally varying local-to-regional biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and operational decision-making in agriculture, forestry and disaster management. But the data come with challenges that need special attention. For instance, geostationary data feature changing sun angle at constant view for each pixel, which is reciprocal to sun-synchronous observations, and thus require careful adaptation of EOS algorithms. Our goal is to produce a set of land surface products from geostationary sensors by leveraging NASA's investments in EOS algorithms and in the data/compute facility NEX. The land surface variables of interest include atmospherically corrected surface reflectances, snow cover, vegetation indices and leaf area index (LAI)/fraction of photosynthetically absorbed radiation (FPAR), as well as land surface temperature and fires. In order to get ready to produce operational products over the US from GOES-16 starting 2018, we have utilized 18 months of data from Himawari AHI over Australia to test the production pipeline and the performance of various algorithms for our initial tests. The end-to-end processing pipeline consists of a suite of modules to (a) perform calibration and automatic georeference correction of the AHI L1b data, (b) adopt the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm to produce surface spectral reflectances along with compositing schemes and QA, and (c) modify relevant EOS retrieval algorithms (e.g., LAI and FPAR, GPP, etc.) for subsequent science product generation. Initial evaluation of Himawari AHI products against standard MODIS products indicate general agreement, suggesting that data from geostationary sensors can augment low earth orbit (LEO) satellite observations.

geostationary↗

Advanced Composites: Mechanical Properties and Hardware Programs for Selected Resin Matrix Materials

This design note presents typical mechanical properties tabulated from industrial and governmental agencies' test programs. All data are correlated to specific products and all of the best known products are presented. The data include six epoxies, eight polyimides and one polyquinoxaline matrix material. Bron and graphite are the fiber reinforcements. Included are forty-two summaries of advanced (resin matrix) composite programs in existence in the United States. It is concluded that the selection of appropriate matrices, the geometric manner in which the fibers are incorporated in the matrix and the durability of the bond between fiber and matrix establish the end properties of the composite material and the performance of the fabricated structure.

Welhart, E. K.↗

Online Access to Weather Satellite Imagery Through the World Wide Web

Both global area coverage (GAC) and high-resolution picture transmission (HRTP) data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) are made available to laternet users through an online data access system. Older GOES-7 data am also available. Created as a "testbed" data system for NASA's future Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), this testbed provides an opportunity to test both the technical requirements of an onune'd;ta system and the different ways in which the -general user, community would employ such a system. Initiated in December 1991, the basic data system experienced five major evolutionary changes In response to user requests and requirements. Features added with these changes were the addition of online browse, user subsetting, dynamic image Processing/navigation, a stand-alone data storage system, and movement,from an X-windows graphical user Interface (GUI) to a World Wide Web (WWW) interface. Over Its lifetime, the system has had as many as 2500 registered users. The system on the WWW has had over 2500 hits since October 1995. Many of these hits are by casual users that only take the GIF images directly from the interface screens and do not specifically order digital data. Still, there b a consistent stream of users ordering the navigated image data and related products (maps and so forth). We have recently added a real-time, seven- day, northwestern United States normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composite that has generated considerable Interest. Index Terms-Data system, earth science, online access, satellite data.

Emery, W.↗

Influence of Leaf Area Index Prescriptions on Simulations of Heat, Moisture, and Carbon Fluxes

Leaf-area index (LAI), the total one-sided surface area of leaf per ground surface area, is a key component of land surface models. We investigate the influence of differing, plausible LAI prescriptions on heat, moisture, and carbon fluxes simulated by the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLEv1.4b) model over the Australian continent. A 15-member ensemble monthly LAI data-set is generated using the MODIS LAI product and gridded observations of temperature and precipitation. Offline simulations lasting 29 years (1980-2008) are carried out at 25 km resolution with the composite monthly means from the MODIS LAI product (control simulation) and compared with simulations using each of the 15-member ensemble monthly-varying LAI data-sets generated. The imposed changes in LAI did not strongly influence the sensible and latent fluxes but the carbon fluxes were more strongly affected. Croplands showed the largest sensitivity in gross primary production with differences ranging from -90 to 60 %. PFTs with high absolute LAI and low inter-annual variability, such as evergreen broadleaf trees, showed the least response to the different LAI prescriptions, whilst those with lower absolute LAI and higher inter-annual variability, such as croplands, were more sensitive. We show that reliance on a single LAI prescription may not accurately reflect the uncertainty in the simulation of the terrestrial carbon fluxes, especially for PFTs with high inter-annual variability. Our study highlights that the accurate representation of LAI in land surface models is key to the simulation of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Hence this will become critical in quantifying the uncertainty in future changes in primary production.

land-surface modeling↗

Advancing NASA SatCORPS Global Data Products with Cloud Computing and Machine Learning

Operational satellite imager radiances are valuable for deriving many different physical parameters that can be used for a variety of weather, aviation, and energy applications. The NASA Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) applies a suite of algorithms to meteorological satellite data to provide cloud properties, radiative fluxes and other parameters on a global scale. The use of cloud computing has enabled recent enhancements to process a constellation of geostationary satellites at higher spatiotemporal resolutions than previously possible that meet low latency and near real-time needs. Data taken from Meteosat-8 and -11, Himawari, GOES-16, and -17 are processed and combined with operational polar orbiting satellite data and composited on a 3-km grid to provide global coverage. To improve the utility of the data products, machine learning and other innovative methods are applied in various ways to help minimize data product uncertainties under the most challenging conditions and to improve their consistency at all times of day. An update on recent SatCORPS enhancements is presented, highlighting the community benefits achieved with the use of cloud computing and machine learning.

William L Smith↗

Satellite Maps and Relevant Compositional Properties of PM2.5 in Difficult Winter Situations and Comparisons to DISCOVER-AQ Airborne Sampling

Mediterranean-climate regions like California's San Joaquin Valley are subject to severe wintertime particulate pollution affecting public health. We present maps of episodes and particulate diagnostics to aid diagnosis and amelioration. For abatement at sources, we require an understanding of sources and transport. Remote sensing should be of aid, but radiance-to-particle relationships are far different from methods which have been of use in the Eastern USA, Northern and Central Europe. Here are the problems: (a) Thin if very polluted mixed layers (MLs) yield optical depths, AOD, near the detection level, (b) bright and quite variegated surfaces (c) Unusual particle composition (e.g., predominance of NH4NO3 and fireplace buning aerosol), which complicate the relationship of AOD to PM2.5. Specialized analysis of MODIS-Aqua data to obtain AOD using the multi-angle (MAIAC) technique employed by Lyapustin and Wang. Meteorological analyses like NOAA's Rapid Analysis Product (RAP, or newer products like HRRR), which are formulated to remain close to observations (e.g. of water), provide useful ML information corroborated by DISCOVER-AQ in-situ and lidar observations. The many PM2.5 measurements allow a calibration of these products and thus maps of aerosol on many successive aerosol buildups. These calibrations also allow insight into compositional information relevant to MODIS retrievals, the product of aerosol density and specific scattering. We have found that the rich in-situ, lidar, and sun-photometer data sets of NASA'S DISCOVER-AQ data set (2013) of great aid. We will highlight the most interesting of many intercomparisons possible with this rich data set. We conclude with a description of new work to extend these insights to similar regions, e.g. the Imperial Valley of California, the Po Valley and maritime Southern Europe, and the litoral regions of Israel.

aerosols↗

The Narrow Cold-Frontal Rainband of 22/23 November 2013

The recent paper in Weather by Young (2014) provided a detailed analysis of an intensive cold front as it passed over the UK on 2223 November 2013. This was an extremely good example of linear convection, as it is described in the paper, or a narrow cold-frontal rainband (NCFR; Hobbs and Biswas, 1979). These features are associated with a low-level jet that lies ahead and parallel to the surface cold front, generating a band of intense but relatively shallow convection (see Koch and Kocin, 1991). Although the structure associated with these systems is not uncommon (e.g. Gatzen, 2011), this case was notable for the (linear) length and the longevity of the feature. Critically, fine-scale radar observations using the 1km, 5min UK composite radar product, produced by the UK Met Office and supplied by the British Atmospheric Data Centre, enabled the timing and progression of the most intense band of this feature tobe examined (see Figure 1).

narrow↗

Image retrieval and processing system version 2.0 development work

The Image Retrieval and Processing System (IRPS) is a software package developed at Washington University and used by the NASA Regional Planetary Image Facilities (RPIF's). The IRPS combines data base management and image processing components to allow the user to examine catalogs of image data, locate the data of interest, and perform radiometric and geometric calibration of the data in preparation for analysis. Version 1.0 of IRPS was completed in Aug. 1989 and was installed at several IRPS's. Other RPIF's use remote logins via NASA Science Internet to access IRPS at Washington University. Work was begun on designing and population a catalog of Magellan image products that will be part of IRPS Version 2.0, planned for release by the end of calendar year 1991. With this catalog, a user will be able to search by orbit and by location for Magellan Basic Image Data Records (BIDR's), Mosaicked Image Data Records (MIDR's), and Altimetry-Radiometry Composite Data Records (ARCDR's). The catalog will include the Magellan CD-ROM volume, director, and file name for each data product. The image processing component of IRPS is based on the Planetary Image Cartography Software (PICS) developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona. To augment PICS capabilities, a set of image processing programs were developed that are compatible with PICS-format images. This software includes general-purpose functions that PICS does not have, analysis and utility programs for specific data sets, and programs from other sources that were modified to work with PICS images. Some of the software will be integrated into the Version 2.0 release of IRPS. A table is presented that lists the programs with a brief functional description of each.

Slavney, Susan H.↗

Characterization of PMR polyimide resin and prepreg

Procedures for the chemical characterization of PMR-15 resin solutions and graphite-reinforced prepregs were developed, and a chemical data base was established. In addition, a basic understanding of PMR-15 resin chemistry was gained; this was translated into effective processing procedures for the production of high quality graphite composites. During the program the PMR monomers and selected model compounds representative of postulated PMR-15 solution chemistry were acquired and characterized. Based on these data, a baseline PMR-15 resin was formulated and evaluated for processing characteristics and composite properties. Commercially available PMR-15 resins were then obtained and chemically characterized. Composite panels were fabricated and evaluated.

Lindenmeyer, P. H.↗

Evaluation of MODIS and VIIRS Cloud-Gap-Filled Snow-Cover Products for Production of an Earth Science Data Record

MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cryosphere products have been available since 2000 – following the 1999 launch of the Terra MODIS and the 2002 launch of the Aqua MODIS – and include global snow-cover extent (SCE) (swath, daily, and 8 d composites) at 500 m and ∼5 km spatial resolutions. These products are used extensively in hydrological modeling and climate studies. Reprocessing of the complete snow-cover data record, from Collection 5 (C5) to Collection 6 (C6) and Collection 6.1 (C6.1), has provided improvements in the MODIS product suite. Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Collection 1 (C1) snow-cover products at a 375 m spatial resolution have been available since 2011 and are currently being reprocessed for Collection 2 (C2). Both the MODIS C6.1 and the VIIRS C2 products will be available for download from the National Snow and Ice Data Center beginning in early 2020 with the complete time series available in 2020. To address the need for a cloud-reduced or cloud-free daily SCE product for both MODIS and VIIRS, a daily cloud-gap-filled (CGF) snow-cover algorithm was developed for MODIS C6.1 and VIIRS C2 processing. MOD10A1F (Terra) and MYD10A1F (Aqua) are daily, 500 m resolution CGF SCE map products from MODIS. VNP10A1F is the daily, 375 m resolution CGF SCE map product from VIIRS. These CGF products include quality-assurance data such as cloud-persistence statistics showing the age of the observation in each pixel. The objective of this paper is to introduce the new MODIS and VIIRS standard CGF daily SCE products and to provide a preliminary evaluation of uncertainties in the gap-filling methodology so that the products can be used as the basis for a moderate-resolution Earth science data record (ESDR) of SCE. Time series of the MODIS and VIIRS CGF products have been developed and evaluated at selected study sites in the US and southern Canada. Observed differences, although small, are largely attributed to cloud masking and differences in the time of day of image acquisition. A nearly 3-month time-series comparison of Terra MODIS and S-NPP VIIRS CGF snow-cover maps for a large study area covering all or parts of 11 states in the western US and part of southwestern Canada reveals excellent correspondence between the Terra MODIS and S-NPP VIIRS products, with a mean difference of 11 070 sqkm, which is ∼0.45 % of the study area. According to our preliminary validation of the Terra and Aqua MODIS CGF SCE products in the western US study area, we found higher accuracy of the Terra product compared with the Aqua product. The MODIS CGF SCE data record beginning in 2000 has been extended into the VIIRS era, which should last at least through the early 2030s.

Hall, Dorothy K.↗

The compositional structure and the effects of exothermicity in an unpremixed planar jet flame

Results are presented of direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a randomly perturbed compressible, spatially developing planar jet under the influence of a finite rate Arrhenius chemical reaction of the type F + O yields Product + Heat. The objectives of the simulations are to assess the compositional structure of the flame and to determine the influence of reaction exothermicity by means of statistical sampling of the data generated by DNS. It is shown that even with this idealized kinetics model, the simulated results exhibit features in accordance with experimental data. These results indicate that the Damkoehler number is an important parameter in determining the statistical composition of the reacting field, and that the results are insensitive to the mechanism by which this parameter is varied. It is demonstrated that as the intensity of mixing is increased and the effect of finite rate chemistry is more pronounced, the magnitudes of the ensemble mean and rms of the product mass fraction decrease, and those of the reactants mass fraction increase. Also, at higher mixing rates the joint probability density functions of the reactants' mass fractions shift towards higher values within the composition domain indicating a lower reactedness. These trends are consistent with those observed experimentally and are very useful in portraying the statistical structure of non-equilibrium diffusion flames. The DNS generated data are also utilized to examine the applicability of the 'laminar diffusion flamelet model' in predicting the rate of the reactant conversion with finite rate chemistry. This examination indicates that the bounds of the product formation scale reasonably well with those obtained by the flamelet model. However, in the range of the relatively low values of the Damkoehler numbers considered, the scatter of the results is substantially more than that to be completely determined by the closure.

Steinberger, C. J.↗

A Landsat-Based Assessment of Mobile Bay Land Use and Land Cover Change from 1974 to 2008

The Mobile Bay region has experienced noteworthy land use and land cover (LULC) change in the latter half of the 20th century. Accompanying this change has been urban expansion and a reduction of rural land uses. Much of this LULC change has reportedly occurred since the landfall of Hurricane Frederic in 1979. The Mobile Bay region provides great economic and ecologic benefits to the Nation, including important coastal habitat for a broad diversity of fisheries and wildlife. Regional urbanization threatens the estuary s water quality and aquatic-habitat dependent biota, including commercial fisheries and avian wildlife. Coastal conservation and urban land use planners require additional information on historical LULC change to support coastal habitat restoration and resiliency management efforts. This presentation discusses results of a Gulf of Mexico Application Pilot project that was conducted in 2008 to quantify and assess LULC change from 1974 to 2008. This project was led by NASA Stennis Space Center and involved multiple Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) partners, including the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (NEP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration s (NOAA s) National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), and the NOAA Coastal Services Center. Nine Landsat images were employed to compute LULC products because of their availability and suitability for the application. The project also used Landsat-based national LULC products, including coastal LULC products from NOAA s Coastal Change & Analysis Program (C-CAP), available at 5-year intervals since 1995. Our study was initiated in part because C-CAP LULC products were not available to assess the region s urbanization prior to 1995 and subsequent to post Hurricane Katrina in 2006. This project assessed LULC change across the 34-year time frame and at decadal and middecadal scales. The study area included the majority of Mobile and Baldwin counties that encompass Mobile Bay. In doing so, each date of Landsat data was classified using an end-user defined modified Anderson level 1 classification scheme. LULC classifications were refined using a decision rule approach in conjunction with available C-CAP products. Individual dates of LULC classifications were validated by image interpretation of stratified random locations on raw Landsat color composite imagery in combination with higher resolution remote sensing and in-situ reference data. The results indicate that during the 34-year study period, urban areas increased from 96,688 to 150,227 acres, representing a 55.37% increase, or 1.63% per annum. Most of the identified urban expansion results from conversion of rural forest and agriculture to urban cover types. Final LULC mapping and metadata products were produced for the entire study area as well as watersheds of concern within the study area. Final project products, including LULC trend information, were incorporated into the Mobile Bay NEP State of the Bay report. Products and metadata were transferred to NOAA NCDDC to allow free online accessibility and use by GOMA partners and by the public.

Spruce, Joseph↗

Mineral oils

The characteristics of lubricants made from mineral oils are discussed. Types and compositions of base stocks are reviewed and the product demands and compositions of typical products are outlined. Processes for commercial production of mineral oils are examined. Tables of data are included to show examples of product types and requirements. A chemical analysis of three types of mineral oils is reported.

Furby, N. W.↗

A study on the utilization of advanced composites in commercial aircraft wing structure

A study was conducted to define the technology and data needed to support the introduction of advanced composite materials in the wing structure of future production aircraft. The study accomplished the following: (1) definition of acceptance factors, (2) identification of technology issues, (3) evaluation of six candidate wing structures, (4) evaluation of five program options, (5) definition of a composite wing technology development plan, (6) identification of full-scale tests, (7) estimation of program costs for the total development plan, (8) forecast of future utilization of composites in commercial transport aircraft and (9) identification of critical technologies for timely program planning.

Watts, D. J.↗

Al-26 depth profile in Apollo 15 drill core

Accelerator mass spectrometry is used in a study of galactic cosmic ray production profiles based on cosmic ray-produced Al-26 in the Apollo 15 long core. The results, which are in general agreement with earlier nondestructive counting data, are of significantly higher precision, yet systematically lower. The half-attenuation length for Al-26 production is presently calculated to be 122 g/sq cm, after normalizing the data to average chemical composition.

Nishiizumi, K.↗

NASA GEOS Composition Forecast System, GEOS-CF

GEOS is an Earth System Model designed to advance the use of satellite data products. Since it is a modular system, it can be run as a numerical weather prediction model and coupled to chemistry modules.

K. Emma Knowland↗

Chemical Modeling of the Reactivity of Short-Lived Greenhouse Gases: A Model Inter-Comparison Prescribing a Well-Measured, Remote Troposphere

We develop a new protocol for merging in situ measurements with 3-D model simulations of atmospheric chemistry with the goal of integrating over the data to identify the most reactive air parcels in terms of tropospheric production and loss of the greenhouse gases ozone and methane. Presupposing that we can accurately measure atmospheric composition, we examine whether models constrained by such measurements agree on the chemical budgets for ozone and methane. In applying our technique to a synthetic data stream of 14,880 parcels along 180W, we are able to isolate the performance of the photochemical modules operating within their global chemistry-climate and chemistry-transport models, removing the effects of modules controlling tracer transport, emissions, and scavenging. Differences in reactivity across models are driven only by the chemical mechanism and the diurnal cycle of photolysis rates, which are driven in turn by temperature, water vapor, solar zenith angle, clouds, and possibly aerosols and overhead ozone, which are calculated in each model. We evaluate six global models and identify their differences and similarities in simulating the chemistry through a range of innovative diagnostics. All models agree that the more highly reactive parcels dominate the chemistry (e.g., the hottest 10% of parcels control 25-30% of the total reactivities), but do not fully agree on which parcels comprise the top 10%. Distinct differences in specific features occur, including the regions of maximum ozone production and methane loss, as well as in the relationship between photolysis and these reactivities. Unique, possibly aberrant, features are identified for each model, providing a benchmark for photochemical module development. Among the 6 models tested here, 3 are almost indistinguishable based on the inherent variability caused by clouds, and thus we identify 4, effectively distinct, chemical models. Based on this work, we suggest that water vapor differences in model simulations of past and future atmospheres may be a cause of the different evolution of tropospheric O3 and CH4, and lead to different chemistry-climate feedbacks across the models.

greenhouse gases↗

NASA's NPOESS Preparatory Project Science Data Segment: A Framework for Measurement-based Earth Science Data Systems

The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) Science Data Segment (SDS) provides a framework for the future of NASA s distributed Earth science data systems. The NPP SDS performs research and data product assessment while using a fully distributed architecture. The components of this architecture are organized around key environmental data disciplines: land, ocean, ozone, atmospheric sounding, and atmospheric composition. The SDS thus establishes a set of concepts and a working prototypes. This paper describes the framework used by the NPP Project as it enabled Measurement-Based Earth Science Data Systems for the assessment of NPP products.

Schwaller, Mathew R.↗