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At least 127 records · Page 7

Satellite Remote Sensing Observations of Trans-Atlantic Dust Transport and Deposition: A Multi-Sensor Analysis

We analyze the decade-long (2007-2016) record of aerosol measurements from four distinctive sensors, namely CALIOP, MODIS, MISR, and IASI, to quantify the trans-Atlantic dust transport and deposition. These satellite sensors use different techniques to characterize particle size and shape properties; and we have developed sensor-specific methods (broadly categorized into size-based and shape-based method) to derive dust optical depth (DOD). The size-based DOD from MODIS and IASI generally agrees better with AERONET-derived DOD than the shape-based DOD from CALIOP and MISR does. Overall, the shape-based DOD is smaller than the size-based DOD by about 25%, which is consistent with distinctive ways of accounting for coarse-spherical particles of dust-pollution internal mixture. While such dust-pollution mixtures are counted as dust in the size-based DOD, they are excluded in the shape-based DOD. DOD is not a good proxy for dust deposition. Instead, the dust deposition depends strongly on the gradient of DOD on a monthly basis and can be derived by calculating the meridional and zonal dust mass flux based on the three-dimensional distributions of dust. Among the remote sensing measurements, difference in dust deposition is smaller than that of DOD, suggesting that different satellites characterize the DOD gradient more consistently than DOD itself. Satellite measurements of dust deposition and DOD also provide an accurate estimate of the dust loss frequency (LF) that measures how efficient the dust is removed from the atmosphere. We found that these remote sensing measurements yield similar LF values of 0.078 –0.102 d-1, which however is factors of 2-5 smaller than model simulations. This analysis provides valuable insights into potential deficiencies in models’ emission and transport/removal processes and hence helps guide model improvement.

remote sensing↗

Remote sensing of coastal fronts and their effects on oil dispersion

The use of remote sensing techniques to determine the properties of coastal and estuarine fronts, which represent regions of discontinuities and high gradients in ocean physical parameters such as velocity and density, and to assess the influence of such fronts on oil pollutants is discussed. Results of an aircraft and boat verification study of an oil drift and spread model in Delaware Bay are indicated which illustrate the tendency of oil slicks to be attracted to frontal regions, where a denser fluid underlies a lighter fluid giving rise to an inclined interface with convergence zones. Landsat imagery of the bay acquired in order to incorporate frontal information into the interactive computer model is then presented which allows the locations of coastal fronts to be charted throughout a tidal cycle. It is noted that satellite observations of flood-associated fronts on the New Jersey side of the bay and ebb-associated fronts on the Delaware side agree with boat measurements and model predictions, and that the remote tracking of fronts by aircraft and satellites will aid in oil slick clean-up operations.

Klemas, V.↗

Modeling Phenological Controls on Carbon Dynamics in Dryland Sagebrush Ecosystems

Dryland ecosystems play an important role in determining how precipitation anomalies affect terrestrial carbonfluxes at regional to global scales. Thus, to understand how climate change may affect the global carbon cycle,we must also be able to understand and model its effects on dryland vegetation. Dynamic Global VegetationModels (DGVMs) are an important tool for modeling ecosystem dynamics, but they often struggle to reproduceseasonal patterns of plant productivity. Because the phenological niche of many plant species is linked to bothtotal productivity and competitive interactions with other plants, errors in how process-based models representphenology hinder our ability to predict climate change impacts. This may be particularly problematic in drylandecosystems where many species have developed a complex phenology in response to seasonal variability in bothmoisture and temperature. Here, we examine how uncertainty in key parameters as well as the structure ofexisting phenology routines affect the ability of a DGVM to match seasonal patterns of leaf area index (LAI) andgross primary productivity (GPP) across a temperature and precipitation gradient. First, we optimized modelparameters using a combination of site-level eddy covariance data and remotely-sensed LAI data. Second, wemodified the model to include a semi-deciduous phenology type and added flexibility to the representation ofgrass phenology. While optimizing parameters reduced model bias, the largest gains in model performance wereassociated with the development of our new representation of phenology. This modified model was able to bettercapture seasonal patterns of both leaf area index (R2=0.75) and gross primary productivity (R2=0.84), thoughits ability to estimate total annual GPP depended on using eddy covariance data for optimization. The new modelalso resulted in a more realistic outcome of modeled competition between grass and shrubs. These findingsdemonstrate the importance of improving how DGVMs represent phenology in order to accurately forecastclimate change impacts in dryland ecosystems.

Ecosystem model Phenology Parameter optimization E↗

How well do local relations predict gas-phase metallicity gradients? Results from SDSS-IV MaNGA

ABSTRACT Gas-phase metallicity gradients in galaxies provide important clues to those galaxies’ formation histories. Using SDSS-IV MaNGA data, we previously demonstrated that gas metallicity gradients vary systematically and significantly across the galaxy mass–size plane: at stellar masses beyond approximately $10^{10}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$, more extended galaxies display steeper gradients (in units of dex/Re) at a given stellar mass. Here, we set out to develop a physical interpretation of these findings by examining the ability of local ∼kpc-scale relations to predict the gradient behaviour along the mass–size plane. We find that local stellar mass surface density, when combined with total stellar mass, is sufficient to reproduce the overall mass–size trend in a qualitative sense. We further find that we can improve the predictions by correcting for residual trends relating to the recent star formation histories of star-forming regions. However, we find as well that the most extended galaxies display steeper average gradients than predicted, even after correcting for residual metallicity trends with other local parameters. From these results, we argue that gas-phase metallicity gradients can largely be understood in terms of known local relations, but we also discuss some possible physical causes of discrepant gradients.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Aridity and forest age mediate landscape scale patterns of tropical forest resistance to cyclonic storms

Abstract Cyclonic storms, or hurricanes, are expected to intensify as ocean heat energy rises due to climate change. Ecological theory suggests that tropical forest resistance to hurricanes should increase with forest age and wood density. However, most data on hurricane effects on tropical forests come from a limited number of well‐studied long‐term monitoring sites, restricting our capacity to evaluate the resistance of tropical forests to hurricanes across broad environmental gradients. In this study, we assessed whether forest age and aridity mediate the effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra islands. We leveraged functional trait data for 410 tree species, remotely sensed measurements of canopy height and cover, along with data on forest stand characteristics of 180 of 338 forest monitoring plots, each covering an area of 0.067 ha. The plots represent a broad mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient from 701 to 4598 mm and a complex mosaic of forest age from 5 to around 85 years since deforestation. Hurricanes resulted in a 25% increase in basal area mortality rates, a 45% decrease in canopy height and a 21% reduction in canopy cover. These effects intensified with forest age, even after considering proximity to the hurricane path. The links between forest age and hurricane disturbances were likely due the prevalence of tall canopies. Tall forest canopies were strongly linked with low community‐weighted wood density (WD). These characteristics were on average more common in moist and wet forests (MAP >1250 mm). Conversely, dry forests were dominated by short species with high wood density (WD > 0.6 g cm −3 ) and did not show significant increases in basal area mortality rates after the hurricanes. Synthesis . Our findings show that selection towards drought‐tolerant traits across aridity gradients, such as short stature and dense wood, enhances resistance to hurricanes. However, forest age modulated responses to hurricanes, with older forests being less resistant across the islands. This evidence highlights the importance of considering the intricate links between ecological succession and plant function when forecasting tropical forests’ responses to increasingly strong hurricanes.

Vargas G., German↗

Gravity and the geoid in the Nepal Himalaya

Materials within the Himalaya are rising due to convergence between India and Asia. If the rate of erosion is comparable to the rate of uplift the mean surface elevation will remain constant. Any slight imbalance in these two processes will lead to growth or attrition of the Himalaya. The process of uplift of materials within the Himalaya coupled with surface erosion is similar to the advance of a glacier into a region of melting. If the melting rate exceeds the rate of downhill motion of the glacier then the terminus of the glacier will receed up-valley despite the downhill motion of the bulk of the glacier. Thus although buried rocks, minerals and surface control points in the Himalaya are undoubtably rising, the growth or collapse of the Himalaya depends on the erosion rate which is invisible to geodetic measurements. Erosion rates are currently estimated from suspended sediment loads in rivers in the Himalaya. These typically underestimate the real erosion rate since bed-load is not measured during times of heavy flood, and it is difficult to integrate widely varying suspended load measurements over many years. An alternative way to measure erosion rate is to measure the rate of change of gravity in a region of uplift. If a control point moves vertically it should be accompanied by a reduction in gravity as the point moves away from the Earth's center of mass. There is a difference in the change of gravity between uplift with and without erosion corresponding to the difference between the free-air gradient and the gradient in the acceleration due to gravity caused by a corresponding thickness of rock. Essentially gravity should change precisely in accord with a change in elevation of the point in a free-air gradient if erosion equals uplift rate. We were funded by NASA to undertake a measurement of absolute gravity simultaneously with measurements of GPS height within the Himalaya. Since both absolute gravity and time are known in an absolute sense to 1 part in 10(exp 10) it is possible to estimate gravity with a precision of 0.1 mu gal. Known systematic errors reduce the measurement to an absolute uncertainty of 6 mu gal. The free air gradient at the point of measurement is typically about 3 mu gals/cm. At Simikot where our experiment was conducted we determined a vertical gravity gradient of 4.4 mu gals/cm.

Bilham, Roger↗

Low-frequency modes and nonbarotropic effects in pseudo-Newtonian accretion disks

A recently developed formalism is used to reexamine the question of the existence of hydrodynamical modes that pulsate with very low frequencies in the inner regions of accretion disks. The formalism is valid in an exact sense for the adiabatic pulsations of rotating Newtonian fluids that are generally nonbarotropic (such as those with 'nonadiabatic temperature gradients,' for example), and hence its application in the present context represents an improvement over previous analyses that are more approximate. The formalism is applied to thin non-self-gravitating disks, with the gravitational potential of the central source modified in the usual way in order to simulate relativistic effects. In the barotropic limit, the analyses indicate that in many cases nearly Keplerian disks exhibit nonaxisymmetric modes of pulsation that are trapped in the inner disk regions, with pulsation periods much longer than the dynamical timescale. These results are similar to those of earlier calculations that assume disks pulsate without changing the temperature distribution. A method is developed for including lowest order nonbarotropic effects. Previous analyses have been incapable of accurately treating the nonbarotropic regime. The application of the present method to the low-frequency modes reveals that, due to unexpected cancellations among terms, the nonbarotropic correction to the pusation frequency omega is only of order tilde-omega(sub BV exp 2) omega, where tilde-omega(sub BV) is the appropriate dimensionless Brunt-Vaisala frequency. This correction is much smaller than the expected correction of order tilde-omega(sub BV) Omega, where Omega is the rotation angular velocity. The important conclusion drawn from this is that nonbarotropic corrections are generally small and hence that low-frequency modes persist into the nonbarotropic regime. For disk temperatures appropriate to X-ray emission, the adiabatic frequencies of trapped modes are of the same order as the frequencies associated with quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of certain low-mass X-ray binaries and other X-ray sources. It is suggested that further consideration be given to the possiblity that modulation of emission processes by these modes can explain at least some of the QPO phenomena.

Ipser, James R.↗

Turbulence in the solar wind: Kinetic effects

Although a casual look at the fluctuating magnetic and velocity fields in the solar wind may be reminiscent of a chaotic and disordered flow, there is, nonetheless. considerable organization and structure in the temporal and spatial evolution of those fluctuations. Much of that evolution is controlled by processes operating on rather large scales for example, in the inner heliosphere, the fluctuations in magnetic and velocity are highly correlated in the sense of outward propagating Alfven waves. This correlation can be destroyed both in time and distance by the velocity gradients present between fast and slow streams and by other nonlinear processes which stir the medium, producing a turbulent cascade of energy from large to small scales. Many aspects of this turbulent evolution can be described using fluid models; however, at some scale the fluid approximation breaks down and a more detailed paradigm is necessary. The breakdown is evident in the power spectrum of magnetic fluctuations at scales approaching the wavelength of ion cyclotron waves. At those scales, as evident in Mariner 10 and other magnetometer data, the spectrum bends over and the fluctuations damp, possibly heating the ambient plasma. Some evidence for heating of the solar wind is present in the Voyager data. Fluid models can be modified to some extent to incorporate aspects of a kinetic treatment. This is done by modifying the dissipation terms in the fluid equations and by including extra terms, such as the Hall term. As the scale lengths of phenomena shrink further and approach the spatial and temporal scales characteristic of electron phenomena, the fluid description must be abandoned altogether and a fully kinetic treatment is required. One example is the generation of Langmuir solitons produced by the electron beams that generate type 3 solar radio bursts.

Goldstein, M. L.↗

On the Dome Effect of Flux Radiometers to Radiative Forcing

Since the introduction of thermopile, pyranometers (solar, e.g., 0.3-3.0 micrometers) and pyrgeometers (terrestrial, e.g., 4-50 micrometers) have become instruments commonly used for measuring the broadband hemispherical irradiances at the surface in a long-term, monitoring mode for decades. These commercially available radiometers have been manufactured in several countries such as from the United States, Asia, and Europe, and are generally reliable and economical. These worldwide distributions of surface measurements become even more important in the era of Earth remote sensing in studying climate forcing. However, recent studies from field campaigns have pointed out that erroneous factors (e.g., temperature gradients between the filter dome and detector, emissivity of the thermopile) are responsible for the unacceptable level of uncertainty (e.g., 10-20 W m (exp -2)). Using a newly developed instrument of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP), we have characterized the brightness temperature fields of pyranometers and pyrgeometers under various sky conditions. The QWIP is based on the superlattice (GaAs/AlGaAs) technology and has a noise equivalent temperature (NE delta T) less than 0.1 K. The quality of pyranometer and pyrgeometer measurements can be improved largely by applying proper knowledge of the thermal parameters affecting the operation of the thermopile systems. For example, we show a method to determine the "dome factor" (the longwave emission divided by the longwave transmission of a pyrgeometer dome) from field measurements. The results show, and are verified independently by the QWIP, that our dome factors of 0.59 and 0.90 are much smaller than the value of 4.0 assumed by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). Data correction procedure and algorithm will be presented and discussed.

Tsay, S.-C.↗

On the Dome Effect of Flux Radiometers to Radiative Forcing

Since the introduction of thermopile, pyranometers (solar, e.g., 0.3-3.0 microns) and pyrgeometers (terrestrial, e.g., 4-50 microns) have become instruments commonly used for measuring the broadband hemispherical irradiances at the surface in a long-term, monitoring mode for decades. These commercially available radiometers have been manufactured in several countries such as from the United States, Asia, and Europe, and are generally reliable and economical. These worldwide distributions of surface measurements become even more important in the era of Earth remote sensing in studying climate forcing. However, recent studies from field campaigns have pointed out that erroneous factors (e.g., temperature gradients between the filter dome and detector, emissivity of the thermopile) are responsible for the unacceptable level of uncertainty (e.g., 10-20 W/square Meter). Using a newly developed instrument of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP), we have characterized the brightness temperature fields of pyranometers and pyrgeometers under various sky conditions. The QWIP is based on the superlattice (GaAs/AlGaAs) technology and has a noise equivalent temperature (NE delta T) less than 0.1 K. The quality of pyranometer and pyrgeometer measurements can be improved largely by applying proper knowledge of the thermal parameters affecting the operation of the thermopile systems. For example, we show a method to determine the "dome factor" (the longwave emission divided by the longwave transmission of a pyrgeometer dome) from field measurements. The results show, and are verified independently by the QWIP, that our dome factors of 0.59 and 0.90 are much smaller than the value of 4.0 assumed by the WMO. Data correction procedure and algorithm will be presented and discussed.

Tsay, S.-C.↗

Characterization of Thermal Parameters for Improving Pyranometer and Pyrgeometer Measurements

Since the introduction of thermopile, pyranometers (solar, e.g., 0.3-3.0 micrometers) and pyrgeometers (terrestrial, e.g., 4-50 micrometers) have become instruments commonly used for measuring the broadband hemispherical irradiances at the surface in a long-term, monitoring mode for decades. These commercially available radiometers have been manufactured in several countries such as from the United States, Asia, and Europe, and are generally reliable and economical. These worldwide distributions of surface measurements become even more important in the era of Earth remote sensing in studying climate change. However, recent studies from field campaigns have pointed out that erroneous factors (e.g., temperature gradients between the filter dome and detector, emissivity of the thermopile) are responsible for the unacceptable level of uncertainty (e.g., 20 W m(exp -2)). Using a newly developed instrument of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWTP), we have characterized the brightness temperature fields of pyranometers and pyrgeometers under various sky conditions. The QWIP is based on the superlattice (GaAs/AlGaAs) technology and has a noise equivalent temperature (NEAT) less than 0.1 K. The quality of pyranometer and pyrgeometer measure- ments can be improved largely by applying proper knowledge of the thermal parameters affecting the operation of the thermopile systems. Data correction procedure and algorithm will be presented and discussed.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗

Thermal Characteristics of Pyranometers and Pyrgeometers in Atmosphere-Surface Energetic Measurements

Since the introduction of thermopile, pyranometers (solar, e.g., 0.3 - 3.0 microns) and pyrgeometers (terrestrial, e.g., 4 - 50 microns) have become instruments commonly used for measuring the broadband hemispherical irradiances at the surface in a long-term, monitoring mode for decades. These commercially available radiometers have been manufactured in several countries such as from the United States, Asia, and Europe, and are generally reliable and economical. These worldwide distributions of surface measurements become even more important in the era of Earth remote sensing in studying climate change. However, recent studies from field campaigns have pointed out that erroneous factors (e.g., temperature gradients between the filter dome and detector, emissivity of the thermopile) are responsible for the unacceptable level of uncertainty (e.g., 20 W/sq m). It is best to utilize an energy balance equation to describe the thermal dome effect of pyranometers and pyrgeometers. Therefore, quality of pyranometer and pyrgeometer measurements can be improved largely by applying proper knowledge of the thermal parameters affecting the operation of the thermopile systems. Data correction procedure and algorithm will be presented and discussed.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗

Characterization of thermotropism in primary roots of maize: dependence on temperature and temperature gradient, and interaction with gravitropism

Thermotropism in primary roots of Zea mays L. was studied with respect to gradient strength (degrees C cm-1), temperature of exposure within a gradient, pre-treatment temperature, and gravitropic stimulation. The magnitude of the response decreased with gradient strength. Maximum thermotropism was independent of gradient strength and pre-treatment temperature. The range of temperature for positive and negative thermotropism did not change with pre-treatment temperature. However, the exact range of temperatures for positive and negative thermotropism varied with gradient strengths. In general, temperatures of exposure lower than 25 degrees C resulted in positive tropic responses while temperatures of exposure of 39 degrees C or more resulted in negative tropic responses. Thermotropism was shown to modify and reverse the normal gravitropic curvature of a horizontal root when thermal gradients were applied opposite the 1 g vector. It is concluded that root thermotropism is a consequence of thermal sensing and that the curvature of the primary root results from the interaction of the thermal and gravitational sensing systems.

Non-NASA Center↗

RF Reference Switch for Spaceflight Radiometer Calibration

The goal of this technology is to provide improved calibration and measurement sensitivity to the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP) radiometer. While RF switches have been used in the past to calibrate microwave radiometers, the switch used on SMAP employs several techniques uniquely tailored to the instrument requirements and passive remote-sensing in general to improve radiometer performance. Measurement error and sensitivity are improved by employing techniques to reduce thermal gradients within the device, reduce insertion loss during antenna observations, increase insertion loss temporal stability, and increase rejection of radar and RFI (radio-frequency interference) signals during calibration. The two legs of the single-pole double-throw reference switch employ three PIN diodes per leg in a parallel-shunt configuration to minimize insertion loss and increase stability while exceeding rejection requirements at 1,413 MHz. The high-speed packaged diodes are selected to minimize junction capacitance and resistance while ensuring the parallel devices have very similar I-V curves. Switch rejection is improved by adding high-impedance quarter-wave tapers before and after the diodes, along with replacing the ground via of one diode per leg with an open circuit stub. Errors due to thermal gradients in the switch are reduced by embedding the 50-ohm reference load within the switch, along with using a 0.25-in. (approximately equal to 0.6-cm) aluminum prebacked substrate. Previous spaceflight microwave radiometers did not embed the reference load and thermocouple directly within the calibration switch. In doing so, the SMAP switch reduces error caused by thermal gradients between the load and switch. Thermal issues are further reduced by moving the custom, highspeed regulated driver circuit to a physically separate PWB (printed wiring board). Regarding RF performance, previous spaceflight reference switches have not employed high-impedance tapers to improve rejection. The use of open-circuit stubs instead of a via to provide an improved RF short is unique to this design. The stubs are easily tunable to provide high rejection at specific frequencies while maintaining very low insertion loss in-band.

Knuble, Joseph↗

Modeling Phenological Controls on Carbon Dynamics in Dryland Sagebrush Ecosystems

Dryland ecosystems play an important role in determining how precipitation anomalies affect terrestrial carbon fluxes at regional to global scales. Thus, to understand how climate change may affect the global carbon cycle, we must also be able to understand and model its effects on dryland vegetation. Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are an important tool for modeling ecosystem dynamics, but they often struggle to reproduce seasonal patterns of plant productivity. Because the phenological niche of many plant species is linked to both total productivity and competitive interactions with other plants, errors in how process-based models represent phenology hinder our ability to predict climate change impacts. This may be particularly problematic in dryland ecosystems where many species have developed a complex phenology in response to seasonal variability in both moisture and temperature. Here, we examine how uncertainty in key parameters as well as the structure of existing phenology routines affect the ability of a DGVM to match seasonal patterns of leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) across a temperature and precipitation gradient. First, we optimized model parameters using a combination of site-level eddy covariance data and remotely-sensed LAI data. Second, we modified the model to include a semi-deciduous phenology type and added flexibility to the representation of grass phenology. While optimizing parameters reduced model bias, the largest gains in model performance were associated with the development of our new representation of phenology. This modified model was able to better capture seasonal patterns of both leaf area index (R(exp 2) = 0.75) and gross primary productivity (R(exp 2) = 0.84), though its ability to estimate total annual GPP depended on using eddy covariance data for optimization. The new model also resulted in a more realistic outcome of modeled competition between grass and shrubs. These findings demonstrate the importance of improving how DGVMs represent phenology in order to accurately forecast climate change impacts in dryland ecosystems.

Ecosystem model↗

Entanglement between a muon spin and $I>\frac{1}{2}$ nuclear spins

We report on the first example of quantum coherence between the spins of muons and quadrupolar nuclei. We observe this effect in vanadium intermetallic compounds which adopt the A15 crystal structure, and whose members include all technologically dominant superconductors. The entangled states are extremely sensitive to the local structural and electronic environments through the electric field gradient at the quadrupolar nuclei. This case-study demonstrates that positive muons can be used as a quantum sensing tool to probe also structural and charge related phenomena in materials, even in the absence of magnetic order.

Bonfà, Pietro↗

The relative importance of aerosol scattering and absorption in remote sensing

The relative importance of aerosol optical thickness and absorption is illustrated through computing radiances for radiative transfer models. The radiance of sunlight reflected from models of the earth-atmosphere system is computed as a function of the aerosol optical thickness and its albedo of single scattering; it is noted that the albedo varies from 0.6 in urban environment to nearly 1 in areas with low graphitic carbon content. The calculations are applied to the example of satellite measurements of biomass. It is found that when surface classifications are made by means of clustering techniques the presence of gradients in the aerosol optical properties results in the dispersion of points in the plot correlating radiances viewed in two different directions. Finally, though such a remote sensing parameter as contrast is weakly affected by aerosol absorption, it is highly dependent on its optical thickness.

Fraser, R. S.↗

In Situ Synthesis of Molybdenum Carbide Nanoparticles Incorporated into Laser‐Patterned Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon for Room Temperature VOC Sensing

Abstract Carbon laser‐patterning (CLaP) is emerging as a new tool for the precise and selective synthesis of functional carbon‐based materials for on‐chip applications. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the applicability of laser‐patterned nitrogen‐doped carbon (LP‐NC) for resistive gas‐sensing applications. Films of pre‐carbonized organic nanoparticles on polyethylenetherephthalate are carbonized with a CO 2 ‐laser. Upon laser‐irradiation a compositional and morphological gradient in the films is generated with a carbon content of 92% near the top surface. The specific surface areas of the LP‐NC are increased by introducing sodium iodide (NaI) as a porogen. Electronic conductivity and surface area measurements corroborate the deeper penetration of the laser‐energy into the film in the presence of NaI. Furthermore, impregnation of LP‐NC with MoC 1− x (<10 nm) nanoparticles is achieved by addition of ammonium heptamolybdate into the precursor film. The resulting doping‐sensitive nano‐grain boundaries between p‐type carbon and metallic MoC 1− x lead to an improvement of the volatile organic compounds sensing response of Δ R / R 0 = −3.7% or −0.8% for 1250 ppm acetone or 900 ppm toluene at room temperature, respectively, which is competitive with carbon‐based sensor materials. Further advances in sensitivity and in situ functionalization are expected to make CLaP a useful method for printing selective sensor arrays.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗