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NASA NTRS2006

Nondestructive Evaluation of Foam Insulation on the Space Shuttle External Tank

Foam loss on the External Tank (ET) during launch can be caused by a number of factors. Voids are the best understood mechanism of foam loss, although it is known that delaminations, cracks and crushed foam can also lead to liberation of foam. Shortly after the Columbia accident, work began on non-destructive evaluation of foam targeted at finding voids and delaminations. After several months of searching for candidate methods capable of inspecting ET foam, the five most promising techniques were taken through a blind test and narrowed down to two methods to develop and use for inspection of the ET. These methods were backscatter radiography and terahertz imaging. The backscatter radiography system measures a test part by detecting Compton backscattered x-ray energy generated by a collimated beam of x-rays directed at the test subject. This collimated beam is scanned across the subject, recording scatter intensity data one pixel at a time until the area of interest is covered. The resulting data can be used to generate an image similar to a radiograph. Some depth information can be gathered utilizing apertures or collimation on the detectors. The detectors are located around the collimated source, making this a single sided inspection. The void detection limit with the currently utilized system is around 0.5 inches in diameter by 0.2 inches high. The terahertz imaging system inspects a test part by utilizing a transceiver to emit a pulse focused at the aluminum skin of the ET, which reflects it back to the transceiver where it is analyzed. The transceiver is scanned across the area of interest until a measurement has been taken at every location. Amplitude, time delay and frequency content are examined to note any discontinuities which may be the result of a void or other type of defect. The pulse currently utilized is in the millimeter wave regime. The void detection limit with this system is around 0.5 inches in diameter by 0.2 inches high. With increased interest in other causes of foam loss following the flight of Discovery in July 2005, laser shearography was added to the techniques used for inspecting ET foam. The shearography method records a sheared image of a laser speckle pattern projected on a test part before And after some sort of excitation. The resultant fringe pattern allows the slope of the out of plane displacement to be measured. For crushed and delaminated foam applications, a non-contact air coupled acoustic force is used to excite the surface of the foam. Regions without defects tend to respond differently to the sound energy than do regions with defects, generating a map of the foam integrity. Foam crushed to a depth of about 0.1 inches is detectable with shearography even after it has relaxed to its original shape.

Richter, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2006

Improved Hurricane Boundary Layer Observations with the Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler

During the NOAA/NESDIS 2005 Hurricane Season (HS2005) and the 2006 Winter Experiment, the University of Massachusetts (UMass) installed two instruments on the NOAA N42RF WP-3D research aircraft: the Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (IWRAP) and the Simultaneous Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR). IWRAP is a dual-band (C- and Ku), dual-polarized pencil-beam airborne radar that profiles the volume backscatter and Doppler velocity from rain and that also measures the ocean backscatter response. It simultaneously profiles along four separate incidence angles while conically scanning at 60 RPM. SFMR is a C-band nadir viewing radiometer that measures the emission from the ocean surface and intervening atmosphere simultaneously at six frequencies. It is designed to obtain the surface wind speed and the column average rain rate. Both instruments have previously been flown during the 2002, 2003 and 2004 hurricane seasons. For the HS2005, the IWRAP system was modified to implement a raw data acquisition system. The importance of the raw data system arises when trying to profile the atmosphere all the way down to the surface with a non-nadir looking radar system. With this particular geometry, problems arise mainly from the fact that both rain and ocean provide a return echo coincident in time through the antenna s main lobe. This paper shows how this limitation has been removed and presents initial results demonstrating its new capabilities to derive the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind field within the inner core of hurricanes to much lower altitudes than the ones the original system was capable of, and to analyze the spectral response of the ocean backscatter and the rain under different wind and rain conditions.

tropical cyclones↗
NASA NTRS2003

Kinematic analysis of conically scanned environmental properties

A method for determining the velocity of features such as wind. The method preferably includes producing sensor signals and projecting the sensor signals sequentially along lines lying on the surface of a cone. The sensor signals may be in the form of lidar, radar or sonar for example. As the sensor signals are transmitted, the signals contact objects and are backscattered. The backscattered sensor signals are received to determine the location of objects as they pass through the transmission path. The speed and direction the object is moving may be calculated using the backscattered data. The data may be plotted in a two dimensional array with a scan angle on one axis and a scan time on the other axis. The prominent curves that appear in the plot may be analyzed to determine the speed and direction the object is traveling.

Wilkerson, Thomas D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Relating a Spectral Index from MODIS and Tower-based Measurements to Ecosystem Light Use Efficiency for a Fluxnet-Canada Coniferous Forest

As part of the North American Carbon Program effort to quantify the terrestrial carbon budget of North America, we have been examining the possibility of retrieving ecosystem light use efficiency (LUE, the carbon sequestered per unit photosynthetically active radiation) directly from satellite observations. Our novel approach has been to compare LUE derived from tower fluxes with LUE estimated using spectral indices computed from MODIS satellite observations over forests in the Fluxnet-Canada Research Network, using the MODIS narrow ocean bands acquired over land. We matched carbon flux data collected around the time of the MODIS mid-day overpass for over one hundred relatively clear days in five years (2001-2006) from a mature Douglas fir forest in British Columbia. We also examined hyperspectral reflectance data collected diurnally from the tower in conjunction with the eddy correlation fluxes and meteorological measurements made throughout the 2006 growing season at this site. The tower-based flux data provided an opportunity to examine diurnal and seasonal LUE processes and their relationship to spectral indices at the scale of the forest stand. We evaluated LUE in conjunction with the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), a normalized difference spectral index that uses 531 nm and a reference band to capture responses to high light induced stress afforded by the xanthophyll cycle. Canopy structure information, retrieved from airborne laser scanning radar (LiDAR) observations, was used to partition the forest canopy into sunlit and shaded fractions throughout the day, on numerous days during 2006. At each observation period throughout a day, the PRI was examined for the sunlit, shaded, and intermediate canopy segments defined by their instantaneous position relative to the solar principal plane (SPP). The sunlit sector was associated with the illumination "hotspot" (the reflectance backscatter maximum), the shaded sector with the "cold or dark spot" (the reflectance forward scatter minimum), while the intermediate, mixed sunlit/shade sector was located in the cross-plane to the SPP. The PRI indices clearly captured the differences in leaf groups, with sunlit foliage exhibiting the lowest values on sunny days throughout the 2006 season. When tower-based canopy-level LUE was recalculated to estimate foliage-based values (LUE(sub foilage) for the three foliage groups under their incident light environments, a strong linear relationship for PRI:LUE(sub foilage) was demonstrated (0.6 less than or equal to r(sup 2) less than or equal to 0.8, n=822, P<0.0001). The MODIS data represent relatively large areas when acquired at nadir (approx.1 sq km) or at variable off-nadir view angles (greater than or equal to 1 sq km) looking forward or aft. Nevertheless, a similar relationship between MODIS PRI and tower-based LUE was obtained from satellite observations (r(sup 2) = 0.76, n=105, P= 0.026) when the azimuth offsets from the SPP for off-nadir observations were considered. At this relatively high latitude of 50 degrees, the MODIS directional observations were offset from the SPP by approximately 50 degrees, but still represented backscatter or forward scatter sectors of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). The backscatter observations sampled the sunlit forest and provided lower PRI values, in general, than the forward scatter observations from the shaded forest. Since the hotspot and darkspot were not typically directly observed, the dynamic range for MODIS PRI was less than that observed in the SPP at the canopy level; therefore, MODIS PRI values were more similar to those observed in sifu in the BRDF cross-plane. While not ideal in terms of spatial resolution or optimal viewing configuration, the MODIS observations nevertheless provide a means to monitor forest under stress using narrow spectral band indices and off-nadir observations. This research has stimulated several spin-off studies for remote sensinf LUE, and demonstrates the importance of the connection between ecosystem structure and physiological function.

Middleton, Elizabeth M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Using Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Data to Evaluate Combined Active Plus Passive Retrievals of Aerosol Extinction Profiles

Aerosol extinction profiles are derived from backscatter data by constraining the retrieval with column aerosol optical thickness (AOT), for example from coincident MODIS observations and without reliance on a priori assumptions about aerosol type or optical properties. The backscatter data were acquired with the NASA Langley High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). The HSRL also simultaneously measures extinction independently, thereby providing an ideal data set for evaluating the constrained retrieval of extinction from backscatter. We will show constrained extinction retrievals using various sources of column AOT, and examine comparisons with the HSRL extinction measurements and with a similar retrieval using data from the CALIOP lidar on the CALIPSO satellite.

Burton, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS2007

CALIPSO Observations of Stratospheric Aerosols: A Preliminary Assessment

We have examined the 532-nm aerosol backscatter coefficient measurements by the Cloud- Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) for their use in the observation of stratospheric aerosol. CALIPSO makes observations that span from 82 S to 82 N each day and, for each profile, backscatter coefficient values reported up to approx. 40 km. The possibility of using CALIPSO for stratospheric aerosol observations is demonstrated by the clear observation of the 20 May 2006 eruption of Montserrat in the earliest CALIPSO data in early June as well as by observations showing the 7 October 2006 eruption of Tavurvur (Rabaul). However, the very low aerosol loading within the stratosphere makes routine observations of the stratospheric aerosol far more difficult than relatively dense volcanic plumes. Nonetheless, we found that averaging a complete days worth of nighttime only data into 5-deg latitude by 1-km vertical bins reveals a stratospheric aerosol data centered near an altitude of 20 km, the clean wintertime polar vortices, and a small maximum in the lower tropical stratosphere. However, the derived values are clearly too small and often negative in much of the stratosphere. The data can be significantly improved by increasing the measured backscatter (molecular and aerosol) by approximately 5% suggesting that the current method of calibrating to a pure molecular atmosphere at 30 km is most likely the source of the low values.

Thomason, Larry W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

A Vegetation Correction Methodology for Time Series Based Soil Moisture Retrieval From C-band Radar Observations

A methodology is presented to correct backscatter (sigma(sup 0)) observations for the effect of vegetation. The proposed methodology is based on the concept that the ratio of the surface scattering over the total amount of scattering (sigma(sup 0)(sub soil)/sigma(sup 0)) is only affected by the vegetation and can be described as a function of the vegetation water content. Backscatter observations sigma(sup 0) from the soil are not influenced by vegetation. Under bare soil conditions (sigma(sup 0)(sub soil)/sigma(sup 0)) equals 1. Under low to moderate biomass and soil moisture conditions, vegetation affects the observed sigma(sup 0) through absorption of the surface scattering and contribution of direct scattering by the vegetation itself. Therefore, the contribution of the surface scattering is smaller than the observed total amount of scattering and decreases as the biomass increases. For dense canopies scattering interactions between the soil surface and vegetation elements (e.g. leaves and stems) also become significant. Because these higher order scattering mechanisms are influenced by the soil surface, an increase in (sigma(sup 0)(sub soil)/sigma(sup 0)) may be observed as the biomass increases under densely vegetated conditions. This methodology is applied within the framework of time series based approach for the retrieval of soil moisture. The data set used for this investigation has been collected during a campaign conducted at USDA's Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement OPE-3) experimental site in Beltsville, Maryland (USA). This campaign took place during the corn growth cycle from May 10th to 0ctober 2nd, 2002. In this period the corn crops reached a vegetation water content of 5.1 kg m(exp -2) at peak biomass and a soil moisture range varying between 0.00 to 0.26 cubic cm/cubic cm. One of the deployed microwave instruments operated was a multi-frequency (C-band (4.75 GHz) and L-band (1.6 GHz)) quad-polarized (HH, HV, VV, VH) radar which was mounted on a 20 meter long boom. In the OPE-3 field campaign, radar observations were collected once a week at nominal times of 8 am, 10 am, 12 noon and 2 pm. During each data run the radar acquired sixty independent measurements within an azimuth of 120 degrees from a boom height of 12.2 m and at three different incidence angles (15,35, and 55 degrees). The sixty observations were averaged to provide one backscatter value for the study area and its accuracy is estimated to be 51.0 dB. For this investigation the C-band observations have been used. Application of the proposed methodology to the selected data set showed a well-defined relationship between (sigma(sup 0)(sub soil)/sigma(sup 0)) and the vegetation water content. It is found that this relationship can be described with two experimentally determined parameters, which depend on the sensing configuration (e.g. incidence angle and polarization). Through application of the proposed vegetation correction methodology and the obtained parameterizations, the soil moisture retrieval accuracy within the framework of a time series based approach is improved from 0.033 to 0.032 cubic cm/cubic cm, from 0.049 to 0.033 cubic cm/cubic cm and from 0.079 to 0.047 cubic cm/cubic cm for incidence angles of 15,35 and 55 degrees, respectively. Improvement in soil moisture retrieval due to vegetation correction is greater at larger incidence angles (due to the increased path length and larger vegetation effects on the surface signal at the larger angles).

Joseph, Alicia T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Ground-Based Lidar Measurements During the CALIPSO and Twilight Zone (CATZ) Campaign

The CALIPSO and Twilight Zone (CATZ) field campaign was carried out between June 26th and August 29th of 2007 in the multi-state Maryland-Virginia-Pennsylvania region of the U.S. to study aerosol properties and cloud-aerosol interactions during overpasses of the CALIPSO satellite. Field work was conducted on selected days when CALIPSO ground tracks occurred in the region. Ground-based measurements included data from multiple Cimel sunphotometers that were placed at intervals along a segment of the CALIPSO ground-track. These measurements provided sky radiance and AOD measurements to enable joints inversions and comparisons with CALIPSO retrievals. As part of this activity, four ground-based lidars provided backscatter measurements (at 523 nm) in the region. Lidars at University of Maryland Baltimore County (Catonsville, MD) and Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD) provided continuous data during the campaign, while two micro-pulse lidar (MPL) systems were temporarily stationed at various field locations directly on CALIPSO ground-tracks. As a result, thirteen on-track ground-based lidar observations were obtained from eight different locations in the region. In some cases, nighttime CALIPSO coincident measurements were also obtained. In most studies reported to date, ground-based lidar validation efforts for CALIPSO rely on systems that are at fixed locations some distance away from the satellite ground-track. The CATZ ground-based lidar data provide an opportunity to examine vertical structure properties of aerosols and clouds both on and off-track simultaneously during a CALIPSO overpass. A table of available ground-based lidar measurements during this campaign will be presented, along with example backscatter imagery for a number of coincident cases with CALIPSO. Results indicate that even for a ground-based measurements directly on-track, comparisons can still pose a challenge due to the differing spatio-temporal properties of the ground and satellite observations. The multiple-lidar data during the CATZ campaign is expected to provide additional information on regional aerosol and cloud dynamics for give overpass, and enable a more realistic assessment of ground-to-satellite correlations. Future work is anticipated to finalize calibrated lidar backscatter profiles and utilization of wind trajectory information to further enable comparisons to CALIPS data.

Berkoff, Timothy↗
NASA NTRS2004

Estimation of Soil Moisture with L-band Multi-polarization Radar

Through analyses of the model simulated data-base, we developed a technique to estimate surface soil moisture under HYDROS radar sensor (L-band multi-polarizations and 40deg incidence) configuration. This technique includes two steps. First, it decomposes the total backscattering signals into two components - the surface scattering components (the bare surface backscattering signals attenuated by the overlaying vegetation layer) and the sum of the direct volume scattering components and surface-volume interaction components at different polarizations. From the model simulated data-base, our decomposition technique works quit well in estimation of the surface scattering components with RMSEs of 0.12,0.25, and 0.55 dB for VV, HH, and VH polarizations, respectively. Then, we use the decomposed surface backscattering signals to estimate the soil moisture and the combined surface roughness and vegetation attenuation correction factors with all three polarizations.

Shi, J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Statistics of Cloud Optical Properties from Airborne Lidar Measurements

Cloud optical properties, such as extinction-to-backscatter ratio and depolarization ratio, have a significant impact on the accuracy of cloud extinction retrievals from lidar systems because parameterizations of these variables are often used in non-ideal conditions to determine cloud type and optical depth. Statistics and trends of these optical parameters were analyzed for four years, 2003-2007, of Cloud Physics Lidar data during five projects of varying geographic locations. Extinction-to-backscatter ratio (at 532 nm) was derived by calculating the transmission loss through the cloud layer, while depolarization ratio was computed using the parallel and perpendicular polarized 1064 nm channels. The majority of the cloud layers yielded an S-ratio between 10 and 40 sr with the S-ratio frequency distribution centered at 25 sr for ice clouds, 21 sr for mixed phase clouds, and 11 sr for water clouds. On average for ice clouds, S ratio slightly decreased with decreasing temperature, while depolarization ratio increased significantly as temperatures decreased. Trends for water and mixed phase clouds were also observed. Ultimately, these observed trends in optical properties as a function of temperature and geographic location will improve current parameterizations of extinction-to-backscatter ratio, which consequently increases accuracy in cloud optical depth and radiative forcing estimates.

Yorks, John E.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Pulsed Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption and Line Shapes from 3-13 km Altitudes

We have developed a lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric C02 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's planned ASCENDS mission. Our technique uses two pulsed laser transmitters allowing simultaneous measurement of a C02 absorption line in the 1570 nm band, 02 extinction in the Oxygen A-band and surface height and backscatter. The lidar measures the energy and time of flight of the laser echoes reflected from the atmosphere and surface. The lasers are stepped in wavelength across the C02 line and an 02 line region during the measurement. The receiver uses a telescope and photon counting detectors, and measures the background light and energies of the laser echoes from the surface along with scattering from any aerosols in the path. The gas extinction and column densities for the C02 and 02 gases are estimated from the ratio of the on- and off- line signals via the DIAL technique. Time gating is used to isolate the laser echo signals from the surface, and to reject laser photons scattered in the atmosphere. We have developed an airborne lidar to demonstrate the C02 measurement from the NASA Glenn Lear 25 aircraft. The airborne lidar steps the pulsed laser's wavelength across a selected C02 line with 20 steps per scan. The line scan rate is 450 Hz and laser pulse widths are I usec. The time resolved laser backscatter is collected by a 20 cm telescope, detected by a photomultiplier and is recorded by a photon counting system. We made initial airborne measurements on flights during October and December 2008. Laser backscatter and absorption measurements were made over a variety of land and water surfaces and through thin and broken clouds. Atmospheric C02 column measurements using the 1571.4, 1572.02 and 1572.33 nm C02 lines. Two flights were made above the DOE SGP ARM site at altitudes from 3-8 km. These nights were coordinated with DOE investigators who Hew an in-situ C02 sensor on a Cessna aircraft under the path. The increasing C02 line absorptions with altitudes were evident and comparison with in-situ measurements showed agreements to 6 ppm. This spring we improved the aircraft's nadir window. During July and August 2009 we made 9 additional 2 hour long flights and measured the atmospheric C02 absorption and line shapes using the 1572.33 nm C02 line. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3-13 km over a variety of surface types in Nebraska, Illinois, the SGP ARM site, and near and over the Chesapeake Bay in North Carolina and Virginia. Strong laser signals and clear line shapes were observed at all altitudes, and some measurements were made through thin clouds. The flights over the ARM site were underflown with in-situ measurements made from the DOE Cessna. The Oklahoma and east coast t1ights were coordinated with a LaRC/ITT C02 lidar on the LaRC UC-12 aircraft, a LaRC in~situ C02 sensor, and the Oklahoma flights also included a JPL C02 lidar on a Twin Otter aircraft. Ed Browell and Gary Spiers led the LaRC and JPL teams. More details of the t1ights, measurements and analysis will be described in the presentation.

Abshire, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS2010

A New Approach for Checking and Complementing CALIPSO Lidar Calibration

We have been studying the backscatter ratio of the two CALIPSO wavelengths for 3 different targets. We are showing the ratio of integrate attenuated backscatter coefficient for cirrus clouds, ocean surface and liquid. Water clouds for one month of nightime data (left:July,right:December), Only opaque cirrus classified as randomly oriented ice[1] are used. For ocean and water clouds, only the clearest shots, determined by a threshold on integrated attenuated backscatter are used. Two things can be immediately observed: 1. A similar trend (black dotted line) is visible using all targets, the color ratio shows a tendency to be higher north and lower south for those two months. 2. The water clouds average value is around 15% lower than ocean surface and cirrus clouds. This is due to the different multiple scattering at 532 nm and 1064 nm [2] which strongly impact the water cloud retrieval. Conclusion: Different targets can be used to improve CALIPSO 1064 nm calibration accuracy. All of them show the signature of an instrumental calibration shift. Multiple scattering introduce a bias in liquid water cloud signal but it still compares very well with all other methods and should not be overlooked. The effect of multiple scattering in liquid and ice clouds will be the subject of future research. If there really is a sampling issue. Combining all methods to increase the sampling, mapping the calibration coefficient or trying to reach an orbit per orbit calibration seems an appropriate way.

Josset, Damien B.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Performance of the GLAS Space Lidar Receiver Through Its Seven-Year Space Mission

NASA s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) mission [1,2] carrying the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) Instrument, was launched on January 12, 2003. The three lasers on ICESat have made a total of 1.98 billion laser shot measurements of the Earth s surface and atmosphere during its 17 science data collection campaigns over its seven year operating lifetime. ICESat completed its science mission after the last laser stopped operating in October 2009. The spacecraft was de-orbited on August 30, 2010. The GLAS instrument carried 3 diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers, which emitted 6-nsec wide pulses at 1064 and 532 nm at a 40-Hz rate. There are three lidar receiver channels, a 1064 nm surface altimetry channel, a 1064 nm cloud backscattering lidar channel, and a 532 nm cloud and aerosol backscattering lidar channel. The altimetry and cloud backscatter channels used Si avalanche photodiode (APD) operated in analog mode as in the Mars Global Surveyor s Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter [3,4]. GLAS also utilized a number of new technologies and techniques for space lidar, including passively Q-switched diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers, a 1-m diameter telescope, a temperature tuned etalon optical bandpass filter, Si APD single photon counting detectors, 1 Gsample/sec waveform digitizers, ultra stable clock oscillators, and digital signal processing and detection algorithms [5]. A global position system (GPS) receiver was used to provide the spacecraft position and epoch times. The ICESat mission provided a unique opportunity to monitor the lidar component performance in the space environment over a multi-year time period. We performed a number of engineering tests periodically to monitor the lidar receiver performance, including receiver sensitivity, timing precision, detector dark noise, etc. A series of engineering tests were also performed after the end of the science mission to evaluate the performance of the spare detector, oscillator, waveform digitizer, and GPS receiver. An experiment was conducted which pointed GLAS to Venus to test the receiver sensitivity to star light and to verify GLAS bore sight with respect to the spacecraft coordinate system. These tests provided unique data to assess the degradation and the rate of change of these key lidar components due to space radiation and aging. They also helped to validate new techniques to operate and calibrate future space lidars.

Sun, Xiaoli↗
NASA NTRS2010

Pulsed Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption and Line Shapes from 3-13 km Altitudes

We have developed a pulsed lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric CO2 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's planned ASCENDS space mission. Our technique uses two pulsed laser transmitters allowing simultaneous measurement of a CO2 absorption line in the 1570 nm band, O2 extinction in the Oxygen A-band and surface height and backscatter. The lidar measures the energy and time of flight of the laser echoes reflected from the atmosphere and surface. The lasers are rapidly and precisely stepped in wavelength across the CO2 line and an O2 line region during the measurement. The direct detection receiver uses a telescope and photon counting detectors, and measures the background light and energies of the laser echoes from the surface along with scattering from any aerosols in the path. The gas extinction and column densities for the CO2 and O2 gases are estimated from the ratio of the on- and off- line signals via the DIAL technique. Time gating is used to isolate the laser echo signals from the surface, and to reject laser photons scattered in the atmosphere. The time of flight of the laser pulses are also used to estimate the height of the scattering surface and to identify cases of mixed cloud and ground scattering. We have developed an airborne lidar to demonstrate the CO2 measurement from the NASA Glenn Lear-25 aircraft. The airborne lidar steps the pulsed laser's wavelength across the selected CO2 line with 20 steps per scan. The line scan rate is 450 Hz, the laser pulse widths are 1 usec, and laser pulse energy is 24 uJ. The time resolved laser backscatter is collected by a 20 cm telescope, detected by a photomultiplier and is recorded by a photon counting system. We made initial airborne measurements on flights during fall 2008. Laser backscatter and absorption measurements were made over a variety of land and water surfaces and through thin clouds. The atmospheric CO2 column measurements using the 1572.33 nm CO2 lines. Two flights were made above the US Department of Energy's (DOE) SGP ARM site at altitudes from 3-8 km. These flights were coordinated with DOE investigators who flew an in-situ CO2 sensor on a Cessna aircraft under the path. The increasing CO2 line absorptions with altitudes were evident and comparison with in-situ measurements showed agreements to 6 ppm. In spring 2009 we improved the aircraft's nadir window and during July and August we made 9 additional 2 hour long flights and measured the atmospheric CO2 absorption and line shapes using the 1572.33 nm CO2 line. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3-13 km over a variety of surface types in Nebraska, Illinois, the SGP ARM site, and near and over the Chesapeake Bay in North Carolina and eastern Virginia. Strong laser signals and clear CO2 line shapes were observed at all altitudes, and some measurements were made through thin clouds. The flights over the ARM site were underflown with in-situ measurements made from the DOE Cessna. Analysis shows that the average signal levels follow predicted values, the altimetry measurements had an uncertainty of about 4 m, and that the average optical line depths follow the number density calculated from in-situ sensor readings. The Oklahoma and east coast flights were coordinated with a LaRC/ITT CO2 lidar on the LaRC UC-12 aircraft, a LaRC in-situ CO2 sensor, and the Oklahoma flights also included a JPL CO2 lidar on a Twin Otter aircraft. More details of the flights, measurements, analysis and scaling to space will be described in the presentation.

Abshire, James↗
NASA NTRS2012

Radar Scattering and Block Size Properties of Lunar Crater Ejecta From Mini-RF and LROC NAC Data

A major objective of the Mini-RF experiment is to distinguish lunar surfaces that may contain water/ice deposits [1,2]. Better understanding of the backscattering properties of craters of varying age and size is crucial for interpreting data received from the Mini-RF. The Mini-RF transmits a circularly polarized RF electromagnetic energy and coherently receives orthogonal linear polarization echoes [1]. The Mini- RF maps in two separate bands ( =12.6 and 4.5 cm) at a high resolution mode of 30 m/pixel [1]. Given the variables mentioned, the four stokes parameters are reconstructed. The Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR) is calculated for the purposes of understanding subsurface and surface roughness. The CPR is determined from reflections acquired from the ratio of power of the transmitted radio wave in same sense to the reflected radio wave in the opposite sense [1]. Ice in the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) would be transparent to radar, but the inclusions of materials and imperfections would cause the radio wave to reflect multiple times [3], enhancing the number of same sense reflections and increasing the CPR. In addition, ice also displays the coherent backscatter opposition effect (CBOE), an interferrometric addition of same sense backscatter that further increases the CPR of ice targets [7]. High CPR values also correlate to multiple reflections and are typically associated with very rough surfaces [3]. The average dry lunar surface has a CPR in the range of 0.2-0.4 at 48deg incidence [3]. The purpose of this study is to begin to quantify degrees of surface wavelength-scale roughness with CPR and to understand how such surface roughness is created and gradually destroyed by erosion on the lunar surface. Another goal is to identify and isolate the possible causes of high CPR within the shadowed areas of anomalous polar craters [3]. All the studied craters are non-polar, so that we can see into their interiors in NAC images. The idea is to understand what controls blockiness in these craters so that we can rule out rocks (and rule in ice) for the anomalous polar dark ones [3].

Spudis, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

A13K-0336: Airborne Multi-Wavelength High Spectral Resolution Lidar for Process Studies and Assessment of Future Satellite Remote Sensing Concepts

NASA Langley recently developed the world's first airborne multi-wavelength high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL). This lidar employs the HSRL technique at 355 and 532 nm to make independent, unambiguous retrievals of aerosol extinction and backscatter. It also employs the standard backscatter technique at 1064 nm and is polarization-sensitive at all three wavelengths. This instrument, dubbed HSRL-2 (the secondgeneration HSRL developed by NASA Langley), is a prototype for the lidar on NASA's planned Aerosols- Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) mission. HSRL-2 completed its first science mission in July 2012, the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) in Hyannis, MA. TCAP presents an excellent opportunity to assess some of the remote sensing concepts planned for ACE: HSRL-2 was deployed on the Langley King Air aircraft with another ACE-relevant instrument, the NASA GISS Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP), and flights were closely coordinated with the DOE's Gulfstream-1 aircraft, which deployed a variety of in situ aerosol and trace gas instruments and the new Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR). The DOE also deployed their Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility and their Mobile Aerosol Observing System at a ground site located on the northeastern coast of Cape Cod for this mission. In this presentation we focus on the capabilities, data products, and applications of the new HSRL-2 instrument. Data products include aerosol extinction, backscatter, depolarization, and optical depth; aerosol type identification; mixed layer depth; and rangeresolved aerosol microphysical parameters (e.g., effective radius, index of refraction, single scatter albedo, and concentration). Applications include radiative closure studies, studies of aerosol direct and indirect effects, investigations of aerosol-cloud interactions, assessment of chemical transport models, air quality studies, present (e.g., CALIPSO) and future (e.g., EarthCARE) satellite calibration/validation, and development/assessment of advanced retrieval techniques for future satellite applications (e.g., lidar+polarimeter retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties). We will also discuss the relevance of HSRL-2 measurement capabilities to the ACE remote sensing concept.

Hostetler, Chris A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Comparison of Aerosol Classification From Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar and the CALIPSO Vertical Feature Mask

Knowledge of aerosol composition and vertical distribution is crucial for assessing the impact of aerosols on climate. In addition, aerosol classification is a key input to CALIOP aerosol retrievals, since CALIOP requires an inference of the lidar ratio in order to estimate the effects of aerosol extinction and backscattering. In contrast, the NASA airborne HSRL-1 directly measures both aerosol extinction and backscatter, and therefore the lidar ratio (extinction-to-backscatter ratio). Four aerosol intensive properties from HSRL-1 are combined to infer aerosol type. Aerosol classification results from HSRL-1 are used here to validate the CALIOP aerosol type inferences.

Burton, Sharon P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Modeling Radar Scatter from Icy and Young Rough Lunar Craters

For lunar orbital synthetic aperture radars, such as the Chandrayaan Mini-RF operating at S- band (13-cm) wavelength and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mini-RF operating at S- band and X-band (3-cm) wavelengths, it is important to understand the radar backscattering characteristics of the icy and young, rough craters. Assuming a mixing model consisting of diffuse and quasi-specular scattering components, we have modeled the opposite-sense circular (OC) and same-sense circular (SC) backscattering characteristics. The specular component, consisting of only OC echoes, represents the echoes from the surface and subsurface layers that are oriented perpendicular to the radar's line-of-sight. The diffuse component, consisting of both SC and OC echoes, represents the echoes associated with either rocks or ice. Also, diffuse echoes have backscatter that is proportional to the cosine of the incidence angle. We modeled how these two (specular and diffuse) radar scattering components could be modulated by factors such as surface roughness associated with young craters. We also modeled how ice radar scattering components could be modulated by a thin regolith covering, and/or by the situation where ice occupies small patches within a larger radar pixel. We tested this modeling by examining 4 nonpolar craters and 12 polar craters using LRO Mini-RF data. Results indicate that icy and young rough craters can be distinguished based upon their SC enhancements (Alpha) and OC enhancements (Gamma). In addition, we also examined the craters that have unusual circular polarization ratios (CPRs) that likely result from a double bounce mode of scattering. Blocky fresh craters, icy craters, and craters exhibiting double bounce scattering can be separated based on the values of Alpha, Gamma, the ratio of Alpha/Gamma and the weighted sum of Alpha and Gamma.

lunar craters↗