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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

The effects of UV radiation A and B on diurnal variation in photosynthesis in three taxonomically and ecologically diverse microbial mats

Photosynthetic primary production, the basis of most global food chains, is inhibited by UV radiation. Evaluating UV inhibition is therefore important for assessing the role of natural levels of UV radiation in regulating ecosystem behavior as well as the potential impact of stratospheric ozone depletion on global ecosystems. As both photosynthesis and UV fluxes are subject to diurnal variations, we examined the diurnal variability of the effect of UV radiation on photosynthesis in three diverse algal mats. In one of the mats (Cyanidium caldarium) a small mean decrease in primary productivity over the whole day occurred when both UVA and UVB were screened out. In two of the mats (Lyngbya aestuarii and Zygogonium sp.) we found a mean increase in the total primary productivity over the day when UVB alone was screened and a further increase when UVA and UVB were both screened out. Variations in the effects of UV radiation were found at different times of the day. This diurnal variability may be because even under the same solar radiation flux, there are different factors that may control photosynthetic rate, including nutritional status and other physiological processes in the cell. The results show the importance of assessing the complete diurnal productivity. For some of the time points the increase in the mean was still within the standard deviations in primary productivity, illustrating the difficulty in dissecting UV effects from other natural variations.

Ultraviolet Rays↗
NASA NTRS1989

Growth of a mat-forming photograph in the presence of UV radiation

Knowledge of the survival and growth of microorganisms in the presence of ultraviolet radiation is important for understanding the potential for life to exist in environments exposed to high fluxes of UV radiation. The growth of a mat-forming phototrophic prokaryote, Chloroflexus aurantiacus, was examined in the presence of continuous high UV irradiation under otherwise optimal growth conditions. Evidence was sought for an intrinsic ability to grow in the presence of UV radiation in a carefully chosen organism known to be unusually resistant to UV radiation, of ancient lineage among the phototrophs, to resemble ancient microfossils from the Precambrian, and to be a mat-former. It was assumed that even a high intrinsic UV resistance would be inadequate for survival and growth in the presence of very high UV fluxes, and iron (Fe3+) was selected as a common, abundant UV-absorbing substance that might protest microorganisms growing in or under iron-bearing sediments. The effectiveness of Fe(3+) was tested as a UV protective agent at low concentrations in thin layers. It was concluded that intrinsic UV resistance in some organisms may account for growth, not just survival, of these organisms when exposed to high UV fluxes under otherwise optimal growth conditions in an anoxic environment. It was also concluded that Fe(3+) bearing sediments of 1 mm or less in thickness may provide an adequate shield against high UV fluxes permitting the growth of microorganisms just below their surface. As long as growth conditions were met, then the evolution and development of microorganisms would not be hampered by high UV fluxes impinging upon the surface of iron-bearing sediments.

Pierson, Beverly K.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Star Formation in the Galaxy and the Fluctuating UV Radiation Field

We examine the formation of massive stars in the Galaxy, the resultant fluctuating UV radiation field, and the effect of this field on the star-forming interstellar medium (ISM). There are substantial fluctuations of the UV radiation field in space (scales of 100's of parsecs) and time (time-scales of order 100 million years) at the solar circle. The Far Ultraviolet (FUV) (6 eV< hv < 13.6 eV) field and the pressure determines whether the thermal balance of the neutral gas results in cold clouds or warm (T - 10(exp 4) neutral medium. We show how to calculate the average fractions of the gas in the cold and warm phases when the interstellar gas is subject to this fluctuating FUV field. The knowledge of how these fractions depend on the gas properties and on the FUV sources is a basic step in building a model of the large scale behavior of the ISM and the mutual relation between the ISM and the star formation rate. Application is made to observations of spiral galaxies which correlate the star formation rate per unit area with the surface density of the gas. We acknowledge support from the NASA Astrophysical Theory program.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS2005

Far-UV Radiation of the Early Sun

Far-UV radiation is responsible for the photolysis of important greenhouse gases such as CO2, NH3 (ammonia), CH4 (methane) and more generally, the global UV photochemistry of the early atmosphere. In our project, we are concentrating on the young Sun's effect on methane, since UV sunlight (lambda less than 1450 Angstroms) was the main destruction mechanism for methane in the early Earth's atmosphere. Since the UV luminosity of the early Sun cannot be calculated a priori; it can only be estimated from observations of stars similar to the young Sun. We report our results based on Hubble + FUSE spectra of stars selected from Gaidos (1998) Catalog of Nearby Young Solar Analogs (YSA's).

Heap, Sally↗
NASA NTRS2004

Investigating the Impact of UV Radiation on High-Altitude Shallow Lake Habitats, Life Diversity, and Life Survival Strategies: Clues for Mars' Past Habitability Potential?

We present data and results from an ongoing project of astrobiological high-altitude expeditions investigating the highest and least explored perennial lakes on Earth in the Bolivian and Chilean Andes, including several volcanic crater lakes nearing and beyond 6,000 m in elevation. In the next five years, they will provide the first integrated long-term astrobiological characterization and monitoring of lacustrine environments and their biology for such altitude. These extreme lakes are natural laboratories. They provide the field data missing beyond 4,000 m to complete our understanding of terrestrial lakes and biota. Research on the effects of UV has been performed in lower altitude lakes and models of UV flux over time are being developed. Lakes showing a high content of dissolved organic material (DOM) shield organisms from UV. DOM acts as a natural sunscreen as it influences the water transparency, therefore is a determinant of photic zone depth. In sparsely vegetated alpine areas, lakes are clearer and offer less protection from UV to organisms living in the water. Transparent water and high UV irradiance may maximize the penetration and effect of UV radiation. Shallow-water communities in these lakes are particularly sensitive to UV radiation. The periphyton can live on various susbtrates. While on rocks, it includes immobile species that cannot seek low UV refuges unlike sediment-dwelling periphyton or alpine phytoflagellates which undergo vertical migration. Inhibition of algal photosynthesis by UV radiation has been documented in laboratory and showed that phytoplankton production is reduced by formation of nucleic acid lesions or production of peroxides and free oxygen radicals. of peroxides and free oxygen radicals. Our project is providing the field data that is missing from natural laboratories beyond 4,000 m and will complement the vision of the effects of UV on life and its adaptation modes (or lack thereof).

Cabrol, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Observations of the diffuse UV radiation field

Spectra are presented for the diffuse UV radiation field between 1250 to 3100 A from eight different regions of the sky, which were obtained with the Johns Hopkins UVX experiment. UVX flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-61C) in January 1986 as part of the Get-Away Special project. The experiment consisted of two 1/4 m Ebert-Fastie spectrometers, covering the spectral range 1250 to 1700 A at 17 A resolution and 1600 to 3100 A at 27 A resolution, respectively, with a field of view of 4 x .25 deg, sufficiently small to pick out regions of the sky with no stars in the line of sight. Values were found for the diffuse cosmic background ranging in intensity from 300 to 900 photons/sq cm/sec/sr/A. The cosmic background is spectrally flat from 1250 to 3100 A, within the uncertainties of each spectrometer. The zodiacal light begins to play a significant role in the diffuse radiation field above 2000 A, and its brightness was determined relative to the solar emission. Observed brightnesses of the zodiacal light in the UV remain almost constant with ecliptic latitude, unlike the declining visible brightnesses, possibly indicating that those (smaller) grains responsible for the UV scattering have a much more uniform distribution with distance from the ecliptic plane than do those grains responsible for the visible scattering.

Murthy, Jayant↗
NASA NTRS1987

Submillimeter and far infrared line observations of M17 SW: A clumpy molecular cloud penetrated by UV radiation

Millimeter, submillimeter, and far infrared spectroscopic observations of the M17 SW star formation region are discussed. The results require the molecular cloud near the interface to be clumpy or filamentary. As a consequence, far ultraviolet radiation from the central OB stellar cluster can penetrate into the dense molecular cloud to a depth of several pc, thus creating bright and extended (CII) emission from the photodissociated surfaces of dense atomic and molecular clumps or sheets. The extended (CII) emission throughout the molecular cloud SW of the M17 complex has a level 20 times higher than expected from a single molecular cloud interface exposed to an ultraviolet radiation field typical of the solar neighborhood. This suggests that the molecular cloud as a whole is penetrated by ultraviolet radiation and has a clumpy or filamentary structure. The number of B stars expected to be embedded in the M17 molecular cloud probably can provide the UV radiation necessary for the extended (CII) emission. Alternatively, the UV radiation could be external, if the interstellar radiation in the vicinity of M17 is higher than in the solar neighborhood.

Stutzki, J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Assessment of Resistance of Bacillus Horneckiae Endospores to UV Radiation and Function of Their Extraneous Layer in Resistance

Spore-forming microbes are highly resistant to various physical and chemical conditions, which include ionizing and UV radiation, desiccation and oxidative stress, and the harsh environment of outer space or planetary surfaces. The spore's resistance might be due to their metabolically dormant state, and/or by the presence of a series of protective structures that encase the interior-most compartment, the core, which houses the spore chromosome. These spores have multiple layers surrounding the cell that are not found in vegetative cells, and some species have an outer layer of proteins and glycoproteins termed the "exosporium" or a fibrous "extraneous layer" (EL). Bacillus horneckiae is an EL-producing novel sporeformer isolated from a Phoenix spacecraft assembly clean room, and it has previously demonstrated resistance to UV radiation up to 1000 J/m(sup 2). The EL appears to bind B. horneckiae spores into large aggregations, or biofilms, and may confer some UV resistance to the spores. Multiple culturing and purification schemes were tried to achieve high purity spores because vegetative cells would skew UV resistance results. An ethanol-based purification scheme produced high purity spores. Selective removal of the EL from spores was attempted with two schemes: a chemical extraction method and physical extraction (sonication). Results from survival rates in the presence and absence of the external layer will provide a new understanding of the role of biofilms and passive resistance that may favor survival of biological systems in aggressive extra-terrestrial environments. The chemical extraction method decreased viable counts of spores and lead to an inconclusive change UV resistance relative to non-extracted spores. The physical extraction method lead to non-aggregated spores and did not alter viability; however, it produced UV resistance profiles similar to non-extracted spores. In addition to the EL-removal study, samples of B. horneckiae spores dried on aluminum coupons and exposed to increasing UV (200-400 nm range) levels (0 to 8.0 x 105 kJ/m(sup 2)) were tested for viability, which indicated that the maximum UV exposure level that still resulted in viable spores was 5.0 x 10? kJ/m(sup 2).

resistance↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effective UV radiation from model calculations and measurements

Model calculations have been made to simulate the effect of atmospheric ozone and geographical as well as meteorological parameters on solar UV radiation reaching the ground. Total ozone values as measured by Dobson spectrophotometer and Brewer spectrometer as well as turbidity were used as input to the model calculation. The performance of the model was tested by spectroradiometric measurements of solar global UV radiation at Potsdam. There are small differences that can be explained by the uncertainty of the measurements, by the uncertainty of input data to the model and by the uncertainty of the radiative transfer algorithms of the model itself. Some effects of solar radiation to the biosphere and to air chemistry are discussed. Model calculations and spectroradiometric measurements can be used to study variations of the effective radiation in space in space time. The comparability of action spectra and their uncertainties are also addressed.

Feister, Uwe↗
NASA NTRS1983

UV radiation field inside dense clouds - Its possible existence and chemical implications

Interstellar UV radiation cannot penetrate into the interior of dense clouds, and cosmic ray ionization is thought to be the sole driver of the gas phase chemistry. However, cosmic ray energy deposition also involves electronic excitation of the absorbing gas. It appears, therefore, possible that emissions resulting from these excitations might maintain a significant flux of chemically effective UV photons in the interior of dense clouds. The present investigation is concerned with this possibility, taking into account a simplified approach. This approach involves a consideration of Lyman and Werner band photons of molecular hydrogen and their relevance to C and CO chemistry. The results of this investigation suggest that a chemically significant flux of UV photons may exist inside dense clouds due to cosmic ray excitation of the various band systems of hydrogen. These photons would recover C I from the CO reservoir in dense clouds via photodissociation at an order of magnitude faster rate than that possible in connection with the reaction of CO with He(+).

Prasad, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Application of Satellite and Ground-based Data to Investigate the UV Radiative Effects of Australian Aerosols

An understanding of the effect of aerosols on biologically- and photochemically-active UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface is important for many ongoing climate, biophysical, and air pollution studies. In particular, estimates of the UV characteristics of the most common Australian aerosols will be valuable inputs to UV Index forecasts, air quality studies, and assessments of the impact of regional environmental changes. By analyzing climatological distributions of Australian aerosols we have identified sites where co-located ground-based UV-B and ozone measurements were available during episodes of relatively high aerosol activity. Since at least June 2003, surface UV global irradiance spectra (285-450 nm) have been measured routinely at Darwin and Alice Springs in Australia by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). Using colocated sunphotometer measurements at Darwin and Alice Springs, we identified several episodes of relatively high aerosol activity. Aerosol air mass types were analyzed from sunphotometer-derived angstrom parameter, MODIS fire maps and MISR aerosol property retrievals. To assess aerosol effects we compared the measured UV irradiances for aerosol-loaded and clear-sky conditions with each other and with irradiances simulated using the libRadtran radiative transfer model for aerosol-free conditions. We found that for otherwise similar atmospheric conditions, smoke aerosols over Darwin reduced the surface UV irradiance by as much as 40-50% at 290-300 nm and 20-25% at 320-400 nm near active fires (aerosol optical depth, AOD, at 500 nm approximately equal to 0.6). Downwind of fires, the smoke aerosols over Darwin reduced the surface irradiance by 15-25% at 290-300 nm and approximately 10% at 320-350 nm (AOD at 500 nm approximately equal to 0.2). The effect of smoke increased with decrease of wavel strongest in the UV-B. The aerosol attenuation factors calculated for the selected cases suggest smoke over Darwin has an effect on surface 340-380 nm irradiances that is comparable to that produced by smoke over Sub-Saharan Africa. Dust activity was very low at Alice Springs during 2004, therefore we were not able to identify strong dust events to fully assess the UVeffect of dust. For the cases studied, smoke aerosols seem to produce a stronger reduction in surface UV irradiances than dust aerosols.

UV surface irradiances↗
NASA NTRS1989

Laboratory investigation of electric charging of dust particles by electrons, ions, and UV radiation

In many cosmic environments electric charging of dust particles occurs by electrons, ions, and UV radiation. In case of interstellar dust particles the value of their electric charge can have, for instance, very important consequences for their destruction rate in supernova remnant's shock waves and can globally influence the overall life cycle of dust particles in galaxies. For experimental simulation of charging processes a vacuum chamber was used in which the particles fall through an electron or ion beam of energies up to 10 KeV. The aim of the experiments was to attain maximum charge of dust particles. Furthermore the influence of the rest gas was also determined because electrons and ions produced by collisional ionization of the rest gas can result in significant effects. For measurement particles from 1 to 100 microns from glass, carbon, Al, Fe, MgO, and very loosely bound conglomerates of Al2O3 were used.

Svestka, Jiri↗
NASA NTRS2000

Star Formation in the Galaxy and the Fluctuating UV Radiation Field

We examine the formation of massive stars in the Galaxy, the resultant fluctuating UV radiation field, and the effect of this Field on the star-forming interstellar medium. Following previous researchers such as Habing (1968), we calculate the average interstellar radiation field at the Solar Circle of the Galaxy. However, our new calculations follow more closely the time dependence of the field at any point. We show that there is a significant difference between the mean field and the median field, and that there are substantial fluctuations of the field (on timescales of order 100 million years) at a given point. Far Ultraviolet Radiation (FUV, photon energies of 6 eV - 13.6 eV) has been recognized as the main source of heating of the neutral interstellar gas. Given the pressure of the interstellar medium (ISM) the FUV field determines whether the thermal balance of the neutral gas results in cold (T approximately 50 - 100 K) clouds (CNM), warm (T about 10,000 K) (WNM), for a combination of the two (the two phase ISM) We present results for the time history of the FUV field for points in the local ISM of the Milky Way Galaxy. The presence of this fluctuating heating rate converts CNM to WNM and vice versa. We show how to calculate the average fractions of the gas in the CNM and WNM when the interstellar gas is subject to this fluctuating FUV field. The knowledge of how these fractions depend on the gas properties (i.e. mean density and composition) and on the FUV-sources (i.e. the star formation rate, or the IMF, or the size distribution of associations) is a basic step in building any detailed model of the large scale behavior of the ISM and the mutual relation between the ISM and the SFR.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS2002

Star Formation In the Galaxy and the Fluctuating UV Radiation Field

We examine the formation of massive stars in the Galaxy, the resultant fluctuating UV (ultraviolet) radiation field, and the effect of this field on the star-forming interstellar medium. There are substantial fluctuations of the UV radiation field in space (scales of 100's of parsecs) and time (time-scales of order 100 million years). The FUV (far ultraviolet) (6 eV less than hv less than 13.6 eV) field and the pressure determines whether the thermal balance of the neutral gas results in cold clouds or warm (T approx. 10(exp 4) K) neutral medium. We show how to calculate the average fractions of the gas in the cold and warm phases when the interstellar gas is subject to this fluctuating FUV field. The knowledge of how these fractions depend on the gas properties and on the FUV sources is a basic step in building a model of the large scale behavior of the ISM (interstellar medium) and the mutual relation between the ISM and the star formation rate.

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS2001

Effects of Contamination, UV Radiation, and Atomic Oxygen on ISS Thermal Control Materials

Thermal control surfaces on the International Space Station (ISS) have been tailored for optimum optical properties. The space environment, particularly contamination, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and atomic oxygen (AO) may have a detrimental effect on these optical properties. These effects must be quantified for modeling and planning. Also of interest was the effect of porosity on the reaction to simulated space environment. Five materials were chosen for this study based on their use on ISS. The thermal control materials were Z-93 white coating, silverized Teflon, chromic acid anodized aluminum, sulfuric acid anodized aluminum, and 7075-T6 aluminum. Some of the samples were exposed to RTV 560 silicone; others were exposed to Tefzel offgassing products. Two samples of Z-93 were not exposed to contamination as clean "controls". VUV radiation was used to photo-fix the contaminant to the material surface, then the samples were exposed to AO. All samples were exposed to 1000 equivalent sun-hours (ESH) of vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV) at the AZ Technology facility and a minimum of 1.5 x 10(exp 20) atoms/sq cm of AO at Marshall Space Flight Center. Half of the samples were exposed to an additional 2000 ESH of VUV at Huntington Beach prior to sent to AZ Technology. Darkening of the Z-93 white coating was noted after VUV exposure. AO exposure did bleach the Z-93 but not back to its original brightness. Solar absorptance curves show the degradation due to contamination and VUV and the recovery with AO exposure. More bleaching was noted on the Tefzel-contaminated samples than with the RTV-contaminated samples.

Visentine, Jim↗