Airborne Sunphotometry of Aerosol Optical Depth and Columnar Water Vapor During ACE-Asia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, Jens; Schmid, B.; Russell, P. B.; Livingston, J. M.; Eilers, J. A.; Ramirez, S. A.; Kahn, R.; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

During the Intensive Field Campaign (IFC) of the Aerosol Characterization Experiment - Asia (ACE-Asia), March-May 2001, the 6-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-6) operated during 15 of the 19 research flights aboard the NCAR C- 130, while its 14-channel counterpart (AATS- 14) was flown successfully on all 18 research flights of a Twin Otter aircraft operated by the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS), Monterey, CA. ACE-Asia was the fourth in a series of aerosol characterization experiments and focused on aerosol outflow from the Asian continent to the Pacific basin. Each ACE was designed to integrate suborbital and satellite measurements and models so as to reduce the uncertainty in calculations of the climate forcing due to aerosols. The Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometers measured solar beam transmission at 6 (380-1021 nm, AATS-6) and 14 wavelengths (353-1558 nm, AATS-14) respectively, yielding aerosol optical depth (AOD) spectra and column water vapor (CWV). Vertical differentiation in profiles yielded aerosol extinction and water vapor concentration. The wavelength dependence of AOD and extinction indicates that supermicron dust was often a major component of the aerosol. Frequently this dust-containing aerosol extended to high altitudes. For example, in data flights analyzed to date 34 +/- 13% of full-column AOD(525 nm) was above 3 km. In contrast, only 10 +/- 4% of CWV was above 3 km. In this paper, we will show first sunphotometer-derived results regarding the spatial variation of AOD and CWV, as well as the vertical distribution of aerosol extinction and water vapor concentration. Preliminary comparison studies between our AOD/aerosol extinction data and results from: (1) extinction products derived using in situ measurements and (2) AOD retrievals using the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) aboard the TERRA satellite will also be presented.

Spectrometers for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) Upgrade to Full Sun-Sky-Cloud-Trace Gas Spectrometry Capability for Airborne Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunagan, S. E.; Flynn, C. J.; Johnson, R. R.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Knobelspiesse, K. D.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Livingston, J. M.; Redemann, J.; Russell, P. B.; Schmid, B.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.; Shinozuka, Y.

2014-12-01

The Spectrometers for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) instrument has been developed at NASA Ames in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and NASA Goddard, supported substantially since 2009 by NASA's Radiation Science Program and Earth Science Technology Office. It combines grating spectrometers with fiber optic links to a tracking, scanning head to enable sun tracking, sky scanning, and zenith viewing. 4STAR builds on the long and productive heritage of the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometers (AATS-6 and -14), which have yielded more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and extensive archived data sets in many NASA Airborne Science campaigns from 1986 to the present. The baseline 4STAR instrument has provided extensive data supporting the TCAP (Two Column Aerosol Project, July 2012 & Feb. 2013), SEAC4RS (Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys, 2013), and ARISE (Arctic Radiation - IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment, 2014), field campaigns.This poster presents plans and progress for an upgrade to the 4STAR instrument to achieve full science capability, including (1) direct-beam sun tracking measurements to derive aerosol optical depth spectra, (2) sky radiance measurements to retrieve aerosol absorption and type (via complex refractive index and mode-resolved size distribution), (3) cloud properties via zenith radiance, and (4) trace gas spectrometry. Technical progress in context with the governing physics is reported on several upgrades directed at improved light collection and usage, particularly as related to spectrally and radiometrically stable propagation through the collection light path. In addition, improvements to field calibration and verification, and flight operability and reliability are addressed.

Comparison of Airborne Sunphotometer and Near-Coincident In Situ and Remotely Sensed Water Vapor Measurements during INTEX-ITCT 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, B.; Redemann, J.; Russell, P.; Ramirez, S.; Eilers, J.; Gore, W.; Howard, S.; Pommier, J.; Bates, T.; Quinn, P.; Chu, D. A.; Gao, B.; Fetzer, E.; McMillan, W.; Seemann, S. W.; Borbas, E.

2005-12-01

The NASA Ames 14-channel Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) took measurements from aboard a Jetstream 31 (J31) twin turboprop aircraft during 19 science flights (~53 flight hours) over the Gulf of Maine during the period 12 July to 8 August 2004. The flights were conducted in support of the INTEX-NA (INtercontinental chemical Transport EXperiment-North America) and ITCT (Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation of anthropogenic pollution) field studies. AATS-14 measures the solar direct-beam transmission at 14 discrete wavelengths between 354 and 2138 nm, and provides instantaneous measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 13 wavelengths and water vapor column content, which is derived from measurements at 940 nm and surrounding wavelengths. AATS-14 measurements obtained during aircraft ascents and descents are differentiated to yield vertical profiles of aerosol extinction and water vapor density. Specific J31 flight patterns were designed to address a variety of science goals and, therefore, included a mixture of vertical profiles (spiral and ramped ascents and descents) and constant altitude horizontal transects at a variety of altitudes. In general, flights were designed to include a near sea surface horizontal transect in a region of minimal cloud cover during or near the time of an Aqua and/or Terra satellite overpass, in addition to a low altitude flyby and vertical profile above the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown. In this paper, we will compare AATS-14 water vapor profiles with simultaneous measurements obtained with a Vaisala humidity sensor on board the J-31 and with spatially and temporally near-coincident data from radiosondes launched from the Ron Brown. AATS-14 data will also be compared with water vapor retrievals from measurements acquired by remote sensors on Aqua and Terra during near-coincident satellite overflights.

Airborne target tracking algorithm against oppressive decoys in infrared imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiechang; Zhang, Tianxu

2009-10-01

This paper presents an approach for tracking airborne target against oppressive infrared decoys. Oppressive decoy lures infrared guided missile by its high infrared radiation. Traditional tracking algorithms have degraded stability even come to tracking failure when airborne target continuously throw out many decoys. The proposed approach first determines an adaptive tracking window. The center of the tracking window is set at a predicted target position which is computed based on uniform motion model. Different strategies are applied for determination of tracking window size according to target state. The image within tracking window is segmented and multi features of candidate targets are extracted. The most similar candidate target is associated to the tracking target by using a decision function, which calculates a weighted sum of normalized feature differences between two comparable targets. Integrated intensity ratio of association target and tracking target, and target centroid are examined to estimate target state in the presence of decoys. The tracking ability and robustness of proposed approach has been validated by processing available real-world and simulated infrared image sequences containing airborne targets and oppressive decoys.

Acquisition and Analysis of NASA Ames Sunphotometer Measurements during SAGE III Validation Campaigns and other Tropospheric and Stratospheric Research Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.

2004-01-01

NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC2-1251 provided funding from April 2001 through December 2003 for Mr. John Livingston of SRI International to collaborate with NASA Ames Research Center scientists and engineers in the acquisition and analysis of airborne sunphotometer measurements during various atmospheric field studies. Mr. Livingston participated in instrument calibrations at Mauna Loa Observatory, pre-mission hardware and software preparations, acquisition and analysis of sunphotometer measurements during the missions, and post-mission analysis of data and reporting of scientific findings. The atmospheric field missions included the spring 2001 Intensive of the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia), the Asian Dust Above Monterey-2003 (ADAM-2003) experiment, and the winter 2003 Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II).

Shipboard Sunphotometer Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth Spectra and Columnar Water Vapor During ACE-2, and Comparison with Selected Land, Ship, Aircraft, and Satellite Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.; Kapustin, Vladimir N.; Schmid, Beat; Russell, Philip B.; Quinn, Patricia K.; Bates, Timothy S.; Durkee, Philip A.; Smith, Peter J.; Freudenthaler, Volker; Wiegner, Matthias

2000-01-01

Analyses of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and columnar water vapor (CWV) measurements acquired with NASA Ames Research Center's six-channel Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-6) operated aboard the R/V (research vehicle) Professor Vodyanitskiy during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2) are discussed. Data are compared with various in situ and remote measurements for selected cases. The focus is on 10 July, when the Pelican airplane flew within 70 km of the ship near the time of a NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration)-14/AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite overpass and AOD measurements with the 14-channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) above the marine boundary layer (MBL) permitted calculation of AOD within the MBL from the AATS-6 measurements. A detailed column closure test is performed for MBL AOD on 10 July by comparing the AATS-6 MBL AODs with corresponding values calculated by combining shipboard particle size distribution measurements with models of hygroscopic growth and radiosonde humidity profiles (plus assumptions on the vertical profile of the dry particle size distribution and composition). Large differences (30-80% in the mid-visible) between measured and reconstructed AODs are obtained, in large part because of the high sensitivity of the closure methodology to hygroscopic growth models, which vary considerably and have not been validated over the necessary range of particle size/composition distributions. The wavelength dependence of AATS-6 AODs is compared with the corresponding dependence of aerosol extinction calculated from shipboard measurements of aerosol size distribution and of total scattering measured by a shipboard integrating nephelometer for several days. Results are highly variable, illustrating further the great difficulty of deriving column values from point measurements. AATS-6 CWV values are shown to agree well with corresponding values derived from

Shipboard Sunphotometer Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth Spectra and Columnar Water Vapor During ACE-2 and Comparison with Selected Land, Ship, Aircraft, and Satellite Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.; Kapustin, Vladimir N.; Schmid, Beat; Russell, Philip B.; Quinn, Patricia K.; Bates, Timothy S.; Durkee, Philip A.; Smith, Peter J.; Freudenthaler, Volker; Wiegner, Matthias;

Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) Instrument Improvements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunagan, Stephen E.; Redemann, Jens; Chang, Cecilia; Dahlgren, Robert; Fahey, Lauren; Flynn, Connor; Johnson, Roy; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Leblanc, Samuel; Liss, Jordan;

Validating Above-cloud Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieved from MODIS using NASA Ames Airborne Sun-Tracking Photometric and Spectrometric (AATS and 4STAR) Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jethva, H. T.; Torres, O.; Remer, L. A.; Redemann, J.; Dunagan, S. E.; Livingston, J. M.; Shinozuka, Y.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.

2014-12-01

Absorbing aerosols produced from biomass burning and dust outbreaks are often found to overlay the lower level cloud decks as evident in the satellite images. In contrast to the cloud-free atmosphere, in which aerosols generally tend to cool the atmosphere, the presence of absorbing aerosols above cloud poses greater potential of exerting positive radiative effects (warming) whose magnitude directly depends on the aerosol loading above cloud, optical properties of clouds and aerosols, and cloud fraction. In recent years, development of algorithms that exploit satellite-based passive measurements of ultraviolet (UV), visible, and polarized light as well as lidar-based active measurements constitute a major breakthrough in the field of remote sensing of aerosols. While the unprecedented quantitative information on aerosol loading above cloud is now available from NASA's A-train sensors, a greater question remains ahead: How to validate the satellite retrievals of above-cloud aerosols (ACA)? Direct measurements of ACA such as carried out by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) can be of immense help in validating ACA retrievals. In this study, we validate the ACA optical depth retrieved using the 'color ratio' (CR) method applied to the MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance by using the airborne AATS and 4STAR measurements. A thorough search of the historic AATS-4STAR database collected during different field campaigns revealed five events where biomass burning, dust, and wildfire-emitted aerosols were found to overlay lower level cloud decks observed during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS-2013, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne measurements revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square-error<0.1 for Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 500 nm) with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties in the MODIS retrievals (-10% to +50%). An extensive validation of

Airborne optical tracking control system design study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1992-09-01

The Kestrel LOS Tracking Program involves the development of a computer and algorithms for use in passive tracking of airborne targets from a high altitude balloon platform. The computer receivers track error signals from a video tracker connected to one of the imaging sensors. In addition, an on-board IRU (gyro), accelerometers, a magnetometer, and a two-axis inclinometer provide inputs which are used for initial acquisitions and course and fine tracking. Signals received by the control processor from the video tracker, IRU, accelerometers, magnetometer, and inclinometer are utilized by the control processor to generate drive signals for the payload azimuth drive, the Gimballed Mirror System (GMS), and the Fast Steering Mirror (FSM). The hardware which will be procured under the LOS tracking activity is the Controls Processor (CP), the IRU, and the FSM. The performance specifications for the GMS and the payload canister azimuth driver are established by the LOS tracking design team in an effort to achieve a tracking jitter of less than 3 micro-rad, 1 sigma for one axis.

The uk Lidar-sunphotometer operational volcanic ash monitoring network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Mariana; Buxmann, Joelle; Freeman, Nigel; Horseman, Andrew; Salmon, Christopher; Sugier, Jacqueline; Bennett, Richard

2018-04-01

The Met Office completed the deployment of ten lidars (UV Raman and depolarization), each accompanied by a sunphotometer (polarized model), to provide quantitative monitoring of volcanic ash over UK for VAAC London. The lidars provide range corrected signal and volume depolarization ratio in near-real time. The sunphotometers deliver aerosol optical depth, Ångstrom exponent and degree of linear polarization. Case study analyses of Saharan dust events (as a proxy for volcanic ash) are presented.

Long-Term Tracking of a Specific Vehicle Using Airborne Optical Camera Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, F.; Rosenbaum, D.; Runge, H.; Cerra, D.; Mattyus, G.; Reinartz, P.

2016-06-01

In this paper we present two low cost, airborne sensor systems capable of long-term vehicle tracking. Based on the properties of the sensors, a method for automatic real-time, long-term tracking of individual vehicles is presented. This combines the detection and tracking of the vehicle in low frame rate image sequences and applies the lagged Cell Transmission Model (CTM) to handle longer tracking outages occurring in complex traffic situations, e.g. tunnels. The CTM model uses the traffic conditions in the proximities of the target vehicle and estimates its motion to predict the position where it reappears. The method is validated on an airborne image sequence acquired from a helicopter. Several reference vehicles are tracked within a range of 500m in a complex urban traffic situation. An artificial tracking outage of 240m is simulated, which is handled by the CTM. For this, all the vehicles in the close proximity are automatically detected and tracked to estimate the basic density-flow relations of the CTM model. Finally, the real and simulated trajectories of the reference vehicles in the outage are compared showing good correspondence also in congested traffic situations.

Ground based and airborne atmospheric measurements near bucharest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemuc, Anca; Boscornea, Andreea; Belegante, Livio; Vasilescu, Jeni; Vajaiac, Sorin; Ene, Dragos; Marmureanu, Luminita; Andrei, Simona

2018-04-01

This paper presents the results from a coordinated approach for atmospheric investigation, exploring synergies between different techniques. A wide range of instruments have been used during an intensive measurement period both from ground (lidar, sunphotometer, aethalometer and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor) and airborne (aerodynamic particle sizer, the Picarro gas analyzer and the NO2 CAPS analyzer) in 2016 over Magurele, 6 km South West of Bucharest.

Validating MODIS above-cloud aerosol optical depth retrieved from "color ratio" algorithm using direct measurements made by NASA's airborne AATS and 4STAR sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John; Dunagan, Stephen; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal Rosenheimer, Michal; Spurr, Rob

2016-10-01

We present the validation analysis of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) retrieved from the "color ratio" method applied to MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance measurements using the limited direct measurements made by NASA's airborne Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) sensors. A thorough search of the airborne database collection revealed a total of five significant events in which an airborne sun photometer, coincident with the MODIS overpass, observed partially absorbing aerosols emitted from agricultural biomass burning, dust, and wildfires over a low-level cloud deck during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS 2013 campaigns, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne matchups revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square difference < 0.1), with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties associated the MODIS retrievals (about -10 to +50 %). The co-retrieved cloud optical depth was comparable to that of the MODIS operational cloud product for ACE-ASIA and SEAC4RS, however, higher by 30-50 % for the SAFARI-2000 case study. The reason for this discrepancy could be attributed to the distinct aerosol optical properties encountered during respective campaigns. A brief discussion on the sources of uncertainty in the satellite-based ACAOD retrieval and co-location procedure is presented. Field experiments dedicated to making direct measurements of aerosols above cloud are needed for the extensive validation of satellite-based retrievals.

Validating MODIS Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieved from Color Ratio Algorithm Using Direct Measurements Made by NASA's Airborne AATS and 4STAR Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John; Dunagan, Stephen; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal Rozenhaimer, Michal; Spurr, Rob

2016-01-01

We present the validation analysis of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) retrieved from the color ratio method applied to MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance measurements using the limited direct measurements made by NASAs airborne Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) sensors. A thorough search of the airborne database collection revealed a total of five significant events in which an airborne sun photometer, coincident with the MODIS overpass, observed partially absorbing aerosols emitted from agricultural biomass burning, dust, and wildfires over a low-level cloud deck during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS 2013 campaigns, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne match ups revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square difference less than 0.1), with most match ups falling within the estimated uncertainties associated with the MODIS retrievals (about -10 to +50 ). The co-retrieved cloud optical depth was comparable to that of the MODIS operational cloud product for ACE-ASIA and SEAC4RS, however, higher by 30-50% for the SAFARI-2000 case study. The reason for this discrepancy could be attributed to the distinct aerosol optical properties encountered during respective campaigns. A brief discussion on the sources of uncertainty in the satellite-based ACAOD retrieval and co-location procedure is presented. Field experiments dedicated to making direct measurements of aerosols above cloud are needed for the extensive validation of satellite based retrievals.

Design of an Airborne L-Band Cross-Track Scanning Scatterometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilliard, Lawrence M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In this report, we describe the design of an airborne L-band cross-track scanning scatterometer suitable for airborne operation aboard the NASA P-3 aircraft. The scatterometer is being designed for joint operation with existing L-band radiometers developed by NASA for soil moisture and ocean salinity remote sensing. In addition, design tradeoffs for a space-based radar system have been considered, with particular attention given to antenna architectures suitable for sharing the antenna between the radar and radiometer. During this study, we investigated a number of imaging techniques, including the use of real and synthetic aperture processing in both the along track and cross-track dimensions. The architecture selected will permit a variety of beamforming algorithms to be implemented, although real aperture processing, with hardware beamforming, provides better sidelobe suppression than synthetic array processing and superior signal-to-noise performance. In our discussions with the staff of NASA GSFC, we arrived at an architecture that employs complete transmit/receive modules for each subarray. Amplitude and phase control at each of the transmit modules will allow a low-sidelobe transmit pattern to be generated over scan angles of +/- 50 degrees. Each receiver module will include all electronics necessary to downconvert the received signal to an IF offset of 30 MHz where it will be digitized for further processing.

Aspects of detection and tracking of ground targets from an airborne EO/IR sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji, Bhashyam; Sithiravel, Rajiv; Daya, Zahir; Kirubarajan, Thiagalingam

2015-05-01

An airborne EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared) camera system comprises of a suite of sensors, such as a narrow and wide field of view (FOV) EO and mid-wave IR sensors. EO/IR camera systems are regularly employed on military and search and rescue aircrafts. The EO/IR system can be used to detect and identify objects rapidly in daylight and at night, often with superior performance in challenging conditions such as fog. There exist several algorithms for detecting potential targets in the bearing elevation grid. The nonlinear filtering problem is one of estimation of the kinematic parameters from bearing and elevation measurements from a moving platform. In this paper, we developed a complete model for the state of a target as detected by an airborne EO/IR system and simulated a typical scenario with single target with 1 or 2 airborne sensors. We have demonstrated the ability to track the target with `high precision' and noted the improvement from using two sensors on a single platform or on separate platforms. The performance of the Extended Kalman filter (EKF) is investigated on simulated data. Image/video data collected from an IR sensor on an airborne platform are processed using an image tracking by detection algorithm.

Vehicle tracking in wide area motion imagery from an airborne platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Eekeren, Adam W. M.; van Huis, Jasper R.; Eendebak, Pieter T.; Baan, Jan

2015-10-01

Airborne platforms, such as UAV's, with Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) sensors can cover multiple square kilometers and produce large amounts of video data. Analyzing all data for information need purposes becomes increasingly labor-intensive for an image analyst. Furthermore, the capacity of the datalink in operational areas may be inadequate to transfer all data to the ground station. Automatic detection and tracking of people and vehicles enables to send only the most relevant footage to the ground station and assists the image analysts in effective data searches. In this paper, we propose a method for detecting and tracking vehicles in high-resolution WAMI images from a moving airborne platform. For the vehicle detection we use a cascaded set of classifiers, using an Adaboost training algorithm on Haar features. This detector works on individual images and therefore does not depend on image motion stabilization. For the vehicle tracking we use a local template matching algorithm. This approach has two advantages. In the first place, it does not depend on image motion stabilization and it counters the inaccuracy of the GPS data that is embedded in the video data. In the second place, it can find matches when the vehicle detector would miss a certain detection. This results in long tracks even when the imagery is of low frame-rate. In order to minimize false detections, we also integrate height information from a 3D reconstruction that is created from the same images. By using the locations of buildings and roads, we are able to filter out false detections and increase the performance of the tracker. In this paper we show that the vehicle tracks can also be used to detect more complex events, such as traffic jams and fast moving vehicles. This enables the image analyst to do a faster and more effective search of the data.

NASA COAST and OCEANIA Airborne Missions Support Ecosystem and Water Quality Research in the Coastal Zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guild, Liane; Kudela, Raphael; Hooker, Stanford; Morrow, John; Russell, Philip; Palacios, Sherry; Livingston, John M.; Negrey, Kendra; Torres-Perez, Juan; Broughton, Jennifer

2014-01-01

NASA has a continuing requirement to collect high-quality in situ data for the vicarious calibration of current and next generation ocean color satellite sensors and to validate the algorithms that use the remotely sensed observations. Recent NASA airborne missions over Monterey Bay, CA, have demonstrated novel above- and in-water measurement capabilities supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The results characterize coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties through an end-to-end assessment of image acquisition, atmospheric correction, algorithm application, plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems. The primary goal is to demonstrate the following in support of calibration and validation exercises for satellite coastal ocean color products: 1) the utility of a multi-sensor airborne instrument suite to assess the bio-optical properties of coastal California, including water quality; and 2) the importance of contemporaneous atmospheric measurements to improve atmospheric correction in the coastal zone. The imaging spectrometer (Headwall) is optimized in the blue spectral domain to emphasize remote sensing of marine and freshwater ecosystems. The novel airborne instrument, Coastal Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) provides measurements of apparent optical properties with high dynamic range and fidelity for deriving exact water leaving radiances at the land-ocean boundary, including radiometrically shallow aquatic ecosystems. Simultaneous measurements supporting empirical atmospheric correction of image data are accomplished using the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14). Flight operations are presented for the instrument payloads using the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter flown over Monterey Bay during the seasonal fall algal bloom in 2011 (COAST) and 2013 (OCEANIA) to support bio-optical measurements of

Evaluation of VIIRS, GOCI, and MODIS Collection 6 AOD Retrievals Against Ground Sunphotometer Observations Over East Asia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xiao, Q.; Zhang, H.; Choi, M.; Li, S.; Kondragunta, S.; Kim, J.; Holben, B.; Levy, R. C.; Liu, Y.

2016-01-01

Persistent high aerosol loadings together with extremely high population densities have raised serious air quality and public health concerns in many urban centers in East Asia. However, ground-based air quality monitoring is relatively limited in this area. Recently, satellite-retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at high resolution has become a powerful tool to characterize aerosol patterns in space and time. Using ground AOD observations from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and the Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON)-Asia Campaign, as well as from handheld sunphotometers, we evaluated emerging aerosol products from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP), the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) aboard the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite (COMS), and Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Collection 6) in East Asia in 2012 and 2013. In the case study in Beijing, when compared with AOD observations from handheld sunphotometers, 51% of VIIRS Environmental Data Record (EDR) AOD, 37% of GOCI AOD, 33% of VIIRS Intermediate Product (IP) AOD, 26% of Terra MODIS C6 3km AOD, and 16% of Aqua MODIS C6 3km AOD fell within the reference expected error (EE) envelope (+/-0.05/+/- 0.15 AOD). Comparing against AERONET AOD over the JapanSouth Korea region, 64% of EDR, 37% of IP, 61% of GOCI, 39% of Terra MODIS, and 56% of Aqua MODIS C6 3km AOD fell within the EE. In general, satellite aerosol products performed better in tracking the day-to-day variability than tracking the spatial variability at high resolutions. The VIIRS EDR and GOCI products provided the most accurate AOD retrievals, while VIIRS IP and MODIS C6 3km products had positive biases.

Evaluation of VIIRS, GOCI, and MODIS Collection 6 AOD retrievals against ground sunphotometer observations over East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Q.; Zhang, H.; Choi, M.; Li, S.; Kondragunta, S.; Kim, J.; Holben, B.; Levy, R. C.; Liu, Y.

2016-02-01

Persistent high aerosol loadings together with extremely high population densities have raised serious air quality and public health concerns in many urban centers in East Asia. However, ground-based air quality monitoring is relatively limited in this area. Recently, satellite-retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at high resolution has become a powerful tool to characterize aerosol patterns in space and time. Using ground AOD observations from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and the Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON)-Asia Campaign, as well as from handheld sunphotometers, we evaluated emerging aerosol products from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP), the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) aboard the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite (COMS), and Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Collection 6) in East Asia in 2012 and 2013. In the case study in Beijing, when compared with AOD observations from handheld sunphotometers, 51 % of VIIRS Environmental Data Record (EDR) AOD, 37 % of GOCI AOD, 33 % of VIIRS Intermediate Product (IP) AOD, 26 % of Terra MODIS C6 3 km AOD, and 16 % of Aqua MODIS C6 3 km AOD fell within the reference expected error (EE) envelope (±0.05 ± 0.15 AOD). Comparing against AERONET AOD over the Japan-South Korea region, 64 % of EDR, 37 % of IP, 61 % of GOCI, 39 % of Terra MODIS, and 56 % of Aqua MODIS C6 3 km AOD fell within the EE. In general, satellite aerosol products performed better in tracking the day-to-day variability than tracking the spatial variability at high resolutions. The VIIRS EDR and GOCI products provided the most accurate AOD retrievals, while VIIRS IP and MODIS C6 3 km products had positive biases.

Aerosol Properties Derived from Airborne Sky Radiance and Direct Beam Measurements in Recent NASA and DoE Field Campaigns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, J.; Flynn, C. J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Russell, P. B.; Kacenelenbogen, M.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, B.; Dunagan, S. E.; Johnson, R. R.;

Studies on mineral dust using airborne lidar, ground-based remote sensing, and in situ instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marenco, Franco; Ryder, Claire; Estellés, Victor; Segura, Sara; Amiridis, Vassilis; Proestakis, Emmanouil; Marinou, Eleni; Tsekeri, Alexandra; Smith, Helen; Ulanowski, Zbigniew; O'Sullivan, Debbie; Brooke, Jennifer; Pradhan, Yaswant; Buxmann, Joelle

2018-04-01

In August 2015, the AER-D campaign made use of the FAAM research aircraft based in Cape Verde, and targeted mineral dust. First results will be shown here. The campaign had multiple objectives: (1) lidar dust mapping for the validation of satellite and model products; (2) validation of sunphotometer remote sensing with airborne measurements; (3) coordinated measurements with the CATS lidar on the ISS; (4) radiative closure studies; and (5) the validation of a new model of dustsonde.

NASA COAST and OCEANIA Airborne Missions in Support of Ecosystem and Water Quality Research in the Coastal Zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guild, Liane S.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Kudela, Raphael; Morrow, John; Russell, Philip; Myers, Jeffrey; Dunagan, Stephen; Palacios, Sherry; Livingston, John; Negrey, Kendra;

SKYWARD: the next generation airborne infrared search and track

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortunato, L.; Colombi, G.; Ondini, A.; Quaranta, C.; Giunti, C.; Sozzi, B.; Balzarotti, G.

2016-05-01

Infrared Search and Track systems are an essential element of the modern and future combat aircrafts. Passive automatic search, detection and tracking functions, are key points for silent operations or jammed tactical scenarios. SKYWARD represents the latest evolution of IRST technology in which high quality electro-optical components, advanced algorithms, efficient hardware and software solutions are harmonically integrated to provide high-end affordable performances. Additionally, the reduction of critical opto-mechanical elements optimises weight and volume and increases the overall reliability. Multiple operative modes dedicated to different situations are available; many options can be selected among multiple or single target tracking, for surveillance or engagement, and imaging, for landing or navigation aid, assuring the maximum system flexibility. The high quality 2D-IR sensor is exploited by multiple parallel processing chains, based on linear and non-linear techniques, to extract the possible targets from background, in different conditions, with false alarm rate control. A widely tested track processor manages a large amount of candidate targets simultaneously and allows discriminating real targets from noise whilst operating with low target to background contrasts. The capability of providing reliable passive range estimation is an additional qualifying element of the system. Particular care has been dedicated to the detector non-uniformities, a possible limiting factor for distant targets detection, as well as to the design of the electro-optics for a harsh airborne environment. The system can be configured for LWIR or MWIR waveband according to the customer operational requirements. An embedded data recorder saves all the necessary images and data for mission debriefing, particularly useful during inflight system integration and tuning.

Desert Dust Layers Over Polluted Marine Boundary Layers: ACE-2 Measurements and ACE-Asia Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Philip B.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J. M.; Redemann, J.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Condon, Estelle P. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Aerosols in ACE-Asia are expected to have some commonalties with those in ACE-2, along with important differences. Among the commonalities are occurrences of desert dust layers over polluted marine boundary layers. Differences include the nature of the dust (yellowish in the East Asia desert outflow, vs. reddish-brown in the Sahara Outflow measured in ACE-2) and the composition of boundary-layer aerosols (e.g., more absorbing, soot and organic aerosol in-the Asian plume, caused by coal and biomass burning, with limited controls). In this paper we present ACE-2 measurements and analyses as a guide to our plans for ACE-2 Asia. The measurements include: (1) Vertical profiles of aerosol optical depth and extinction (380-1558 nm), and of water vapor column and concentration, from the surface through the elevated desert dust, measured by the 14-channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14); (2) Comparisons of airborne and shipborne sunphotometer optical depths to satellite-retrieved values, with and without desert dust; (3) Comparisons between airborne Sunphotometer optical depth and extinction spectra and those derived from coincident airborne in situ measurements of aerosol size distribution, scattering and absorption; (4) Comparisons between size distributions measured in situ and retrieved from sunphotometer optical depth spectra; (5) Comparisons between aerosol single scattering albedo values obtained by several techniques, using various combinations of measurements of backscatter, extinction, size distribution, scattering, absorption, and radiative flux. We show how analyses of these data can be used to address questions important to ACE-Asia, such as: (1) How do dust and other absorbing aerosols affect the accuracy of satellite optical depth retrievals? How important are asphericity effects? (2) How important are supermicron dust and seasalt aerosols to overall aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing? How well are these aerosols sampled by aircraft

Analysis of shipboard aerosol optical thickness measurements from multiple sunphotometers aboard the R/V Ronald H. Brown during the Aerosol Characterization Experiment - Asia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, Mark A.; Knobelspiesse, Kirk; Frouin, Robert

2005-06-20

Marine sunphotometer measurements collected aboard the R/V Ronald H. Brown during the Aerosol Characterization Experiment - Asia (ACE-Asia) are used to evaluate the ability of complementary instrumentation to obtain the best possible estimates of aerosol optical thickness and Angstrom exponent from ships at sea. A wide range of aerosol conditions, including clean maritime conditions and highly polluted coastal environments, were encountered during the ACE-Asia cruise. The results of this study suggest that shipboard hand-held sunphotometers and fast-rotating shadow-band radiometers (FRSRs) yield similar measurements and uncertainties if proper measurement protocols are used and if the instruments are properly calibrated. The automatedmore » FRSR has significantly better temporal resolution (2 min) than the hand-held sunphotometers when standard measurement protocols are used, so it more faithfully represents the variability of the local aerosol structure in polluted regions. Conversely, results suggest that the hand-held sunphotometers may perform better in clean, maritime air masses for unknown reasons. Results also show that the statistical distribution of the Angstrom exponent measurements is different when the distributions from hand-held sunphotometers are compared with those from the FRSR and that the differences may arise from a combination of factors.« less

Airborne Sun photometry and Closure Studies in SAFARI-2000 Dry Season Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B.; Russell, P. B.; Pilewskie, P.; Redemann, J.; Livingston, J. M.; Hobbs, P. V.; Welton, E. J.; Campbell, J.; Holben, B. N.; McGill, M.;

Robust and Rapid Air-Borne Odor Tracking without Casting1,2,3

PubMed Central

Bhattacharyya, Urvashi

2015-01-01

Abstract Casting behavior (zigzagging across an odor stream) is common in air/liquid-borne odor tracking in open fields; however, terrestrial odor localization often involves path selection in a familiar environment. To study this, we trained rats to run toward an odor source in a multi-choice olfactory arena with near-laminar airflow. We find that rather than casting, rats run directly toward an odor port, and if this is incorrect, they serially sample other sources. This behavior is consistent and accurate in the presence of perturbations, such as novel odors, background odor, unilateral nostril stitching, and turbulence. We developed a model that predicts that this run-and-scan tracking of air-borne odors is faster than casting, provided there are a small number of targets at known locations. Thus, the combination of best-guess target selection with fallback serial sampling provides a rapid and robust strategy for finding odor sources in familiar surroundings. PMID:26665165

Aerosol, Cloud and Trace Gas Observations Derived from Airborne Hyperspectral Radiance and Direct Beam Measurements in Recent Field Campaigns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, J.; Flynn, C. J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Kacenelenbogen, M.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; LeBlanc, S.; Russell, P. B.; Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, B.; Dunagan, S. E.;

Real-time moving objects detection and tracking from airborne infrared camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zingoni, Andrea; Diani, Marco; Corsini, Giovanni

2017-10-01

Detecting and tracking moving objects in real-time from an airborne infrared (IR) camera offers interesting possibilities in video surveillance, remote sensing and computer vision applications, such as monitoring large areas simultaneously, quickly changing the point of view on the scene and pursuing objects of interest. To fully exploit such a potential, versatile solutions are needed, but, in the literature, the majority of them works only under specific conditions about the considered scenario, the characteristics of the moving objects or the aircraft movements. In order to overcome these limitations, we propose a novel approach to the problem, based on the use of a cheap inertial navigation system (INS), mounted on the aircraft. To exploit jointly the information contained in the acquired video sequence and the data provided by the INS, a specific detection and tracking algorithm has been developed. It consists of three main stages performed iteratively on each acquired frame. The detection stage, in which a coarse detection map is computed, using a local statistic both fast to calculate and robust to noise and self-deletion of the targeted objects. The registration stage, in which the position of the detected objects is coherently reported on a common reference frame, by exploiting the INS data. The tracking stage, in which the steady objects are rejected, the moving objects are tracked, and an estimation of their future position is computed, to be used in the subsequent iteration. The algorithm has been tested on a large dataset of simulated IR video sequences, recreating different environments and different movements of the aircraft. Promising results have been obtained, both in terms of detection and false alarm rate, and in terms of accuracy in the estimation of position and velocity of the objects. In addition, for each frame, the detection and tracking map has been generated by the algorithm, before the acquisition of the subsequent frame, proving its

A Novel Azimuth Super-Resolution Method by Synthesizing Azimuth Bandwidth of Multiple Tracks of Airborne Stripmap SAR Data

PubMed Central

Wang, Yan; Li, Jingwen; Sun, Bing; Yang, Jian

2016-01-01

Azimuth resolution of airborne stripmap synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is restricted by the azimuth antenna size. Conventionally, a higher azimuth resolution should be achieved by employing alternate modes that steer the beam in azimuth to enlarge the synthetic antenna aperture. However, if a data set of a certain region, consisting of multiple tracks of airborne stripmap SAR data, is available, the azimuth resolution of specific small region of interest (ROI) can be conveniently improved by a novel azimuth super-resolution method as introduced by this paper. The proposed azimuth super-resolution method synthesize the azimuth bandwidth of the data selected from multiple discontinuous tracks and contributes to a magnifier-like function with which the ROI can be further zoomed in with a higher azimuth resolution than that of the original stripmap images. Detailed derivation of the azimuth super-resolution method, including the steps of two-dimensional dechirping, residual video phase (RVP) removal, data stitching and data correction, is provided. The restrictions of the proposed method are also discussed. Lastly, the presented approach is evaluated via both the single- and multi-target computer simulations. PMID:27304959

Airborne Sunphotometry of African Dust and Marine Boundary Layer Aerosols in PRIDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Livingston, John M.; Redemann, Jens; Russell, Philip; Schmid, Beat; Reid, Jeff; Pilewskie, Peter; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was conducted during summer 2000 to study the radiative, microphysical and transport properties of Saharan dust in the Caribbean region. During PRIDE, NASA Ames Research Center's six-channel airborne autotracking sunphotometer (AATS-6) was operated aboard a Piper Navajo airplane based at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. AATS-6 measurements were taken during 21 science flights off the coast of Puerto Rico in the western Caribbean. Data were acquired within and above the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) and the Saharan Aerosol Layer (SAL) up to 5.5 km altitude tinder a wide range of dust loadings. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) spectra and columnar water vapor (CWV) values have been calculated from the AATS-6 measurements by using sunphotometer calibration data obtained at Mauna Loa Observatory (3A kin ASL) before (May) and after (October) PRIDE. Mid-visible AOD values measured near the surface during PRIDE ranged from 0.07 on the cleanest day to 0.55 on the most turbid day. Values measured above the MBL were as high as 0.35; values above the SAL were as low as 0.01. The fraction of total column AOD due to Saharan dust cannot be determined precisely from AATS-6 AOD data alone due to the uncertainty in the extent of vertical mixing of the dust down through the MBL. However, analyses of ground-based and airborne in-situ aerosol sampling measurements and ground-based aerosol lidar backscatter data should yield accurate characterization of the vertical mixing that will enable calculation of the Saharan dust AOD component from the sunphotometer data. Examples will be presented showing measured AATS-6 AOD spectra, calculated aerosol extinction and water vapor density vertical profiles, and aerosol size distributions retrieved by inversion of the AOD spectra. Near sea-surface AOD spectra acquired by AATS-6 during horizontal flight legs at 30 m ASL are available for validation of AOD derived from coincident

Development of a Low Cost Microcontroller-Enabled Handheld Sunphotometer and Comparison with NASA AERONET and MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krintz, I. A.; Ruble, W.; Sherman, J. P.

2017-12-01

Satellite-based measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD), such as those made by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the TERRA and AQUA spacecraft, are often used in studies of aerosol direct radiative forcing (DRF) on regional to global scales due to daily near-global coverage. However, these measurements require validation by ground-based instrumentation, which is limited due to the cost of research-grade instrumentation. Furthermore, satellite-based AOD agreement with "ground-truth" instruments is weaker over mountainous regions (Levy et al., 2010). To aid in satellite validation, a low cost handheld sunphotometer has been developed which will be suitable for deployment to multiple sites to form a citizen science network as part of an upcoming proposal. A microcontroller, along with temperature and pressure sensors, has been included in this design to ease the process of taking measurements and transferring data for processing. Although LED-based sunphotometers have been used for a number of years (Brooks and Mims, 2001), this design uses filtered photodiodes which appear to have less of a temperature dependence. The interface has been designed to be intuitive to citizen scientists of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds, so that deployment to primary schools and international sites will be as seamless as possible. Presented here is the instrument design, as well as initial results of a comparison with NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and MODIS-measured AOD. Future revisions to the instrument design, such as incorporation of surface-mount devices to cut down on circuit board size, will allow for an even smaller and more cost effective solution suitable for a global sunphotometer network.

An airborne jet train that flies on a soft porous track

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirbod, Parisa; Andreopoulos, Yiannis; Weinbaum, Sheldon

2008-11-01

This paper explores the quantitative feasibility of developing an airborne jet train that flies on a soft porous track within centimeters of the earth's surface at speeds approaching current commercial jet aircraft. The jet train employs a lift mechanism first proposed in Feng & Weinbaum (2000) J. Fluid Mech. 422:282 and a nearly frictionless track suggested in Wu et al. (2004) Phys. Rev. Lett. 93(19):194501. Using an asymptotic analysis for large values of the permeability parameter H/Kp, where H is the porous layer thickness and Kp the Darcy permeability, we first show that it is possible to support a 70 metric ton jet train carrying 200 passengers on a confined porous material if its Kp is approximately 5 x 10-9 m^2. For this Kp one finds that the tilt of the planform is < 0.1 degrees and the lift-off velocity is < 5 m/s. Compression tests on a fiber-fill material with these properties show that the fibers contribute < 0.2 percent of the total lift and hence the friction force of the fiber phase is negligible. Using jet engines of 10,000 lbf thrust, about 1/5 that of a 200 passenger jet aircraft, one is able to obtain a cruising velocity approaching 700 km/hr. This would allow for huge fuel savings, especially on short flights where much of the energy is used to climb to altitude and overcoming lift induced drag.

A mobile system combining lidar and sunphotometer on-road measurements: description and first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popovici, Ioana; Goloub, Philippe; Podvin, Thierry; Blarel, Luc; Loisil, Rodrigue; Mortier, Augustin; Deroo, Christine; Ducos, Fabrice; Victori, Stéphane; Torres, Benjamin

2018-04-01

The mobile system described in this paper integrates a commercial eye-safe lidar (CIMEL), a sunphotometer and in situ instruments. The system is distinguished by other transportable platforms through its capabilities to perform onroad measurements. The potential of a commercial lidar to provide reliable information on aerosol properties is investigated through comparison with a multi-wavelength Raman lidar. First results from observation campaigns in northern France are presented.

Hand-Held Sunphotometers for High School Student Construction and Measuring Aerosol Optical Thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almonor, Linda; Baldwin, C.; Craig, R.; Johnson, L. P.

2000-01-01

Science education is taking the teaching of science from a traditional (lecture) approach to a multidimensional sense-making approach which allows teachers to support students by providing exploratory experiences. Using projects is one way of providing students with opportunities to observe and participate in sense-making activity. We created a learning environment that fostered inquiry-based learning. Students were engaged in a variety of Inquiry activities that enabled them to work in cooperative planning teams where respect for each other was encouraged and their ability to grasp, transform and transfer information was enhanced. Summer, 1998: An air pollution workshop was conducted for high school students in the Medgar Evers College/Middle College High School Liberty Partnership Summer Program. Students learned the basics of meteorology: structure and composition of the atmosphere and the processes that cause weather. The highlight of this workshop was the building of hand-held sunphotometers, which measure the intensity of the sunlight striking the Earth. Summer, 1999: high school students conducted a research project which measured the mass and size of ambient particulates and enhanced our ability to observe through land based measurements changes in the optical depth of ambient aerosols over Brooklyn. Students used hand held Sunphotometers to collect data over a two week period and entered it into the NASA GISS database by way of the internet.

Extending MODIS Deep Blue Aerosol Retrieval Coverage to Cases of Absorbing Aerosols Above Clouds: First Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sayer, A. M.; Hsu, N. C.; Bettenhausen, C.; Lee, J.; Redemann, J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Schmid, B.

2015-01-01

Absorbing smoke or mineral dust aerosols above clouds (AAC) are a frequent occurrence in certain regions and seasons. Operational aerosol retrievals from sensors like MODIS omit AAC because they are designed to work only over cloud-free scenes. However, AAC can in principle be quantified by these sensors in some situations (e.g. Jethva et al., 2013; Meyer et al., 2013). We present a summary of some analyses of the potential of MODIS-like instruments for this purpose, along with two case studies using airborne observations from the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS; http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sgg/AATS-website/) as a validation data source for a preliminary AAC algorithm applied to MODIS measurements. AAC retrievals will eventually be added to the MODIS Deep Blue (Hsu et al., 2013) processing chain.

Airborne Sun Photometer Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth during SOLVE II: Comparison with SAGE III and POAM III Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, P.; Livingston, J.; Schmid, B.; Eilers, J.; Kolyer, R.; Redemann, J.; Yee, J.-H.; Trepte, C.; Thomason, L.; Zawodny, J.

2003-01-01

The 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) was operated aboard the NASA DC-8 during the Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II) and obtained successful measurements during the sunlit segments of eight science flights. These included six flights out of Kiruna, Sweden, one flight out of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), and the Kiruna-DFRC return transit flight. Values of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), columnar ozone and columnar water vapor have been derived from the AATS-14 measurements. In this paper, we focus on AATS-14 AOD data. In particular, we compare AATS-14 AOD spectra with temporally and spatially near-coincident measurements by the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) and the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM III) satellite sensors. We examine the effect on retrieved AOD of uncertainties in relative optical airmass (the ratio of AOD along the instrument-to-sun slant path to that along the vertical path) at large solar zenith angles. Airmass uncertainties result fiom uncertainties in requisite assumed vertical profiles of aerosol extinction due to inhomogeneity along the viewing path or simply to lack of available data. We also compare AATS-14 slant path solar transmission measurements with coincident measurements acquired from the DC-8 by the NASA Langley Research Center Gas and Aerosol Measurement Sensor (GAMS).

Airborne SAR systems for infrastructures monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perna, Stefano; Berardino, Paolo; Esposito, Carmen; Natale, Antonio

2017-04-01

The present contribution is aimed at showing the capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems mounted onboard airborne platforms for the monitoring of infrastructures. As well known, airborne SAR systems guarantee narrower spatial coverage than satellite sensors [1]. On the other side, airborne SAR products are characterized by geometric resolution typically higher than that achievable in the satellite case, where larger antennas must be necessarily exploited. More important, airborne SAR platforms guarantee operational flexibility significantly higher than that achievable with satellite systems. Indeed, the revisit time between repeated SAR acquisitions in the satellite case cannot be freely decided, whereas in the airborne case it can be kept very short. This renders the airborne platforms of key interest for the monitoring of infrastructures, especially in case of emergencies. However, due to the platform deviations from a rectilinear, reference flight track, the generation of airborne SAR products is not a turn of the crank procedure as in the satellite case. Notwithstanding proper algorithms exist in order to circumvent this kind of limitations. In this work, we show how the exploitation of airborne SAR sensors, coupled to the use of such algorithms, allows obtaining high resolution monitoring of infrastructures in urban areas. [1] G. Franceschetti, and R.Lanari, Synthetic Aperture Radar Processing, CRC PRESS, New York, 1999.

Airborne Detection and Tracking of Geologic Leakage Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacob, Jamey; Allamraju, Rakshit; Axelrod, Allan; Brown, Calvin; Chowdhary, Girish; Mitchell, Taylor

2014-11-01

Safe storage of CO2 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without adversely affecting energy use or hindering economic growth requires development of monitoring technology that is capable of validating storage permanence while ensuring the integrity of sequestration operations. Soil gas monitoring has difficulty accurately distinguishing gas flux signals related to leakage from those associated with meteorologically driven changes of soil moisture and temperature. Integrated ground and airborne monitoring systems are being deployed capable of directly detecting CO2 concentration in storage sites. Two complimentary approaches to detecting leaks in the carbon sequestration fields are presented. The first approach focuses on reducing the requisite network communication for fusing individual Gaussian Process (GP) CO2 sensing models into a global GP CO2 model. The GP fusion approach learns how to optimally allocate the static and mobile sensors. The second approach leverages a hierarchical GP-Sigmoidal Gaussian Cox Process for airborne predictive mission planning to optimally reducing the entropy of the global CO2 model. Results from the approaches will be presented.

Aerosol optical depths over the Atlantic derived from shipboard sunphotometer observations during the 1988 Global Change Expedition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, Patrick J.; Kreiner, Fred W.; Deluisi, John J.; Kim, Young

1990-09-01

Aerosol optical depths and values for the Angstrom exponent, alpha, were retrieved from carefully calibrated sunphotometer measurements which were made during the Global Change Expedition (GCE) of the NOAA ship Mt. Mitchell in July, August, and September 1988. Sunphotometer observations were acquired at wavelengths of 380, 500, 675, and 778 nm. Optical depths and alphas have been segregated into five categories associated with probable air mass source regions determined through back trajectories at the 1000-, 850-, 700-, and 500-mbar levels. The results for the three most distinct air mass types are summarized here. The mean 500- nm aerosol optical depth for North American air is 0.56 (±0.32), the mean for Atlantic air is 0.16 (±0.02), and the mean for Saharan air is 0.39 (±0.12). Alpha for mean GCE aerosol optical depth data for predominantly North American air masses is 1.15 (± 0.11), alpha for Atlantic air is 1.00 (±0.40), and for Saharan air, alpha is 0.37 (±0.18). There is a significant difference between alpha for Saharan air and alpha for North American or Atlantic air. There is also a significant difference between the mean 500-nm optical depth for North American aerosols and Atlantic aerosols.

Research on the error model of airborne celestial/inertial integrated navigation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiaoqiang; Deng, Xiaoguo; Yang, Xiaoxu; Dong, Qiang

2015-02-01

Celestial navigation subsystem of airborne celestial/inertial integrated navigation system periodically correct the positioning error and heading drift of the inertial navigation system, by which the inertial navigation system can greatly improve the accuracy of long-endurance navigation. Thus the navigation accuracy of airborne celestial navigation subsystem directly decides the accuracy of the integrated navigation system if it works for long time. By building the mathematical model of the airborne celestial navigation system based on the inertial navigation system, using the method of linear coordinate transformation, we establish the error transfer equation for the positioning algorithm of airborne celestial system. Based on these we built the positioning error model of the celestial navigation. And then, based on the positioning error model we analyze and simulate the positioning error which are caused by the error of the star tracking platform with the MATLAB software. Finally, the positioning error model is verified by the information of the star obtained from the optical measurement device in range and the device whose location are known. The analysis and simulation results show that the level accuracy and north accuracy of tracking platform are important factors that limit airborne celestial navigation systems to improve the positioning accuracy, and the positioning error have an approximate linear relationship with the level error and north error of tracking platform. The error of the verification results are in 1000m, which shows that the model is correct.

Photometer Tracks The Sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsumoto, Tak; Mina, Cesar; Russell, Philip; Van Ark, William

1988-01-01

Airborne Sun-tracking photometer enables observations of Sun during much greater portion of flights than previously possible, without special maneuvers of airplane. Instrument occupies dome atop airplane. Fiberglass dome protects photometer and rotates to aim photometer in azimuth and elevation to track Sun. Provides controlled environment for instrument, including mechanical and electronic parts. Instrument calibrated without removing it from airplane.

Real-time simulation of an airborne radar for overwater approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karmarkar, J.; Clark, D.

1982-01-01

Software developed to provide a real time simulation of an airborne radar for overwater approaches to oil rig platforms is documented. The simulation is used to study advanced concepts for enhancement of airborne radar approaches (ARA) in order to reduce crew workload, improve approach tracking precision, and reduce weather minimums. ARA's are currently used for offshore helicopter operations to and from oil rigs.

Comparison of Water Vapor Measurements by Airborne Sun Photometer and Diode Laser Hygrometer on the NASA DC-8

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, Beat; Russell, P. B.

In January-February 2003 the 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer 30 (AATS) and the NASA Langley/Ames Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) were flown on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. AATS measured column water vapor on the aircraft-to-sun path, while DLH measured local water vapor in the free stream between the aircraft fuselage and an outboard engine cowling. The AATS and DLH measurements were compared for two DC-8 vertical profiles by differentiating the AATS column measurement and/or integrating the DLH local measurement over the altitude range of each profile (7.7-10 km and 1.2-12.5 km). These comparisons extend, for the first time, tests ofmore » AATS water vapor retrievals to altitudes >~6 km and column contents <0.1 g cm-2. To our knowledge this is the first time suborbital spectroscopic water vapor measurements using the 940-nm band have been tested in conditions so high and dry. For both profiles layer water vapor (LWV) from AATS and DLH were highly correlated, with r2 0.998, rms difference 7.2% and bias (AATS minus DLH) 0.9%. For water vapor densities AATS and DLH had r2 0.968, rms difference 27.6%, and bias (AATS minus DLH) -4.2%. These results compare favorably with previous comparisons of AATS water vapor to in situ results for altitudes <~6 km, columns ~0.1 to 5 g cm-2 and densities ~0.1 to 17 g m-3.« less

Geoid determination by airborne gravimetry - principles and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A. V.

2009-12-01

The operational development of long-range airborne gravimetry has meant that large areas can be covered in a short time frame with high-quality medium-wavelength gravity field data, perfectly matching the needs of geoid determination. Geoid from a combination of surface, airborne and satellite data not only is able to cover the remaining large data voids on the earth, notably Antarctica and tropical jungle regions, but also provide seamless coverage across the coastal zone, and tie in older marine and land gravity data. Airborne gravity can therefore provide essential data for GPS applications both on land and at sea, e.g. for marine construction projects such as bridges, wind mill farms etc. Current operational accuracies with the DTU-Space/UiB airborne system are in the 1-2 mGal range, which translates into geoid accuracies of 5-10 cm, dependent on track spacing. In the paper we will outline the current accuracy of airborne gravity and geoid determination, and show examples from recent international airborne gravity campaigns, aimed at either providing national survey infrastructure, or scientific applications for e.g. oceanography or sea-ice thickness determination.

Retrieval of atmospheric optical parameters from ground-based sun-photometer measurements for Zanjan, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayat, A.; Masoumi, A.; Khalesifard, H. R.

2010-06-01

We are reporting the results of ground-based spectroradiometric measurements on aerosols and water vapor in the atmosphere of Zanjan for the period of October 2006 to September 2008 using a Cimel CE318-2 sun-photometer. Zanjan is a city in Northwest Iran, located at 36.70° N, 48.51° E, and at an altitude of 1800 above m.s.l. The spectral aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, and columnar water vapor have been calculated using the data recorded by the sunphotometer through direct-beam irradiance measurements of sunlight (sun mode). The average values of aerosol optical depth at 440 nm, columnar water vapor, and the Ångström exponent, α, during the mentioned period are measured as, 0.27±0.16, 0.53±0.37 cm and 0.75±0.46, respectively. The maximum (minimum) value of the aerosol optical depth was recorded in May 2007 (January 2007), and that of columnar water vapor, in July 2007 (January 2008). Using the least-squares method, the Ångström exponent was calculated in the spectral interval 440-870 nm along with the coefficients of a second order polynomial fit (α1 and α2) to the log-log plot of aerosol optical depth versus the wavelength. The coefficient α2 shows that most of the aerosols in the Zanjan area have dimensions larger than 1 μm. The values calculated for α2-α1 indicate that 70% of the aerosols are in the coarse-mode (>1 μm) and 30% of them are in the fine-mode (<1 μm). Comparison of α2-α1 for the atmosphere over Zanjan with other regions indicates dust and anthropogenic aerosols are the most dominant aerosols in the region.

An automated data exploitation system for airborne sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hai-Wen; McGurr, Mike

2014-06-01

Advanced wide area persistent surveillance (WAPS) sensor systems on manned or unmanned airborne vehicles are essential for wide-area urban security monitoring in order to protect our people and our warfighter from terrorist attacks. Currently, human (imagery) analysts process huge data collections from full motion video (FMV) for data exploitation and analysis (real-time and forensic), providing slow and inaccurate results. An Automated Data Exploitation System (ADES) is urgently needed. In this paper, we present a recently developed ADES for airborne vehicles under heavy urban background clutter conditions. This system includes four processes: (1) fast image registration, stabilization, and mosaicking; (2) advanced non-linear morphological moving target detection; (3) robust multiple target (vehicles, dismounts, and human) tracking (up to 100 target tracks); and (4) moving or static target/object recognition (super-resolution). Test results with real FMV data indicate that our ADES can reliably detect, track, and recognize multiple vehicles under heavy urban background clutters. Furthermore, our example shows that ADES as a baseline platform can provide capability for vehicle abnormal behavior detection to help imagery analysts quickly trace down potential threats and crimes.

Upgrade of the NASA 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) to its Full Science Capability of Sun-Sky-Cloud-Trace Gas Spectrometry in Airborne Science Deployments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Roy R.; Russell, P.; Dunagan, S.; Redemann, J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; LeBlanc, S.; Flynn, C.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J.

2014-01-01

The objectives of this task in the AITT (Airborne Instrument Technology Transition) Program are to (1) upgrade the NASA 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) instrument to its full science capability of measuring (a) direct-beam sun transmission to derive aerosol optical depth spectra, (b) sky radiance vs scattering angle to retrieve aerosol absorption and type (via complex refractive index spectra, shape, and mode-resolved size distribution), (c) zenith radiance for cloud properties, and (d) hyperspectral signals for trace gas retrievals, and (2) demonstrate its suitability for deployment in challenging NASA airborne multiinstrument campaigns. 4STAR combines airborne sun tracking, sky scanning, and zenith pointing with diffraction spectroscopy to improve knowledge of atmospheric constituents and their links to air pollution, radiant energy budgets (hence climate), and remote measurements of Earth's surfaces. Direct beam hyperspectral measurement of optical depth improves retrievals of gas constituents and determination of aerosol properties. Sky scanning enhances retrievals of aerosol type and size distribution. 4STAR measurements are intended to tighten the closure between satellite and ground-based measurements. 4STAR incorporates a modular sun-tracking/sky-scanning optical head with fiber optic signal transmission to rack mounted spectrometers, permitting miniaturization of the external optical head, and future detector evolution. 4STAR test flights, as well as science flights in the 2012-13 TCAP (Two-Column Aerosol Project) and 2013 SEAC4RS (Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys) have demonstrated that the following are essential for 4STAR to achieve its full science potential: (1) Calibration stability for both direct-beam irradiance and sky radiance, (2) Improved light collection and usage, and (3) Improved flight operability and reliability. A particular challenge

Airborne Aerosol Closure Studies During PRIDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John M.; Russell, Philip B.; Schmid, Beat; Reid, Jeff

2000-01-01

The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was conducted during June/July of 2000 to study the properties of Saharan dust aerosols transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Islands. During PRIDE, the NASA Ames Research Center six-channel (380 - 1020 nm) airborne autotracking sunphotometer (AATS-6) was operated aboard a Piper Navajo airplane alongside a suite of in situ aerosol instruments. The in situ aerosol instrumentation relevant to this paper included a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP-100) and a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP), covering the radius range of approx. 0.05 to 10 microns. The simultaneous and collocated measurement of multi-spectral aerosol optical depth and in situ particle size distribution data permits a variety of closure studies. For example, vertical profiles of aerosol optical depth obtained during local aircraft ascents and descents can be differentiated with respect to altitude and compared to extinction profiles calculated using the in situ particle size distribution data (and reasonable estimates of the aerosol index of refraction). Additionally, aerosol extinction (optical depth) spectra can be inverted to retrieve estimates of the particle size distributions, which can be compared directly to the in situ size distributions. In this paper we will report on such closure studies using data from a select number of vertical profiles at Cabras Island, Puerto Rico, including measurements in distinct Saharan Dust Layers. Preliminary results show good agreement to within 30% between mid-visible aerosol extinction derived from the AATS-6 optical depth profiles and extinction profiles forward calculated using 60s-average in situ particle size distributions and standard Saharan dust aerosol refractive indices published in the literature. In agreement with tendencies observed in previous studies, our initial results show an underestimate of aerosol extinction calculated based on the in situ size distributions

Instrumentation Techniques for Tracking Low-Flying Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-07-15

feet long (Appendix C). The weight budget could be 1000 pounds. The equip- ment in the pod would include (1) range and range rate measuring devices, (2...advantages would probably outweigh the drawback of beam spreading and loss of resolution as the beam is deflected from normal to the array plane. However...necessitates minimizing size and weight of the airborne equipment. .It is suggested that the data generated by the airborne tracking system be

Vertical profiles of urban aerosol complex refractive index in the frame of ESQUIF airborne measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raut, J.-C.; Chazette, P.

2007-07-01

A synergy between lidar, sunphotometer and in situ measurements has been applied to airborne observations performed during the Etude et Simulation de la QUalité de l'air en Ile-de-France (ESQUIF), enabling the retrieval of vertical profiles for the aerosol complex refractive index (ACRI) and single-scattering albedo with a vertical resolution of 200 m over Paris area. The averaged value over the entire planetary boundary layer (PBL) for the ACRI is close to 1.51(±0.02)-i0.017(±0.003) at 532 nm. The single-scattering albedo of the corresponding aerosols is found to be ~0.9 at the same wavelength. A good agreement is found with previous studies for urban aerosols. A comparison of vertical profiles of ACRI with simulations combining in situ measurements and relative humidity (RH) profiles has highlighted a modification in aerosol optical properties linked to their history and the origin of the air mass. The determination of ACRI in the atmospheric column enabled to retrieve vertical profiles of extinction coefficient in accordance with lidar profiles measurements.

Vertical profiles of urban aerosol complex refractive index in the frame of ESQUIF airborne measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raut, J.-C.; Chazette, P.

2008-02-01

A synergy between lidar, sunphotometer and in situ measurements has been applied to airborne observations performed during the Etude et Simulation de la QUalité de l'air en Ile-de-France (ESQUIF), enabling the retrieval of vertical profiles for the aerosol complex refractive index (ACRI) and single-scattering albedo with a vertical resolution of 200 m over Paris area. The averaged value over the entire planetary boundary layer (PBL) for the ACRI is close to 1.51(±0.02)-i0.017(±0.003) at 532 nm. The single-scattering albedo of the corresponding aerosols is found to be ~0.9 at the same wavelength. A good agreement is found with previous studies for urban aerosols. A comparison of vertical profiles of ACRI with simulations combining in situ measurements and relative humidity (RH) profiles has highlighted a modification in aerosol optical properties linked to their history and the origin of the air mass. The determination of ACRI in the atmospheric column enabled to retrieve vertical profiles of extinction coefficient in accordance with lidar profiles measurements.

TELAER: a multi-mode/multi-antenna interferometric airborne SAR system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perna, Stefano; Amaral, Tiago; Berardino, Paolo; Esposito, Carmen; Jackson, Giuseppe; Pauciullo, Antonio; Vaz Junior, Eurico; Wimmer, Christian; Lanari, Riccardo

2014-05-01

The present contribution is aimed at showing the capabilities of the TELAER airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system recently upgraded to the interferometric mode [1]. TELAER is an Italian airborne X-Band SAR system, mounted onboard a LearJet 35A aircraft. Originally equipped with a single TX/RX antenna, it now operates in single-pass interferometric mode thanks to a system upgrading [1] funded by the Italian National Research Council (CNR), via the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), in the framework of a cooperation between CNR and the Italian Agency for Agriculture Subsidy Payments (AGEA). In the frame of such cooperation, CNR has entrusted the Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) for managing all the activities, included the final flight tests, related to the system upgrading. According to such an upgrading, two additional receiving X-band antennas have been installed in order to allow, simultaneously, single-pass Across-Track and Along-Track interferometry [1]. More specifically, the three antennas are now installed in such a way to produce three different across-track baselines and two different along-track baselines. Moreover, in the frame of the same system upgrading, it has been mounted onboard the Learjet an accurate embedded Global Navigation Satellite System and Inertial Measurement Unit equipment. This allows precise measurement of the tracks described by the SAR antennas during the flight, in order to accurately implement Motion Compensation (MOCO) algorithms [2] during the image formation (focusing) step. It is worth remarking that the TELAER system upgraded to the interferometric mode is very flexible, since the user can set different operational modes characterized by different geometric resolutions and range swaths. In particular, it is possible to reach up to 0.5 m of resolution with a range swath of 2km; conversely, it is possible to enlarge the range swath up to 10 km at expenses of

Observations with the GISMOS Airborne Radio Occultation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muradyan, Paytsar; Haase, Jennifer; Garrison, James; Lulich, Tyler; Xie, Feiqin

2010-05-01

The spatial sample density of temperature and moisture profiles derived from the current spaceborne GPS radio occultation (RO) constellation is limited by the number of occultation satellites in operation. With the current RO satellite configuration, only one RO profile per day is typically available in a 160,000 square kilometer area in the mid-latitude and tropics and slightly more in high latitudes. The airborne RO technique, which has the GPS receiver onboard an airplane, offers flexibility and much denser sampling for targeted observation within 400 km of the aircraft, and provides comparable high vertical resolution to that of the spaceborne case. With an airborne system, targeted measurements can be planned in an optimal geometry to study the accuracy of RO measurements in the lower troposphere where strong vertical gradients in moisture might lead to disruption of signal tracking. These dense measurements can also be used to test assimilation techniques of refractivity and lower tropospheric moisture derived from RO data. In February 2008, the GNSS Instrument System for Multistatic and Occultation Sensing (GISMOS), developed at Purdue University, was successfully deployed on the NSF HIAPER aircraft for series of research flights in the Gulf of Mexico coastal region to validate the airborne observing system. During this campaign, occultation observations were collected in conjunction with supplemental radiosonde and dropsonde soundings. RO signals were recorded using side-looking GPS antennas and dual frequency GPS receivers. However, these conventional phase-locked-loop GPS receivers cannot always track the signal in the lower troposphere, where there are rapid phase accelerations caused by highly variable moisture structures. To extend the observations deeper into the atmosphere, the raw signal from occulting satellites is recorded at 10MHz sampling interval by a GPS recording system (GRS). Open-loop (OL) tracking, which replaces the traditional GPS

Efficient Feature Extraction and Likelihood Fusion for Vehicle Tracking in Low Frame Rate Airborne Video

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

imagery, persistent sensor array I. Introduction New device fabrication technologies and heterogeneous embedded processors have led to the emergence of a...geometric occlusions between target and sensor , motion blur, urban scene complexity, and high data volumes. In practical terms the targets are small...distributed airborne narrow-field-of-view video sensor networks. Airborne camera arrays combined with com- putational photography techniques enable the

Airborne Optical Communications Demonstrator Design And Preflight Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, Abhijit; Page, N.; Neal, J.; Zhu, D.; Wright, M.; Ovtiz, G.; Farr, W. H.; Hernnzati, H.

2005-01-01

A second generation optical communications demonstrator (OCD-2) intended for airborne applications like air-to-ground and air-to-air optical links is under development at JPL. This development provides the capability for unidirectional high data rate (2.5-Gbps) transmission at 1550-nm, with the ability to receive an 810-nm beacon to aid acquisition pointing and tracking. The transmitted beam width is nominally 200-(micro)rad. A 3x3 degree coarse field-of-view (FOV) acquisition sensor with a much smaller 3-mrad FOV tracking sensor is incorporated. The OCD-2 optical head will be integrated to a high performance gimbal turret assembly capable of providing pointing stability of 5- microradians from an airborne platform. Other parts of OCD-2 include a cable harness, connecting the optical head in the gimbal turret assembly to a rugged electronics box. The electronics box will house: command and control processors, laser transmitter, data-generation-electronics, power conversion/distribution hardware and state-of-health monitors. The entire assembly will be integrated and laboratory tested prior to a planned flight demonstrations.

NASA-ARC 91.5-cm airborne infrared telescope. [tracking mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mobley, R. E.; Brown, T. M.

1979-01-01

A 91.5 cm aperture telescope installed aboard NASA-Lockheed C-141A aircraft for the performance of infrared astronomy is described. A unique feature of the telescope is that its entire structure is supported by a 41 cm spherical air bearing which effectively uncouples it from aircraft angular motion, and with inertial stabilization and star tracking, limits tracking errors to less than 1 arc second in most applications. A general description of the system, a summary of its performance, and a detailed description of an offset tracking mechanism is presented.

Hyperspectral data analysis for estimation of foliar biochemical content along the Oregon transect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Lee F.; Peterson, David L.

1991-01-01

The NASA Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) project completed a data acquisition phase. Data were acquired with several airborne imaging spectrometers. Included were the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) aboard the ER-2, the Advanced Solidstate Array Spectrometer (ASAS) aboard the C-130, and the Fluorescence Line Imager (FLI) and Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI), both aboard light aircraft. In addition, Spectron visible and near-infrared data were acquired in transects across study areas from a low-altitude ultralight craft. Sunphotometer data were taken approximately coincident with each overflight for atmospheric correction of the aircraft data.

Optimizing Waveform Maximum Determination for Specular Point Tracking in Airborne GNSS-R.

PubMed

Motte, Erwan; Zribi, Mehrez

2017-08-16

Airborne GNSS-R campaigns are crucial to the understanding of signal interactions with the Earth's surface. As a consequence of the specific geometric configurations arising during measurements from aircraft, the reflected signals can be difficult to interpret under certain conditions like over strongly attenuating media such as forests, or when the reflected signal is contaminated by the direct signal. For these reasons, there are many cases where the reflectivity is overestimated, or a portion of the dataset has to be flagged as unusable. In this study we present techniques that have been developed to optimize the processing of airborne GNSS-R data, with the goal of improving its accuracy and robustness under non-optimal conditions. This approach is based on the detailed analysis of data produced by the instrument GLORI, which was recorded during an airborne campaign in the south west of France in June 2015. Our technique relies on the improved determination of reflected waveform peaks in the delay dimension, which is related to the loci of the signals contributed by the zone surrounding the specular point. It is shown that when developing techniques for the correct localization of waveform maxima under conditions of surfaces of low reflectivity, and/or contamination from the direct signal, it is possible to correct and extract values corresponding to the real reflectivity of the zone in the neighborhood of the specular point. This algorithm was applied to a reanalysis of the complete campaign dataset, following which the accuracy and sensitivity improved, and the usability of the dataset was improved by 30%.

Evolution of the SOFIA tracking control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiebig, Norbert; Jakob, Holger; Pfüller, Enrico; Röser, Hans-Peter; Wiedemann, Manuel; Wolf, Jürgen

2014-07-01

The airborne observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is undergoing a modernization of its tracking system. This included new, highly sensitive tracking cameras, control computers, filter wheels and other equipment, as well as a major redesign of the control software. The experiences along the migration path from an aged 19" VMbus based control system to the application of modern industrial PCs, from VxWorks real-time operating system to embedded Linux and a state of the art software architecture are presented. Further, the concept is presented to operate the new camera also as a scientific instrument, in parallel to tracking.

ASPIRE - Airborne Spectro-Polarization InfraRed Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLuca, E.; Cheimets, P.; Golub, L.; Madsen, C. A.; Marquez, V.; Bryans, P.; Judge, P. G.; Lussier, L.; McIntosh, S. W.; Tomczyk, S.

2017-12-01

Direct measurements of coronal magnetic fields are critical for taking the next step in active region and solar wind modeling and for building the next generation of physics-based space-weather models. We are proposing a new airborne instrument to make these key observations. Building on the successful Airborne InfraRed Spectrograph (AIR-Spec) experiment for the 2017 eclipse, we will design and build a spectro-polarimeter to measure coronal magnetic field during the 2019 South Pacific eclipse. The new instrument will use the AIR-Spec optical bench and the proven pointing, tracking, and stabilization optics. A new cryogenic spectro-polarimeter will be built focusing on the strongest emission lines observed during the eclipse. The AIR-Spec IR camera, slit jaw camera and data acquisition system will all be reused. The poster will outline the optical design and the science goals for ASPIRE.

Activity Tracking for Pilot Error Detection from Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callantine, Todd J.; Ashford, Rose (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This report presents an application of activity tracking for pilot error detection from flight data, and describes issues surrounding such an application. It first describes the Crew Activity Tracking System (CATS), in-flight data collected from the NASA Langley Boeing 757 Airborne Research Integrated Experiment System aircraft, and a model of B757 flight crew activities. It then presents an example of CATS detecting actual in-flight crew errors.

The design and development of a solar tracking unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, I. W.; Miller, J. B.

1984-01-01

The solar tracking unit was developed to support the Laser Heterodyne Spectrometer (LHS) airborne instrument, but has application to a general class of airborne solar occultation research instruments. The unit consists of a mirror mounted on two gimbals, one of which is hollow. The mirror reflects a 7.6 cm (3.0 in.) diameter beam of sunlight through the hollow gimbal into the research instrument optical axis. A portion of the reflected sunlight is directed into a tracking telescope which uses a four quadrant silicon detector to produce the servo error signals. The colinearity of the tracker output beam and the research instrument optical axis is maintained to better than + or - 1 arc-minute. The unit is microcomputer controlled and is capable of stand alone operation, including automatic Sun acquisition or operation under the control of the research instrument.

The Potential of The Synergy of Sunphotometer and Lidar Data to Validate Vertical Profiles of The Aerosol Mass Concentration Estimated by An Air Quality Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siomos, N.; Filioglou, M.; Poupkou, A.; Liora, N.; Dimopoulos, S.; Melas, D.; Chaikovsky, A.; Balis, D. S.

2016-06-01

Vertical profiles of the aerosol mass concentration derived by the Lidar/Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC), that uses combined sunphotometer and lidar data, were used in order to validate the aerosol mass concentration profiles estimated by the air quality model CAMx. Lidar and CIMEL measurements performed at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (40.5N, 22.9E) from the period 2013-2014 were used in this study.

Airborne UV DIAL Measurements of Ozone and Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grant, William B.; Browell, Edward V.

2000-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center's airborne UV Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system measures vertical profiles of ozone and aerosols above and below the aircraft along its flight track. This system has been used in over 20 airborne field missions designed to study the troposphere and stratosphere since 1980. Four of these missions involved tropospheric measurement programs in the Pacific Ocean with two in the western North Pacific and two in the South Pacific. The UV DIAL system has been used in these missions to study such things as pollution outflow, long-range transport, and stratospheric intrusions; categorize the air masses encountered; and to guide the aircraft to altitudes where interesting features can be studied using the in situ instruments. This paper will highlight the findings with the UV DIAL system in the Pacific Ocean field programs and introduce the mission planned for the western North Pacific for February-April 2001. This will be an excellent opportunity for collaboration between the NASA airborne mission and those with ground-based War systems in Asia Pacific Rim countries to make a more complete determination of the transport of air from Asia to the western Pacific.

Modelling airborne gravity data by means of adapted Space-Wise approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampietro, Daniele; Capponi, Martina; Hamdi Mansi, Ahmed; Gatti, Andrea

2017-04-01

Regional gravity field modelling by means of remove - restore procedure is nowadays widely applied to predict grids of gravity anomalies (Bouguer, free-air, isostatic, etc.) in gravimetric geoid determination as well as in exploration geophysics. Considering this last application, due to the required accuracy and resolution, airborne gravity observations are generally adopted. However due to the relatively high acquisition velocity, presence of atmospheric turbulence, aircraft vibration, instrumental drift, etc. airborne data are contaminated by a very high observation error. For this reason, a proper procedure to filter the raw observations both in the low and high frequency should be applied to recover valuable information. In this work, a procedure to predict a grid or a set of filtered along track gravity anomalies, by merging GGM and airborne dataset, is presented. The proposed algorithm, like the Space-Wise approach developed by Politecnico di Milano in the framework of GOCE data analysis, is based on a combination of along track Wiener filter and Least Squares Collocation adjustment and properly considers the different altitudes of the gravity observations. Among the main differences with respect to the satellite application of the Space-Wise approach there is the fact that, while in processing GOCE data the stochastic characteristics of the observation error can be considered a-priori well known, in airborne gravimetry, due to the complex environment in which the observations are acquired, these characteristics are unknown and should be retrieved from the dataset itself. Some innovative theoretical aspects focusing in particular on the theoretical covariance modelling are presented too. In the end, the goodness of the procedure is evaluated by means of a test on real data recovering the gravitational signal with a predicted accuracy of about 0.25 mGal.

Applications of airborne ultrasound in human-computer interaction.

PubMed

Dahl, Tobias; Ealo, Joao L; Bang, Hans J; Holm, Sverre; Khuri-Yakub, Pierre

2014-09-01

Airborne ultrasound is a rapidly developing subfield within human-computer interaction (HCI). Touchless ultrasonic interfaces and pen tracking systems are part of recent trends in HCI and are gaining industry momentum. This paper aims to provide the background and overview necessary to understand the capabilities of ultrasound and its potential future in human-computer interaction. The latest developments on the ultrasound transducer side are presented, focusing on capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducers, or CMUTs. Their introduction is an important step toward providing real, low-cost multi-sensor array and beam-forming options. We also provide a unified mathematical framework for understanding and analyzing algorithms used for ultrasound detection and tracking for some of the most relevant applications. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Airborne Remote Sensing of River Flow and Morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuckerman, S.; Anderson, S. P.; McLean, J.; Redford, R.

2014-12-01

River morphology, surface slope and flow are some of the fundamental measurements required for surface water monitoring and hydrodynamic research. This paper describes a method of combining bathymetric lidar with space-time processing of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagery to simultaneously measure bathymetry, currents and surface slope from an airborne platform. In May 2014, Areté installed a Pushbroom Imaging Lidar for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) and a FLIR SC8000 MWIR imaging system sampling at 2 Hz in a small twin-engine aircraft. Data was collected over the lower Colorado River between Picacho Park and Parker. PILLS is a compact bathymetric lidar based on streak-tube sensor technology. It provides channel and bank topography and water surface elevation at 1 meter horizontal scales and 25 cm vertical accuracy. Surface currents are derived from the MWIR imagery by tracking surface features using a cross correlation algorithm. This approach enables the retrieval of currents along extended reaches at the forward speed of the aircraft with spatial resolutions down to 5 m with accuracy better than 10 cm/s. The fused airborne data captures current and depth variability on scales of meters over 10's of kilometers collected in just a few minutes. The airborne MWIR current retrievals are combined with the bathymetric lidar data to calculate river discharge which is then compared with real-time streamflow stations. The results highlight the potential for improving our understanding of complex river environments with simultaneous collections from multiple airborne sensors.

Airborne Radar Interferometric Repeat-Pass Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hensley, Scott; Michel, Thierry R.; Jones, Cathleen E.; Muellerschoen, Ronald J.; Chapman, Bruce D.; Fore, Alexander; Simard, Marc; Zebker, Howard A.

2011-01-01

Earth science research often requires crustal deformation measurements at a variety of time scales, from seconds to decades. Although satellites have been used for repeat-track interferometric (RTI) synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) mapping for close to 20 years, RTI is much more difficult to implement from an airborne platform owing to the irregular trajectory of the aircraft compared with microwave imaging radar wavelengths. Two basic requirements for robust airborne repeat-pass radar interferometry include the ability to fly the platform to a desired trajectory within a narrow tube and the ability to have the radar beam pointed in a desired direction to a fraction of a beam width. Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is equipped with a precision auto pilot developed by NASA Dryden that allows the platform, a Gulfstream III, to nominally fly within a 5 m diameter tube and with an electronically scanned antenna to position the radar beam to a fraction of a beam width based on INU (inertial navigation unit) attitude angle measurements.

Michigan experimental multispectral mapping system: A description of the M7 airborne sensor and its performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasell, P. G., Jr.

1974-01-01

The development and characteristics of a multispectral band scanner for an airborne mapping system are discussed. The sensor operates in the ultraviolet, visual, and infrared frequencies. Any twelve of the bands may be selected for simultaneous, optically registered recording on a 14-track analog tape recorder. Multispectral imagery recorded on magnetic tape in the aircraft can be laboratory reproduced on film strips for visual analysis or optionally machine processed in analog and/or digital computers before display. The airborne system performance is analyzed.

Handling Trajectory Uncertainties for Airborne Conflict Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barhydt, Richard; Doble, Nathan A.; Karr, David; Palmer, Michael T.

2005-01-01

Airborne conflict management is an enabling capability for NASA's Distributed Air-Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept. DAGTM has the goal of significantly increasing capacity within the National Airspace System, while maintaining or improving safety. Under DAG-TM, autonomous aircraft maintain separation from each other and from managed aircraft unequipped for autonomous flight. NASA Langley Research Center has developed the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP), an onboard decision support system that provides airborne conflict management (ACM) and strategic flight planning support for autonomous aircraft pilots. The AOP performs conflict detection, prevention, and resolution from nearby traffic aircraft and area hazards. Traffic trajectory information is assumed to be provided by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). Reliable trajectory prediction is a key capability for providing effective ACM functions. Trajectory uncertainties due to environmental effects, differences in aircraft systems and performance, and unknown intent information lead to prediction errors that can adversely affect AOP performance. To accommodate these uncertainties, the AOP has been enhanced to create cross-track, vertical, and along-track buffers along the predicted trajectories of both ownship and traffic aircraft. These buffers will be structured based on prediction errors noted from previous simulations such as a recent Joint Experiment between NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers and from other outside studies. Currently defined ADS-B parameters related to navigation capability, trajectory type, and path conformance will be used to support the algorithms that generate the buffers.

Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The focus of the workshop was on how the airborne community can assist in achieving the goals of the Global Change Research Program. The many activities that employ airborne platforms and sensors were discussed: platforms and instrument development; airborne oceanography; lidar research; SAR measurements; Doppler radar; laser measurements; cloud physics; airborne experiments; airborne microwave measurements; and airborne data collection.

Space-Wise approach for airborne gravity data modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampietro, D.; Capponi, M.; Mansi, A. H.; Gatti, A.; Marchetti, P.; Sansò, F.

2017-05-01

Regional gravity field modelling by means of remove-compute-restore procedure is nowadays widely applied in different contexts: it is the most used technique for regional gravimetric geoid determination, and it is also used in exploration geophysics to predict grids of gravity anomalies (Bouguer, free-air, isostatic, etc.), which are useful to understand and map geological structures in a specific region. Considering this last application, due to the required accuracy and resolution, airborne gravity observations are usually adopted. However, due to the relatively high acquisition velocity, presence of atmospheric turbulence, aircraft vibration, instrumental drift, etc., airborne data are usually contaminated by a very high observation error. For this reason, a proper procedure to filter the raw observations in both the low and high frequencies should be applied to recover valuable information. In this work, a software to filter and grid raw airborne observations is presented: the proposed solution consists in a combination of an along-track Wiener filter and a classical Least Squares Collocation technique. Basically, the proposed procedure is an adaptation to airborne gravimetry of the Space-Wise approach, developed by Politecnico di Milano to process data coming from the ESA satellite mission GOCE. Among the main differences with respect to the satellite application of this approach, there is the fact that, while in processing GOCE data the stochastic characteristics of the observation error can be considered a-priori well known, in airborne gravimetry, due to the complex environment in which the observations are acquired, these characteristics are unknown and should be retrieved from the dataset itself. The presented solution is suited for airborne data analysis in order to be able to quickly filter and grid gravity observations in an easy way. Some innovative theoretical aspects focusing in particular on the theoretical covariance modelling are presented too

Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) Investigation of Airborne Particle Health Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diner, D. J.

2016-12-01

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a well-known cause of heart disease, cardiovascular and respiratory illness, low birth weight, and lung cancer. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study ranks PM as a major environmental risk factor worldwide. Global maps of PM2.5concentrations derived from satellite instruments, including MISR and MODIS, have provided key contributions to the GBD and many other health-related investigations. Although it is well established that PM exposure increases the risks of mortality and morbidity, our understanding of the relative toxicity of specific PM types is relatively poor. To address this, the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) investigation was proposed to NASA's third Earth Venture Instrument (EVI-3) solicitation. The satellite instrument that is part of the investigation is a multiangle, multispectral, and polarimetric camera system based on the first and second generation Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imagers, AirMSPI and AirMSPI-2. MAIA was selected for funding in March 2016. Estimates of the abundances of different aerosol types from the WRF-Chem model will be combined with MAIA instrument data. Geostatistical models derived from collocated surface and MAIA retrievals will then be used to relate retrieved fractional column aerosol optical depths to near-surface concentrations of major PM constituents, including sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon, black carbon, and dust. Epidemiological analyses of geocoded birth, death, and hospital records will be used to associate exposure to PM types with adverse health outcomes. MAIA launch is planned for early in the next decade. The MAIA instrument incorporates a pair of cameras on a two-axis gimbal to provide regional multiangle observations of selected, globally distributed target areas. Primary Target Areas (PTAs) on five continents are chosen to include major population centers covering a range of PM concentrations and particle types, surface-based aerosol sunphotometers

Airborne lidar measurements of the soufriere eruption of 17 april 1979.

PubMed

Fuller, W H; Sokol, S; Hunt, W H

1982-06-04

At the time of the Soufriere, St. Vincent, volcanic eruption of 17 April 1979, a NASA P-3 aircraft with an uplooking lidar (light detection and ranging) system onboard was airborne 130 kilometers east of the island. Lidar measurements of the fresh volcanic ash were made approximately 2 hours after the eruption, 120 kilometers to the northeast and east. On the evening of 18 April, the airborne lidar, on a southerly flight track, detected significant amounts of stratospheric material in layers at 16, 17, 18, and 19.5 kilometers. These data, and measurements to the north on 19 April, indicate that the volcanic plume penetrated the stratosphere to an altitude of about 20 kilometers and moved south during the first 48 hours after the eruption.

Airborne lidar measurements of the Soufriere eruption of 17 April 1979

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuller, W. H., Jr.; Sokol, S.; Hunt, W. H.

1982-01-01

At the time of the Soufriere, St. Vincent, volcanic eruption of April 17, 1979, a NASA P-3 aircraft with an uplooking lidar (light detection and ranging) system onboard was airborne 130 kilometers east of the island. Lidar measurements of the fresh volcanic ash were made approximately 2 hours after the eruption, 120 kilometers to the northeast and east. On the evening of April 18, the airborne lidar, on a southerly flight track, detected significant amounts of stratospheric material in layers at 16, 17, 18, and 19.5 kilometers. These data, and measurements to the north on April 19, indicate that the volcanic plume penetrated the stratosphere to an altitude of about 20 kilometers and moved south during the first 48 hours after the eruption.

Airborne gravity measurement over sea-ice: The western Weddel Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brozena, J.; Peters, M.; LaBrecque, J.

1990-10-01

An airborne gravity study of the western Weddel Sea, east of the Antarctic Peninsula, has shown that floating pack-ice provides a useful radar altimetric reference surface for altitude and vertical acceleration corrections surface for alititude and vertical acceleration corrections to airborne gravimetry. Airborne gravimetry provides an important alternative to satellite altimetry for the sea-ice covered regions of the world since satellite alimeters are not designed or intended to provide accurate geoidal heights in areas where significant sea-ice is present within the radar footprint. Errors in radar corrected airborne gravimetry are primarily sensitive to the variations in the second derivative ofmore » the sea-ice reference surface in the frequency pass-band of interest. With the exception of imbedded icebergs the second derivative of the pack-ice surface closely approximates that of the mean sea-level surface at wavelengths > 10-20 km. With the airborne method the percentage of ice coverage, the mixture of first and multi-year ice and the existence of leads and pressure ridges prove to be unimportant in determining gravity anomalies at scales of geophysical and geodetic interest, provided that the ice is floating and not grounded. In the Weddell study an analysis of 85 crosstrack miss-ties distributed over 25 data tracks yields an rms error of 2.2 mGals. Significant structural anomalies including the continental shelf and offsets and lineations interpreted as fracture zones recording the early spreading directions within the Weddell Sea are observed in the gravity map.« less

Research on Airborne SAR Imaging Based on Esc Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, X. T.; Yue, X. J.; Zhao, Y. H.; Han, C. M.

2017-09-01

Due to the ability of flexible, accurate, and fast obtaining abundant information, airborne SAR is significant in the field of Earth Observation and many other applications. Optimally the flight paths are straight lines, but in reality it is not the case since some portion of deviation from the ideal path is impossible to avoid. A small disturbance from the ideal line will have a major effect on the signal phase, dramatically deteriorating the quality of SAR images and data. Therefore, to get accurate echo information and radar images, it is essential to measure and compensate for nonlinear motion of antenna trajectories. By means of compensating each flying trajectory to its reference track, MOCO method corrects linear phase error and quadratic phase error caused by nonlinear antenna trajectories. Position and Orientation System (POS) data is applied to acquiring accuracy motion attitudes and spatial positions of antenna phase centre (APC). In this paper, extend chirp scaling algorithm (ECS) is used to deal with echo data of airborne SAR. An experiment is done using VV-Polarization raw data of C-band airborne SAR. The quality evaluations of compensated SAR images and uncompensated SAR images are done in the experiment. The former always performs better than the latter. After MOCO processing, azimuth ambiguity is declined, peak side lobe ratio (PSLR) effectively improves and the resolution of images is improved obviously. The result shows the validity and operability of the imaging process for airborne SAR.

An examination of along-track interferometry for detecting ground moving targets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Curtis W.; Chapin, Elaine; Muellerschoen, Ron; Hensley, Scott

2005-01-01

Along-track interferometry (ATI) is an interferometric synthetic aperture radar technique primarily used to measure Earth-surface velocities. We present results from an airborne experiment demonstrating phenomenology specific to the context of observing discrete ground targets moving admidst a stationary clutter background.

Indoor airborne bacterial communities are influenced by ventilation, occupancy, and outdoor air source.

PubMed

Meadow, J F; Altrichter, A E; Kembel, S W; Kline, J; Mhuireach, G; Moriyama, M; Northcutt, D; O'Connor, T K; Womack, A M; Brown, G Z; Green, J L; Bohannan, B J M

2014-02-01

Architects and engineers are beginning to consider a new dimension of indoor air: the structure and composition of airborne microbial communities. A first step in this emerging field is to understand the forces that shape the diversity of bioaerosols across space and time within the built environment. In an effort to elucidate the relative influences of three likely drivers of indoor bioaerosol diversity - variation in outdoor bioaerosols, ventilation strategy, and occupancy load - we conducted an intensive temporal study of indoor airborne bacterial communities in a high-traffic university building with a hybrid HVAC (mechanically and naturally ventilated) system. Indoor air communities closely tracked outdoor air communities, but human-associated bacterial genera were more than twice as abundant in indoor air compared with outdoor air. Ventilation had a demonstrated effect on indoor airborne bacterial community composition; changes in outdoor air communities were detected inside following a time lag associated with differing ventilation strategies relevant to modern building design. Our results indicate that both occupancy patterns and ventilation strategies are important for understanding airborne microbial community dynamics in the built environment. © 2013 The Authors. Indoor Air published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of NASA airborne laser altimetry data using ground-based GPS data near Summit Station, Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

2017-03-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airborne laser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface-elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface-elevation biases for these altimeters - over the flat, ice-sheet interior - are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

Bayesian Tracking of Emerging Epidemics Using Ensemble Optimal Statistical Interpolation

PubMed Central

Cobb, Loren; Krishnamurthy, Ashok; Mandel, Jan; Beezley, Jonathan D.

2014-01-01

We present a preliminary test of the Ensemble Optimal Statistical Interpolation (EnOSI) method for the statistical tracking of an emerging epidemic, with a comparison to its popular relative for Bayesian data assimilation, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF). The spatial data for this test was generated by a spatial susceptible-infectious-removed (S-I-R) epidemic model of an airborne infectious disease. Both tracking methods in this test employed Poisson rather than Gaussian noise, so as to handle epidemic data more accurately. The EnOSI and EnKF tracking methods worked well on the main body of the simulated spatial epidemic, but the EnOSI was able to detect and track a distant secondary focus of infection that the EnKF missed entirely. PMID:25113590

Airborne wireless communication systems, airborne communication methods, and communication methods

DOEpatents

Deaton, Juan D [Menan, ID; Schmitt, Michael J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jones, Warren F [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-12-13

An airborne wireless communication system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communication base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communication between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured, based on the information, to configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communication method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communication system.

Integrated Airborne and In-Situ Measurements over Land-Fast Ice near Barrow, AK.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozena, J. M.; Gardner, J. M.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.; Richter-Menge, J.; Claffey, K. J.; Abelev, A.; Hebert, D. A.; Jones, K.

2014-12-01

During March of 2014, the Naval Research Laboratory and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory collected an integrated set of airborne and in-situ measurements over two areas of floating, but land-fast ice near the coast of Barrow, AK. The near-shore site was just north of Point Barrow, and the "offshore" site was ~ 20 km east of Point Barrow. The in-situ data provided ground-truth for airborne measurements from a scanning LiDAR (Riegl Q 560i), digital photogrammetry (Applanix DSS-439) and a snow radar procured from the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets of the University of Kansas. The objective of the survey was to aid our understanding of the use of the airborne data to calibrate/validate Cryosat-2 data. Sampling size or "footprint" plays a critical role in the attempt to compare in-situ measurements with airborne (or satellite) measurements. Thus the in-situ data were arranged to minimize aliasing. Ground measurements were collected along transects at both sites consisting of a 2 km long profile of snow depth and ice thickness measurements with periodic boreholes. A 60 m x 400 m swath of snow depth measurements was centered on this profile. Airborne data were collected on five overflights of the two transect areas. The LiDAR measured total freeboard (ice + snow) referenced to leads in the ice, and produced swaths 200-300 m wide. The radar measured snow thickness. The freeboard and snow thickness measurements are used to estimate ice thickness via isostasy and density estimates. The central swath of in situ snow depth data allows examination of the effects of cross-track variations considering the relatively large footprint of the snow radar. Assuming a smooth, flat surface the radar range resolution in air is < 4 cm, but the along-track sampling distance is ~ 3 m after unfocussed SAR processing. The width of the footprint varies from ~ 9 m up to about 40 m (beam-limited) for uneven surfaces. However, the radar could not resolve snow thickness

Simultaneous Retrievals of Aerosol Properties Using Airborne Sun Photometer, Solar Flux Radiometer, and Satellite Radiance Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houben, H.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Russell, P. B.; Pilewskie, P.

2006-12-01

Characterization of atmospheric aerosols and their climatic effects frequently requires more information than can be gathered by a single instrument. Considerable effort must be devoted to assembling a suite of complementary instruments to make the required measurements and to the production of computational tools that can fuse the data into a coherent description of the aerosols. The twin turboprop Sky Research Jetstream-31 (J-31) has participated in a number of recent field campaigns (Intex A/ICARTT, Intex B/Milagro) with goals that include column closure studies of atmospheric radiation and satellite validation. Among the instruments on board were the 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14, which measures the transmission of the solar beam in 14 narrow spectral channels from 354 nm to 2139 nm with bandwidths between 2 and 6 nm for most channels) and the Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR, a moderate resolution flux [irradiance] spectrometer with a hemispheric field of view which makes simultaneous zenith and nadir measurements in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 2200 nm with spectral resolution 8--12 nm). To retrieve the data we have developed a new adjointed radiative transfer model which simultaneously predicts the direct solar beam, upwelling and downwelling fluxes at the J-31 level, and satellite radiances. The code is based on an adding-doubling formulation, with an arbitrary number of streams and azimuths. The matrix form of the model allows for straightforward (though complicated) linearized and adjoint versions. We are thus able to use data assimilation techniques to determine best-fit aerosol properties above and below the J-31 (and ocean surface albedo), based on approximately 25 independent measurements from the aircraft alone. The presence of both flux and extinction data allow the ready identification of absorbing and scattering aerosols. When column closure spirals are flown, or surface or satellite data are available, a

NASA airborne Doppler lidar program: Data characteristics of 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, R. W.

1982-01-01

The first flights of the NASA/Marshall airborne CO2 Doppler lidar wind measuring system were made during the summer of 1981. Successful measurements of two-dimensional flow fields were made to ranges of 15 km from the aircraft track. The characteristics of the data obtained are examined. A study of various artifacts introduced into the data set by incomplete compensation for aircraft dynamics is summarized. Most of these artifacts can be corrected by post processing, which reduces velocity errors in the reconstructed flow field to remarkably low levels.

Assessment of NASA Airborne Laser Altimetry Data Using Ground-Based GPS Data near Summit Station, Greenland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

2017-01-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airbornelaser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface elevation biases for these altimeters over the flat, ice-sheet interior are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

An Airborne Conical Scanning Millimeter-Wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSMIR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piepmeier, J.; Racette, P.; Wang, J.; Crites, A.; Doiron, T.; Engler, C.; Lecha, J.; Powers, M.; Simon, E.; Triesky, M.;

Challenges in the Management and Stewardship of Airborne Observational Data at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aquino, J.; Daniels, M. D.

2015-12-01

The National Science Foundation (NSF) provides the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) funding for the operation, maintenance and upgrade of two research aircraft: the NSF/NCAR High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) Gulfstream V and the NSF/NCAR Hercules C-130. A suite of in-situ and remote sensing airborne instruments housed at the EOL Research Aviation Facility (RAF) provide a basic set of measurements that are typically deployed on most airborne field campaigns. In addition, instruments to address more specific research requirements are provided by collaborating participants from universities, industry, NASA, NOAA or other agencies (referred to as Principal Investigator, or PI, instruments). At the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, a poster (IN13B-3639) was presented outlining the components of Airborne Data Management included field phase data collection, formats, data archival and documentation, version control, storage practices, stewardship and obsolete data formats, and public data access. This talk will cover lessons learned, challenges associated with the above components, and current developments to address these challenges, including: tracking data workflows for aircraft instrumentation to facilitate identification, and correction, of gaps in these workflows; implementation of dataset versioning guidelines; and assignment of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to data and instrumentation to facilitate tracking data and facility use in publications.

North Atlantic Aerosol Radiative Impacts Based on Satellite Measurements and Aerosol Intensive Properties from TARFOX and ACE-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, P. B.; Bergstrom, Robert W.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J. M.

2000-01-01

We estimate the impact of North Atlantic aerosols on the net short-wave flux at the tropopause by combining satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) maps with model aerosol properties determined via closure analyses in TARFOX and ACE 2. We exclude African dust, primarily by restricting latitudes to 25-60 N. The analyses use in situ aerosol composition measurements and air- and ship-borne sun-photometer measurements of AOD spectra. The aerosol model yields computed flux sensitivities (dFlux/dAOD) that agree with measurements by airborne flux radiometers in TARFOX. Its midvisible single-scattering albedo is 0.9. which is in the range obtained from in situ measurements of scattering and absorption in both TARFOX and ACE 2. Combining satellite-derived AOD maps with the aerosol model yields maps of 24-hour average net radiative flux changes. For simultaneous AVHRR, radiance measurements exceeded the sunphotometer AODs by about 0.04. However. shipboard sunphotometer and AVHRR AODs agreed Within 0.02 for data acquired during satellite overflights on two other days. We discuss attempts to demonstrate column closure within the MBL by comparing shipboard sunphotometer AODs and values calculated from simultaneous shipboard in-situ aerosol size distribution measurements. These comparisons were mostly unsuccessful, but they illustrate the difficulties inherent in this type of closure analysis. Specifically, AODs derived from near-surface in-situ size distribution measurements are extremely sensitive to the assumed hygroscopic growth model that itself requires an assumption of particle composition as a function of height and size, to the radiosonde-measured relative humidity, and to the vertical profile of particle number. We investigate further the effects of hygroscopic particle growth within the MBL by using shipboard lidar aerosol backscatter profiles together with the sunphotometer AOD.

Airborne seeker evaluation and test system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jollie, William B.

1991-08-01

The Airborne Seeker Evaluation Test System (ASETS) is an airborne platform for development, test, and evaluation of air-to-ground seekers and sensors. ASETS consists of approximately 10,000 pounds of equipment, including sixteen racks of control, display, and recording electronics, and a very large stabilized airborne turret, all carried by a modified C- 130A aircraft. The turret measures 50 in. in diameter and extends over 50 in. below the aircraft. Because of the low ground clearance of the C-130, a unique retractor mechanism was designed to raise the turret inside the aircraft for take-offs and landings, and deploy the turret outside the aircraft for testing. The turret has over 7 cubic feet of payload space and can accommodate up to 300 pounds of instrumentation, including missile seekers, thermal imagers, infrared mapping systems, laser systems, millimeter wave radar units, television cameras, and laser rangers. It contains a 5-axis gyro-stabilized gimbal system that will maintain a line of sight in the pitch, roll, and yaw axes to an accuracy better than +/- 125 (mu) rad. The rack-mounted electronics in the aircraft cargo bay can be interchanged to operate any type of sensor and record the data. Six microcomputer subsystems operate and maintain all of the system components during a test mission. ASETS is capable of flying at altitudes between 200 and 20,000 feet, and at airspeeds ranging from 100 to 250 knots. Mission scenarios can include air-to-surface seeker testing, terrain mapping, surface target measurement, air-to-air testing, atmospheric transmission studies, weather data collection, aircraft or missile tracking, background signature measurements, and surveillance. ASETS is fully developed and available to support test programs.

Airborne bacterial assemblage in a zero carbon building: A case study.

PubMed

Leung, M H Y; Tong, X; Tong, J C K; Lee, P K H

2018-01-01

Currently, there is little information pertaining to the airborne bacterial communities of green buildings. In this case study, the air bacterial community of a zero carbon building (ZCB) in Hong Kong was characterized by targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Bacteria associated with the outdoor environment dominated the indoor airborne bacterial assemblage, with a modest contribution from bacteria associated with human skin. Differences in overall community diversity, membership, and composition associated with short (day-to-day) and long-term temporal properties were detected, which may have been driven by specific environmental genera and taxa. Furthermore, time-decay relationships in community membership (based on unweighted UniFrac distances) and composition (based on weighted UniFrac distances) differed depending on the season and sampling location. A Bayesian source-tracking approach further supported the importance of adjacent outdoor air bacterial assemblage in sourcing the ZCB indoor bioaerosol. Despite the unique building attributes, the ZCB microbial assemblage detected and its temporal characteristics were not dissimilar to that of conventional built environments investigated previously. Future controlled experiments and microbial assemblage investigations of other ZCBs will undoubtedly uncover additional knowledge related to how airborne bacteria in green buildings may be influenced by their distinctive architectural attributes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Radial Basis Functions in Airborne Gravimetry for Local Geoid Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaopeng

2017-04-01

software is tested for the GSVS14 (Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2014) area as well as for the area around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by using the real airborne gravity data from the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D, Smith 2007) project. The newly acquired cm-level accurate GPS/Leveling bench marks prove the RBF airborne enhanced geoid models are not inferior to other models computed by conventional approaches. By fully utilizing the three dimensional correlation information among the flight tracks, the RBF can also be used as a data editing tool for airborne data adjustment and cleaning.

Man-in-the-loop study of filtering in airborne head tracking tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lifshitz, S.; Merhav, S. J.

1992-01-01

A human-factors study is conducted of problems due to vibrations during the use of a helmet-mounted display (HMD) in tracking tasks whose major factors are target motion and head vibration. A method is proposed for improving aiming accuracy in such tracking tasks on the basis of (1) head-motion measurement and (2) the shifting of the reticle in the HMD in ways that inhibit much of the involuntary apparent motion of the reticle, relative to the target, and the nonvoluntary motion of the teleoperated device. The HMD inherently furnishes the visual feedback required by this scheme.

Wind Retrieval Algorithms for the IWRAP and HIWRAP Airborne Doppler Radars with Applications to Hurricanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guimond, Stephen Richard; Tian, Lin; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Frasier, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

Algorithms for the retrieval of atmospheric winds in precipitating systems from downward-pointing, conically-scanning airborne Doppler radars are presented. The focus in the paper is on two radars: the Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler(IWRAP) and the High-altitude IWRAP (HIWRAP). The IWRAP is a dual-frequency (Cand Ku band), multi-beam (incidence angles of 30 50) system that flies on the NOAAWP-3D aircraft at altitudes of 2-4 km. The HIWRAP is a dual-frequency (Ku and Kaband), dual-beam (incidence angles of 30 and 40) system that flies on the NASA Global Hawk aircraft at altitudes of 18-20 km. Retrievals of the three Cartesian wind components over the entire radar sampling volume are described, which can be determined using either a traditional least squares or variational solution procedure. The random errors in the retrievals are evaluated using both an error propagation analysis and a numerical simulation of a hurricane. These analyses show that the vertical and along-track wind errors have strong across-track dependence with values of 0.25 m s-1 at nadir to 2.0 m s-1 and 1.0 m s-1 at the swath edges, respectively. The across-track wind errors also have across-track structure and are on average, 3.0 3.5 m s-1 or 10 of the hurricane wind speed. For typical rotated figure four flight patterns through hurricanes, the zonal and meridional wind speed errors are 2 3 m s-1.Examples of measured data retrievals from IWRAP during an eyewall replacement cycle in Hurricane Isabel (2003) and from HIWRAP during the development of Tropical Storm Matthew (2010) are shown.

Tomographic Imaging of a Forested Area By Airborne Multi-Baseline P-Band SAR.

PubMed

Frey, Othmar; Morsdorf, Felix; Meier, Erich

2008-09-24

In recent years, various attempts have been undertaken to obtain information about the structure of forested areas from multi-baseline synthetic aperture radar data. Tomographic processing of such data has been demonstrated for airborne L-band data but the quality of the focused tomographic images is limited by several factors. In particular, the common Fourierbased focusing methods are susceptible to irregular and sparse sampling, two problems, that are unavoidable in case of multi-pass, multi-baseline SAR data acquired by an airborne system. In this paper, a tomographic focusing method based on the time-domain back-projection algorithm is proposed, which maintains the geometric relationship between the original sensor positions and the imaged target and is therefore able to cope with irregular sampling without introducing any approximations with respect to the geometry. The tomographic focusing quality is assessed by analysing the impulse response of simulated point targets and an in-scene corner reflector. And, in particular, several tomographic slices of a volume representing a forested area are given. The respective P-band tomographic data set consisting of eleven flight tracks has been acquired by the airborne E-SAR sensor of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Airborne imaging spectrometers developed in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianyu; Xue, Yongqi

1998-08-01

Airborne imaging spectral technology, principle means in airborne remote sensing, has been developed rapidly both in the world and in China recently. This paper describes Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (MAIS), Operational Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (OMAIS) and Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imagery (PHI) that have been developed or are being developed in Airborne Remote Sensing Lab of Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, CAS.

Retrieval of aerosol profiles combining sunphotometer and ceilometer measurements in GRASP code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Román, R.; Benavent-Oltra, J. A.; Casquero-Vera, J. A.; Lopatin, A.; Cazorla, A.; Lyamani, H.; Denjean, C.; Fuertes, D.; Pérez-Ramírez, D.; Torres, B.; Toledano, C.; Dubovik, O.; Cachorro, V. E.; de Frutos, A. M.; Olmo, F. J.; Alados-Arboledas, L.

2018-05-01

In this paper we present an approach for the profiling of aerosol microphysical and optical properties combining ceilometer and sun/sky photometer measurements in the GRASP code (General Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties). For this objective, GRASP is used with sun/sky photometer measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and sky radiances, both at four wavelengths and obtained from AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), and ceilometer measurements of range corrected signal (RCS) at 1064 nm. A sensitivity study with synthetic data evidences the capability of the method to retrieve aerosol properties such as size distribution and profiles of volume concentration (VC), especially for coarse particles. Aerosol properties obtained by the mentioned method are compared with airborne in-situ measurements acquired during two flights over Granada (Spain) within the framework of ChArMEx/ADRIMED (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment/Aerosol Direct Radiative Impact on the regional climate in the MEDiterranean region) 2013 campaign. The retrieved aerosol VC profiles agree well with the airborne measurements, showing a mean bias error (MBE) and a mean absolute bias error (MABE) of 0.3 μm3/cm3 (12%) and 5.8 μm3/cm3 (25%), respectively. The differences between retrieved VC and airborne in-situ measurements are within the uncertainty of GRASP retrievals. In addition, the retrieved VC at 2500 m a.s.l. is shown and compared with in-situ measurements obtained during summer 2016 at a high-atitude mountain station in the framework of the SLOPE I campaign (Sierra Nevada Lidar AerOsol Profiling Experiment). VC from GRASP presents high correlation (r = 0.91) with the in-situ measurements, but overestimates them, MBE and MABE being equal to 23% and 43%.

Airborne Tactical Crossload Planner

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

set out in the Airborne Standard Operating Procedure (ASOP). 14. SUBJECT TERMS crossload, airborne, optimization, integer linear programming ...they land to their respective sub-mission locations. In this thesis, we formulate and implement an integer linear program called the Tactical...to meet any desired crossload objectives. xiv We demonstrate TCP with two real-world tactical problems from recent airborne operations: one by the

Detection of multiple airborne targets from multisensor data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foltz, Mark A.; Srivastava, Anuj; Miller, Michael I.; Grenander, Ulf

1995-08-01

Previously we presented a jump-diffusion based random sampling algorithm for generating conditional mean estimates of scene representations for the tracking and recongition of maneuvering airborne targets. These representations include target positions and orientations along their trajectories and the target type associated with each trajectory. Taking a Bayesian approach, a posterior measure is defined on the parameter space by combining sensor models with a sophisticated prior based on nonlinear airplane dynamics. The jump-diffusion algorithm constructs a Markov process which visits the elements of the parameter space with frequencies proportional to the posterior probability. It consititutes both the infinitesimal, local search via a sample path continuous diffusion transform and the larger, global steps through discrete jump moves. The jump moves involve the addition and deletion of elements from the scene configuration or changes in the target type assoviated with each target trajectory. One such move results in target detection by the addition of a track seed to the inference set. This provides initial track data for the tracking/recognition algorithm to estimate linear graph structures representing tracks using the other jump moves and the diffusion process, as described in our earlier work. Target detection ideally involves a continuous research over a continuum of the observation space. In this work we conclude that for practical implemenations the search space must be discretized with lattice granularity comparable to sensor resolution, and discuss how fast Fourier transforms are utilized for efficient calcuation of sufficient statistics given our array models. Some results are also presented from our implementation on a networked system including a massively parallel machine architecture and a silicon graphics onyx workstation.

Tracking of airborne radionuclides from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors by European networks.

PubMed

Masson, O; Baeza, A; Bieringer, J; Brudecki, K; Bucci, S; Cappai, M; Carvalho, F P; Connan, O; Cosma, C; Dalheimer, A; Didier, D; Depuydt, G; De Geer, L E; De Vismes, A; Gini, L; Groppi, F; Gudnason, K; Gurriaran, R; Hainz, D; Halldórsson, Ó; Hammond, D; Hanley, O; Holeý, K; Homoki, Zs; Ioannidou, A; Isajenko, K; Jankovic, M; Katzlberger, C; Kettunen, M; Kierepko, R; Kontro, R; Kwakman, P J M; Lecomte, M; Leon Vintro, L; Leppänen, A-P; Lind, B; Lujaniene, G; Mc Ginnity, P; Mc Mahon, C; Malá, H; Manenti, S; Manolopoulou, M; Mattila, A; Mauring, A; Mietelski, J W; Møller, B; Nielsen, S P; Nikolic, J; Overwater, R M W; Pálsson, S E; Papastefanou, C; Penev, I; Pham, M K; Povinec, P P; Ramebäck, H; Reis, M C; Ringer, W; Rodriguez, A; Rulík, P; Saey, P R J; Samsonov, V; Schlosser, C; Sgorbati, G; Silobritiene, B V; Söderström, C; Sogni, R; Solier, L; Sonck, M; Steinhauser, G; Steinkopff, T; Steinmann, P; Stoulos, S; Sýkora, I; Todorovic, D; Tooloutalaie, N; Tositti, L; Tschiersch, J; Ugron, A; Vagena, E; Vargas, A; Wershofen, H; Zhukova, O

2011-09-15

Radioactive emissions into the atmosphere from the damaged reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP) started on March 12th, 2011. Among the various radionuclides released, iodine-131 ((131)I) and cesium isotopes ((137)Cs and (134)Cs) were transported across the Pacific toward the North American continent and reached Europe despite dispersion and washout along the route of the contaminated air masses. In Europe, the first signs of the releases were detected 7 days later while the first peak of activity level was observed between March 28th and March 30th. Time variations over a 20-day period and spatial variations across more than 150 sampling locations in Europe made it possible to characterize the contaminated air masses. After the Chernobyl accident, only a few measurements of the gaseous (131)I fraction were conducted compared to the number of measurements for the particulate fraction. Several studies had already pointed out the importance of the gaseous (131)I and the large underestimation of the total (131)I airborne activity level, and subsequent calculations of inhalation dose, if neglected. The measurements made across Europe following the releases from the Fukushima NPP reactors have provided a significant amount of new data on the ratio of the gaseous (131)I fraction to total (131)I, both on a spatial scale and its temporal variation. It can be pointed out that during the Fukushima event, the (134)Cs to (137)Cs ratio proved to be different from that observed after the Chernobyl accident. The data set provided in this paper is the most comprehensive survey of the main relevant airborne radionuclides from the Fukushima reactors, measured across Europe. A rough estimate of the total (131)I inventory that has passed over Europe during this period was <1% of the released amount. According to the measurements, airborne activity levels remain of no concern for public health in Europe.

International Symposium on Airborne Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mogi, Toru; Ito, Hisatoshi; Kaieda, Hideshi; Kusunoki, Kenichiro; Saltus, Richard W.; Fitterman, David V.; Okuma, Shigeo; Nakatsuka, Tadashi

2006-05-01

Airborne geophysics can be defined as the measurement of Earth properties from sensors in the sky. The airborne measurement platform is usually a traditional fixed-wing airplane or helicopter, but could also include lighter-than-air craft, unmanned drones, or other specialty craft. The earliest history of airborne geophysics includes kite and hot-air balloon experiments. However, modern airborne geophysics dates from the mid-1940s when military submarine-hunting magnetometers were first used to map variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The current gamut of airborne geophysical techniques spans a broad range, including potential fields (both gravity and magnetics), electromagnetics (EM), radiometrics, spectral imaging, and thermal imaging.

Electronics design of the airborne stabilized platform attitude acquisition module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jiang; Wei, Guiling; Cheng, Yong; Li, Baolin; Bu, Hongyi; Wang, Hao; Zhang, Zhanwei; Li, Xingni

2014-02-01

We present an attitude acquisition module electronics design for the airborne stabilized platform. The design scheme, which is based on Integrated MEMS sensor ADIS16405, develops the attitude information processing algorithms and the hardware circuit. The hardware circuits with a small volume of only 44.9 x 43.6 x 24.6 mm3, has the characteristics of lightweight, modularization and digitalization. The interface design of the PC software uses the combination plane chart with track line to receive the attitude information and display. Attitude calculation uses the Kalman filtering algorithm to improve the measurement accuracy of the module in the dynamic environment.

In-flight spectral performance monitoring of the Airborne Prism Experiment.

PubMed

D'Odorico, Petra; Alberti, Edoardo; Schaepman, Michael E

2010-06-01

Spectral performance of an airborne dispersive pushbroom imaging spectrometer cannot be assumed to be stable over a whole flight season given the environmental stresses present during flight. Spectral performance monitoring during flight is commonly accomplished by looking at selected absorption features present in the Sun, atmosphere, or ground, and their stability. The assessment of instrument performance in two different environments, e.g., laboratory and airborne, using precisely the same calibration reference, has not been possible so far. The Airborne Prism Experiment (APEX), an airborne dispersive pushbroom imaging spectrometer, uses an onboard in-flight characterization (IFC) facility, which makes it possible to monitor the sensor's performance in terms of spectral, radiometric, and geometric stability in flight and in the laboratory. We discuss in detail a new method for the monitoring of spectral instrument performance. The method relies on the monitoring of spectral shifts by comparing instrument-induced movements of absorption features on ground and in flight. Absorption lines originate from spectral filters, which intercept the full field of view (FOV) illuminated using an internal light source. A feature-fitting algorithm is used for the shift estimation based on Pearson's correlation coefficient. Environmental parameter monitoring, coregistered on board with the image and calibration data, revealed that differential pressure and temperature in the baffle compartment are the main driving parameters explaining the trend in spectral performance deviations in the time and the space (across-track) domains, respectively. The results presented in this paper show that the system in its current setup needs further improvements to reach a stable performance. Findings provided useful guidelines for the instrument revision currently under way. The main aim of the revision is the stabilization of the instrument for a range of temperature and pressure conditions

Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Customized Data Merging Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benson, A.; Peeters, M. C.; Perez, J.; Parker, L.; Chen, G.

2013-12-01

NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. Prior to the actual toolset development, a comprehensive metadata database was created to compensate for the absence of standardization of the ICARTT data format in which the data is stored. This database tracks the Principal Investigator-provided metadata, and links the measurement variables to a common naming system that was developed as a part of this project. This database is used by the data merging module. Most aircraft data reported during a single flight is not on a consistent time base and is difficult to intercompare. This module provides the user with the ability to merge original data measurements from multiple data providers into a specified time interval or common time base. The database development, common naming scheme and data merge module development will be presented.

Aircraft tracking and logging for commercial airports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wren, Lee; Dwyer, David; Thornton, John; Bonsor, Nigel

2002-07-01

Airport congestion is becoming a major problem, with many airports stretched to capacity. Monitoring of airport traffic is becoming of increased importance as airport operators try to maximize their efficiency whilst maintaining a high safety standard. This paper describes a fully automatic electro-optic tracking system, designed to track aircraft whilst on, or near, the runway. The system uses a single camera and several surveyed landmarks to predict the 3D location of the aircraft. Two modes of operation are available: take off and landing, with aircraft statistics recorded for each. Aircraft are tracked until they are clear of the runway, either airborne or having turned off onto a taxiway. Statistics and video imagery are recorded for each aircraft movement, detailing the time interval between landings or take offs, the time taken to clear the runway as well as for landing aircraft, details of approach speed, glide slope, point of touch-down and which exit taxiway was used. This information can be analyzed to monitor efficiency and to highlight violations in any safety regulations.

Evaluation of meteorological airborne Doppler radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildebrand, P. H.; Mueller, C. K.

1984-01-01

This paper will discuss the capabilities of airborne Doppler radar for atmospheric sciences research. The evaluation is based on airborne and ground based Doppler radar observations of convective storms. The capability of airborne Doppler radar to measure horizontal and vertical air motions is evaluated. Airborne Doppler radar is shown to be a viable tool for atmospheric sciences research.

Webinar: Airborne Data Discovery and Analysis with Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-10-18

Webinar: Airborne Data Discovery and Analysis with Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Join us on ... and flight data ranges are available. Registration is now open.  Access the full announcement   For TAD Information, ...

EMAG2: A 2-arc min resolution Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid compiled from satellite, airborne, and marine magnetic measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maus, S.; Barckhausen, U.; Berkenbosch, H.; Bournas, N.; Brozena, J.; Childers, V.; Dostaler, F.; Fairhead, J.D.; Finn, C.; von Frese, R.R.B; Gaina, C.; Golynsky, S.; Kucks, R.; Lu, Hai; Milligan, P.; Mogren, S.; Muller, R.D.; Olesen, O.; Pilkington, M.; Saltus, R.; Schreckenberger, B.; Thebault, E.; Tontini, F.C.

2009-01-01

A global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid (EMAG2) has been compiled from satellite, ship, and airborne magnetic measurements. EMAG2 is a significant update of our previous candidate grid for the World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map. The resolution has been improved from 3 arc min to 2 arc min, and the altitude has been reduced from 5 km to 4 km above the geoid. Additional grid and track line data have been included, both over land and the oceans. Wherever available, the original shipborne and airborne data were used instead of precompiled oceanic magnetic grids. Interpolation between sparse track lines in the oceans was improved by directional gridding and extrapolation, based on an oceanic crustal age model. The longest wavelengths (>330 km) were replaced with the latest CHAMP satellite magnetic field model MF6. EMAG2 is available at http://geomag.org/models/EMAG2 and for permanent archive at http://earthref.org/ cgi-bin/er.cgi?s=erda.cgi?n=970. ?? 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Retrieval, Inter-Comparison, and Validation of Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth from A-train Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Bhartia, Pawan K.; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Dunagan, Stephen E.; Livingston, John; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal-Rosenbeimer, Michal;

Processor architecture for airborne SAR systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, C. M.

1983-01-01

Digital processors for spaceborne imaging radars and application of the technology developed for airborne SAR systems are considered. Transferring algorithms and implementation techniques from airborne to spaceborne SAR processors offers obvious advantages. The following topics are discussed: (1) a quantification of the differences in processing algorithms for airborne and spaceborne SARs; and (2) an overview of three processors for airborne SAR systems.

Target-type probability combining algorithms for multisensor tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wigren, Torbjorn

2001-08-01

Algorithms for the handing of target type information in an operational multi-sensor tracking system are presented. The paper discusses recursive target type estimation, computation of crosses from passive data (strobe track triangulation), as well as the computation of the quality of the crosses for deghosting purposes. The focus is on Bayesian algorithms that operate in the discrete target type probability space, and on the approximations introduced for computational complexity reduction. The centralized algorithms are able to fuse discrete data from a variety of sensors and information sources, including IFF equipment, ESM's, IRST's as well as flight envelopes estimated from track data. All algorithms are asynchronous and can be tuned to handle clutter, erroneous associations as well as missed and erroneous detections. A key to obtain this ability is the inclusion of data forgetting by a procedure for propagation of target type probability states between measurement time instances. Other important properties of the algorithms are their abilities to handle ambiguous data and scenarios. The above aspects are illustrated in a simulations study. The simulation setup includes 46 air targets of 6 different types that are tracked by 5 airborne sensor platforms using ESM's and IRST's as data sources.

Airborne relay-based regional positioning system.

PubMed

Lee, Kyuman; Noh, Hongjun; Lim, Jaesung

2015-05-28

Ground-based pseudolite systems have some limitations, such as low vertical accuracy, multipath effects and near-far problems. These problems are not significant in airborne-based pseudolite systems. However, the monitoring of pseudolite positions is required because of the mobility of the platforms on which the pseudolites are mounted, and this causes performance degradation. To address these pseudolite system limitations, we propose an airborne relay-based regional positioning system that consists of a master station, reference stations, airborne relays and a user. In the proposed system, navigation signals are generated from the reference stations located on the ground and are relayed via the airborne relays. Unlike in conventional airborne-based systems, the user in the proposed system sequentially estimates both the locations of airborne relays and his/her own position. Therefore, a delay due to monitoring does not occur, and the accuracy is not affected by the movement of airborne relays. We conducted several simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Based on the simulation results, we demonstrated that the proposed system guarantees a higher accuracy than airborne-based pseudolite systems, and it is feasible despite the existence of clock offsets among reference stations.

Airborne Relay-Based Regional Positioning System

PubMed Central

Lee, Kyuman; Noh, Hongjun; Lim, Jaesung

2015-01-01

Ground-based pseudolite systems have some limitations, such as low vertical accuracy, multipath effects and near-far problems. These problems are not significant in airborne-based pseudolite systems. However, the monitoring of pseudolite positions is required because of the mobility of the platforms on which the pseudolites are mounted, and this causes performance degradation. To address these pseudolite system limitations, we propose an airborne relay-based regional positioning system that consists of a master station, reference stations, airborne relays and a user. In the proposed system, navigation signals are generated from the reference stations located on the ground and are relayed via the airborne relays. Unlike in conventional airborne-based systems, the user in the proposed system sequentially estimates both the locations of airborne relays and his/her own position. Therefore, a delay due to monitoring does not occur, and the accuracy is not affected by the movement of airborne relays. We conducted several simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Based on the simulation results, we demonstrated that the proposed system guarantees a higher accuracy than airborne-based pseudolite systems, and it is feasible despite the existence of clock offsets among reference stations. PMID:26029953

Smoke optical depths - Magnitude, variability, and wavelength dependence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pueschel, R. F.; Russell, P. B.; Colburn, D. A.; Ackerman, T. P.; Allen, D. A.

1988-01-01

An airborne autotracking sun-photometer has been used to measure magnitudes, temporal/spatial variabilities, and the wavelength dependence of optical depths in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared spectrum of smoke from two forest fires and one jet fuel fire and of background air. Jet fuel smoke optical depths were found to be generally less wavelength dependent than background aerosol optical depths. Forest fire smoke optical depths, however, showed a wide range of wavelength depedences, such as incidents of wavelength-independent extinction.

A multisensor system for airborne surveillance of oil pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgerton, A. T.; Ketchal, R.; Catoe, C.

1973-01-01

The U.S. Coast Guard is developing a prototype airborne oil surveillance system for use in its Marine Environmental Protection Program. The prototype system utilizes an X-band side-looking radar, a 37-GHz imaging microwave radiometer, a multichannel line scanner, and a multispectral low light level system. The system is geared to detecting and mapping oil spills and potential pollution violators anywhere within a 25 nmi range of the aircraft flight track under all but extreme weather conditions. The system provides for false target discrimination and maximum identification of spilled materials. The system also provides an automated detection alarm, as well as a color display to achieve maximum coupling between the sensor data and the equipment operator.

The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE): instrumentation and methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, Glenn M.; Kawa, S. Randy; Hanisco, Thomas F.; Hannun, Reem A.; Newman, Paul A.; Swanson, Andrew; Bailey, Steve; Barrick, John; Thornhill, K. Lee; Diskin, Glenn; DiGangi, Josh; Nowak, John B.; Sorenson, Carl; Bland, Geoffrey; Yungel, James K.; Swenson, Craig A.

2018-03-01

The exchange of trace gases between the Earth's surface and atmosphere strongly influences atmospheric composition. Airborne eddy covariance can quantify surface fluxes at local to regional scales (1-1000 km), potentially helping to bridge gaps between top-down and bottom-up flux estimates and offering novel insights into biophysical and biogeochemical processes. The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE) utilizes the NASA C-23 Sherpa aircraft with a suite of commercial and custom instrumentation to acquire fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane, sensible heat, and latent heat at high spatial resolution. Key components of the CARAFE payload are described, including the meteorological, greenhouse gas, water vapor, and surface imaging systems. Continuous wavelet transforms deliver spatially resolved fluxes along aircraft flight tracks. Flux analysis methodology is discussed in depth, with special emphasis on quantification of uncertainties. Typical uncertainties in derived surface fluxes are 40-90 % for a nominal resolution of 2 km or 16-35 % when averaged over a full leg (typically 30-40 km). CARAFE has successfully flown two missions in the eastern US in 2016 and 2017, quantifying fluxes over forest, cropland, wetlands, and water. Preliminary results from these campaigns are presented to highlight the performance of this system.

Position and Acceleration for Airborne Gravity; the Impact of IMU Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preaux, S. A.; Diehl, T. M.; Holmes, S. A.; Weil, C.

2012-12-01

Accurate measurements in airborne gravimetry require high quality position and acceleration information in order to remove the effects of aircraft motion from the gravimeter signal. This study examines the impact of including Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data in position and acceleration determination for high altitude gravimetry as part of NGS's GRAV-D project. Processing with the IMU data provides a higher rate position solution that includes aircraft attitude information. The IMU can also be a source for velocity and acceleration information but these must be used with care as they contain the aircraft motion and the gravity signal. Results from the GRAV-D project's 2008 survey season in Alaska are used as a test case for this study. The use of a tightly coupled IMU+GPS solution reduced the survey RMS and standard deviation with respect to EGM08 by an average of 0.23 mGal per data track and improved the correlation between the data tracks and EGM08 by 0.04%. While these improvements appear small they represent approximately 10% of the discrepancy. Turbulent tracks showed the biggest improvement with localized improvements larger than 5 mGal in some cases. The measured gravity processed with either a GPS only position solution or a tightly coupled GPS+IMU position solution compared with EGM08 for one data track from the GRAV-D AK08 survey.

Routing architecture and security for airborne networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Hongmei; Xie, Peng; Li, Jason; Xu, Roger; Levy, Renato

2009-05-01

Airborne networks are envisioned to provide interconnectivity for terrestial and space networks by interconnecting highly mobile airborne platforms. A number of military applications are expected to be used by the operator, and all these applications require proper routing security support to establish correct route between communicating platforms in a timely manner. As airborne networks somewhat different from traditional wired and wireless networks (e.g., Internet, LAN, WLAN, MANET, etc), security aspects valid in these networks are not fully applicable to airborne networks. Designing an efficient security scheme to protect airborne networks is confronted with new requirements. In this paper, we first identify a candidate routing architecture, which works as an underlying structure for our proposed security scheme. And then we investigate the vulnerabilities and attack models against routing protocols in airborne networks. Based on these studies, we propose an integrated security solution to address routing security issues in airborne networks.

Elucidating Carbon Exchange at the Regional Scale Via Airborne Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannun, R. A.; Wolfe, G. M.; Kawa, S. R.; Newman, P. A.; Hanisco, T. F.; Diskin, G. S.; DiGangi, J. P.; Nowak, J. B.; Barrick, J. D. W.; Thornhill, K. L., II; Noormets, A.; Vargas, R.; Clark, K. L.; Kustas, W. P.

2017-12-01

Direct flux observations from aircraft provide a unique tool for probing greenhouse gas (GHG) sources and sinks on a regional scale. Airborne eddy covariance, which relies on high-frequency, simultaneous measurements of fluctuations in concentration and vertical wind speed, is a robust method for quantifying surface-atmosphere exchange. We have assembled and flown an instrument payload onboard the NASA C-23 Sherpa aircraft capable of measuring CO2, CH4, H2O, and heat fluxes. Flights for the Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE) took place during September 2016 and May 2017 based out of Wallops Flight Facility, VA. Flight tracks covered a variety of ecosystems and land-use types in the Mid-Atlantic, including forests, croplands, and wetlands. Carbon fluxes are derived using eddy covariance and wavelet analysis. Our results show a strong drawdown of CO2 and near-zero CH4 emissions from crops and dry-land forest, but seasonally strong CH4 flux from wetland forest. CARAFE flux data will also be compared with observations from several flux towers along the flight path to complement the airborne measurements. We will further assess the effects of land surface type and seasonal variability in carbon exchange. Regional-scale flux observations from CARAFE supply a useful constraint for improving top-down and bottom up estimates of carbon sources and sinks.

Airborne bacterial contaminations in typical Chinese wet market with live poultry trade.

PubMed

Gao, Xin-Lei; Shao, Ming-Fei; Luo, Yi; Dong, Yu-Fang; Ouyang, Feng; Dong, Wen-Yi; Li, Ji

2016-12-01

Chinese wet markets with live poultry trade have been considered as major sources of pathogen dissemination, and sites for horizontal transfer of bacterial and viral pathogens. In this study, the pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in air samples collected at a typical Chinese wet market had been analysis and quantified. Corynebacterium minutissimum and other pathogenic bacteria accounted for 0.81-8.02% of the whole microbial community in different air samples. The four ARGs quantified in this study showed a comparable relative concentration (copies/ng_DNA) with municipal wastewater. Poultry manures were demonstrated to be important microbial contamination source in wet market, which was supported by both microbial composition based source tracking and the quantification of airborne microbial density. A series of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes indicators of poultry area contamination were successfully screened, which will be useful for the more convenient monitoring of airborne poultry area contamination. Our results indicate bioaerosols acted as important route for the transmissions of pathogens and ARGs. Continued surveillance of airborne microbial contamination is required in poultry trade wet market. Urban live poultry markets are important sources of pathogen dissemination, and sites for horizontal transfer of viral and bacterial pathogens. In the present field-study, pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes were focused to provide quantitative information on the levels of microbial contaminations at the indoor air of wet markets. Results demonstrated that poultry manures were important microbial contamination source in wet market, and in the meanwhile bioaerosols were identified as important route for the transmissions of microbial contaminants. A series of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes indicators of poultry area contamination were successfully screened, which will be useful for the more convenient monitoring of airborne poultry

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Surface Topography and Structure in Arctic-Boreal Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofton, M. A.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Cornejo, H.; Story, S.

2017-12-01

In June-July 2017, NASA's Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS) Facility was deployed to sites in northern Canada and Alaska as part of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 airborne campaign. ABoVE is a large-scale, multi-year study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems, and involves multiple airborne sensors flying both field-based and larger scale sampling sites. During the 4 week deployment of LVIS-F, a total of 15 flights were flown over diverse science targets based out of multiple airports in Canada and Alaska. LVIS-F is NASA's high-altitude airborne lidar sensor, collecting a nominal 2km wide swath of data from 10km altitude above the ground. Footprints are continguous both along and across track and for ABoVE operations, were 6m in diameter. Full waveform data are collected for every footprint and georeferenced to provide a true 3 dimensional view of overflown terrain. Along with precise positioning and pointing information, the LVIS laser range and waveform data are processed to provide high-quality measurements of surface structure including ground elevation, canopy height and canopy volume metrics. Information on data coverage and examples of level1b and level2 data products at science target sites will be shown along with initial results for data precision and accuracy. All AboVe LVIS data products will be available to investigators via a NASA DAAC.

Airborne Cloud Computing Environment (ACCE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardman, Sean; Freeborn, Dana; Crichton, Dan; Law, Emily; Kay-Im, Liz

2011-01-01

Airborne Cloud Computing Environment (ACCE) is JPL's internal investment to improve the return on airborne missions. Improve development performance of the data system. Improve return on the captured science data. The investment is to develop a common science data system capability for airborne instruments that encompasses the end-to-end lifecycle covering planning, provisioning of data system capabilities, and support for scientific analysis in order to improve the quality, cost effectiveness, and capabilities to enable new scientific discovery and research in earth observation.

Airborne Dust Monitoring Activities at the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, G.; McNamara, D.; Taylor, J.

2002-12-01

Wind blown dust can be a hazard to transportation, industrial, and military operations, and much work has been devoted to its analysis and prediction from a meteorological viewpoint. The detection and forecasting of dust outbreaks in near real time is difficult, particularly in remote desert areas with sparse observation networks. The Regional Haze Regulation, passed by Congress in 1999, mandates a reduction in man made inputs to haze in 156 Class I areas (national parks and wilderness areas). Studies have demonstrated that satellite data can be useful in detection and tracking of dust storms. Environmental satellites offer frequent coverage of large geographic areas. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates a system of polar orbiting and geostationary environmental satellites, which sense data in two visible and three infrared channels. Promising results in the detection of airborne dust have been obtained using multispectral techniques to combine information from two or more channels to detect subtle spectral differences. One technique, using a ratio of two thermal channels, detects the presence of airborne dust, and discriminates it from both underlying ground and meteorological clouds. In addition, NESDIS accesses and is investigating for operational use data from several other satellites. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer on board NASA's Earth Probe mission provides an aerosol index product which can detect dust and smoke, and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites provide several channels which can detect aerosols in multispectral channel combinations. NESDIS, in cooperation with NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory, produces a daily smoke transport forecast, combining satellite derived smoke source points with a mathematical transport prediction model; such a scheme could be applied to other aerosol

An airborne thematic thermal infrared and electro-optical imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiuhong; Shu, Peter

2011-08-01

This paper describes an advanced Airborne Thematic Thermal InfraRed and Electro-Optical Imaging System (ATTIREOIS) and its potential applications. ATTIREOIS sensor payload consists of two sets of advanced Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) - a broadband Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) and a four (4) band Multispectral Electro-Optical Sensor (MEOS) to approximate Landsat ETM+ bands 1,2,3,4, and 6, and LDCM bands 2,3,4,5, and 10+11. The airborne TIRS is 3-axis stabilized payload capable of providing 3D photogrammetric images with a 1,850 pixel swathwidth via pushbroom operation. MEOS has a total of 116 million simultaneous sensor counts capable of providing 3 cm spatial resolution multispectral orthophotos for continuous airborne mapping. ATTIREOIS is a complete standalone and easy-to-use portable imaging instrument for light aerial vehicle deployment. Its miniaturized backend data system operates all ATTIREOIS imaging sensor components, an INS/GPS, and an e-Gimbal™ Control Electronic Unit (ECU) with a data throughput of 300 Megabytes/sec. The backend provides advanced onboard processing, performing autonomous raw sensor imagery development, TIRS image track-recovery reconstruction, LWIR/VNIR multi-band co-registration, and photogrammetric image processing. With geometric optics and boresight calibrations, the ATTIREOIS data products are directly georeferenced with an accuracy of approximately one meter. A prototype ATTIREOIS has been configured. Its sample LWIR/EO image data will be presented. Potential applications of ATTIREOIS include: 1) Providing timely and cost-effective, precisely and directly georeferenced surface emissive and solar reflective LWIR/VNIR multispectral images via a private Google Earth Globe to enhance NASA's Earth science research capabilities; and 2) Underflight satellites to support satellite measurement calibration and validation observations.

Retrievals of aerosol optical depth and Angström exponent from ground-based Sun-photometer data of Singapore.

PubMed

Salinas, Santo V; Chew, Boon N; Liew, Soo C

2009-03-10

The role of aerosols in climate and climate change is one of the factors that is least understood at the present. Aerosols' direct interaction with solar radiation is a well understood mechanism that affects Earth's net radiative forcing. However, quantifying its magnitude is more problematic because of the temporal and spatial variability of aerosol particles. To enhance our understanding of the radiative effects of aerosols on the global climate, Singapore has joined the AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) worldwide network by contributing ground-based direct Sun measurements performed by means of a multiwavelength Sun-photometer instrument. Data are collected on an hourly basis, then are uploaded to be fully screened and quality assured by AERONET. We use a one year data record (level 1.5/2.0) of measured columnar atmospheric optical depth, spanning from November 2006 to October 2007, to study the monthly and seasonal variability of the aerosol optical depth and the Angström exponent. We performed independent retrievals of these parameters (aerosol optical depth and Angström exponent) by using the photometer's six available bands covering the near-UV to near-IR (380-1080 nm). As a validation, our independent retrievals were compared with AERONET 1.5/2.0 level direct Sun product.

Simulation of multistatic and backscattering cross sections for airborne radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biggs, Albert W.

1986-07-01

In order to determine susceptibilities of airborne radar to electronic countermeasures and electronic counter-countermeasures simulations of multistatic and backscattering cross sections were developed as digital modules in the form of algorithms. Cross section algorithms are described for prolate (cigar shape) and oblate (disk shape) spheroids. Backscattering cross section algorithms are also described for different categories of terrain. Backscattering cross section computer programs were written for terrain categorized as vegetation, sea ice, glacial ice, geological (rocks, sand, hills, etc.), oceans, man-made structures, and water bodies. PROGRAM SIGTERRA is a file for backscattering cross section modules of terrain (TERRA) such as vegetation (AGCROP), oceans (OCEAN), Arctic sea ice (SEAICE), glacial snow (GLASNO), geological structures (GEOL), man-made structures (MAMMAD), or water bodies (WATER). AGCROP describes agricultural crops, trees or forests, prairies or grassland, and shrubs or bush cover. OCEAN has the SLAR or SAR looking downwind, upwind, and crosswind at the ocean surface. SEAICE looks at winter ice and old or polar ice. GLASNO is divided into a glacial ice and snow or snowfields. MANMAD includes buildings, houses, roads, railroad tracks, airfields and hangars, telephone and power lines, barges, trucks, trains, and automobiles. WATER has lakes, rivers, canals, and swamps. PROGRAM SIGAIR is a similar file for airborne targets such as prolate and oblate spheroids.

Data Analysis of Airborne Electromagnetic Bathymetry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-01

7 AD-R 58 889 DATA ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE ELECTROMAGNETIC BRTHYMETRY i/i (U) NAVAL OCEAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY NSTL STRTION MS R ZOLLINGER...Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity NSTL, Mississippi 39529 NORDA Report 93 April 1985 AD-A158 809 - Data Analysis of Airborne Electromagnetic ...8217 - Foreword CI Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) systems have traditionally been used for detecting anomalous conductors in the

Dust mass concentrations from the UK volcanic ash lidar network compared with in-situ aircraft measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, Martin; Marenco, Franco; Adam, Mariana; Buxmann, Joelle; Haywood, Jim

2018-04-01

The Met Office has recently established a series of 10 lidar / sun-photometer installations across the UK, consolidating their ash / aerosol remote sensing capabilities [1]. In addition to this network, the Met Office have acquired the Civil Contingency Aircraft (MOCCA) which allows airborne in-situ measurements of ash / aerosol scattering and size-distributions. Two case studies are presented in which mass concentrations of Saharan dust are obtained remotely using lidar returns, and are then compared with those obtained in-situ. A thorough analysis of the mass concentration uncertainty will be provided at the conference.

Signal analysis and radioholographic methods for airborne radio occultations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kuo-Nung

Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) is an atmospheric sounding technique utilizing the change in propagation direction and delay of the GPS signal to measure refractivity, which provides information on temperature and humidity. The GPS-RO technique is now operational on several Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite missions. Nevertheless, when observing localized transient events, such as tropical storms, current LEO satellite systems cannot provide sufficiently high temporal and spatial resolution soundings. An airborne RO (ARO) system has therefore been developed for localized GPS-RO campaigns. The open-loop (OL) tracking in post-processing is used to cross-correlates the received Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal with an internally generated local carrier signal predicted from a Doppler model and extract the atmospheric refractivity information. OL tracking also allows robust processing of rising GPS signals using backward tracking, which will double the observed occultation event numbers. RO signals in the lower troposphere are adversely affected by rapid phase accelerations and severe signal power fading, however. The negative bias caused by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and multipath ray propagation limits the depth of tracking in the atmosphere. Therefore, we developed a model relating the SNR to the variance in the residual phase of the observed signal produced from OL tracking, and its applicability to airborne data is demonstrated. We then apply this model to set a threshold on refractivity retrieval, based upon the cumulative unwrapping error bias, to determine the altitude limit for reliable signal tracking. To enhance the SNR and decrease the unwrapping error rate, the CIRA-Q climatological model and signal residual phase pre-filtering are utilized to process the ARO residual phase. This more accurately modeled phase and less noisy received signal are shown to greatly reduce the bias caused by unwrapping error at lower

Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zmuidzinas, J.

1998-01-01

This is the final technical report for NASA-Ames grant NAG2-1068 to Caltech, entitled "Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy", which extended over the period May 1, 1996 through January 31, 1998. The grant was funded by the NASA airborne astronomy program, during a period of time after the Kuiper Airborne Observatory was no longer operational. Instead. this funding program was intended to help develop instrument concepts and technology for the upcoming SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project. SOFIA, which is funded by NASA and is now being carried out by a consortium lead by USRA (Universities Space Research Association), will be a 747 aircraft carrying a 2.5 meter diameter telescope. The purpose of our grant was to fund the ongoing development of sensitive heterodyne receivers for the submillimeter band (500-1200 GHz), using sensitive superconducting (SIS) detectors. In 1997 July we submitted a proposal to USRA to construct a heterodyne instrument for SOFIA. Our proposal was successful [1], and we are now continuing our airborne astronomy effort with funding from USRA. A secondary purpose of the NAG2-1068 grant was to continue the anaIN'sis of astronomical data collected with an earlier instrument which was flown on the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The KAO instrument and the astronomical studies which were carried out with it were supported primarily under another grant, NAG2-744, which extended over October 1, 1991 through Januarv 31, 1997. For a complete description of the astronomical data and its anailysis, we refer the reader to the final technical report for NAG2-744, which was submitted to NASA on December 1. 1997. Here we report on the SIS detector development effort for SOFIA carried out under NAG2-1068. The main result of this effort has been the demonstration of SIS mixers using a new superconducting material niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN), which promises to deliver dramatic improvements in sensitivity in the 700

Airborne Grid Sea-Ice Surveys for Comparison with CryoSat-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozena, J. M.; Gardner, J. M.; Liang, R.; Hagen, R. A.; Ball, D.

2014-12-01

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is engaged in a study of the changing Arctic with a particular focus on ice thickness and distribution variability. The purpose is to optimize computer models used to predict sea ice changes. An important part of our study is to calibrate/validate CryoSat-2 ice thickness data prior to its incorporation into new ice forecast models. The large footprint of the CryoSat-2 altimeter over sea-ice is a significant issue in any attempt to ground-truth the data. Along-track footprints are reduced to ~ 300 m by SAR processing of the returns. However, the cross-track footprint is determined by the topography of the surface. Further, the actual return is the sum of the returns from individual reflectors within the footprint making it difficult to interpret the return, and optimize the waveform tracker. We therefore collected a series of grids of airborne scanning lidar and nadir pointing radar on sub-satellite tracks over sea-ice that would extend far enough cross-track to capture the illuminated area. One difficulty in the collection of grids comprised of adjacent overlapping tracks is that the ice moves as much as 300 m over the duration of a single track (~ 10 min). With a typical lidar swath width of 500m we needed to adjust the survey tracks in near real-time for the ice motion. This was accomplished by a photogrammetric method of ice velocity determination (RTIME) reported in another presentation. Post-processing refinements resulted in typical track-to-track miss-ties of ~ 1-2 m, much of which could be attributed to ice deformation over the period of the survey. An important factor is that we were able to reconstruct the ice configuration at the time of the satellite overflight, resulting in an accurate representation of the surface illuminated by CryoSat-2. Our intention is to develop a model of the ice surface using the lidar grid which includes both snow and ice using radar profiles to determine snow thickness. In 2013 a set of 6

A study of personal and area airborne asbestos concentrations during asbestos abatement: a statistical evaluation of fibre concentration data.

PubMed

Lange, J H; Lange, P R; Reinhard, T K; Thomulka, K W

1996-08-01

Data were collected and analysed on airborne concentrations of asbestos generated by abatement of different asbestos-containing materials using various removal practices. Airborne concentrations of asbestos are dramatically variable among the types of asbestos-containing material being abated. Abatement practices evaluated in this study were removal of boiler/pipe insulation in a crawl space, ceiling tile, transite, floor tile/mastic with traditional methods, and mastic removal with a high-efficiency particulate air filter blast track (shot-blast) machine. In general, abatement of boiler and pipe insulation produces the highest airborne fibre levels, while abatement of floor tile and mastic was observed to be the lowest. A comparison of matched personal and area samples was not significantly different, and exhibited a good correlation using regression analysis. After adjusting data for outliers, personal sample fibre concentrations were greater than area sample fibre concentrations. Statistical analysis and sample distribution of airborne asbestos concentrations appear to be best represented in a logarithmic form. Area sample fibre concentrations were shown in this study to have a larger variability than personal measurements. Evaluation of outliers in fibre concentration data and the ability of these values to skew sample populations is presented. The use of personal and area samples in determining exposure, selecting personal protective equipment and its historical relevance as related to future abatement projects is discussed.

The Waypoint Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

He, Yubin; Blakeslee, Richard; Goodman, Michael; Hall, John

2010-01-01

NASA Earth science research utilizes both spaceborne and airborne real time observations in the planning and operations of its field campaigns. The coordination of air and space components is critical to achieve the goals and objectives and ensure the success of an experiment. Spaceborne imagery provides regular and continual coverage of the Earth and it is a significant component in all NASA field experiments. Real time visible and infrared geostationary images from GOES satellites and multi-spectral data from the many elements of the NASA suite of instruments aboard the TRMM, Terra, Aqua, Aura, and other NASA satellites have become norm. Similarly, the NASA Airborne Science Program draws upon a rich pool of instrumented aircraft. The NASA McDonnell Douglas DC-8, Lockheed P3 Orion, DeHavilland Twin Otter, King Air B200, Gulfstream-III are all staples of a NASA's well-stocked, versatile hangar. A key component in many field campaigns is coordinating the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions. Given the variables involved, developing a good flight plan that meets the objectives of the field experiment can be a challenging and time consuming task. Planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is complex task because it is much more than flying from point A to B. Flight plans typically consist of flying a series of transects or involve dynamic path changes when "chasing" a hurricane or forest fire. These aircraft flight plans are typically designed by the mission scientists then verified and implemented by the navigator or pilot. Flight planning can be an arduous task requiring frequent sanity checks by the flight crew. This requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an

Simultaneous Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Optical Properties from Combined Airborne- and Ground-Based Direct and Diffuse Radiometric Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gatebe, C. K.; Dubovik, O.; King, M. D.; Sinyuk, A.

2010-01-01

This paper presents a new method for simultaneously retrieving aerosol and surface reflectance properties from combined airborne and ground-based direct and diffuse radiometric measurements. The method is based on the standard Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) method for retrieving aerosol size distribution, complex index of refraction, and single scattering albedo, but modified to retrieve aerosol properties in two layers, below and above the aircraft, and parameters on surface optical properties from combined datasets (Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) and AERONET data). A key advantage of this method is the inversion of all available spectral and angular data at the same time, while accounting for the influence of noise in the inversion procedure using statistical optimization. The wide spectral (0.34-2.30 m) and angular range (180 ) of the CAR instrument, combined with observations from an AERONET sunphotometer, provide sufficient measurement constraints for characterizing aerosol and surface properties with minimal assumptions. The robustness of the method was tested on observations made during four different field campaigns: (a) the Southern African Regional Science Initiative 2000 over Mongu, Zambia, (b) the Intercontinental Transport Experiment-Phase B over Mexico City, Mexico (c) Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Central Facility, Oklahoma, USA, and (d) the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) over Elson Lagoon in Barrow, Alaska, USA. The four areas are dominated by different surface characteristics and aerosol types, and therefore provide good test cases for the new inversion method.

Measurement and Modeling of Vertically Resolved Aerosol Optical Properties and Radiative Fluxes Over the ARM SGP Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B.; Arnott, P.; Bucholtz, A.; Colarco, P.; Covert, D.; Eilers, J.; Elleman, R.; Ferrare, R.; Flagan, R.; Jonsson, H.

2003-01-01

In order to meet one of its goals - to relate observations of radiative fluxes and radiances to the atmospheric composition - the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program has pursued measurements and modeling activities that attempt to determine how aerosols impact atmospheric radiative transfer, both directly and indirectly. However, significant discrepancies between aerosol properties measured in situ or remotely remain. One of the objectives of the Aerosol Intensive Operational Period (TOP) conducted by ARM in May 2003 at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in north central Oklahoma was to examine and hopefully reduce these differences. The IOP involved airborne measurements from two airplanes over the heavily instrumented SGP site. We give an overview of airborne results obtained aboard the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter aircraft. The Twin Otter performed 16 research flights over the SGP site. The aircraft carried instrumentation to perform in-situ measurements of aerosol absorption, scattering, extinction and particle size. This included such novel techniques as the photoacoustic and cavity ring-down methods for in-situ absorption (675 nm) and extinction (675 and 1550 nm) and a new multiwavelength, filter-based absorption photometer (467, 530, 660 nm). A newly developed instrument measured cloud condensation nucleus concentration (CCN) concentrations at two supersaturation levels. Aerosol optical depth and extinction (354-2139 nm) were measured with the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking 14-channel sunphotometer. Furthermore, up-and downwelling solar (broadband and spectral) and infrared radiation were measured using seven individual radiometers. Three up-looking radiometers werer mounted on a newly developed stabilized platform, keeping the instruments level up to aircraft pitch and roll angles of approximately 10(exp 0). This resulted in unprecedented continuous vertical profiles

Airborne laser-diode-array illuminator assessment for the night vision's airborne mine-detection arid test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stetson, Suzanne; Weber, Hadley; Crosby, Frank J.; Tinsley, Kenneth; Kloess, Edmund; Nevis, Andrew J.; Holloway, John H., Jr.; Witherspoon, Ned H.

2004-09-01

The Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technologies (ALRT) project has developed and tested a nighttime operational minefield detection capability using commercial off-the-shelf high-power Laser Diode Arrays (LDAs). The Coastal System Station"s ALRT project, under funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), has been designing, developing, integrating, and testing commercial arrays using a Cessna airborne platform over the last several years. This has led to the development of the Airborne Laser Diode Array Illuminator wide field-of-view (ALDAI-W) imaging test bed system. The ALRT project tested ALDAI-W at the Army"s Night Vision Lab"s Airborne Mine Detection Arid Test. By participating in Night Vision"s test, ALRT was able to collect initial prototype nighttime operational data using ALDAI-W, showing impressive results and pioneering the way for final test bed demonstration conducted in September 2003. This paper describes the ALDAI-W Arid Test and results, along with processing steps used to generate imagery.

SWUIS-A: A Versatile, Low-Cost UV/VIS/IR Imaging System for Airborne Astronomy and Aeronomy Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durda, Daniel D.; Stern, S. Alan; Tomlinson, William; Slater, David C.; Vilas, Faith

2001-01-01

We have developed and successfully flight-tested on 14 different airborne missions the hardware and techniques for routinely conducting valuable astronomical and aeronomical observations from high-performance, two-seater military-type aircraft. The SWUIS-A (Southwest Universal Imaging System - Airborne) system consists of an image-intensified CCD camera with broad band response from the near-UV to the near IR, high-quality foreoptics, a miniaturized video recorder, an aircraft-to-camera power and telemetry interface with associated camera controls, and associated cables, filters, and other minor equipment. SWUIS-A's suite of high-quality foreoptics gives it selectable, variable focal length/variable field-of-view capabilities. The SWUIS-A camera frames at 60 Hz video rates, which is a key requirement for both jitter compensation and high time resolution (useful for occultation, lightning, and auroral studies). Broadband SWUIS-A image coadds can exceed a limiting magnitude of V = 10.5 in <1 sec with dark sky conditions. A valuable attribute of SWUIS-A airborne observations is the fact that the astronomer flies with the instrument, thereby providing Space Shuttle-like "payload specialist" capability to "close-the-loop" in real-time on the research done on each research mission. Key advantages of the small, high-performance aircraft on which we can fly SWUIS-A include significant cost savings over larger, more conventional airborne platforms, worldwide basing obviating the need for expensive, campaign-style movement of specialized large aircraft and their logistics support teams, and ultimately faster reaction times to transient events. Compared to ground-based instruments, airborne research platforms offer superior atmospheric transmission, the mobility to reach remote and often-times otherwise unreachable locations over the Earth, and virtually-guaranteed good weather for observing the sky. Compared to space-based instruments, airborne platforms typically offer

Airborne Imaging in the Yukon River Basin to Characterize SWOT Mission Phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moller, D.; Pavelsky, T.; Arvesen, J. C.

2015-12-01

Remote sensing offers intriguing tools to track Arctic hydrology, but current techniques are largely limited to tracking either inundation or water surface elevation only. For the first time, the proposed Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission will provide regular, simultaneous observations of inundation extent and water level from space. SWOT is unique and distinct from precursor altimetry missions in some notable regards: 1) 100km+ of swath will provide complete ocean coverage, 2) in addition to the ocean product, land surface water will be mapped for storage measurement and discharge estimation and 3) Ka-band single-pass interferometry will produce the height measurements introducing a new measurement technique. This new approach introduces additional algorithmic, characterization and calibration/validation needs for which the Ka-band SWOT Phenomenology Airborne Radar (KaSPAR) was developed. In May 2015, AirSWOT (comprised of KaSPAR and a color infrared (CIR) high resolution aerial camera) was part of an intensive field campaign including observations of inundation extent and water level and in situ hydrologic measurements in two rivers and 20 lakes within the Yukon River Basin, Alaska. One goal is to explore the fundamental phenomenology of the SWOT measurement. This includes assessment of the effects of vegetation layover and attenuation, wind roughening and classification. Further KaSPAR-derived inundation extent will to be validated using a combination of ground surveys and coregistered CIR imagery. Ultimately, by combining measurements of changing inundation extent and water level between two collection dates, it will be possible to validate lake water storage variations against storage changes computed from in situ water levels and inundation area derived from AirSWOT. Our paper summarizes the campaign, the airborne and in situ measurements and presents some initial KaSPAR and CIR imagery from the Yukon flats region.

An update on airborne contact dermatitis.

PubMed

Huygens, S; Goossens, A

2001-01-01

This review is an update of 2 previously published articles on airborne contact dermatoses. Because reports in the literature often omit the term 'airborne', 18 volumes of Contact Dermatitis (April 1991-June 2000), 8 volumes of the American Journal of Contact Dermatitis (1992 1999) and 4 volumes of La Lettre du Gerda (1996-1999) were screened, and the cases cited were classified as to history, lesion locations, sensitization sources, and other factors. Reports on airborne dermatitis are increasingly being published, sometimes in relation to specific occupational areas.

Quick response airborne command post communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaisdell, Randy L.

1988-08-01

National emergencies and strategic crises come in all forms and sizes ranging from natural disasters at one end of the scale up to and including global nuclear warfare at the other. Since the early 1960s the U.S. Government has spent billions of dollars fielding airborne command posts to ensure continuity of government and the command and control function during times of theater conventional, theater nuclear, and global nuclear warfare. Unfortunately, cost has prevented the extension of the airborne command post technology developed for these relatively unlikely events to the lower level, though much more likely to occur, crises such as natural disasters, terrorist acts, political insurgencies, etc. This thesis proposes the implementation of an economical airborne command post concept to address the wide variety of crises ignored by existing military airborne command posts. The system is known as the Quick Response Airborne Command Post (QRAC Post) and is based on the exclusive use of commercially owned and operated aircraft, and commercially available automated data processing and communications resources. The thesis addresses the QRAC Post concept at a systems level and is primarily intended to demonstrate how current technology can be exploited to economically achieve a national objective.

Atmospheric Transport Studies Using In-situ Airborne Gas Chromatograph Measurements: An Overview of the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) Contribution.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, F.; Dutton, G.; Elkins, J.; Hall, B.; Hurst, D.; Nance, D.; Ray, E.; Romashkin, P.; Thompson, T.; Volk, C. M.

2005-12-01

Accurate models of atmospheric transport are crucial to our current understanding of ozone production/loss and its coupling with climate change. Over the last ``20 years'', improvements in the ability to predict ``The Antarctic Ozone Hole and Polar Ozone Loss'' have tracked improvements in transport models. Data taken from the NOAA/CMDL airborne in-situ GC's (ACATS, LACE, PANTHER, and UCATS) have and will continue to play key roles in quantifying many aspects of stratospheric transport. Our data have been used in many of the model assessments to date. We will display an overview of the transport issues studied over the years using our data. They include descent with mixing within and into the polar vortex, entrainment of mid-latitude air across the vortex edge, upwelling and entrainment in the tropical pipe, isentropic transport across the tropopause into the lowermost stratosphere, mean ages of air parcels in the stratosphere, and stratospheric path distributions. ACATS - Airborne Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species LACE - Lightweight Airborne Chromatograph Experiment PANTHER - PAN and Other Trace Hydrohalocarbons ExpeRiment UCATS - Unmanned aerial systems Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species

The Role of Airborne Proteins in Atopic Dermatitis

PubMed Central

Hostetler, Sarah Grim; Kaffenberger, Benjamin; Hostetler, Todd

2010-01-01

Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronic skin condition. A subpopulation of patients may have cutaneous exposure to common airborne proteins exacerbating their disease through direct proteolytic activity, direct activation of proteinase-activated receptor-2 itch receptors, and immunoglobulin E binding. The most common airborne proteins significant in atopic dermatitis include house dust mites, cockroach, pet dander, and multiple pollens. The literature on atopy patch testing, skin-prick testing, and specific IgE is mixed, with greater support for the use of atopy patch test. Patients with airborne proteins contributing to their disease typically have lesions predominately on air-exposed skin surfaces including the face, neck, and arms; a history of exacerbations after exposure to airborne proteins; severe disease resistant to conventional therapies; and concurrent asthma. Treatment strategies include airborne protein avoidance, removal of airborne proteins from the skin, and barrier repair. Further research is needed to establish the benefit of allergen-specific immunotherapy. PMID:20725535

The Way Point Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

He, Yubin; Blakeslee, Richard; Goodman, Michael; Hall, John

2012-01-01

Airborne real time observation are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientist, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objective is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircraft are often involved in the NASA field campaigns the coordination of the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving dynamic weather conditions often determine the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientist and help them plan and modify the flight tracks successfully. Scientists at the University of Alabama Huntsville and the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool (WPT), an interactive software tool that enables scientist to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints), with point and click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analyses during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, initiating the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities to the Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, as well as to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross-platform, modular designed

TMD detection and tracking using improved AWACS sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, Steve; Kinashi, Yasuhiro; Leslie, Daniel

1995-01-01

This paper identifies an UOES (User Operational Evaluation Systems) version of an airborne surveillance sensor funded by the BMDO (Ballistic Missile Defense Organization). The sensors will be integrated into an operational AWACS E-3 upgrade program. This BMDO program initiative is called Extended Airborne Global Launch Evaluator, or EAGLE. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the EAGLE system will be ready in time to support the THAAD/GBR UOES capability. This airborne system, when developed, will consist of a passive infrared surveillance sensor (IRSS) with an active laser-ranger, on board an upgraded AWACS E3 aircraft to operate effectively in the TMD (theater missile defense) mission. The objective for the EAGLE is to field, in a reasonably short time and at a relatively low cost, a cueing sensor capability in regional conflicts to augment the existing space-based surveillance systems. With autonomous surveillance capability to search a wide-sector field, the EAGLE can detect and track boosting TBM's shortly after launch or as they break the clouds. Its passive IR sensor can also detect and track warm hardbody targets. Together with its laser-ranger, it is able to determine, immediately after the booster burn-out, very precise target state vectors that are accurate enough to predict their eventual impact points, to cue fire control radars, and to engage the weapons, if needed. Its primary TMD mission is to provide precise cueing of fire control radars to initiate the active defense weapon systems. Accurate cues from the EAGLE will off load radar resources to enable earlier detection of the targets at longer extended ranges, thereby increasing the interceptor battlespace for potentially more effective defense engagements and opportunities. It can also provide a precise early warning message to enable immediate TBM attack assessment and appropriate selection of defense engagement options by the battle manager. The functions of the sensor suite can be

Monitoring of airborne bacteria and aerosols in different wards of hospitals - Particle counting usefulness in investigation of airborne bacteria.

PubMed

Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmd, Hossein; Hatamzadeh, Maryam; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2015-01-01

The presence of airborne bacteria in hospital environments is of great concern because of their potential role as a source of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). The aim of this study was the determination and comparison of the concentration of airborne bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals, and evaluation of whether particle counting could be predictive of airborne bacterial concentration in different wards of a hospital. The study was performed in an operating theatre (OT), intensive care unit (ICU), surgery ward (SW) and internal medicine (IM) ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. A total of 80 samples were analyzed for the presence of airborne bacteria and particle levels. The average level of bacteria ranged from 75-1194 CFU/m (3) . Mean particle levels were higher than class 100,000 cleanrooms in all wards. A significant correlation was observed between the numbers of 1-5 µm particles and levels of airborne bacteria in operating theatres and ICUs. The results showed that factors which may influence the airborne bacterial level in hospital environments should be properly managed to minimize the risk of HAIs especially in operating theaters. Microbial air contamination of hospital settings should be performed by the monitoring of airborne bacteria, but particle counting could be considered as a good operative method for the continuous monitoring of air quality in operating theaters and ICUs where higher risks of infection are suspected.

Airborne Transparencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horne, Lois Thommason

1984-01-01

Starting from a science project on flight, art students discussed and investigated various means of moving in space. Then they made acetate illustrations which could be used as transparencies. The projection phenomenon made the illustrations look airborne. (CS)

Airborne Lidar Surface Topography (LIST) Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu, Anthony W.; Krainak, Michael A.; Harding, David J.; Abshire, James B.; Sun, Xiaoli; Cavanaugh, John; Valett, Susan; Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis; Winkert, Tom; Plants, Michael;

Analysis of Snow Bidirectional Reflectance from ARCTAS Spring-2008 Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyapustin, A.; Gatebe, C. K.; Redemann, J.; Kahn, R.; Brandt, R.; Russell, P.; King, M. D.; Pedersen, C. A.; Gerland, S.; Poudyal, R.;

Challenges and Opportunities of Airborne Metagenomics

PubMed Central

Behzad, Hayedeh; Gojobori, Takashi; Mineta, Katsuhiko

2015-01-01

Recent metagenomic studies of environments, such as marine and soil, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the diverse microbial communities living in these habitats and their essential roles in sustaining vast ecosystems. The increase in the number of publications related to soil and marine metagenomics is in sharp contrast to those of air, yet airborne microbes are thought to have significant impacts on many aspects of our lives from their potential roles in atmospheric events such as cloud formation, precipitation, and atmospheric chemistry to their major impact on human health. In this review, we will discuss the current progress in airborne metagenomics, with a special focus on exploring the challenges and opportunities of undertaking such studies. The main challenges of conducting metagenomic studies of airborne microbes are as follows: 1) Low density of microorganisms in the air, 2) efficient retrieval of microorganisms from the air, 3) variability in airborne microbial community composition, 4) the lack of standardized protocols and methodologies, and 5) DNA sequencing and bioinformatics-related challenges. Overcoming these challenges could provide the groundwork for comprehensive analysis of airborne microbes and their potential impact on the atmosphere, global climate, and our health. Metagenomic studies offer a unique opportunity to examine viral and bacterial diversity in the air and monitor their spread locally or across the globe, including threats from pathogenic microorganisms. Airborne metagenomic studies could also lead to discoveries of novel genes and metabolic pathways relevant to meteorological and industrial applications, environmental bioremediation, and biogeochemical cycles. PMID:25953766

Airborne asbestos in public buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chesson, J.; Hatfield, J.; Schultz, B.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampled air in 49 government-owned buildings (six buildings with no asbestos-containing material, six buildings with asbestos-containing material in generally good condition, and 37 buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material). This is the most comprehensive study to date of airborne asbestos levels in U.S. public buildings during normal building activities. The air outside each building was also sampled. Air samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy using a direct transfer preparation technique. The results show an increasing trend in average airborne asbestos levels; outdoor levels are lowest and levels in buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material are highest.more » However, the measured levels and the differences between indoors and outdoors and between building categories are small in absolute magnitude. Comparable studies from Canada and the UK, although differing in their estimated concentrations, also conclude that while airborne asbestos levels may be elevated in buildings that contain asbestos, levels are generally low. This conclusion does not eliminate the possibility of higher airborne asbestos levels during maintenance or renovation that disturbs the asbestos-containing material.« less

Airborne remote sensing of forest biomes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sader, Steven A.

1987-01-01

Airborne sensor data of forest biomes obtained using an SAR, a laser profiler, an IR MSS, and a TM simulator are presented and examined. The SAR was utilized to investigate forest canopy structures in Mississippi and Costa Rica; the IR MSS measured forest canopy temperatures in Oregon and Puerto Rico; the TM simulator was employed in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico; and the laser profiler studied forest canopy characteristics in Costa Rica. The advantages and disadvantages of airborne systems are discussed. It is noted that the airborne sensors provide measurements applicable to forest monitoring programs.

New Atmospheric Observations from the Airborne GNSS Instrument System for Multistatic and Occultation Sensing (GISMOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haase, J. S.; Xie, F.; Muradyan, P.; Garrison, J. L.; Lulich, T.; Voo, J.; Larson, K. M.

2008-12-01

The Airborne GNSS Instrument System for Multistatic and Occultation Sensing (GISMOS) was deployed on the NCAR HIAPER (High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research) aircraft to make atmospheric observations over the Gulf of Mexico coastal region in February 2008. The objective of the measurements was to test the performance of the system in comparisons with radiosonde profiles and dropsonde profiles that were also collected during the field campaign. The airborne GNSS radio occultation measures of GNSS signals from satellites that are setting or rising behind the Earth's limb relative to the receiver on board an aircraft. High-gain side-looking antennas and a 10MHz GPS Recording System that records the raw RF signal make this set of instrumentation unique, and especially adapted for open-loop tracking observations in the lower atmosphere. Measurements of the amount of refraction in the signal ray paths are inverted using an Abel transform procedure to retrieve a profile of refractivity, which depends on atmospheric pressure, temperature and relative humidity. The airborne geometry, in contrast to the space- borne satellite occultation geometry, is affected by a large drift in the tangent point location, that is the location of the closest point to the Earth surface, as the ray path descends in the atmosphere. Therefore plans for the validation campaign included releasing dropsondes in the plane of the line of sight of the satellite-receiver occultation geometry in order to study this effect. Careful timing and location of the flight path was used to coordinate occultation times with operational and supplementary radiosonde launches. A total of 6 days of balloon sounding data were collected with 20 dropsondes and 28 supplementary radiosonde profiles. A discussion of the technical performance of the system will be presented, which describes the signal characteristics and antenna performance. Preliminary results on the quality of retrieved

Comparisons of Airborne HSRL and Modeled Aerosol Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.; Hostetler, C. A.; Hair, J. W.; Ismail, S.; Rogers, R. R.; Notari, A.; Berkoff, T.; Butler, C. F.; Collins, J. E., Jr.; Fenn, M. A.; Scarino, A. J.; Clayton, M.; Mueller, D.; Chemyakin, E.; Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Randles, C. A.; Colarco, P. R.; daSilva, A.

2014-12-01

Aerosol profiles derived from a regional and a global model are compared with aerosol profiles acquired by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidars (HSRLs) during recent field missions. We compare simulated aerosol profiles obtained from the WRF-Chem regional model with those measured by the airborne HSRL-2 instrument over the Atlantic Ocean east of Cape Cod in July 2012 during the Department of Energy Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP). While deployed on the LaRC King Air during TCAP, HSRL-2 acquired profiles of aerosol extinction at 355 and 532 nm, as well as aerosol backscatter and depolarization at 355, 532, and 1064 nm. Additional HSRL-2 data products include profiles of aerosol type, mixed layer depth, and aerosol microphysical parameters (e.g. effective radius, concentration). The HSRL-2 and WRF-Chem aerosol profiles are compared along the aircraft flight tracks. HSRL-2 profiles acquired during the NASA Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) mission over Houston during September 2013 are compared with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System global model, version 5 (GEOS-5) profiles. In addition to comparing backscatter and extinction profiles, the fraction of aerosol extinction and optical thickness from various aerosol species from GEOS-5 are compared with aerosol extinction and optical thickness contributed by aerosol types derived from HSRL-2 data. We also compare aerosol profiles modeled by GEOS-5 with those measured by the airborne LaRC DIAL/HSRL instrument during August and September 2013 when it was deployed on the NASA DC-8 for the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) mission. DIAL/HSRL measured extinction (532 nm), backscatter (532 and 1064 nm), and depolarization profiles (532 and 1064 nm) in both nadir and zenith directions during long transects over the

Experimental L-Band Airborne SAR for Oil Spill Response at Sea and in Coastal Waters

PubMed Central

Jones, Cathleen E.; Holt, Benjamin

2018-01-01

Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is frequently used during oil spill response efforts to identify oil slick extent, but suffers from the major disadvantages of potential long latency between when a spill occurs and when a satellite can image the site and an inability to continuously track the spill as it develops. We show using data acquired with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) instrument how a low noise, high resolution, L-band SAR could be used for oil spill response, with specific examples of tracking slick extent, position and weathering; determining zones of relatively thicker or more emulsified oil within a slick; and identifying oil slicks in coastal areas where look-alikes such as calm waters or biogenic slicks can confound the identification of mineral oil spills. From these key points, the essential features of an airborne SAR system for operational oil spill response are described, and further research needed to determine SAR’s capabilities and limitations in quantifying slick thickness is discussed. PMID:29470391

The Waypoint Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, M.; Goodman, H. M.; Blakeslee, R.; Hall, J. M.

2010-12-01

NASA Earth science research utilizes both spaceborne and airborne real time observations in the planning and operations of its field campaigns. The coordination of air and space components is critical to achieve the goals and objectives and ensure the success of an experiment. Spaceborne imagery provides regular and continual coverage of the Earth and it is a significant component in all NASA field experiments. Real time visible and infrared geostationary images from GOES satellites and multi-spectral data from the many elements of the NASA suite of instruments aboard the TRMM, Terra, Aqua, Aura, and other NASA satellites have become norm. Similarly, the NASA Airborne Science Program draws upon a rich pool of instrumented aircraft. The NASA McDonnell Douglas DC-8, Lockheed P3 Orion, DeHavilland Twin Otter, King Air B200, Gulfstream-III are all staples of a NASA’s well-stocked, versatile hangar. A key component in many field campaigns is coordinating the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions. Given the variables involved, developing a good flight plan that meets the objectives of the field experiment can be a challenging and time consuming task. Planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is complex task because it is much more than flying from point A to B. Flight plans typically consist of flying a series of transects or involve dynamic path changes when “chasing” a hurricane or forest fire. These aircraft flight plans are typically designed by the mission scientists then verified and implemented by the navigator or pilot. Flight planning can be an arduous task requiring frequent sanity checks by the flight crew. This requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool

Challenges and opportunities of airborne metagenomics.

PubMed

Behzad, Hayedeh; Gojobori, Takashi; Mineta, Katsuhiko

2015-05-06

Recent metagenomic studies of environments, such as marine and soil, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the diverse microbial communities living in these habitats and their essential roles in sustaining vast ecosystems. The increase in the number of publications related to soil and marine metagenomics is in sharp contrast to those of air, yet airborne microbes are thought to have significant impacts on many aspects of our lives from their potential roles in atmospheric events such as cloud formation, precipitation, and atmospheric chemistry to their major impact on human health. In this review, we will discuss the current progress in airborne metagenomics, with a special focus on exploring the challenges and opportunities of undertaking such studies. The main challenges of conducting metagenomic studies of airborne microbes are as follows: 1) Low density of microorganisms in the air, 2) efficient retrieval of microorganisms from the air, 3) variability in airborne microbial community composition, 4) the lack of standardized protocols and methodologies, and 5) DNA sequencing and bioinformatics-related challenges. Overcoming these challenges could provide the groundwork for comprehensive analysis of airborne microbes and their potential impact on the atmosphere, global climate, and our health. Metagenomic studies offer a unique opportunity to examine viral and bacterial diversity in the air and monitor their spread locally or across the globe, including threats from pathogenic microorganisms. Airborne metagenomic studies could also lead to discoveries of novel genes and metabolic pathways relevant to meteorological and industrial applications, environmental bioremediation, and biogeochemical cycles. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Airborne Particles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojala, Carl F.; Ojala, Eric J.

1987-01-01

Describes an activity in which students collect airborne particles using a common vacuum cleaner. Suggests ways for the students to convert their data into information related to air pollution and human health. Urges consideration of weather patterns when analyzing the results of the investigation. (TW)

Anthropogenic Osmium in Airborne Particles from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B.; Sen, I. S.; Geboy, N.

2012-12-01

The global geochemical cycle of osmium has been significantly disturbed by the introduction of automobile exhaust catalysts to convert noxious gas emissions into more benign forms. Anthropogenic osmium has been reported in rainwater, snow, and in the urban airborne particles from around the world to reveal global-scale osmium pollution [1, 2]. In this study, we report on the platinum group element (PGE) concentrations and osmium isotope ratios of airborne particles (PM10) collected in Woods Hole, a small coastal town in Massachusetts to better understand inputs of anthropogenic osmium to rural environments. We further investigate the use of osmium isotopes to track sources of airborne particles and support source apportionment studies on a continental scale. The samples used in this study were collected at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution over one year (2008-2009). From this collection twelve samples for which the backward air mass trajectories have been determined were selected for osmium isotope analyses. Our results show that the osmium and platinum concentrations are an order of magnitude lower when compared to downtown Boston [2]. The average Os, Pt and Ir concentrations are 0.006±0.012, 0.019±0.023, and 0.685±0.634 pg m-3, respectively. The 187Os/188Os of the aerosols range from 0.275 to 0.788. As continental crust is radiogenic (187Os/188Os >1) and PGE ore bodies generally have unradiogenic 187Os/188Os (~0.2), the unradiogenic 187Os/188Os signature of the aerosols indicates anthropogenic contributions. With 95% of the total osmium mobilization on land being attributed to human activities [3], it is clear that human imprint on airborne particles is not restricted to urban centers with high traffic flows, but also affects rural environments. Aerosol particles that have backward air mass trajectories from the Southwest, the densely populated and industrialized Eastern seaboard, are characterized by unradiogenic osmium, while air masses from the North

In-situ, sunphotometer and Raman lidar observations of aerosol transport events in the western Mediterranean during the June 2013 ChArMEx campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Totems, Julien; Sicard, Michael; Bertolin, Santi; Boytard, Mai-Lan; Chazette, Patrick; Comeron, Adolfo; Dulac, Francois; Hassanzadeh, Sahar; Lange, Diego; Marnas, Fabien; Munoz, Constantino; Shang, Xiaoxia

2014-05-01

We present a preliminary analysis of aerosol observations performed in June 2013 in the western Mediterranean at two stations set up in Barcelona and Menorca (Spain) in the framework of the ChArMEx (Chemistry Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment) project. The Barcelona station was equipped with the following fixed instruments belonging to the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC): an AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sun-photometer, an MPL (Micro Pulse Lidar) lidar and the UPC multi-wavelength lidar. The MPL lidar works at 532 nm and has a depolarization channel, while the UPC lidar works at 355, 532 and 1064 nm, and also includes two N2- (at 387 and 607 nm) and one H2O-Raman (at 407 nm) channels. The MPL system works continuously 24 hour/day. The UPC system was operated on alert in coordination with the research aircrafts plans involved in the campaign. In Cap d'en Font, Menorca, the mobile laboratory of the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement hosted an automated (AERONET) and a manual (Microtops) 5-lambda sunphotometer, a 3-lambda nephelometer, a 7-lambda aethalometer, as well as the LSCE Water vapor Aerosol LIdar (WALI). This mini Raman lidar, first developed and validated for the HyMEX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean eXperiment) campaign in 2012, works at 355 nm for eye safety and is designed with a short overlap distance (<300m) to probe the lower troposphere. It includes depolarization, N2- and H2O-Raman channels. H2O observations have been calibrated on-site by different methods and show good agreement with balloon measurements. Observations at Cap d'en Font were quasi-continuous from June 10th to July 3rd, 2013. The lidar data at both stations helped direct the research aircrafts and balloon launches to interesting plumes of particles in real time for in-situ measurements. Among some light pollution background from the European continent, a typical Saharan dust event and an unusual American dust/biomass burning event are

Predictors of Airborne Endotoxin Concentrations in Inner City Homes

PubMed Central

Mazique, D; Diette, GB; Breysse, PN; Matsui, EC; McCormack, MC; Curtin-Brosnan, J; Williams, D; Peng, RD; Hansel, NN

2011-01-01

Few studies have assessed in-home factors which contribute to airborne endotoxin concentrations. In 85 inner-city Baltimore homes, we found no significant correlation between settled dust and airborne endotoxin concentrations. Certain household activities and characteristics, including frequency of dusting, air conditioner use and type of flooring, explained 36–42% of the variability of airborne concentrations. Measurements of both airborne and settled dust endotoxin concentrations may be needed to fully characterize domestic exposure in epidemiologic investigations. PMID:21429483

Enhanced Army Airborne Forces: A New Joint Operational Capability

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

that are trained to carry out airborne operations, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and Army special forces. Today’s airborne forces lack protected...Operation Just Cause Airborne units were used extensively in Panama, and the 82nd Air- borne’s 1st Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment were both...carry out airborne operations, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and Army special forces. The changes made to transition the Army into a force

Feature-aided multiple target tracking in the image plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Andrew P.; Sullivan, Kevin J.; Miller, David J.

2006-05-01

Vast quantities of EO and IR data are collected on airborne platforms (manned and unmanned) and terrestrial platforms (including fixed installations, e.g., at street intersections), and can be exploited to aid in the global war on terrorism. However, intelligent preprocessing is required to enable operator efficiency and to provide commanders with actionable target information. To this end, we have developed an image plane tracker which automatically detects and tracks multiple targets in image sequences using both motion and feature information. The effects of platform and camera motion are compensated via image registration, and a novel change detection algorithm is applied for accurate moving target detection. The contiguous pixel blob on each moving target is segmented for use in target feature extraction and model learning. Feature-based target location measurements are used for tracking through move-stop-move maneuvers, close target spacing, and occlusion. Effective clutter suppression is achieved using joint probabilistic data association (JPDA), and confirmed target tracks are indicated for further processing or operator review. In this paper we describe the algorithms implemented in the image plane tracker and present performance results obtained with video clips from the DARPA VIVID program data collection and from a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight.

Aerosol properties computed from aircraft-based observations during the ACE- Asia campaign. 2; A case study of lidar ratio closure and aerosol radiative effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuzmanoski, Maja; Box, M. A.; Schmid, B.; Box, G. P.; Wang, J.; Russell, P. B.; Bates, D.; Jonsson, H. H.; Welton, Ellsworth J.; Flagan, R. C.

2005-01-01

For a vertical profile with three distinct layers (marine boundary, pollution and dust), observed during the ACE-Asia campaign, we carried out a comparison between the modeled lidar ratio vertical profile and that obtained from collocated airborne NASA AATS-14 sunphotometer and shipborne Micro-Pulse Lidar (MPL) measurements. Vertically resolved lidar ratio was calculated from two size distribution vertical profiles - one obtained by inversion of sunphotometer-derived extinction spectra, and one measured in-situ - combined with the same refractive index model based on aerosol chemical composition. The aerosol model implies single scattering albedos of 0.78 - 0.81 and 0.93 - 0.96 at 0.523 microns (the wavelength of the lidar measurements), in the pollution and dust layers, respectively. The lidar ratios calculated from the two size distribution profiles have close values in the dust layer; they are however, significantly lower than the lidar ratios derived from combined lidar and sunphotometer measurements, most probably due to the use of a simple nonspherical model with a single particle shape in our calculations. In the pollution layer, the two size distribution profiles yield generally different lidar ratios. The retrieved size distributions yield a lidar ratio which is in better agreement with that derived from lidar/sunphotometer measurements in this layer, with still large differences at certain altitudes (the largest relative difference was 46%). We explain these differences by non-uniqueness of the result of the size distribution retrieval and lack of information on vertical variability of particle refractive index. Radiative transfer calculations for this profile showed significant atmospheric radiative forcing, which occurred mainly in the pollution layer. We demonstrate that if the extinction profile is known then information on the vertical structure of absorption and asymmetry parameter is not significant for estimating forcing at TOA and the surface

14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

Airborne lidar experiments at the Savannah River Plant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

1985-01-01

The results of remote sensing experiments at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Nuclear Facility utilizing the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) are presented. The flights were conducted in support of the numerous environmental monitoring requirements associated with the operation of the facility and for the purpose of furthering research and development of airborne lidar technology. Areas of application include airborne laser topographic mapping, hydrologic studies using fluorescent tracer dye, timber volume estimation, baseline characterization of wetlands, and aquatic chlorophyll and photopigment measurements. Conclusions relative to the usability of airborne lidar technology for the DOE for each of these remote sensing applications are discussed.

[Air-borne disease].

PubMed

Lameiro Vilariño, Carmen; del Campo Pérez, Victor M; Alonso Bürger, Susana; Felpeto Nodar, Irene; Guimarey Pérez, Rosa; Pérez Alvarellos, Alberto

2003-11-01

Respiratory protection is a factor which worries nursing professionals who take care of patients susceptible of transmitting microorganisms through the air more as every day passes. This type of protection covers the use of surgical or hygienic masks against the transmission of infection by airborne drops to the use of highly effective masks or respirators against the transmission of airborne diseases such as tuberculosis or SARS, a recently discovered disease. The adequate choice of this protective device and its correct use are fundamental in order to have an effective protection for exposed personnel. The authors summarize the main protective respiratory devices used by health workers, their characteristics and degree of effectiveness, as well as the circumstances under which each device is indicated for use.

Nepal and Papua Airborne Gravity Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olesen, A. V.; Forsberg, R.; Kasenda, F.; Einarsson, I.; Manandhar, N.

2011-12-01

Airborne gravimetry offers a fast and economic way to cover vast areas and it allows access to otherwise difficult accessible areas like mountains, jungles and the near coastal zone. It has the potential to deliver high resolution and bias free data that may bridge the spectral gap between global satellite gravity models and the high resolution gravity information embedded in digital terrain models. DTU Space has for more than a decade done airborne gravity surveys in many parts of the world. Most surveys were done with a LaCoste & Romberg S-meter updated for airborne use. This instrument has proven to deliver near bias free data when properly processed. A Chekan AM gravimeter was recently added to the airborne gravity mapping system and will potentially enhance the spatial resolution and the robustness of the system. This paper will focus on results from two recent surveys over Nepal, flown in December 2010, and over Papua (eastern Indonesia), flown in May and June 2011. Both surveys were flown with the new double gravimeter setup and initial assessment of system performance indicates improved spatial resolution compared to the single gravimeter system. Comparison to EGM08 and to the most recent GOCE models highlights the impact of the new airborne gravity data in both cases. A newly computed geoid model for Nepal based on the airborne data allows for a more precise definition of the height of Mt. Everest in a global height system. This geoid model suggests that the height of Mt. Everest should be increased by approximately 1 meter. The paper will also briefly discuss system setup and will highlight a few essential processing steps that ensure that bias problems are minimized and spatial resolution enhanced.

14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

NASA Program of Airborne Optical Observations.

PubMed

Bader, M; Wagoner, C B

1970-02-01

NASA's Ames Research Center currently operates a Convair 990 four-engine jet transport as a National Facility for airborne scientific research (astronomy, aurora, airglow, meteorology, earth resources). This aircraft can carry about twelve experiments to 12 km for several hours. A second aircraft, a twin-engine Lear Jet, has been used on a limited basis for airborne science and can carry one experiment to 15 km for 1 h. Mobility and altitude are the principal advantages over ground sites, while large payload and personnel carrying capabilities, combined with ease of operations and relatively low cost, are the main advantages compared to balloons, rockets, or satellites. Typical airborne instrumentation and scientific results are presented.

WESTERN AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS ASSESSMENT PROJECT RESEARCH PLAN

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) is to assess the deposition of airborne contaminants in Western National Parks, providing regional and local information on exposure, accumulation, impacts, and probable sources. This project is being desig...

Vigilante: Ultrafast Smart Sensor for Target Recognition and Precision Tracking in a Simulated CMD Scenario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uldomkesmalee, Suraphol; Suddarth, Steven C.

1997-01-01

VIGILANTE is an ultrafast smart sensor testbed for generic Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) applications with a series of capability demonstration focussed on cruise missile defense (CMD). VIGILANTE's sensor/processor architecture is based on next-generation UV/visible/IR sensors and a tera-operations per second sugar-cube processor, as well as supporting airborne vehicle. Excellent results of efficient ATR methodologies that use an eigenvectors/neural network combination and feature-based precision tracking have been demonstrated in the laboratory environment.

An overview of Airborne Data for Assessing Models (ADAM): a web development effort to effectively disseminate airborne data products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangosing, D. C.; Chen, G.; Kusterer, J.; Rinsland, P.; Perez, J.; Sorlie, S.; Parker, L.

2011-12-01

One of the objectives of the NASA Langley Research Center's MEaSURES project, "Creating a Unified Airborne Database for Model Assessment", is the development of airborne Earth System Data Records (ESDR) for the regional and global model assessment and validation activities performed by the tropospheric chemistry and climate modeling communities. The ongoing development of ADAM, a web site designed to access a unified, standardized and relational ESDR database, meets this objective. The ESDR database is derived from publically available data sets, from NASA airborne field studies to airborne and in-situ studies sponsored by NOAA, NSF, and numerous international partners. The ADAM web development activities provide an opportunity to highlight a growing synergy between the Airborne Science Data for Atmospheric Composition (ASD-AC) group at NASA Langley and the NASA Langley's Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC). These teams will collaborate on the ADAM web application by leveraging the state-of-the-art service and message-oriented data distribution architecture developed and implemented by ASDC and using a web-based tool provided by the ASD-AC group whose user interface accommodates the nuanced perspective of science users in the atmospheric chemistry and composition and climate modeling communities.

An update on airborne contact dermatitis: 2001-2006.

PubMed

Santos, Raquel; Goossens, An

2007-12-01

Reports on airborne dermatoses are mainly published in the context of occupational settings. Hence, in recent years, dermatologists and also occupational physicians have become increasingly aware of the airborne source of contact dermatitis, resulting mainly from exposure to irritants or allergens. However, their occurrence is still underestimated, because reports often omit the term 'airborne' in relation to dust or volatile allergens. For the present update, we screened the journals 'Contact Dermatitis' (July 2000 to December 2006); 'Dermatitis', formerly named 'American Journal of Contact Dermatitis'; 'La Lettre du Gerda' (January 2000 to December 2006); and also included relevant articles from other journals published during the same period. This resulted in an updated list of airborne dermatitis causes.

Airborne sensors for detecting large marine debris at sea.

PubMed

Veenstra, Timothy S; Churnside, James H

2012-01-01

The human eye is an excellent, general-purpose airborne sensor for detecting marine debris larger than 10 cm on or near the surface of the water. Coupled with the human brain, it can adjust for light conditions and sea-surface roughness, track persistence, differentiate color and texture, detect change in movement, and combine all of the available information to detect and identify marine debris. Matching this performance with computers and sensors is difficult at best. However, there are distinct advantages over the human eye and brain that sensors and computers can offer such as the ability to use finer spectral resolution, to work outside the spectral range of human vision, to control the illumination, to process the information in ways unavailable to the human vision system, to provide a more objective and reproducible result, to operate from unmanned aircraft, and to provide a permanent record that can be used for later analysis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Aerosol Optical Properties and Water Vapor Among Ground and Airborne Lidars and Sun Photometers During TARFOX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrare, R.; Ismail, S.; Browell, E.; Brackett, V.; Clayton, M.; Kooi, S.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D.; Schwemmer, G.; Evans, K.

2000-01-01

We compare aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and precipitable water vapor (PWV) measurements derived from ground and airborne lidars and sun photometers during the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment. Such comparisons are important to verify the consistency between various remote sensing measurements before employing them in any assessment of the impact of aerosols on the global radiation balance. Total scattering ratio and extinction profiles measured by the ground-based NASA Goddard Space Flight Center scanning Raman lidar system, which operated from Wallops Island, Virginia (37.86 deg N, 75.51 deg W); are compared with those measured by the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) airborne lidar system aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Bias and root-mean-square differences indicate that these measurements generally agreed within about 10%. Aerosol extinction profiles and estimates of AOT are derived from both lidar measurements using a value for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio S(sub a) = 60 sr for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio, which was determined from the Raman lidar measurements. The lidar measurements of AOT are found to be generally within 25% of the AOT measured by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sun Photometer (AATS-6). However, during certain periods the lidar and Sun photometer measurements of AOT differed significantly, possibly because of variations in the aerosol physical characteristics (e.g., size, composition) which affect S(sub a). Estimates of PWV, derived from water vapor mixing ratio profiles measured by LASE, are within 5-10% of PWV derived from the airborne Sun photometer. Aerosol extinction profiles measured by both lidars show that aerosols were generally concentrated in the lowest 2-3 km.

Analysis of a Dynamic Multi-Track Airway Concept for Air Traffic Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wing, David J.; Smith, Jeremy C.; Ballin, Mark G.

2008-01-01

The Dynamic Multi-track Airways (DMA) Concept for Air Traffic Management (ATM) proposes a network of high-altitude airways constructed of multiple, closely spaced, parallel tracks designed to increase en-route capacity in high-demand airspace corridors. Segregated from non-airway operations, these multi-track airways establish high-priority traffic flow corridors along optimal routes between major terminal areas throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Air traffic controllers transition aircraft equipped for DMA operations to DMA entry points, the aircraft use autonomous control of airspeed to fly the continuous-airspace airway and achieve an economic benefit, and controllers then transition the aircraft from the DMA exit to the terminal area. Aircraft authority within the DMA includes responsibility for spacing and/or separation from other DMA aircraft. The DMA controller is responsible for coordinating the entry and exit of traffic to and from the DMA and for traffic flow management (TFM), including adjusting DMA routing on a daily basis to account for predicted weather and wind patterns and re-routing DMAs in real time to accommodate unpredicted weather changes. However, the DMA controller is not responsible for monitoring the DMA for traffic separation. This report defines the mature state concept, explores its feasibility and performance, and identifies potential benefits. The report also discusses (a) an analysis of a single DMA, which was modeled within the NAS to assess capacity and determine the impact of a single DMA on regional sector loads and conflict potential; (b) a demand analysis, which was conducted to determine likely city-pair candidates for a nationwide DMA network and to determine the expected demand fraction; (c) two track configurations, which were modeled and analyzed for their operational characteristic; (d) software-prototype airborne capabilities developed for DMA operations research; (e) a feasibility analysis of key attributes in

Meeting Review: Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumgardner, Darrel; Huebert, Barry; Wilson, Chuck

1991-01-01

Proceedings from the Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop are presented. The two central topics of discussion were the role of aerosols in atmospheric processes and the difficulties in characterizing aerosols. The following topics were discussed during the working sessions: airborne observations to date; identification of inlet design issues; inlet modeling needs and directions; objectives for aircraft experiments; and future laboratory and wind tunnel studies.

The Coplane Analysis Technique for Three-Dimensional Wind Retrieval Using the HIWRAP Airborne Doppler Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Didlake, Anthony C., Jr.; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Tian, Lin; Guimond, Stephen R.

2015-01-01

The coplane analysis technique for mapping the three-dimensional wind field of precipitating systems is applied to the NASA High Altitude Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP). HIWRAP is a dual-frequency Doppler radar system with two downward pointing and conically scanning beams. The coplane technique interpolates radar measurements to a natural coordinate frame, directly solves for two wind components, and integrates the mass continuity equation to retrieve the unobserved third wind component. This technique is tested using a model simulation of a hurricane and compared to a global optimization retrieval. The coplane method produced lower errors for the cross-track and vertical wind components, while the global optimization method produced lower errors for the along-track wind component. Cross-track and vertical wind errors were dependent upon the accuracy of the estimated boundary condition winds near the surface and at nadir, which were derived by making certain assumptions about the vertical velocity field. The coplane technique was then applied successfully to HIWRAP observations of Hurricane Ingrid (2013). Unlike the global optimization method, the coplane analysis allows for a transparent connection between the radar observations and specific analysis results. With this ability, small-scale features can be analyzed more adequately and erroneous radar measurements can be identified more easily.

Image quality on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. I - Results of the first flight series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Dunham, E. W.; Baron, R. L.; Watts, A. W.; Kruse, S. E.; Rose, W. C.; Gillespie, C. M., Jr.

1989-01-01

The NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was flown three times during June and July, 1984 in order to study the causes of the poor seeing obtained with the 0.9-m telescope. High-speed pressure and temperature sensors were placed in the telescope cavity. Several thousand stellar images were recorded under various flight and optical configurations. It is found that the long-exposure image size is affected by telescope tracking errors, imperfect optics, poor optical alignment, telescope and instrument vibration, thermal fluctuations in the telescope cavity, and density fluctuations in the shear layer that forms the boundary between the cavity air and outside air. Possible ways to improve the quality of the images are discussed.

Relation of Topography to Airborne Gravity in Afghanistan and the Tectonic Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, W.; Brozena, J. M.; Peters, M. F.

2012-12-01

As part of a multi-sensor, multi-disciplinary aerogeophysical survey, the US Naval Research Laboratory collected airborne gravity over most of Afghanistan in 2006 (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1089/Afghan_grv.html). The data were measured using a pair of ZLS Corporation air-sea gravimeters 7 km altitude above mean sea level aboard an NP-3D Orion aircraft operated by the US Navy's Scientific Development Squadron One (VXS-1). Aircraft positions were determined from kinematic GPS measurements in the aircraft relative to five base stations using differential interferometric techniques. Track spacing was set to 4 km over much of Afghanistan, but was increased to 8 km in the northern block of the survey area. Aircraft ground speed averaged between 300 and 380 knots, faster than ideal for high resolution gravity, but enabled approximately 113,000-km of data tracks to be flown in 220 flight hours, covering more than 330000 km2. In this presentation, we investigate the implications of the airborne gravity data for the tectonic development history of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is described as comprising three different platforms (Wheeler et al., 2005): 1) the north Afghanistan platform north of the Hari-Rud fault (HRF), a part of the Eurasian plate for 250-350 my; 2) the accreted terranes south of the HRF including low flats, formed as island arcs and fragments of continental and oceanic crust collided with the Eurasian plate during the closure of the Tethys Ocean in the past 250 my; and 3) the transpressional plate in the east, formed as the Indian plate moves northward since Cretaceous. The Bouguer anomaly map reveals elongated negative values along the east-west striking HRF, which seems to manifest different tectonic developmental histories across the boundary. Over the southern flats in the accreted terranes platform, the Bouguer anomaly map appears to show a continuation of alternating southwest-northeast trending highs and lows like those over the northern high

Airborne Nicotine, Secondhand Smoke, and Precursors to Adolescent Smoking.

PubMed

McGrath, Jennifer J; Racicot, Simon; Okoli, Chizimuzo T C; Hammond, S Katharine; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

2018-01-01

Secondhand smoke (SHS) directly increases exposure to airborne nicotine, tobacco's main psychoactive substance. When exposed to SHS, nonsmokers inhale 60% to 80% of airborne nicotine, absorb concentrations similar to those absorbed by smokers, and display high levels of nicotine biomarkers. Social modeling, or observing other smokers, is a well-established predictor of smoking during adolescence. Observing smokers also leads to increased pharmacological exposure to airborne nicotine via SHS. The objective of this study is to investigate whether greater exposure to airborne nicotine via SHS increases the risk for smoking initiation precursors among never-smoking adolescents. Secondary students ( N = 406; never-smokers: n = 338, 53% girls, mean age = 12.9, SD = 0.4) participated in the AdoQuest II longitudinal cohort. They answered questionnaires about social exposure to smoking (parents, siblings, peers) and known smoking precursors (eg, expected benefits and/or costs, SHS aversion, smoking susceptibility, and nicotine dependence symptoms). Saliva and hair samples were collected to derive biomarkers of cotinine and nicotine. Adolescents wore a passive monitor for 1 week to measure airborne nicotine. Higher airborne nicotine was significantly associated with greater expected benefits ( R 2 = 0.024) and lower expected costs ( R 2 = 0.014). Higher social exposure was significantly associated with more temptation to try smoking ( R 2 = 0.025), lower aversion to SHS ( R 2 = 0.038), and greater smoking susceptibility ( R 2 = 0.071). Greater social exposure was significantly associated with more nicotine dependence symptoms; this relation worsened with higher nicotine exposure (cotinine R 2 = 0.096; airborne nicotine R 2 = 0.088). Airborne nicotine exposure via SHS is a plausible risk factor for smoking initiation during adolescence. Public health implications include limiting airborne nicotine through smoking bans in homes and cars, in addition to stringent restrictions

Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) (Global Carbon Cycle)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

This bimonthly contractor progress report covers the operation, maintenance and data management of the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar and the Airborne Topographic Mapper. Monthly activities included: mission planning, sensor operation and calibration, data processing, data analysis, network development and maintenance and instrument maintenance engineering and fabrication.

Airborne oceanographic lidar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Specifications and preliminary design of an Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) system, which is to be constructed for installation and used on a NASA Wallops Flight Center (WFC) C-54 research aircraft, are reported. The AOL system is to provide an airborne facility for use by various government agencies to demonstrate the utility and practicality of hardware of this type in the wide area collection of oceanographic data on an operational basis. System measurement and performance requirements are presented, followed by a description of the conceptual system approach and the considerations attendant to its development. System performance calculations are addressed, and the system specifications and preliminary design are presented and discussed.

[Phylogenetic diversity of airborne microbes in Qingdao downtown in autumn].

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Song, Zhi-wen; Xu, Ai-ling; Wu, Deng-deng; Xia, Yan

2015-04-01

To determine the community structure of airborne microbes in Qingdao downtown in autumn, the airborne bacteria and fungi were collected by the KC-6120 air sampler and analyzed using the 16S/18S rDNA gene clone library method. Phylogenetic analysis of airborne bacteria showed that they belonged to six major phylogenetic groups: Proteobacteria (78. 8%), Firmicutes (14.6%), Actinobacteria (4.0%), Planctomycetes (1.3%), Cyanobacteria (0.7%), and Deinococcus-Thermus (0.7%). The dominant genera of airborne bacteria included Acinetobacter (39.7%), Staphylococcus (11.3%), Sphingomonas (8.6%), Paracoccus (6.0%) and Massilia (5.3%). The main types of airborne fungi were Ascomycota (97.5%) and Basidiomycota (2.5%). Dominant genera of airborne fungi included Pyrenophora (76.5%), Xylaria (13.6%) and Exophiala (2.5%). The pathogens or conditioned pathogens, such as Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus, or Sphingomonas were detected in the airborne bacteria, whereas certain kinds of fungi, such as P. graminea, X. hypoxylon and Zasmidium angulare that could cause a variety of crop diseases were also detected.

Infrared airborne spectroradiometer survey results in the western Nevada area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, W.; Chang, S. H.; Kuo, J. T.

1982-01-01

The Mark II airborne spectroradiometer system was flown over several geologic test sites in western Nevada. The infrared mineral absorption bands were observed and recorded for the first time using an airborne system with high spectral resolution in the 2.0 to 2.5 micron region. The data show that the hydrothermal alteration zone minerals, carbonates, and other minerals are clearly visible in the airborne survey mode. The finer spectral features that distinguish the various minerals with infrared bands are also clearly visible in the airborne survey data. Using specialized computer pattern recognition methods, it is possible to identify mineralogy and map alteration zones and lithologies by airborne spectroradiometer survey techniques.

Enumerating Spore-Forming Bacteria Airborne with Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Ying; Barengoltz, Jack

2006-01-01

A laboratory method has been conceived to enable the enumeration of (1) Cultivable bacteria and bacterial spores that are, variously, airborne by themselves or carried by, parts of, or otherwise associated with, other airborne particles; and (2) Spore-forming bacteria among all of the aforementioned cultivable microbes.

Comparison of Aerosol Optical Depth from Four Solar Radiometers During the Fall 1997 ARM Intensive Observation Period

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B.; Michalsky, J.; Halthore, R.; Beauharnois, M.; Harrison, L.; Livingston, J.; Russell, P.; Holben, B.; Eck, T.; Smirnov, A.

2000-01-01

In the Fall of 1997 the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program conducted an Intensive Observation Period (IOP) to study aerosols. Five sun-tracking radiometers were present to measure the total column aerosol optical depth. This comparison performed on the Southern Great Plains (SGP) demonstrates the capabilities and limitations of modern tracking sunphotometers at a location typical of where aerosol measurements are required. The key result was agreement in aerosol optical depth measured by 4 of the 5 instruments within 0.015 (rms). The key to this level of agreement was meticulous care in the calibrations of the instruments.

Analysis of Airborne Radar Altimetry Measurements of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferraro, Ellen J.

1994-01-01

This dissertation presents an analysis of airborne altimetry measurements taken over the Greenland ice sheet with the 13.9 GHz Advanced Application Flight Experiment (AAFE) pulse compression radar altimeter. This Ku-band instrument was refurbished in 1990 by the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts to obtain high-resolution altitude measurements and to improve the tracking, speed, storage and display capabilities of the radar. In 1991 and 1993, the AAFE altimeter took part in the NASA Multisensor Airborne Altimetry Experiments over Greenland, along with two NASA laser altimeters. Altitude results from both experiments are presented along with comparisons to the laser altimeter and calibration passes over the Sondrestroem runway in Greenland. Although it is too early to make a conclusion about the growth or decay of the ice sheet, these results show that the instrument is capable of measuring small-scale surface changes to within 14 centimeters. In addition, results from these experiments reveal that the radar is sensitive to the different diagenetic regions of the ice sheet. Return waveforms from the wet- snow, percolation and dry-snow zones show varying effects of both surface scattering and sub-surface or volume scattering. Models of each of the diagenetic regions of Greenland are presented along with parameters such as rms surface roughness, rms surface slope and attenuation coefficient of the snow pack obtained by fitting the models to actual return waveforms.

Discriminating plant species across California's diverse ecosystems using airborne VSWIR and TIR imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meerdink, S.; Roberts, D. A.; Roth, K. L.

2015-12-01

Accurate knowledge of the spatial distribution of plant species is required for many research and management agendas that track ecosystem health. Because of this, there is continuous development of research focused on remotely-sensed species classifications for many diverse ecosystems. While plant species have been mapped using airborne imaging spectroscopy, the geographic extent has been limited due to data availability and spectrally similar species continue to be difficult to separate. The proposed Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) space-borne mission, which includes a visible near infrared/shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer and thermal infrared (TIR) multi-spectral imager, would present an opportunity to improve species discrimination over a much broader scale. Here we evaluate: 1) the capability of VSWIR and/or TIR spectra to discriminate plant species; 2) the accuracy of species classifications within an ecosystem; and 3) the potential for discriminating among species across a range of ecosystems. Simulated HyspIRI imagery was acquired in spring/summer of 2013 spanning from Santa Barbara to Bakersfield, CA with the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) instruments. Three spectral libraries were created from these images: AVIRIS (224 bands from 0.4 - 2.5 µm), MASTER (8 bands from 7.5 - 12 µm), and AVIRIS + MASTER. We used canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) as a dimension reduction technique and then classified plant species using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Our results show the inclusion of TIR spectra improved species discrimination, but only for plant species with emissivities departing from that of a gray body. Ecosystems with species that have high spectral contrast had higher classification accuracies. Mapping plant species across all ecosystems resulted in a classification with lower accuracies than a single ecosystem due to the complex nature of

Noise reduction in urban LRT networks by combining track based solutions.

PubMed

Vogiatzis, Konstantinos; Vanhonacker, Patrick

2016-10-15

The overall objective of the Quiet-Track project is to provide step-changing track based noise mitigation and maintenance schemes for railway rolling noise in LRT (Light Rail Transit) networks. WP 4 in particular focuses on the combination of existing track based solutions to yield a global performance of at least 6dB(A). The validation was carried out using a track section in the network of Athens Metro Line 1 with an existing outside concrete slab track (RHEDA track) where high airborne rolling noise was observed. The procedure for the selection of mitigation measures is based on numerical simulations, combining WRNOISE and IMMI software tools for noise prediction with experimental determination of the required track and vehicle parameters (e.g., rail and wheel roughness). The availability of a detailed rolling noise calculation procedure allows for detailed designing of measures and of ranking individual measures. It achieves this by including the modelling of the wheel/rail source intensity and of the noise propagation with the ability to evaluate the effect of modifications at source level (e.g., grinding, rail dampers, wheel dampers, change in resiliency of wheels and/or rail fixation) and of modifications in the propagation path (absorption at the track base, noise barriers, screening). A relevant combination of existing solutions was selected in the function of the simulation results. Three distinct existing solutions were designed in detail aiming at a high rolling noise attenuation and not affecting the normal operation of the metro system: Action 1: implementation of sound absorbing precast elements (panel type) on the track bed, Action 2: implementation of an absorbing noise barrier with a height of 1.10-1.20m above rail level, and Action 3: installation of rail dampers. The selected solutions were implemented on site and the global performance was measured step by step for comparison with simulations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Storm Surge Measurement with an Airborne Scanning Radar Altimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, C. W.; Walsh, E. J.; Krabill, W. B.; Shaffer, W. A.; Baig, S. R.; Peng, M.; Pietrafesa, L. J.; Garcia, A. W.; Marks, F. D., Jr.; Black, P. G.;

76 FR 76333 - Notification for Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-07

...-1279; Notice No. 11-07] Notification for Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) AGENCY: Federal Aviation... CFR) part 77, ``Safe, Efficient Use and Preservation of the Navigable Airspace,'' to airborne wind energy systems (AWES). In addition, this notice requests information from airborne wind energy system...

Recognizing Airborne Hazards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Christian M.

1990-01-01

The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in older buildings often do not adequately handle air-borne contaminants. Outlines a three-stage Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) assessment and describes a case in point at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, school. (MLF)

Compact Highly Sensitive Multi-species Airborne Mid-IR Spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richter, Dirk; Weibring, P.; Walega, J.

2015-02-01

We report on the development and airborne field deployment of a mid-IR laser based spectrometer. The instrument was configured for the simultaneous in-situ detection of formaldehyde (CH2O) and ethane (C2H6). Numerous mechanical, optical, electronic, and software improvements over a previous instrument design resulted in reliable highly sensitive airborne operation with long stability times yielding 90% airborne measurement coverage during the recent air quality study over the Colorado front range, FRAPPÉ 2014. Airborne detection sensitivities of ~ 15 pptv (C2H6) and ~40 pptv (CH2O) were generally obtained for 1 s of averaging for simultaneous detection.

30 CFR 57.5005 - Control of exposure to airborne contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control of exposure to airborne contaminants... Underground § 57.5005 Control of exposure to airborne contaminants. Control of employee exposure to harmful airborne contaminants shall be, insofar as feasible, by prevention of contamination, removal by exhaust...

Appendix : airborne incidents : an econometric analysis of severity

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-19

This is the Appendix for Airborne Incidents: An Econometric Analysis of Severity Report. : Airborne loss of separation incidents occur when an aircraft breaches the defined separation limit (vertical and/or horizontal) with another aircraft or terrai...

Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi Beam Directional Links

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-05

Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi-Beam Directional Links R. Bruce MacLeod Member, IEEE, and Adam Margetts Member, IEEE MIT...provide new techniques for increasing throughput in airborne adaptive directional net- works. By adaptive directional linking, we mean systems that can...techniques can dramatically increase the capacity in airborne networks. Advances in digital array technology are beginning to put these gains within reach

Scratched: World War II Airborne Operations That Never Happened

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-22

Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited SCRATCHED: WORLD WAR II AIRBORNE OPERATIONS THAT NEVER HAPPENED A Monograph by...2. REPORT TYPE Master’s Thesis 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) JUN 2013-MAY 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Scratched: World War II Airborne...Maastricht gap, to get Allied troops through the West Wall. For numerous reasons, the overall Allied airborne effort of World War II provided mixed

Novel laser communications transceiver with internal gimbal-less pointing and tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalfant, Charles H., III; Orlando, Fred J., Jr.; Gregory, Jeff T.; Sulham, Clifford; O'Neal, Chad B.; Taylor, Geoffrey W.; Craig, Douglas M.; Foshee, James J.; Lovett, J. Timothy

2002-12-01

This paper describes a novel laser communications transceiver for use in multi-platform satellite networks or clusters that provides internal pointing and tracking technique allowing static mounting of the transceiver subsystems and minimal use of mechanical stabilization techniques. This eliminates the need for the large, power hungry, mechanical gimbals that are required for laser cross-link pointing, acquisition and tracking. The miniature transceiver is designed for pointing accuracies required for satellite cross-link distances of between 500 meters to 5000 meters. Specifically, the designs are targeting Air Force Research Lab's TechSat21 Program, although alternative transceiver configurations can provide for much greater link distances and other satellite systems. The receiver and transmitter are connected via fiber optic cabling from a separate electronics subsystem containing the optoelectronics PCBs, thereby eliminating active optoelectronic elements from the transceiver's mechanical housing. The internal acquisition and tracking capability is provided by an advanced micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and an optical design that provides a specific field-of-view based on the satellite cluster's interface specifications. The acquisition & tracking control electronics will utilize conventional closed loop tracking techniques. The link optical power budget and optoelectronics designs allow use of transmitter sources with output powers of near 100 mW. The transceiver will provide data rates of up to 2.5 Gbps and operate at either 1310 nm or 1550 nm. In addition to space-based satellite to satellite cross-links, we are planning to develop a broad range of applications including air to air communications between highly mobile airborne platforms and terrestrial fixed point to point communications.

Satellite and airborne IR sensor validation by an airborne interferometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gumley, L.E.; Delst, P.F. van; Moeller, C.C.

1996-11-01

The validation of in-orbit longwave IR radiances from the GOES-8 Sounder and inflight longwave IR radiances from the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is described. The reference used is the airborne University of Wisconsin High Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS). The calibration of each sensor is described. Data collected during the Ocean Temperature Interferometric Survey (OTIS) experiment in January 1995 is used in the comparison between sensors. Detailed forward calculations of at-sensor radiance are used to account for the difference in GOES-8 and HIS altitude and viewing geometry. MAS radiances and spectrally averaged HIS radiances are compared directly. Differences between GOES-8 andmore » HIS brightness temperatures, and GOES-8 and MAS brightness temperatures, are found to be with 1.0 K for the majority of longwave channels examined. The same validation approach will be used for future sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). 11 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Regional prediction of soil organic carbon content over croplands using airborne hyperspectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaudour, Emmanuelle; Gilliot, Jean-Marc; Bel, Liliane; Lefebvre, Josias; Chehdi, Kacem

2015-04-01

This study was carried out in the framework of the Prostock-Gessol3 and the BASC-SOCSENSIT projects, dedicated to the spatial monitoring of the effects of exogenous organic matter land application on soil organic carbon storage. It aims at identifying the potential of airborne hyperspectral AISA-Eagle data for predicting the topsoil organic carbon (SOC) content of bare cultivated soils over a large peri-urban area (221 km2) with both contrasted soils and SOC contents, located in the western region of Paris, France. Soils comprise hortic or glossic luvisols, calcaric, rendzic cambisols and colluvic cambisols. Airborne AISA-Eagle data (400-1000 nm, 126 bands) with 1 m-resolution were acquired on 17 April 2013 over 13 tracks which were georeferenced. Tracks were atmospherically corrected using a set of 22 synchronous field spectra of both bare soils, black and white targets and impervious surfaces. Atmospherically corrected track tiles were mosaicked at a 2 m-resolution resulting in a 66 Gb image. A SPOT4 satellite image was acquired the same day in the framework of the SPOT4-Take Five program of the French Space Agency (CNES) which provided it with atmospheric correction. The land use identification system layer (RPG) of 2012 was used to mask non-agricultural areas, then NDVI calculation and thresholding enabled to map agricultural fields with bare soil. All 18 sampled sites known to be bare at this very date were correctly included in this map. A total of 85 sites sampled in 2013 or in the 3 previous years were identified as bare by means of this map. Predictions were made from the mosaic spectra which were related to topsoil SOC contents by means of partial least squares regression (PLSR). Regression robustness was evaluated through a series of 1000 bootstrap data sets of calibration-validation samples. The use of the total sample including 27 sites under cloud shadows led to non-significant results. Considering 43 sites outside cloud shadows only, median

30 CFR 56.5005 - Control of exposure to airborne contaminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control of exposure to airborne contaminants... Air Quality and Physical Agents Air Quality § 56.5005 Control of exposure to airborne contaminants. Control of employee exposure to harmful airborne contaminants shall be, insofar as feasible, by prevention...

41 CFR 50-204.22 - Exposure to airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Exposure to airborne... FEDERAL SUPPLY CONTRACTS Radiation Standards § 50-204.22 Exposure to airborne radioactive material. (a) No..., within a restricted area, to be exposed to airborne radioactive material in an average concentration in...

NASA airborne laser altimetry and ICESat-2 post-launch data validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Studinger, M.; Hawley, R. L.; Markus, T.

2016-12-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have made repeated surveys over an 11,000-m ground-based kinematic GPS traverse near Summit Station, Greenland. These ground-based data were used to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of two airborne laser altimeters: Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS). Data from the ongoing monthly traverses allowed for the assessment of 8 airborne lidar campaigns; elevation biases for these altimeters were less than 12.2 cm, while assessments of surface measurement precision were less than 9.1 cm. Results from the analyses of the Greenland ground-based GPS and airborne lidar data provide guidance for validation strategies for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products. Specifically, a nested approach to validation is required, where ground-based GPS data are used to constrain the bias and measurement precision of the airborne lidar data; airborne surveys can then be designed and conducted on longer length-scales to provide the amount of airborne data required to make more statistically meaningful assessments of satellite elevation data. This nested validation approach will continue for the ground-traverse in Greenland; further, the ICESat-2 Project Science Office has plans to conduct similar coordinated ground-based and airborne data collection in Antarctica.

Airborne detection of oceanic turbidity cell structure using depth-resolved laser-induced water Raman backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1983-01-01

Airborne laser-induced, depth-resolved water Raman backscatter is useful in the detection and mapping of water optical transmission variations. This test, together with other field experiments, has identified the need for additional field experiments to resolve the degree of the contribution to the depth-resolved, Raman-backscattered signal waveform that is due to (1) sea surface height or elevation probability density; (2) off-nadir laser beam angle relative to the mean sea surface; and (3) the Gelbstoff fluorescence background, and the analytical techniques required to remove it. When converted to along-track profiles, the waveforms obtained reveal cells of a decreased Raman backscatter superimposed on an overall trend of monotonically decreasing water column optical transmission.

KOLAM: a cross-platform architecture for scalable visualization and tracking in wide-area imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Joshua; Haridas, Anoop; Seetharaman, Guna; Rao, Raghuveer M.; Palaniappan, Kannappan

2013-05-01

KOLAM is an open, cross-platform, interoperable, scalable and extensible framework supporting a novel multi- scale spatiotemporal dual-cache data structure for big data visualization and visual analytics. This paper focuses on the use of KOLAM for target tracking in high-resolution, high throughput wide format video also known as wide-area motion imagery (WAMI). It was originally developed for the interactive visualization of extremely large geospatial imagery of high spatial and spectral resolution. KOLAM is platform, operating system and (graphics) hardware independent, and supports embedded datasets scalable from hundreds of gigabytes to feasibly petabytes in size on clusters, workstations, desktops and mobile computers. In addition to rapid roam, zoom and hyper- jump spatial operations, a large number of simultaneously viewable embedded pyramid layers (also referred to as multiscale or sparse imagery), interactive colormap and histogram enhancement, spherical projection and terrain maps are supported. The KOLAM software architecture was extended to support airborne wide-area motion imagery by organizing spatiotemporal tiles in very large format video frames using a temporal cache of tiled pyramid cached data structures. The current version supports WAMI animation, fast intelligent inspection, trajectory visualization and target tracking (digital tagging); the latter by interfacing with external automatic tracking software. One of the critical needs for working with WAMI is a supervised tracking and visualization tool that allows analysts to digitally tag multiple targets, quickly review and correct tracking results and apply geospatial visual analytic tools on the generated trajectories. One-click manual tracking combined with multiple automated tracking algorithms are available to assist the analyst and increase human effectiveness.

Warriors from the Sky: US Army Airborne Operational Art in Normandy

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

capabilities required for conducting a cross- Channel joint forcible entry operation. This included the identification of specific missions for the airborne...cross- Channel joint forcible entry operation. This included the identification of specific missions for the airborne forces. As a result, the airborne...Operation Market Garden, Holland 1944 (HQ, 82 Airborne Division: Feb 1946), 4. Market Garden, following the invasion in Normandy, was the first

A Simple Method for Collecting Airborne Pollen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kevan, Peter G.; DiGiovanni, Franco; Ho, Rong H.; Taki, Hisatomo; Ferguson, Kristyn A.; Pawlowski, Agata K.

2006-01-01

Pollination is a broad area of study within biology. For many plants, pollen carried by wind is required for successful seed set. Airborne pollen also affects human health. To foster studies of airborne pollen, we introduce a simple device--the "megastigma"--for collecting pollen from the air. This device is flexible, yielding easily obtained data…

Inter-agency Working Group for Airborne Data and Telemetry Systems (IWGADTS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, Chris; Freudinger, Lawrence; Sorenson, Carl; Myers, Jeff; Sullivan, Don; Oolman, Larry

2009-01-01

The Interagency Coordinating Committee for Airborne Geosciences Research and Applications (ICCAGRA) was established to improve cooperation and communication among agencies sponsoring airborne platforms and instruments for research and applications, and to serve as a resource for senior level management on airborne geosciences issues. The Interagency Working Group for Airborne Data and Telecommunications Systems (IWGADTS) is a subgroup to ICCAGRA for the purpose of developing recommendations leading to increased interoperability among airborne platforms and instrument payloads, producing increased synergy among research programs with similar goals, and enabling the suborbital layer of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems.

Retrieving current and wind vectors from ATI SAR data: airborne evidence and inversion strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Adrien; Gommenginger, Christine; Chapron, Bertrand; Marquez, José; Doody, Sam

2017-04-01

Conventional and along-track interferometric (ATI) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sense the motion of the ocean surface by measuring the Doppler shift of reflected signals. Together with the water displacement associated with ocean currents, the SAR measurements are also affected by a Wind-wave induced Artefact Surface Velocity (WASV) caused by the velocity of Bragg scatterers and the orbital velocity of ocean surface gravity waves. The WASV has been modelled theoretically in past studies but has been estimated empirically only once using Envisat ASAR. Here we propose, firstly, to evaluate this WASV from airborne ATI SAR data, secondly, to validate the airborne retrieved surface current after correction of the WASV against HF radar measurements and thirdly to examine the best inversion strategy for a an Ocean Surface Current (OSC) satellite mission to retrieve accurately both the ocean surface current vector (OSCV) and the wind vector in the frame of an OSC satellite mission. The airborne ATI SAR data were acquired in the tidally dominated Irish Sea using a Wavemill-type dual-beam SAR interferometer. A comprehensive collection of airborne Wavemill data acquired in a star pattern over a well-instrumented site made it possible to estimate the magnitude and dependence on azimuth and incidence angle of the WASV. The airborne results compare favourably with those reported for Envisat ASAR, empirical model, which has been used to correct for it. Validation of the current retrieval capabilities of the proof-of-concept has been conducted against HF radar giving a precisions typically better than 0.1 m/s for surface current speed and 7° for direction. Comparisons with POLCOMS (1.8 km) indicate that the model reproduces well the overall temporal evolution but does not capture the high spatial variability of ocean surface currents at the maximum ebb flow. Airborne retrieved currents highlight a short-scale spatial variability up to 100m related to bathymetry channels, which

Airborne Visible Laser Optical Communications Program (AVLOC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, J. H.

1975-01-01

The design, development, and operation of airborne and ground-based laser communications and laser radar hardware is described in support of the Airborne Visible Laser Optical Communication program. The major emphasis is placed on the development of a highly flexible test bed for the evaluation of laser communications systems techniques and components in an operational environment.

Global Test Range: Toward Airborne Sensor Webs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mace, Thomas H.; Freudinger, Larry; DelFrate John H.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the planned global sensor network that will monitor the Earth's climate, and resources using airborne sensor systems. The vision is an intelligent, affordable Earth Observation System. Global Test Range is a lab developing trustworthy services for airborne instruments - a specialized Internet Service Provider. There is discussion of several current and planned missions.

Spatial statistical analysis of tree deaths using airborne digital imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Ya-Mei; Baddeley, Adrian; Wallace, Jeremy; Canci, Michael

2013-04-01

High resolution digital airborne imagery offers unprecedented opportunities for observation and monitoring of vegetation, providing the potential to identify, locate and track individual vegetation objects over time. Analytical tools are required to quantify relevant information. In this paper, locations of trees over a large area of native woodland vegetation were identified using morphological image analysis techniques. Methods of spatial point process statistics were then applied to estimate the spatially-varying tree death risk, and to show that it is significantly non-uniform. [Tree deaths over the area were detected in our previous work (Wallace et al., 2008).] The study area is a major source of ground water for the city of Perth, and the work was motivated by the need to understand and quantify vegetation changes in the context of water extraction and drying climate. The influence of hydrological variables on tree death risk was investigated using spatial statistics (graphical exploratory methods, spatial point pattern modelling and diagnostics).

OPTIMIZING THE PAKS METHOD FOR MEASURING AIRBORNE ACROLEIN

EPA Science Inventory

Airborne acrolein is produced from the combustion of fuel and tobacco and is of concern due to its potential for respiratory tract irritation and other adverse health effects. Active sampling with DNPH-coated solid sorbents has been widely used for sampling airborne carbonyls; ...

OPTIMIZING THE PAKS METHOD FOR MEASURING AIRBORNE ACROLEIN

EPA Science Inventory

Airborne acrolein is produced from the combustion of fuel and tobacco and is of concern due to its potential for respiratory tract irritation and other adverse health effects. DNPH active-sampling is a method widely used for sampling airborne aldehydes and ketones (carbonyls); ...

Airborne bacteria and fungi associated with waste-handling work.

PubMed

Park, Donguk; Ryu, Seunghun; Kim, Shinbum; Byun, Hyaejeong; Yoon, Chungsik; Lee, Kyeongmin

2013-01-01

Municipal workers handling household waste are potentially exposed to a variety of toxic and pathogenic substances, in particular airborne bacteria, gram-negative bacteria (GNB), and fungi. However, relatively little is known about the conditions under which exposure is facilitated. This study assessed levels of airborne bacteria, GNB, and fungi, and examined these in relation to the type of waste-handling activity (collection, transfer, transport, and sorting at the waste preprocessing plant), as well as a variety of other environmental and occupational factors. Airborne microorganisms were sampled using an Andersen single-stage sampler equipped with agar plates containing the appropriate nutritional medium and then cultured to determine airborne levels. Samples were taken during collection, transfer, transport, and sorting of household waste. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify environmental and occupational factors that significantly affect airborne microorganism levels during waste-handling activities. The "type of waste-handling activity" was the only factor that significantly affected airborne levels of bacteria and GNB, accounting for 38% (P = 0.029) and 50% (P = 0.0002) of the variation observed in bacteria and GNB levels, respectively. In terms of fungi, the type of waste-handling activity (R2 = 0.76) and whether collection had also occurred on the day prior to sampling (P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.78) explained most of the observed variation. Given that the type of waste-handling activity was significantly correlated with levels of bacteria, GNB, and fungi, we suggest that various engineering, administrative, and regulatory measures should be considered to reduce the occupational exposure to airborne microorganisms in the waste-handling industry.

Ultra-Stable Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (5STAR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunagan, Stephen E.; Johnson, Roy R.; Redemann, Jens; Holben, Brent N.; Schmidt, Beat; Flynn, Connor Joseph; Fahey, Lauren; LeBlanc, Samuel; Liss, Jordan; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe S.;

Airborne Observations of Urban-Derived Water Vapor and Potential Impacts on Chemistry and Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmon, O. E.; Shepson, P. B.; Grundman, R. M., II; Stirm, B. H.; Ren, X.; Dickerson, R. R.; Fuentes, J. D.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric conditions typical of wintertime, such as lower boundary layer heights and reduced turbulent mixing, provide a unique environment for anthropogenic pollutants to accumulate and react. Wintertime enhancements in water vapor (H2O) have been observed in urban areas, and are thought to result from fossil fuel combustion and urban heat island-induced evaporation. The contribution of urban-derived water vapor to the atmosphere has the potential to locally influence atmospheric chemistry and weather for the urban area and surrounding region due to interactions between H2O and other chemical species, aerosols, and clouds. Airborne observations of urban-derived H2O, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, and aerosols were conducted from Purdue University's Airborne Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (ALAR) and the University of Maryland's (UMD) Twin Cessna research aircraft during the winter of 2015. Measurements were conducted as part of the collaborative airborne campaign, Wintertime INvestigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER), which investigated seasonal trends in anthropogenic emissions and reactivity in the Northeastern United States. ALAR and the UMD aircraft participated in mass balance experiments around Washington D.C.-Baltimore to determine total city emission rates of H2O and other greenhouse gases. Average enhancements in H2O mixing ratio of 0.048%, and up to 0.13%, were observed downwind of the urban centers on ten research flights. In some cases, downwind H2O concentrations clearly track CO2 and NO2 enhancements, suggesting a strong combustion signal. Analysis of Purdue and UMD data collected during the WINTER campaign shows an average urban-derived H2O contribution of 5.3%, and as much as 13%, to the local boundary layer from ten research flights flown in February and March of 2015. In this paper, we discuss the potential chemical and physical implications of these results.

Study on analysis from sources of error for Airborne LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, H. C.; Yan, Q.; Liu, Z. J.; Zuo, Z. Q.; Xu, Q. Q.; Li, F. F.; Song, C.

2016-11-01

With the advancement of Aerial Photogrammetry, it appears that to obtain geo-spatial information of high spatial and temporal resolution provides a new technical means for Airborne LIDAR measurement techniques, with unique advantages and broad application prospects. Airborne LIDAR is increasingly becoming a new kind of space for earth observation technology, which is mounted by launching platform for aviation, accepting laser pulses to get high-precision, high-density three-dimensional coordinate point cloud data and intensity information. In this paper, we briefly demonstrates Airborne laser radar systems, and that some errors about Airborne LIDAR data sources are analyzed in detail, so the corresponding methods is put forwarded to avoid or eliminate it. Taking into account the practical application of engineering, some recommendations were developed for these designs, which has crucial theoretical and practical significance in Airborne LIDAR data processing fields.

Airborne gamma radiation soil moisture measurements over short flight lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peck, Eugene L.; Carrol, Thomas R.; Lipinski, Daniel M.

1990-01-01

Results are presented on airborne gamma radiation measurements of soil moisture condition, carried out along short flight lines as part of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment (FIFE). Data were collected over an area in Kansas during the summers of 1987 and 1989. The airborne surveys, together with ground measurements, provide the most comprehensive set of airborne and ground truth data available in the U.S. for calibrating and evaluating airborne gamma flight lines. Analysis showed that, using standard National Weather Service weights for the K, Tl, and Gc radiation windows, the airborne soil moisture estimates for the FIFE lines had a root mean square error of no greater than 3.0 percent soil moisture. The soil moisture estimates for sections having acquisition time of at least 15 sec were found to be reliable.

77 FR 21834 - Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For Air Carrier Aircraft)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment... Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C67, Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For Air Carrier Aircraft). SUMMARY: This is a confirmation notice of the cancellation of TSO-C67, Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For...

SGA-WZ: A New Strapdown Airborne Gravimeter

PubMed Central

Huang, Yangming; Olesen, Arne Vestergaard; Wu, Meiping; Zhang, Kaidong

2012-01-01

Inertial navigation systems and gravimeters are now routinely used to map the regional gravitational quantities from an aircraft with mGal accuracy and a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. However, airborne gravimeter of this kind is limited by the inaccuracy of the inertial sensor performance, the integrated navigation technique and the kinematic acceleration determination. As the GPS technique developed, the vehicle acceleration determination is no longer the limiting factor in airborne gravity due to the cancellation of the common mode acceleration in differential mode. A new airborne gravimeter taking full advantage of the inertial navigation system is described with improved mechanical design, high precision time synchronization, better thermal control and optimized sensor modeling. Apart from the general usage, the Global Positioning System (GPS) after differentiation is integrated to the inertial navigation system which provides not only more precise altitude information along with the navigation aiding, but also an effective way to calculate the vehicle acceleration. Design description and test results on the performance of the gyroscopes and accelerations will be emphasized. Analysis and discussion of the airborne field test results are also given. PMID:23012545

STS-29 tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS) in OV-103's payload bay (PLB)

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-03-13

STS029-71-000AE (13-18 March 1989) --- STS-29 onboard view shows Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay with tracking and data relay satellite D (TDRS-D) in stowed, pre-deployment position. In this head-on view, TDRS-D stowed components including single access #1 and #2, solar cell panels, SGL, S-Band omni antenna, and C-Band antenna are visible. TDRS-D rests in airborne support equipment (ASE) forward cradle and aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA). Discovery's aft bulkhead and orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods are visible in the background.

Characterization of airborne bacteria at an underground subway station.

PubMed

Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per; Blatny, Janet Martha

2012-03-01

The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers.

Characterization of Airborne Bacteria at an Underground Subway Station

PubMed Central

Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per

2012-01-01

The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers. PMID:22247150

Airborne Microalgae: Insights, Opportunities, and Challenges

PubMed Central

Skjøth, Carsten Ambelas; Šantl-Temkiv, Tina; Löndahl, Jakob

2016-01-01

Airborne dispersal of microalgae has largely been a blind spot in environmental biological studies because of their low concentration in the atmosphere and the technical limitations in investigating microalgae from air samples. Recent studies show that airborne microalgae can survive air transportation and interact with the environment, possibly influencing their deposition rates. This minireview presents a summary of these studies and traces the possible route, step by step, from established ecosystems to new habitats through air transportation over a variety of geographic scales. Emission, transportation, deposition, and adaptation to atmospheric stress are discussed, as well as the consequences of their dispersal on health and the environment and state-of-the-art techniques to detect and model airborne microalga dispersal. More-detailed studies on the microalga atmospheric cycle, including, for instance, ice nucleation activity and transport simulations, are crucial for improving our understanding of microalga ecology, identifying microalga interactions with the environment, and preventing unwanted contamination events or invasions. PMID:26801574

Airborne microorganisms associated with grain handling.

PubMed

Swan, J R; Crook, B

1998-01-01

There is substantial evidence that workers handling grain develop allergic respiratory symptoms. Microbiological contaminants are likely to be a significant contributing factor. Worker's exposure to microorganisms contaminating grain dust in the UK was therefore examined. Aerobiological studies were made when grain was being handled on farms and also during bulk handling of grain in dockside terminals. A quantitative and qualitative microbiological examination of the airborne grain dust was carried out. Samples of airborne grain dust were collected and viable bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were grown, isolated and identified. It was found that workers handling grain or working close to grain at farms and docks were frequently exposed to more than 1 million bacteria and fungi per m3 air, and that airborne bacteria and fungi exceeded 10(4) per m3 air in all areas sampled. The qualitative examination of the samples showed that the predominant microorganisms present differed between freshly harvested grain and stored grain, but not between different types of grain.

Airborne microorganisms from waste containers.

PubMed

Jedlicka, Sabrina S; Stravitz, David M; Lyman, Charles E

2012-01-01

In physician's offices and biomedical labs, biological waste is handled every day. This waste is disposed of in waste containers designed for holding red autoclave bags. The containers used in these environments are closed hands-free containers, often with a step pedal. While these containers protect the user from surface-borne microorganisms, the containers may allow airborne microorganisms to escape via the open/close mechanism because of the air current produced upon open/close cycles. In this study, the air current was shown to be sufficient to allow airborne escape of microorganisms held in the container, including Aspergillus niger. However, bacterial cultures, such as Escherichia coli and Lactococcus lactis did not escape. This may be due to the choice of bacterial cultures and the absence of solid waste, such as dust or other particulate matter in the waste containers, that such strains of bacteria could travel on during aerosolization. We compared these results to those obtained using a re-designed receptacle, which mimimizes air currents, and detected no escaping microorganisms. This study highlights one potential source of airborne contamination in labs, hospitals, and other environments that dispose of biological waste.

Inactivation of an enterovirus by airborne disinfectants

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The activity of airborne disinfectants on bacteria, fungi and spores has been reported. However, the issue of the virucidal effect of disinfectants spread by fogging has not been studied thoroughly. Methods A procedure has been developed to determine the virucidal activity of peracetic acid-based airborne disinfectants on a resistant non-enveloped virus poliovirus type 1. This virus was laid on a stainless carrier. The products were spread into the room by hot fogging at 55°C for 30 minutes at a concentration of 7.5 mL.m-3. Poliovirus inoculum, supplemented with 5%, heat inactivated non fat dry organic milk, were applied into the middle of the stainless steel disc and were dried under the air flow of a class II biological safety cabinet at room temperature. The Viral preparations were recovered by using flocked swabs and were titered on Vero cells using the classical Spearman-Kärber CPE reading method, the results were expressed as TCID50.ml-1. Results The infectious titer of dried poliovirus inocula was kept at 105 TCID50.mL-1 up to 150 minutes at room temperature. Dried inocula exposed to airborne peracetic acid containing disinfectants were recovered at 60 and 120 minutes post-exposition and suspended in culture medium again. The cytotoxicity of disinfectant containing medium was eliminated through gel filtration columns. A 4 log reduction of infectious titer of dried poliovirus inocula exposed to peracetic-based airborne disinfectant was obtained. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the virucidal activity of airborne disinfectants can be tested on dried poliovirus. PMID:23587047

The Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project (WACAP): An interdisciplinary evaluation of the impacts of airborne contaminants in Western U.S. National Parks

EPA Science Inventory

The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants were having an impact on remote western ecosystems. Multiple sample media (snow, water, sediment, fish and terrestrial vegetation...

Geronimo: Planning Considerations for Employing Airborne Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that... operation , a planner must adhere to joint planning considerations and understand the Air Force and Army requirements. Today the Army maintains only...one brigade and two battalions of deployable conventional airborne combat power. The special operations community also is airborne capable, and the

Airborne Network Optimization with Dynamic Network Update

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Faculty Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University...Member Dr. Barry E. Mullins Member AFIT-ENG-MS-15-M-030 Abstract Modern networks employ congestion and routing management algorithms that can perform...airborne networks. Intelligent agents can make use of Kalman filter predictions to make informed decisions to manage communication in airborne networks. The

[Development of a microenvironment test chamber for airborne microbe research].

PubMed

Zhan, Ningbo; Chen, Feng; Du, Yaohua; Cheng, Zhi; Li, Chenyu; Wu, Jinlong; Wu, Taihu

2017-10-01

One of the most important environmental cleanliness indicators is airborne microbe. However, the particularity of clean operating environment and controlled experimental environment often leads to the limitation of the airborne microbe research. This paper designed and implemented a microenvironment test chamber for airborne microbe research in normal test conditions. Numerical simulation by Fluent showed that airborne microbes were evenly dispersed in the upper part of test chamber, and had a bottom-up concentration growth distribution. According to the simulation results, the verification experiment was carried out by selecting 5 sampling points in different space positions in the test chamber. Experimental results showed that average particle concentrations of all sampling points reached 10 7 counts/m 3 after 5 minutes' distributing of Staphylococcus aureus , and all sampling points showed the accordant mapping of concentration distribution. The concentration of airborne microbe in the upper chamber was slightly higher than that in the middle chamber, and that was also slightly higher than that in the bottom chamber. It is consistent with the results of numerical simulation, and it proves that the system can be well used for airborne microbe research.

47 CFR 22.925 - Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.925 Prohibition on airborne... any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the...

Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Post Data Processing Software DAPS-LV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavaya, Michael J. (Inventor); Beyon, Jeffrey Y. (Inventor); Koch, Grady J. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices of the present invention enable post processing of airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data. In an embodiment, airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data software written in LabVIEW may be provided and may run two versions of different airborne wind profiling algorithms. A first algorithm may be the Airborne Wind Profiling Algorithm for Doppler Wind LIDAR ("APOLO") using airborne wind LIDAR data from two orthogonal directions to estimate wind parameters, and a second algorithm may be a five direction based method using pseudo inverse functions to estimate wind parameters. The various embodiments may enable wind profiles to be compared using different algorithms, may enable wind profile data for long haul color displays to be generated, may display long haul color displays, and/or may enable archiving of data at user-selectable altitudes over a long observation period for data distribution and population.

Urban greenness influences airborne bacterial community composition.

PubMed

Mhuireach, Gwynne; Johnson, Bart R; Altrichter, Adam E; Ladau, Joshua; Meadow, James F; Pollard, Katherine S; Green, Jessica L

2016-11-15

Urban green space provides health benefits for city dwellers, and new evidence suggests that microorganisms associated with soil and vegetation could play a role. While airborne microorganisms are ubiquitous in urban areas, the influence of nearby vegetation on airborne microbial communities remains poorly understood. We examined airborne microbial communities in parks and parking lots in Eugene, Oregon, using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform to identify bacterial taxa, and GIS to measure vegetation cover in buffer zones of different diameters. Our goal was to explore variation among highly vegetated (parks) versus non-vegetated (parking lots) urban environments. A secondary objective was to evaluate passive versus active collection methods for outdoor airborne microbial sampling. Airborne bacterial communities from five parks were different from those of five parking lots (p=0.023), although alpha diversity was similar. Direct gradient analysis showed that the proportion of vegetated area within a 50m radius of the sampling station explained 15% of the variation in bacterial community composition. A number of key taxa, including several Acidobacteriaceae were substantially more abundant in parks, while parking lots had higher relative abundance of Acetobacteraceae. Parks had greater beta diversity than parking lots, i.e. individual parks were characterized by unique bacterial signatures, whereas parking lot communities tended to be similar to each other. Although parks and parking lots were selected to form pairs of nearby sites, spatial proximity did not appear to affect compositional similarity. Our results also showed that passive and active collection methods gave comparable results, indicating the "settling dish" method is effective for outdoor airborne sampling. This work sets a foundation for understanding how urban vegetation may impact microbial communities, with potential implications for designing

Robust perception algorithms for road and track autonomous following

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marion, Vincent; Lecointe, Olivier; Lewandowski, Cecile; Morillon, Joel G.; Aufrere, Romuald; Marcotegui, Beatrix; Chapuis, Roland; Beucher, Serge

2004-09-01

The French Military Robotic Study Program (introduced in Aerosense 2003), sponsored by the French Defense Procurement Agency and managed by Thales Airborne Systems as the prime contractor, focuses on about 15 robotic themes, which can provide an immediate "operational add-on value." The paper details the "road and track following" theme (named AUT2), which main purpose was to develop a vision based sub-system to automatically detect roadsides of an extended range of roads and tracks suitable to military missions. To achieve the goal, efforts focused on three main areas: (1) Improvement of images quality at algorithms inputs, thanks to the selection of adapted video cameras, and the development of a THALES patented algorithm: it removes in real time most of the disturbing shadows in images taken in natural environments, enhances contrast and lowers reflection effect due to films of water. (2) Selection and improvement of two complementary algorithms (one is segment oriented, the other region based) (3) Development of a fusion process between both algorithms, which feeds in real time a road model with the best available data. Each previous step has been developed so that the global perception process is reliable and safe: as an example, the process continuously evaluates itself and outputs confidence criteria qualifying roadside detection. The paper presents the processes in details, and the results got from passed military acceptance tests, which trigger the next step: autonomous track following (named AUT3).

BOREAS RSS-3 Atmospheric Measurements from a Helicopter-Mounted Sunphotometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Nickerson, Jaime (Editor); Walthall, Charles L.; Loechel, Sara; Halthore, Rangasayi

2000-01-01

The BOREAS RSS-3 team collected and processed helicopter-based measurements of atmospheric conditions to estimates of aerosol optical thickness and atmospheric water vapor. The automatic sun-tracking photometer for helicopters was deployed during all three 1994 IFCs at numerous tower and auxiliary sites in both the NSA and the SSA. Six spectral channels (440, 540, 613, 670, 870, and 1030 nm) were chosen to span the visible and NIR wavelengths and to avoid gaseous absorption. One additional channel, 940 nm, was selected to measure the water column abundance above the helicopter platform. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files.

Joint passive radar tracking and target classification using radar cross section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Shawn M.

2004-01-01

We present a recursive Bayesian solution for the problem of joint tracking and classification of airborne targets. In our system, we allow for complications due to multiple targets, false alarms, and missed detections. More importantly, though, we utilize the full benefit of a joint approach by implementing our tracker using an aerodynamically valid flight model that requires aircraft-specific coefficients such as wing area and vehicle mass, which are provided by our classifier. A key feature that bridges the gap between tracking and classification is radar cross section (RCS). By modeling the true deterministic relationship that exists between RCS and target aspect, we are able to gain both valuable class information and an estimate of target orientation. However, the lack of a closed-form relationship between RCS and target aspect prevents us from using the Kalman filter or its variants. Instead, we rely upon a sequential Monte Carlo-based approach known as particle filtering. In addition to allowing us to include RCS as a measurement, the particle filter also simplifies the implementation of our nonlinear non-Gaussian flight model.

Joint passive radar tracking and target classification using radar cross section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Shawn M.

2003-12-01

We present a recursive Bayesian solution for the problem of joint tracking and classification of airborne targets. In our system, we allow for complications due to multiple targets, false alarms, and missed detections. More importantly, though, we utilize the full benefit of a joint approach by implementing our tracker using an aerodynamically valid flight model that requires aircraft-specific coefficients such as wing area and vehicle mass, which are provided by our classifier. A key feature that bridges the gap between tracking and classification is radar cross section (RCS). By modeling the true deterministic relationship that exists between RCS and target aspect, we are able to gain both valuable class information and an estimate of target orientation. However, the lack of a closed-form relationship between RCS and target aspect prevents us from using the Kalman filter or its variants. Instead, we rely upon a sequential Monte Carlo-based approach known as particle filtering. In addition to allowing us to include RCS as a measurement, the particle filter also simplifies the implementation of our nonlinear non-Gaussian flight model.

A resonance-free nano-film airborne ultrasound emitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daschewski, Maxim; Harrer, Andrea; Prager, Jens; Kreutzbruck, Marc; Beck, Uwe; Lange, Thorid; Weise, Matthias

2013-01-01

In this contribution we present a novel thermo-acoustic approach for the generation of broad band airborne ultrasound and investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. We report on measurements of thermo-acoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate, generating sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance from the transducer and compare the results with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our experimental investigations show that such thermo-acoustic devices can be used as broad band emitters using pulse excitation.

Comparison of the Changes in the Visible and Infrared Irradiance Observed by the SunPhotometers on EURECA to the UARS Total Solar and UV Irradiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pap, Judit

1995-01-01

Solar irradiance in the near-UV (335 nm), visible (500 nm) and infrared (778 nm) spectral bands has been measured by the SunPhotometers developed at the World Radiation Center, Davos, Switzerland on board the European Retrievable Carrier between August 1992 and May 1993. Study of the variations in the visible and infrared irradiance is important for both solar and atmospheric physics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the temporal variations observed in the visible and infrared spectral bands after eliminating the trend in the data mainly related to instrument degradation. The effect of active regions in these spectral irradiances is clearly resolved. Variations in the visible and infrared irradiances are compared to total solar irradiance observed by the SOVA2 radiometer on the EURECA platform and by the ACRIMII radiometer on UARS as well as to UV observations of the UARS and NOAA9 satellites. The space-borne spectral irradiance observations are compared to the photometric sunspot deficit and CaII K irradiance measured at the San Fernando Observatory, California State University at Northridge in order to study the effect of active regions in detail.

Airborne space laser communication system and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiao-Ming; Zhang, Li-zhong; Meng, Li-Xin

2015-11-01

Airborne space laser communication is characterized by its high speed, anti-electromagnetic interference, security, easy to assign. It has broad application in the areas of integrated space-ground communication networking, military communication, anti-electromagnetic communication. This paper introduce the component and APT system of the airborne laser communication system design by Changchun university of science and technology base on characteristic of airborne laser communication and Y12 plan, especially introduce the high communication speed and long distance communication experiment of the system that among two Y12 plans. In the experiment got the aim that the max communication distance 144Km, error 10-6 2.5Gbps - 10-7 1.5Gbps capture probability 97%, average capture time 20s. The experiment proving the adaptability of the APT and the high speed long distance communication.

[Studies on the size distribution of airborne microbes at home in Beijing].

PubMed

Fang, Zhi-Guo; Sun, Ping; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Liu, Peng; Sun, Li; Wang, Xiao-Yong

2013-07-01

The effect of airborne microbes on human health not only depends on their compositions (genera and species), but also on their concentrations and sizes. Moreover, there are different mechanisms of airborne microbes of different sizes with different effects on human health. The size distributions and median diameters were investigated in detail with imitated six-stage Andersen sampler in 31 selected family homes with children in Beijing. Results showed that there was similar distribution characteristics of airborne microbes in different home environment, different season, different child's sex, and different apartment's architecture, but different distribution characteristics between airborne bacteria and fungi were observed in family homes in Beijing. In general, although airborne bacteria and fungi were plotted with normal logarithmic distribution, the particle percentage of airborne bacteria increased gradually from stage 1 (> 8.2 microm) to stage 5 (1.0-2.0 microm), and then decreased dramatically in stage 6 (< 1.0 microm), the percentage of airborne fungi increased gradually from stage 1 to stage 4 (2.0-3.5 microm), and then decreased dramatically from stage 4 to stage 6. The size distributions of dominant fungi were different in different fungal genera. Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus were recorded with normal logarithmic distribution, with the highest percentage detected in stage 4, and Alternaria were observed with skew distribution, with the highest percentage detected in stage 2 (5.0-10.4 microm). Finally, the median diameters of airborne bacteria were larger than those of airborne fungi, and the lowest median diameter of airborne bacteria and fungi was found in winter, while there were no significant variations of airborne bacterial and fungal median diameters in spring, summer and autumn in a year in this study.

Latest Advancement In Airborne Relative Gravity Instrumentation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, N.

2011-12-01

Airborne gravity surveying has been performed with widely varying degrees of success since early experimentation with the Lacoste and Romberg dynamic meter in the 1950s. There are a number of different survey systems currently in operation including relative gravity meters and gradiometers. Airborne gravity is ideally suited to rapid, wide coverage surveying and is not significantly more expensive in more remote and inhospitable terrain which makes airborne measurements one of the few viable options available for cost effective exploration. As improved instrumentation has become available, scientific applications have also been able to take advantage for use in determining sub surface geologic structures, for example under ice sheets in Antarctica, and more recently direct measurement of the geoid to improve the vertical datum in the United States. In 2004, Lacoste and Romberg (now Micro-g Lacoste) decided to build on their success with the newly developed AirSea II dynamic meter and use that system as the basis for a dedicated airborne gravity instrument. Advances in electronics, timing and positioning technology created the opportunity to refine both the hardware and software, and to develop a truly turnkey system that would work well for users with little or no airborne gravity experience as well as those with more extensive experience. The resulting Turnkey Airborne Gravity System (TAGS) was successfully introduced in 2007 and has since been flown in applications from oil, gas and mineral exploration surveys to regional gravity mapping and geoid mapping. The system has been mounted in a variety of airborne platforms including depending on the application of interest. The development experience with the TAGS enabled Micro-g Lacoste to embark on a new project in 2010 to completely redesign the mechanical and electronic components of the system rather than continuing incremental upgrades. Building on the capabilities of the original TAGS, the objectives for the

Spatial variability in airborne bacterial communities across land-use types and their relationship to the bacterial communities of potential source environments

PubMed Central

Bowers, Robert M; McLetchie, Shawna; Knight, Rob; Fierer, Noah

2011-01-01

Although bacteria are ubiquitous in the near-surface atmosphere and they can have important effects on human health, airborne bacteria have received relatively little attention and their spatial dynamics remain poorly understood. Owing to differences in meteorological conditions and the potential sources of airborne bacteria, we would expect the atmosphere over different land-use types to harbor distinct bacterial communities. To test this hypothesis, we sampled the near-surface atmosphere above three distinct land-use types (agricultural fields, suburban areas and forests) across northern Colorado, USA, sampling five sites per land-use type. Microbial abundances were stable across land-use types, with ∼105–106 bacterial cells per m3 of air, but the concentrations of biological ice nuclei, determined using a droplet freezing assay, were on average two and eight times higher in samples from agricultural areas than in the other two land-use types. Likewise, the composition of the airborne bacterial communities, assessed via bar-coded pyrosequencing, was significantly related to land-use type and these differences were likely driven by shifts in the sources of bacteria to the atmosphere across the land-uses, not local meteorological conditions. A meta-analysis of previously published data shows that atmospheric bacterial communities differ from those in potential source environments (leaf surfaces and soils), and we demonstrate that we may be able to use this information to determine the relative inputs of bacteria from these source environments to the atmosphere. This work furthers our understanding of bacterial diversity in the atmosphere, the terrestrial controls on this diversity and potential approaches for source tracking of airborne bacteria. PMID:21048802

NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Instrument Description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harper, David B.; Cook, Anthony; Hostetler, Chris; Hair, John W.; Mack, Terry L.

2006-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) recently developed the LaRC Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) to make measurements of aerosol and cloud distribution and optical properties. The Airborne HSRL has undergone as series of test flights and was successfully deployed on the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field mission in March 2006 (see Hair et al. in these proceedings). This paper provides an overview of the design of the Airborne HSRL and descriptions of some key subsystems unique to this instrument.

Characteristics of airborne bacteria in Mumbai urban environment.

PubMed

Gangamma, S

2014-08-01

Components of biological origin constitute small but a significant proportion of the ambient airborne particulate matter (PM). However, their diversity and role in proinflammatory responses of PM are not well understood. The present study characterizes airborne bacterial species diversity in Mumbai City and elucidates the role of bacterial endotoxin in PM induced proinflammatory response in ex vivo. Airborne bacteria and endotoxin samples were collected during April-May 2010 in Mumbai using six stage microbial impactor and biosampler. The culturable bacterial species concentration was measured and factors influencing the composition were identified by principal component analysis (PCA). The biosampler samples were used to stimulate immune cells in whole blood assay. A total of 28 species belonging to 17 genera were identified. Gram positive and spore forming groups of bacteria dominated the airborne culturable bacterial concentration. The study indicated the dominance of spore forming and human or animal flora derived pathogenic/opportunistic bacteria in the ambient air environment. Pathogenic and opportunistic species of bacteria were also present in the samples. TNF-α induction by PM was reduced (35%) by polymyxin B pretreatment and this result was corroborated with the results of blocking endotoxin receptor cluster differentiation (CD14). The study highlights the importance of airborne biological particles and suggests need of further studies on biological characterization of ambient PM. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Carbon sources metabolic characteristics of airborne microbial communities in constructed wetlands].

PubMed

Song, Zhi-Wen; Wang, Lin; Xu, Ai-Ling; Wu, Deng-Deng; Xia, Yan

2015-02-01

Using BIOLOG-GN plates, this article describes the carbon sources metabolic characteristics of airborne microbial communities in a free surface-flow constructed wetland in different seasons and clarify the correlation between airborne microbial metabolic functions and environmental factors. The average well color development (AWCD), carbon metabolic profiles and McIntosh values of airborne microbial communities in different seasons were quite different. Analysis of the variations showed that AWCD in spring and summer differed significantly from that in autumn and winter (P < 0.01). In the same season, the degree of utilization of different types of carbon by airborne microbes was different. Summer had a significant difference from other seasons (P < 0.05). Dominant communities of airborne microbes in four seasons were carboxylic acids metabolic community, carbohydrates metabolic community, polymers metabolic community and carboxylic acids metabolic community respectively. Principal component analysis showed that the carbon metabolic characteristics of airborne microbial community in autumn were similar to those in winter but different from those in spring and summer. The characteristics of carbon metabolism revealed differences between summer and spring, autumn, or winter. These differences were mainly caused by amines or amides while the differences between spring and autumn or winter were mainly caused by carboxylic acids. Environmental factors, including changes in wind speed, temperature, and humidity acted to influence the carbon sources metabolic properties of airborne microbial community. The dominant environmental factors that acted to influence the carbon sources metabolic properties of airborne microbial community varied between different seasons.

Survey of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China.

PubMed

Liu, Guang-hui; Zhu, Rong-fei; Zhang, Wei; Li, Wen-jing; Wang, Zhong-xi; Chen, Huan

2008-12-01

To study the genera and seasonal distribution of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China, and its relationship with pollinosis. From November 2003 to October 2004, an airborne pollen investigation was performed in 16 chosen areas in 12 cities of Hubei province using gravity sedimentation technique. Meanwhile, univalent skin prick tests of pollens were performed and the invasion season was studied on 2,300 patients with pollinosis. Among them, 352 cases underwent the airway responsiveness measurements, and the correlation between airway responsiveness and results of pollen count was analyzed. A total of 61 pollen genera were observed and 257,520 pollens were collected. The peak of airborne pollen distribution occurred in two seasons each year: spring (March and April) and autumn (from August to October). The attack of pollinosis corresponded to the peak of pollen distribution. There was a significantly negative relationship between the provocation dose causing a 20% decrease of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from baseline and airborne pollen concentration (r= -0.6829, P < 0.05). This study provides useful information for airborne pollen epidemiology of Hubei province, and it provides important insights to clinical prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pollen-related allergic diseases.

An approach to evaluating reactive airborne wind shear systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibson, Joseph P., Jr.

1992-01-01

An approach to evaluating reactive airborne windshear detection systems was developed to support a deployment study for future FAA ground-based windshear detection systems. The deployment study methodology assesses potential future safety enhancements beyond planned capabilities. The reactive airborne systems will be an integral part of planned windshear safety enhancements. The approach to evaluating reactive airborne systems involves separate analyses for both landing and take-off scenario. The analysis estimates the probability of effective warning considering several factors including NASA energy height loss characteristics, reactive alert timing, and a probability distribution for microburst strength.

Airborne sound transmission loss characteristics of woodframe construction

Treesearch

Fred F. Rudder

1985-01-01

This report summarizes the available data on the airborne sound transmission loss properties of wood-frame construction and evaluates the methods for predicting the airborne sound transmission loss. The first part of the report comprises a summary of sound transmission loss data for wood-frame interior walls and floor-ceiling construction. Data bases describing the...

ultra-Stable Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (5STAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunagan, S. E.; Johnson, R. R.; Redemann, J.; Holben, B. N.; Schmid, B.; Flynn, C. J.; Fahey, L.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Liss, J.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.; Shinozuka, Y.; Dahlgren, R. P.; Pistone, K.; Karol, Y.

2017-12-01

The Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) combines airborne sun tracking and sky scanning with diffraction spectroscopy to improve knowledge of atmospheric constituents and their links to air pollution and climate. Direct beam hyperspectral measurement of optical depth improves retrievals of gas constituents and determination of aerosol properties. Sky scanning enhances retrievals of aerosol type and size distribution. Hyperspectral cloud-transmitted radiance measurements enable the retrieval of cloud properties from below clouds. These measurements tighten the closure between satellite and ground-based measurements. 4STAR incorporates a modular sun-tracking/ sky-scanning optical head with optical fiber signal transmission to rack mounted spectrometers, permitting miniaturization of the external optical tracking head, and future detector evolution. 4STAR has supported a broad range of flight experiments since it was first flown in 2010. This experience provides the basis for a series of improvements directed toward reducing measurement uncertainty and calibration complexity, and expanding future measurement capabilities, to be incorporated into a new 5STAR instrument. A 9-channel photodiode radiometer with AERONET-matched bandpass filters will be incorporated to improve calibration stability. A wide dynamic range tracking camera will provide a high precision solar position tracking signal as well as an image of sky conditions around the solar axis. An ultrasonic window cleaning system design will be tested. A UV spectrometer tailored for formaldehyde and SO2 gas retrievals will be added to the spectrometer enclosure. Finally, expansion capability for a 4 channel polarized radiometer to measure the Stokes polarization vector of sky light will be incorporated. This paper presents initial progress on this next-generation 5STAR instrument. Keywords: atmosphere; climate; pollution; radiometry; technology; hyperspectral; fiber optic

Airborne particles released by crushing CNT composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogura, I.; Okayama, C.; Kotake, M.; Ata, S.; Matsui, Y.; Gotoh, K.

2017-06-01

We investigated airborne particles released as a result of crushing carbon nanotube (CNT) composites using a laboratory scale crusher with rotor blades. For each crushing test, five pellets (approximately 0.1 g) of a polymer (polystyrene, polyamide, or polycarbonate) containing multiwall CNTs (Nanocyl NC7000 or CNano Flotube9000) or no CNTs were placed in the container of the crusher. The airborne particles released by the crushing of the samples were measured. The real-time aerosol measurements showed increases in the concentration of nanometer- and micrometer-sized particles, regardless of the sample type, even when CNT-free polymers were crushed. The masses of the airborne particles collected on filters were below the detection limit, which indicated that the mass ratios of the airborne particles to the crushed pellets were lower than 0.02%. In the electron microscopic analysis, particles with protruding CNTs were observed. However, free-standing CNTs were not found, except for a poorly dispersed CNT-polystyrene composite. This study demonstrated that the crushing test using a laboratory scale crusher is capable of evaluating the potential release of CNTs as a result of crushing CNT composites. The advantage of this method is that only a small amount of sample (several pieces of pellets) is required.

Airborne laser sensors and integrated systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabatini, Roberto; Richardson, Mark A.; Gardi, Alessandro; Ramasamy, Subramanian

2015-11-01

The underlying principles and technologies enabling the design and operation of airborne laser sensors are introduced and a detailed review of state-of-the-art avionic systems for civil and military applications is presented. Airborne lasers including Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), Laser Range Finders (LRF), and Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) are extensively used today and new promising technologies are being explored. Most laser systems are active devices that operate in a manner very similar to microwave radars but at much higher frequencies (e.g., LIDAR and LRF). Other devices (e.g., laser target designators and beam-riders) are used to precisely direct Laser Guided Weapons (LGW) against ground targets. The integration of both functions is often encountered in modern military avionics navigation-attack systems. The beneficial effects of airborne lasers including the use of smaller components and remarkable angular resolution have resulted in a host of manned and unmanned aircraft applications. On the other hand, laser sensors performance are much more sensitive to the vagaries of the atmosphere and are thus generally restricted to shorter ranges than microwave systems. Hence it is of paramount importance to analyse the performance of laser sensors and systems in various weather and environmental conditions. Additionally, it is important to define airborne laser safety criteria, since several systems currently in service operate in the near infrared with considerable risk for the naked human eye. Therefore, appropriate methods for predicting and evaluating the performance of infrared laser sensors/systems are presented, taking into account laser safety issues. For aircraft experimental activities with laser systems, it is essential to define test requirements taking into account the specific conditions for operational employment of the systems in the intended scenarios and to verify the performance in realistic environments at the test ranges. To support the

Modification of a Pollen Trap Design To Capture Airborne Conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga and Detection of Conidia by Quantitative PCR.

PubMed

Bittner, Tonya D; Hajek, Ann E; Liebhold, Andrew M; Thistle, Harold

2017-09-01

The goal of this study was to develop effective and practical field sampling methods for quantification of aerial deposition of airborne conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga over space and time. This important fungal pathogen is a major cause of larval death in invasive gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar ) populations in the United States. Airborne conidia of this pathogen are relatively large (similar in size to pollen), with unusual characteristics, and require specialized methods for collection and quantification. Initially, dry sampling (settling of spores from the air onto a dry surface) was used to confirm the detectability of E. maimaiga at field sites with L. dispar deaths caused by E. maimaiga , using quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods. We then measured the signal degradation of conidial DNA on dry surfaces under field conditions, ultimately rejecting dry sampling as a reliable method due to rapid DNA degradation. We modified a chamber-style trap commonly used in palynology to capture settling spores in buffer. We tested this wet-trapping method in a large-scale (137-km) spore-trapping survey across gypsy moth outbreak regions in Pennsylvania undergoing epizootics, in the summer of 2016. Using 4-day collection periods during the period of late instar and pupal development, we detected variable amounts of target DNA settling from the air. The amounts declined over the season and with distance from the nearest defoliated area, indicating airborne spore dispersal from outbreak areas. IMPORTANCE We report on a method for trapping and quantifying airborne spores of Entomophaga maimaiga , an important fungal pathogen affecting gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar ) populations. This method can be used to track dispersal of E. maimaiga from epizootic areas and ultimately to provide critical understanding of the spatial dynamics of gypsy moth-pathogen interactions. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

UAVSAR: An Airborne Window on Earth Surface Deformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hensley, Scott

2011-01-01

This study demonstrates that UAVSAR's precision autopilot and electronic steering have allowed for the reliable collection of airborne repeat pass radar interferometric data for deformation mapping. Deformation maps from temporal scales ranging from hours to months over a variety of signals of geophysical interest illustrate the utility of UAVSAR airborne repeat pass interferometry to these studies.

Airborne Next: Rethinking Airborne Organization and Applying New Concepts

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

9 Kenneth Macksey, Guderian: Panzer General-revised EDITION (South Yorkshire, England: Greenhill Books, 2003), 1–20. 10 Dr. John Arquilla...Airborne Operations: Field Manual 90=26, 1–5. 14 The 1st Special Forces Regiment has five active Special Forces Groups (1st, 3rd, 5th , 7th, 10th...Oxford University Press, 1981). Headrick, in his book, describes the interplay between technology and imperialism. For the purposes of this research

EUFAR training opportunities to advance European airborne research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusen, I.; Brenguier, J.-L.; Brown, P.; Wendish, M.

2009-04-01

EUFAR, EUropean Facilities for Airborne Research, is an FP7 project (http://www.eufar.net) funded by the European Commission with 33 partners that aims at providing and improving the access to European airborne facilities (i.e. aircraft, airborne instruments, data processing centres) for researchers in environmental and geo-sciences through Networking Activities, Transnational Access and Joint Research Activities. This paper reports on the training opportunities within EUFAR for European researchers. In EUFAR three types of training opportunities are offered: 1) Participate in training courses (ET-TC) 2) Join an existing field campaign (ET-EC) 3) Participate in the design of a new field campaign (ET-TA), in the frame of EUFAR Transnational Access and tutored by more experienced researchers. During the 4-year EUFAR project (2008-2012), 4 training courses covering the complete chain from acquisition to interpretation of airborne data and images will be organised during spring/summer for early-stage researchers as well as university lecturers (new in FP7 EUFAR) in airborne research. The training courses will have an equal focus on theory and practical training/demonstration and each training course will be accompanied by a "student" airborne field campaign. Participants will be trained by top-class scientists, aircraft and/or instrument operators and each participant will get the opportunity to design his/her own experiment and to participate to that flight experiment. Furthermore, researchers have the opportunity to join an existing field campaign and work with more experienced researchers, aircraft and/or instrument operators. The list of airborne field campaigns open to join and the eligibility criteria, can be consulted at the EUFAR website. Finally, researchers have the opportunity to participate in the design of a new field campaign in the frame of EUFAR Transnational Access (TA). TA provides access to either aircraft or instrumentation that are not otherwise

Airborne Precision Spacing: A Trajectory-based Approach to Improve Terminal Area Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barmore, Bryan

2006-01-01

Airborne Precision Spacing has been developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over the past seven years as an attempt to benefit from the capabilities of the flight deck to precisely space their aircraft relative to another aircraft. This development has leveraged decades of work on improving terminal area operations, especially the arrival phase. With APS operations, the air traffic controller instructs the participating aircraft to achieve an assigned inter-arrival spacing interval at the runway threshold, relative to another aircraft. The flight crew then uses airborne automation to manage the aircraft s speed to achieve the goal. The spacing tool is designed to keep the speed within acceptable operational limits, promote system-wide stability, and meet the assigned goal. This reallocation of tasks with the controller issuing strategic goals and the flight crew managing the tactical achievement of those goals has been shown to be feasible through simulation and flight test. A precision of plus or minus 2-3 seconds is generally achievable. Simulations of long strings of arriving traffic show no signs of instabilities or compression waves. Subject pilots have rated the workload to be similar to current-day operations and eye-tracking data substantiate this result. This paper will present a high-level review of research results over the past seven years from a variety of tests and experiments. The results will focus on the precision and accuracy achievable, flow stability and some major sources of uncertainty. The paper also includes a summary of the flight crew s procedures and interface and a brief concept overview.

Summaries of the Sixth Annual JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop. Volume 2; AIRSAR Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Yun-Jin (Editor)

1996-01-01

The Sixth Annual JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop, held in Pasadena, California, on March 4-8, 1996, was divided into two smaller workshops:(1) The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) workshop, and The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop. This current paper, Volume 2 of the Summaries of the Sixth Annual JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop, presents the summaries for The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop.

The alpine Swiss-French airborne gravity survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verdun, Jérôme; Klingelé, Emile E.; Bayer, Roger; Cocard, Marc; Geiger, Alain; Kahle, Hans-Gert

2003-01-01

In February 1998, a regional-scale, airborne gravity survey was carried out over the French Occidental Alps within the framework of the GéoFrance 3-D research program.The survey consisted of 18 NS and 16 EW oriented lines with a spacing of 10 and 20 km respectively, covering the whole of the Western French Alps (total area: 50 000 km2; total distance of lines flown: 10 000 km). The equipment was mounted in a medium-size aircraft (DeHavilland Twin Otter) flowing at a constant altitude of 5100 m a.s.l, and at a mean ground speed of about 280 km h-1. Gravity was measured using a LaCoste & Romberg relative, air/sea gravimeter (type SA) mounted on a laser gyro stabilized platform. Data from 5 GPS antennae located on fuselage and wings and 7 ground-based GPS reference stations were used to determine position and aircraft induced accelerations.The gravimeter passband was derived by comparing the vertical accelerations provided by the gravimeter with those estimated from the GPS positions. This comparison showed that the gravimeter is not sensitive to very short wavelength aircraft accelerations, and therefore a simplified formulation for computing airborne gravity measurements was developed. The intermediate and short wavelength, non-gravitational accelerations were eliminated by means of digital, exponential low-pass filters (cut-off wavelength: 16 km). An important issue in airborne gravimetry is the reliability of the airborne gravity surveys when compared to ground surveys. In our studied area, the differences between the airborne-acquired Bouguer anomaly and the ground upward-continued Bouguer anomaly of the Alps shows a good agreement: the rms of these differences is equal to 7.68 mGal for a spatial resolution of 8 km. However, in some areas with rugged topography, the amplitudes of those differences have a striking correlation with the topography. We then argue that the choice of an appropriate density (reduction by a factor of 10 per cent) for computing the

A Study of Reflected Sonic Booms Using Airborne Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantor, Samuel R.; Cliatt, Larry J.

2017-01-01

In support of ongoing efforts to bring commercial supersonic flight to the public, the Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) flight test conducted at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. During this test, airborne sonic boom measurements were made using an instrumented TG-14 motor glider, called the Airborne Acoustic Measurement Platform (AAMP).During the flight program, the AAMP was consistently able to measure the sonic boom wave that was reflected off of the ground, in addition to the incident wave, resulting in the creation of a completely unique data set of airborne sonic boom reflection measurements.

Airborne Nanostructured Particles and Occupational Health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maynard, Andrew D.; Kuempel, Eileen D.

2005-12-01

Nanotechnology is leading to the development in many field, of new materials and devices in many fields that demonstrate nanostructure-dependent properties. However, concern has been expressed that these same properties may present unique challenges to addressing potential health impact. Airborne particles associated with engineered nanomaterials are of particular concern, as they can readily enter the body through inhalation. Research into the potential occupational health risks associated with inhaling engineered nanostructured particles is just beginning. However, there is a large body of data on occupational and environmental aerosols, which is applicable to developing an initial assessment of potential risk and risk reduction strategies. Epidemiological and pathological studies of occupational and environmental exposures to airborne particles and fibers provide information on the aerosol-related lung diseases and conditions that have been observed in humans. Toxicological studies provide information on the specific disease mechanisms, dose-response relationships, and the particle characteristics that influence toxicity, including the size, surface area, chemistry or reactivity, solubility, and shape. Potential health risk will depend on the magnitude and nature of exposures to airborne nanostructured particles, and on the release, dispersion, transformation and control of materials in the workplace. Aerosol control methods have not been well-characterized for nanometer diameter particles, although theory and limited experimental data indicate that conventional ventilation, engineering control and filtration approaches should be applicable in many situations. Current information supports the development of preliminary guiding principles on working with engineered nanomaterials. However critical research questions remain to be answered before the potential health risk of airborne nanostructured particles in the workplace can be fully addressed.

Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Enhanced Airborne Data Merging Functionality through Spatial and Temporal Subsetting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Early, A. B.; Chen, G.; Beach, A. L., III; Northup, E. A.

2016-12-01

NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for over three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia originally developed the Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) web application in September 2013 to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. The analysis of airborne data typically requires data subsetting, which can be challenging and resource intensive for end users. In an effort to streamline this process, the TAD toolset enhancements will include new data subsetting features and updates to the current database model. These will include two subsetters: temporal and spatial, and vertical profile. The temporal and spatial subsetter will allow users to both focus on data from a specific location and/or time period. The vertical profile subsetter will retrieve data collected during an individual aircraft ascent or descent spiral. This effort will allow for the automation of the typically labor-intensive manual data subsetting process, which will provide users with data tailored to their specific research interests. The development of these enhancements will be discussed in this presentation.

An integrated compact airborne multispectral imaging system using embedded computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuedong; Wang, Li; Zhang, Xuguo

2015-08-01

An integrated compact airborne multispectral imaging system using embedded computer based control system was developed for small aircraft multispectral imaging application. The multispectral imaging system integrates CMOS camera, filter wheel with eight filters, two-axis stabilized platform, miniature POS (position and orientation system) and embedded computer. The embedded computer has excellent universality and expansibility, and has advantages in volume and weight for airborne platform, so it can meet the requirements of control system of the integrated airborne multispectral imaging system. The embedded computer controls the camera parameters setting, filter wheel and stabilized platform working, image and POS data acquisition, and stores the image and data. The airborne multispectral imaging system can connect peripheral device use the ports of the embedded computer, so the system operation and the stored image data management are easy. This airborne multispectral imaging system has advantages of small volume, multi-function, and good expansibility. The imaging experiment results show that this system has potential for multispectral remote sensing in applications such as resource investigation and environmental monitoring.

Present and Future Airborne and Space-borne Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

Present and Future Airborne and Space-borne Systems Wolfgang Keydel Microwaves and Radar Institute German Aerospace Research Centre (DLR...airborne and space-borne SAR systems with polarimetric interferometry capability, their technological, system technical and application related...interferometry accuracies in the cm range have been obtained. In order to reach these values an exact system calibration is indispensable. The calibration of

Novel semi-airborne CSEM system for the exploration of mineral resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nittinger, Christian; Cherevatova, Maria; Becken, Michael; Rochlitz, Raphael; Günther, Thomas; Martin, Tina; Matzander, Ulrich

2017-04-01

Within the DESMEX project (Deep Electromagnetic Sounding for Mineral Exploration), a semi-airborne CSEM system for mineral exploration is developed which aims to achieve a penetration depth of 1 km with a large areal coverage. Harmonically Time-varying electrical currents are injected with a grounded transmitter in order to measure the electric field on the ground and induced magnetic fields with highly sensitive magnetic sensors in the air. To measure the magnetic field and its variations, three-axis induction coils (MFS-11e by Metronix) and fluxgate sensors (Bartington FGS-03) are mounted on the platform towed by a helicopter. In addition, there is a SQUID based magnetometer, developed by IPHT and Supracon AG, available for future measurements. We deploy the different magnetometer sensors to cover a broad frequency range of 1-10000Hz. During the flight, the sensors encounter a broad variety of motion/vibration which produces noise in the magnetic field sensors. Therefore, a high accuracy motion tracking system is installed within the bird and a low vibrating system design needs to be considered in the airborne sensor platform. We conducted several flights with different source positions in a test area in Germany, which is already covered by ground based measurements. Based on the data, we discuss possible calibration schemes which are needed to overcome orthogonality and scaling errors in the fluxgate data as well as orientation errors. We apply noise correction schemes to the data and calculate transfer functions between the magnetic field and the source current. First 1-D inversion models based on the estimated transfer functions are calculated and compared to existing conductivity models from DC geoelectrics and helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) measurements.

Short-range airborne transmission of expiratory droplets between two people.

PubMed

Liu, L; Li, Y; Nielsen, P V; Wei, J; Jensen, R L

2017-03-01

The occurrence of close proximity infection for many respiratory diseases is often cited as evidence of large droplet and/or close contact transmission. We explored interpersonal exposure of exhaled droplets and droplet nuclei of two standing thermal manikins as affected by distance, humidity, ventilation, and breathing mode. Under the specific set of conditions studied, we found a substantial increase in airborne exposure to droplet nuclei exhaled by the source manikin when a susceptible manikin is within about 1.5 m of the source manikin, referred to as the proximity effect. The threshold distance of about 1.5 m distinguishes the two basic transmission processes of droplets and droplet nuclei, that is, short-range modes and the long-range airborne route. The short-range modes include both the conventional large droplet route and the newly defined short-range airborne transmission. We thus reveal that transmission occurring in close proximity to the source patient includes both droplet-borne (large droplet) and short-range airborne routes, in addition to the direct deposition of large droplets on other body surfaces. The mechanisms of the droplet-borne and short-range airborne routes are different; their effective control methods also differ. Neither the current droplet precautions nor dilution ventilation prevents short-range airborne transmission, so new control methods are needed. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of Sunphotometric Measurements During the Fall 1997 ARM Intensive Observation Period

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalsky, J. J.; Schmid, B.; Halthore, R. N.; Pavloski, C. F.; Ackerman, T. P.; Beauharnois, M. C.; Harrison, L. C.; Livingston, J. M.; Russell, P. B.

2000-01-01

In the Fall of 1997 the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program held an intensive observation period (IOP) to study atmospheric aerosols using in situ and remote sensing techniques at its Southern Great Plains (SGP) site near Lamont, Oklahoma. As part of this experiment five automated, tracking sunphotometers were present to measure total column aerosol optical depth over the three-week period. which included many clear days or parts of days that were clear. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO 1993) has recommended a comparison of tracking sunphotometers to assess the ability of different instruments to arrive at similar aerosol optical depths. It was further recommended that the comparison be staged at a clean mountain site. In fact, this comparison has not occurred, but the comparison that we describe in this paper is representative of what contemporary instruments may accomplish in an environment more typical of sites where aerosols measurements will be required. The measurements were made over the period 15 September to 5 October 1997. The aerosol loading varied from extremely clean to moderately turbid conditions. In the next section the instruments will be described along with a brief explanation of the calibration techniques. The third section contains the results compared graphically on moderately turbid and fairly clean days and in a table representing the whole period. The paper ends with a section of discussion and a summary of the results.

Test Flight Results of the New Airborne CH4 and CO2 Lidar CHARM-F

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiemle, Christoph; Amediek, Axel; Fix, Andreas; Wirth, Martin; Quatrevalet, Mathieu; Büdenbender, Christian; Ehret, Gerhard

2017-04-01

Installed onboard the German research aircraft HALO the integrated-path differential-absorption (IPDA) lidar CHARM-F measures weighted vertical columns of the greenhouse gases CO2 and CH4 below the aircraft and along its flight track aiming at high accuracy and precision. CHARM-F was designed and built as an airborne demonstrator for the space lidar MERLIN, the "Methane Remote Lidar Mission", conducted by the German and French space agencies DLR and CNES with launch foreseen in 2021. It provides excellent opportunities for targeted measurements of regional fluxes and hot spots. We present exemplary measurements from several flights performed in spring 2015 over Central Europe. Our analyses reveal a measurement precision of below 0.5% for 20-km averages. A methane plume from a coal mine ventilation shaft was overflown, as well as a carbon dioxide plume from a large coal-fired power plant. The method to estimate fluxes from the lidar signals will be explained. The results show good agreement with reported emission rates. The airborne measurements are expected to improve the retrieval of future space-borne IPDA lidar systems such as MERLIN. CHARM-F measurements over mountains, water and clouds help assess the strength and variability of backscatter from such challenging surfaces. The IPDA weighting function, or measurement sensitivity, is dependent on atmospheric pressure and temperature. We use ECMWF analyses interpolated in space and time to the aircraft track that provide these auxiliary data. The relatively coarse model representation of orography, with respect to the lidar, causes uncertainties that we assess. CHARM-F will be a key instrument in the upcoming CoMet field experiment, where active and passive remote sensing, as well as in-situ instruments will be installed onboard HALO. The flights are scheduled in April and May 2017 over Central Europe and will focus on point sources such as power plants, coal mines, and landfills, as well as on urban gradients and

Factors contributing to airborne particle dispersal in the operating room.

PubMed

Noguchi, Chieko; Koseki, Hironobu; Horiuchi, Hidehiko; Yonekura, Akihiko; Tomita, Masato; Higuchi, Takashi; Sunagawa, Shinya; Osaki, Makoto

2017-07-06

Surgical-site infections due to intraoperative contamination are chiefly ascribable to airborne particles carrying microorganisms. The purpose of this study is to identify the actions that increase the number of airborne particles in the operating room. Two surgeons and two surgical nurses performed three patterns of physical movements to mimic intraoperative actions, such as preparing the instrument table, gowning and donning/doffing gloves, and preparing for total knee arthroplasty. The generation and behavior of airborne particles were filmed using a fine particle visualization system, and the number of airborne particles in 2.83 m 3 of air was counted using a laser particle counter. Each action was repeated five times, and the particle measurements were evaluated through one-way analysis of variance multiple comparison tests followed by Tukey-Kramer and Bonferroni-Dunn multiple comparison tests for post hoc analysis. Statistical significance was defined as a P value ≤ .01. A large number of airborne particles were observed while unfolding the surgical gown, removing gloves, and putting the arms through the sleeves of the gown. Although numerous airborne particles were observed while applying the stockinet and putting on large drapes for preparation of total knee arthroplasty, fewer particles (0.3-2.0 μm in size) were detected at the level of the operating table under laminar airflow compared to actions performed in a non-ventilated preoperative room (P < .01). The results of this study suggest that surgical staff should avoid unnecessary actions that produce a large number of airborne particles near a sterile area and that laminar airflow has the potential to reduce the incidence of bacterial contamination.

Airborne field strength monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bredemeyer, J.; Kleine-Ostmann, T.; Schrader, T.; Münter, K.; Ritter, J.

2007-06-01

In civil and military aviation, ground based navigation aids (NAVAIDS) are still crucial for flight guidance even though the acceptance of satellite based systems (GNSS) increases. Part of the calibration process for NAVAIDS (ILS, DME, VOR) is to perform a flight inspection according to specified methods as stated in a document (DOC8071, 2000) by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). One major task is to determine the coverage, or, in other words, the true signal-in-space field strength of a ground transmitter. This has always been a challenge to flight inspection up to now, since, especially in the L-band (DME, 1GHz), the antenna installed performance was known with an uncertainty of 10 dB or even more. In order to meet ICAO's required accuracy of ±3 dB it is necessary to have a precise 3-D antenna factor of the receiving antenna operating on the airborne platform including all losses and impedance mismatching. Introducing precise, effective antenna factors to flight inspection to achieve the required accuracy is new and not published in relevant papers yet. The authors try to establish a new balanced procedure between simulation and validation by airborne and ground measurements. This involves the interpretation of measured scattering parameters gained both on the ground and airborne in comparison with numerical results obtained by the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) accelerated method of moments (MoM) using a complex geometric model of the aircraft. First results will be presented in this paper.

Scene-based nonuniformity correction for airborne point target detection systems.

PubMed

Zhou, Dabiao; Wang, Dejiang; Huo, Lijun; Liu, Rang; Jia, Ping

2017-06-26

Images acquired by airborne infrared search and track (IRST) systems are often characterized by nonuniform noise. In this paper, a scene-based nonuniformity correction method for infrared focal-plane arrays (FPAs) is proposed based on the constant statistics of the received radiation ratios of adjacent pixels. The gain of each pixel is computed recursively based on the ratios between adjacent pixels, which are estimated through a median operation. Then, an elaborate mathematical model describing the error propagation, derived from random noise and the recursive calculation procedure, is established. The proposed method maintains the characteristics of traditional methods in calibrating the whole electro-optics chain, in compensating for temporal drifts, and in not preserving the radiometric accuracy of the system. Moreover, the proposed method is robust since the frame number is the only variant, and is suitable for real-time applications owing to its low computational complexity and simplicity of implementation. The experimental results, on different scenes from a proof-of-concept point target detection system with a long-wave Sofradir FPA, demonstrate the compelling performance of the proposed method.

Apparatus and method for automated monitoring of airborne bacterial spores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponce, Adrian (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An apparatus and method for automated monitoring of airborne bacterial spores. The apparatus is provided with an air sampler, a surface for capturing airborne spores, a thermal lysis unit to release DPA from bacterial spores, a source of lanthanide ions, and a spectrometer for excitation and detection of the characteristic fluorescence of the aromatic molecules in bacterial spores complexed with lanthanide ions. In accordance with the method: computer-programmed steps allow for automation of the apparatus for the monitoring of airborne bacterial spores.

Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-421 Airborne & Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS) As of FY 2017...Information Program Name Airborne & Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS) DoD Component Army Responsible Office References SAR...UNCLASSIFIED 5 Mission and Description Airborne & Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS) products are software programmable

Analysis of Membrane Lipids of Airborne Micro-Organisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacNaughton, Sarah

2006-01-01

A method of characterization of airborne micro-organisms in a given location involves (1) large-volume filtration of air onto glass-fiber filters; (2) accelerated extraction of membrane lipids of the collected micro-organisms by use of pressurized hot liquid; and (3) identification and quantitation of the lipids by use of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. This method is suitable for use in both outdoor and indoor environments; for example, it can be used to measure airborne microbial contamination in buildings ("sick-building syndrome"). The classical approach to analysis of airborne micro-organisms is based on the growth of cultureable micro-organisms and does not provide an account of viable but noncultureable micro-organisms, which typically amount to more than 90 percent of the micro-organisms present. In contrast, the present method provides an account of all micro-organisms, including cultureable, noncultureable, aerobic, and anaerobic ones. The analysis of lipids according to this method makes it possible to estimate the number of viable airborne micro-organisms present in the sampled air and to obtain a quantitative profile of the general types of micro-organisms present along with some information about their physiological statuses.

CLASS: Coherent Lidar Airborne Shear Sensor. Windshear avoidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Targ, Russell

1991-01-01

The coherent lidar airborne shear sensor (CLASS) is an airborne CO2 lidar system being designed and developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Inc. (LMSC) under contract to NASA Langley Research Center. The goal of this program is to develop a system with a 2- to 4-kilometer range that will provide a warning time of 20 to 40 seconds, so that the pilot can avoid the hazards of low-altitude wind shear under all weather conditions. It is a predictive system which will warn the pilot about a hazard that the aircraft will experience at some later time. The ability of the system to provide predictive warnings of clear air turbulence will also be evaluated. A one-year flight evaluation program will measure the line-of-sight wind velocity from a wide variety of wind fields obtained by an airborne radar, an accelerometer-based reactive wind-sensing system, and a ground-based Doppler radar. The success of the airborne lidar system will be determined by its correlation with the windfield as indicated by the onboard reactive system, which indicates the winds actually experienced by the NASA Boeing 737 aircraft.

Airborne Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

NASA imaging technology has provided the basis for a commercial agricultural reconnaissance service. AG-RECON furnishes information from airborne sensors, aerial photographs and satellite and ground databases to farmers, foresters, geologists, etc. This service produces color "maps" of Earth conditions, which enable clients to detect crop color changes or temperature changes that may indicate fire damage or pest stress problems.

Sampling the Vertical Moisture Structure of an Atmospheric River Event Using Airborne GPS Radio Occultation Profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haase, J. S.; Malloy, K.; Murphy, B.; Sussman, J.; Zhang, W.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are of high concern in California, bringing significant rain to the region over extended time periods of up to 5 days, potentially causing floods, and more importantly, contributing to the Sierra snowpack that provides much of the regional water resources. The CalWater project focuses on predicting the variability of the West Coast water supply, including improving AR forecasting. Unfortunately, data collection over the ocean remains a challenge and impacts forecasting accuracy. One novel technique to address this issue includes airborne GPS radio occultation (ARO), using broadcast GPS signals from space to measure the signal ray path bending angle and refractivity to retrieve vertical water vapor profiles. The Global Navigation Satellite System Instrument System for Multistatic and Occultation Sensing (GISMOS) system was developed for this purpose for recording and processing high-sample rate (10MHz) signals in the lower troposphere. Previous studies (Murphy et al, 2014) have shown promising results in acquiring airborne GPS RO data, comparing it to dropsondes and numerical weather models. CalWater launched a field campaign in the beginning of 2015 which included testing GISMOS ARO on the NOAA GIV aircraft for AR data acquisition, flying into the February 6th AR event that brought up to 35 cm of rain to central California. This case study will compare airborne GPS RO refractivity profiles to the NCEP-NCAR final reanalysis model and dropsonde profiles. We will show the data distribution and explain the sampling characteristics, providing high resolution vertical information to the sides of the aircraft in a manner complementary to dropsondes beneath the flight track. We will show how this method can provide additional reliable data during the development of AR storms.

Data System for HS3 Airborne Field Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maskey, M.; Mceniry, M.; Berendes, T.; Bugbee, K.; Conover, H.; Ramachandran, R.

2014-12-01

Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is a NASA airborne field campaign aimed at better understanding the physical processes that control hurricane intensity change. HS3 will help answer questions related to the roles of environmental conditions and internal storm structures to storm intensification. Due to the nature of the questions that HS3 mission is addressing, it involves a variety of in-situ, satellite observations, airborne data, meteorological analyses, and simulation data. This variety of datasets presents numerous data management challenges for HS3. The methods used for airborne data management differ greatly from the methods used for space-borne data. In particular, metadata extraction, spatial and temporal indexing, and the large number of instruments and subsequent variables are a few of the data management challenges unique to airborne missions. A robust data system is required to successfully help HS3 scientist achieve their mission goals. Furthermore, the data system also needs to provide for data management that assists in broader use of HS3 data to enable future research activities. The Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC) is considering all these needs and designing a data system for HS3. Experience with past airborne field campaign puts GHRC in a good position to address HS3 needs. However, the scale of this mission along with science requirements separates HS3 from previous field campaigns. The HS3 data system will include automated services for geo-location, metadata extraction, discovery, and distribution for all HS3 data. To answer the science questions, the data system will include a visual data exploration tool that is fully integrated into the data catalog. The tool will allow visually augmenting airborne data with analyses and simulations. Satellite data will provide contextual information during such data explorations. All HS3 tools will be supported by an enterprise service architecture that will allow scaling, easy integration

Airborne Tactical Intent-Based Conflict Resolution Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wing, David J.; Vivona, Robert A.; Roscoe, David A.

2009-01-01

Trajectory-based operations with self-separation involve the aircraft taking the primary role in the management of its own trajectory in the presence of other traffic. In this role, the flight crew assumes the responsibility for ensuring that the aircraft remains separated from all other aircraft by at least a minimum separation standard. These operations are enabled by cooperative airborne surveillance and by airborne automation systems that provide essential monitoring and decision support functions for the flight crew. An airborne automation system developed and used by NASA for research investigations of required functionality is the Autonomous Operations Planner. It supports the flight crew in managing their trajectory when responsible for self-separation by providing monitoring and decision support functions for both strategic and tactical flight modes. The paper focuses on the latter of these modes by describing a capability for tactical intent-based conflict resolution and its role in a comprehensive suite of automation functions supporting trajectory-based operations with self-separation.

Airborne Hyperspectral Survey of Afghanistan 2007: Flight Line Planning and HyMap Data Collection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kokaly, Raymond F.; King, Trude V.V.; Livo, K. Eric

2008-01-01

Hyperspectral remote sensing data were acquired over Afghanistan with the HyMap imaging spectrometer (Cocks and others, 1998) operating on the WB-57 high altitude NASA research aircraft (http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/wb57/index.html). These data were acquired during the interval of August 22, 2007 to October 2, 2007, as part of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) project 'Oil and Gas Resources Assessment of the Katawaz and Helmand Basins'. A total of 218 flight lines of hyperspectral remote sensing data were collected over the country. This report describes the planning of the airborne survey and the flight lines that were flown. Included with this report are digital files of the nadir tracks of the flight lines, including a map of the labeled flight lines and corresponding vector shape files for geographic information systems (GIS).

Automated absolute phase retrieval in across-track interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madsen, Soren N.; Zebker, Howard A.

1992-01-01

Discussed is a key element in the processing of topographic radar maps acquired by the NASA/JPL airborne synthetic aperture radar configured as an across-track interferometer (TOPSAR). TOPSAR utilizes a single transmit and two receive antennas; the three-dimensional target location is determined by triangulation based on a known baseline and two measured slant ranges. The slant range difference is determined very accurately from the phase difference between the signals received by the two antennas. This phase is measured modulo 2pi, whereas it is the absolute phase which relates directly to the difference in slant range. It is shown that splitting the range bandwidth into two subbands in the processor and processing each individually allows for the absolute phase. The underlying principles and system errors which must be considered are discussed, together with the implementation and results from processing data acquired during the summer of 1991.

Long-Term Stability of the SGA-WZ Strapdown Airborne Gravimeter

PubMed Central

Cai, Shaokun; Zhang, Kaidong; Wu, Meiping; Huang, Yangming

2012-01-01

Accelerometers are one of the most important sensors in a strapdown airborne gravimeter. The accelerometer's drift determines the long-term accuracy of the strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), which is the primary and most critical component of the strapdown airborne gravimeter. A long-term stability test lasting 104 days was conducted to determine the characteristics of the strapdown airborne gravimeter's long-term drift. This stability test was based on the first set of strapdown airborne gravimeters built in China, the SGA-WZ. The test results reveal a quadratic drift in the strapdown airborne gravimeter data. A drift model was developed using the static data in the two end sections, and then this model was used to correct the test data. After compensating for the drift, the drift effect improved from 70 mGal to 3.46 mGal with a standard deviation of 0.63 mGal. The quadratic curve better reflects the drift's real characteristics. In comparison with other methodologies, modelling the drift as a quadratic curve was shown to be more appropriate. Furthermore, this method allows the drift to be adjusted throughout the course of the entire campaign. PMID:23112647

Improved Airborne System for Sensing Wildfires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKeown, Donald; Richardson, Michael

2008-01-01

The Wildfire Airborne Sensing Program (WASP) is engaged in a continuing effort to develop an improved airborne instrumentation system for sensing wildfires. The system could also be used for other aerial-imaging applications, including mapping and military surveillance. Unlike prior airborne fire-detection instrumentation systems, the WASP system would not be based on custom-made multispectral line scanners and associated custom- made complex optomechanical servomechanisms, sensors, readout circuitry, and packaging. Instead, the WASP system would be based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment that would include (1) three or four electronic cameras (one for each of three or four wavelength bands) instead of a multispectral line scanner; (2) all associated drive and readout electronics; (3) a camera-pointing gimbal; (4) an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for measuring the position, velocity, and orientation of the aircraft; and (5) a data-acquisition subsystem. It would be necessary to custom-develop an integrated sensor optical-bench assembly, a sensor-management subsystem, and software. The use of mostly COTS equipment is intended to reduce development time and cost, relative to those of prior systems.

Building damage assessment using airborne lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axel, Colin; van Aardt, Jan

2017-10-01

The assessment of building damage following a natural disaster is a crucial step in determining the impact of the event itself and gauging reconstruction needs. Automatic methods for deriving damage maps from remotely sensed data are preferred, since they are regarded as being rapid and objective. We propose an algorithm for performing unsupervised building segmentation and damage assessment using airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) data. Local surface properties, including normal vectors and curvature, were used along with region growing to segment individual buildings in lidar point clouds. Damaged building candidates were identified based on rooftop inclination angle, and then damage was assessed using planarity and point height metrics. Validation of the building segmentation and damage assessment techniques were performed using airborne lidar data collected after the Haiti earthquake of 2010. Building segmentation and damage assessment accuracies of 93.8% and 78.9%, respectively, were obtained using lidar point clouds and expert damage assessments of 1953 buildings in heavily damaged regions. We believe this research presents an indication of the utility of airborne lidar remote sensing for increasing the efficiency and speed at which emergency response operations are performed.

76 FR 50808 - Airborne Supplemental Navigation Equipment Using the Global Positioning System (GPS)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Airborne Supplemental Navigation.... ACTION: Notice of intent to cancel Technical Standard Order (TSO)- C129a, Airborne Supplemental... notice announces the FAA's intent to cancel TSO-C129a, Airborne Supplemental Navigation Equipment Using...

AIRBORNE CONTACT DERMATITIS – CURRENT PERSPECTIVES IN ETIOPATHOGENESIS AND MANAGEMENT

PubMed Central

Handa, Sanjeev; De, Dipankar; Mahajan, Rahul

2011-01-01

The increasing recognition of occupational origin of airborne contact dermatitis has brought the focus on the variety of irritants, which can present with this typical morphological picture. At the same time, airborne allergic contact dermatitis secondary to plant antigens, especially to Compositae family, continues to be rampant in many parts of the world, especially in the Indian subcontinent. The recognition of the contactant may be difficult to ascertain and the treatment may be even more difficult. The present review focuses on the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic issues in airborne contact dermatitis. PMID:22345774

Human Occupancy as a Source of Indoor Airborne Bacteria

PubMed Central

Hospodsky, Denina; Qian, Jing; Nazaroff, William W.; Yamamoto, Naomichi; Bibby, Kyle; Rismani-Yazdi, Hamid; Peccia, Jordan

2012-01-01

Exposure to specific airborne bacteria indoors is linked to infectious and noninfectious adverse health outcomes. However, the sources and origins of bacteria suspended in indoor air are not well understood. This study presents evidence for elevated concentrations of indoor airborne bacteria due to human occupancy, and investigates the sources of these bacteria. Samples were collected in a university classroom while occupied and when vacant. The total particle mass concentration, bacterial genome concentration, and bacterial phylogenetic populations were characterized in indoor, outdoor, and ventilation duct supply air, as well as in the dust of ventilation system filters and in floor dust. Occupancy increased the total aerosol mass and bacterial genome concentration in indoor air PM10 and PM2.5 size fractions, with an increase of nearly two orders of magnitude in airborne bacterial genome concentration in PM10. On a per mass basis, floor dust was enriched in bacterial genomes compared to airborne particles. Quantitative comparisons between bacterial populations in indoor air and potential sources suggest that resuspended floor dust is an important contributor to bacterial aerosol populations during occupancy. Experiments that controlled for resuspension from the floor implies that direct human shedding may also significantly impact the concentration of indoor airborne particles. The high content of bacteria specific to the skin, nostrils, and hair of humans found in indoor air and in floor dust indicates that floors are an important reservoir of human-associated bacteria, and that the direct particle shedding of desquamated skin cells and their subsequent resuspension strongly influenced the airborne bacteria population structure in this human-occupied environment. Inhalation exposure to microbes shed by other current or previous human occupants may occur in communal indoor environments. PMID:22529946

The wildfire experiment (WIFE): observations with airborne remote sensors

Treesearch

L.F. Radke; T.L. Clark; J.L. Coen; C.A. Walther; R.N. Lockwood; P.J. Riggan; J.A. Brass; R.G. Higgins

2000-01-01

Airborne remote sensors have long been a cornerstone of wildland fire research, and recently three-dimensional fire behaviour models fully coupled to the atmosphere have begun to show a convincing level of verisimilitude. The WildFire Experiment (WiFE) attempted the marriage of airborne remote sensors, multi-sensor observations together with fire model development and...

Materiel requirements for airborne minefield detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertsche, Karl A.; Huegle, Helmut

1997-07-01

Within the concept study, Material Requirements for an airborne minefield detection systems (AMiDS) the following topics were investigated: (i) concept concerning airborne minefield detection technique sand equipment, (ii) verification analysis of the AMiDS requirements using simulation models and (iii) application concept of AMiDS with regard o tactics and military operations. In a first approach the problems concerning unmanned airborne minefield detection techniques within a well-defined area were considered. The complexity of unmanned airborne minefield detection is a result of the following parameters: mine types, mine deployment methods, tactical requirements, topography, weather conditions, and the size of the area to be searched. In order to perform the analysis, a simulation model was developed to analyze the usability of the proposed remote controlled air carriers. The basic flight patterns for the proposed air carriers, as well as the preparation efforts of military operations and benefits of such a system during combat support missions were investigated. The results of the conceptual study showed that a proposed remote controlled helicopter drone could meet the stated German MOD scanning requirements of mine barriers. Fixed wing air carriers were at a definite disadvantage because of their inherently large turning loops. By implementing a mine detection system like AMiDS minefields can be reconnoitered before an attack. It is therefore possible either to plan, how the minefields can be circumvented or where precisely breaching lanes through the mine barriers are to be cleared for the advancing force.

Using Airborne Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change at Long Valley Caldera, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Williams, N. P.; Blair, J.-B.; Rabine, D. L.; Bufton, J. L.

1999-01-01

The topography of the Long Valley caldera, California, was sampled using airborne laser altimetry in 1993, 1995, and 1997 to test the feasibility of using airborne laser altimetry for monitoring deformation of volcanic origin. Results show the laser altimeters are able to resolve subtle topographic features such as a gradual slope and to detect small transient changes in lake elevation. Crossover and repeat pass analyses of laser tracks indicate decimeter-level vertical precision is obtained over flat and low-sloped terrain for altimeter systems performing waveform digitization. Comparisons with complementary, ground-based GPS data at a site close to Bishop airport indicate that the laser and GPS-derived elevations agree to within the error inherent in the measurement and that horizontal locations agree to within the radius of the laser footprint. A comparison of the data at two sites, one where no change and the other where the maximum amount of vertical uplift is expected, indicates approximately 10 cm of relative uplift occurred 1993-1997, in line with predictions from continuous GPS measurements in the region. Extensive terrain mapping flights during the 1995 and 1997 missions demonstrate some of the unique abilities of laser altimetry; the straightforward creation of high resolution, high accuracy digital elevation models of overflown terrain, and the ability to determine ground topography in the presence of significant ground cover such as dense tree canopies. These capabilities make laser altimetry an attractive technique for quantifying topographic change of volcanic origin, especially in forested regions of the world where other remote sensing instruments have difficulty detecting the underlying topography.

Using Airborne Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change at Long Valley Caldera California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Williams, N. P.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D. L.; Bufton, J. L.

2000-01-01

The topography of the Long Valley caldera, California, was sampled using airborne laser altimetry in 1993, 1995, and 1997 to test the feasibility of using airborne laser altimetry for monitoring deformation of volcanic origin. Results show the laser altimeters are able to resolve subtle topographic features such as a gradual slope and to detect small transient changes in lake elevation. Crossover and repeat pass analyses of laser tracks indicate decimeter-level vertical precision is obtained over flat and low-sloped terrain for altimeter systems performing waveform digitization. Comparisons with complementary, ground-based CPS data at a site close to Bishop airport indicate that the laser and GPS-derived elevations agree to within the error inherent in the measurement and that horizontal locations agree to within the radius of the laser footprint. A comparison of the data at two sites, one where no change and the other where the maximum amount of vertical uplift is expected, indicates approximately 10 cm of relative uplift occurred 1993-1997, in line with predictions from continuous CPS measurements in the region. Extensive terrain mapping flights during the 1995 and 1997 missions demonstrate some of the unique abilities of laser altimetry; the straightforward creation of high resolution, high accuracy digital elevation models of overflown terrain, and the ability to determine ground topography in the presence of significant ground cover such as dense tree canopies. These capabilities make laser altimetry an attractive technique for quantifying topographic change of volcanic origin, especially in forested regions of the world where other remote sensing instruments have difficulty detecting the underlying topography.

Study of airborne science experiment management concepts for application to space shuttle, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulholland, D. R.; Reller, J. O., Jr.; Neel, C. B.; Haughney, L. C.

1973-01-01

Airborne research management and shuttle sortie planning at the Ames Research Center are reported. Topics discussed include: basic criteria and procedures for the formulation and approval of airborne missions; ASO management structure and procedures; experiment design, development, and testing aircraft characteristics and experiment interfaces; information handling for airborne science missions; mission documentation requirements; and airborne science methods and shuttle sortie planning.

The evolutionary trend in airborne and satellite radar altimeters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fedor, L. S.; Walsh, E. J.

1984-01-01

The manner in which airborne and satellite radar altimeters developed and where the trend is leading was investigated. The airborne altimeters have progressed from a broad beamed, narrow pulsed, nadir looking instrument, to a pulse compressed system that is computer controlled, to a scanning pencil beamed system which produce a topographic map of the surface beneath the aircraft in real time. It is suggested that the airborne systems lie in the use of multiple frequencies. The satellite altimeters evolve towards multifrequency systems with narrower effective pulses and higher pulse compression ratios to reduce peak transmitted power while improving resolution. Applications indicate wide swath systems using interferometric techniques or beam limited systems using 100 m diameter antennas.

A metagenomic framework for the study of airborne microbial communities.

PubMed

Yooseph, Shibu; Andrews-Pfannkoch, Cynthia; Tenney, Aaron; McQuaid, Jeff; Williamson, Shannon; Thiagarajan, Mathangi; Brami, Daniel; Zeigler-Allen, Lisa; Hoffman, Jeff; Goll, Johannes B; Fadrosh, Douglas; Glass, John; Adams, Mark D; Friedman, Robert; Venter, J Craig

2013-01-01

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria.

A Metagenomic Framework for the Study of Airborne Microbial Communities

PubMed Central

Tenney, Aaron; McQuaid, Jeff; Williamson, Shannon; Thiagarajan, Mathangi; Brami, Daniel; Zeigler-Allen, Lisa; Hoffman, Jeff; Goll, Johannes B.; Fadrosh, Douglas; Glass, John; Adams, Mark D.; Friedman, Robert; Venter, J. Craig

2013-01-01

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria. PMID:24349140

Research on airborne infrared leakage detection of natural gas pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Dongjie; Xu, Bin; Xu, Xu; Wang, Hongchao; Yu, Dongliang; Tian, Shengjie

2011-12-01

An airborne laser remote sensing technology is proposed to detect natural gas pipeline leakage in helicopter which carrying a detector, and the detector can detect a high spatial resolution of trace of methane on the ground. The principle of the airborne laser remote sensing system is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). The system consists of an optical unit containing the laser, camera, helicopter mount, electronic unit with DGPS antenna, a notebook computer and a pilot monitor. And the system is mounted on a helicopter. The principle and the architecture of the airborne laser remote sensing system are presented. Field test experiments are carried out on West-East Natural Gas Pipeline of China, and the results show that airborne detection method is suitable for detecting gas leak of pipeline on plain, desert, hills but unfit for the area with large altitude diversification.

Indoor airborne endotoxin assessment in homes of Paris newborn babies.

PubMed

Dassonville, C; Demattei, C; Vacquier, B; Bex-Capelle, V; Seta, N; Momas, I

2008-12-01

The aims of this study were first to assess airborne endotoxin levels in the dwellings of 162 newborns living in Paris twice during a 1-year period, and second, to identify predictors for endotoxin concentrations using questionnaire data in relation to housing factors and living conditions. Air samples were collected on a glass fiber filter in polystyrene filter holders, using a pump at a flow rate of 3.5 l/min for 24 h placed in the main room of the home. Endotoxin levels were measured using a chromogenic kinetic Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate test. Geometric means (geometric standard deviation) of airborne endotoxin levels at two different visits were respectively 0.509 (4.289) EU/m3 and 0.557 (3.029) EU/m3. Airborne endotoxin levels were significantly increased: (i) in cold season (P = 0.024), with (ii) the presence of visible cockroaches in the previous 12 months at home (P < 0.001), (iii) increased number of inhabitants per square meter (P = 0.012), (iv) the high frequency of cleaning with the floor cloths (P = 0.0014), and (v) the low frequency of vacuuming (P = 0.0045). This study provided for the first time airborne endotoxin levels issued from repeated measurements in Paris dwellings. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This analysis contributed to identify a few factors that determined indoor airborne endotoxin levels. However, the predictive model including housing factors and living conditions poorly estimated endotoxin levels. Consequently, multiple samples and longer sampling periods might improve the estimate of long-term airborne endotoxin exposure especially its variability, in cohort studies.

Airborne Operations in World War II, European Theater

DTIC Science & Technology

1956-09-01

GARDEN Gee Hamilcar HANDS UP Formation usually composed of two or more elements and roughly equivalent to a squadron Forward Visual Control Post Ground...USAF HISTORICAL STUDIES: NO. 97 AIRBORNE OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II, EUROPEAN THEATER By Dr. John C. Warren USAF Historical Division Research Studies...OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE SEP 1956 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Airborne Operations in World War II 5a

Mapping the gravity field in coastal areas: feasibility and interest of a new airborne planar gradiometer concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douch, Karim; Panet, Isabelle; Foulon, Bernard; Christophe, Bruno; Pajot-Métivier, Gwendoline; Diament, Michel

2014-05-01

Satellite missions such as CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE have led to an unprecedented improvement of global gravity field models during the past decade. However, for many applications these global models are not sufficiently accurate when dealing with wavelengths shorter than 100 km. This is all the more true in areas where gravity data are scarce and uneven as for instance in the poorly covered land-sea transition area. We suggest here, in line with spatial gravity gradiometry, airborne gravity gradiometry as a convenient way to amplify the sensitivity to short wavelengths and to cover homogeneously coastal region. Moreover, the directionality of the gravity gradients gives new information on the geometry of the gravity field and therefore of the causative bodies. In this respect, we analyze here the performances of a new airborne electrostatic acceleration gradiometer, GREMLIT, which permits along with ancillary measurements to determine the horizontal gradients of the horizontal components of the gravitational field in the instrumental frame. GREMLIT is composed of a compact assembly of 4 planar electrostatic accelerometers inheriting from technologies developed by ONERA for spatial accelerometers. After an overview of the functionals of the gravity field that are of interest for coastal oceanography, passive navigation and hydrocarbon exploration, we present the corresponding required precision and resolution. Then, we investigate the influence of the different parameters of the survey, such as altitude or cross-track distance, on the resolution and precision of the final measurements. To do so, we design numerical simulations of airborne survey performed with GREMLIT and compute the total error budget on the gravity gradients. Based on this error analysis, we infer by a method of error propagation the uncertainty on the different functionals of the gravity potential used for each application. This finally enables us to conclude on the requirements for a high

An investigation of airborne allergenic pollen at different heights.

PubMed

Xiao, Xiaojun; Fu, Aixiang; Xie, Xiongjie; Kang, Minxiong; Hu, Dongsheng; Yang, Pingchang; Liu, Zhigang

2013-01-01

Airborne pollen is an important source of allergens in a number of allergic diseases. Data on the concentrations of pollen at different heights in the air are scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate different types and numbers of airborne pollen and their seasonal variation at different heights in the urban area of Shenzhen (China) and their associations with meteorological factors. The concentration of airborne pollen at different heights was monitored with Burkard traps from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, in Shenzhen; the results were analyzed with SAS 9.13 software. In total, 1,095 films (at 3 heights, 365 films at each height) were exposed throughout the year, and 48 families and 85 genera of pollen taxa were identified. The total pollen count was 55,830 grains (25,204 grains at 1.5 m; 16,218 grains at 35 m, and 14,408 grains at 70 m); pollen grains were present in the atmosphere throughout the year, with two peaks of airborne pollen: one peak in February to April and the other in September to November. On the basis of our local investigations, the pollen concentrations and the pollen types in the air decrease gradually with increasing height. The distribution and concentrations of airborne pollen at different heights in the atmosphere were influenced by composite factors such as the season and meteorological factors. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Light-absorbing aerosol properties retrieved from the sunphotometer observation over the Yangtze River Delta, China.

PubMed

Wang, Jing; Niu, Shengjie; Xu, Dan

2018-02-10

In this study, aerosol optical depth (AOD) and extinction Ångström exponent (EAE) are derived from ground-based sunphotometer observations between 2007 and 2014 at urban sites of Nanjing over the Yangtze River Delta. In addition, the present study aims to investigate aerosol light-absorbing properties such as single-scattering albedo (SSA), absorption Ångström exponent (AAE), and the aerosol-absorbing optical depth (AAOD). The retrieval of aerosol properties is compared with AERONET inversion products. The results demonstrate that the retrieved AOD has a good agreement with the AERONET Level 1.5 data, with the root mean square error being 0.068, 0.065, and 0.026 for total, fine mode, and coarse mode at 440 nm, respectively. The SSA values indicate similar accuracies in the results, which are about 0.003, -0.009, -0.008, and 0.010 different from AERONET at 440, 670, 870, and 1020 nm, respectively. The occurrence frequency of background level AOD (AOD<0.10) at 440 nm in this region is limited (1%). Monthly mean AOD, SSA, the effective radius (R eff ), and the volume concentration at 440 nm were 0.6-1.3, 0.85-0.92, 0.24-0.40 μm, and 0.18-0.28  μm 3  μm -2 , respectively. The mean value of AAOD at 440 nm (AAOD 440 ) was the highest in both summer (0.095±0.041) and autumn (0.094±0.042), but was the lowest in winter (0.079±0.036). It was also noted that SSA was found to be higher during summer (0.89±0.05). The spectral variation of SSA was observed to be strongly wavelength-dependent during all seasons. The seasonal mean AAE440-870 is the highest in winter (0.86±0.41) and lowest in spring (0.49±0.29). In winter, the cumulative frequency for AAE between 1.0 and 1.2 was about 87%. The peak in the AAE distribution was close to 1.0, indicating that the aerosol column was dominated by urban-industrial aerosols and absorption species other than black carbon. Analysis of the relationship between EAE and SSA showed that the aerosol populations could be

Airborne and food sensitization patterns in children and adults with eosinophilic esophagitis.

PubMed

He, Yu Ting; Christos, Paul J; Reisacher, William R

2018-05-01

The pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is currently unknown, but evidence suggests that allergic sensitization to food and airborne allergens may play a key role. This retrospective study examines the rate of sensitization to both food and airborne allergens in EoE patients, and compares their sensitivity patterns to control groups. We identified 103 patients with a diagnosis of EoE via esophageal eosinophilia (≥15 eosinophils/high-power field [hpf]), who had undergone comprehensive food and/or airborne allergen testing through either skin or in vitro methods. Food and airborne allergen sensitization was defined as positive testing in at least 1 food subgroup (milk, peanut, tree nut, seafood/fish, soy, grain, egg) or airborne subgroup (tree, grass, weed, mite/cockroach, animal, mold), respectively. The same sensitization criterion was applied to allergic rhinitis (AR) patients, with and without a clinical suspicion of food allergy (FA), in order to create control groups. Sensitization in the EoE group to at least 1 subgroup of food allergen and airborne allergen was seen in 77.1% (64/83) and 71.7% (38/53), respectively (p = 0.82). There were significant differences in sensitization between EoE and control groups for tree nut, soy, grain, and egg, but no differences noted in any of the other food or airborne allergen subgroups, even after accounting for age and gender. EoE and control groups had similar airborne allergen sensitization patterns, yet dissimilar food allergen sensitization patterns, suggesting that specific allergens may play a more prominent role in the pathogenesis of EoE. The EoE group had a more uniform distribution pattern for food allergens, compared to controls. © 2018 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Risk factors for closed-head injuries during military airborne operations.

PubMed

Knapik, Joseph J; Steelman, Ryan; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Klug, Kevin L; Rankin, Shawn; Proctor, Stanley; Graham, Bria; Jones, Bruce H

2014-02-01

One of the more serious adverse outcomes of military airborne operations is closed-head injuries. This investigation examined risk factors for closed-head injuries in an Army airborne infantry unit. Closed-head injuries were defined as energy exchanges in which the head contacted the ground or an object and the soldier sought medical care for external trauma, headache, loss of consciousness, or altered mental state. Injury data were obtained by investigators in the drop zone and diagnoses were confirmed by a physician. Operational data on potential injury risk factors were obtained from routine reports published by the infantry unit. Weather data were obtained using a pocket weather tracker. There were 96,132 jumps resulting in 310 closed-head injuries for a crude incidence of 3.22/1000 jumps. In 98% of known cases the injury was associated with parachute landings. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that independent risk factors for closed-head injuries included night jumps, combat loads, higher wind speeds, higher temperatures, enlisted rank, and entanglements. This study identifies the current incidence and extrinsic risk factors for closed-head injuries during military airborne operations. Although it is necessary to conduct airborne training under realistic conditions, trainers and commanders should be aware of these risks and plan airborne operations accordingly.

Airborne particulate matter in spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Acceptability limits and sampling and monitoring strategies for airborne particles in spacecraft were considered. Based on instances of eye and respiratory tract irritation reported by Shuttle flight crews, the following acceptability limits for airborne particles were recommended: for flights of 1 week or less duration (1 mg/cu m for particles less than 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (AD) plus 1 mg/cu m for particles 10 to 100 microns in AD); and for flights greater than 1 week and up to 6 months in duration (0.2 mg/cu m for particles less than 10 microns in AD plus 0.2 mg/cu m for particles 10 to 100 microns in AD. These numerical limits were recommended to aid in spacecraft atmosphere design which should aim at particulate levels that are a low as reasonably achievable. Sampling of spacecraft atmospheres for particles should include size-fractionated samples of 0 to 10, 10 to 100, and greater than 100 micron particles for mass concentration measurement and elementary chemical analysis by nondestructive analysis techniques. Morphological and chemical analyses of single particles should also be made to aid in identifying airborne particulate sources. Air cleaning systems based on inertial collection principles and fine particle collection devices based on electrostatic precipitation and filtration should be considered for incorporation into spacecraft air circulation systems. It was also recommended that research be carried out in space in the areas of health effects and particle characterization.

DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-02-20

NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science platform shown against a background of a dark blue sky on February 20, 1998. The aircraft is shown from the right rear, slightly above its plane, with the right wing in the foreground and the left wing and horizontal tail in the background. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.

Airborne pollen trends in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Galán, C; Alcázar, P; Oteros, J; García-Mozo, H; Aira, M J; Belmonte, J; Diaz de la Guardia, C; Fernández-González, D; Gutierrez-Bustillo, M; Moreno-Grau, S; Pérez-Badía, R; Rodríguez-Rajo, J; Ruiz-Valenzuela, L; Tormo, R; Trigo, M M; Domínguez-Vilches, E

2016-04-15

Airborne pollen monitoring is an effective tool for studying the reproductive phenology of anemophilous plants, an important bioindicator of plant behavior. Recent decades have revealed a trend towards rising airborne pollen concentrations in Europe, attributing these trends to an increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions and temperature. However, the lack of water availability in southern Europe may prompt a trend towards lower flowering intensity, especially in herbaceous plants. Here we show variations in flowering intensity by analyzing the Annual Pollen Index (API) of 12 anemophilous taxa across 12 locations in the Iberian Peninsula, over the last two decades, and detecting the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Results revealed differences in the distribution and flowering intensity of anemophilous species. A negative correlation was observed between airborne pollen concentrations and winter averages of the NAO index. This study confirms that changes in rainfall in the Mediterranean region, attributed to climate change, have an important impact on the phenology of plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

54. DETAIL OF GENERAL ELECTRIC AIRBORNE BEACON EQUIPMENT TEST SET ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

54. DETAIL OF GENERAL ELECTRIC AIRBORNE BEACON EQUIPMENT TEST SET (LEFT) AND ASSOCIATED GOULD BRUSH CHART RECORDERS (RIGHT). ELAPSED TIME COUNTER SITS ATOP AIRBORNE BEACON EQUIPMENT TEST SET. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Pinatubo and pre-Pinatubo optical-depth spectra: Mauna Loa measurements, comparisons, inferred particle size distributions, radiative effects, and relationship to lidar data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, P. B.; Livingston, J. M.; Dutton, E. G.; Pueschel, R. F.; Reagan, J. A.; Defoor, T. E.; Box, M. A.; Allen, D.; Pilewskie, P.; Herman, B. M.

1993-01-01

The Ames airborne tracking sunphotometer was operated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) in 1991 and 1992 along with the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) automated tracking sunphotometer and lidar. June 1991 measurements provided calibrations, optical-depth spectra, and intercomparisons under relatively clean conditions; later measurements provided spectra and comparisons for the Pinatubo cloud plus calibration checks. June 1991 results are similar to previous MLO springtime measurements, with midvisible particle optical depth at the near-background level of 0.012 +/- 0.006 and no significant wavelength dependence in the measured range (lambda = 0.38 to 1.06 micrometers). The arrival of the Pinatubo cloud in July 1991 increased midvisible particle optical depth by more than an order of magnitude and changed the spectral shape of to an approximate power law with an exponent of about -1.4. By clearly September 1991, the spectrum was broadly peaked near 0.5 micrometers, and by July 1992, it was peaked near 0.8 micrometers. Our optical-depth spectra include corrections for diffuse light. NOAA- and Ames Research Center (ARC)-measured spectra are in good agreement. Columnar size distributions inverted from the spectra show that the initial (July 1991) post-Pinatubo cloud was relatively rich in small particles (r less than 0.25 micrometers), which were progressively depleted in the August-September 1991 and July 1992 periods. Conversely, both of the later periods had more of the optically efficient medium-sized particles (0.25 less than r less than 1 micrometers) than did the fresh July 1991 cloud. These changes are consistent with particle growth by condensation and coagulation. Photometer-inferred column backscatter values agree with those measured by the CMDL lidar on nearby nights. Combining lidar-measured backscatter profiles with photometer-derived backscatter-to-area ratios gives peak

Airborne Geophysical Surveys Applied to Hydrocarbon Resource Development Environmental Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, B. D.; Ball, L. B.; Finn, C.; Kass, A.; Thamke, J.

2014-12-01

Application of airborne geophysical surveys ranges in scale from detailed site scale such as locating abandoned well casing and saline water plumes to landscape scale for mapping hydrogeologic frameworks pertinent to ground water and tectonic settings relevant to studies of induced seismicity. These topics are important in understanding possible effects of hydrocarbon development on the environment. In addition airborne geophysical surveys can be used in establishing baseline "snapshots", to provide information in beneficial uses of produced waters, and in mapping ground water resources for use in well development. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted airborne geophysical surveys over more than 20 years for applications in energy resource environmental studies. A majority of these surveys are airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys to map subsurface electrical conductivity related to plumes of saline waters and more recently to map hydrogeologic frameworks for ground water and plume migration. AEM surveys have been used in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming to characterize the near surface geologic framework for siting produced water disposal ponds and for beneficial utilization in subsurface drip irrigation. A recent AEM survey at the Fort Peck Reservation, Montana, was used to map both shallow plumes from brine pits and surface infrastructure sources and a deeper concealed saline water plume from a failed injection well. Other reported applications have been to map areas geologically favorable for shallow gas that could influence drilling location and design. Airborne magnetic methods have been used to image the location of undocumented abandoned well casings which can serve as conduits to the near surface for coproduced waters. They have also been used in conjunction with geologic framework studies to understand the possible relationships between tectonic features and induced earthquakes in the Raton Basin. Airborne gravity as well as developing deeper

A Comparison of Off-Level Correction Techniques for Airborne Gravity using GRAV-D Re-Flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preaux, S. A.; Melachroinos, S.; Diehl, T. M.

2011-12-01

The airborne gravity data collected for the GRAV-D project contain a number of tracks which have been flown multiple times, either by design or due to data collection issues. Where viable data can be retrieved, these re-flights are a valuable resource not only for assessing the quality of the data but also for evaluating the relative effectiveness of various processing techniques. Correcting for the instantaneous misalignment of the gravimeter sensitive axis with local vertical has been a long standing challenge for stable platform airborne gravimetry. GRAV-D re-flights are used to compare the effectiveness of existing methods of computing this off-level correction (Valliant 1991, Peters and Brozena 1995, Swain 1996, etc.) and to assess the impact of possible modifications to these methods including pre-filtering accelerations, use of IMU horizontal accelerations in place of those derived from GPS positions and accurately compensating for GPS lever-arm and attitude effects prior to computing accelerations from the GPS positions (Melachroinos et al. 2010, B. de Saint-Jean, et al. 2005). The resulting corrected gravity profiles are compared to each other and to EGM08 in order to assess the accuracy and precision of each method. Preliminary results indicate that the methods presented in Peters & Brozena 1995 and Valliant 1991 completely correct the off-level error some of the time but only partially correct it others, while introducing an overall bias to the data of -0.5 to -2 mGal.

MULTIPLY: Development of a European HSRL Airborne Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Binietoglou, Ioannis; Serikov, Ilya; Nicolae, Doina; Amiridis, Vassillis; Belegante, Livio; Boscornea, Andrea; Brugmann, Bjorn; Costa Suros, Montserrat; Hellmann, David; Kokkalis, Panagiotis; Linne, Holger; Stachlewska, Iwona; Vajaiac, Sorin-Nicolae

2016-08-01

MULTIPLY is a novel airborne high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) currently under development by a consortium of European institutions from Romania, Germany, Greece, and Poland. Its aim is to contribute to calibration and validations activities of the upcoming ESA aerosol sensing missions like ADM-Aeolus, EarthCARE and the Sentinel-3/-4/-5/-5p which include products related to atmospheric aerosols. The effectiveness of these missions depends on independent airborne measurements to develop and test the retrieval methods, and validate mission products following launch. The aim of ESA's MULTIPLY project is to design, develop, and test a multi-wavelength depolarization HSRL for airborne applications. The MULTIPLY lidar will deliver the aerosol extinction and backscatter coefficient profiles at three wavelengths (355nm, 532nm, 1064nm), as well as profiles of aerosol intensive parameters (Ångström exponents, extinction- to-backscatter ratios, and linear particle depolarization ratios).

Control of airborne infectious diseases in ventilated spaces

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Peter V.

2009-01-01

We protect ourselves from airborne cross-infection in the indoor environment by supplying fresh air to a room by natural or mechanical ventilation. The air is distributed in the room according to different principles: mixing ventilation, displacement ventilation, etc. A large amount of air is supplied to the room to ensure a dilution of airborne infection. Analyses of the flow in the room show that there are a number of parameters that play an important role in minimizing airborne cross-infection. The air flow rate to the room must be high, and the air distribution pattern can be designed to have high ventilation effectiveness. Furthermore, personalized ventilation may reduce the risk of cross-infection, and in some cases, it can also reduce the source of infection. Personalized ventilation can especially be used in hospital wards, aircraft cabins and, in general, where people are in fixed positions. PMID:19740921

Methods of sampling airborne fungi in working environments of waste treatment facilities.

PubMed

Černá, Kristýna; Wittlingerová, Zdeňka; Zimová, Magdaléna; Janovský, Zdeněk

2016-01-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate and compare the efficiency of a filter based sampling method and a high volume sampling method for sampling airborne culturable fungi present in waste sorting facilities. Membrane filters method was compared with surface air system method. The selected sampling methods were modified and tested in 2 plastic waste sorting facilities. The total number of colony-forming units (CFU)/m3 of airborne fungi was dependent on the type of sampling device, on the time of sampling, which was carried out every hour from the beginning of the work shift, and on the type of cultivation medium (p < 0.001). Detected concentrations of airborne fungi ranged 2×102-1.7×106 CFU/m3 when using the membrane filters (MF) method, and 3×102-6.4×104 CFU/m3 when using the surface air system (SAS) method. Both methods showed comparable sensitivity to the fluctuations of the concentrations of airborne fungi during the work shifts. The SAS method is adequate for a fast indicative determination of concentration of airborne fungi. The MF method is suitable for thorough assessment of working environment contamination by airborne fungi. Therefore we recommend the MF method for the implementation of a uniform standard methodology of airborne fungi sampling in working environments of waste treatment facilities. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Airborne tunable diode laser spectrometer for trace-gas measurement in the lower stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podolske, James; Loewenstein, Max

1993-01-01

This paper describes the airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer, a tunable diode laser instrument designed for in situ trace-gas measurement in the lower stratosphere from an ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. Laser-wavelength modulation and second-harmonic detection are employed to achieve the required constituent detection sensitivity. The airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer was used in two polar ozone campaigns, the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment and the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition, and measured nitrous oxide with a response time of 1 s and an accuracy not greater than 10 percent.

Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment (HARLIE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwemmer, Geary K.

1998-01-01

Scanning holographic lidar receivers are currently in use in two operational lidar systems, PHASERS (Prototype Holographic Atmospheric Scanner for Environmental Remote Sensing) and now HARLIE (Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment). These systems are based on volume phase holograms made in dichromated gelatin (DCG) sandwiched between 2 layers of high quality float glass. They have demonstrated the practical application of this technology to compact scanning lidar systems at 532 and 1064 nm wavelengths, the ability to withstand moderately high laser power and energy loading, sufficient optical quality for most direct detection systems, overall efficiencies rivaling conventional receivers, and the stability to last several years under typical lidar system environments. Their size and weight are approximately half of similar performing scanning systems using reflective optics. The cost of holographic systems will eventually be lower than the reflective optical systems depending on their degree of commercialization. There are a number of applications that require or can greatly benefit from a scanning capability. Several of these are airborne systems, which either use focal plane scanning, as in the Laser Vegetation Imaging System or use primary aperture scanning, as in the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar or the Large Aperture Scanning Airborne Lidar. The latter class requires a large clear aperture opening or window in the aircraft. This type of system can greatly benefit from the use of scanning transmission holograms of the HARLIE type because the clear aperture required is only about 25% larger than the collecting aperture as opposed to 200-300% larger for scan angles of 45 degrees off nadir.

Characteristics of airborne micro-organisms in a neurological intensive care unit: Results from China.

PubMed

Yu, Yao; Yin, Sufeng; Kuan, Yi; Xu, Yingjun; Gao, Xuguang

2015-06-01

To describe the characteristics of airborne micro-organisms in the environment in a Chinese neurological intensive care unit (NICU). This prospective study monitored the air environment in two wards (large and small) of an NICU in a tertiary hospital in China for 12 months, using an LWC-1 centrifugal air sampler. Airborne micro-organisms were identified using standard microbiology techniques. The mean ± SD number of airborne bacteria was significantly higher in the large ward than in the small ward (200 ± 51 colony-forming units [CFU]/m(3) versus 110 ± 40 CFU/m(3), respectively). In the large ward only, the mean number of airborne bacteria in the autumn was significantly higher than in any of the other three seasons. A total of 279 airborne micro-organisms were identified (large ward: 195; small ward: 84). There was no significant difference in the type and distribution of airborne micro-organisms between the large and small wards. The majority of airborne micro-organisms were Gram-positive cocci in both wards. These findings suggest that the number of airborne micro-organisms was related to the number of patients on the NICU ward. © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Acquisition of airborne imagery in support of Deepwater Horizon oil spill recovery assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostater, Charles R., Jr.; Muller-Karger, Frank E.

2012-09-01

Remote sensing imagery was collected from a low flying aircraft along the near coastal waters of the Florida Panhandle and northern Gulf of Mexico and into Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, during March 2011. Imagery was acquired from an aircraft that simultaneously collected traditional photogrammetric film imagery, digital video, digital still images, and digital hyperspectral imagery. The original purpose of the project was to collect airborne imagery to support assessment of weathered oil in littoral areas influenced by the Deepwater Horizon oil and gas spill that occurred during the spring and summer of 2010. This paper describes the data acquired and presents information that demonstrates the utility of small spatial scale imagery to detect the presence of weathered oil along littoral areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Flight tracks and examples of imagery collected are presented and methods used to plan and acquire the imagery are described. Results suggest weathered oil in littoral areas after the spill was contained at the source.

Designing clutter rejection filters with complex coefficients for airborne pulsed Doppler weather radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jamora, Dennis A.

1993-01-01

Ground clutter interference is a major problem for airborne pulse Doppler radar operating at low altitudes in a look-down mode. With Doppler zero set at the aircraft ground speed, ground clutter rejection filtering is typically accomplished using a high-pass filter with real valued coefficients and a stopband notch centered at zero Doppler. Clutter spectra from the NASA Wind Shear Flight Experiments of l991-1992 show that the dominant clutter mode can be located away from zero Doppler, particularly at short ranges dominated by sidelobe returns. Use of digital notch filters with complex valued coefficients so that the stopband notch can be located at any Doppler frequency is investigated. Several clutter mode tracking algorithms are considered to estimate the Doppler frequency location of the dominant clutter mode. From the examination of night data, when a dominant clutter mode away from zero Doppler is present, complex filtering is able to significantly increase clutter rejection over use of a notch filter centered at zero Doppler.

An adaptive angle-doppler compensation method for airborne bistatic radar based on PAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hang, Xu; Jun, Zhao

2018-05-01

Adaptive angle-Doppler compensation method extract the requisite information based on the data itself adaptively, thus avoiding the problem of performance degradation caused by inertia system error. However, this method requires estimation and egiendecomposition of sample covariance matrix, which has a high computational complexity and limits its real-time application. In this paper, an adaptive angle Doppler compensation method based on projection approximation subspace tracking (PAST) is studied. The method uses cyclic iterative processing to quickly estimate the positions of the spectral center of the maximum eigenvector of each range cell, and the computational burden of matrix estimation and eigen-decompositon is avoided, and then the spectral centers of all range cells is overlapped by two dimensional compensation. Simulation results show the proposed method can effectively reduce the no homogeneity of airborne bistatic radar, and its performance is similar to that of egien-decomposition algorithms, but the computation load is obviously reduced and easy to be realized.

National center for airborne laser mapping proposed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Bill; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Dietrich, Bill

Researchers from universities, U.S. government agencies, U.S. national laboratories, and private industry met in the spring to learn about the current capabilities of Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM), share their experiences in using the technology for a wide variety of research applications, outline research that would be made possible by research-grade ALSM data, and discuss the proposed operation and management of the brand new National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM).The workshop successfully identified a community of researchers with common interests in the advancement and use of ALSM—a community which strongly supports the immediate establishment of the NCALM.

Airborne Intercept Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

Primary mirror of Zerodur with Pilkington 747 coating • FOV = 0.104 degrees Airborne Intercept Monitoring RTO-MP-SET-105 16 - 3 UNCLASSIFIED...Pointing System (SPS). The STS is a 0.75 meter aperture Mersenne Cassegrain telescope and the SAT is a 0.34 meter aperture 3- mirror anastigmat telescope...UNLIMITED UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED • Air Flow to Mitigate Thermal “Seeing” Effects • Light weighted primary mirror to reduce mass The SAT

Airborne soil organic particles generated by precipitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Bingbing; Harder, Tristan H.; Kelly, Stephen T.

Airborne organic particles play a critical role in the Earth’s climate1, public health2, air quality3, and hydrological and carbon cycles4. These particles exist in liquid, amorphous semi-solid, or solid (glassy) phase states depending on their composition and ambient conditions5. However, sources and formation mechanisms for semi- solid and solid organic particles are poorly understood and typically neglected in atmospheric models6. Here we report field evidence for airborne solid organic particles generated by a “raindrop” mechanism7 pertinent to atmosphere – land surface interactions (Fig. 1). We find that after rain events at Southern Great Plains, Oklahoma, USA, submicron solid particles, withmore » a composition consistent with soil organic matter, contributed up to 60% of atmospheric particles in number. Subsequent experiments indicate that airborne soil organic particles are ejected from the surface of soils caused by intensive rains or irrigation. Our observations suggest that formation of these particles may be a widespread phenomenon in ecosystems where soils are exposed to strong, episodic precipitation events such as agricultural systems and grasslands8. Chemical imaging and micro-spectroscopy analysis of their physico-chemical properties suggests that airborne soil organic particles may have important impacts on cloud formation and efficiently absorb solar radiation and hence, are an important type of particles.« less

Evolution of the 2011 Mississippi River Peak Flood Plume from Coincident Satellite and Airborne L-band Radiometer Surface Salinity Observations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burrage, D. M.; Wesson, J. C.; Hwang, P. A.; Wang, D. W.; Wijesekera, H. W.

2016-02-01

Airborne mapping of Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) with L-band radiometers has been practiced for 20 yrs., while global satellite observations began with the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Satellite launch in 2009. Airborne data with high ( 1km) resolution, but limited coverage, complement the lower resolution ( 35 km at nadir) but global coverage and 3-5 day revisit of SMOS. The record June, 2011 Mississippi R. peak flood, with flows exceeding 42,500 m^3/s, required diversions into Lake Pontchartrain and the Atchafalaya R. to avoid flooding New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The resulting merged outflows formed a single freshwater plume that spanned the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas `Gulf Coast', and reached up to 300 km across the shelf. SSS was mapped by the NRL airborne Salinity Temperature and Roughness Remote Scanner (STARRS) and SMOS radiometers during a two week (2-13 June 2011) campaign immediately following the flood crest. STARRS obtained oblique across-shelf transects spanning the Northern Gulf of Mexico, under-flying SMOS, and shorter zig-zag coastal transects. SSS samples from a ship near the shelf edge agreed well with STARRS and SMOS after applying standard geophysical correction models and roughness corrections from an SSA/SPM E-M model and an advanced wave spectrum. The minimum SMOS footprint size (35 km at nadir), produced a coastal data gap filled by STARRS transects that reached the coast. The 200 km overlap between the two sensors along coincident ground tracks agreed closely near the frontal boundary, with salinity contrasts of 7-15 psu over a 10 km span at the plume edge evident in both data sets. Successive SMOS Level 2 (L2) SSS data swaths obtained at 2-5 day intervals showed the evolution of the plume in three well-separated seaward extensions located near the Mississippi Delta, and well east and west of the Delta. The dispersal of the plume was also detected by SMOS following the airborne campaign.

[Airborne Fungal Aerosol Concentration and Distribution Characteristics in Air- Conditioned Wards].

PubMed

Zhang, Hua-ling; Feng, He-hua; Fang, Zi-liang; Wang, Ben-dong; Li, Dan

2015-04-01

The effects of airborne fungus on human health in the hospital environment are related to not only their genera and concentrations, but also their particle sizes and distribution characteristics. Moreover, the mechanisms of aerosols with different particle sizes on human health are different. Fungal samples were obtained in medicine wards of Chongqing using a six-stage sampler. The airborne fungal concentrations, genera and size distributions of all the sampling wards were investigated and identified in detail. Results showed that airborne fungal concentrations were not correlated to the diseases or personnel density, but were related to seasons, temperature, and relative humidity. The size distribution rule had roughly the same for testing wards in winter and summer. The size distributions were not related with diseases and seasons, the percentage of airborne fungal concentrations increased gradually from stage I to stage III, and then decreased dramatically from stage V to stage VI, in general, the size of airborne fungi was a normal distribution. There was no markedly difference for median diameter of airborne fungi which was less 3.19 μm in these wards. There were similar dominant genera in all wards. They were Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp and Alternaria spp. Therefore, attention should be paid to improve the filtration efficiency of particle size of 1.1-4.7 μm for air conditioning system of wards. It also should be targeted to choose appropriate antibacterial methods and equipment for daily hygiene and air conditioning system operation management.

Real-time monitoring of non-viable airborne particles correlates with airborne colonies and represents an acceptable surrogate for daily assessment of cell-processing cleanroom performance.

PubMed

Raval, Jay S; Koch, Eileen; Donnenberg, Albert D

2012-10-01

Airborne particulate monitoring is mandated as a component of good manufacturing practice. We present a procedure developed to monitor and interpret airborne particulates in an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 7 cleanroom used for the cell processing of Section 351 and Section 361 products. We collected paired viable and non-viable airborne particle data over a period of 1 year in locations chosen to provide a range of air quality. We used receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine empirically the relationship between non-viable and viable airborne particle counts. Viable and non-viable particles were well-correlated (r(2) = 0.78), with outlier observations at the low end of the scale (non-viable particles without detectable airborne colonies). ROC analysis predicted viable counts ≥ 0.5/feet(3) (a limit set by the United States Pharmacopeia) at an action limit of ≥ 32 000 particles (≥ 0.5 µ)/feet(3), with 95.6% sensitivity and 50% specificity. This limit was exceeded 2.6 times during 18 months of retrospective daily cleanroom data (an expected false alarm rate of 1.3 times/year). After implementing this action limit, we were alerted in real time to an air-handling failure undetected by our hospital facilities management. A rational action limit for non-viable particles was determined based on the correlation with airborne colonies. Reaching or exceeding the action limit of 32 000 non-viable particles/feet(3) triggers suspension of cleanroom cell-processing activities, deep cleaning, investigation of air handling, and a deviation management process. Our full procedure for particle monitoring is available as an online supplement.

Real-time monitoring of non-viable airborne particles correlates with airborne colonies and represents an acceptable surrogate for daily assessment of cell-processing cleanroom performance

PubMed Central

RAVAL, JAY S.; KOCH, EILEEN; DONNENBERG, ALBERT D.

2014-01-01

Background aims Airborne particulate monitoring is mandated as a component of good manufacturing practice. We present a procedure developed to monitor and interpret airborne particulates in an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 7 cleanroom used for the cell processing of Section 351 and Section 361 products. Methods We collected paired viable and non-viable airborne particle data over a period of 1 year in locations chosen to provide a range of air quality. We used receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine empirically the relationship between non-viable and viable airborne particle counts. Results Viable and non-viable particles were well-correlated (r 2 = 0.78), with outlier observations at the low end of the scale (non-viable particles without detectable airborne colonies). ROC analysis predicted viable counts ≥0.5/feet 3 (a limit set by the United States Pharmacopeia) at an action limit of ≥32 000 particles (≥0.5 μ)/feet 3 , with 95.6% sensitivity and 50% specificity. This limit was exceeded 2.6 times during 18 months of retrospective daily cleanroom data (an expected false alarm rate of 1.3 times/year). After implementing this action limit, we were alerted in real time to an air-handling failure undetected by our hospital facilities management. Conclusions A rational action limit for non-viable particles was determined based on the correlation with airborne colonies. Reaching or exceeding the action limit of 32 000 non-viable particles/feet 3 triggers suspension of cleanroom cell-processing activities, deep cleaning, investigation of air handling, and a deviation management process. Our full procedure for particle monitoring is available as an online supplement. PMID:22746538

Airborne asbestos exposures associated with work on asbestos fire sleeve materials.

PubMed

Blake, Charles L; Harbison, Stephen C; Johnson, Giffe T; Harbison, Raymond D

2011-11-01

Asbestos-containing fire sleeves have been used as a fire protection measure for aircraft fluid hoses. This investigation was conducted to determine the level of airborne asbestos fiber exposure experienced by mechanics who work with fire sleeve protected hoses. Duplicate testing was performed inside a small, enclosed workroom during the fabrication of hose assemblies. Personal air samples taken during this work showed detectable, but low airborne asbestos fiber exposures. Analysis of personal samples (n=9) using phrase contract microscopy (PCM) indicated task duration airborne fiber concentrations ranging from 0.017 to 0.063 fibers per milliliter (f/ml) for sampling durations of 167-198 min, and 0.022-0.14 f/ml for 30 min samples. Airborne chrysotile fibers were detected for four of these nine personal samples, and the resulting asbestos adjusted airborne fiber concentrations ranged from 0.014 to 0.025 f/ml. These results indicate that work with asbestos fire sleeve and fire sleeve protected hose assemblies, does not produce regulatory noncompliant levels of asbestos exposure for persons who handle, cut and fit these asbestos-containing materials. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Airborne Imagery Collections Barrow 2013

DOE Data Explorer

Cherry, Jessica; Crowder, Kerri

2015-07-20

The data here are orthomosaics, digital surface models (DSMs), and individual frames captured during low altitude airborne flights in 2013 at the Barrow Environmental Observatory. The orthomosaics, thermal IR mosaics, and DSMs were generated from the individual frames using Structure from Motion techniques.

78 FR 44625 - Proposed Information Collection (Open Burn Pit Registry Airborne Hazard Self-Assessment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-24

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Proposed Information Collection (Open Burn Pit Registry Airborne... to ``OMB Control No. 2900--NEW, Open Burn Pit Registry Airborne Hazard Self-Assessment Questionnaire... health effects of service members' exposure to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn...

Track and track-side video survey technology development.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-01

Researchers at HiDef/Createc have completed prototype development and testing of a novel track video surveying technology : called Track and Track-Side Video Survey (TTVS). TTVS is designed to capture clear video images of the track and track side : ...

Comparison of different detection methods for persistent multiple hypothesis tracking in wide area motion imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartung, Christine; Spraul, Raphael; Schuchert, Tobias

2017-10-01

Wide area motion imagery (WAMI) acquired by an airborne multicamera sensor enables continuous monitoring of large urban areas. Each image can cover regions of several square kilometers and contain thousands of vehicles. Reliable vehicle tracking in this imagery is an important prerequisite for surveillance tasks, but remains challenging due to low frame rate and small object size. Most WAMI tracking approaches rely on moving object detections generated by frame differencing or background subtraction. These detection methods fail when objects slow down or stop. Recent approaches for persistent tracking compensate for missing motion detections by combining a detection-based tracker with a second tracker based on appearance or local context. In order to avoid the additional complexity introduced by combining two trackers, we employ an alternative single tracker framework that is based on multiple hypothesis tracking and recovers missing motion detections with a classifierbased detector. We integrate an appearance-based similarity measure, merge handling, vehicle-collision tests, and clutter handling to adapt the approach to the specific context of WAMI tracking. We apply the tracking framework on a region of interest of the publicly available WPAFB 2009 dataset for quantitative evaluation; a comparison to other persistent WAMI trackers demonstrates state of the art performance of the proposed approach. Furthermore, we analyze in detail the impact of different object detection methods and detector settings on the quality of the output tracking results. For this purpose, we choose four different motion-based detection methods that vary in detection performance and computation time to generate the input detections. As detector parameters can be adjusted to achieve different precision and recall performance, we combine each detection method with different detector settings that yield (1) high precision and low recall, (2) high recall and low precision, and (3) best f

Airborne Microwave Imaging of River Velocities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plant, William J.

2002-01-01

The objective of this project was to determine whether airborne microwave remote sensing systems can measure river surface currents with sufficient accuracy to make them prospective instruments with which to monitor river flow from space. The approach was to fly a coherent airborne microwave Doppler radar, developed by APL/UW, on a light airplane along several rivers in western Washington state over an extended period of time. The fundamental quantity obtained by this system to measure river currents is the mean offset of the Doppler spectrum. Since this scatter can be obtained from interferometric synthetic aperture radars (INSARs), which can be flown in space, this project provided a cost effective means for determining the suitability of spaceborne INSAR for measuring river flow.

Airborne asbestos in Colorado public schools.

PubMed

Chadwick, D A; Buchan, R M; Beaulieu, H J

1985-02-01

Levels of airborne asbestos for six Colorado public school facilities with sprayed-on asbestos materials were documented using three analytical techniques. Phase contrast microscopy showed levels up to the thousandths of a fiber per cubic centimeter (f/cc), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) up to the hundredths of a f/cc, and transmission electron microscopy coupled to selected area electron diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-SAED-EDXA) up to the tenths of an asbestos f/cc. Phase contrast microscopy was found to be an inadequate analytical technique for documenting the levels of airborne asbestos fibers in the schools: only large fibers which were not embedded in the filter were counted, and asbestos fibers were not distinguished from nonasbestos.

Report of the first annual airborne weapons training technology review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snyder, C.E.; Payne, G.B.; Treitler, I.E.

1990-01-01

This report documents the First Annual Airborne Weapons Training Technology Review. The Review was held at Oak Ridge Associated Universities from March 29 to 31, 1989. It was an exchange of ideas and information among the members of the network supporting the Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR's) PMA205-11, Program Manager for Ordnance Training. This report describes the briefings and demonstrations presented at the Review, and summarizes the discussion at the informal caucus where significant issues were raised from the first two days' presentations. The report also contains the meeting agenda, a participant list with addresses and telephone numbers, a listmore » of the Department of Defense activities represented, NAVAIR's follow-up communication, and a brief description of Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.'s training technology project support. A broad range of topics related to training systems and training support was covered during the Review. Synopses of the presentations and demonstrations included here cover computer-based and interactive systems, portability of software, reuse of training systems for different weapons, standardization of trainers, instructional systems design, cognitive task analysis, tracking of training resources, and the application of Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistic Support.« less

EUFAR the unique portal for airborne research in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gérard, Elisabeth; Brown, Philip

2016-04-01

Created in 2000 and supported by the EU Framework Programmes since then, EUFAR was born out of the necessity to create a central network and access point for the airborne research community in Europe. With the aim to support researchers by granting them access to research infrastructures, not accessible in their home countries, EUFAR also provides technical support and training in the field of airborne research for the environmental and geo-sciences. Today, EUFAR2 (2014-2018) coordinates and facilitates transnational access to 18 instrumented aircraft and 3 remote-sensing instruments through the 13 operators who are part of EUFAR's current 24-partner European consortium. In addition, the current project supports networking and research activities focused on providing an enabling environment for and promoting airborne research. The EUFAR2 activities cover three objectives, supported by the internet website www.eufar.net: (I - Institutional) improvement of the access to the research infrastructures and development of the future fleet according to the strategic advisory committee (SAC) recommendations; (ii - Innovation) improvement of the scientific knowledge and promotion of innovating instruments, processes and services for the emergence of new industrial technologies, with an identification of industrial needs by the SAC; (iii - Service) optimisation and harmonisation of the use of the research infrastructures through the development of the community of young researches in airborne science, of the standards and protocols and of the airborne central database. With the launch of a brand new website (www.eufar.net) in mid-November 2015, EUFAR aims to improve user experience on the website, which serves as a source of information and a hub where users are able to collaborate, learn, share expertise and best practices, and apply for transnational access, and education and training funded opportunities within the network. With its newly designed eye-catching interface

Exposure level and distribution characteristics of airborne bacteria and fungi in Seoul metropolitan subway stations.

PubMed

Kim, Ki Youn; Kim, Yoon Shin; Kim, Daekeun; Kim, Hyeon Tae

2011-01-01

The exposure level and distribution characteristics of airborne bacteria and fungi were assessed in the workers' activity areas (station office, bedroom, ticket office and driver's seat) and passengers' activity areas (station precinct, inside the passenger carriage, and platform) of the Seoul metropolitan subway. Among investigated areas, the levels of airborne bacteria and fungi in the workers' bedroom and station precincts were relatively high. No significant difference was found in the concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi between the underground and above ground activity areas of the subway. The genera identified in all subway activity areas with a 5% or greater detection rate were Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Bacillus and Corynebacterium for airborne bacteria and Penicillium, Cladosporium, Chrysosporium, Aspergillus for airborne fungi. Staphylococcus and Micrococcus comprised over 50% of the total airborne bacteria and Penicillium and Cladosporium comprised over 60% of the total airborne fungi, thus these four genera are the predominant genera in the subway station.

SOFIA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors: An External Evaluation of Cycle 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Michelle

2015-01-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) represents a partnership between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The observatory itself is a Boeing 747 SP that has been modified to serve as the world's largest airborne research observatory. The SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is a component of SOFIA's…

78 FR 33894 - Proposed Information Collection (Open Burn Pit Registry Airborne Hazard Self-Assessment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-05

... Burn Pit Registry Airborne Hazard Self-Assessment Questionnaire) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... ascertain and monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic airborne... to ``OMB Control No. 2900-NEW, Open Burn Pit Registry Airborne Hazard Self-Assessment Questionnaire...

307TH Engineer Battalion Prop Blast - An Airborne Tradition

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-24

American servicemen and women have trained and fought gallantly as airborne soldiers . Most officers who have been honored to serve with the airborne...distribution is unlimited. 4. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER (S) 5. MONITORING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER (S) 6a. NAME OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 6b...and ZIP Code) Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5002 Ba. NAME OF FUNDING/SPONSORING 8b. OFFICE SYMBOL 9. PROCUREMENT INSTRUMENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

PtSi gimbal-based FLIR for airborne applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Joseph; Ornstein, Itzhak; Nezri, M.; Fryd, Y.; Bloomberg, Steve; Beem, S.; Bibi, B.; Hem, S.; Perna, Steve N.; Tower, John R.; Lang, Frank B.; Villani, Thomas S.; McCarthy, D. R.; Stabile, Paul J.

1997-08-01

A new gimbal-based, FLIR camera for several types of airborne platforms has been developed. The FLIR is based on a PtSi on silicon technology: developed for high volume and minimum cost. The gimbal scans an area of 360 degrees in azimuth and an elevation range of plus 15 degrees to minus 105 degrees. It is stabilized to 25 (mu) Rad-rms. A combination of uniformity correction, defect substitution, and compact optics results in a long range, low cost FLIR for all low-speed airborne platforms.

The Impact of Conflicting Spatial Representations in Airborne Unmanned Aerial System Sensor Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

Spatial Discordance 1 Running head: SPATIAL DISCORDANCE IN AIRBORNE UAS OPERATIONS The impact of conflicting spatial...representations in airborne unmanned aerial system sensor control Joseph W Geeseman, James E Patrey, Caroline Davy, Katherine Peditto, & Christine Zernickow...system (UAS) simulation while riding in the fuselage of an airborne Lockheed P-3 Orion. The P-3 flew a flight profile of intermittent ascending

Airborne multispectral detection of regrowth cotton fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westbrook, John K.; Suh, Charles P.-C.; Yang, Chenghai; Lan, Yubin; Eyster, Ritchie S.

2015-01-01

Effective methods are needed for timely areawide detection of regrowth cotton plants because boll weevils (a quarantine pest) can feed and reproduce on these plants beyond the cotton production season. Airborne multispectral images of regrowth cotton plots were acquired on several dates after three shredding (i.e., stalk destruction) dates. Linear spectral unmixing (LSU) classification was applied to high-resolution airborne multispectral images of regrowth cotton plots to estimate the minimum detectable size and subsequent growth of plants. We found that regrowth cotton fields can be identified when the mean plant width is ˜0.2 m for an image resolution of 0.1 m. LSU estimates of canopy cover of regrowth cotton plots correlated well (r2=0.81) with the ratio of mean plant width to row spacing, a surrogate measure of plant canopy cover. The height and width of regrowth plants were both well correlated (r2=0.94) with accumulated degree-days after shredding. The results will help boll weevil eradication program managers use airborne multispectral images to detect and monitor the regrowth of cotton plants after stalk destruction, and identify fields that may require further inspection and mitigation of boll weevil infestations.

NASA's Student Airborne Research Program (2009-2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaller, E. L.; Shetter, R. E.

2013-12-01

The NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) is a unique summer internship program for rising senior undergraduates majoring in any of the STEM disciplines. SARP participants acquire hands-on research experience in all aspects of an airborne research campaign, including flying onboard an major NASA resource used for studying Earth system processes. In summer 2013, thirty-two participants worked in four interdisciplinary teams to study surface, atmospheric, and oceanographic processes. Participants assisted in the operation of instruments onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft where they sampled and measured atmospheric gases and imaged land and water surfaces in multiple spectral bands. Along with airborne data collection, students participated in taking measurements at field sites. Mission faculty and research mentors helped to guide participants through instrument operation, sample analysis, and data reduction. Over the eight-week program, each student developed an individual research project from the data collected and delivered a conference-style final presentation on his/her results. Several students will present the results of their research in science sessions at this meeting. We will discuss the results and effectiveness of the program over the past five summers and plans for the future.

47 CFR 22.925 - Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones. 22.925 Section 22.925 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.925 Prohibition on airborne...

47 CFR 22.925 - Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones. 22.925 Section 22.925 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.925 Prohibition on airborne...

Airborne Turbulence Detection System Certification Tool Set

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, David W.; Proctor, Fred H.

2006-01-01

A methodology and a corresponding set of simulation tools for testing and evaluating turbulence detection sensors has been presented. The tool set is available to industry and the FAA for certification of radar based airborne turbulence detection systems. The tool set consists of simulated data sets representing convectively induced turbulence, an airborne radar simulation system, hazard tables to convert the radar observable to an aircraft load, documentation, a hazard metric "truth" algorithm, and criteria for scoring the predictions. Analysis indicates that flight test data supports spatial buffers for scoring detections. Also, flight data and demonstrations with the tool set suggest the need for a magnitude buffer.

Airborne multispectral data collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasell, P. G., Jr.

1974-01-01

Multispectral mapping accomplishments using the M7 airborne scanner are summarized. The M7 system is described and overall results of specific data collection flight operations since June 1971 are reviewed. A major advantage of the M7 system is that all spectral bands of the scanner are in common spatial registration, whereas in the M5 they were not.

A Quantitative Dynamic Simulation of Bremia lactucae Airborne Conidia Concentration above a Lettuce Canopy.

PubMed

Fall, Mamadou Lamine; Van der Heyden, Hervé; Carisse, Odile

2016-01-01

Lettuce downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Bremia lactucae Regel, is a major threat to lettuce production worldwide. Lettuce downy mildew is a polycyclic disease driven by airborne spores. A weather-based dynamic simulation model for B. lactucae airborne spores was developed to simulate the aerobiological characteristics of the pathogen. The model was built using the STELLA platform by following the system dynamics methodology. The model was developed using published equations describing disease subprocesses (e.g., sporulation) and assembled knowledge of the interactions among pathogen, host, and weather. The model was evaluated with four years of independent data by comparing model simulations with observations of hourly and daily airborne spore concentrations. The results show an accurate simulation of the trend and shape of B. lactucae temporal dynamics of airborne spore concentration. The model simulated hourly and daily peaks in airborne spore concentrations. More than 95% of the simulation runs, the daily-simulated airborne conidia concentration was 0 when airborne conidia were not observed. Also, the relationship between the simulated and the observed airborne spores was linear. In more than 94% of the simulation runs, the proportion of the linear variation in the hourly-observed values explained by the variation in the hourly-simulated values was greater than 0.7 in all years except one. Most of the errors came from the deviation from the 1:1 line, and the proportion of errors due to the model bias was low. This model is the only dynamic model developed to mimic the dynamics of airborne inoculum and represents an initial step towards improved lettuce downy mildew understanding, forecasting and management.

A Quantitative Dynamic Simulation of Bremia lactucae Airborne Conidia Concentration above a Lettuce Canopy

PubMed Central

Fall, Mamadou Lamine; Van der Heyden, Hervé; Carisse, Odile

2016-01-01

Lettuce downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Bremia lactucae Regel, is a major threat to lettuce production worldwide. Lettuce downy mildew is a polycyclic disease driven by airborne spores. A weather-based dynamic simulation model for B. lactucae airborne spores was developed to simulate the aerobiological characteristics of the pathogen. The model was built using the STELLA platform by following the system dynamics methodology. The model was developed using published equations describing disease subprocesses (e.g., sporulation) and assembled knowledge of the interactions among pathogen, host, and weather. The model was evaluated with four years of independent data by comparing model simulations with observations of hourly and daily airborne spore concentrations. The results show an accurate simulation of the trend and shape of B. lactucae temporal dynamics of airborne spore concentration. The model simulated hourly and daily peaks in airborne spore concentrations. More than 95% of the simulation runs, the daily-simulated airborne conidia concentration was 0 when airborne conidia were not observed. Also, the relationship between the simulated and the observed airborne spores was linear. In more than 94% of the simulation runs, the proportion of the linear variation in the hourly-observed values explained by the variation in the hourly-simulated values was greater than 0.7 in all years except one. Most of the errors came from the deviation from the 1:1 line, and the proportion of errors due to the model bias was low. This model is the only dynamic model developed to mimic the dynamics of airborne inoculum and represents an initial step towards improved lettuce downy mildew understanding, forecasting and management. PMID:26953691

Airborne Mission Concept for Coastal Ocean Color and Ecosystems Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guild, Liane S.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Morrow, John H.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Palacios, Sherry L.; Torres Perez, Juan L.; Hayashi, Kendra; Dunagan, Stephen E.

2016-01-01

NASA airborne missions in 2011 and 2013 over Monterey Bay, CA, demonstrated novel above- and in-water calibration and validation measurements supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The resultant airborne data characterize contemporaneous coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems spanning a next-generation spectral domain (320-875 nm). This airborne instrument suite for calibration, validation, and research flew at the lowest safe altitude (ca. 100 ft or 30 m) as well as higher altitudes (e.g., 6,000 ft or 1,800 m) above the sea surface covering a larger area in a single synoptic sortie than ship-based measurements at a few stations during the same sampling period. Data collection of coincident atmospheric and aquatic properties near the sea surface and at altitude allows the input of relevant variables into atmospheric correction schemes to improve the output of corrected imaging spectrometer data. Specific channels support legacy and next-generation satellite capabilities, and flights are planned to within 30 min of satellite overpass. This concept supports calibration and validation activities of ocean color phenomena (e.g., river plumes, algal blooms) and studies of water quality and coastal ecosystems. The 2011 COAST mission flew at 100 and 6,000 ft on a Twin Otter platform with flight plans accommodating the competing requirements of the sensor suite, which included the Coastal-Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) for the first time. C-AIR (Biospherical Instruments Inc.) also flew in the 2013 OCEANIA mission at 100 and 1,000 ft on the Twin Otter below the California airborne simulation of the proposed NASA HyspIRI satellite system comprised of an imaging spectrometer and thermal infrared multispectral imager on the ER-2 at 65,000 ft (20,000 m). For both missions, the Compact-Optical Profiling System (Biospherical

GLM Post Launch Testing and Airborne Science Field Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, S. J.; Padula, F.; Koshak, W. J.; Blakeslee, R. J.

2017-12-01

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) series provides the continuity for the existing GOES system currently operating over the Western Hemisphere. The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is a wholly new instrument that provides a capability for total lightning detection (cloud and cloud-to-ground flashes). The first satellite in the GOES-R series, now GOES-16, was launched in November 2016 followed by in-orbit post launch testing for approximately 12 months before being placed into operations replacing the GOES-E satellite in December. The GLM will map total lightning continuously throughout day and night with near-uniform spatial resolution of 8 km with a product latency of less than 20 sec over the Americas and adjacent oceanic regions. The total lightning is very useful for identifying hazardous and severe thunderstorms, monitoring storm intensification and tracking evolution. Used in tandem with radar, satellite imagery, and surface observations, total lightning data has great potential to increase lead time for severe storm warnings, improve aviation safety and efficiency, and increase public safety. In this paper we present initial results from the post-launch in-orbit performance testing, airborne science field campaign conducted March-May, 2017 and assessments of the GLM instrument and science products.

Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging of Seagrass and Coral Reef

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merrill, J.; Pan, Z.; Mewes, T.; Herwitz, S.

2013-12-01

This talk presents the process of project preparation, airborne data collection, data pre-processing and comparative analysis of a series of airborne hyperspectral projects focused on the mapping of seagrass and coral reef communities in the Florida Keys. As part of a series of large collaborative projects funded by the NASA ROSES program and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and administered by the NASA UAV Collaborative, a series of airborne hyperspectral datasets were collected over six sites in the Florida Keys in May 2012, October 2012 and May 2013 by Galileo Group, Inc. using a manned Cessna 172 and NASA's SIERRA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Precise solar and tidal data were used to calculate airborne collection parameters and develop flight plans designed to optimize data quality. Two independent Visible and Near-Infrared (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging systems covering 400-100nm were used to collect imagery over six Areas of Interest (AOIs). Multiple collections were performed over all sites across strict solar windows in the mornings and afternoons. Independently developed pre-processing algorithms were employed to radiometrically correct, synchronize and georectify individual flight lines which were then combined into color balanced mosaics for each Area of Interest. The use of two different hyperspectral sensor as well as environmental variations between each collection allow for the comparative analysis of data quality as well as the iterative refinement of flight planning and collection parameters.

Distribution and identification of airborne fungi in railway stations in Tokyo, Japan.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Tamami; Kyotani, Takashi; Ushiogi, Tomoyoshi; Izumi, Yasuhiko; Lee, Hunjun; Hayakawa, Toshio

2010-01-01

The current study was performed to (1) understand the distribution of airborne fungi culturable on dichloran-glycerol agar (DG18) media over a one-year monitoring period, (2) identify the types of airborne fungi collected, and (3) compare and contrast under- and above-ground spaces, in two railway stations in Tokyo, Japan. Measurements of airborne fungi were taken at stations A and B located in Tokyo. Station A had under- and above-ground concourses and platforms whereas station B had spaces only above-ground. Airborne fungi at each measurement position were collected with an air sampler on DG18 media. After cultivation of the sample plates, the number of fungi colonies was counted on each agar plate. In station A, the underground platform was characterized as (1) having the highest humidity and (2) a high concentration of airborne fungi, with (3) a high proportion of non-sporulating fungi (NSF) and Aspergillus versicolor. There was a strong positive correlation between the concentrations of airborne particles and fungi in station A. Common aspects of the two stations were (1) that fungi were mostly detected in autumn, and (2) there was no correlation between the humidity and concentration of fungi throughout the year. The results of this study indicate that the distribution and composition of fungi differ depending on the structure of the station.

Investigations on gravity data processing in airborne and shipborne gravimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Biao; Barthelmes, Franz; Petrovic, Svetozar; Förste, Christoph; Ince, Sinem; Flechtner, Frank

2017-04-01

Nowadays, airborne and shipborne gravimetry are very important methods to improve our knowledge about the Earth gravity field. The gravimeter Chekan-AM onboard the German High Altitude and Long Range (HALO) aircraft anables gravimetry at hardly accessible places like the polar regions of the Earth. One preparatory campaign on HALO has been carried out over Italy in 2012 to test the performance of the gravimeter Chekan-AM onboard such a jet aircraft. Specifically, the processing strategy of data achieved with this gravimeter has been studied. To investigate how future airborne gravity campaigns could be designed over regions like Antarctica, a dedicated flight track during the GEOHALO experiment had been run two times at different heights and velocities of the aircraft. These two flight paths are investigated and the results show that the equipment worked well also at higher altitude and speed. Comparisons with the global gravity field model EIGEN-6C4 and an analysis of the gravity differences at the crossover points show that the accuracy of this campaign is approximately 1 mGal. For geodetic purpose, a local geoid is computed by combining point mass modelling and the remove-compute-restore technique which is also taking into account the topography effect. Shipborne gravimetry can provide us high accurate and high resolution information of the Earth gravity field. Four campaigns of shipborne gravimetry by using the Chekan-AM on different research vessels have been conducted within the framework of the ongoing project "Finalising Surveys for the Baltic Motorways of the Sea" (FAMOS) since 2015. It turned out that problems due to influences of stormy sea and an abnormal drift behavior of the instrument at some parts of these campaigns need some additional investigations. The current processing of these gravity campaigns results in RMS of gravity differences at crossover points of about 0.5 mGal. Further investigations will continue to improve these results. Lastly, a

ESA airborne campaigns in support of Earth Explorers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casal, Tania; Davidson, Malcolm; Schuettemeyer, Dirk; Perrera, Andrea; Bianchi, Remo

2013-04-01

In the framework of its Earth Observation Programmes the European Space Agency (ESA) carries out ground based and airborne campaigns to support geophysical algorithm development, calibration/validation, simulation of future spaceborne earth observation missions, and applications development related to land, oceans and atmosphere. ESA has been conducting airborne and ground measurements campaigns since 1981 by deploying a broad range of active and passive instrumentation in both the optical and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum such as lidars, limb/nadir sounding interferometers/spectrometers, high-resolution spectral imagers, advanced synthetic aperture radars, altimeters and radiometers. These campaigns take place inside and outside Europe in collaboration with national research organisations in the ESA member states as well as with international organisations harmonising European campaign activities. ESA campaigns address all phases of a spaceborne missions, from the very beginning of the design phase during which exploratory or proof-of-concept campaigns are carried out to the post-launch exploitation phase for calibration and validation. We present four recent campaigns illustrating the objectives and implementation of such campaigns. Wavemill Proof Of Concept, an exploratory campaign to demonstrate feasibility of a future Earth Explorer (EE) mission, took place in October 2011 in the Liverpool Bay area in the UK. The main objectives, successfully achieved, were to test Astrium UKs new airborne X-band SAR instrument capability to obtain high resolution ocean current and topology retrievals. Results showed that new airborne instrument is able to retrieve ocean currents to an accuracy of ± 10 cms-1. The IceSAR2012 campaign was set up to support of ESA's EE Candidate 7,BIOMASS. Its main objective was to document P-band radiometric signatures over ice-sheets, by upgrading ESA's airborne POLARIS P-band radar ice sounder with SAR capability. Campaign

ISMAR: an airborne submillimetre radiometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Stuart; Lee, Clare; Moyna, Brian; Philipp, Martin; Rule, Ian; Rogers, Stuart; King, Robert; Oldfield, Matthew; Rea, Simon; Henry, Manju; Wang, Hui; Chawn Harlow, R.

2017-02-01

The International Submillimetre Airborne Radiometer (ISMAR) has been developed as an airborne demonstrator for the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) that will be launched on board the next generation of European polar-orbiting weather satellites in the 2020s. It currently has 15 channels at frequencies between 118 and 664 GHz which are sensitive to scattering by cloud ice, and additional channels at 874 GHz are being developed. This paper presents an overview of ISMAR and describes the algorithms used for calibration. The main sources of bias in the measurements are evaluated, as well as the radiometric sensitivity in different measurement scenarios. It is shown that for downward views from high altitude, representative of a satellite viewing geometry, the bias in most channels is less than ±1 K and the NEΔT is less than 2 K, with many channels having an NEΔT less than 1 K. In-flight calibration accuracy is also evaluated by comparison of high-altitude zenith views with radiative-transfer simulations.

Hurricane Wind Field Measurements with Scanning Airborne Doppler Lidar During CAMEX-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothermel, Jeffry; Cutten, D. R.; Howell, J. N.; Darby, L. S.; Hardesty, R. M.; Traff, D. M.; Menzies, R. T.

2000-01-01

During the 1998 Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3), the first hurricane wind field measurements with Doppler lidar were achieved. Wind fields were mapped within the eye, along the eyewall, in the central dense overcast, and in the marine boundary layer encompassing the inflow region. Spatial coverage was determined primarily by cloud distribution and opacity. Within optically-thin cirrus slant range of 20- 25 km was achieved, whereas no propagation was obtained during penetration of dense cloud. Measurements were obtained with the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) on the NASA DC-8 research aircraft. MACAWS was developed and operated cooperatively by the atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A pseudo-dual Doppler technique ("co-planar scanning") is used to map the horizontal component of the wind at several vertical levels. Pulses from the laser are directed out the left side of the aircraft in the desired directions using computer-controlled rotating prisms. Upon exiting the aircraft, the beam is completely eyesafe. Aircraft attitude and speed are taken into account during real-time signal processing, resulting in determination of the ground-relative wind to an accuracy of about 1 m/s magnitude and about 10 deg direction. Beam pointing angle errors are about 0.1 deg, equivalent to about 17 m at 10 km. Horizontal resolution is about 1 km (along-track) for typical signal processor and scanner settings; vertical resolution varies with range. Results from CAMEX-3 suggest that scanning Doppler wind lidar can complement airborne Doppler radar by providing wind field measurements in regions that are devoid of hydrometeors. At present MACAWS observations are being assimilated into experimental forecast models and satellite Doppler wind lidar simulations to evaluate the relative impact.

Airborne soil particulates as vehicles for Salmonella contamination of tomatoes.

PubMed

Kumar, Govindaraj Dev; Williams, Robert C; Al Qublan, Hamzeh M; Sriranganathan, Nammalwar; Boyer, Renee R; Eifert, Joseph D

2017-02-21

The presence of dust is ubiquitous in the produce growing environment and its deposition on edible crops could occur. The potential of wind-distributed soil particulate to serve as a vehicle for S. Newport transfer to tomato blossoms and consequently, to fruits, was explored. Blossoms were challenged with previously autoclaved soil containing S. Newport (9.39log CFU/g) by brushing and airborne transfer. One hundred percent of blossoms brushed with S. Newport-contaminated soil tested positive for presence of the pathogen one week after contact (P<0.0001). Compressed air was used to simulate wind currents and direct soil particulates towards blossoms. Airborne soil particulates resulted in contamination of 29% of the blossoms with S. Newport one week after contact. Biophotonic imaging of blossoms post-contact with bioluminescent S. Newport-contaminated airborne soil particulates revealed transfer of the pathogen on petal, stamen and pedicel structures. Both fruits and calyxes that developed from blossoms contaminated with airborne soil particulates were positive for presence of S. Newport in both fruit (66.6%) and calyx (77.7%). Presence of S. Newport in surface-sterilized fruit and calyx tissue tested indicated internalization of the pathogen. These results show that airborne soil particulates could serve as a vehicle for Salmonella. Hence, Salmonella contaminated dust and soil particulate dispersion could contribute to pathogen contamination of fruit, indicating an omnipresent yet relatively unexplored contamination route. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Airborne Particulate Matter Induces Nonallergic Eosinophilic Sinonasal Inflammation in Mice.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Murugappan; London, Nyall R; Tharakan, Anuj; Surya, Nitya; Sussan, Thomas E; Rao, Xiaoquan; Lin, Sandra Y; Toskala, Elina; Rajagopalan, Sanjay; Biswal, Shyam

2017-07-01

Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) has been linked to aggravation of respiratory symptoms, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. Although the health effects of PM on the lower pulmonary airway have been extensively studied, little is known regarding the impact of chronic PM exposure on the upper sinonasal airway. We sought to test the impact of chronic airborne PM exposure on the upper respiratory system in vivo. Mice were subjected, by inhalation, to concentrated fine (2.5 μm) PM 6 h/d, 5 d/wk, for 16 weeks. Mean airborne fine PM concentration was 60.92 μm/m 3 , a concentration of fine PM lower than that reported in some major global cities. Mice were then killed and analyzed for evidence of inflammation and barrier breakdown compared with control mice. Evidence of the destructive effects of chronic airborne PM on sinonasal health in vivo, including proinflammatory cytokine release, and macrophage and neutrophil inflammatory cell accumulation was observed. A significant increase in epithelial barrier dysfunction was observed, as assessed by serum albumin accumulation in nasal airway lavage fluid, as well as decreased expression of adhesion molecules, including claudin-1 and epithelial cadherin. A significant increase in eosinophilic inflammation, including increased IL-13, eotaxin-1, and eosinophil accumulation, was also observed. Collectively, although largely observational, these studies demonstrate the destructive effects of chronic airborne PM exposure on the sinonasal airway barrier disruption and nonallergic eosinophilic inflammation in mice.

Occurrence of airborne vancomycin- and gentamicin-resistant bacteria in various hospital wards in Isfahan, Iran

PubMed Central

Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmad, Hossein; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2016-01-01

Background: Airborne transmission of pathogenic resistant bacteria is well recognized as an important route for the acquisition of a wide range of nosocomial infections in hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of airborne vancomycin and gentamicin (VM and GM) resistant bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals. Materials and Methods: A total of 64 air samples were collected from operating theater (OT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), surgery ward, and internal medicine ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Airborne culturable bacteria were collected using all glass impingers. Samples were analyzed for the detection of VM- and GM-resistant bacteria. Results: The average level of bacteria ranged from 99 to 1079 CFU/m3. The highest level of airborne bacteria was observed in hospital 4 (628 CFU/m3) and the highest average concentration of GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were found in hospital 3 (22 CFU/m3). The mean concentration of airborne bacteria was the lowest in OT wards and GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were not detected in this ward of hospitals. The highest prevalence of antibiotic-resistant airborne bacteria was observed in ICU ward. There was a statistically significant difference for the prevalence of VM-resistant bacteria between hospital wards (P = 0.012). Conclusion: Our finding showed that the relatively high prevalence of VM- and GM-resistant airborne bacteria in ICUs could be a great concern from the point of view of patients' health. These results confirm the necessity of application of effective control measures which significantly decrease the exposure of high-risk patients to potentially airborne nosocomial infections. PMID:27656612

Occurrence of airborne vancomycin- and gentamicin-resistant bacteria in various hospital wards in Isfahan, Iran.

PubMed

Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmad, Hossein; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2016-01-01

Airborne transmission of pathogenic resistant bacteria is well recognized as an important route for the acquisition of a wide range of nosocomial infections in hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of airborne vancomycin and gentamicin (VM and GM) resistant bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals. A total of 64 air samples were collected from operating theater (OT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), surgery ward, and internal medicine ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Airborne culturable bacteria were collected using all glass impingers. Samples were analyzed for the detection of VM- and GM-resistant bacteria. The average level of bacteria ranged from 99 to 1079 CFU/m(3). The highest level of airborne bacteria was observed in hospital 4 (628 CFU/m(3)) and the highest average concentration of GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were found in hospital 3 (22 CFU/m(3)). The mean concentration of airborne bacteria was the lowest in OT wards and GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were not detected in this ward of hospitals. The highest prevalence of antibiotic-resistant airborne bacteria was observed in ICU ward. There was a statistically significant difference for the prevalence of VM-resistant bacteria between hospital wards (P = 0.012). Our finding showed that the relatively high prevalence of VM- and GM-resistant airborne bacteria in ICUs could be a great concern from the point of view of patients' health. These results confirm the necessity of application of effective control measures which significantly decrease the exposure of high-risk patients to potentially airborne nosocomial infections.

A Brief History of Airborne Self-Spacing Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, Terence S.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a history of seven of the more significant airborne and airborne-assisted aircraft spacing concepts that have been developed and evaluated during the past 40 years. The primary focus of the earlier concepts was on enhancing airport terminal area productivity and reducing air traffic controller workload. The more recent efforts were designed to increase runway throughput through improved aircraft spacing precision at landing. The latest concepts are aimed at supporting more fuel efficient and lower community noise operations while maintaining or increasing runway throughput efficiency.

Meteorological factors associated with abundance of airborne fungal spores over natural vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crandall, Sharifa G.; Gilbert, Gregory S.

2017-08-01

The abundance of airborne fungal spores in agricultural and urban settings increases with greater air temperature, relative humidity, or precipitation. The same meteorological factors that affect temporal patterns in spore abundance in managed environments also vary spatially across natural habitats in association with differences in vegetation structure. Here we investigated how temporal and spatial variation in aerial spore abundance is affected by abiotic (weather) and biotic (vegetation) factors as a foundation for predicting how fungi may respond to changes in weather and land-use patterns. We measured the phenology of airborne fungal spores across a mosaic of naturally occurring vegetation types at different time scales to describe (1) how spore abundance changes over time, (2) which local meteorological variables are good predictors for airborne spore density, and (3) whether spore abundance differs across vegetation types. Using an air volumetric vacuum sampler, we collected spore samples at 3-h intervals over a 120-h period in a mixed-evergreen forest and coastal prairie to measure diurnal, nocturnal, and total airborne spore abundance across vegetation types. Spore samples were also collected at weekly and monthly intervals in mixed-evergreen forest, redwood forest, and maritime chaparral vegetation types from 12 field sites across two years. We found greater airborne spore densities during the wetter winter months compared to the drier summer months. Mean total spore abundance in the mixed-evergreen forest was twice than in the coastal prairie, but there were no significant differences in total airborne spore abundance among mixed-evergreen forest, redwood forest, and maritime chaparral vegetation types. Weekly and monthly peaks in airborne spore abundance corresponded with rain events and peaks in soil moisture. Overall, temporal patterns in meteorological factors were much more important in determining airborne fungal spore abundance than the

Soil moisture mapping by ground and airborne microwave radiometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poe, G.; Edgerton, A. T.

1972-01-01

Extensive ground-based and airborne investigations were undertaken in conjunction with laboratory dielectric measurements of soils and analytical modeling. Radiometric measurements were made in the vicinity of Phoenix, Arizona at observational wavelengths ranging from 0.81 to 21 cm. Ground experiments were conducted with a microwave field laboratory and airborne measurements were obtained from a CV-990 aircraft. Research activities were focused on establishing basic relationships between microwave emission and the distribution of moisture.

Occupational airborne exposure of the general population of a Norwegian county.

PubMed

Bakke, P; Baste, V; Hanoa, R; Gulsvik, A

1992-02-01

Occupational airborne exposure was examined for a stratified sample (N = 1275) of the general population aged 18-73 years in Hordaland County, Norway. The subjects identified all jobs of more than six months since leaving school and stated whether they had been occupationally exposed to specific agents and work processes potentially harmful to the lungs. The prevalence in the population ever having been exposed was 18% for asbestos, 9% for quartz, 5% for aluminum dust, 6% for wood dust, 12% for metal gases, 12% for welding, 9% for soldering, and 1% for hairdressing. According to occupational title (last job), 3% of the population had held a job with a high degree of airborne exposure, 26% a job with moderate exposure, and 70% a job with no airborne exposure. During their worklife both the men and the women tended to leave polluted jobs more often than unpolluted jobs. Occupational exposure to airborne pollutants potentially harmful to the lungs is widespread in this Norwegian general population.

Initial Retrieval Validation from the Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Smith, WIlliam L.; Larar, Allen M.; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Revercomb, Henry E.; Mango, Stephen A.; Schluessel, Peter; Calbet, Xavier

2007-01-01

The Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx) was conducted during April 2007 mainly for validation of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp satellite, but also included a strong component focusing on validation of the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) aboard the AQUA satellite. The cross validation of IASI and AIRS is important for the joint use of their data in the global Numerical Weather Prediction process. Initial inter-comparisons of geophysical products have been conducted from different aspects, such as using different measurements from airborne ultraspectral Fourier transform spectrometers (specifically, the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed Interferometer (NAST-I) and the Scanning-High resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) aboard the NASA WB-57 aircraft), UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) BAe146-301 aircraft insitu instruments, dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and ground based Raman Lidar. An overview of the JAIVEx retrieval validation plan and some initial results of this field campaign are presented.

Airborne incidents : an econometric analysis of severity, December 31, 2014 : technical summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-31

This is a technical summary of the Airborne Incidents: An Econometric Analysis of Severity main report. : Airborne loss of separation incidents occur when an aircraft breaches the defined separation limit (vertical and/or horizontal) with anoth...

Airborne forest fire research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattingly, G. S.

1974-01-01

The research relating to airborne fire fighting systems is reviewed to provide NASA/Langley Research Center with current information on the use of aircraft in forest fire operations, and to identify research requirements for future operations. A literature survey, interview of forest fire service personnel, analysis and synthesis of data from research reports and independent conclusions, and recommendations for future NASA-LRC programs are included.

NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program - Lessons For SOFIA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, Edwin F.

2007-07-01

Airborne astronomy was pioneered and has evolved at NASA Ames Research Center near San Francisco, California, since 1965. Nowhere else in the world has a similar program been implemented. Its many unique features deserve description, especially for the benefit of planning the operation of SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and in particular since NASA Headquarters’ recent decision to base SOFIA operations at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California instead of at Ames. The history of Ames’ airborne astronomy program is briefly summarized. Discussed in more detail are the operations and organization of the 21-year Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) program, which provide important lessons for SOFIA. The KAO program is our best prototype for planning effective SOFIA operations. Principal features of the KAO program which should be retained on SOFIA are: unique science, innovative new science instruments and technologies, training of young scientists, an effective education and public outreach program, flexibility, continuous improvement, and efficient operations with a lean, well integrated team. KAO program features which should be improved upon with SOFIA are: (1) a management structure that is dedicated primarily to safely maximizing scientific productivity for the resources available, headed by a scientist who is the observatory director, and (2) stimuli to assure prompt distribution and accessibility of data to the scientific community. These and other recommendations were recorded by the SOFIA Science Working Group in 1995, when the KAO was decommissioned to start work on SOFIA. Further operational and organizational factors contributing to the success of the KAO program are described. Their incorporation into SOFIA operations will help assure the success of this new airborne observatory. SOFIA is supported by NASA in the U.S. and DLR (the German Aerospace Center) in Germany.

A new DOAS instrument on long-distance IAGOS-CARIBIC flights and airborne DOAS applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penth, Lara; Frieß, Udo; Pöhler, Denis; Platt, Ulrich; Zahn, Andreas

2017-04-01

Within the IAGOS-CARIBIC project airborne DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) measurements of atmospheric trace gases are performed aboard a commercial long range passenger aircraft from Lufthansa since 2005. They provide a unique dataset for episodic, long-term and seasonal observations. The DOAS instrument is the only remote sensing technique aboard. DOAS is a well-established remote sensing technique to retrieve trace gas columns in the atmosphere from scattered light spectra of the sun. A series of trace gas species can be observed simultaneously, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), bromine oxide (BrO), nitrous acid (HONO), formaldehyde (HCHO) and ozone (O3). Since DOAS is a contact-free measurement technique, it is specially well suited for measuring highly reactive trace gases. It is widely used on different platforms and the airborne DOAS measurements are filling the gap between ground-based measurements and satellite data. The CARIBIC DOAS instrument is divided into an instrument unit within the CARIBIC container in the cargo hold of the aircraft, a telescope unit, which is specially designed for the permanently mounted pylon underneath the aircraft, and fiber optics in between. The instrument unit consists of three temperature stabilized spectrometers and the readout and control electronics. The telescope unit contains three telescopes, which observe scattered sunlight to the right under the elevation angles of +10˚ , -10˚ and -82˚ (nadir) relative to the horizon. This measurement geometry allows the separation of boundary layer, free tropospheric and stratospheric trace gas columns along the flight track. A new DOAS instrument was designed and installed in 2016 (first flights expected from March 2017) to improve the detection limits of NO2, SO2, BrO, HCHO, HONO, O3 and O4. Furthermore, an extended wavelength range allows to measure in addition iodine monoxide (a potentially important oxidant in the free troposphere

MIDWEST PROGRAM ON AIRBORNE TELEVISION INSTRUCTION -- A REGIONAL EXPLORATION IN EDUCATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

IVEY, JOHN E.; AND OTHERS

STARTING IN FEBRUARY 1961, THE MIDWEST PROGRAM ON AIRBORNE TELEVISION INSTRUCTION (MPATI) TRANSMITTED COURSES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, SCIENCE, ARITHMETIC, ART, THE HUMANITIES, MUSIC, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TO 18 SCHOOLS IN THE MIDWEST. THE AIRBORNE TELECAST OPERATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND TRANSMITTED COURSES OVER AN AREA…

Feasibility of airborne detection of laser-induced fluorescence emissions from green terrestrial plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.; Yungel, J. K.

1983-01-01

The present investigation provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the airborne detection of the laser-induced fluorescence spectral emissions from living terrestrial grasses, shrubs, and trees using existing levels of lidar technology. Airborne studies were performed to ascertain system requirements necessary to detect laser-induced fluorescence from living terrestrial plants, to assess the practical acquisition of useful single-shot laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) waveforms over vegetative canopies, and to determine the comparative suitability of laser system, airborne platform, and terrestrial environmental parameters. The field experiment was conducted on May 3, 1982, over the northern portion of Wallops Island, VA. Attention is given to airborne lidar results and the description of laboratory investigations.

Can airborne ultrasound monitor bubble size in chocolate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, N.; Hazlehurst, T.; Povey, M.; Vieira, J.; Sundara, R.; Sandoz, J.-P.

2014-04-01

Aerated chocolate products consist of solid chocolate with the inclusion of bubbles and are a popular consumer product in many countries. The volume fraction and size distribution of the bubbles has an effect on their sensory properties and manufacturing cost. For these reasons it is important to have an online real time process monitoring system capable of measuring their bubble size distribution. As these products are eaten by consumers it is desirable that the monitoring system is non contact to avoid food contaminations. In this work we assess the feasibility of using an airborne ultrasound system to monitor the bubble size distribution in aerated chocolate bars. The experimental results from the airborne acoustic experiments were compared with theoretical results for known bubble size distributions using COMSOL Multiphysics. This combined experimental and theoretical approach is used to develop a greater understanding of how ultrasound propagates through aerated chocolate and to assess the feasibility of using airborne ultrasound to monitor bubble size distribution in these systems. The results indicated that a smaller bubble size distribution would result in an increase in attenuation through the product.

Airborne trace contaminants of possible interest in CELSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garavelli, J. S.

1986-01-01

One design goal of Closed Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) for long duration space missions is to maintain an atmosphere which is healthy for all the desirable biological species and not deleterious to any of the mechanical components in that atmosphere. CELESS design must take into account the interactions of at least six major components; (1) humans and animals, (2) higher plants, (3) microalgae, (4) bacteria and fungi, (5) the waste processing system, and (6) other mechanical systems. Each of these major components can be both a source and a target of airborne trace contaminants in a CELSS. A range of possible airborne trace contaminants is discussed within a chemical classification scheme. These contaminants are analyzed with respect to their probable sources among the six major components and their potential effects on those components. Data on airborne chemical contaminants detected in shuttle missions is presented along with this analysis. The observed concentrations of several classes of compounds, including hydrocarbons, halocarbons, halosilanes, amines and nitrogen oxides, are considered with respect to the problems which they present to CELSS.

Microbial Transformation of Dicarboxylic Acids by Airborne Bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cote, V.; Ariya, P.

2004-05-01

Organic aerosols are assumed to be key players in driving climatic changes and can cause health problems for human. Dicarboxylic acids (DCA) include a large fraction of identified important class of organic aerosols. In addition to direct sources, DCA are partly formed as the result of ozonolysis of terpenes and cyclic alkenes. Previous works in our laboratory show that airborne fungi collected from urban and suburban air play an important role in the transformation of severals organic aerosols such as DCA. Our present study focuses on understanding the potential chemical transformation induced by airborne bacteria and on identification of the transformation products. Airborne bacteria have been collected using a biosampler and cultivated on a solid media. Each bacterial colony is being tested by HPLC for their ability to transform DCA in liquid cultures. Also, GC-MS, SPME and NMR are being used to identify the metabolites generated from the transformation. We will present our preliminary results and we will discuss the application of bacterial activities on the chemical transformation of organics in atmosphere.

Airborne Proximity Warning Instrument Laboratory Tests

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-01-01

An Airborne Proximity Warning Instrument (APWI) designed and manufactured by Rock Avionics, New York, was subjected to a short laboratory test at the Transportation Systems Center to determine the suitability of this product for further evaluation as...

Airborne laser scanning for high-resolution mapping of Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csatho, Bea; Schenk, Toni; Krabill, William; Wilson, Terry; Lyons, William; McKenzie, Garry; Hallam, Cheryl; Manizade, Serdar; Paulsen, Timothy

In order to evaluate the potential of airborne laser scanning for topographic mapping in Antarctica and to establish calibration/validation sites for NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) altimeter mission, NASA, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) joined forces to collect high-resolution airborne laser scanning data.In a two-week campaign during the 2001-2002 austral summer, NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) system was used to collect data over several sites in the McMurdo Sound area of Antarctica (Figure 1a). From the recorded signals, NASA computed laser points and The Ohio State University (OSU) completed the elaborate computation/verification of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in 2003. This article reports about the DEM generation and some exemplary results from scientists using the geomorphologic information from the DEMs during the 2003-2004 field season.

Airborne bacteria in the atmosphere: Presence, purpose, and potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smets, Wenke; Moretti, Serena; Denys, Siegfried; Lebeer, Sarah

2016-08-01

Numerous recent studies have highlighted that the types of bacteria present in the atmosphere often show predictable patterns across space and time. These patterns can be driven by differences in bacterial sources of the atmosphere and a wide range of environmental factors, including UV intensity, precipitation events, and humidity. The abundance of certain bacterial taxa is of interest, not only for their ability to mediate a range of chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere, such as cloud formation and ice nucleation, but also for their implications -both beneficial and detrimental-for human health. Consequently, the widespread importance of airborne bacteria has stimulated the search for their applicability. Improving air quality, modelling the dispersal of airborne bacteria (e.g. pathogens) and biotechnological purposes are already being explored. Nevertheless, many technological challenges still need to be overcome to fully understand the roles of airborne bacteria in our health and global ecosystems.

Tropospheric and Airborne Emission Spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glavich, Thomas; Beer, Reinhard

1996-01-01

X This paper describes the development of two related instruments, the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES). Both instruments are infrared imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometers, used for measuring the state of the lower atmosphere, and in particular the measurement of ozone and ozone sources and sinks.

Sunphotometric Measurement of Columnar H2O and Aerosol Optical Depth During the 3rd Water Vapor IOP in Fall 2000 at the SGP ARM Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmid, B; Eilers, J. A.; McIntosh, D. M.; Longo, K.; Livingston, J. M.; Redemann, J.; Russell, P. B.; Braun, J.; Rocken, C.; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We conducted ground-based measurements with the Ames Airborne Tracking 6-channel Sunphotometer (AATS-6) during the 3rd Water Vapor IOP (WVIOP3), September 18 - October 8, 2000 at the SGP ARM site. For this deployment our primary result was columnar water vapor (CWV) obtained from continuous solar transmittance measurements in the 0.94-micron band. In addition, we simultaneously measured aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 380, 450, 525, 864 and 1020 nm. During the IOP, preliminary results of CWV and AOD were displayed in real-time. The result files were made available to other investigators by noon of the next day. During WVIOP3 those data were shown on the daily intercomparison plots on the IOP web-site. Our preliminary results for CWV fell within the spread of values obtained from other techniques. After conclusion of WVIOP3, AATS-6 was shipped directly to Mauna Loa, Hawaii for post-mission calibration. The updated calibration, a cloud screening technique for AOD, along with other mostly cosmetic changes were applied to the WVIOP3 data set and released as version 0.1. The resulting changes in CWV are small, the changes in AOD and Angstrom parameter are more noticeable. Data version 0.1 was successfully submitted to the ARM External Data Center. In the poster we will show data examples for both CWV and AOD. We will also compare our CWV results with those obtained from a GPS (Global Positioning System) slant path method.

A Track Initiation Method for the Underwater Target Tracking Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong-dong; Lin, Yang; Zhang, Yao

2018-04-01

A novel efficient track initiation method is proposed for the harsh underwater target tracking environment (heavy clutter and large measurement errors): track splitting, evaluating, pruning and merging method (TSEPM). Track initiation demands that the method should determine the existence and initial state of a target quickly and correctly. Heavy clutter and large measurement errors certainly pose additional difficulties and challenges, which deteriorate and complicate the track initiation in the harsh underwater target tracking environment. There are three primary shortcomings for the current track initiation methods to initialize a target: (a) they cannot eliminate the turbulences of clutter effectively; (b) there may be a high false alarm probability and low detection probability of a track; (c) they cannot estimate the initial state for a new confirmed track correctly. Based on the multiple hypotheses tracking principle and modified logic-based track initiation method, in order to increase the detection probability of a track, track splitting creates a large number of tracks which include the true track originated from the target. And in order to decrease the false alarm probability, based on the evaluation mechanism, track pruning and track merging are proposed to reduce the false tracks. TSEPM method can deal with the track initiation problems derived from heavy clutter and large measurement errors, determine the target's existence and estimate its initial state with the least squares method. What's more, our method is fully automatic and does not require any kind manual input for initializing and tuning any parameter. Simulation results indicate that our new method improves significantly the performance of the track initiation in the harsh underwater target tracking environment.

Airborne Astronomy Symposium. A symposium commemorating the tenth anniversary of operations of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, H. A., Jr. (Editor); Erickson, E. F. (Editor)

1984-01-01

Airborne infrared astronomy is discussed with respect to observations of the solar system, stars, star formation, and the interstellar medium. Far infrared characteristics of the Milky Way, its center, and other galaxies are considered. The instrumentation associated with IR astronomy is addressed.

All-Fiber Airborne Coherent Doppler Lidar to Measure Wind Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiqiao; Zhu, Xiaopeng; Diao, Weifeng; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Yuan; Bi, Decang; Jiang, Liyuan; Shi, Wei; Zhu, Xiaolei; Chen, Weibiao

2016-06-01

An all-fiber airborne pulsed coherent Doppler lidar (CDL) prototype at 1.54μm is developed to measure wind profiles in the lower troposphere layer. The all-fiber single frequency pulsed laser is operated with pulse energy of 300μJ, pulse width of 400ns and pulse repetition rate of 10kHz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest pulse energy of all-fiber eye-safe single frequency laser that is used in airborne coherent wind lidar. The telescope optical diameter of monostatic lidar is 100 mm. Velocity-Azimuth-Display (VAD) scanning is implemented with 20 degrees elevation angle in 8 different azimuths. Real-time signal processing board is developed to acquire and process the heterodyne mixing signal with 10000 pulses spectra accumulated every second. Wind profiles are obtained every 20 seconds. Several experiments are implemented to evaluate the performance of the lidar. We have carried out airborne wind lidar experiments successfully, and the wind profiles are compared with aerological theodolite and ground based wind lidar. Wind speed standard error of less than 0.4m/s is shown between airborne wind lidar and balloon aerological theodolite.

Mismatch in aeroallergens and airborne grass pollen concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaza, M. P.; Alcázar, P.; Hernández-Ceballos, M. A.; Galán, C.

2016-11-01

An accurate estimation of the allergen concentration in the atmosphere is essential for allergy sufferers. The major cause of pollinosis all over Europe is due to grass pollen and Phl p 5 has the highest rates of sensitization (>50%) in patients with grass pollen-induced allergy. However, recent research has shown that airborne pollen does not always offer a clear indicator of exposure to aeroallergens. This study aims to evaluate relations between airborne grass pollen and Phl p 5 concentrations in Córdoba (southern Spain) and to study how meteorological parameters influence these atmospheric records. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Hirst-type volumetric spore trap was used for pollen collection, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA). Aeroallergen sampling was performed using a low-volume cyclone sampler, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Besides, the influence of main meteorological factors on local airborne pollen and allergen concentrations was surveyed. A significant correlation was observed between grass pollen and Phl p 5 allergen concentrations during the pollen season, but with some sporadic discrepancy episodes. The cumulative annual Pollen Index also varied considerably. A significant correlation has been obtained between airborne pollen and minimum temperature, relative humidity and precipitation, during the three studied years. However, there is no clear relationship between allergens and weather variables. Our findings suggest that the correlation between grass pollen and aeroallergen Phl p 5 concentrations varies from year-to-year probably related to a complex interplay of meteorological variables.

WHICH AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS POSE THE GREATEST RISK TO WESTERN NATIONAL PARKS (USA)?

EPA Science Inventory

The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants where having an impact on remote western ecosystems. Multiple sample media (snow, water, sediment, fish and terrestrial vegetatio...

Relationship between airborne pollen count and treatment outcome in Japanese cedar pollinosis patients.

PubMed

Takasaki, Kenji; Enatsu, Kaori; Kumagami, Hidetaka; Takahashi, Haruo

2009-05-01

In Japan, information on daily Japanese cedar pollen counts is made public during pollen season. If symptom severity and treatment outcome are predictable according to these pollen counts, management of seasonal allergic rhinitis may become more precise. The aims of the study were to evaluate the relationship between airborne pollen counts, symptom severity and treatment outcome in Japanese cedar pollinosis patients. In the randomized study, patients with moderate to most severe Japanese pollinosis were treated with fexofenadine (60 mg BD) or fexofenadine and nasal corticosteroids for 2 weeks. During the same period daily airborne pollen counts were measured. A total of 105 adult patients were enrolled. No difference of treatment efficacy was seen among groups. Detailed results of efficacy and safety were previously described elsewhere. In univariate analysis, the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen exposure for 4 days prior to the study tended to affect symptom severity (P = 0.053) and the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen during the treatment period tended to show difference among five treatment outcome categories (P = 0.066). In multivariate analysis, the mean cumulative amount of airborne pollen exposure for 4 days prior to the study was identified as the only significant factor of symptom severity (P = 0.0327) and cumulative amount of airborne pollen during the treatment period (P = 0.027) and allergic history (P = 0.027) were significant factors of treatment outcomes. No serious adverse effect was reported during the study. The amount of airborne pollen may be predictive of both symptom severity and treatment outcome.

Comparative performance of three sampling techniques to detect airborne Salmonella species in poultry farms.

PubMed

Adell, Elisa; Moset, Verónica; Zhao, Yang; Jiménez-Belenguer, Ana; Cerisuelo, Alba; Cambra-López, María

2014-01-01

Sampling techniques to detect airborne Salmonella species (spp.) in two pilot scale broiler houses were compared. Broilers were inoculated at seven days of age with a marked strain of Salmonella enteritidis. The rearing cycle lasted 42 days during the summer. Airborne Salmonella spp. were sampled weekly using impaction, gravitational settling, and impingement techniques. Additionally, Salmonella spp. were sampled on feeders, drinkers, walls, and in the litter. Environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and airborne particulate matter (PM) concentration) were monitored during the rearing cycle. The presence of Salmonella spp. was determined by culture-dependent and molecular methods. No cultivable Salmonella spp. were recovered from the poultry houses' surfaces, the litter, or the air before inoculation. After inoculation, cultivable Salmonella spp. were recovered from the surfaces and in the litter. Airborne cultivable Salmonella spp. Were detected using impaction and gravitational settling one or two weeks after the detection of Salmonella spp. in the litter. No cultivable Salmonella spp. were recovered using impingement based on culture-dependent techniques. At low airborne concentrations, the use of impingement for the quantification or detection of cultivable airborne Salmonella spp. is not recommended. In these cases, a combination of culture-dependent and culture-independent methods is recommended. These data are valuable to improve current measures to control the transmission of pathogens in livestock environments and for optimising the sampling and detection of airborne Salmonella spp. in practical conditions.

Hardware Design for a Fixed-Wing Airborne Gravity Measurement System

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-22

worldwide navigation system currently available that is sufficiently accurate for deter- mining Eotvos correction in airborne gravimetry is the Global...better in defining the strength of precipitation . The radar display is compact enough to be mounted on the cockpit, thus giving the pilots better...of the proposed AGMS version 3 MISCELLANEOUS AIRCRAFT CONSIDERATIONS Autopilot One of the most important considerations in airborne gravimetry is

Effect of cross-correlation on track-to-track fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Rajat K.

1994-07-01

Since the advent of target tracking systems employing a diverse mixture of sensors, there has been increasing recognition by air defense system planners and other military system analysts of the need to integrate these tracks so that a clear air picture can be obtained in a command center. A popular methodology to achieve this goal is to perform track-to-track fusion, which performs track-to-track association as well as kinematic state vector fusion. This paper seeks to answer analytically the extent of improvement achievable by means of kinetic state vector fusion when the tracks are obtained from dissimilar sensors (e.g., Radar/ESM/IRST/IFF). It is well known that evaluation of the performance of state vector fusion algorithms at steady state must take into account the effects of cross-correlation between eligible tracks introduced by the input noise which, unfortunately, is often neglected because of added computational complexity. In this paper, an expression for the steady-state cross-covariance matrix for a 2D state vector track-to-track fusion is obtained. This matrix is shown to be a function of the parameters of the Kalman filters associated with the candidate tracks being fused. Conditions for positive definiteness of the cross-covariance matrix have been derived and the effect of positive definiteness on performance of track-to-track fusion is also discussed.

NucliTrack: an integrated nuclei tracking application.

PubMed

Cooper, Sam; Barr, Alexis R; Glen, Robert; Bakal, Chris

2017-10-15

Live imaging studies give unparalleled insight into dynamic single cell behaviours and fate decisions. However, the challenge of reliably tracking single cells over long periods of time limits both the throughput and ease with which such studies can be performed. Here, we present NucliTrack, a cross platform solution for automatically segmenting, tracking and extracting features from fluorescently labelled nuclei. NucliTrack performs similarly to other state-of-the-art cell tracking algorithms, but NucliTrack's interactive, graphical interface makes it significantly more user friendly. NucliTrack is available as a free, cross platform application and open source Python package. Installation details and documentation are at: http://nuclitrack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ A video guide can be viewed online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6e0D9F-qSU Source code is available through Github: https://github.com/samocooper/nuclitrack. A Matlab toolbox is also available at: https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/61479-samocooper-nuclitrack-matlab. sam@socooper.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Development of unauthorized airborne emission source identification procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shtripling, L. O.; Bazhenov, V. V.; Varakina, N. S.; Kupriyanova, N. P.

2018-01-01

The paper presents the procedure for searching sources of unauthorized airborne emissions. To make reasonable regulation decisions on airborne pollutant emissions and to ensure the environmental safety of population, the procedure provides for the determination of a pollutant mass emission value from the source being the cause of high pollution level and the search of a previously unrecognized contamination source in a specified area. To determine the true value of mass emission from the source, the minimum of the mean-root-square mismatch criterion between the computed and measured pollutant concentration in the given location is used.

DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS USING AIRBORNE LWIR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING

EPA Science Inventory

Airborne longwave infrared LWIR) hyperspectral imagery was utilized to detect and identify gaseous chemical release plumes at sites in sourthern Texzas. The Airborne Hysperspectral Imager (AHI), developed by the University of Hawaii was flown over a petrochemical facility and a ...

UAVSAR - A New Airborne L-Band Radar for Repeat Pass Interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mace, Thomas H.; Lou, Yunling

2009-01-01

NASA/JPL has developed a new airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which has become available for use by the scientific community in January, 2009. Pod mounted, the UAVSAR was designed to be portable among a variety of aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The instrument operates in the L-Band, has a resolution under 2m from a GPS altitude of 12Km and a swath width of approximately 20Km. UAVSAR currently flies on a modified Gulfstream-III aircraft, operated by NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The G-III platform enables repeat-pass interferometric measurements, by using a modified autopilot and precise kinematic differential GPS to repeatedly fly the aircraft within a specified 10m tube. The antenna is electronically steered along track to assure that the antenna beam can be directed independently, regardless of speed and wind direction. The instrument can be controlled remotely, AS AN OPTION, using the Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL). This allows simulation of the telepresence environment necessary for flight on UAS. Potential earth science research and applications include surface deformation, volcano studies, ice sheet dynamics, and vegetation structure.

Wide-field airborne laser diode array illuminator: demonstration results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suiter, H. R.; Holloway, J. H., Jr.; Tinsley, K. R.; Pham, C. N.; Kloess, E. C., III; Witherspoon, N. H.; Stetson, S.; Crosby, F.; Nevis, A.; McCarley, K. A.; Seales, T. C.

2005-06-01

The Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technology (ALRT) program has successfully demonstrated the Wide-Field Airborne Laser Diode Array Illuminator (ALDAI-W). This illuminator is designed to illuminate a large area from the air with limited power, weight, and volume. A detection system, of which the ALDAI-W is a central portion, is capable of detecting surface-laid minefields in absolute darkness, extending the allowed mission times to night operations. This will be an overview report, giving processing results and suggested paths for additional development.

Sterilizing effects of high-intensity airborne sonic and ultrasonic waves.

PubMed

Pisano, M A; Boucher, M G; Alcamo, I E

1966-09-01

The lethal effects of high-intensity airborne sonic (9.9 kc/sec) and ultrasonic waves (30.4 kc/sec) on spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger ATCC 9372 were determined. The spores, which were deposited on filter-paper strips, were exposed to sound waves for periods varying from 1 to 8 hr, at a temperature of 40 C and a relative humidity of 40%. Significant reductions in the viable counts of spores exposed to airborne sonic or ultrasonic irradiations were obtained. The antibacterial activity of airborne sound waves varied with the sound intensity level, the period of irradiation, and the distance of the sample from the sound source. At similar intensity levels, the amplitude of motion of the sound waves appeared to be a factor in acoustic sterilization.

Improvements to GPS Airborne Radio Occultation in the Lower Troposphere Through Implementation of the Phase Matching Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, K.-N.; Garrison, J. L.; Haase, J. S.; Murphy, B. J.

2017-10-01

Airborne radio occultation (ARO) is a remote sensing technique for atmospheric sounding using Global Positioning System signals received by an airborne instrument. The atmospheric refractivity profile, which depends on pressure, temperature, and water vapor, can be retrieved by measuring the signal delay due to the refractive medium through which the signal traverses. The ARO system was developed to make repeated observations within an individual meteorological event such as a tropical storm, regardless of the presence of clouds and precipitation, and complements existing observation techniques such as dropsondes and satellite remote sensing. RO systems can suffer multipath ray propagation in the lower troposphere if there are strong refractivity gradients, for example, due to a highly variable moisture distribution or a sharp boundary layer, interfering with continuous carrier phase tracking as well as complicating retrievals. The phase matching method has now been adapted for ARO and is shown to reduce negative biases in the refractivity retrieval by providing robust retrievals of bending angle in the presence of multipath. The retrieval results are presented for a flight campaign in September 2010 for Hurricane Karl in the Caribbean Sea. The accuracy is assessed through comparison with the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis. The fractional difference in refractivity can be maintained at a standard deviation of 2% from flight level down to a height of 2 km. The phase matching method decreases the negative refractivity bias by as much as 4% over the classical geometrical optics retrieval method.

Very-High-Frequency Aerosat Airborne Terminal

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-12-01

This report summarizes the result of a study aimed at defining the airborne VHF terminal for the experimental AEROSAT program. The system consists of a 22-channel VHF transceiver for full-duplex operation. Provisions are made for voice, data, and sur...

The risk of airborne influenza transmission in passenger cars.

PubMed

Knibbs, L D; Morawska, L; Bell, S C

2012-03-01

Travel in passenger cars is a ubiquitous aspect of the daily activities of many people. During the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic a case of probable transmission during car travel was reported in Australia, to which spread via the airborne route may have contributed. However, there are no data to indicate the likely risks of such events, and how they may vary and be mitigated. To address this knowledge gap, we estimated the risk of airborne influenza transmission in two cars (1989 model and 2005 model) by employing ventilation measurements and a variation of the Wells-Riley model. Results suggested that infection risk can be reduced by not recirculating air; however, estimated risk ranged from 59% to 99·9% for a 90-min trip when air was recirculated in the newer vehicle. These results have implications for interrupting in-car transmission of other illnesses spread by the airborne route.

Typical Applications of Airborne LIDAR Technolagy in Geological Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, X.; Xiao, C.

2018-05-01

The technology of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), also referred to as Airborne Laser Scanning, is widely used for high-resolution topographic data acquisition (even under forest cover) with sub-meter planimetric and vertical accuracy. This contribution constructs the real digital terrain model to provide the direct observation data for the landscape analysis in geological domains. Based on the advantage of LiDAR, the authors mainly deal with the applications of LiDAR data to such fields as surface land collapse, landslide and fault structure extraction. The review conclusion shows that airborne LiDAR technology is becoming an indispensable tool for above mentioned issues, especially in the local and large scale investigations of micro-topography. The technology not only can identify the surface collapse, landslide boundary and subtle faulted landform, but also be able to extract the filling parameters of collapsed surface, the geomorphic parameters of landslide stability evaluation and cracks. This technology has extensive prospect of applications in geological investigation.

NEON Airborne Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kampe, T. U.; Leisso, N.; Krause, K.; Karpowicz, B. M.

2012-12-01

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is the continental-scale research platform that will collect information on ecosystems across the United States to advance our understanding and ability to forecast environmental change at the continental scale. One of NEON's observing systems, the Airborne Observation Platform (AOP), will fly an instrument suite consisting of a high-fidelity visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer, a full waveform small footprint LiDAR, and a high-resolution digital camera on a low-altitude aircraft platform. NEON AOP is focused on acquiring data on several terrestrial Essential Climate Variables including bioclimate, biodiversity, biogeochemistry, and land use products. These variables are collected throughout a network of 60 sites across the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico via ground-based and airborne measurements. Airborne remote sensing plays a critical role by providing measurements at the scale of individual shrubs and larger plants over hundreds of square kilometers. The NEON AOP plays the role of bridging the spatial scales from that of individual organisms and stands to the scale of satellite-based remote sensing. NEON is building 3 airborne systems to facilitate the routine coverage of NEON sites and provide the capacity to respond to investigator requests for specific projects. The first NEON imaging spectrometer, a next-generation VSWIR instrument, was recently delivered to NEON by JPL. This instrument has been integrated with a small-footprint waveform LiDAR on the first NEON airborne platform (AOP-1). A series of AOP-1 test flights were conducted during the first year of NEON's construction phase. The goal of these flights was to test out instrument functionality and performance, exercise remote sensing collection protocols, and provide provisional data for algorithm and data product validation. These test flights focused the following questions: What is the optimal remote

Subsetting Tools for Enabling Easy Access to International Airborne Chemistry Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Northup, E. A.; Chen, G.; Quam, B. M.; Beach, A. L., III; Silverman, M. L.; Early, A. B.

2017-12-01

In response to the Research Opportunities in Earth and Space Science (ROSES) 2015 release announcement for Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science (ACCESS), researchers at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) proposed to extend the capabilities of the existing Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) to include subsetting functionality to allow for easier access to international airborne field campaign data. Airborne field studies are commonly used to gain a detailed understanding of atmospheric processes for scientific research on international climate change and air quality issues. To accommodate the rigorous process for manipulating airborne field study chemistry data, and to lessen barriers for researchers, TAD was created with the ability to geolocate data from various sources measured on different time scales from a single flight. The analysis of airborne chemistry data typically requires data subsetting, which can be challenging and resource-intensive for end users. In an effort to streamline this process, new data subsetting features and updates to the current database model will be added to the TAD toolset. These will include two subsetters: temporal and spatial, and vertical profile. The temporal and spatial subsetter will allow users to both focus on data from a specific location and/or time period. The vertical profile subsetter will retrieve data collected during an individual aircraft ascent or descent spiral. These new web-based tools will allow for automation of the typically labor-intensive manual data subsetting process, which will provide users with data tailored to their specific research interests. The system has been designed to allow for new in-situ airborne missions to be added as they become available, with only minor pre-processing required. The development of these enhancements will be discussed in this presentation.

Inverse modeling methods for indoor airborne pollutant tracking: literature review and fundamentals.

PubMed

Liu, X; Zhai, Z

2007-12-01

Reduction in indoor environment quality calls for effective control and improvement measures. Accurate and prompt identification of contaminant sources ensures that they can be quickly removed and contaminated spaces isolated and cleaned. This paper discusses the use of inverse modeling to identify potential indoor pollutant sources with limited pollutant sensor data. The study reviews various inverse modeling methods for advection-dispersion problems and summarizes the methods into three major categories: forward, backward, and probability inverse modeling methods. The adjoint probability inverse modeling method is indicated as an appropriate model for indoor air pollutant tracking because it can quickly find source location, strength and release time without prior information. The paper introduces the principles of the adjoint probability method and establishes the corresponding adjoint equations for both multi-zone airflow models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The study proposes a two-stage inverse modeling approach integrating both multi-zone and CFD models, which can provide a rapid estimate of indoor pollution status and history for a whole building. Preliminary case study results indicate that the adjoint probability method is feasible for indoor pollutant inverse modeling. The proposed method can help identify contaminant source characteristics (location and release time) with limited sensor outputs. This will ensure an effective and prompt execution of building management strategies and thus achieve a healthy and safe indoor environment. The method can also help design optimal sensor networks.

Integrated micro-optofluidic platform for real-time detection of airborne microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jeongan; Kang, Miran; Jung, Jae Hee

2015-11-01

We demonstrate an integrated micro-optofluidic platform for real-time, continuous detection and quantification of airborne microorganisms. Measurements of the fluorescence and light scattering from single particles in a microfluidic channel are used to determine the total particle number concentration and the microorganism number concentration in real-time. The system performance is examined by evaluating standard particle measurements with various sample flow rates and the ratios of fluorescent to non-fluorescent particles. To apply this method to real-time detection of airborne microorganisms, airborne Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis cells were introduced into the micro-optofluidic platform via bioaerosol generation, and a liquid-type particle collection setup was used. We demonstrate successful discrimination of SYTO82-dyed fluorescent bacterial cells from other residue particles in a continuous and real-time manner. In comparison with traditional microscopy cell counting and colony culture methods, this micro-optofluidic platform is not only more accurate in terms of the detection efficiency for airborne microorganisms but it also provides additional information on the total particle number concentration.

Integrated micro-optofluidic platform for real-time detection of airborne microorganisms

PubMed Central

Choi, Jeongan; Kang, Miran; Jung, Jae Hee

2015-01-01

We demonstrate an integrated micro-optofluidic platform for real-time, continuous detection and quantification of airborne microorganisms. Measurements of the fluorescence and light scattering from single particles in a microfluidic channel are used to determine the total particle number concentration and the microorganism number concentration in real-time. The system performance is examined by evaluating standard particle measurements with various sample flow rates and the ratios of fluorescent to non-fluorescent particles. To apply this method to real-time detection of airborne microorganisms, airborne Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis cells were introduced into the micro-optofluidic platform via bioaerosol generation, and a liquid-type particle collection setup was used. We demonstrate successful discrimination of SYTO82-dyed fluorescent bacterial cells from other residue particles in a continuous and real-time manner. In comparison with traditional microscopy cell counting and colony culture methods, this micro-optofluidic platform is not only more accurate in terms of the detection efficiency for airborne microorganisms but it also provides additional information on the total particle number concentration. PMID:26522006

Airborne volcanic plume measurements using a FTIR spectrometer, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGee, K.A.; Gerlach, T.M.

1998-01-01

A prototype closed-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometer system (FTIK), operating from battery power and with a Stirling engine microcooler for detector cooling, was successfully used for airborne measurements of sulfur dioxide at Kilauea volcano. Airborne profiles of the volcanic plume emanating from the erupting Pu'u 'O'o vent on the East Rift of Kilauea revealed levels of nearly 3 ppm SO2 in the core of the plume. An emission rate of 2,160 metric tons per day of sulfur dioxide was calculated from the FTIR data, which agrees closely with simultaneous measurements by a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC). The rapid spatial sampling possible from an airborne platform distinguishes the methodology described here from previous FTIR measurements.

Airborne multicamera system for geo-spatial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachnak, Rafic; Kulkarni, Rahul R.; Lyle, Stacey; Steidley, Carl W.

2003-08-01

Airborne remote sensing has many applications that include vegetation detection, oceanography, marine biology, geographical information systems, and environmental coastal science analysis. Remotely sensed images, for example, can be used to study the aftermath of episodic events such as the hurricanes and floods that occur year round in the coastal bend area of Corpus Christi. This paper describes an Airborne Multi-Spectral Imaging System that uses digital cameras to provide high resolution at very high rates. The software is based on Delphi 5.0 and IC Imaging Control's ActiveX controls. Both time and the GPS coordinates are recorded. Three successful test flights have been conducted so far. The paper present flight test results and discusses the issues being addressed to fully develop the system.

Airborne Laser Hydrography II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philpot, W.; Wozencraft, J.

2016-02-01

In 1985, Dr. Gary Guenther assembled the text, "Airborne Laser Hydrography" which quickly became a heavily used manual and guide for any and all scientists and engineers involved with airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB). It was a remarkable book that captured a snapshot of the state of the art of ALB and included historical developments, theoretical and modeling efforts as well as design characteristics and constraints, ending with accuracy assessment and a discussion of design tradeoffs. Known familiarly as the "Blue Book" it served the community remarkably well for many years. At 30 years of age, it is still a valued reference, but unavoidably dated in a field that has developed rapidly and nonstop over the intervening years. It is time for an update. The new text is attempt by the ALB community to update and expand upon Guenther's text. Like the original, Blue Book II reviews the historical developments in ALB, extending them into the 21st century, considers basic environmental water optical properties, theoretical developments, data processing and performance evaluation. All have progressed dramatically in the past 30 years. This paper presents an outline of the new book, a description of the contents, with emphasis on the theoretical models of the lidar waveform and its propagation through, and interaction with the water.

10 CFR 20.1203 - Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material. 20.1203 Section 20.1203 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION Occupational Dose Limits § 20.1203 Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive...

10 CFR 20.1203 - Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material. 20.1203 Section 20.1203 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION Occupational Dose Limits § 20.1203 Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive...

10 CFR 20.1203 - Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material. 20.1203 Section 20.1203 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION Occupational Dose Limits § 20.1203 Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive...

10 CFR 20.1203 - Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material. 20.1203 Section 20.1203 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION Occupational Dose Limits § 20.1203 Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive...

10 CFR 20.1203 - Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive material. 20.1203 Section 20.1203 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION Occupational Dose Limits § 20.1203 Determination of external dose from airborne radioactive...

Pig Farmers’ Homes Harbor More Diverse Airborne Bacterial Communities Than Pig Stables or Suburban Homes

PubMed Central

Vestergaard, Ditte V.; Holst, Gitte J.; Basinas, Ioannis; Elholm, Grethe; Schlünssen, Vivi; Linneberg, Allan; Šantl-Temkiv, Tina; Finster, Kai; Sigsgaard, Torben; Marshall, Ian P. G.

2018-01-01

Airborne bacterial communities are subject to conditions ill-suited to microbial activity and growth. In spite of this, air is an important transfer medium for bacteria, with the bacteria in indoor air having potentially major consequences for the health of a building’s occupants. A major example is the decreased diversity and altered composition of indoor airborne microbial communities as a proposed explanation for the increasing prevalence of asthma and allergies worldwide. Previous research has shown that living on a farm confers protection against development of asthma and allergies, with airborne bacteria suggested as playing a role in this protective effect. However, the composition of this beneficial microbial community has still not been identified. We sampled settled airborne dust using a passive dust sampler from Danish pig stables, associated farmers’ homes, and from suburban homes (267 samples in total) and carried out quantitative PCR measurements of bacterial abundance and MiSeq sequencing of the V3–V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes found in these samples. Airborne bacteria had a greater diversity and were significantly more abundant in pig stables and farmers’ homes than suburban homes (Wilcoxon rank sum test P < 0.05). Moreover, bacterial taxa previously suggested to contribute to a protective effect had significantly higher relative and absolute abundance in pig stables and farmers’ homes than in suburban homes (ALDEx2 with P < 0.05), including Firmicutes, Peptostreptococcaceae, Prevotellaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminiclostridium, and Lactobacillus. Pig stables had significantly lower airborne bacterial diversity than farmers’ homes, and there was no discernable direct transfer of airborne bacteria from stable to home. This study identifies differences in indoor airborne bacterial communities that may be an important component of this putative protective effect, while showing that pig stables themselves do not appear

Pig Farmers' Homes Harbor More Diverse Airborne Bacterial Communities Than Pig Stables or Suburban Homes.

PubMed

Vestergaard, Ditte V; Holst, Gitte J; Basinas, Ioannis; Elholm, Grethe; Schlünssen, Vivi; Linneberg, Allan; Šantl-Temkiv, Tina; Finster, Kai; Sigsgaard, Torben; Marshall, Ian P G

2018-01-01

Airborne bacterial communities are subject to conditions ill-suited to microbial activity and growth. In spite of this, air is an important transfer medium for bacteria, with the bacteria in indoor air having potentially major consequences for the health of a building's occupants. A major example is the decreased diversity and altered composition of indoor airborne microbial communities as a proposed explanation for the increasing prevalence of asthma and allergies worldwide. Previous research has shown that living on a farm confers protection against development of asthma and allergies, with airborne bacteria suggested as playing a role in this protective effect. However, the composition of this beneficial microbial community has still not been identified. We sampled settled airborne dust using a passive dust sampler from Danish pig stables, associated farmers' homes, and from suburban homes (267 samples in total) and carried out quantitative PCR measurements of bacterial abundance and MiSeq sequencing of the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes found in these samples. Airborne bacteria had a greater diversity and were significantly more abundant in pig stables and farmers' homes than suburban homes (Wilcoxon rank sum test P < 0.05). Moreover, bacterial taxa previously suggested to contribute to a protective effect had significantly higher relative and absolute abundance in pig stables and farmers' homes than in suburban homes (ALDEx2 with P < 0.05), including Firmicutes, Peptostreptococcaceae, Prevotellaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Ruminiclostridium , and Lactobacillus . Pig stables had significantly lower airborne bacterial diversity than farmers' homes, and there was no discernable direct transfer of airborne bacteria from stable to home. This study identifies differences in indoor airborne bacterial communities that may be an important component of this putative protective effect, while showing that pig stables themselves do not appear to

Predictive models of control strategies involved in containing indoor airborne infections.

PubMed

Chen, S-C; Chang, C-F; Liao, C-M

2006-12-01

Recently developed control measure modeling approaches for containing airborne infections, including engineering controls with respiratory protection and public health interventions, are readily amenable to an integrated-scale analysis. Here we show that such models can be derived from an integrated-scale analysis generated from three different types of functional relationship: Wells-Riley mathematical model, competing-risks model, and Von Foerster equation, both of the key epidemiological determinants involved and of the functional connections between them. We examine mathematically the impact of engineering control measures such as enhanced air exchange and air filtration rates with personal masking combined with public health interventions such as vaccination, isolation, and contact tracing in containing the spread of indoor airborne infections including influenza, chickenpox, measles, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). If enhanced engineering controls could reduce the basic reproductive number (R0) below 1.60 for chickenpox and 3 for measles, our simulations show that in such a prepared response with public health interventions would have a high probability of containing the indoor airborne infections. Combinations of engineering control measures and public health interventions could moderately contain influenza strains with an R0 as high as 4. Our analysis indicates that effective isolation of symptomatic patients with low-efficacy contact tracing is sufficient to control a SARS outbreak. We suggest that a valuable added dimension to public health inventions could be provided by systematically quantifying transmissibility and proportion of asymptomatic infection of indoor airborne infection. Practical Implications We have developed a flexible mathematical model that can help determine the best intervention strategies for containing indoor airborne infections. The approach presented here is scalable and can be extended to include additional control

A Technique for Airborne Aerobiological Sampling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mill, R. A.; And Others

1972-01-01

Report of a study of airborne micro-organisms collected over the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area and immediate environments, to investigate the possibility that a cloud of such organisms might account for the prevalence of some respiratory diseases in and around urban areas. (LK)

Gravity field of the Western Weddell Sea: Comparison of airborne gravity and Geosat derived gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, R. E.; Brozena, J. M.; Haxby, W. F.; Labrecque, J. L.

1989-01-01

Marine gravity surveying in polar regions was typically difficult and costly, requiring expensive long range research vessels and ice-breakers. Satellite altimetry can recover the gravity field in these regions where it is feasible to survey with a surface vessel. Unfortunately, the data collected by the first global altimetry mission, Seasat, was collected only during the austral winter, producing a very poor quality gravitational filed for the southern oceans, particularly in the circum-Antarctic regions. The advent of high quality airborne gravity (Brozena, 1984; Brozena and Peters, 1988; Bell, 1988) and the availability of satellite altimetry data during the austral summer (Sandwell and McAdoo, 1988) has allowed the recovery of a free air gravity field for most of the Weddell Sea. The derivation of the gravity field from both aircraft and satellite measurements are briefly reviewed, before presenting along track comparisons and shaded relief maps of the Weddell Sea gravity field based on these two data sets.

Intercomparison of four airborne imaging DOAS systems for tropospheric NO2 mapping - First results of the AROMAPEX campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tack, Frederik; Merlaud, Alexis; Meier, Andreas; Ge, Xinrui; Meuleman, Koen; Ruhtz, Thomas; van der Wal, Len; Van Roozendael, Michel; Iordache, Daniel; Schönhardt, Anja; Richter, Andreas; Vlemmix, Tim; de Goeij, Bryan; Ardelean, Magdalena; Boscornea, Andreea; Constantin, Daniel; Shaifangar, Reza; Wagner, Thomas; Lampel, Johannes; Schuettemeyer, Dirk

2017-04-01

The AROMAPEX campaign took place in Berlin in April, 2016, co-funded by the EU (EUFAR) and ESA, with the primary objective to intercompare experimental airborne atmospheric imagers dedicated to the mapping of the spatial distribution of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2). AROMAPEX is also a preparatory step for forthcoming intercomparison/validation campaigns of satellite air quality sensors, such as TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument). The instruments were operated from two planes, performing synchronized flights: APEX (VITO/BIRA-IASB) was operated from DLR's DO-228 D-CFFU plane at 6.1 km altitude while AirMAP (IUP Bremen), and the small, lightweight SWING (BIRA-IASB) and Spectrolite (TNO/TU Delft) instruments were operated from the FUB Cessna 207T D-EAFU at 3 km. Two synchronized flights took place on 21 April, 2016, the only cloud-free day during the campaign, in the morning from 09:34 to 12:01 LT and in the afternoon from 14:24 to 16:39 LT. APEX, AirMAP and SWING have a comparable swath width of 3 km, while Spectrolite has a swath of 450 m due to the fact that the field-of-view had to be reduced from 40° to 8.3° for practical reasons. The spatial resolution is approximately 100 m after spatial aggregation for APEX, AirMAP and Spectrolite (pushbroom scanning), and 300 m for SWING (whiskbroom scanning). The airborne Sunphotometer FUBISS-ASA2 was installed and operated during the ascent and descent of the FUB aircraft to derive aerosol optical depth (AOD). During the overpass of the imagers, simultaneous car mobile-DOAS observations were performed with three systems covering transects from north to south and west to east. The ground-based instrumental set-up was completed by a DOAS instrument, an Aeronet station and a ceilometer installed at the rooftop of FUB, located in the southwest of Berlin. The AROMAPEX experiment builds on the experience gained during the AROMAT campaigns held in September, 2014 and August, 2015 in Romania, and the BUMBA

Slightly acidic electrolyzed water for reducing airborne microorganisms in a layer breeding house.

PubMed

Hao, Xiaoxia; Cao, Wei; Li, Baoming; Zhang, Qiang; Wang, Chaoyuan; Ge, Liangpeng

2014-04-01

Reducing airborne microorganisms may potentially improve the environment in layer breeding houses. The effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW; pH 5.29-6.30) in reducing airborne microorganisms was investigated in a commercial layer house in northern China. The building had a tunnel-ventilation system, with an evaporative cooling. The experimental area was divided into five zones along the length of the house, with zone 1 nearest to an evaporative cooling pad and zone 5 nearest to the fans. The air temperature, relative humidity, dust concentration, and microbial population were measured at the sampling points in the five zones during the study period. The SAEW was sprayed by workers in the whole house. A six-stage air microbial sampler was used to measure airborne microbial population. Results showed that the population of airborne bacteria and fungi were sharply reduced by 0.71 x 10(5) and 2.82 x 10(3) colony-forming units (CFU) m(-3) after 30 min exposure to SAEW, respectively. Compared with the benzalkonium chloride (BC) solution and povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solution treatments, the population reductions of airborne fungi treated by SAEW were significantly (P < 0.05) more, even though the three disinfectants can decrease both the airborne bacteria and fungi significantly (P < 0.05) 30 min after spraying. There are no effective methods for reducing airborne microbial levels in tunnel-ventilated layer breeding houses; additionally, there is limited information available on airborne microorganism distribution. This research investigated the spatial distribution of microbial population, and the effectiveness of spraying slightly acidic electrolyzed water in reducing microbial levels. The research revealed that slightly acidic electrolyzed water spray was a potential method for reducing microbial presence in layer houses. The knowledge gained in this research about the microbial population variations in the building may assist producers in managing

Airborne Infrared and Visible Image Fusion Combined with Region Segmentation.

PubMed

Zuo, Yujia; Liu, Jinghong; Bai, Guanbing; Wang, Xuan; Sun, Mingchao

2017-05-15

This paper proposes an infrared (IR) and visible image fusion method introducing region segmentation into the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) region. This method should effectively improve both the target indication and scene spectrum features of fusion images, and the target identification and tracking reliability of fusion system, on an airborne photoelectric platform. The method involves segmenting the region in an IR image by significance, and identifying the target region and the background region; then, fusing the low-frequency components in the DTCWT region according to the region segmentation result. For high-frequency components, the region weights need to be assigned by the information richness of region details to conduct fusion based on both weights and adaptive phases, and then introducing a shrinkage function to suppress noise; Finally, the fused low-frequency and high-frequency components are reconstructed to obtain the fusion image. The experimental results show that the proposed method can fully extract complementary information from the source images to obtain a fusion image with good target indication and rich information on scene details. They also give a fusion result superior to existing popular fusion methods, based on eithers subjective or objective evaluation. With good stability and high fusion accuracy, this method can meet the fusion requirements of IR-visible image fusion systems.

Assessing airborne aflatoxin B1 during on-farm grain handling activities.

PubMed

Selim, M I; Juchems, A M; Popendorf, W

1998-04-01

The presence of aflatoxin in corn and corn dust during relatively normal years and the increased risk of Aspergillus flavus infestation during drought conditions suggest that airborne agricultural exposures should be of considerable concern. Liquid extraction, thin layer chromatography, and high pressure liquid chromatography were used for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 in grain dust and bulk corn samples. A total of 24 samples of airborne dust were collected from 8 farms during harvest, 22 samples from 9 farms during animal feeding, and 14 sets of Andersen samples from 11 farms during bin cleaning. A total of 14 samples of settled dust and 18 samples of bulk corn were also collected and analyzed. The airborne concentration of aflatoxin B1 found in dust collected during harvest and grain unloading ranged from 0.04 to 92 ng/m3. Higher levels of aflatoxin B1 were found in the airborne dust samples collected from enclosed animal feeding buildings (5-421 ng/m3) and during bin cleaning (124-4849 ng/m3). Aflatoxin B1 up to 5100 ng/g were detected in settled dust collected from an enclosed animal feeding building; however, no apparent correlation was found between the airborne concentration of aflatoxin B1 and its concentration in settled dust or bulk corn. The data demonstrate that farmers and farm workers may be exposed to potentially hazardous concentrations of aflatoxin B1, particularly during bin cleaning and animal feeding in enclosed buildings.

Simulation and analysis of airborne antenna radiation patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, J. J.; Burnside, Walter D.

1984-01-01

The objective is to develop an accurate and efficient analytic solution for predicting high frequency radiation patterns of fuselage-mounted airborne antennas. This is an analytic study of airborne antenna patterns using the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD). The aircraft is modeled in its most basic form so that the solution is applicable to general-type aircraft. The fuselage is modeled as a perfectly conducting composite ellipsoid; whereas, the wings, stabilizers, nose, fuel tanks, and engines, are simulated as perfectly conducting flat plates that can be attached to the fuselage and/or to each other. The composite-ellipsoid fuselage model is necessary to successfully simulate the wide variety of real world fuselage shapes. Since the antenna is mounted on the fuselage, it has a dominant effect on the resulting radiation pattern so it must be simulated accurately, especially near the antenna. Various radiation patterns are calculated for commercial, private, and military aircraft, and the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The application of this solution to numerous practical airborne antenna problems illustrates its versatility and design capability. In most cases, the solution accuracy is verified by the comparisons between the calculated and measured data.

Airborne Bacterial Communities in Three East Asian Cities of China, South Korea, and Japan.

PubMed

Lee, Jae Young; Park, Eun Ha; Lee, Sunghee; Ko, GwangPyo; Honda, Yasushi; Hashizume, Masahiro; Deng, Furong; Yi, Seung-Muk; Kim, Ho

2017-07-17

The global diversity of airborne bacteria has not yet been studied, despite its importance in human health and climate change. Here, we focused on the diversity of airborne bacteria and their correlations with meteorological/environmental conditions in China, South Korea, and Japan. Beijing (China) had more diverse airborne bacteria, followed by Seoul (South Korea) and Nagasaki (Japan), and seasonal variations were observed. Beijing and Seoul had more diverse airborne bacteria during the winter, whereas Nagasaki showed greater diversity during the summer. According to principal component analysis and Bray-Curtis similarity, higher similarity was observed between Beijing and Seoul than between Seoul and Nagasaki during all seasons except summer. Among meteorological/environmental variables, temperature and humidity were highly correlated with the diversity of airborne bacteria on the measurement day, whereas wind speeds and the frequency of northwest winds were highly correlated for 2-3-day moving averages. Thus, proximity and resuspension could enhance bacterial diversity in East Asian cities.

Decreasing airborne contamination levels in high-risk hospital areas using a novel mobile air-treatment unit.

PubMed

Bergeron, V; Reboux, G; Poirot, J L; Laudinet, N

2007-10-01

To evaluate the performance of a new mobile air-treatment unit that uses nonthermal-plasma reactors for lowering the airborne bioburden in critical hospital environments and reducing the risk of nosocomial infection due to opportunistic airborne pathogens, such as Aspergillus fumigatus. Tests were conducted in 2 different high-risk hospital areas: an operating room under simulated conditions and rooms hosting patients in a pediatric hematology ward. Operating room testing provided performance evaluations of removal rates for airborne contamination (ie, particles larger than 0.5 microm) and overall lowering of the airborne bioburden (ie, colony-forming units of total mesophilic flora and fungal flora per cubic meter of air). In the hematology service, opportunistic and nonpathogenic airborne fungal levels in a patient's room equipped with an air-treatment unit were compared to those in a control room. In an operating room with a volume of 118 m(3), the time required to lower the concentration of airborne particles larger than 0.5 microm by 90% was decreased from 12 minutes with the existing high-efficiency particulate air filtration system to less than 2 minutes with the units tested, with a 2-log decrease in the steady-state levels of such particles (P<.01). Concurrently, total airborne mesophilic flora concentrations dropped by a factor of 2, and the concentrations of fungal species were reduced to undetectable levels (P<.01). The 12-day test period in the hematology ward revealed a significant reduction in airborne fungus levels (P<.01), with average reductions of 75% for opportunistic species and 82% for nonpathogenic species. Our data indicate that the mobile, nonthermal-plasma air treatment unit tested in this study can rapidly reduce the levels of airborne particles and significantly lower the airborne bioburden in high-risk hospital environments.

ISRO's dual frequency airborne SAR pre-cursor to NISAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanujam, V. Manavala; Suneela, T. J. V. D.; Bhan, Rakesh

2016-05-01

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have jointly embarked on NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) operating in L-band and S-band, which will map Earth's surface every 12 days. As a pre-cursor to the NISAR mission, ISRO is planning an airborne SAR (L&S band) which will deliver NISAR analogue data products to the science community. ISRO will develop all the hardware with the aim of adhering to system design aspects of NISAR to the maximum extent possible. It is a fully polarimetric stripmap SAR and can be operated in single, dual, compact, quasi-quad and full polarimetry modes. It has wide incidence angle coverage from 24°-77° with swath coverage from 5.5km to 15 km. Apart from simultaneous imaging operations, this system can also operate in standalone L/S SAR modes. This system is planned to operate from an aircraft platform with nominal altitude of 8000meters. Antenna for this SAR will be rigidly mounted to the aircraft, whereas, motion compensation will be implemented in the software processor to generate data products. Data products for this airborne SAR will be generated in slant & ground range azimuth dimension and geocoded in HDF5/Geotiff formats. This airborne SAR will help to prepare the Indian scientific community for optimum utilization of NISAR data. In-order to collect useful science data, airborne campaigns are planned from end of 2016 onwards.

Calibration and Validation of Airborne InSAR Geometric Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chunming, Han; huadong, Guo; Xijuan, Yue; Changyong, Dou; Mingming, Song; Yanbing, Zhang

2014-03-01

The image registration or geo-coding is a very important step for many applications of airborne interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), especially for those involving Digital Surface Model (DSM) generation, which requires an accurate knowledge of the geometry of the InSAR system. While the trajectory and attitude instabilities of the aircraft introduce severe distortions in three dimensional (3-D) geometric model. The 3-D geometrical model of an airborne SAR image depends on the SAR processor itself. Working at squinted model, i.e., with an offset angle (squint angle) of the radar beam from broadside direction, the aircraft motion instabilities may produce distortions in airborne InSAR geometric relationship, which, if not properly being compensated for during SAR imaging, may damage the image registration. The determination of locations of the SAR image depends on the irradiated topography and the exact knowledge of all signal delays: range delay and chirp delay (being adjusted by the radar operator) and internal delays which are unknown a priori. Hence, in order to obtain reliable results, these parameters must be properly calibrated. An Airborne InSAR mapping system has been developed by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to acquire three-dimensional geo-spatial data with high resolution and accuracy. To test the performance of the InSAR system, the Validation/Calibration (Val/Cal) campaign has carried out in Sichun province, south-west China, whose results will be reported in this paper.

Nanoscale measurements of proton tracks using fluorescent nuclear track detectors

PubMed Central

Sawakuchi, Gabriel O.; Ferreira, Felisberto A.; McFadden, Conor H.; Hallacy, Timothy M.; Granville, Dal A.; Sahoo, Narayan; Akselrod, Mark S.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The authors describe a method in which fluorescence nuclear track detectors (FNTDs), novel track detectors with nanoscale spatial resolution, are used to determine the linear energy transfer (LET) of individual proton tracks from proton therapy beams by allowing visualization and 3D reconstruction of such tracks. Methods: FNTDs were exposed to proton therapy beams with nominal energies ranging from 100 to 250 MeV. Proton track images were then recorded by confocal microscopy of the FNTDs. Proton tracks in the FNTD images were fit by using a Gaussian function to extract fluorescence amplitudes. Histograms of fluorescence amplitudes were then compared with LET spectra. Results: The authors successfully used FNTDs to register individual proton tracks from high-energy proton therapy beams, allowing reconstruction of 3D images of proton tracks along with delta rays. The track amplitudes from FNTDs could be used to parameterize LET spectra, allowing the LET of individual proton tracks from therapeutic proton beams to be determined. Conclusions: FNTDs can be used to directly visualize proton tracks and their delta rays at the nanoscale level. Because the track intensities in the FNTDs correlate with LET, they could be used further to measure LET of individual proton tracks. This method may be useful for measuring nanoscale radiation quantities and for measuring the LET of individual proton tracks in radiation biology experiments. PMID:27147359

Nanoscale measurements of proton tracks using fluorescent nuclear track detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sawakuchi, Gabriel O., E-mail: gsawakuchi@mdanderson.org; Sahoo, Narayan; Ferreira, Felisberto A.

Purpose: The authors describe a method in which fluorescence nuclear track detectors (FNTDs), novel track detectors with nanoscale spatial resolution, are used to determine the linear energy transfer (LET) of individual proton tracks from proton therapy beams by allowing visualization and 3D reconstruction of such tracks. Methods: FNTDs were exposed to proton therapy beams with nominal energies ranging from 100 to 250 MeV. Proton track images were then recorded by confocal microscopy of the FNTDs. Proton tracks in the FNTD images were fit by using a Gaussian function to extract fluorescence amplitudes. Histograms of fluorescence amplitudes were then compared withmore » LET spectra. Results: The authors successfully used FNTDs to register individual proton tracks from high-energy proton therapy beams, allowing reconstruction of 3D images of proton tracks along with delta rays. The track amplitudes from FNTDs could be used to parameterize LET spectra, allowing the LET of individual proton tracks from therapeutic proton beams to be determined. Conclusions: FNTDs can be used to directly visualize proton tracks and their delta rays at the nanoscale level. Because the track intensities in the FNTDs correlate with LET, they could be used further to measure LET of individual proton tracks. This method may be useful for measuring nanoscale radiation quantities and for measuring the LET of individual proton tracks in radiation biology experiments.« less

Evaluation of an Airborne Spacing Concept to Support Continuous Descent Arrival Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Barmore, Bryan E.; Baxley, Brian T.; Capron, William R.; Abbott, Terence S.

2009-01-01

This paper describes a human-in-the-loop experiment of an airborne spacing concept designed to support Continuous Descent Arrival (CDA) operations. The use of CDAs with traditional air traffic control (ATC) techniques may actually reduce an airport's arrival throughput since ATC must provide more airspace around aircraft on CDAs due to the variances in the aircraft trajectories. The intent of airborne self-spacing, where ATC delegates the speed control to the aircraft, is to maintain or even enhance an airport s landing rate during CDA operations by precisely achieving the desired time interval between aircraft at the runway threshold. This paper describes the operational concept along with the supporting airborne spacing tool and the results of a piloted evaluation of this concept, with the focus of the evaluation on pilot acceptability of the concept during off-nominal events. The results of this evaluation show a pilot acceptance of this airborne spacing concept with little negative performance impact over conventional CDAs.

Airborne biological hazards and urban transport infrastructure: current challenges and future directions.

PubMed

Nasir, Zaheer Ahmad; Campos, Luiza Cintra; Christie, Nicola; Colbeck, Ian

2016-08-01

Exposure to airborne biological hazards in an ever expanding urban transport infrastructure and highly diverse mobile population is of growing concern, in terms of both public health and biosecurity. The existing policies and practices on design, construction and operation of these infrastructures may have severe implications for airborne disease transmission, particularly, in the event of a pandemic or intentional release of biological of agents. This paper reviews existing knowledge on airborne disease transmission in different modes of transport, highlights the factors enhancing the vulnerability of transport infrastructures to airborne disease transmission, discusses the potential protection measures and identifies the research gaps in order to build a bioresilient transport infrastructure. The unification of security and public health research, inclusion of public health security concepts at the design and planning phase, and a holistic system approach involving all the stakeholders over the life cycle of transport infrastructure hold the key to mitigate the challenges posed by biological hazards in the twenty-first century transport infrastructure.

Implementing the ban on smoking in Israeli pubs: measuring airborne nicotine and enforcement by local authorities.

PubMed

Satran, Carmit; Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Hammond, S Katharine; Baron-Epel, Orna

2014-06-01

In 2007 an amendment to the law restricting smoking in pubs and bars (P&Bs) was enacted in Israel. However, a year after the ban only slight decreases in airborne smoke in P&Bs in one city have been reported. We aimed to assess levels of airborne nicotine in Israeli P&Bs and to measure ifself-reported enforcement of the law by local officials was associated with levels of airborne nicotine in P&Bs. Airborne nicotine levels were measured in 72 P&Bs in 29 towns in Israel; this consisted of 90% of eligible towns. In addition, 73 local authority officials were interviewed in 25 of these towns. The officials were asked to assess the local authority's level of enforcement of the law banning smoking in P&Bs. The association of levels of airborne nicotine with the levels of enforcement of the law was calculated. Data were collected during 2009-2010 and analyzed in 2010-2011. Levels of airborne nicotine were comparatively high in P&Bs. No association was detected between levels of nicotine and the P&Bs' characteristics. In the larger towns, levels of airborne nicotine were higher. In 16% of towns the local authority officials reported high levels of law enforcement. Generally, levels of reported enforcement by local authorities were low and did not predict levels of airborne nicotine in the P&Bs. Self-reported local authorities' law enforcement was not associated with levels of airborne nicotine in P&Bs in these towns. There is a need to develop ways to increase law enforcement by the local authorities or other agencies.

Proceedings of the 11th JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert O.

2002-01-01

This publication contains the proceedings of the JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop forum held to report science research and applications results with spectral images measured by the NASA Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). These papers were presented at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from March 5-8, 2001. Electronic versions of these papers may be found at the A VIRIS Web http://popo.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/docs/workshops/aviris.proceedings.html

ICESat-2 simulated data from airborne altimetery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Markus, T.; Brenner, A. C.; Barbieri, K.; Field, C.; Sirota, M.

2010-12-01

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is scheduled to launch in 2015 and will carry onboard the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which represents a new approach to spaceborne determination of surface elevations. Specifically, the current ATLAS design is for a micropulse, multibeam, photon-counting laser altimeter with lower energy, a shorter pulse width, and a higher repetition rate relative to the Geoscience Laser Altimeter (GLAS), the instrument that was onboard ICESat. Given the new and untested technology associated with ATLAS, airborne altimetry data is necessary (1) to test the proposed ATLAS instrument geometry, (2) to validate instrument models, and (3) to assess the atmospheric effects on multibeam altimeters. We present an overview of the airborne instruments and datasets intended to address the ATLAS instrument concept, including data collected over Greenland (July 2009) using an airborne SBIR prototype 100 channel, photon-counting, terrain mapping altimeter, which addresses the first of these 3 scientific concerns. Additionally, we present the plan for further simulator data collection over vegetated and ice covered regions using Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), intended to address the latter two scientific concerns. As the ICESAT-2 project is in the design phase, the particular configuration of the ATLAS instrument may change. However, we expect this work to be relevant as long as ATLAS pursues a photon-counting approach.

Airborne Research Experience for Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, V. B.; Albertson, R.; Smith, S.; Stockman, S. A.

2009-12-01

The Airborne Research Experience for Educators (AREE) Program, conducted by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Office of Education in partnership with the AERO Institute, NASA Teaching From Space Program, and California State University Fullerton, is a complete end-to-end residential research experience in airborne remote sensing and atmospheric science. The 2009 program engaged ten secondary educators who specialize in science, technology, engineering or mathematics in a 6-week Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) offered through NSERC. Educators participated in collection of in-flight remote sensor data during flights aboard the NASA DC-8 as well as in-situ research on atmospheric chemistry (bovine emissions of methane); algal blooms (remote sensing to determine location and degree of blooms for further in-situ analysis); and crop classification (exploration of how drought conditions in Central California have impacted almond and cotton crops). AREE represents a unique model of the STEM teacher-as-researcher professional development experience because it asks educators to participate in a research experience and then translate their experiences into classroom practice through the design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional materials that emphasize the scientific research process, inquiry-based investigations, and manipulation of real data. Each AREE Master Educator drafted a Curriculum Brief, Teachers Guide, and accompanying resources for a topic in their teaching assignment Currently, most professional development programs offer either a research experience OR a curriculum development experience. The dual nature of the AREE model engaged educators in both experiences. Educators’ content and pedagogical knowledge of STEM was increased through the review of pertinent research articles during the first week, attendance at lectures and workshops during the second week, and participation in the airborne and in-situ research studies, data

Computational fluid dynamics study on the influence of an alternate ventilation configuration on the possible flow path of infectious cough aerosols in a mock airborne infection isolation room.

PubMed

Thatiparti, Deepthi Sharan; Ghia, Urmila; Mead, Kenneth R

2016-01-01

When infectious epidemics occur, they can be perpetuated within health care settings, potentially resulting in severe health care workforce absenteeism, morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. The ventilation system configuration of an airborne infection isolation room is one factor that can play a role in protecting health care workers from infectious patient bioaerosols. Though commonly associated with airborne infectious diseases, the airborne infection isolation room design can also impact other transmission routes such as short-range airborne as well as fomite and contact transmission routes that are impacted by contagion concentration and recirculation. This article presents a computational fluid dynamics study on the influence of the ventilation configuration on the possible flow path of bioaerosol dispersal behavior in a mock airborne infection isolation room. At first, a mock airborne infection isolation room was modeled that has the room geometry and layout, ventilation parameters, and pressurization corresponding to that of a traditional ceiling-mounted ventilation arrangement observed in existing hospitals. An alternate ventilation configuration was then modeled to retain the linear supply diffuser in the original mock airborne infection isolation room but interchanging the square supply and exhaust locations to place the exhaust closer to the patient source and allow clean air from supply vents to flow in clean-to-dirty flow paths, originating in uncontaminated parts of the room prior to entering the contaminated patient's air space. The modeled alternate airborne infection isolation room ventilation rate was 12 air changes per hour. Two human breathing models were used to simulate a source patient and a receiving health care worker. A patient cough cycle was introduced into the simulation, and the airborne infection dispersal was tracked in time using a multi-phase flow simulation approach. The results from the alternate configuration revealed that

Computational fluid dynamics study on the influence of an alternate ventilation configuration on the possible flow path of infectious cough aerosols in a mock airborne infection isolation room

PubMed Central

THATIPARTI, DEEPTHI SHARAN; GHIA, URMILA; MEAD, KENNETH R.

2017-01-01

When infectious epidemics occur, they can be perpetuated within health care settings, potentially resulting in severe health care workforce absenteeism, morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. The ventilation system configuration of an airborne infection isolation room is one factor that can play a role in protecting health care workers from infectious patient bioaerosols. Though commonly associated with airborne infectious diseases, the airborne infection isolation room design can also impact other transmission routes such as short-range airborne as well as fomite and contact transmission routes that are impacted by contagion concentration and recirculation. This article presents a computational fluid dynamics study on the influence of the ventilation configuration on the possible flow path of bioaerosol dispersal behavior in a mock airborne infection isolation room. At first, a mock airborne infection isolation room was modeled that has the room geometry and layout, ventilation parameters, and pressurization corresponding to that of a traditional ceiling-mounted ventilation arrangement observed in existing hospitals. An alternate ventilation configuration was then modeled to retain the linear supply diffuser in the original mock airborne infection isolation room but interchanging the square supply and exhaust locations to place the exhaust closer to the patient source and allow clean air from supply vents to flow in clean-to-dirty flow paths, originating in uncontaminated parts of the room prior to entering the contaminated patient’s air space. The modeled alternate airborne infection isolation room ventilation rate was 12 air changes per hour. Two human breathing models were used to simulate a source patient and a receiving health care worker. A patient cough cycle was introduced into the simulation, and the airborne infection dispersal was tracked in time using a multi-phase flow simulation approach. The results from the alternate configuration revealed

The NRL 2011 Airborne Sea-Ice Thickness Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozena, J. M.; Gardner, J. M.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.; Richter-Menge, J.

2011-12-01

In March of 2011, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) performed a study focused on the estimation of sea-ice thickness from airborne radar, laser and photogrammetric sensors. The study was funded by ONR to take advantage of the Navy's ICEX2011 ice-camp /submarine exercise, and to serve as a lead-in year for NRL's five year basic research program on the measurement and modeling of sea-ice scheduled to take place from 2012-2017. Researchers from the Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and NRL worked with the Navy Arctic Submarine Lab (ASL) to emplace a 9 km-long ground-truth line near the ice-camp (see Richter-Menge et al., this session) along which ice and snow thickness were directly measured. Additionally, US Navy submarines collected ice draft measurements under the groundtruth line. Repeat passes directly over the ground-truth line were flown and a grid surrounding the line was also flown to collect altimeter, LiDAR and Photogrammetry data. Five CRYOSAT-2 satellite tracks were underflown, as well, coincident with satellite passage. Estimates of sea ice thickness are calculated assuming local hydrostatic balance, and require the densities of water, ice and snow, snow depth, and freeboard (defined as the elevation of sea ice, plus accumulated snow, above local sea level). Snow thickness is estimated from the difference between LiDAR and radar altimeter profiles, the latter of which is assumed to penetrate any snow cover. The concepts we used to estimate ice thickness are similar to those employed in NASA ICEBRIDGE sea-ice thickness estimation. Airborne sensors used for our experiment were a Reigl Q-560 scanning topographic LiDAR, a pulse-limited (2 nS), 10 GHz radar altimeter and an Applanix DSS-439 digital photogrammetric camera (for lead identification). Flights were conducted on a Twin Otter aircraft from Pt. Barrow, AK, and averaged ~ 5 hours in duration. It is challenging to directly compare results from the swath LiDAR with the

Airborne bacterial dispersal during and after dressing and bed changes on burns patients.

PubMed

Bache, Sarah E; Maclean, Michelle; Gettinby, George; Anderson, John G; MacGregor, Scott J; Taggart, Ian

2015-02-01

It is acknowledged that activities such as dressing changes and bed sheet changes are high-risk events; creating surges in levels of airborne bacteria. Burns patients are particularly high dispersers of pathogens; due to their large, often contaminated, wound areas. Prevention of nosocomial cross-contamination is therefore one of the major challenges faced by the burns team. In order to assess the contribution of airborne spread of bacteria, air samples were taken repeatedly throughout and following these events, to quantify levels of airborne bacteria. Air samples were taken at 3-min intervals before, during and after a dressing and bed change on a burns patient using a sieve impaction method. Following incubation, bacterial colonies were enumerated to calculate bacterial colony forming units per m(3) (cfu/m(3)) at each time point. Statistical analysis was performed, whereby the period before the high-risk event took place acted as a control period. The periods during and after the dressing and bed sheet changes were examined for significant differences in airborne bacterial levels relative to the control period. The study was carried out four times, on three patients with burns between 35% total burn surface area (TBSA) and 51% TBSA. There were significant increases in airborne bacteria levels, regardless of whether the dressing change or bed sheet change took place first. Of particular note, is the finding that significantly high levels (up to 2614cfu/m(3)) of airborne bacteria were shown to persist for up to approximately 1h after these activities ended. This is the most accurate picture to date of the rapidly changing levels of airborne bacteria within the room of a burns patient undergoing a dressing change and bed change. The novel demonstration of a significant increase in the airborne bacterial load during these events has implications for infection control on burns units. Furthermore, as these increased levels remained for approximately 1h afterwards

Detecting Airborne Mercury by Use of Polymer/Carbon Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shevade, Abhijit; Ryan, Margaret; Homer, Margie; Kisor, Adam; Jewell, April; Yen, Shiao-Pin; Manatt, Kenneth; Blanco, Mario; Goddard, William

2009-01-01

Films made of certain polymer/carbon composites have been found to be potentially useful as sensing films for detecting airborne elemental mercury at concentrations on the order of tens of parts per billion or more. That is to say, when the polymer/carbon composite films are exposed to air containing mercury vapor, their electrical resistances decrease by measurable amounts. Because airborne mercury is a health hazard, it is desirable to detect it with great sensitivity, especially in enclosed environments in which there is a risk of a mercury leak from lamps or other equipment. The present effort to develop polymerbased mercury-vapor sensors complements the work reported in NASA Tech Briefs Detecting Airborne Mercury by Use of Palladium Chloride (NPO- 44955), Vol. 33, No. 7 (July 2009), page 48 and De tecting Airborne Mer cury by Use of Gold Nanowires (NPO-44787), Vol. 33, No. 7 (July 2009), page 49. Like those previously reported efforts, the present effort is motivated partly by a need to enable operation and/or regeneration of sensors under relatively mild conditions more specifically, at temperatures closer to room temperature than to the elevated temperatures (greater than 100 C ) needed for regeneration of sensors based on noble-metal films. The present polymer/carbon films are made from two polymers, denoted EYN1 and EYN2 (see Figure 1), both of which are derivatives of poly-4-vinyl pyridine with amine functional groups. Composites of these polymers with 10 to 15 weight percent of carbon were prepared and solution-deposited onto the JPL ElectronicNose sensor substrates for testing. Preliminary test results showed that the resulting sensor films gave measurable indications of airborne mercury at concentrations on the order of tens of parts per billion (ppb) or more. The operating temperature range for the sensing films was 28 to 40 C and that the sensor films regenerated spontaneously, without heating above operating temperature (see Figure 2).

Development of a fibre size-specific job-exposure matrix for airborne asbestos fibres.

PubMed

Dement, J M; Kuempel, E D; Zumwalde, R D; Smith, R J; Stayner, L T; Loomis, D

2008-09-01

To develop a method for estimating fibre size-specific exposures to airborne asbestos dust for use in epidemiological investigations of exposure-response relations. Archived membrane filter samples collected at a Charleston, South Carolina asbestos textile plant during 1964-8 were analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the bivariate diameter/length distribution of airborne fibres by plant operation. The protocol used for these analyses was based on the direct transfer method published by the International Standards Organization (ISO), modified to enhance fibre size determinations, especially for long fibres. Procedures to adjust standard phase contrast microscopy (PCM) fibre concentration measures using the TEM data in a job-exposure matrix (JEM) were developed in order to estimate fibre size-specific exposures. A total of 84 airborne dust samples were used to measure diameter and length for over 18,000 fibres or fibre bundles. Consistent with previous studies, a small proportion of airborne fibres were longer than >5 microm in length, but the proportion varied considerably by plant operation (range 6.9% to 20.8%). The bivariate diameter/length distribution of airborne fibres was expressed as the proportion of fibres in 20 size-specific cells and this distribution demonstrated a relatively high degree of variability by plant operation. PCM adjustment factors also varied substantially across plant operations. These data provide new information concerning the airborne fibre characteristics for a previously studied textile facility. The TEM data demonstrate that the vast majority of airborne fibres inhaled by the workers were shorter than 5 mum in length, and thus not included in the PCM-based fibre counts. The TEM data were used to develop a new fibre size-specific JEM for use in an updated cohort mortality study to investigate the role of fibre dimension in the development of asbestos-related lung diseases.

Potential exposures to airborne and settled surface dust in residential areas of lower Manhattan following the collapse of the World Trade Center--New York City, November 4-December 11, 2001.

PubMed

2003-02-21

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which destroyed the World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), with assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps Readiness Force and the WTC Environmental Assessment Working Group, assessed the composition of outdoor and indoor settled surface and airborne dust in residential areas around the WTC and in comparison areas. This report summarizes the results of the investigation, which found 1) similar levels of airborne total fibers in lower and in upper Manhattan, 2) greater percentage levels of synthetic vitreous fibers (SVF) and mineral components of concrete and building wallboard in settled dust of residential areas in lower Manhattan than in upper Manhattan, and 3) low levels of asbestos in some settled surface dust in lower Manhattan residential areas. Based in part on the results of this investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is cleaning and sampling residential areas as requested by lower Manhattan residents. In addition, to assess any short- or long-term health effects of smoke, dust, and airborne substances around the WTC site, DOHMH and ATSDR are developing a registry that will track the health of persons who were most highly exposed to these materials.

NucliTrack: an integrated nuclei tracking application

PubMed Central

Cooper, Sam; Barr, Alexis R.; Glen, Robert; Bakal, Chris

2017-01-01

Abstract Summary Live imaging studies give unparalleled insight into dynamic single cell behaviours and fate decisions. However, the challenge of reliably tracking single cells over long periods of time limits both the throughput and ease with which such studies can be performed. Here, we present NucliTrack, a cross platform solution for automatically segmenting, tracking and extracting features from fluorescently labelled nuclei. NucliTrack performs similarly to other state-of-the-art cell tracking algorithms, but NucliTrack’s interactive, graphical interface makes it significantly more user friendly. Availability and implementation NucliTrack is available as a free, cross platform application and open source Python package. Installation details and documentation are at: http://nuclitrack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ A video guide can be viewed online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6e0D9F-qSU Source code is available through Github: https://github.com/samocooper/nuclitrack. A Matlab toolbox is also available at: https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/61479-samocooper-nuclitrack-matlab. Contact sam@socooper.com Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:28637183

Workflow with pitfalls to derive a regional airborne magnetic compilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brönner, Marco; Baykiev, Eldar; Ebbing, Jörg

2017-04-01

Today, large scale magnetic maps are usually a patchwork of different airborne surveys from different size, different resolution and different years. Airborne magnetic acquisition is a fast and economic method to map and gain geological and tectonic information for large areas, onshore and offshore. Depending on the aim of a survey, acquisition parameters like altitude and profile distance are usually adjusted to match the purpose of investigation. The subsequent data processing commonly follows a standardized workflow comprising core-field subtraction and line leveling to yield a coherent crustal field magnetic grid for a survey area. The resulting data makes it possible to correlate with geological and tectonic features in the subsurface, which is of importance for e.g. oil and mineral exploration. Crustal scale magnetic interpretation and modeling demand regional compilation of magnetic data and the merger of adjacent magnetic surveys. These studies not only focus on shallower sources, reflected by short to intermediate magnetic wavelength anomalies, but also have a particular interest in the long wavelength deriving from deep seated sources. However, whilst the workflow to produce such a merger is supported by quite a few powerful routines, the resulting compilation contains several pitfalls and limitations, which were discussed before, but still are very little recognized. The maximum wavelength that can be resolved of each individual survey is directly related to the survey size and consequently a merger will contribute erroneous long-wavelength components in the magnetic data compilation. To minimize this problem and to homogenous the longer wavelengths, a first order approach is the combination of airborne and satellite magnetic data commonly combined with the compilation from airborne data, which is sufficient only under particular preconditions. A more advanced approach considers the gap in frequencies between airborne and satellite data, which motivated

Airborne Infrared Spectroscopy of 1994 Western Wildfires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Worden, Helen; Beer, Reinhard; Rinsland, Curtis P.

1997-01-01

In the summer of 1994 the 0.07/ cm resolution infrared Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES) acquired spectral data over two wildfires, one in central Oregon on August 3 and the other near San Luis Obispo, California, on August 15. The spectrometer was on board a NASA DC-8 research aircraft, flying at an altitude of 12 km. The spectra from both fires clearly show features due to water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, methanol, formic acid, and ethylene at significantly higher abundance and temperature than observed in downlooking spectra of normal atmospheric and ground conditions. Column densities are derived for several species, and molar ratios are compared with previous biomass fire measurements. We believe that this is the first time such data have been acquired by airborne spectral remote sensing.

Summaries of the Third Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop. Volume 1: AVIRIS Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert O. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This publication contains the preliminary agenda and summaries for the Third Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop, held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, on 1-5 June 1992. This main workshop is divided into three smaller workshops as follows: (1) the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) workshop, on June 1 and 2; (2) the Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) workshop, on June 3; and (3) the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop, on June 4 and 5. The summaries are contained in Volumes 1, 2, and 3, respectively.