Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D. L.; Blocker, Rhonda; Justus, C. G.

1993-01-01

4D model provides atmospheric parameter values either automatically at positions along linear path or along any set of connected positions specified by user. Based on actual data, GRAM provides thermal wind shear for monthly mean winds, percent deviation from standard atmosphere, mean vertical wind, and perturbation data for each position.

Utilization of Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) for shuttle entry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joosten, Kent

1987-01-01

At high latitudes, dispersions in values of density for the middle atmosphere from the Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) are observed to be large, particularly in the winter. Trajectories have been run from 28.5 deg to 98 deg. The critical part of the atmosphere for reentry is 250,000 to 270,000 ft. 250,000 ft is the altitude where the shuttle trajectory levels out. For ascending passes the critical region occurs near the equator. For descending entries the critical region is in northern latitudes. The computed trajectory is input to the GRAM, which computes means and deviations of atmospheric parameters at each point along the trajectory. There is little latitude dispersion for the ascending passes; the strongest source of deviations is seasonal; however, very wide seasonal and latitudinal deviations are exhibited for the descending passes at all orbital inclinations. For shuttle operations the problem is control to maintain the correct entry corridor and avoid either aerodynamic skipping or excessive heat loads.

Use of the 4D-Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) for space shuttle descent design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarty, S. M.

1987-01-01

The method of using the Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) mean and dispersed atmospheres to study skipout/overshoot requirements, to characterize mean and worst case vehicle temperatures, study control requirements, and verify design was discussed. Landing sites in these analyses range from 65 N to 30 S, while orbit inclinations vary from 20 deg to 98 deg. The primary concern was that they cannot use as small vertical steps in the reentry calculation as desired because the model predicts anomalously large density shear rates for very small vertical step sizes. The winds predicted by the model are not satisfactory. This is probably because they are geostrophic winds and because the model has an error in the computation of winds in the equatorial regions.

The calculated influence of atmospheric conditions on solar cell ISC under direct and global solar irradiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Robert L.

1987-01-01

Calculations of the influence of atmospheric conditions on solar cell short-circuit current (Isc) are made using a recently developed computer model for solar spectral irradiance distribution. The results isolate the dependence of Isc on changes in the spectral irradiance distribution without the direct influence of the total irradiance level. The calculated direct normal irradiance and percent diffuse irradiance are given as a reference to indicate the expected irradiance levels. This method can be applied to the calibration of photovoltaic reference cells. Graphic examples are provided for amorphous silicon and monocrystalline silicon solar cells under direct normal and global normal solar irradiances.

Shuttle derived atmospheric density model. Part 1: Comparisons of the various ambient atmospheric source data with derived parameters from the first twelve STS entry flights, a data package for AOTV atmospheric development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findlay, J. T.; Kelly, G. M.; Troutman, P. A.

1984-01-01

The ambient atmospheric parameter comparisons versus derived values from the first twelve Space Shuttle Orbiter entry flights are presented. Available flights, flight data products, and data sources utilized are reviewed. Comparisons are presented based on remote meteorological measurements as well as two comprehensive models which incorporate latitudinal and seasonal effects. These are the Air Force 1978 Reference Atmosphere and the Marshall Space Flight Center Global Reference Model (GRAM). Atmospheric structure sensible in the Shuttle flight data is shown and discussed. A model for consideration in Aero-assisted Orbital Transfer Vehicle (AOTV) trajectory analysis, proposed to modify the GRAM data to emulate Shuttle experiments.

Applications of Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) Supporting Mission Site Selection for Mars Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Justus, Carl G.

2008-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) is an engineering level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. An overview is presented of Mars-GRAM 2005 and its new features. One new feature of Mars-GRAM 2005 is the 'auxiliary profile' option. In this option, an input file of temperature and density versus altitude is used to replace mean atmospheric values from Mars-GRAM's conventional (General Circulation Model) climatology. An auxiliary profile can be generated from any source of data or alternate model output. Auxiliary profiles for this study were produced from mesoscale model output (Southwest Research Institute's Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) model and Oregon State University's Mars mesoscale model (MMM5)model) and a global Thermal Emission Spectrometer(TES) database. The global TES database has been specifically generated for purposes of making Mars-GRAM auxiliary profiles. This data base contains averages and standard deviations of temperature, density, and thermal wind components,averaged over 5-by-5 degree latitude-longitude bins and 15 degree L(s) bins, for each of three Mars years of TES nadir data. Results are presented using auxiliary profiles produced from the mesoscale model output and TES observed data for candidate Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landing sites. Input parameters rpscale (for density perturbations) and rwscale (for wind perturbations) can be used to "recalibrate" Mars-GRAM perturbation magnitudes to better replicate observed or mesoscale model variability.

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2001 Version (Mars-GRAM 2001): Users Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Johnson, D. L.

2001-01-01

This document presents Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2001 Version (Mars-GRAM 2001) and its new features. As with the previous version (mars-2000), all parameterizations fro temperature, pressure, density, and winds versus height, latitude, longitude, time of day, and season (Ls) use input data tables from NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) for the surface through 80-km altitude and the University of Arizona Mars Thermospheric General Circulation Model (MTGCM) for 80 to 70 km. Mars-GRAM 2001 is based on topography from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and includes new MGCM data at the topographic surface. A new auxiliary program allows Mars-GRAM output to be used to compute shortwave (solar) and longwave (thermal) radiation at the surface and top of atmosphere. This memorandum includes instructions on obtaining Mars-GRAN source code and data files and for running the program. It also provides sample input and output and an example for incorporating Mars-GRAM as an atmospheric subroutine in a trajectory code.

On the Interannual Variability and on Trends of the Temperature in the Middle Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labitzke, K.; Naujokat, B.

1985-01-01

The new Reference Atmosphere presented here is based on global satellite data and forms a very useful basis for climatological studies. When using such climatologies it is important to be aware of the well known interannual variability which n themiddle atmosphere is particularly large during the northern winters and southern springs. Variability ofthe upper and lower stratospheres is discussed in detail. Areas covered included the polar region and the middile and lower latitudes. Temperature trends, notably the alteration of the global temperature structure by a number of anthropogenically influenced tract gases or the greenhouse effect is discussed.

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 3.34): Programmer's Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; James, Bonnie F.; Johnson, Dale L.

1996-01-01

This is a programmer's guide for the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 3.34). Included are a brief history and review of the model since its origin in 1988 and a technical discussion of recent additions and modifications. Examples of how to run both the interactive and batch (subroutine) forms are presented. Instructions are provided on how to customize output of the model for various parameters of the Mars atmosphere. Detailed descriptions are given of the main driver programs, subroutines, and associated computational methods. Lists and descriptions include input, output, and local variables in the programs. These descriptions give a summary of program steps and 'map' of calling relationships among the subroutines. Definitions are provided for the variables passed between subroutines through common lists. Explanations are provided for all diagnostic and progress messages generated during execution of the program. A brief outline of future plans for Mars-GRAM is also presented.

The global reference atmospheric model, mod 2 (with two scale perturbation model)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Hargraves, W. R.

1976-01-01

The Global Reference Atmospheric Model was improved to produce more realistic simulations of vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters. A revised two scale random perturbation model using perturbation magnitudes which are adjusted to conform to constraints imposed by the perfect gas law and the hydrostatic condition is described. The two scale perturbation model produces appropriately correlated (horizontally and vertically) small scale and large scale perturbations. These stochastically simulated perturbations are representative of the magnitudes and wavelengths of perturbations produced by tides and planetary scale waves (large scale) and turbulence and gravity waves (small scale). Other new features of the model are: (1) a second order geostrophic wind relation for use at low latitudes which does not "blow up" at low latitudes as the ordinary geostrophic relation does; and (2) revised quasi-biennial amplitudes and phases and revised stationary perturbations, based on data through 1972.

Improved reference models for middle atmosphere ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keating, G. M.; Pitts, M. C.; Chen, C.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the improvements introduced into the original version of ozone reference model of Keating and Young (1985, 1987) which is to be incorporated in the next COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA). The ozone reference model will provide information on the global ozone distribution (including the ozone vertical structure as a function of month and latitude from 25 to 90 km) combining data from five recent satellite experiments: the Nimbus 7 LIMS, Nimbus 7 SBUV, AE-2 Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment (SAGE), Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) UV Spectrometer, and SME 1.27 Micron Airglow. The improved version of the reference model uses reprocessed AE-2 SAGE data (sunset) and extends the use of SAGE data from 1981 to the 1981-1983 time period. Comparisons are presented between the results of this ozone model and various nonsatellite measurements at different levels in the middle atmosphere.

Global Reference Atmospheric Model and Trace Constituents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C.; Johnson, D.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM-99) is an engineering-level model of the Earth's atmosphere. It provides both mean values and perturbations for density, temperature, pressure, and winds, as well as monthly- and geographically-varying trace constituent concentrations. From 0-27 km, thermodynamics and winds are based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Global Upper Air Climatic Atlas (GUACA) climatology. Above 120 km, GRAM is based on the NASA Marshall Engineering Thermosphere (MET) model. In the intervening altitude region, GRAM is based on Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP) climatology that also forms the basis of the 1986 COSPAR Intemationa1 Reference Atmosphere (CIRA). MAP data in GRAM are augmented by a specially-derived longitude variation climatology. Atmospheric composition is represented in GRAM by concentrations of both major and minor species. Above 120 km, MET provides concentration values for N2, O2, Ar, O, He, and H. Below 120 km, species represented also include H2O, O3, N2O, CO, CH, and CO2. Water vapor in GRAM is based on a combination of GUACA, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL), and NASA Langley Research Center climatologies. Other constituents below 120 km are based on a combination of AFGL and h4AP/CIRA climatologies. This report presents results of comparisons between GRAM Constituent concentrations and those provided by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) climatology of Summers (NRL,/MR/7641-93-7416, 1993). GRAM and NRL concentrations were compared for seven species (CH4, CO, CO2, H2O, N2O, O2, and O3) for months January, April, July, and October, over height range 0-115 km, and latitudes -90deg to + 90deg at 10deg increments. Average GRAM-NRL correlations range from 0.878 (for CO) to 0.975 (for O3), with an average over all seven species of 0.936 (standard deviation 0.049).

Earth Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Earth-GRAM) GRAM Virtual Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Patrick

2017-01-01

What is Earth-GRAM? Provide monthly mean and standard deviation for any point in atmosphere; Monthly, Geographic, and Altitude Variation. Earth-GRAM is a C++ software package; Currently distributed as Earth-GRAM 2016. Atmospheric variables included: pressure, density, temperature, horizontal and vertical winds, speed of sound, and atmospheric constituents. Used by engineering community because of ability to create dispersions inatmosphere at a rapid runtime; Often embedded in trajectory simulation software. Not a forecast model. Does not readily capture localized atmospheric effects.

Utilizing Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) to Evaluate Entry Probe Mission Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Justus, Carl G.

2008-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) is an engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. An overview is presented of Mars-GRAM 2005 and its new features. The "auxiliary profile" option is one new feature of Mars-GRAM 2005. This option uses an input file of temperature and density versus altitude to replace the mean atmospheric values from Mars-GRAM's conventional (General Circulation Model) climatology. Any source of data or alternate model output can be used to generate an auxiliary profile. Auxiliary profiles for this study were produced from mesoscale model output (Southwest Research Institute's Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) model and Oregon State University's Mars mesoscale model (MMM5) model) and a global Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) database. The global TES database has been specifically generated for purposes of making Mars-GRAM auxiliary profiles. This data base contains averages and standard deviations of temperature, density, and thermal wind components, averaged over 5-by-5 degree latitude-longitude bins and 15 degree Ls bins, for each of three Mars years of TES nadir data. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) sites are used as a sample of how Mars-GRAM' could be a valuable tool for planning of future Mars entry probe missions. Results are presented using auxiliary profiles produced from the mesoscale model output and TES observed data for candidate MSL landing sites. Input parameters rpscale (for density perturbations) and rwscale (for wind perturbations) can be used to "recalibrate" Mars-GRAM perturbation magnitudes to better replicate observed or mesoscale model variability.

Earth Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2007 (Earth-GRAM07)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leslie, Fred W.; Justus, C. G.

2008-01-01

GRAM is a Fortran software package that can run on a variety of platforms including PC's. GRAM provides values of atmospheric quantities such as temperature, pressure, density, winds, constituents, etc. GRAM99 covers all global locations, all months, and heights from the surface to approx. 1000 km). Dispersions (perturbations) of these parameters are also provided and are spatially and temporally correlated. GRAM can be run in a stand-alone mode or called as a subroutine from a trajectory program. GRAM07 is diagnostic, not prognostic (i.e., it describes the atmosphere, but it does not forecast). The source code is distributed free-of-charge to eligible recipients.

The NASA/MSFC global reference atmospheric model: MOD 3 (with spherical harmonic wind model)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Fletcher, G. R.; Gramling, F. E.; Pace, W. B.

1980-01-01

Improvements to the global reference atmospheric model are described. The basic model includes monthly mean values of pressure, density, temperature, and geostrophic winds, as well as quasi-biennial and small and large scale random perturbations. A spherical harmonic wind model for the 25 to 90 km height range is included. Below 25 km and above 90 km, the GRAM program uses the geostrophic wind equations and pressure data to compute the mean wind. In the altitudes where the geostrophic wind relations are used, an interpolation scheme is employed for estimating winds at low latitudes where the geostrophic wind relations being to mesh down. Several sample wind profiles are given, as computed by the spherical harmonic model. User and programmer manuals are presented.

Evaluation of Global Observations-Based Evapotranspiration Datasets and IPCC AR4 Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, B.; Seneviratne, S. I.; Jimenez, C.; Corti, T.; Hirschi, M.; Balsamo, G.; Ciais, P.; Dirmeyer, P.; Fisher, J. B.; Guo, Z.;

Global radiation maps and their modulation by clouds. - An assessment of limitations and deficiencies in global modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinne, Stefan; Stubenrauch, Claudia; Raschke, Erhard

2010-05-01

Satellite sensed solar and infrared broadband radiation maps at the top of the atmosphere (ToA) usually serve as reference and constrains to global modelling. Complimentary radiation maps at the surface are less certain, as they require accurate knowledge about atmospheric and environmental properties. Despite differences among multi-decadal data-projects of ISCCP, the SRB and the CERES, their diversity is small in comparison to efforts in global modelling. Based on simulations for the IPCC fourth assessment, clear biases on a regional and seasonal basis are identified and illustrate deficiencies in the representation of clouds. These deficiencies are explored in the context of available cloud data from passive and active remote sensing from space.

Impact of biomass burning on nutrient deposition to the global ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanakidou, Maria; Myriokefalitakis, Stelios; Daskalakis, Nikos; Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos; Nenes, Athanasios

2017-04-01

Atmospheric deposition of trace constituents, both of natural and anthropogenic origin, can act as a nutrient source into the open ocean and affect marine ecosystem functioning and subsequently the exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the global ocean. Dust is known as a major source of nutrients (Fe and P) into the atmosphere, but only a fraction of these nutrients is released in soluble form that can be assimilated by the ecosystems. Dust is also known to enhance N deposition by interacting with anthropogenic pollutants and neutralisation of part of the acidity of the atmosphere by crustal alkaline species. These nutrients have also primary anthropogenic sources including combustion emissions. The global atmospheric N [1], Fe [2] and P [3] cycles have been parameterized in the global 3-D chemical transport model TM4-ECPL, accounting for inorganic and organic forms of these nutrients, for all natural and anthropogenic sources of these nutrients including biomass burning, as well as for the link between the soluble forms of Fe and P atmospheric deposition and atmospheric acidity. The impact of atmospheric acidity on nutrient solubility has been parameterised based on experimental findings and the model results have been evaluated by extensive comparison with available observations. In the present study we isolate the significant impact of biomass burning emissions on these nutrients deposition by comparing global simulations that consider or neglect biomass burning emissions. The investigated impact integrates changes in the emissions of the nutrients as well as in atmospheric oxidants and acidity and thus in atmospheric processing and secondary sources of these nutrients. The results are presented and thoroughly discussed. References [1] Kanakidou M, S. Myriokefalitakis, N. Daskalakis, G. Fanourgakis, A. Nenes, A. Baker, K. Tsigaridis, N. Mihalopoulos, Past, Present and Future Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences (JAS-D-15-0278) Vol 73, 2039-2047, 2016. [2] Myriokefalitakis,S., Daskalakis,N., Mihalopoulos,N., Baker, A.R., Nenes, A., and Kanakidou,M.: Changes in dissolved iron deposition to the oceans driven by human activity: a 3-D global modelling study, Biogeosciences, 12, 3973-3992, 2015. [3] Myriokefalitakis S., Nenes A., Baker A.R., Mihalopoulos N., Kanakidou M.: Bioavailable atmospheric phosphorous supply to the global ocean: a 3-D global modelling study, Biogeosciences, 13, 6519-6543, 2016.

Theoretical and experimental studies of atmospheric structure and dynamics, using high altitude chemical release, Radio meteor, and meteorological rocket network and other data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, H. D.

1976-01-01

Data collected by the Georgia Tech Radio Meteor Wind Facility during the fall and winter of 1975 are analyzed indicating a relationship between lower thermospheric circulation at mid latitudes and polar stratospheric dynamics. Techniques of measurement of mixing processes in the upper atmosphere and the interpretation of those measurements are described along with a diffusion simulation program based on the Global Reference Atmosphere program.

Deriving Global OH Abundance and Atmospheric Lifetimes for Long-Lived Gases: A Search for CH3CCl3 Alternatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Qing; Chipperfield, Martyn P.; Fleming, Eric L.; Abraham, N. Luke; Braesicke, Peter; Burkholder, James B.; Daniel, John S.; Dhomse, Sandip; Fraser, Paul J.; Hardiman, Steven C.; Jackman, Charles H.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Krummel, Paul B.; Montzka, Stephen A.; Morgenstern, Olaf; McCulloch, Archie; Mühle, Jens; Newman, Paul A.; Orkin, Vladimir L.; Pitari, Giovanni; Prinn, Ronald G.; Rigby, Matthew; Rozanov, Eugene; Stenke, Andrea; Tummon, Fiona; Velders, Guus J. M.; Visioni, Daniele; Weiss, Ray F.

2017-11-01

An accurate estimate of global hydroxyl radical (OH) abundance is important for projections of air quality, climate, and stratospheric ozone recovery. As the atmospheric mixing ratios of methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3) (MCF), the commonly used OH reference gas, approaches zero, it is important to find alternative approaches to infer atmospheric OH abundance and variability. The lack of global bottom-up emission inventories is the primary obstacle in choosing a MCF alternative. We illustrate that global emissions of long-lived trace gases can be inferred from their observed mixing ratio differences between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH), given realistic estimates of their NH-SH exchange time, the emission partitioning between the two hemispheres, and the NH versus SH OH abundance ratio. Using the observed long-term trend and emissions derived from the measured hemispheric gradient, the combination of HFC-32 (CH2F2), HFC-134a (CH2FCF3, HFC-152a (CH3CHF2), and HCFC-22 (CHClF2), instead of a single gas, will be useful as a MCF alternative to infer global and hemispheric OH abundance and trace gas lifetimes. The primary assumption on which this multispecies approach relies is that the OH lifetimes can be estimated by scaling the thermal reaction rates of a reference gas at 272 K on global and hemispheric scales. Thus, the derived hemispheric and global OH estimates are forced to reconcile the observed trends and gradient for all four compounds simultaneously. However, currently, observations of these gases from the surface networks do not provide more accurate OH abundance estimate than that from MCF.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of upper atmosphere dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roper, R. G.; Edwards, H. D.

1980-01-01

A brief overview of the significant contributions made to the understanding of the dynamics of the Earth's upper atmosphere is presented, including the addition of winds and diffusion to the semi-empirical Global Reference Atmospheric Model developed for the design phase of the Space Shuttle, reviews of turbulence in the lower thermosphere, the dynamics of the equatorial mesopause, stratospheric warming effects on mesopause level dynamics, and the relevance of these studies to the proposed Middle Atmosphere Program (1982-85). A chronological bibliography, with abstracts of all papers published, is also included.

Accurate Realization of GPS Vertical Global Reference Frame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elosegui, Pedro

2004-01-01

The few millimeter per year level accuracy of radial global velocity estimates with the Global Positioning System (GPS) is at least an order of magnitude poorer than the accuracy of horizontal global motions. An improvement in the accuracy of radial global velocities would have a very positive impact on a number of geophysical studies of current general interest such as global sea-level and climate change, coastal hazards, glacial isostatic adjustment, atmospheric and oceanic loading, glaciology and ice mass variability, tectonic deformation and volcanic inflation, and geoid variability. The goal of this project is to improve our current understanding of GPS error sources associated with estimates of radial velocities at global scales. GPS error sources relevant to this project can be classified in two broad categories: (1) those related to the analysis of the GPS phase observable, and (2) those related to the combination of the positions and velocities of a set of globally distributed stations as determined from the analysis of GPS data important aspect in the first category include the effect on vertical rate estimates due to standard analysis choices, such as orbit modeling, network geometry, ambiguity resolution, as well as errors in models (or simply the lack of models) for clocks, multipath, phase-center variations, atmosphere, and solid-Earth tides. The second category includes the possible methods of combining and defining terrestrial reference flames for determining vertical velocities in a global scale. The latter has been the subject of our research activities during this reporting period.

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2000 Version (Mars-GRAM 2000): Users Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; James, B. F.

2000-01-01

This report presents Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model 2000 Version (Mars-GRAM 2000) and its new features. All parameterizations for temperature, pressure, density, and winds versus height, latitude, longitude, time of day, and L(sub s) have been replaced by input data tables from NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) for the surface through 80-km altitude and the University of Arizona Mars Thermospheric General Circulation Model (MTGCM) for 80 to 170 km. A modified Stewart thermospheric model is still used for higher altitudes and for dependence on solar activity. "Climate factors" to tune for agreement with GCM data are no longer needed. Adjustment of exospheric temperature is still an option. Consistent with observations from Mars Global Surveyor, a new longitude-dependent wave model is included with user input to specify waves having 1 to 3 wavelengths around the planet. A simplified perturbation model has been substituted for the earlier one. An input switch allows users to select either East or West longitude positive. This memorandum includes instructions on obtaining Mars-GRAM source code and data files and for running the program. It also provides sample input and output and an example for incorporating Mars-GRAM as an atmospheric subroutine in a trajectory code.

Venus Global Reference Atmospheric Model Status and Planned Updates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, H. L.; Dwyer Cianciolo, A. M.

2017-01-01

The Venus Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Venus-GRAM) was originally developed in 2004 under funding from NASA's In Space Propulsion (ISP) Aerocapture Project to support mission studies at the planet. Many proposals, including NASA New Frontiers and Discovery, as well as other studies have used Venus-GRAM to design missions and assess system robustness. After Venus-GRAM's release in 2005, several missions to Venus have generated a wealth of additional atmospheric data, yet few model updates have been made to Venus-GRAM. This paper serves to address three areas: (1) to present the current status of Venus-GRAM, (2) to identify new sources of data and other upgrades that need to be incorporated to maintain Venus-GRAM credibility and (3) to identify additional Venus-GRAM options and features that could be included to increase its capability. This effort will de-pend on understanding the needs of the user community, obtaining new modeling data and establishing a dedicated funding source to support continual up-grades. This paper is intended to initiate discussion that can result in an upgraded and validated Venus-GRAM being available to future studies and NASA proposals.

Reference level winds from balloon platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lally, Vincent E.

1985-01-01

The superpressure balloon was developed to provide a method of obtaining global winds at all altitudes from 5 to 30 km. If a balloon could be made to fly for several weeks at a constant altitude, and if it could be tracked accurately on its global circuits, the balloon would provide a tag for the air parcel in which it was embedded. The Lagrangian data on the atmospheric circulation would provide a superior data input to the numerical model. The Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) was initiated in large part based on the promise of this technique coupled with free-floating ocean buoys and satellite radiometers. The initial name proposed by Charney for GARP was SABABURA 'SAtellite BAlloon BUoy RAdiometric system' (Charney, 1966). However, although the superpressure balloon exceeded its designers' expectations for flight duration in the stratosphere (longest flight duration of 744 days), flight duration below 10 km was limited by icing in super-cooled clouds to a few days. The balloon was relegated to a secondary role during the GARP Special Observing Periods. The several major superpressure balloon programs for global wind measurement are described as well as those new developments which make the balloon once again an attractive vehicle for measurement of global winds as a reference and bench-mark system for future satellite systems.

Reference aquaplanet climate in the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5

DOE PAGES

Medeiros, Brian; Williamson, David L.; Olson, Jerry G.

2016-03-18

In this study, fundamental characteristics of the aquaplanet climate simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5.3 (CAM5.3) are presented. The assumptions and simplifications of the configuration are described. A 16 year long, perpetual equinox integration with prescribed SST using the model’s standard 18 grid spacing is presented as a reference simulation. Statistical analysis is presented that shows similar aquaplanet configurations can be run for about 2 years to obtain robust climatological structures, including global and zonal means, eddy statistics, and precipitation distributions. Such a simulation can be compared to the reference simulation to discern differences in the climate, includingmore » an assessment of confidence in the differences. To aid such comparisons, the reference simulation has been made available via earthsystemgrid.org. Examples are shown comparing the reference simulation with simulations from the CAM5 series that make different microphysical assumptions and use a different dynamical core.« less

Accurate Realization of GPS Vertical Global Reference Frame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elosegui, Pedro

2005-01-01

The goal of this project is to improve our current understanding of GPS error sources associated with estimates of radial velocities at global scales. An improvement in the accuracy of radial global velocities would have a very positive impact on a large number of geophysical studies of current general interest such as global sea-level and climate change, coastal hazards, glacial isostatic adjustment, atmospheric and oceanic loading, glaciology and ice mass variability, tectonic deformation and volcanic inflation, and geoid variability. A set of GPS error sources relevant to this project are those related to the combination of the positions and velocities of a set of globally distributed stations as determined &om the analysis of GPS data, including possible methods of combining and defining terrestrial reference frames. This is were our research activities during this reporting period have concentrated. During this reporting period, we have researched two topics: (1) The effect of errors on the GPS satellite antenna models (or lack thereof) on global GPS vertical position and velocity estimates; (2) The effect of reference W e definition and practice on estimates of the geocenter variations.

Uncertainties in United States agricultural N2O emissions: comparing forward model simulations to atmospheric N2O data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevison, C. D.; Saikawa, E.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Andrews, A. E.; Sweeney, C.

2014-12-01

Atmospheric N2O concentrations have increased from 275 ppb in the preindustrial to about 325 ppb in recent years, a ~20% increase with important implications for both anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and stratospheric ozone recovery. This increase has been driven largely by synthetic fertilizer production and other perturbations to the global nitrogen cycle associated with human agriculture. Several recent regional atmospheric inversion studies have quantified North American agricultural N2O emissions using top-down constraints based on atmospheric N2O data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, including surface, aircraft and tall tower platforms. These studies have concluded that global N2O inventories such as EDGAR may be underestimating the true U.S. anthropogenic N2O source by a factor of 3 or more. However, simple back-of-the-envelope calculations show that emissions of this magnitude are difficult to reconcile with the basic constraints of the global N2O budget. Here, we explore some possible reasons why regional atmospheric inversions might overestimate the U.S. agricultural N2O source. First, the seasonality of N2O agricultural sources is not well known, but can have an important influence on inversion results, particularly when the inversions are based on data that are concentrated in the spring/summer growing season. Second, boundary conditions can strongly influence regional inversions but the boundary conditions used may not adequately account for remote influences on surface data such as the seasonal stratospheric influx of N2O-depleted air. We will present a set of forward model simulations, using the Community Land Model (CLM) and two atmospheric chemistry tracer transport models, MOZART and the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), that examine the influence of terrestrial emissions and atmospheric chemistry and dynamics on atmospheric variability in N2O at U.S. and global monitoring sites.

Production of synthetic winds for the Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-15

The Aerospace Corporation was tasked by the Volpe National Transportation systems Center to provide technical support to the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST), in developing a method based on Princip...

Global Albedo

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-19

... the albedo. Bright surfaces have albedo near unity, and dark surfaces have albedo near zero. The DHR refers to the amount of spectral ... Atmospheric Science Data Center's  MISR Level 3 Imagery web site . The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit ...

Towards an purely data driven view on the global carbon cycle and its spatiotemporal variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zscheischler, Jakob; Mahecha, Miguel; Reichstein, Markus; Avitabile, Valerio; Carvalhais, Nuno; Ciais, Philippe; Gans, Fabian; Gruber, Nicolas; Hartmann, Jens; Herold, Martin; Jung, Martin; Landschützer, Peter; Laruelle, Goulven; Lauerwald, Ronny; Papale, Dario; Peylin, Philippe; Regnier, Pierre; Rödenbeck, Christian; Cuesta, Rosa Maria Roman; Valentini, Ricardo

2015-04-01

Constraining carbon (C) fluxes between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere at regional scale via observations is essential for understanding the Earth's carbon budget and predicting future atmospheric C concentrations. Carbon budgets have often been derived based on merging observations, statistical models and process-based models, for example in the Global Carbon Project (GCP). However, it would be helpful to derive global C budgets and fluxes at global scale as independent as possible from model assumptions to obtain an independent reference. Long-term in-situ measurements of land and ocean C stocks and fluxes have enabled the derivation of a new generation of data driven upscaled data products. Here, we combine a wide range of in-situ derived estimates of terrestrial and aquatic C fluxes for one decade. The data were produced and/or collected during the FP7 project GEOCARBON and include surface-atmosphere C fluxes from the terrestrial biosphere, fossil fuels, fires, land use change, rivers, lakes, estuaries and open ocean. By including spatially explicit uncertainties in each dataset we are able to identify regions that are well constrained by observations and areas where more measurements are required. Although the budget cannot be closed at the global scale, we provide, for the first time, global time-varying maps of the most important C fluxes, which are all directly derived from observations. The resulting spatiotemporal patterns of C fluxes and their uncertainties inform us about the needs for intensifying global C observation activities. Likewise, we provide priors for inversion exercises or to identify regions of high (and low) uncertainty of integrated C fluxes. We discuss the reasons for regions of high observational uncertainties, and for biases in the budget. Our data synthesis might also be used as empirical reference for other local and global C budgeting exercises.

Comment on "Carbon farming in hot, dry coastal areas: an option for climate change mitigation" by Becker et al. (2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heimann, M.

2014-01-01

Becker et al. (2013) argue that an afforestation of 0.73 × 109 ha with Jatropha curcas plants would generate an additional terrestrial carbon sink of 4.3 PgC yr-1, enough to stabilise the atmospheric mixing ratio of carbon dioxide (CO2) at current levels. However, this is not consistent with the dynamics of the global carbon cycle. Using a well-established global carbon cycle model, the effect of adding such a hypothetical sink leads to a reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels in the year 2030 by 25 ppm compared to a reference scenario. However, the stabilisation of the atmospheric CO2 concentration requires a much larger additional sink or corresponding reduction of anthropogenic emissions.

Comment on "Carbon farming in hot, dry coastal areas: an option for climate change mitigation" by Becker et al. (2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heimann, M.

2013-08-01

Becker et al. (2013) argue that an afforestation of 0.73 109 ha with Jatropha curcas plants would generate an additional terrestrial carbon sink of 4.3 PgC yr-1, enough to stabilise the atmospheric mixing ratio of carbon dioxide (CO2) at current levels. However, this is not consistent with the dynamics of the global carbon cycle. Using a well established global carbon cycle model, the effect of adding such a hypothetical sink leads to a reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels in the year 2030 by 25 ppm compared to a reference scenario. However, the stabilisation of the atmospheric CO2 concentration requires a much larger additional sink or corresponding reduction of anthropogenic emissions.

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

Holdridge, D. J.

Global Warming and Methane--Global warming, an increase in Earth's near-surface temperature, is believed to result from the buildup of what scientists refer to as ''greenhouse gases.'' These gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, perfluorocarbons, hydrofluoro-carbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. Greenhouse gases can absorb outgoing infrared (heat) radiation and re-emit it back to Earth, warming the surface. Thus, these gases act like the glass of a greenhouse enclosure, trapping infrared radiation inside and warming the space. One of the more important greenhouse gases is the naturally occurring hydrocarbon methane. Methane, a primary component of natural gas, is themore » second most important contributor to the greenhouse effect (after carbon dioxide). Natural sources of methane include wetlands, fossil sources, termites, oceans, fresh-waters, and non-wetland soils. Methane is also produced by human-related (or anthropogenic) activities such as fossil fuel production, coal mining, rice cultivation, biomass burning, water treatment facilities, waste management operations and landfills, and domesticated livestock operations (Figure 1). These anthropogenic activities account for approximately 70% of the methane emissions to the atmosphere. Methane is removed naturally from the atmosphere in three ways. These methods, commonly referred to as sinks, are oxidation by chemical reaction with tropospheric hydroxyl ion, oxidation within the stratosphere, and microbial uptake by soils. In spite of their important role in removing excess methane from the atmosphere, the sinks cannot keep up with global methane production. Methane concentrations in the atmosphere have increased by 145% since 1800. Increases in atmospheric methane roughly parallel world population growth, pointing to anthropogenic sources as the cause (Figure 2). Increases in the methane concentration reduce Earth's natural cooling efficiency by trapping more of the outgoing terrestrial infrared radiation, increasing the near-surface temperature.« less

Climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cronin, Thomas M.

2016-01-01

Climate change (including climate variability) refers to regional or global changes in mean climate state or in patterns of climate variability over decades to millions of years often identified using statistical methods and sometimes referred to as changes in long-term weather conditions (IPCC, 2012). Climate is influenced by changes in continent-ocean configurations due to plate tectonic processes, variations in Earth’s orbit, axial tilt and precession, atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, solar variability, volcanism, internal variability resulting from interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and ice (glaciers, small ice caps, ice sheets, and sea ice), and anthropogenic activities such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use and their effects on carbon cycling.

Focus Upon Implementing the GGOS Decadal Vision for Geohazards Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaBrecque, John; Stangl, Gunter

2017-04-01

The Global Geodetic Observing System of the IAG identified present and future roles for Geodesy in the development and well being of the global society. The GGOS is focused upon the development of infrastructure, information, analysis, and educational systems to advance the International Global Reference Frame, the International Celestial Reference System, the International Height Reference System, atmospheric dynamics, sea level change and geohazards monitoring. The geohazards initiative is guided by an eleven nation working group initially focused upon the development and integration of regional multi-GNSS networks and analysis systems for earthquake and tsunami early warning. The opportunities and challenges being addressed by the Geohazards working group include regional network design, algorithm development and implementation, communications, funding, and international agreements on data access. This presentation will discuss in further detail these opportunities and challenges for the GGOS focus upon earthquake and tsunami early warning.

Filling a missing link between biogeochemical, climate and ecosystem studies: a global database of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornell, Sarah

2015-04-01

It is time to collate a global community database of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen deposition. Organic nitrogen (ON) has long been known to be globally ubiquitous in atmospheric aerosol and precipitation, with implications for air and water quality, climate, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and human health. The number of studies of atmospheric ON deposition has increased steadily in recent years, but to date there is no accessible global dataset, for either bulk ON or its major components. Improved qualitative and quantitative understanding of the organic nitrogen component is needed to complement the well-established knowledge base pertaining to other components of atmospheric deposition (cf. Vet et al 2014). Without this basic information, we are increasingly constrained in addressing the current dynamics and potential interactions of atmospheric chemistry, climate and ecosystem change. To see the full picture we need global data synthesis, more targeted data gathering, and models that let us explore questions about the natural and anthropogenic dynamics of atmospheric ON. Collectively, our research community already has a substantial amount of atmospheric ON data. Published reports extend back over a century and now have near-global coverage. However, datasets available from the literature are very piecemeal and too often lack crucially important information that would enable aggregation or re-use. I am initiating an open collaborative process to construct a community database, so we can begin to systematically synthesize these datasets (generally from individual studies at a local and temporally limited scale) to increase their scientific usability and statistical power for studies of global change and anthropogenic perturbation. In drawing together our disparate knowledge, we must address various challenges and concerns, not least about the comparability of analysis and sampling methodologies, and the known complexity of composition of ON. We need to discuss and develop protocols that work for diverse research needs. The database will need to be harmonized or merged into existing global N data initiatives. This presentation therefore launches a standing invitation for experts to contribute and share rain and aerosol ON and chemical composition data, and jointly refine the preliminary database structure and metadata requirements for optimal mutual use. Reference: Vet et al. (2014) A global assessment of precipitation chemistry… Atmos Environ 93: 3-100

A Revised Thermosphere for the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM Version 3.4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Johnson, D. L.; James, B. F.

1996-01-01

This report describes the newly-revised model thermosphere for the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM, Version 3.4). It also provides descriptions of other changes made to the program since publication of the programmer's guide for Mars-GRAM Version 3.34. The original Mars-GRAM model thermosphere was based on the global-mean model of Stewart. The revised thermosphere is based largely on parameterizations derived from output data from the three-dimensional Mars Thermospheric Global Circulation Model (MTGCM). The new thermospheric model includes revised dependence on the 10.7 cm solar flux for the global means of exospheric temperature, temperature of the base of the thermosphere, and scale height for the thermospheric temperature variations, as well as revised dependence on orbital position for global mean height of the base of the thermosphere. Other features of the new thermospheric model are: (1) realistic variations of temperature and density with latitude and time of day, (2) more realistic wind magnitudes, based on improved estimates of horizontal pressure gradients, and (3) allowance for user-input adjustments to the model values for mean exospheric temperature and for height and temperature at the base of the thermosphere. Other new features of Mars-GRAM 3.4 include: (1) allowance for user-input values of climatic adjustment factors for temperature profiles from the surface to 75 km, and (2) a revised method for computing the sub-solar longitude position in the 'ORBIT' subroutine.

Research study on neutral thermodynamic atmospheric model. [for space shuttle mission and abort trajectory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hargraves, W. R.; Delulio, E. B.; Justus, C. G.

1977-01-01

The Global Reference Atmospheric Model is used along with the revised perturbation statistics to evaluate and computer graph various atmospheric statistics along a space shuttle reference mission and abort trajectory. The trajectory plots are height vs. ground range, with height from ground level to 155 km and ground range along the reentry trajectory. Cross sectional plots, height vs. latitude or longitude, are also generated for 80 deg longitude, with heights from 30 km to 90 km and latitude from -90 deg to +90 deg, and for 45 deg latitude, with heights from 30 km to 90 km and longitudes from 180 deg E to 180 deg W. The variables plotted are monthly average pressure, density, temperature, wind components, and wind speed and standard deviations and 99th inter-percentile range for each of these variables.

BOREAS (Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study): Global change and biosphere-atmosphere interactions in the boreal forest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sellers, Piers J.

1991-01-01

The Boreal Ecosystems Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) is a cooperative field and analysis project involving elements of land surface climatology, tropospheric chemistry, and terrestrial ecology. The goal of the study is to understand the interactions between the boreal forest biome and the atmosphere in order to clarify their roles in global change. The study will be centered on two 20 by 20 km sites within the North American boreal forest region, located near the northern and southern limits of the biome. Studies based at these sites will be used to explore the roles of various environmental factors in controlling the extent and character of the biome. The sites will be the subject of surface, airborne, and satellite based observations which aim to improve understanding of the biological and physical processes and states which govern the exchanges of energy, water, carbon, and trace gases between boreal forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. Particular reference will be made to those processes and states that may be sensitive to global change. The study also aims to develop the use of remote sensing techniques to transfer understanding of the above process from local scales out to regional scales. The BOREAS project is being planned for 1992-1996, with a major field effort in 1994.

Estimation of Atmospheric Methane Surface Fluxes Using a Global 3-D Chemical Transport Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Prinn, R.

2003-12-01

Accurate determination of atmospheric methane surface fluxes is an important and challenging problem in global biogeochemical cycles. We use inverse modeling to estimate annual, seasonal, and interannual CH4 fluxes between 1996 and 2001. The fluxes include 7 time-varying seasonal (3 wetland, rice, and 3 biomass burning) and 3 steady aseasonal (animals/waste, coal, and gas) global processes. To simulate atmospheric methane, we use the 3-D chemical transport model MATCH driven by NCEP reanalyzed observed winds at a resolution of T42 ( ˜2.8° x 2.8° ) in the horizontal and 28 levels (1000 - 3 mb) in the vertical. By combining existing datasets of individual processes, we construct a reference emissions field that represents our prior guess of the total CH4 surface flux. For the methane sink, we use a prescribed, annually-repeating OH field scaled to fit methyl chloroform observations. MATCH is used to produce both the reference run from the reference emissions, and the time-dependent sensitivities that relate individual emission processes to observations. The observational data include CH4 time-series from ˜15 high-frequency (in-situ) and ˜50 low-frequency (flask) observing sites. Most of the high-frequency data, at a time resolution of 40-60 minutes, have not previously been used in global scale inversions. In the inversion, the high-frequency data generally have greater weight than the weekly flask data because they better define the observational monthly means. The Kalman Filter is used as the optimal inversion technique to solve for emissions between 1996-2001. At each step in the inversion, new monthly observations are utilized and new emissions estimates are produced. The optimized emissions represent deviations from the reference emissions that lead to a better fit to the observations. The seasonal processes are optimized for each month, and contain the methane seasonality and interannual variability. The aseasonal processes, which are less variable, are solved as constant emissions over the entire time period. The Kalman Filter also produces emission uncertainties which quantify the ability of the observing network to constrain different processes. The sensitivity of the inversion to different observing sites and model sampling strategies is also tested. In general, the inversion reduces coal and gas emissions, and increases rice and biomass burning emissions relative to the reference case. Increases in both tropical and northern wetland emissions are found to have dominated the strong atmospheric methane increase in 1998. Northern wetlands are the best constrained processes, while tropical regions are poorly constrained and will require additional observations in the future for significant uncertainty reduction. The results of this study also suggest that interannual varying transport like NCEP and high-frequency measurements should be used when solving for methane emissions at monthly time resolution. Better estimates of global OH fluctuations are also necessary to fully describe the interannual behavior of methane observations.

Additions to Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (MARS-GRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; James, Bonnie

1992-01-01

Three major additions or modifications were made to the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM): (1) in addition to the interactive version, a new batch version is available, which uses NAMELIST input, and is completely modular, so that the main driver program can easily be replaced by any calling program, such as a trajectory simulation program; (2) both the interactive and batch versions now have an option for treating local-scale dust storm effects, rather than just the global-scale dust storms in the original Mars-GRAM; and (3) the Zurek wave perturbation model was added, to simulate the effects of tidal perturbations, in addition to the random (mountain wave) perturbation model of the original Mars-GRAM. A minor modification was also made which allows heights to go 'below' local terrain height and return 'realistic' pressure, density, and temperature, and not the surface values, as returned by the original Mars-GRAM. This feature will allow simulations of Mars rover paths which might go into local 'valley' areas which lie below the average height of the present, rather coarse-resolution, terrain height data used by Mars-GRAM. Sample input and output of both the interactive and batch versions of Mars-GRAM are presented.

Additions to Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.

1991-01-01

Three major additions or modifications were made to the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM): (1) in addition to the interactive version, a new batch version is available, which uses NAMELIST input, and is completely modular, so that the main driver program can easily be replaced by any calling program, such as a trajectory simulation program; (2) both the interactive and batch versions now have an option for treating local-scale dust storm effects, rather than just the global-scale dust storms in the original Mars-GRAM; and (3) the Zurek wave perturbation model was added, to simulate the effects of tidal perturbations, in addition to the random (mountain wave) perturbation model of the original Mars-GRAM. A minor modification has also been made which allows heights to go below local terrain height and return realistic pressure, density, and temperature (not the surface values) as returned by the original Mars-GRAM. This feature will allow simulations of Mars rover paths which might go into local valley areas which lie below the average height of the present, rather coarse-resolution, terrain height data used by Mars-GRAM. Sample input and output of both the interactive and batch version of Mars-GRAM are presented.

Decadal changes of reference crop evapotranspiration attribution: Spatial and temporal variability over China 1960-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Ze-Xin; Thomas, Axel

2018-05-01

Atmospheric evaporative demand can be used as a measure of the hydrological cycle and the global energy balance. Its long-term variation and the role of driving climatic factors have received increasingly attention in climate change studies. FAO-Penman-Monteith reference crop evapotranspiration rates were estimated for 644 meteorological stations over China for the period 1960-2011 to analyze spatial and temporal attribution variability. Attribution of climatic variables to reference crop evapotranspiration rates was not stable over the study period. While for all of China the contribution of sunshine duration remained relatively stable, the importance of relative humidity increased considerably during the last two decades, particularly in winter. Spatially distributed attribution analysis shows that the position of the center of maximum contribution of sunshine duration has shifted from Southeast to Northeast China while in West China the contribution of wind speed has decreased dramatically. In contrast relative humidity has become an important factor in most parts of China. Changes in the Asian Monsoon circulation may be responsible for altered patterns of cloudiness and a general decrease of wind speeds over China. The continuously low importance of temperature confirms that global warming does not necessarily lead to rising atmospheric evaporative demand.

An Assessment of Global Atmospheric Effects of a Major Nuclear Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-10

effects on storm systems of all scales around the globe; however, the statistical characteristics of the atmosphere, such as average temperature and...literature on characteristics of housing and nonresidential buildings in the U.S., U.S.S.R., and Europe , as well as references on petroleum production...especially in the U.S. They considered 3,500 military targets in the U.S., U.S.S.R., and Europe , including missile silos and launchers, bases, and weapon

The GRAM-3 model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.

1987-01-01

The Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) is under continuous development and improvement. GRAM data were compared with Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP) predictions and with shuttle data. An important note: Users should employ only step sizes in altitude that give vertical density gradients consistent with shuttle-derived density data. Using too small a vertical step size (finer then 1 km) will result in what appears to be unreasonably high values of density shears but what in reality is noise in the model.

Engineering-Level Model Atmospheres for Titan and Neptune

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Duvall, Aleta; Johnson, D. L.

2003-01-01

Engineering-level atmospheric models for Titan and Neptune have been developed for use in NASA s systems analysis studies of aerocapture applications in missions to the outer planets. Analogous to highly successful Global Reference Atmospheric Models for Earth (GRAM, Justus et al., 2000) and Mars (Mars-GRAM, Justus and Johnson, 2001, Justus et al., 2002) the new models are called Titan-GRAM and Neptune-GRAM. Like GRAM and Mars-GRAM, an important feature of Titan-GRAM and Neptune-GRAM is their ability to simulate quasi-random perturbations for Monte- Carlo analyses in developing guidance, navigation and control algorithms, and for thermal systems design.

Mars global reference atmosphere model (Mars-GRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; James, Bonnie F.

1992-01-01

Mars-GRAM is an empirical model that parameterizes the temperature, pressure, density, and wind structure of the Martian atmosphere from the surface through thermospheric altitudes. In the lower atmosphere of Mars, the model is built around parameterizations of height, latitudinal, longitudinal, and seasonal variations of temperature determined from a survey of published measurements from the Mariner and Viking programs. Pressure and density are inferred from the temperature by making use of the hydrostatic and perfect gas laws relationships. For the upper atmosphere, the thermospheric model of Stewart is used. A hydrostatic interpolation routine is used to insure a smooth transition from the lower portion of the model to the Stewart thermospheric model. Other aspects of the model are discussed.

Planetary atmosphere models: A research and instructional web-based resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Samuel Augustine

The effects of altitude change on the temperature, pressure, density, and speed of sound were investigated. These effects have been documented in Global Reference Atmospheric Models (GRAMs) to be used in calculating the conditions in various parts of the atmosphere for several planets. Besides GRAMs, there are several websites that provide online calculators for the 1976 US Standard Atmosphere. This thesis presents the creation of an online calculator of the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, Venus, Titan, and Neptune. The websites consist of input forms for altitude and temperature adjustment followed by a results table for the calculated data. The first phase involved creating a spreadsheet reference based on the 1976 US Standard Atmosphere and other planetary GRAMs available. Microsoft Excel was used to input the equations and make a graphical representation of the temperature, pressure, density, and speed of sound change as altitude changed using equations obtained from the GRAMs. These spreadsheets were used later as a reference for the JavaScript code in both the design and comparison of the data output of the calculators. The websites were created using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding languages. The calculators could accurately display the temperature, pressure, density, and speed of sound of these planets from surface values to various stages within the atmosphere. These websites provide a resource for students involved in projects and classes that require knowledge of these changes in these atmospheres. This project also created a chance for new project topics to arise for future students involved in aeronautics and astronautics.

New insights into the nation's carbon storage potential

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Zhu, Zhi-Liang

2012-01-01

Carbon sequestration is a method of securing carbon dioxide (CO2) to prevent its release into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming as a greenhouse gas. Geologic storage of CO2 in porous and permeable rocks involves injecting high-pressure CO2 into a subsurface rock unit that has available pore space. Biologic carbon sequestration refers to both natural and anthropogenic processes by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and stored as carbon in vegetation, soils, and sediments.

International Collaboration in the field of GNSS-Meteorology and Climate Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, J.; Guerova, G.; Dousa, J.; Bock, O.; Elgered, G.; Vedel, H.; Pottiaux, E.; de Haan, S.; Pacione, R.; Dick, G.; Wang, J.; Gutman, S. I.; Wickert, J.; Rannat, K.; Liu, G.; Braun, J. J.; Shoji, Y.

2012-12-01

International collaboration in the field of GNSS-meteorology and climate monitoring is essential, as severe weather and climate change have no respect for national boundaries. The use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for meteorological purposes is an established atmospheric observing technique, which can accurately sense water vapour, the most abundant greenhouse gas, accounting for 60-70% of atmospheric warming. Severe weather forecasting is challenging, in part due to the high temporal and spatial variation of atmospheric water vapour. Water vapour is currently under-sampled and obtaining and exploiting more high-quality humidity observations is essential to severe weather forecasting and climate monitoring. A proposed EU COST Action (http://www.cost.eu) will address new and improved capabilities from concurrent developments in both GNSS and atmospheric communities to improve (short-range) weather forecasts and climate projections. For the first time, the synergy of the three GNSS systems, GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, will be used to develop new, advanced tropospheric products, stimulating the full potential exploitation of multi-GNSS water vapour estimates on a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, from real-time severe weather monitoring and forecasting to climate research. The Action will work in close collaboration with the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN), GNSS Precipitable Water Task Team (TT). GRUAN is a global reference observing network, designed to meet climate requirements and to fill a major void in the current global observing system. GRUAN observations will provide long-term, high-quality data to determine climatic trends and to constrain and validate data from space-based remote sensors. Ground-based GNSS PW was identified as a Priority 1 measurement for GRUAN, and the GNSS-PW TT's goal is to develop explicit guidance on hardware, software and data management practices to obtain GNSS PW measurements of consistent quality at all GRUAN sites. The GRUAN GNSS-PW TT and the proposed COST Action will look to expand the international framework already in place with the European E-GVAP programme to facilitate global collaboration to facilitate knowledge and data exchange.

Utilizing Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) to Evaluate Entry Probe Mission Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Justus, C. G.

2008-01-01

Engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. Mars-GRAM s perturbation modeling capability is commonly used, in a Monte-Carlo mode, to perform high fidelity engineering end-to-end simulations for entry, descent, and landing (EDL)1. Traditional Mars-GRAM options for representing the mean atmosphere along entry corridors include: a) TES Mapping Years 1 and 2, with Mars-GRAM data coming from MGCM model results driven by observed TES dust optical depth; and b) TES Mapping Year 0, with user-controlled dust optical depth and Mars-GRAM data interpolated from MGCM model results driven by selected values of globally-uniform dust optical depth. From the surface to 80 km altitude, Mars-GRAM is based on NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). Mars-GRAM and MGCM use surface topography from Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), with altitudes referenced to the MOLA areoid, or constant potential surface. Mars-GRAM 2005 has been validated2 against Radio Science data, and both nadir and limb data from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES)

Global Validation of MODIS Atmospheric Profile-Derived Near-Surface Air Temperature and Dew Point Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Famiglietti, C.; Fisher, J.; Halverson, G. H.

2017-12-01

This study validates a method of remote sensing near-surface meteorology that vertically interpolates MODIS atmospheric profiles to surface pressure level. The extraction of air temperature and dew point observations at a two-meter reference height from 2001 to 2014 yields global moderate- to fine-resolution near-surface temperature distributions that are compared to geographically and temporally corresponding measurements from 114 ground meteorological stations distributed worldwide. This analysis is the first robust, large-scale validation of the MODIS-derived near-surface air temperature and dew point estimates, both of which serve as key inputs in models of energy, water, and carbon exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. Results show strong linear correlations between remotely sensed and in-situ near-surface air temperature measurements (R2 = 0.89), as well as between dew point observations (R2 = 0.77). Performance is relatively uniform across climate zones. The extension of mean climate-wise percent errors to the entire remote sensing dataset allows for the determination of MODIS air temperature and dew point uncertainties on a global scale.

EOS Laser Atmosphere Wind Sounder (LAWS) investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

In this final report, the set of tasks that evolved from the Laser Atmosphere Wind Sounder (LAWS) Science Team are reviewed, the major accomplishments are summarized, and a complete set of resulting references provided. The tasks included preparation of a plan for the LAWS Algorithm Development and Evolution Laboratory (LADEL); participation in the preparation of a joint CNES/NASA proposal to build a space-based DWL; involvement in the Global Backscatter Experiments (GLOBE); evaluation of several DWL concepts including 'Quick-LAWS', SPNDL and several direct detection technologies; and an extensive series of system trade studies and Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE's). In this report, some of the key accomplishments are briefly summarized with reference to interim reports, special reports, conference/workshop presentations, and publications.

Solving the Global Climate Monitoring Problem in the Atmosphere: Towards SI-tied Climate Records with Integrated Uncertainty Propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirchengast, G.; Schwaerz, M.; Fritzer, J.; Schwarz, J.; Scherllin-Pirscher, B.; Steiner, A. K.

2013-12-01

Monitoring the atmosphere to gain accurate and long-term stable records of essential climate variables (ECVs) such as temperature and greenhouse gases is the backbone of contemporary atmospheric and climate science. Earth observation from space is the key to obtain such data globally in the atmosphere. Currently, however, not any existing satellite-based atmospheric ECV record can serve as authoritative benchmark over months to decades so that climate variability and change in the atmosphere are not yet reliably monitored. Radio occultation (RO) using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals provides a unique opportunity to solve this problem in the free atmosphere (from ~1-2 km altitude upwards) for core ECVs: the thermodynamic variables temperature and pressure, and to some degree water vapor, which are key parameters for tracking climate change. On top of RO we have recently conceived next-generation methods, microwave and infrared-laser occultation and nadir-looking infrared-laser reflectometry. These can monitor a full set of thermo-dynamic ECVs (incl. wind) as well as the greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane as main drivers of climate change; for the latter we also target the boundary layer for tracking carbon sources and sinks. We briefly introduce to why the atmospheric climate monitoring challenge is unsolved so far and why just the above methods have the capabilities to break through. We then focus on RO, which already provided more than a decade of observations. RO accurately measures time delays from refraction of GNSS signals during atmospheric occultation events. This enables to tie RO-derived ECVs and their uncertainty to fundamental time standards, effectively the SI second, and to their unique long-term stability and narrow uncertainty. However, despite impressive advances since the pioneering RO mission GPS/Met in the mid-1990ties no rigorous trace from fundamental time to the ECVs (duly accounting also for relevant side influences) exists so far. Establishing such a trace first-time in form of the Reference Occultation Processing System rOPS, providing reference RO data for climate science and applications, is therefore a current cornerstone endeavor at the Wegener Center over 2011 to 2015, supported also by colleagues from other key groups at EUMETSAT Darmstadt, UCAR Boulder, DMI Copenhagen, ECMWF Reading, IAP Moscow, AIUB Berne, and RMIT Melbourne. With the rOPS we undertake to process the full chain from the SI-tied raw data to the atmospheric ECVs with integrated uncertainty propagation. We summarize where we currently stand in quantifying RO accuracy and long-term stability and then discuss the concept, development status and initial results from the rOPS, with emphasis on its novel capability to provide SI-tied reference data with integrated uncertainty estimation. We comment how these data can provide ground-breaking support to challenges such as climate model evaluation, anthropogenic change detection and attribution, and calibration of complementary climate observing systems.

A strategic outlook for coordination of ground-based measurement networks of atmospheric state variables and atmospheric composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodeker, G. E.; Thorne, P.; Braathen, G.; De Maziere, M.; Thompson, A. M.; Kurylo, M. J., III

2016-12-01

There are a number of ground-based global observing networks that collectively aim to make key measurements of atmospheric state variables and atmospheric chemical composition. These networks include, but are not limited to:NDACC: Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change GUAN: GCOS Upper Air Network GRUAN: GCOS Reference Upper Air Network EARLINET: the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network GAW: Global Atmosphere Watch SHADOZ: Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes TCCON: Total Carbon Column Observing Network BSRN: Baseline Surface Radiation Network While each network brings unique capabilities to the global observing system, there are many instances where the activities and capabilities of the networks overlap. These commonalities across multiple networks can confound funding agencies when allocating scarce financial resources. Overlaps between networks may also result in some duplication of effort and a resultant sub-optimal use of funding resource for the global observing system. While some degree of overlap is useful for quality assurance, it is essential to identify the degree to which one network can take on a specific responsibility on behalf of all other networks to avoid unnecessary duplication, to identify where expertise in any one network may serve other networks, and to develop a long-term strategy for the evolution of these networks that clarifies to funding agencies where new investment is required. This presentation will briefly summarise the key characteristics of each network listed above, adopt a matrix approach to identify commonalities and, in particular, where there may be a danger of duplication of effort, and where gaps between the networks may be compromising the services that these networks are expected to collectively deliver to the global atmospheric and climate science research communities. The presentation will also examine where sharing of data and tools between networks may result in a more efficient delivery of records of essential climate variables to the global research community. There are aspects of underpinning research that are needed across all of these networks, such as laboratory spectroscopy, that often do not receive the attention they deserve. The presentation will also seek to identify where that underpinning research is lacking.

Can we use ground-based measurements of HCFCs and HFCs to derive their emissions, lifetimes, and the global OH abundance?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Q.; Chipperfield, M.; Daniel, J. S.; Burkholder, J. B.; Rigby, M. L.; Velders, G. J. M.

2015-12-01

The hydroxyl radical (OH) is the major oxidant in the atmosphere. Reaction with OH is the primary removal process for many non-CO2greenhouse gases (GHGs), ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) and their replacements, e.g. hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Traditionally, the global OH abundance is inferred using the observed atmospheric rate of change for methyl chloroform (MCF). Due to the Montreal Protocol regulation, the atmospheric abundance of MCF has been decreasing rapidly to near-zero values. It is becoming critical to find an alternative reference compound to continue to provide quantitative information for the global OH abundance. Our model analysis using the NASA 3-D GEOS-5 Chemistry Climate Model suggests that the inter-hemispheric gradients (IHG) of the HCFCs and HFCs show a strong linear correlation with their global emissions. Therefore it is possible to use (i) the observed IHGs of HCFCs and HFCs to estimate their global emissions, and (ii) use the derived emissions and the observed long-term trend to calculate their lifetimes and to infer the global OH abundance. Preliminary analysis using a simple global two-box model (one box for each hemisphere) and information from the global 3-D model suggests that the quantitative relationship between IHG and global emissions varies slightly among individual compounds depending on their lifetime, their emissions history and emission fractions from the two hemispheres. While each compound shows different sensitivity to the above quantities, the combined suite of the HCFCs and HFCs provides a means to derive global OH abundance and the corresponding atmospheric lifetimes of long-lived gases with respect to OH (tOH). The fact that the OH partial lifetimes of these compounds are highly correlated, with the ratio of tOH equal to the reverse ratio of their OH thermal reaction rates at 272K, provides an additional constraint that can greatly reduce the uncertainty in the OH abundance and tOH estimates. We will use the observed IHGs and long-term trends of three major HCFCs and six major HFCs in the two-box model to derive their global emissions and atmospheric lifetimes as well as the global OH abundance. The derived global OH abundance between 2000 and 2014 will be compared with that derived using MCF for consistency.

Atmospheric Modeling Using Accelerometer Data During Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Flight Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tolson, Robert H.; Lugo, Rafael A.; Baird, Darren T.; Cianciolo, Alicia D.; Bougher, Stephen W.; Zurek, Richard M.

2017-01-01

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is a NASA orbiter designed to explore the Mars upper atmosphere, typically from 140 to 160 km altitude. In addition to the nominal science mission, MAVEN has performed several Deep Dip campaigns in which the orbit's closest point of approach, also called periapsis, was lowered to an altitude range of 115 to 135 km. MAVEN accelerometer data were used during mission operations to estimate atmospheric parameters such as density, scale height, along-track gradients, and wave structures. Density and scale height estimates were compared against those obtained from the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model and used to aid the MAVEN navigation team in planning maneuvers to raise and lower periapsis during Deep Dip operations. This paper describes the processes used to reconstruct atmosphere parameters from accelerometers data and presents the results of their comparison to model and navigation-derived values.

Assessment of clear sky radiative fluxes in CMIP5 climate models using surface observations from BSRN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wild, M.; Hakuba, M. Z.; Folini, D.; Ott, P.; Long, C. N.

2017-12-01

Clear sky fluxes in the latest generation of Global Climate Models (GCM) from CMIP5 still vary largely particularly at the Earth's surface, covering in their global means a range of 16 and 24 Wm-2 in the surface downward clear sky shortwave (SW) and longwave radiation, respectively. We assess these fluxes with monthly clear sky reference climatologies derived from more than 40 Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) sites based on Long and Ackermann (2000) and Hakuba et al. (2015). The comparison is complicated by the fact that the monthly SW clear sky BSRN reference climatologies are inferred from measurements under true cloud-free conditions, whereas the GCM clear sky fluxes are calculated continuously at every timestep solely by removing the clouds, yet otherwise keeping the prevailing atmospheric composition (e.g. water vapor, temperature, aerosols) during the cloudy conditions. This induces the risk of biases in the GCMs just due to the additional sampling of clear sky fluxes calculated under atmospheric conditions representative for cloudy situations. Thereby, a wet bias may be expected in the GCMs compared to the observational references, which may induce spurious low biases in the downward clear sky SW fluxes. To estimate the magnitude of these spurious biases in the available monthly mean fields from 40 CMIP5 models, we used their respective multi-century control runs, and searched therein for each month and each BSRN station the month with the lowest cloud cover. The deviations of the clear sky fluxes in this month from their long-term means have then be used as indicators of the magnitude of the abovementioned sampling biases and as correction factors for an appropriate comparison with the BSRN climatologies, individually applied for each model and BSRN site. The overall correction is on the order of 2 Wm-2. This revises our best estimate for the global mean surface downward SW clear sky radiation, previously at 249 Wm-2 infered from the GCM clear sky flux fields and their biases compared to the BSRN climatologies, now to 247 Wm-2 including this additional correction. 34 out of 40 CMIP5 GCMs exceed this reference value. With a global mean surface albedo of 13 % and net TOA SW clear sky flux of 287 Wm-2 from CERES-EBAF this results in a global mean clear sky surface and atmospheric SW absorption of 214 and 73 Wm-2, respectively.

Earth Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM99): Short Course

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leslie, Fred W.; Justus, C. G.

2007-01-01

Earth-GRAM is a FORTRAN software package that can run on a variety of platforms including PC's. For any time and location in the Earth's atmosphere, Earth-GRAM provides values of atmospheric quantities such as temperature, pressure, density, winds, constituents, etc.. Dispersions (perturbations) of these parameters are also provided and have realistic correlations, means, and variances - useful for Monte Carlo analysis. Earth-GRAM is driven by observations including a tropospheric database available from the National Climatic Data Center. Although Earth-GRAM can be run in a "stand-alone" mode, many users incorporate it into their trajectory codes. The source code is distributed free-of-charge to eligible recipients.

The 1991 EOS reference handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dokken, David (Editor)

1991-01-01

The following topics are covered: (1) The Global Change Research Program; (2) The Earth Observing System (EOS) goal and objectives; (3) primary EOS mission requirements; (4) EOS science; (5) EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) architecture; (6) data policy; (7) international cooperation; (8) plans and status; (9) the role of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; (10) The Global Fellowship Program; (11) management of EOS; (12) mission elements; (13) EOS instruments; (14) interdisciplinary science investigations; (15) points of contact; and (16) acronyms and abbreviations.

Global Inventory of Gas Geochemistry Data from Fossil Fuel, Microbial and Burning Sources, version 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherwood, Owen A.; Schwietzke, Stefan; Arling, Victoria A.; Etiope, Giuseppe

2017-08-01

The concentration of atmospheric methane (CH4) has more than doubled over the industrial era. To help constrain global and regional CH4 budgets, inverse (top-down) models incorporate data on the concentration and stable carbon (δ13C) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotopic ratios of atmospheric CH4. These models depend on accurate δ13C and δ2H end-member source signatures for each of the main emissions categories. Compared with meticulous measurement and calibration of isotopic CH4 in the atmosphere, there has been relatively less effort to characterize globally representative isotopic source signatures, particularly for fossil fuel sources. Most global CH4 budget models have so far relied on outdated source signature values derived from globally nonrepresentative data. To correct this deficiency, we present a comprehensive, globally representative end-member database of the δ13C and δ2H of CH4 from fossil fuel (conventional natural gas, shale gas, and coal), modern microbial (wetlands, rice paddies, ruminants, termites, and landfills and/or waste) and biomass burning sources. Gas molecular compositional data for fossil fuel categories are also included with the database. The database comprises 10 706 samples (8734 fossil fuel, 1972 non-fossil) from 190 published references. Mean (unweighted) δ13C signatures for fossil fuel CH4 are significantly lighter than values commonly used in CH4 budget models, thus highlighting potential underestimation of fossil fuel CH4 emissions in previous CH4 budget models. This living database will be updated every 2-3 years to provide the atmospheric modeling community with the most complete CH4 source signature data possible. Database digital object identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.15138/G3201T.

The NASA environmental models of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, D. I.

1991-01-01

NASA environmental models are discussed with particular attention given to the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) and the Mars Terrain simulator. The Mars-GRAM model takes into account seasonal, diurnal, and surface topography and dust storm effects upon the atmosphere. It is also capable of simulating appropriate random density perturbations along any trajectory path through the atmosphere. The Mars Terrain Simulator is a software program that builds pseudo-Martian terrains by layering the effects of geological processes upon one another. Output pictures of the constructed surfaces can be viewed from any vantage point under any illumination conditions. Attention is also given to the document 'Environment of Mars, 1988' in which scientific models of the Martian atmosphere and Martian surface are presented.

GRAM-86 - FOUR DIMENSIONAL GLOBAL REFERENCE ATMOSPHERE MODEL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D.

1994-01-01

The Four-D Global Reference Atmosphere program was developed from an empirical atmospheric model which generates values for pressure, density, temperature, and winds from surface level to orbital altitudes. This program can be used to generate altitude profiles of atmospheric parameters along any simulated trajectory through the atmosphere. The program was developed for design applications in the Space Shuttle program, such as the simulation of external tank re-entry trajectories. Other potential applications would be global circulation and diffusion studies, and generating profiles for comparison with other atmospheric measurement techniques, such as satellite measured temperature profiles and infrasonic measurement of wind profiles. The program is an amalgamation of two empirical atmospheric models for the low (25km) and the high (90km) atmosphere, with a newly developed latitude-longitude dependent model for the middle atmosphere. The high atmospheric region above 115km is simulated entirely by the Jacchia (1970) model. The Jacchia program sections are in separate subroutines so that other thermosphericexospheric models could easily be adapted if required for special applications. The atmospheric region between 30km and 90km is simulated by a latitude-longitude dependent empirical model modification of the latitude dependent empirical model of Groves (1971). Between 90km and 115km a smooth transition between the modified Groves values and the Jacchia values is accomplished by a fairing technique. Below 25km the atmospheric parameters are computed by the 4-D worldwide atmospheric model of Spiegler and Fowler (1972). This data set is not included. Between 25km and 30km an interpolation scheme is used between the 4-D results and the modified Groves values. The output parameters consist of components for: (1) latitude, longitude, and altitude dependent monthly and annual means, (2) quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO), and (3) random perturbations to partially simulate the variability due to synoptic, diurnal, planetary wave, and gravity wave variations. Quasi-biennial and random variation perturbations are computed from parameters determined by various empirical studies and are added to the monthly mean values. The UNIVAC version of GRAM is written in UNIVAC FORTRAN and has been implemented on a UNIVAC 1110 under control of EXEC 8 with a central memory requirement of approximately 30K of 36 bit words. The GRAM program was developed in 1976 and GRAM-86 was released in 1986. The monthly data files were last updated in 1986. The DEC VAX version of GRAM is written in FORTRAN 77 and has been implemented on a DEC VAX 11/780 under control of VMS 4.X with a central memory requirement of approximately 100K of 8 bit bytes. The GRAM program was originally developed in 1976 and later converted to the VAX in 1986 (GRAM-86). The monthly data files were last updated in 1986.

Anesthetic gases and global warming: Potentials, prevention and future of anesthesia.

PubMed

Gadani, Hina; Vyas, Arun

2011-01-01

Global warming refers to an average increase in the earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. Greenhouse gases make the earth warmer by trapping energy inside the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere and include: water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Hazardous chemicals enter the air we breathe as a result of dozens of activities carried out during a typical day at a healthcare facility like processing lab samples, burning fossil fuels etc. We sometimes forget that anesthetic agents are also greenhouse gases (GHGs). Anesthetic agents used today are volatile halogenated ethers and the common carrier gas nitrous oxide known to be aggressive GHGs. With less than 5% of the total delivered halogenated anesthetic being metabolized by the patient, the vast majority of the anesthetic is routinely vented to the atmosphere through the operating room scavenging system. The global warming potential (GWP) of a halogenated anesthetic is up to 2,000 times greater than CO2. Global warming potentials are used to compare the strength of different GHGs to trap heat in the atmosphere relative to that of CO2. Here we discuss about the GWP of anesthetic gases, preventive measures to decrease the global warming effects of anesthetic gases and Xenon, a newer anesthetic gas for the future of anesthesia.

Ocean Acidification: Investigation and Presentation of the Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Levels on Seawater Chemistry and Calcareous Organisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buth, Jeffrey M.

2016-01-01

Ocean acidification refers to the process by which seawater absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, producing aqueous carbonic acid. Acidic conditions increase the solubility of calcium carbonate, threatening corals and other calcareous organisms that depend on it for protective structures. The global nature of ocean acidification and the…

The SPARC Intercomparison of Middle Atmosphere Climatologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William; Fleming, Eric; Geller, Marvin; Gelman, Mel; Hamilton, Kevin; Karoly, David; Ortland, Dave; Pawson, Steve; Swinbank, Richard; Udelhofen, Petra

2003-01-01

Our current confidence in 'observed' climatological winds and temperatures in the middle atmosphere (over altitudes approx. 10-80 km) is assessed by detailed intercomparisons of contemporary and historic data sets. These data sets include global meteorological analyses and assimilations, climatologies derived from research satellite measurements, and historical reference atmosphere circulation statistics. We also include comparisons with historical rocketsonde wind and temperature data, and with more recent lidar temperature measurements. The comparisons focus on a few basic circulation statistics, such as temperature, zonal wind, and eddy flux statistics. Special attention is focused on tropical winds and temperatures, where large differences exist among separate analyses. Assimilated data sets provide the most realistic tropical variability, but substantial differences exist among current schemes.

GNSS Radio Occultation Excess Phase Processing with Integrated Uncertainty Estimation for Thermodynamic Cal/Val of Passive Atmospheric Sounders and Climate Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Innerkofler, J.; Pock, C.; Kirchengast, G.; Schwaerz, M.; Jaeggi, A.; Andres, Y.; Marquardt, C.; Hunt, D.; Schreiner, W. S.; Schwarz, J.

2017-12-01

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) is a highly valuable satellite remote sensing technique for atmospheric and climate sciences, including calibration and validation (cal/val) of passive sounding instruments such as radiometers. It is providing accurate and precise measurements in the troposphere and stratosphere regions with global coverage, long-term stability, and virtually all-weather capability since 2001. For fully exploiting the potential of RO data as a cal/val reference and climate data record, uncertainties attributed to the data need to be assessed. Here we focus on the atmospheric excess phase data, based on the raw occultation tracking and orbit data, and its integrated uncertainty estimation within the new Reference Occultation Processing System (rOPS) developed at the WEGC. These excess phases correspond to integrated refractivity, proportional to pressure/temperature and water vapor, and are therefore highly valuable reference data for thermodynamic cal/val of passive (radiometric) sounder data. In order to enable high accuracy of the excess phase profiles, accurate orbit positions and velocities as well as clock estimates of the GNSS transmitter satellites and RO receiver satellites are determined using the Bernese and Napeos orbit determination software packages. We find orbit uncertainty estimates of about 5 cm (position) / 0.05 mm/s (velocity) for daily orbits for the MetOp, GRACE, and CHAMP RO missions, and decreased uncertainty estimates near 20 cm (position) / 0.2 mm/s (velocity) for the COSMIC RO mission. The strict evaluation and quality control of the position, velocity, and clock accuracies of the daily LEO and GNSS orbits assure smallest achievable uncertainties in the excess phase data. We compared the excess phase profiles from WEGC against profiles from EUMETSAT and UCAR. Results show good agreement in line with the estimated uncertainties, with millimetric differences in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere and centimetric differences in the troposphere, where the excess phases amount to beyond 100 m. This underlines the potential for a new fundamental cal/val reference and climate data record based on atmospheric excess phases from RO, given their narrow uncertainty and independence from background data.

GRAM 88 - 4D GLOBAL REFERENCE ATMOSPHERE MODEL-1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D. L.

1994-01-01

The Four-D Global Reference Atmosphere program was developed from an empirical atmospheric model which generates values for pressure, density, temperature, and winds from surface level to orbital altitudes. This program can generate altitude profiles of atmospheric parameters along any simulated trajectory through the atmosphere. The program was developed for design applications in the Space Shuttle program, such as the simulation of external tank re-entry trajectories. Other potential applications are global circulation and diffusion studies; also the generation of profiles for comparison with other atmospheric measurement techniques such as satellite measured temperature profiles and infrasonic measurement of wind profiles. GRAM-88 is the latest version of the software GRAM. The software GRAM-88 contains a number of changes that have improved the model statistics, in particular, the small scale density perturbation statistics. It also corrected a low latitude grid problem as well as the SCIDAT data base. Furthermore, GRAM-88 now uses the U.S. Standard Atmosphere 1976 as a comparison standard rather than the US62 used in other versions. The program is an amalgamation of two empirical atmospheric models for the low (25km) and the high (90km) atmosphere, with a newly developed latitude-longitude dependent model for the middle atmosphere. The Jacchia (1970) model simulates the high atmospheric region above 115km. The Jacchia program sections are in separate subroutines so that other thermosphericexospheric models could easily be adapted if required for special applications. The improved code eliminated the calculation of geostrophic winds above 125 km altitude from the model. The atmospheric region between 30km and 90km is simulated by a latitude-longitude dependent empirical model modification of the latitude dependent empirical model of Groves (1971). A fairing technique between 90km and 115km accomplished a smooth transition between the modified Groves values and the Jacchia values. Below 25km the atmospheric parameters are computed by the 4-D worldwide atmospheric model of Spiegler and Fowler (1972). This data set is not included. GRAM-88 incorporates a hydrostatic/gas law check in the 0-30 km altitude range to flag and change any bad data points. Between 5km and 30km, an interpolation scheme is used between the 4-D results and the modified Groves values. The output parameters consist of components for: (1) latitude, longitude, and altitude dependent monthly and annual means, (2) quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO), and (3) random perturbations to partially simulate the variability due to synoptic, diurnal, planetary wave, and gravity wave variations. Quasi-biennial and random variation perturbations are computed from parameters determined by various empirical studies and are added to the monthly mean values. The GRAM-88 program is for batch execution on the IBM 3084. It is written in STANDARD FORTRAN 77 under the MVS/XA operating system. The IBM DISPLA graphics routines are necessary for graphical output. The program was developed in 1988.

The NASA/MSFC Global Reference Atmospheric Model-1995 version (GRAM-95)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Jeffries, W. R., III; Yung, S. P.; Johnson, D. L.

1995-01-01

The latest version of the Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM-95) is presented and discussed. GRAM-95 uses the new Global Upper Air Climatic Atlas (GUACA) CD-ROM data set, for 0- to 27-km altitudes. As with earlier versions, GRAM-95 provides complete geographical and altitude coverage for each month of the year. Individual years 1985 to 1991 and a period-of-record (1980 to 1991) can be simulated for the GUACA height range. GRAM-95 uses a specially developed data set, based on Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP) data, for the 20- to 120-km height range, and the NASA Marshall Engineering Thermosphere (MET) model for heights above 90 km. Fairing techniques assure a smooth transition in the overlap height ranges (20 to 27 km and 90 to 120 km). In addition to the traditional GRAM variables of pressure, density, temperature and wind components, GRAM-95 now includes water vapor and 11 other atmospheric constituents (O3, N2O, CO, CH4, CO2, N2, O2, O, A, He, and H). A new, variable-scale perturbation model provides both large-scale and small-scale deviations from mean values for the thermodynamic variables and horizontal and vertical wind components. The perturbation model includes new features that simulate intermittency (patchiness) in turbulence and small-scale perturbation fields. The density perturbations and density gradients (density shears) computed by the new model compare favorably in their statistical characteristics with observed density perturbations and density shears from 32 space shuttle reentry profiles. GRAM-95 provides considerable improvement in wind estimates from the new GUACA data set, compared to winds calculated from the geostrophic wind relations previously used in the 0- to 25-km height range. The GRAM-95 code has been put into a more modular form, easier to incorporate as subroutines in other programs (e.g., trajectory codes). A complete user's guide for running the program, plus sample input and output, is provided.

Observational and modeling constraints on global anthropogenic enrichment of mercury.

PubMed

Amos, Helen M; Sonke, Jeroen E; Obrist, Daniel; Robins, Nicholas; Hagan, Nicole; Horowitz, Hannah M; Mason, Robert P; Witt, Melanie; Hedgecock, Ian M; Corbitt, Elizabeth S; Sunderland, Elsie M

2015-04-07

Centuries of anthropogenic releases have resulted in a global legacy of mercury (Hg) contamination. Here we use a global model to quantify the impact of uncertainty in Hg atmospheric emissions and cycling on anthropogenic enrichment and discuss implications for future Hg levels. The plausibility of sensitivity simulations is evaluated against multiple independent lines of observation, including natural archives and direct measurements of present-day environmental Hg concentrations. It has been previously reported that pre-industrial enrichment recorded in sediment and peat disagree by more than a factor of 10. We find this difference is largely erroneous and caused by comparing peat and sediment against different reference time periods. After correcting this inconsistency, median enrichment in Hg accumulation since pre-industrial 1760 to 1880 is a factor of 4.3 for peat and 3.0 for sediment. Pre-industrial accumulation in peat and sediment is a factor of ∼ 5 greater than the precolonial era (3000 BC to 1550 AD). Model scenarios that omit atmospheric emissions of Hg from early mining are inconsistent with observational constraints on the present-day atmospheric, oceanic, and soil Hg reservoirs, as well as the magnitude of enrichment in archives. Future reductions in anthropogenic emissions will initiate a decline in atmospheric concentrations within 1 year, but stabilization of subsurface and deep ocean Hg levels requires aggressive controls. These findings are robust to the ranges of uncertainty in past emissions and Hg cycling.

Approaches to standardization of atmospheric pollution undergoing long-range and transboundary transport.

PubMed

Izrael, Y A; Nazarov, I M; Ryaboshapko, A G

1982-12-01

The authors consider some possible ways of regulating three types of atmospheric emission of pollutants: - emission of substances causing pollution of the natural environment on the global scale (global pollutants); - emission of substances causing pollution on a regional scale, most often including territories of several countries (international pollutants); - emission of substances causing negative effects in a relatively limited region, for example within border area of two adjoining countries. Substances (gaseous, as a rule) of a long life-time in the atmosphere that can contaminate natural media on a global scale irrespective of the place of emission refer to the first class of pollutants that are subject to emission regulation at an international level and to quota establishement for individual countries. They are carbon dioxide, freon, krypton-85.Various approaches to determining permissible emission and to quota establishing are discussed in the paper.The second group includes substances of a limited, yet rather long, life-time whose emission intensity makes a notable contribution to environmental pollution of a large region including territories of several countries. Here it is needed to regulate internationally not the atmospheric emission as it is but pollutant transport over national boundaries (sulphur and nitrogen oxides, pesticides, heavy metals).The third group includes substances of relatively short time of life producing local effects. Emission regulation in such cases should be based upon bilateral agreements with due account of countries' mutual interests.

Investigating the Control of Ocean-Atmospheric Oscillations on Global Terrestrial Evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martens, B.; Waegeman, W.; Dorigo, W.; Verhoest, N.; Miralles, D. G.

2017-12-01

Intra-annual and multi-decadal variability in Earth's climate is strongly driven by periodic oscillations in the coupled state of our atmosphere and ocean. These oscillations do not only impact climate in nearby regions, but can also have an effect on the climate in remote areas, a phenomenon that is often referred to as teleconnection. Because changes in local climate immediately affect terrestrial ecosystems through a series of complex processes, ocean-atmospheric oscillations are expected to influence land evaporation; i.e. the return flux of water from land into the atmosphere. In this presentation, the effects of ocean-atmospheric oscillations on global terrestrial evaporation are analysed. We use multi-decadal, satellite-based observations of different climate variables (air temperature, radiation, precipitation) in combination with a simple supervised learning method - the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator - to detect the impact of sixteen leading ocean-atmospheric oscillations on terrestrial evaporation. The latter is retrieved using the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM). The analysis reveals hotspot regions in which more than 30% of the inter-annual variability in terrestrial evaporation can be explained by ocean-atmospheric oscillations. The impact is different per region and season, and can typically be attributed to a small subset of oscillations. For instance, the dynamics in terrestrial evaporation over eastern Australia are substantially impacted by both the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) during Austral spring. Using the same learning method, but targeting terrestrial evaporation based on its local climatic drivers (air temperature, precipitation, and radiation), shows the dominant control of precipitation on terrestrial evaporation in Australia, suggesting that both ENSO and IOD affect the precipitation, in his turn influencing evaporation. The latter is confirmed by regressing precipitation to the ocean-atmospheric oscillations. The results of our study allow for a better understanding of the link between ocean-atmosphere dynamics and terrestrial bio-geochemical cycles, and may help improve the prediction of future changes in the water cycle over the continents.

Predicting Earth orientation changes from global forecasts of atmosphere-hydrosphere dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobslaw, Henryk; Dill, Robert

2018-02-01

Effective Angular Momentum (EAM) functions obtained from global numerical simulations of atmosphere, ocean, and land surface dynamics are routinely processed by the Earth System Modelling group at Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum. EAM functions are available since January 1976 with up to 3 h temporal resolution. Additionally, 6 days-long EAM forecasts are routinely published every day. Based on hindcast experiments with 305 individual predictions distributed over 15 months, we demonstrate that EAM forecasts improve the prediction accuracy of the Earth Orientation Parameters at all forecast horizons between 1 and 6 days. At day 6, prediction accuracy improves down to 1.76 mas for the terrestrial pole offset, and 2.6 mas for Δ UT1, which correspond to an accuracy increase of about 41% over predictions published in Bulletin A by the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service.

Remote Sensing of Cloud, Aerosol, and Water Vapor Properties from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.

2001-01-01

MODIS is an earth-viewing cross-track scanning spectroradiometer launched on the Terra satellite in December 1999. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km, and provides images in 36 spectral bands from 0.415 to 14.235 microns with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to enable advanced studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric processes. In this presentation I will review the comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms that have been developed for the remote sensing of atmospheric properties using MODIS data, placing primary emphasis on the principal atmospheric applications of: (1) developing a cloud mask for distinguishing clear sky from clouds, (2) retrieving global cloud radiative and microphysical properties, including cloud top pressure and temperature, effective emissivity, cloud optical thickness, thermodynamic phase, and effective radius, (3) monitoring tropospheric aerosol optical thickness over the land and ocean and aerosol size distribution over the ocean, (4) determining atmospheric profiles of moisture and temperature, and (5) estimating column water amount. The physical principles behind the determination of each of these atmospheric products will be described, together with an example of their application using MODIS observations. All products are archived into two categories: pixel-level retrievals (referred to as Level-2 products) and global gridded products at a latitude and longitude resolution of 1 deg (Level-3 products). An overview of the MODIS atmosphere algorithms and products, status, validation activities, and early level-2 and -3 results will be presented. Finally, I will present some highlights from the land and ocean algorithms developed for processing global MODIS observations, including: (1) surface reflectance, (2) vegetation indices, leaf area index, and FPAR, (3) albedo and nadir BRDF-adjusted reflectance, (4) normalized water-leaving radiance, (5) chlorophyll-a concentration, and (6) sea surface temperature.

El Nino During the 1990s: Harbinger of Climatic Change or Normal Fluctuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.

2000-01-01

Today, El Nino refers to the extreme warming episodes of the globally effective, coupled ocean-atmospheric interaction commonly known as ENSO (i.e., "El Nino-Southern Oscillation"). Concerning its observed decadal frequency and severity, El Nino during the 1990's has often been regarded as being anomalous. Results of analysis reported herein; however, appear to mitigate this belief.

El Nino During the 1990's: Harbinger of Climatic Change or Normal Fluctuation?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.

2000-01-01

Today, El Nino refers to the extreme warming episodes of the globally effective, coupled ocean-atmospheric interaction commonly known as ENSO (i.e., "El Nino-Southern Oscillation"). Concerning its observed decadal frequency and severity, El Nino during the 1990's has often been regarded as being anomalous. Results of analysis reported herein; however, appear to mitigate this belief.

The carbon dioxide cycle

USGS Publications Warehouse

James, P.B.; Hansen, G.B.; Titus, T.N.

2005-01-01

The seasonal CO2 cycle on Mars refers to the exchange of carbon dioxide between dry ice in the seasonal polar caps and gaseous carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This review focuses on breakthroughs in understanding the process involving seasonal carbon dioxide phase changes that have occurred as a result of observations by Mars Global Surveyor. ?? 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of seasonal and postglacial surface displacement on global reference frames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krásná, Hana; Böhm, Johannes; King, Matt; Memin, Anthony; Shabala, Stanislav; Watson, Christopher

2014-05-01

The calculation of actual station positions requires several corrections which are partly recommended by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) Conventions (e.g., solid Earth tides and ocean tidal loading) as well as other corrections, e.g. accounting for hydrology and atmospheric loading. To investigate the pattern of omitted non-linear seasonal motion we estimated empirical harmonic models for selected stations within a global solution of suitable Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) sessions as well as mean annual models by stacking yearly time series of station positions. To validate these models we compare them to displacement series obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data and to hydrology corrections determined from global models. Furthermore, we assess the impact of the seasonal station motions on the celestial reference frame as well as on Earth orientation parameters derived from real and also artificial VLBI observations. In the second part of the presentation we apply vertical rates of the ICE-5G_VM2_2012 vertical land movement grid on vertical station velocities. We assess the impact of postglacial uplift on the variability in the scale given different sampling of the postglacial signal in time and hence on the uncertainty in the scale rate of the estimated terrestrial reference frame.

SIRGAS: the core geodetic infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, L.; Brunini, C.; Drewes, H.; Mackern, V.; da Silva, A.

2013-05-01

Studying, understanding, and modelling geophysical phenomena, such as global change and geodynamics, require geodetic reference frames with (1) an order of accuracy higher than the magnitude of the effects we want to study, (2) consistency and reliability worldwide (the same accuracy everywhere), and (3) a long-term stability (the same order of accuracy at any time). The definition, realisation, maintenance, and wide-utilisation of the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) are oriented to guarantee a globally unified geometric reference frame with reliability at the mm-level, i.e. the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). The densification of the global ITRF in Latin America and The Caribbean is given by SIRGAS (Sistema de Referencia Geocéntrico para Las Américas), primary objective of which is to provide the most precise coordinates in the region. Therefore, SIRGAS is the backbone for all regional projects based on the generation, use, and analysis of geo-referenced data at national as well as at international level. Besides providing the reference for a wide range of scientific applications such as the monitoring of Earth's crust deformations, vertical movements, sea level variations, atmospheric studies, etc., SIRGAS is also the platform for practical applications such as engineering projects, digital administration of geographical data, geospatial data infrastructures, etc. According to this, the present contribution describes the main features of SIRGAS, giving special care to those challenges faced to continue providing the best possible, long-term stable and high-precise reference frame for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Remote Sensing of Cloud, Aerosol, and Land Properties from MODIS: Applications to the East Asia Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Chu, D. Allen; Moody, Eric G.

2001-01-01

MODIS is an earth-viewing cross-track scanning spectroradiometer launched on the Terra satellite in December 1999. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous platform at an altitude of 705 km, and provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 microns with spatial resolutions of 250 m (two bands), 500 m (five bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to enable advanced studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric processes. In this presentation we review the comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms that have been developed for the remote sensing of atmospheric properties using MODIS data, placing primary emphasis on the principal atmospheric applications of (i) developing a cloud mask for distinguishing clear sky from clouds, (ii) retrieving global cloud radiative and microphysical properties, including cloud top pressure and temperature, effective emissivity, cloud optical thickness, thermodynamic phase, and effective radius, (iii) monitoring tropospheric aerosol optical thickness over the land and ocean and aerosol size distribution over the ocean, (iv) determining atmospheric profiles of moisture and temperature, and (v) estimating column water amount. The physical principles behind the determination of each of these atmospheric products will be described, together with an example of their application using MODIS observations to the east Asian region in Spring 2001. All products are archived into two categories: pixel-level retrievals (referred to as Level-2 products) and global gridded products at a latitude and longitude resolution of 1 degree (Level-3 products). An overview of the MODIS atmosphere algorithms and products, status, validation activities, and early level-2 and -3 results will be presented.

Remote Sensing of Cloud, Aerosol, and Water Vapor Properties from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Menzel, W. Paul; Kaufman, Yoram J.; Ackerman, Steven A.; Tanre, Didier; Gao, Bo-Cai

2001-01-01

MODIS is an earth-viewing cross-track scanning spectroradiometer launched on the Terra satellite in December 1999. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 kilometers, and provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 micrometers with spatial resolutions of 250 meters (2 bands), 500 meters (5 bands) and 1000 meters (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to enable advanced studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric processes. In this presentation we review the comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms that have been developed for the remote sensing of atmospheric properties using MODIS data, placing primary emphasis on the principal atmospheric applications of (i) developing a cloud mask for distinguishing clear sky from clouds, (ii) retrieving global cloud radiative and microphysical properties, including cloud top pressure and temperature, effective emissivity, cloud optical thickness, thermodynamic phase, and effective radius, (iii) monitoring tropospheric aerosol optical thickness over the land and ocean and aerosol size distribution over the ocean, (iv) determining atmospheric profiles of moisture and temperature, and (v) estimating column water amount. The physical principles behind the determination of each of these atmospheric products will be described, together with an example of their application using MODIS observations. All products are archived into two categories: pixel-level retrievals (referred to as Level-2 products) and global gridded products at a latitude and longitude resolution of 1 degree (Level-3 products). An overview of the MODIS atmosphere algorithms and products, status, validation activities, and early level-2 and -3 results will be presented.

Development and evaluation of a suite of isotope reference gases for methane in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sperlich, Peter; Uitslag, Nelly A. M.; Richter, Jürgen M.; Rothe, Michael; Geilmann, Heike; van der Veen, Carina; Röckmann, Thomas; Blunier, Thomas; Brand, Willi A.

2016-08-01

Measurements from multiple laboratories have to be related to unifying and traceable reference material in order to be comparable. However, such fundamental reference materials are not available for isotope ratios in atmospheric methane, which led to misinterpretations of combined data sets in the past. We developed a method to produce a suite of synthetic CH4-in-air standard gases that can be used to unify methane isotope ratio measurements of laboratories in the atmospheric monitoring community. Therefore, we calibrated a suite of pure methane gases of different methanogenic origin against international referencing materials that define the VSMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water) and VPDB (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) isotope scales. The isotope ratios of our pure methane gases range between -320 and +40 ‰ for δ2H-CH4 and between -70 and -40 ‰ for δ13C-CH4, enveloping the isotope ratios of tropospheric methane (about -85 and -47 ‰ for δ2H-CH4 and δ13C-CH4 respectively). Estimated uncertainties, including the full traceability chain, are < 1.5 ‰ and < 0.2 ‰ for δ2H and δ13C calibrations respectively. Aliquots of the calibrated pure methane gases have been diluted with methane-free air to atmospheric methane levels and filled into 5 L glass flasks. The synthetic CH4-in-air standards comprise atmospheric oxygen/nitrogen ratios as well as argon, krypton and nitrous oxide mole fractions to prevent gas-specific measurement artefacts. The resulting synthetic CH4-in-air standards are referred to as JRAS-M16 (Jena Reference Air Set - Methane 2016) and will be available to the atmospheric monitoring community. JRAS-M16 may be used as unifying isotope scale anchor for isotope ratio measurements in atmospheric methane, so that data sets can be merged into a consistent global data frame.

Model Simulations of the Global Carbon and Sulfur Cycles: Implications for the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, J. A.; Schrag, D. P.

2004-12-01

Extreme global warmth and an abrupt negative carbon isotope excursion during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) have been attributed to a rapid addition of isotopically depleted carbon to the ocean-atmosphere system. Potential carbon sources include the abrupt release of 1000-2000 Gt C as methane hydrate (\\delta13C ~-60\\permil) from sediments on the continental slope (Dickens et al., 1995) and the oxidation of 8000-9000 Gt of organic carbon (\\delta13C ~-25\\permil) in rampant global wildfires (Kurtz et al., 2003). Using a simple geochemical model of the global carbon and sulfur cycles, we investigate whether these hypotheses are consistent with estimates of climate warming during the PETM by considering the effects of atmospheric composition and climate in the Paleocene and feedbacks driven by changes in sulfur cycling and seawater chemistry. Modest increases in atmospheric CO2 (70-150 ppm) associated with methane hydrate release cannot, without additional feedbacks in the climate system, account for a 5-6° C increase in global sea surface temperature during the PETM. In contrast, a significant increase in atmospheric CO2 (600-700 ppm) is observed following the oxidation of 8000-9000 Gt of organic carbon. However, constraints on the size and extent of the Paleocene terrestrial carbon pool and the absence of geologic evidence indicative of vast wildfires argue against a global conflagration as an important source of depleted carbon. Instead, we interpret the PETM and its associated negative carbon isotope excursion as representing the oxidation of 8000-9000 Gt C as organic matter in shallow marine and near shore terrestrial sediments following the retreat of major epicontinental seaways in the Paleocene. This hypothesis is also consistent with large changes in the sulfur cycle in the early Eocene inferred from the \\delta34S of seawater sulfate. References: Dickens G.R., et al., (1995) Paleoceanography, 10, 965-971. Kurtz, A.C., et al., (2003) Paleoceanography, 18, 1090-1104.

GRAM Series of Atmospheric Models for Aeroentry and Aeroassist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duvall, Aleta; Justus, C. G.; Keller, Vernon W.

2005-01-01

The eight destinations in the Solar System with sufficient atmosphere for either aeroentry or aeroassist, including aerocapture, are: Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn; Uranus. and Neptune, and Saturn's moon Titan. Engineering-level atmospheric models for four of these (Earth, Mars, Titan, and Neptune) have been developed for use in NASA's systems analysis studies of aerocapture applications in potential future missions. Work has recently commenced on development of a similar atmospheric model for Venus. This series of MSFC-sponsored models is identified as the Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) series. An important capability of all of the models in the GRAM series is their ability to simulate quasi-random perturbations for Monte Carlo analyses in developing guidance, navigation and control algorithms, and for thermal systems design. Example applications for Earth aeroentry and Mars aerocapture systems analysis studies are presented and illustrated. Current and planned updates to the Earth and Mars atmospheric models, in support of NASA's new exploration vision, are also presented.

Flooding on California's Russian River: Role of atmospheric rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ralph, F.M.; Neiman, P.J.; Wick, G.A.; Gutman, S.I.; Dettinger, M.D.; Cayan, D.R.; White, A.B.

2006-01-01

Experimental observations collected during meteorological field studies conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration near the Russian River of coastal northern California are combined with SSM/I satellite observations offshore to examine the role of landfalling atmospheric rivers in the creation of flooding. While recent studies have documented the characteristics and importance of narrow regions of strong meridional water vapor transport over the eastern Pacific Ocean (recently referred to as atmospheric rivers), this study describes their impact when they strike the U.S. West Coast. A detailed case study is presented, along with an assessment of all 7 floods on the Russian River since the experimental data were first available in October 1997. In all 7 floods, atmospheric river conditions were present and caused heavy rainfall through orographic precipitation. Not only do atmospheric rivers play a crucial role in the global water budget, they can also lead to heavy coastal rainfall and flooding, and thus represent a key phenomenon linkingweather and climate. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Equilibrium responses of global net primary production and carbon storage to doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide: Sensitivity to changes in vegetation nitrogen concentration

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, David A.; Melillo, J.M.; Kicklighter, D.W.; Pan, Y.; Xiao, X.; Helfrich, J.; Moore, B.; Vorosmarty, C.J.; Schloss, A.L.

1997-01-01

We ran the terrestrial ecosystem model (TEM) for the globe at 0.5?? resolution for atmospheric CO2 concentrations of 340 and 680 parts per million by volume (ppmv) to evaluate global and regional responses of net primary production (NPP) and carbon storage to elevated CO2 for their sensitivity to changes in vegetation nitrogen concentration. At 340 ppmv, TEM estimated global NPP of 49.0 1015 g (Pg) C yr-1 and global total carbon storage of 1701.8 Pg C; the estimate of total carbon storage does not include the carbon content of inert soil organic matter. For the reference simulation in which doubled atmospheric CO2 was accompanied with no change in vegetation nitrogen concentration, global NPP increased 4.1 Pg C yr-1 (8.3%), and global total carbon storage increased 114.2 Pg C. To examine sensitivity in the global responses of NPP and carbon storage to decreases in the nitrogen concentration of vegetation, we compared doubled CO2 responses of the reference TEM to simulations in which the vegetation nitrogen concentration was reduced without influencing decomposition dynamics ("lower N" simulations) and to simulations in which reductions in vegetation nitrogen concentration influence decomposition dynamics ("lower N+D" simulations). We conducted three lower N simulations and three lower N+D simulations in which we reduced the nitrogen concentration of vegetation by 7,5, 15.0, and 22.5%. In the lower N simulations, the response of global NPP to doubled atmospheric CO2 increased approximately 2 Pg C yr-1 for each incremental 7.5% reduction in vegetation nitrogen concentration, and vegetation carbon increased approximately an additional 40 Pg C, and soil carbon increased an additional 30 Pg C, for a total carbon storage increase of approximately 70 Pg C. In the lower N+D simulations, the responses of NPP and vegetation carbon storage were relatively insensitive to differences in the reduction of nitrogen concentration, but soil carbon storage showed a large change. The insensitivity of NPP in the N+D simulations occurred because potential enhancements in NPP associated with reduced vegetation nitrogen concentration were approximately offset by lower nitrogen availability associated with the decomposition dynamics of reduced litter nitrogen concentration. For each 7.5% reduction in vegetation nitrogen concentration, soil carbon increased approximately an additional 60 Pg C, while vegetation carbon storage increased by only approximately 5 Pg C. As the reduction in vegetation nitrogen concentration gets greater in the lower N+D simulations, more of the additional carbon storage tends to become concentrated in the north temperateboreal region in comparison to the tropics. Other studies with TEM show that elevated CO2 more than offsets the effects of climate change to cause increased carbon storage. The results of this study indicate that carbon storage would be enhanced by the influence of changes in plant nitrogen concentration on carbon assimilation and decomposition rates. Thus changes in vegetation nitrogen concentration may have important implications for the ability of the terrestrial biosphere to mitigate increases in the atmospheric concentration of CO2 and climate changes associated with the increases.

Gray Wave of the Great Transformation: A Satellite View of Urbanization, Climate, and Food Security

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imhoff, Marc L.

2007-01-01

Land cover change driven by human activity is profoundly affecting Earth's natural systems with impacts ranging from a loss of biological productivity to changes in atmospheric chemistry and regional and global climate. This change has been so pervasive and progressed so rapidly, compared to natural processes, scientists refer to it as 'the great transformation'. Urbanization or the 'gray wave' of this transformation is being increasingly recognized as an important process in global climate change. A hallmark of our success as a species, large urban conglomerates do in fact alter their environments so profoundly that the local climate, atmospheric composition, and the basic ecology of the landscape are affected in ways that have consequences to human health and economic well-being. Fortunately we have incredible new tools to observe and understand these processes in ways that can be used to plan and develop enjoyable and sustainable urban places. A suite of Earth observing satellites is making it possible to study the interactions between urbanization, biological processes, and the atmosphere including weather and climate. Using these Earth Observatories we are learning how urban heat islands form and potentially ameliorate them, how urbanization can affect rainfall, pollution, surface water recharge at the local level, and climate and food security globally.

Monthly AOD maps combining strengths of remote sensing products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinne, Stefan

2010-05-01

The mid-visible aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the most prominent property to quantify aerosol amount the atmospheric column. Almost all aerosol retrievals of satellite sensors provide estimates for this property, however, often with limited success. As sensors differ in capabilities individual retrievals have local and regional strengths and weaknesses. Focusing on individual retrieval strengths a satellite based AOD composite has been constructed. Hereby, every retrieval performance has been assessed in statistical comparisons to ground-based sun-photometry, which provide highly accurate references though only at few globally distributed monitoring sites. Based on these comparisons, which consider bias as well as spatial patterns and seasonality, the regionally best performing satellite AOD products are combined. The resulting remote sensing AOD composite provide a general reference for the spatial and temporal AOD distribution on an (almost) global basis - solely tied to sensor data.

Gas adsorption and desorption effects on high pressure small volume cylinders and their relevance to atmospheric trace gas analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satar, Ece; Nyfeler, Peter; Pascale, Céline; Niederhauser, Bernhard; Leuenberger, Markus

2017-04-01

Long term atmospheric monitoring of trace gases requires great attention to precision and accuracy of the measurement setups. For globally integrated and well established greenhouse gas observation networks, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has set recommended compatibility goals within the framework of its Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme [1]. To achieve these challenging limits, the measurement systems are regularly calibrated with standard gases of known composition. Therefore, the stability of the primary and secondary gas standards over time is an essential issue. Past studies have explained the small instabilities in high pressure standard gas cylinders through leakage, diffusion, regulator effects, gravimetric fractionation and surface processes [2, 3]. The latter include adsorption/desorption, which are functions of temperature, pressure and surface properties. For high pressure standard gas mixtures used in atmospheric trace gas analysis, there exists only a limited amount of data and few attempts to quantify the surface processes [4, 5]. Specifically, we have designed a high pressure measurement chamber to investigate trace gases and their affinity for adsorption on different surfaces over various temperature and pressure ranges. Here, we focus on measurements of CO2, CH4 and CO using a cavity ring down spectroscopy analyzer and quantify the concentration changes due to adsorption/desorption. In this study, the first results from these prototype cylinders of steel and aluminum will be presented. References [1] World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Global Atmosphere Watch.(GAW): Report No. 229, 18th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases and Related Tracers Measurement Techniques (GGMT-2015), 2016. [2] Keeling, R. F., Manning, A. C., Paplawsky, W. J., and Cox, A. C.: On the long-term stability of reference gases for atmospheric O2 /N2 and CO2 measurements, Tellus B, 59, 10.3402/tellusb.v59i1.16964, 2007. [3] Langenfelds, R. L., van der Schoot, M. V., Francey, R. J., Steele, L. P., Schmidt, M., and Mukai, H.: Modification of air standard composition by diffusive and surface processes, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 110, n/a-n/a, 10.1029/2004JD005482, 2005. [4] Leuenberger, M. C., Schibig, M. F., and Nyfeler, P.: Gas adsorption and desorption effects on cylinders and their importance for long-term gas records, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 5289-5299, 10.5194/amt-8-5289-2015, 2015 [5] Miller, W. R., Rhoderick, G. C., and Guenther, F. R.: Investigating Adsorption/Desorption of Carbon Dioxide in Aluminum Compressed Gas Cylinders, Analytical Chemistry, 87, 1957-1962, 10.1021/ac504351b, 2015.

Estimating top-of-atmosphere thermal infrared radiance using MERRA-2 atmospheric data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleynhans, Tania; Montanaro, Matthew; Gerace, Aaron; Kanan, Christopher

2017-05-01

Thermal infrared satellite images have been widely used in environmental studies. However, satellites have limited temporal resolution, e.g., 16 day Landsat or 1 to 2 day Terra MODIS. This paper investigates the use of the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis data product, produced by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) to predict global topof-atmosphere (TOA) thermal infrared radiance. The high temporal resolution of the MERRA-2 data product presents opportunities for novel research and applications. Various methods were applied to estimate TOA radiance from MERRA-2 variables namely (1) a parameterized physics based method, (2) Linear regression models and (3) non-linear Support Vector Regression. Model prediction accuracy was evaluated using temporally and spatially coincident Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal infrared data as reference data. This research found that Support Vector Regression with a radial basis function kernel produced the lowest error rates. Sources of errors are discussed and defined. Further research is currently being conducted to train deep learning models to predict TOA thermal radiance

Mars Aerocapture and Validation of Mars-GRAM with TES Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Duvall, Aleta; Keller, Vernon W.

2005-01-01

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is a widely-used engineering- level Mars atmospheric model. Applications include systems design, performance analysis, and operations planning for aerobraking, entry descent and landing, and aerocapture. Typical Mars aerocapture periapsis altitudes (for systems with rigid-aeroshell heat shields) are about 50 km. This altitude is above the 0-40 km height range covered by Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) nadir observations. Recently, TES limb sounding data have been made available, spanning more than two Mars years (more than 200,000 data profiles) with altitude coverage up to about 60 km, well within the height range of interest for aerocapture. Results are presented comparing Mars-GRAM atmospheric density with densities from TES nadir and limb sounding observations. A new Mars-GRAM feature is described which allows individual TES nadir or limb profiles to be extracted from the large TES databases, and to be used as an optional replacement for standard Mars-GRAM background (climatology) conditions. For Monte-Carlo applications such as aerocapture guidance and control studies, Mars-GRAM perturbations are available using these TES profile background conditions.

Shuttle derived atmospheric density model. Part 2: STS atmospheric implications for AOTV trajectory analysis, a proposed GRAM perturbation density model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findlay, J. T.; Kelly, G. M.; Troutman, P. A.

1984-01-01

A perturbation model to the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM) was developed for use in the Aeroassist Orbital Transfer Vehicle (AOTV) trajectory and analysis. The model reflects NASA Space Shuttle experience over the first twelve entry flights. The GRAM was selected over the Air Force 1978 Reference Model because of its more general formulation and wider use throughout NASA. The add-on model, a simple scaling with altitude to reflect density structure encountered by the Shuttle Orbiter was selected principally to simplify implementation. Perturbations, by season, can be utilized to minimize the number of required simulations, however, exact Shuttle flight history can be exercised using the same model if desired. Such a perturbation model, though not meteorologically motivated, enables inclusion of High Resolution Accelerometer Package (HiRAP) results in the thermosphere. Provision is made to incorporate differing perturbations during the AOTV entry and exit phases of the aero-asist maneuver to account for trajectory displacement (geographic) along the ground track.

Comparison of three ice cloud optical schemes in climate simulations with community atmospheric model version 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wenjie; Peng, Yiran; Wang, Bin; Yi, Bingqi; Lin, Yanluan; Li, Jiangnan

2018-05-01

A newly implemented Baum-Yang scheme for simulating ice cloud optical properties is compared with existing schemes (Mitchell and Fu schemes) in a standalone radiative transfer model and in the global climate model (GCM) Community Atmospheric Model Version 5 (CAM5). This study systematically analyzes the effect of different ice cloud optical schemes on global radiation and climate by a series of simulations with a simplified standalone radiative transfer model, atmospheric GCM CAM5, and a comprehensive coupled climate model. Results from the standalone radiative model show that Baum-Yang scheme yields generally weaker effects of ice cloud on temperature profiles both in shortwave and longwave spectrum. CAM5 simulations indicate that Baum-Yang scheme in place of Mitchell/Fu scheme tends to cool the upper atmosphere and strengthen the thermodynamic instability in low- and mid-latitudes, which could intensify the Hadley circulation and dehydrate the subtropics. When CAM5 is coupled with a slab ocean model to include simplified air-sea interaction, reduced downward longwave flux to surface in Baum-Yang scheme mitigates ice-albedo feedback in the Arctic as well as water vapor and cloud feedbacks in low- and mid-latitudes, resulting in an overall temperature decrease by 3.0/1.4 °C globally compared with Mitchell/Fu schemes. Radiative effect and climate feedback of the three ice cloud optical schemes documented in this study can be referred for future improvements on ice cloud simulation in CAM5.

A global monthly sea surface temperature climatology

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

Shea, D.J.; Trenberth, K.E.; Reynolds, R.W.

1992-09-01

The paper presents a new global 2 deg x 2 deg monthly sea surface temperature (SST) climatology, referred here to as the Shea-Trenberth-Reynolds (STR) climatology, which was derived by modifying a 1950-1979-based SST climatology from the Climate Analysis Center (CAC), by using data from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set to improve the SST estimates in the regions of the Kuroshio and the Gulf Stream. A comparison of the STR climatology with the Alexander and Mobley SST climatology showed that the STR climatology is warmer in the Northern Hemisphere, and colder poleward of 45 deg S. 22 refs.

Validation of Copernicus Height-resolved Ozone data Products from Sentinel-5P TROPOMI using global sonde and lidar networks (CHEOPS-5P)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keppens, Arno; Lambert, Jean-Christopher; Hubert, Daan; Verhoelst, Tijl; Granville, José; Ancellet, Gérard; Balis, Dimitris; Delcloo, Andy; Duflot, Valentin; Godin-Beekmann, Sophie; Koukouli, Marilisa; Leblanc, Thierry; Stavrakou, Trissevgeni; Steinbrecht, Wolfgang; Stübi, Réné; Thompson, Anne

2017-04-01

Monitoring of and research on air quality, stratospheric ozone and climate change require global and long-term observation of the vertical distribution of atmospheric ozone, at ever-improving resolution and accuracy. Global tropospheric and stratospheric ozone profile measurement capabilities from space have therefore improved substantially over the last decades. Being a part of the space segment of the Copernicus Atmosphere and Climate Services that is currently under implementation, the upcoming Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) mission with its imaging spectrometer TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) is dedicated to the measurement of nadir atmospheric radiance and solar irradiance in the UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR spectral range. Ozone profile and tropospheric ozone column data will be retrieved from these measurements by use of several complementary retrieval methods. The geophysical validation of the enhanced height-resolved ozone data products, as well as support to the continuous evolution of the associated retrieval algorithms, is a key objective of the CHEOPS-5P project, a contributor to the ESA-led S5P Validation Team (S5PVT). This work describes the principles and implementation of the CHEOPS-5P quality assessment (QA) and validation system. The QA/validation methodology relies on the analysis of S5P retrieval diagnostics and on comparisons of S5P data with reference ozone profile measurements. The latter are collected from ozonesonde, stratospheric lidar and tropospheric lidar stations performing network operation in the context of WMO's Global Atmosphere Watch, including the NDACC global and SHADOZ tropical networks. After adaptation of the Multi-TASTE versatile satellite validation environment currently operational in the context of ESA's CCI, EUMETSAT O3M-SAF, and CEOS and SPARC initiatives, a list of S5P data Quality Indicators (QI) will be derived from complementary investigations: (1) data content and information content studies of the S5P data retrievals; (2) traceable preparation of the S5P data and correlative measurements in view of data comparisons (co-location studies, unit and representation conversions, handling of smoothing and sampling issues, independent estimate of tropopause altitude, (sub-)column integration...), with associated error propagation; (3) data comparisons leading to statistical estimates of the systematic bias and random difference between S5P and reference network data as a function of latitude, their cycles, their long-term evolution, and their dependences on influence quantities (e.g., clouds, solar zenith angle, and slant column density); (4) and finally the assessment of compliance with user requirements as formulated, e.g., by Copernicus Atmosphere and Climate services and by GCOS.

A post-new horizons global climate model of Pluto including the N2, CH4 and CO cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forget, F.; Bertrand, T.; Vangvichith, M.; Leconte, J.; Millour, E.; Lellouch, E.

2017-05-01

We have built a new 3D Global Climate Model (GCM) to simulate Pluto as observed by New Horizons in 2015. All key processes are parametrized on the basis of theoretical equations, including atmospheric dynamics and transport, turbulence, radiative transfer, molecular conduction, as well as phases changes for N2, CH2 and CO. Pluto's climate and ice cycles are found to be very sensitive to model parameters and initial states. Nevertheless, a reference simulation is designed by running a fast, reduced version of the GCM with simplified atmospheric transport for 40,000 Earth years to initialize the surface ice distribution and sub-surface temperatures, from which a 28-Earth-year full GCM simulation is performed. Assuming a topographic depression in a Sputnik-planum (SP)-like crater on the anti-Charon hemisphere, a realistic Pluto is obtained, with most N2 and CO ices accumulated in the crater, methane frost covering both hemispheres except for the equatorial regions, and a surface pressure near 1.1 Pa in 2015 with an increase between 1988 and 2015, as reported from stellar occultations. Temperature profiles are in qualitative agreement with the observations. In particular, a cold atmospheric layer is obtained in the lowest kilometers above Sputnik Planum, as observed by New Horizons's REX experiment. It is shown to result from the combined effect of the topographic depression and N2 daytime sublimation. In the reference simulation with surface N2 ice exclusively present in Sputnik Planum, the global circulation is only forced by radiative heating gradients and remains relatively weak. Surface winds are locally induced by topography slopes and by N2 condensation and sublimation around Sputnik Planum. However, the circulation can be more intense depending on the exact distribution of surface N2 frost. This is illustrated in an alternative simulation with N2 condensing in the South Polar regions and N2 frost covering latitudes between 35°N and 48°N. A global condensation flow is then created, inducing strong surface winds everywhere, a prograde jet in the southern high latitudes, and an equatorial superrotation likely forced by barotropic instabilities in the southern jet. Using realistic parameters, the GCM predict atmospheric concentrations of CO and CH4 in good agreement with the observations. N2 and CO do not condense in the atmosphere, but CH4 ice clouds can form during daytime at low altitude near the regions covered by N2 ice (assuming that nucleation is efficient enough). This global climate model can be used to study many aspects of the Pluto environment. For instance, organic hazes are included in the GCM and analysed in a companion paper (Bertrand and Forget, Icarus, this issue).

Development of an engineering model atmosphere for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.

1988-01-01

An engineering model atmosphere for Mars is being developed with many of the same features and capabilities for the highly successful Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM) program for Earth's atmosphere. As an initial approach, the model is being built around the Martian atmosphere model computer subroutine (ATMOS) of Culp and Stewart (1984). In a longer-term program of research, additional refinements and modifications will be included. ATMOS includes parameterizations to stimulate the effects of solar activity, seasonal variation, diurnal variation magnitude, dust storm effects, and effects due to the orbital position of Mars. One of the current shortcomings of ATMOS is the neglect of surface variation effects. The longer-term period of research and model building is to address some of these problem areas and provide further improvements in the model (including improved representation of near-surface variations, improved latitude-longitude gradient representation, effects of the large annual variation in surface pressure because of differential condensation/sublimation of the CO2 atmosphere in the polar caps, and effects of Martian atmospheric wave perturbations on the magnitude of the expected density perturbation.

Evaluating Mars Science Laboratory Landing Sites with the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, H. L.; Justus, C. G.

2008-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is an engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. Mars-GRAM s perturbation modeling capability is commonly used, in a Monte-Carlo mode, to perform high fidelity engineering end-to-end simulations for entry, descent, and landing (EDL) [1]. From the surface to 80 km altitude, Mars-GRAM is based on the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). Mars-GRAM and MGCM use surface topography from Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), with altitudes referenced to the MOLA areoid, or constant potential surface. Traditional Mars-GRAM options for representing the mean atmosphere along entry corridors include: (1) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) mapping years 1 and 2, with Mars-GRAM data coming from NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) results driven by observed TES dust optical depth or (2) TES mapping year 0, with user-controlled dust optical depth and Mars-GRAM data interpolated from MGCM model results driven by selected values of globally-uniform dust optical depth. Mars-GRAM 2005 has been validated [2] against Radio Science data, and both nadir and limb data from TES [3]. There are several new features included in Mars-GRAM 2005. The first is the option to use input data sets from MGCM model runs that were designed to closely simulate conditions observed during the first two years of TES observations at Mars. The TES Year 1 option includes values from April 1999 through January 2001. The TES Year 2 option includes values from February 2001 through December 2002. The second new feature is the option to read and use any auxiliary profile of temperature and density versus altitude. In exercising the auxiliary profile Mars-GRAM option, values from the auxiliary profile replace data from the original MGCM databases. Some examples of auxiliary profiles include data from TES nadir or limb observations and Mars mesoscale model output at a particular location and time. The final new feature is the addition of two Mars-GRAM parameters that allow standard deviations of Mars-GRAM perturbations to be adjusted. The parameter rpscale can be used to scale density perturbations up or down while rwscale can be used to scale wind perturbations.

Global-Local Interactions Modulate Tropical Moisture Exports to the Ohio River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doss-Gollin, J.; Farnham, D. J.; Lall, U.

2016-12-01

Regional-scale extreme rainfall and flooding are temporally and spatially associated with the occurrence of tropical moisture exports (TMEs) in the Ohio River Basin (ORB). TMEs are related to but not synonymous with atmospheric rivers, which refer to specific filiamentary organizational processes. TMEs to the ORB may be driven by strong, persistent ridging over the Eastern United States and troughing over the Central United States, creating favorable conditions for southerly flow and moisture transport from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. However, the strong inter-annual variation in TME activity over the ORB suggests dependence on global-scale features of the atmospheric circulation. We suggest that this synoptic dipole pattern may be viewed as the passage of one or more high-wavenumber, transient Rossby waves. We build a multi-level hierarchical Bayesian model in which the probability distribution of TME entering the ORB is a function of the phase and amplitude of the traveling waves. In turn, the joint distribution of the phase and amplitude of this wave is modulated by hemispheric-scale features of the atmospheric and oceanic circulation, and the amplitude and synchronization of quasi-stationary Rossby waves with wavenumber 1-4. Our approach bridges information about different features of the atmospheric circulation which inform the predictability of TME at multiple time scales and develops existing understanding of the atmospheric drivers of TMEs beyond existing composite and EOF studies.

Improved Atmospheric Correction Over the Indian Subcontinent Using Fast Radiative Transfer and Optimal Estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natraj, V.; Thompson, D. R.; Mathur, A. K.; Babu, K. N.; Kindel, B. C.; Massie, S. T.; Green, R. O.; Bhattacharya, B. K.

2017-12-01

Remote Visible / ShortWave InfraRed (VSWIR) spectroscopy, typified by the Next-Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG), is a powerful tool to map the composition, health, and biodiversity of Earth's terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. These studies must first estimate surface reflectance, removing the atmospheric effects of absorption and scattering by water vapor and aerosols. Since atmospheric state varies spatiotemporally, and is insufficiently constrained by climatological models, it is important to estimate it directly from the VSWIR data. However, water vapor and aerosol estimation is a significant ongoing challenge for existing atmospheric correction models. Conventional VSWIR atmospheric correction methods evolved from multi-band approaches and do not fully utilize the rich spectroscopic data available. We use spectrally resolved (line-by-line) radiative transfer calculations, coupled with optimal estimation theory, to demonstrate improved accuracy of surface retrievals. These spectroscopic techniques are already pervasive in atmospheric remote sounding disciplines but have not yet been applied to imaging spectroscopy. Our analysis employs a variety of scenes from the recent AVIRIS-NG India campaign, which spans various climes, elevation changes, a wide range of biomes and diverse aerosol scenarios. A key aspect of our approach is joint estimation of surface and aerosol parameters, which allows assessment of aerosol distortion effects using spectral shapes across the entire measured interval from 380-2500 nm. We expect that this method would outperform band ratio approaches, and enable evaluation of subtle aerosol parameters where in situ reference data is not available, or for extreme aerosol loadings, as is observed in the India scenarios. The results are validated using existing in-situ reference spectra, reflectance measurements from assigned partners in India, and objective spectral quality metrics for scenes without any ground reference data. We also quantify the true information content of VSWIR spectroscopy for improving retrieval efficiency. We anticipate that our work will significantly improve the state of the art for VSWIR atmospheric correction, reducing regional biases in global ecosystem studies. 2017. All rights reserved.

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) and Database for Mission Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Duvall, Aleta; Johnson, D. L.

2003-01-01

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2001) is an engineering-level Mars atmosphere model widely used for many Mars mission applications. From 0-80 km, it is based on NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model, while above 80 km it is based on Mars Thermospheric General Circulation Model. Mars-GRAM 2001 and MGCM use surface topography from Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter. Validation studies are described comparing Mars-GRAM with Mars Global Surveyor Radio Science and Thermal Emission Spectrometer data. RS data from 2480 profiles were used, covering latitudes 75 deg S to 72 deg N, surface to approximately 40 km, for seasons ranging from areocentric longitude of Sun (Ls) = 70-160 deg and 265-310 deg. RS data spanned a range of local times, mostly 0-9 hours and 18-24 hours. For interests in aerocapture and precision landing, comparisons concentrated on atmospheric density. At a fixed height of 20 km, RS density varied by about a factor of 2.5 over ranges of latitudes and Ls values observed. Evaluated at matching positions and times, these figures show average RSMars-GRAM density ratios were generally 1+/-)0.05, except at heights above approximately 25 km and latitudes above approximately 50 deg N. Average standard deviation of RSMars-GRAM density ratio was 6%. TES data were used covering surface to approximately 40 km, over more than a full Mars year (February, 1999 - June, 2001, just before start of a Mars global dust storm). Depending on season, TES data covered latitudes 85 deg S to 85 deg N. Most TES data were concentrated near local times 2 hours and 14 hours. Observed average TES/Mars-GRAM density ratios were generally 1+/-0.05, except at high altitudes (15-30 km, depending on season) and high latitudes (greater than 45 deg N), or at most altitudes in the southern hemisphere at Ls approximately 90 and 180 deg. Compared to TES averages for a given latitude and season, TES data had average density standard deviation about the mean of approximately 2.5% for all data, or approximately 1-4%, depending on time of day and dust optical depth. Average standard deviation of TES/Mars-GRAM density ratio was 8.9% for local time 2 hours and 7.1% for local time 14 hours. Thus standard deviation of observed TES/Mars-GRAM density ratio, evaluated at matching positions and times, is about three times the standard deviation of TES data about the TES mean value at a given position and season.

Variational and symplectic integrators for satellite relative orbit propagation including drag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palacios, Leonel; Gurfil, Pini

2018-04-01

Orbit propagation algorithms for satellite relative motion relying on Runge-Kutta integrators are non-symplectic—a situation that leads to incorrect global behavior and degraded accuracy. Thus, attempts have been made to apply symplectic methods to integrate satellite relative motion. However, so far all these symplectic propagation schemes have not taken into account the effect of atmospheric drag. In this paper, drag-generalized symplectic and variational algorithms for satellite relative orbit propagation are developed in different reference frames, and numerical simulations with and without the effect of atmospheric drag are presented. It is also shown that high-order versions of the newly-developed variational and symplectic propagators are more accurate and are significantly faster than Runge-Kutta-based integrators, even in the presence of atmospheric drag.

Intercomparison of in-situ and remote sensing δD signals in tropospheric water vapour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Matthias; González, Yenny; Dyroff, Christoph; Christner, Emanuel; García, Omaira; Wiegele, Andreas; Andrey, Javier; Barthlott, Sabine; Blumenstock, Thomas; Guirado, Carmen; Hase, Frank; Ramos, Ramon; Rodríguez, Sergio; Sepúveda, Eliezer

2014-05-01

The main mission of the project MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water) is the generation of a quasi-global tropospheric water vapour isototopologue dataset of a good and well-documented quality. We present a first empirical validation of MUSICA's remote sensing δD products (ground-based FTIR within NDACC, Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change, and space-based with IASI, Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer, flown on METOP). As reference we use in-situ measurements made on the island of Tenerife at two different altitudes (2370 and 3550 m a.s.l., using two Picarro L2120-i water isotopologue analyzers) and aboard an aircraft (between 200 and 6800 m a.s.l., using the homemade ISOWAT instrument).

Atmospheric circulation and hydroclimate impacts of alternative warming scenarios for the Eocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Henrik; Caballero, Rodrigo

2017-08-01

Recent work in modelling the warm climates of the early Eocene shows that it is possible to obtain a reasonable global match between model surface temperature and proxy reconstructions, but only by using extremely high atmospheric CO2 concentrations or more modest CO2 levels complemented by a reduction in global cloud albedo. Understanding the mix of radiative forcing that gave rise to Eocene warmth has important implications for constraining Earth's climate sensitivity, but progress in this direction is hampered by the lack of direct proxy constraints on cloud properties. Here, we explore the potential for distinguishing among different radiative forcing scenarios via their impact on regional climate changes. We do this by comparing climate model simulations of two end-member scenarios: one in which the climate is warmed entirely by CO2 (which we refer to as the greenhouse gas (GHG) scenario) and another in which it is warmed entirely by reduced cloud albedo (which we refer to as the low CO2-thin clouds or LCTC scenario) . The two simulations have an almost identical global-mean surface temperature and equator-to-pole temperature difference, but the LCTC scenario has ˜ 11 % greater global-mean precipitation than the GHG scenario. The LCTC scenario also has cooler midlatitude continents and warmer oceans than the GHG scenario and a tropical climate which is significantly more El Niño-like. Extremely high warm-season temperatures in the subtropics are mitigated in the LCTC scenario, while cool-season temperatures are lower at all latitudes. These changes appear large enough to motivate further, more detailed study using other climate models and a more realistic set of modelling assumptions.

Chlorophyll induced fluorescence retrieved from GOME2 for improving gross primary productivity estimates of vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Leth, Thomas C.; Verstraeten, Willem W.; Sanders, Abram F. J.

2014-05-01

Mapping terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence is a crucial activity to obtain information on the functional status of vegetation and to improve estimates of light-use efficiency (LUE) and global primary productivity (GPP). GPP quantifies carbon fixation by plant ecosystems and is therefore an important parameter for budgeting terrestrial carbon cycles. Satellite remote sensing offers an excellent tool for investigating GPP in a spatially explicit fashion across different scales of observation. The GPP estimates, however, still remain largely uncertain due to biotic and abiotic factors that influence plant production. Sun-induced fluorescence has the ability to enhance our knowledge on how environmentally induced changes affect the LUE. This can be linked to optical derived remote sensing parameters thereby reducing the uncertainty in GPP estimates. Satellite measurements provide a relatively new perspective on global sun-induced fluorescence, enabling us to quantify spatial distributions and changes over time. Techniques have recently been developed to retrieve fluorescence emissions from hyperspectral satellite measurements. We use data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Instrument 2 (GOME2) to infer terrestrial fluorescence. The spectral signatures of three basic components atmospheric: absorption, surface reflectance, and fluorescence radiance are separated using reference measurements of non-fluorescent surfaces (desserts, deep oceans and ice) to solve for the atmospheric absorption. An empirically based principal component analysis (PCA) approach is applied similar to that of Joiner et al. (2013, ACP). Here we show our first global maps of the GOME2 retrievals of chlorophyll fluorescence. First results indicate fluorescence distributions that are similar with that obtained by GOSAT and GOME2 as reported by Joiner et al. (2013, ACP), although we find slightly higher values. In view of optimizing the fluorescence retrieval, we will show the effect of the references selection procedure on the retrieval product.

A new Mars radiation environment model with visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Angelis, G.; Clowdsley, M. S.; Singleterry, R. C.; Wilson, J. W.

2004-01-01

A new model for the radiation environment to be found on the planet Mars due to Galactic Cosmic Rays (OCR) has been developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. Solar modulated primary particles rescaled for Mars conditions are transported through the Martian atmosphere, with temporal properties modeled with variable timescales, down to the surface, with altitude and backscattering patterns taken into account. The Martian atmosphere has been modeled by using the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model--version 2001 (Mars-GRAM 2001). The altitude to compute the atmospheric thickness profile has been determined by using a model for the topography based on the data provided by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft. The Mars surface composition has been modeled based on averages over the measurements obtained from orbiting spacecraft and at various landing sites, taking into account the possible volatile inventory (e.g., CO2 ice, H2O ice) along with its time variation throughout the Martian year. Particle transport has been performed with the HZETRN heavy ion code. The Mars Radiation Environment Model has been made available worldwide through the Space Ionizing Radiation Effects and Shielding Tools (SIREST) website, a project of NASA Langley Research Center. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global Greening Is Firm, Drivers Are Mixed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauppi, P.; Meyfroidt, P.; Ausubel, J. H.; Graven, H. D.; Birdsey, R.; Posch, M.; Wernick, I.; Myneni, R. B.; Stenberg, P.

2015-12-01

Evidence for global greening is converging, asserting an increase in CO2 uptake and biomass of the terrestrial biosphere. Global greening refers to global net increases in the area of green canopy, stocks of carbon, and the duration of the growing season. The growing seasons in general have prolonged while the stock of biomass carbon has increased and the rate of deforestation has decelerated, although these trends are mixed in the Tropics. Evidence for these trends comes from firm empirical data obtained through atmospheric CO2 observations, remote sensing, forest inventories and land use statistics. The drivers of global greening cannot be assessed based only on unambiguous empirical measurements. They include spatially and temporally heterogeneous combinations of changing land use and management - including green revolution and increasing yields, afforestation, forest protection and management, and abandonment of agricultural land -, changes in the global environment (increased CO2, warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons in the northern latitudes, acceleration of the global nitrogen cycle), and shifts in demand for forest and farm products. The global trade of biomass-derived commodities affects the link between consumption patterns and the land cover impact. Global greening confirms the immediacy of global change and may be associated with more or less biodiversity and diverse environmental and human consequences depending on local circumstances. Understanding causes, mechanisms, and implications of global greening requires integrated analyses spanning land use and management, demand for products of the terrestrial biosphere, and the atmosphere and climate. Understanding the pace and drivers of global greening matters crucially for assessing the future of the terrestrial C sink; ecological, economic, social, and cultural assessments of the bio-economy; and the preservation of ecosystems.

Seasonal Predictability in a Model Atmosphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hai

2001-07-01

The predictability of atmospheric mean-seasonal conditions in the absence of externally varying forcing is examined. A perfect-model approach is adopted, in which a global T21 three-level quasigeostrophic atmospheric model is integrated over 21 000 days to obtain a reference atmospheric orbit. The model is driven by a time-independent forcing, so that the only source of time variability is the internal dynamics. The forcing is set to perpetual winter conditions in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and perpetual summer in the Southern Hemisphere.A significant temporal variability in the NH 90-day mean states is observed. The component of that variability associated with the higher-frequency motions, or climate noise, is estimated using a method developed by Madden. In the polar region, and to a lesser extent in the midlatitudes, the temporal variance of the winter means is significantly greater than the climate noise, suggesting some potential predictability in those regions.Forecast experiments are performed to see whether the presence of variance in the 90-day mean states that is in excess of the climate noise leads to some skill in the prediction of these states. Ensemble forecast experiments with nine members starting from slightly different initial conditions are performed for 200 different 90-day means along the reference atmospheric orbit. The serial correlation between the ensemble means and the reference orbit shows that there is skill in the 90-day mean predictions. The skill is concentrated in those regions of the NH that have the largest variance in excess of the climate noise. An EOF analysis shows that nearly all the predictive skill in the seasonal means is associated with one mode of variability with a strong axisymmetric component.

Modelling of mineral dust for interglacial and glacial climate conditions with a focus on Antarctica

DOE PAGES

Sudarchikova, Natalia; Mikolajewicz, Uwe; Timmreck, C.; ...

2015-05-19

The mineral dust cycle responds to climate variations and plays an important role in the climate system by affecting the radiative balance of the atmosphere and modifying biogeochemistry. Polar ice cores provide unique information about deposition of aeolian dust particles transported over long distances. These cores are a palaeoclimate proxy archive of climate variability thousands of years ago. The current study is a first attempt to simulate past interglacial dust cycles with a global aerosol–climate model ECHAM5-HAM. The results are used to explain the dust deposition changes in Antarctica in terms of quantitative contribution of different processes, such as emission,more » atmospheric transport and precipitation, which will help to interpret palaeodata from Antarctic ice cores. The investigated periods include four interglacial time slices: the pre-industrial control (CTRL), mid-Holocene (6000 yr BP; hereafter referred to as \\"6 kyr\\"), last glacial inception (115 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"115 kyr\\") and Eemian (126 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"126 kyr\\"). One glacial time interval, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (21 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"21 kyr\\"), was simulated as well to be a reference test for the model. Results suggest an increase in mineral dust deposition globally, and in Antarctica, in the past interglacial periods relative to the pre-industrial CTRL simulation. Approximately two-thirds of the increase in the mid-Holocene and Eemian is attributed to enhanced Southern Hemisphere dust emissions. Slightly strengthened transport efficiency causes the remaining one-third of the increase in dust deposition. The moderate change in dust deposition in Antarctica in the last glacial inception period is caused by the slightly stronger poleward atmospheric transport efficiency compared to the pre-industrial. Maximum dust deposition in Antarctica was simulated for the glacial period. LGM dust deposition in Antarctica is substantially increased due to 2.6 times higher Southern Hemisphere dust emissions, 2 times stronger atmospheric transport towards Antarctica, and 30% weaker precipitation over the Southern Ocean. The model is able to reproduce the order of magnitude of dust deposition globally and in Antarctica for the pre-industrial and LGM climates.« less

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

Sudarchikova, Natalia; Mikolajewicz, Uwe; Timmreck, C.

The mineral dust cycle responds to climate variations and plays an important role in the climate system by affecting the radiative balance of the atmosphere and modifying biogeochemistry. Polar ice cores provide unique information about deposition of aeolian dust particles transported over long distances. These cores are a palaeoclimate proxy archive of climate variability thousands of years ago. The current study is a first attempt to simulate past interglacial dust cycles with a global aerosol–climate model ECHAM5-HAM. The results are used to explain the dust deposition changes in Antarctica in terms of quantitative contribution of different processes, such as emission,more » atmospheric transport and precipitation, which will help to interpret palaeodata from Antarctic ice cores. The investigated periods include four interglacial time slices: the pre-industrial control (CTRL), mid-Holocene (6000 yr BP; hereafter referred to as \\"6 kyr\\"), last glacial inception (115 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"115 kyr\\") and Eemian (126 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"126 kyr\\"). One glacial time interval, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (21 000 yr BP; hereafter \\"21 kyr\\"), was simulated as well to be a reference test for the model. Results suggest an increase in mineral dust deposition globally, and in Antarctica, in the past interglacial periods relative to the pre-industrial CTRL simulation. Approximately two-thirds of the increase in the mid-Holocene and Eemian is attributed to enhanced Southern Hemisphere dust emissions. Slightly strengthened transport efficiency causes the remaining one-third of the increase in dust deposition. The moderate change in dust deposition in Antarctica in the last glacial inception period is caused by the slightly stronger poleward atmospheric transport efficiency compared to the pre-industrial. Maximum dust deposition in Antarctica was simulated for the glacial period. LGM dust deposition in Antarctica is substantially increased due to 2.6 times higher Southern Hemisphere dust emissions, 2 times stronger atmospheric transport towards Antarctica, and 30% weaker precipitation over the Southern Ocean. The model is able to reproduce the order of magnitude of dust deposition globally and in Antarctica for the pre-industrial and LGM climates.« less

Earth GRAM-99 and Trace Constituents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; Duvall, Aleta; Keller, Vernon W.

2004-01-01

Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM-99) is an engineering-level model of Earth's atmosphere. It provides both mean values and perturbations for density, temperature, pressure, and winds, as well as monthly- and geographically-varying trace constituent concentrations. From 0-27 km, GRAM thermodynamics and winds are based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Global Upper Air Climatic Atlas (GUACA) climatology. Above 120 km, GRAM is based on the NASA Marshall Engineering Thermosphere (MET) model. In the intervening altitude region, GRAM is based on Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP) climatology that also forms the basis of the 1986 COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA). Atmospheric composition is represented in GRAM by concentrations of both major and minor species. Above 120 km, MET provides concentration values for N2, O2, Ar, O, He, and H. Below 120 km, species represented also include H2O, O3, N2O, CO, CH4, and CO2. At COSPAR 2002 a comparison was made between GRAM constituents below 120 km and those provided by Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) climatology. No current need to update GRAM constituent climatology in that height range was identified. This report examines GRAM (MET) constituents between 100 and 1000 km altitudes. Discrepancies are noted between GRAM (MET) constituent number densities and mass density or molecular weight. Near 110 km altitude, there is up to about 25% discrepancy between MET number density and mass density (with mass density being valid and number densities requiring adjustment). Near 700 km altitude there is also up to about 25% discrepancy between MET number density and mean molecular weight (with molecular weight requiring adjustment). In neither case are MET mass density estimates invalidated. These discrepancies have been traced to MET subroutines SLV (which affects 90-170 km height range) and SLVH (which affects helium above 440 km altitude). With these discrepancies corrected, results are presented to illustrate GRAM (MET) constituent mole fractions in terms of height-latitude cross sections from 100 to 1000 km altitude, and latitude-longitude 'maps' at 450 km (approximate height of International Space Station). Plans are discussed for an update of MET (and GRAM) to correct these constituent inconsistencies and to incorporate several new thermospheric model features.

Application of GPS radio occultation to the assessment of temperature profile retrievals from microwave and infrared sounders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feltz, M.; Knuteson, R.; Ackerman, S.; Revercomb, H.

2014-05-01

Comparisons of satellite temperature profile products from GPS radio occultation (RO) and hyperspectral infrared (IR)/microwave (MW) sounders are made using a previously developed matchup technique. The profile matchup technique matches GPS RO and IR/MW sounder profiles temporally, within 1 h, and spatially, taking into account the unique RO profile geometry and theoretical spatial resolution by calculating a ray-path averaged sounder profile. The comparisons use the GPS RO dry temperature product. Sounder minus GPS RO differences are computed and used to calculate bias and RMS profile statistics, which are created for global and 30° latitude zones for selected time periods. These statistics are created from various combinations of temperature profile data from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere & Climate (COSMIC) network, Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding (GRAS) instrument, and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)/AMSU, and Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS)/Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) sounding systems. By overlaying combinations of these matchup statistics for similar time and space domains, comparisons of different sounders' products, sounder product versions, and GPS RO products can be made. The COSMIC GPS RO network has the spatial coverage, time continuity, and stability to provide a common reference for comparison of the sounder profile products. The results of this study demonstrate that GPS RO has potential to act as a common temperature reference and can help facilitate inter-comparison of sounding retrieval methods and also highlight differences among sensor product versions.

Application of GPS radio occultation to the assessment of temperature profile retrievals from microwave and infrared sounders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feltz, M.; Knuteson, R.; Ackerman, S.; Revercomb, H.

2014-11-01

Comparisons of satellite temperature profile products from GPS radio occultation (RO) and hyperspectral infrared (IR)/microwave (MW) sounders are made using a previously developed matchup technique. The profile matchup technique matches GPS RO and IR/MW sounder profiles temporally, within 1 h, and spatially, taking into account the unique RO profile geometry and theoretical spatial resolution by calculating a ray-path averaged sounder profile. The comparisons use the GPS RO dry temperature product. Sounder minus GPS RO differences are computed and used to calculate bias and rms profile statistics, which are created for global and 30° latitude zones for selected time periods. These statistics are created from various combinations of temperature profile data from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere & Climate (COSMIC) network, Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding (GRAS) instrument, and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)/AMSU, and Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS)/Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) sounding systems. By overlaying combinations of these matchup statistics for similar time and space domains, comparisons of different sounders' products, sounder product versions, and GPS RO products can be made. The COSMIC GPS RO network has the spatial coverage, time continuity, and stability to provide a common reference for comparison of the sounder profile products. The results of this study demonstrate that GPS RO has potential to act as a common temperature reference and can help facilitate inter-comparison of sounding retrieval methods and also highlight differences among sensor product versions.

Global Atmosphere Watch Workshop on Measurement-Model Fusion for Global Total Atmospheric Deposition (MMF-GTAD)

EPA Science Inventory

The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme coordinates high-quality observations of atmospheric composition from global to local scales with the aim to drive high-quality and high-impact science while co-producing a new generation of pro...

Middle Atmosphere Program. Handbook for MAP. Volume 16: Atmospheric Structure and Its Variation in the Region 20 to 120 Km. Draft of a New Reference Middle Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labitzke, K. (Editor); Barnett, J. J. (Editor); Edwards, B. (Editor)

1985-01-01

A draft of a new reference atmosphere for the region between 20 and 80 km which depends largely on recent satellite experiments covering the globe from 80 deg S to 80 deg N is given. A separate international tropical reference atmosphere is given, as well as reference ozone models for the middle atmosphere.

Proposed reference models for nitrous oxide and methane in the middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, F. W.; Dudhia, A.; Rodgers, C. D.

1989-01-01

Data from the Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (SAMS) on the Nimbus 7 satellite, for the period from Jan. 1979 - Dec. 1981, are used to prepare a reference model for the long-lived trace gases, methane and nitrous oxide, in the stratosphere. The model is presented in tabular form on seventeen pressure surfaces from 20 to 0.1 mb, in 10 degree latitude bins from 50S to 70N, and for each month of the year. The means by which the data quality and interannual variability, and some of the more interesting globally and seasonally variable features of the data are discussed briefly.

Global Atmospheric Aerosol Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, Johannes; Aquila, Valentina; Righi, Mattia

2012-01-01

Global aerosol models are used to study the distribution and properties of atmospheric aerosol particles as well as their effects on clouds, atmospheric chemistry, radiation, and climate. The present article provides an overview of the basic concepts of global atmospheric aerosol modeling and shows some examples from a global aerosol simulation. Particular emphasis is placed on the simulation of aerosol particles and their effects within global climate models.

Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI) Overview from the Emirates Mars Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Shamsi, M. R.; Wolff, M. J.; Jones, A. R.; Khoory, M. A.; Osterloo, M. M.; AlMheiri, S.; Reed, H.; Drake, G.

2017-12-01

The Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI) instrument is one of three scientific instruments abroad the Emirate Mars Mission (EMM) spacecraft, "Hope". The planned launch window opens in the summer of 2020, with the goal of this United Arab Emirates (UAE) mission to explore the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere through global spatial sampling which includes both diurnal and seasonal timescales. A particular focus of the mission is the improvement of our understanding of the global circulation in the lower atmosphere and the connections to the upward transport of energy of the escaping atmospheric particles from the upper atmosphere. This will be accomplished using three unique and complementary scientific instruments. The subject of this presentation, EXI, is a multi-band, camera capable of taking 12 megapixel images, which translates to a spatial resolution of better than 8 km with a well calibrated radiometric performance. EXI uses a selector wheel mechanism consisting of 6 discrete bandpass filters to sample the optical spectral region: 3 UV bands and 3 visible (RGB) bands. Atmospheric characterization will involve the retrieval of the ice optical depth using the 300-340 nm band, the dust optical depth in the 205-235nm range, and the column abundance of ozone with a band covering 245-275 nm. Radiometric fidelity is optimized while simplifying the optical design by separating the UV and VIS optical paths. The instrument is being developed jointly by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of California, Boulder, USA, and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Dubai, UAE. The development of analysis software (reduction and retrieval) is being enabled through an EXI Observation Simulator. This package will produce EXI-like images using a combination of realistic viewing geometry (NAIF and a "reference trajectory") and simulated radiance values that include relevant atmospheric conditions and properties (Global Climate Model, DISORT). These noiseless images can then have instrument effects added (e.g., read-noise, dark current, pixel sensitivity, etc) to allow for the direct testing of data compression schemes, calibration pipeline processing, and atmospheric retrievals.

Hydrological signal in polar motion excitation from a combination of geophysical and gravimetric series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nastula, Jolanta; Winska, Malgorzata; Salstein, David A.

2015-08-01

One can estimate the hydrological signal in polar motion excitation as a residual, namely the difference between observed geodetic excitation functions (Geodetic Angular Momentum, GAM) and the sum of Atmospheric Angular Momentum (AAM) and Oceanic Angular Momentum (OAM).The aim of this study is to find the optimal model and results for hydrological excitation functions in terms of their agreement with the computed difference between GAM and atmospheric and oceanic signals.The atmospheric and oceanic model-based data that we use in this study are the geophysical excitation functions of AAM, OAM available from the Special Bureaus for the Atmosphere and Oceans of the Geophysical Global Fluids Center (GGFC) of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). For the atmosphere and ocean, these functions are based on the mass and motion fields of the fluids.Global models of land hydrology are used to estimate hydrological excitation functions of polar motion (Hydrological Angular Momentum - HAM). These HAM series are the mass of water substance determined from the various types of land-based hydrological reservoirs. In addition the HAM are estimated from spherical harmonic coefficients of the Earth’s gravity field. We use several sets of degree-2, order-1 harmonics of the Earth’s gravity field, derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data.Finally, these several different HAM series are used to determine the best model of hydrological excitation of polar motion. The model is found by looking for the combination of these series that fits the geodetic residuals using the least-square method.In addition, we will access model results from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, fifth experiment (CMIP-5) to examine atmospheric excitations from the twentieth century and estimates for the twenty-first century to see the possible signals and trends of these excitation series to help understand the potential range in the derived of hydrological excitation results.

Global Atmosphere Watch Workshop on Measurement-Model ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme coordinates high-quality observations of atmospheric composition from global to local scales with the aim to drive high-quality and high-impact science while co-producing a new generation of products and services. In line with this vision, GAW’s Scientific Advisory Group for Total Atmospheric Deposition (SAG-TAD) has a mandate to produce global maps of wet, dry and total atmospheric deposition for important atmospheric chemicals to enable research into biogeochemical cycles and assessments of ecosystem and human health effects. The most suitable scientific approach for this activity is the emerging technique of measurement-model fusion for total atmospheric deposition. This technique requires global-scale measurements of atmospheric trace gases, particles, precipitation composition and precipitation depth, as well as predictions of the same from global/regional chemical transport models. The fusion of measurement and model results requires data assimilation and mapping techniques. The objective of the GAW Workshop on Measurement-Model Fusion for Global Total Atmospheric Deposition (MMF-GTAD), an initiative of the SAG-TAD, was to review the state-of-the-science and explore the feasibility and methodology of producing, on a routine retrospective basis, global maps of atmospheric gas and aerosol concentrations as well as wet, dry and total deposition via measurement-model

Reference and Standard Atmosphere Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Dale L.; Roberts, Barry C.; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper describes the development of standard and reference atmosphere models along with the history of their origin and use since the mid 19th century. The first "Standard Atmospheres" were established by international agreement in the 1920's. Later some countries, notably the United States, also developed and published "Standard Atmospheres". The term "Reference Atmospheres" is used to identify atmosphere models for specific geographical locations. Range Reference Atmosphere Models developed first during the 1960's are examples of these descriptions of the atmosphere. This paper discusses the various models, scopes, applications and limitations relative to use in aerospace industry activities.

Why Methane Increasing in the Atmosphere is Pushing us Towards New Analytical Approaches for Stable Isotope Ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, J. W. C.; Michel, S. E.; Vaughn, B. H.; Miller, J. B.; Masarie, K. A.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Sherwood, O.; Tans, P. P.

2015-12-01

Methane is increasing again in the atmosphere after nearly a decade of stable concentrations. As methane has risen by 2.5 times since the beginning of the industrial era, such a rise in concentrations is not surprising. Carbon isotopes, however, make it clear that the recent rise is not simply a resumption of the dramatic rise in the 1900s, but that other causes are at play, and that multiple fluxes may be interacting to yield the observed rise. At the same time, cautious attention is focused on the Arctic, where vast stores of carbon are poised for release as frozen soils melt, and some of that carbon will be released as methane. These realities make it imperative that we improve our monitoring of methane and methane isotopes in the atmosphere. This talk will address the issues that we face in meeting this challenge in the NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, including targets for precision and accuracy needed to calculate regional and global fluxes, technological advances in analytical equipment, maintaining standards, ensuring adequate monitoring sites and meeting all of these needs in an era of funding cuts and uncertainty for environmental monitoring.

Effects of non-tidal atmospheric loading on a Kalman filter-based terrestrial reference frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbondanza, C.; Altamimi, Z.; Chin, T. M.; Collilieux, X.; Dach, R.; Heflin, M. B.; Gross, R. S.; König, R.; Lemoine, F. G.; MacMillan, D. S.; Parker, J. W.; van Dam, T. M.; Wu, X.

2013-12-01

The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) adopts a piece-wise linear model to parameterize regularized station positions and velocities. The space-geodetic (SG) solutions from VLBI, SLR, GPS and DORIS global networks used as input in the ITRF combination process account for tidal loading deformations, but ignore the non-tidal part. As a result, the non-linear signal observed in the time series of SG-derived station positions in part reflects non-tidal loading displacements not introduced in the SG data reduction. In this analysis, the effect of non-tidal atmospheric loading (NTAL) corrections on the TRF is assessed adopting a Remove/Restore approach: (i) Focusing on the a-posteriori approach, the NTAL model derived from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) surface pressure is removed from the SINEX files of the SG solutions used as inputs to the TRF determinations. (ii) Adopting a Kalman-filter based approach, a linear TRF is estimated combining the 4 SG solutions free from NTAL displacements. (iii) Linear fits to the NTAL displacements removed at step (i) are restored to the linear reference frame estimated at (ii). The velocity fields of the (standard) linear reference frame in which the NTAL model has not been removed and the one in which the model has been removed/restored are compared and discussed.

Domain size sensitivities of landfalling eastern Pacific atmospheric rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClenny, E. E.; Ullrich, P. A.; Grotjahn, R.; Guan, B.; Waliser, D. E.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) concentrate a majority of mid-latitude latent heat transport into narrow bands. ARs making landfall along the North American coast typically originate in the waters surrounding Hawaii. We explore here the effects of explicitly simulating this "genesis region" on AR characteristics. We do this using two models and three domains centered on the North American coast. The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model, forced by National Center for Environmental Prediction Final Reanalysis data, provides a representative regional model. The simulation domains include: 1. Just off the coastline (100-130W), 2. The coastline to the Pacific just east of Hawaii (100-155W), and 3. The coastline to the Pacific west of Hawaii (100-180W). The Variable Resolution Community Earth System Model simulates ARs while preserving global interactions. In this global model, "domain" refers to the mesh refinement region, each of which corresponds to one of the three previously described WRF domains. We compare ARs from the wet season (October-April) for water years 2009-2017 in the test models against those found in the Modern Era Retrospective Reanalysis 2 (MERRA2). We objectively detect events with the global AR detection algorithm introduced in Guan and Waliser (2015). Comparisons between all model configurations and the reference MERRA2 data will be assessed by characteristics including landfall location (meridional distributions, including quartile ranges and standard deviations of landfalls across the coast), as well as vapor flux and precipitation (in terms of both the contribution of ARs to the larger regional climatology and any differences in the intensity of individual AR events across runs).

Science Enhancements by the MAVEN Participating Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grebowsky, J.; Fast, K.; Talaat, E.; Combi, M.; Crary, F.; England, S.; Ma, Y.; Mendillo, M.; Rosenblatt, P.; Seki, K.

2014-01-01

NASA implemented a Participating Scientist Program and released a solicitation for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) proposals on February 14, 2013. After a NASA peer review panel evaluated the proposals, NASA Headquarters selected nine on June 12, 2013. The program's intent is to enhance the science return from the mission by including new investigations that broaden and/or complement the baseline investigations, while still addressing key science goals. The selections cover a broad range of science investigations. Included are: a patching of a 3D exosphere model to an improved global ionosphere-thermosphere model to study the generation of the exosphere and calculate the escape rates; the addition of a focused study of upper atmosphere variability and waves; improvement of a multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic model that will be adjusted according to MAVEN observations to enhance the understanding of the solar-wind plasma interaction; a global study of the state of the ionosphere; folding MAVEN measurements into the Mars International Reference Ionosphere under development; quantification of atmospheric loss by pick-up using ion cyclotron wave observations; the reconciliation of remote and in situ observations of the upper atmosphere; the application of precise orbit determination of the spacecraft to measure upper atmospheric density and in conjunction with other Mars missions improve the static gravity field model of Mars; and an integrated ion/neutral study of ionospheric flows and resultant heavy ion escape. Descriptions of each of these investigations are given showing how each adds to and fits seamlessly into MAVEN mission science design.

Science Enhancements by the MAVEN Participating Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebowsky, J.; Fast, K.; Talaat, E.; Combi, M.; Crary, F.; England, S.; Ma, Y.; Mendillo, M.; Rosenblatt, P.; Seki, K.; Stevens, M.; Withers, P.

2015-12-01

NASA implemented a Participating Scientist Program and released a solicitation for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) proposals on February 14, 2013. After a NASA peer review panel evaluated the proposals, NASA Headquarters selected nine on June 12, 2013. The program's intent is to enhance the science return from the mission by including new investigations that broaden and/or complement the baseline investigations, while still addressing key science goals. The selections cover a broad range of science investigations. Included are: a patching of a 3D exosphere model to an improved global ionosphere-thermosphere model to study the generation of the exosphere and calculate the escape rates; the addition of a focused study of upper atmosphere variability and waves; improvement of a multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic model that will be adjusted according to MAVEN observations to enhance the understanding of the solar-wind plasma interaction; a global study of the state of the ionosphere; folding MAVEN measurements into the Mars International Reference Ionosphere under development; quantification of atmospheric loss by pick-up using ion cyclotron wave observations; the reconciliation of remote and in situ observations of the upper atmosphere; the application of precise orbit determination of the spacecraft to measure upper atmospheric density and in conjunction with other Mars missions improve the static gravity field model of Mars; and an integrated ion/neutral study of ionospheric flows and resultant heavy ion escape. Descriptions of each of these investigations are given showing how each adds to and fits seamlessly into MAVEN mission science design.

Maritime Aerosol Network as a Component of AERONET - a Useful Tool for Evaluation of the Global Sea-Salt Aerosol Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, A.; Holben, B. N.; Kinne, S.; Nelson, N. B.; Stenchikov, G. L.; Broccardo, S. P.; Sowers, D.; Lobecker, E.; Ondrusek, M.; Zielinski, T. P.; Gray, L. M.; Frouin, R.; Radionov, V. F.; Smyth, T. J.; Zibordi, G.; Heller, M. I.; Slabakova, V.; Krüger, K.; Reid, E. A.; Istomina, L.; Vandermeulen, R. A.; O'Neill, N. T.; Levy, G.; Giles, D. M.; Slutsker, I.; Sorokin, M. G.; Eck, T. F.

2016-02-01

Sea-salt aerosol plays an important role in radiation balance and chemistry of marine atmosphere. Sea-salt production depends on various factors. There is a significant uncertainty in the parametrization of the sea-salt production and budget. Ship-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements can be used as an important validation tool for various global models and in-situ measurements. The paper presents the current status of the Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) which is a component of Aerosol Robotic Network. Since 2006 over 300 cruises were completed and data archive of more than 5500 measurement days is accessible at http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/new_web/maritime_aerosol_network.html . AOD measurements from ships of opportunity complemented island-based AERONET measurements and provided important reference points for satellite retrieved and modelled AOD climatology over the oceans. The program exemplifies mutually beneficial international, multi-agency effort in atmospheric aerosol optical studies over the oceans.

Analysis of the variation of atmospheric electric field during solar events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tacza, J.; Raulin, J. P.

2016-12-01

We present the capability of a new network of electric field mill sensors to monitor the atmospheric electric field at various locations in South America. The first task is to obtain a diurnal curve of atmospheric electric field variations under fair weather conditions, which we will consider as a reference curve. To accomplish this, we made daily, monthly, seasonal and annual averages. For all sensor location, the results show significant similarities with the Carnegie curve. The Carnegie curve is the characteristic curve in universal time of atmospheric electric field in fair weather and one thinks it is related to the currents flowing in the global atmospheric electric circuit. Ultimately, we pretend to study departures of the daily observations from the standard curve. This difference can be caused by solar, geophysical and atmospheric phenomena such as the solar activity cycle, solar flares and energetic charged particles, galactic cosmic rays, seismic activity and/or specific meteorological events. As an illustration we investigate solar effects on the atmospheric electric field observed at CASLEO (Lat. 31.798°S, Long. 69.295°W, Altitude: 2552 masl) by the method of superposed epoch analysis, between January 2010 and December 2015.

Calibration standards for major greenhouse gases and carbon monoxide: status and challenges.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zellweger, Christoph; Mohn, Joachim; Wyss, Simon A.; Brewer, Paul; Mace, Tatiana; Nieuwenkamp, Gerard; Pearce-Hill, Ruth; Tarhan, Tanil; Walden, Jari; Emmenegger, Lukas

2017-04-01

Human influence on increasing greenhouse gas mole fractions in the atmosphere and effects on positive radiative forcing as well as observed global warming and sea level rise are well accepted [1]. For interpretation of global or continental scale greenhouse gas data, obtained from different laboratories, measurement results have to coincide within compatibility goals set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) [2]. Despite significant advances in measurement techniques [3], WMO compatibility goals are regularly missed, shown by round-robin experiments of standard gases and comparisons of field samples or parallel measurements. Therefore, precise and accurate calibration using standards with good long-term stability is needed to reduce uncertainties of atmospheric measurements. This is addressed by the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch Programme (GAW), where Central Calibration Laboratories (CCLs) maintain calibration scales to ensure consistency of measurements within the network to primary reference materials. Furthermore, participating GAW laboratories are supported by World Calibration Centres (WCCs) performing audits and organizing round-robin comparisons. The CCL participates regularly in comparisons with independent primary scales to assure traceability of established primary reference materials to fundamental quantities (SI) [e.g. 4]. Within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) ENV52 project "Metrology for high-impact greenhouse gases" (HIGHGAS), static and dynamic primary reference gas mixtures for ambient levels of CO2, CH4, N2O and CO in air were prepared by different National Metrology Institutes (NMIs). In order to progress beyond the state of the art, research focused on improving passivation chemistry, quantification of target impurities in the air matrix, and determining the isotopic composition. These primary reference gas mixtures were compared in a round robin experiment against standards calibrated against reference gases currently used by the GAW community. We will show results of the comparison of the HIGHGAS and the WMO reference standards, and put this into the context of the WMO/GAW quality management framework. [1] IPCC, 2013: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1535 pp. [2] WMO: 18th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases and Related Tracers Measurement Techniques (GGMT-2015), La Jolla, CA, USA, 13-17 September 2015, GAW Report No. 229, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2016. [3] Zellweger, C., Emmenegger, L., Firdaus, M., Hatakka, J., Heimann, M., Kozlova, E., Spain, T. G., Steinbacher, M., van der Schoot, M. V., and Buchmann, B.: Assessment of recent advances in measurement techniques for atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane observations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 4737-4757, 2016. [4] Flores, E., Viallon, J., Choteau, T., Moussay, P., Wielgosz, R., Kang, N., Kim, B. M., Zalewska, E., van der Veen, A., Konopelko, L., Wu, H., Han, Q., Rhoderick, G., Guenther, F. R., Watanabe, T., Shimosaka, T., Kato, K., Hall, B., and Brewer, P.: International comparison CCQM-K82: methane in air at ambient level (1800 to 2200) nmol/mol, Metrologia, 52, 08001, 2015.

Anthropocene: Shifting Paradigms in Geoscience, Philosophy, History and Geopolitics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslin, M. A.; Lewis, S. L.

2015-12-01

The concept of the Anthropocene has created a profound paradigm shift within the scientific community that we argue will create equally important changes in philosophy, history and politics. There is general scientific agreement that human activity has been a geologically recent, yet profound, influence on the Earth System. The magnitude, variety and longevity of human-induced changes, to the lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere and atmosphere suggests that we should refer to the present, not as within the Holocene Epoch (as it is currently formally referred to), but instead as within the Anthropocene Epoch. Discussion is now centred on defining the start of the epoch using the fundamental principles of stratigraphy. These must include (i) a near permanent change to the Earth system that sets it on to a new trajectory and (ii) global changes to the Earth system recorded in a number of stratigraphic deposits worldwide to provide a correlative boundary event or marker called a Global Stratotype Section & Point (GSSP) or 'golden spike'. Using this framework we conclude that just two time-periods are likely adhere to the criteria. These are 1) the irreversible cross-ocean exchange of species alongside the globally synchronous coolest part of the Little Ice Age in the 17th century, marked by the 1610 minima of CO2 (Orbis Spike), and 2) the accelerating atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial changes in the second half of the 20th century, referred to as the Great Acceleration and conveniently marked by the 1964 peak radionuclide fallout (Bomb Spike). We seek to clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings about geological criteria and relevant evidence that have crept into the literature. We also argue that there are multiple definitions of the Anthropocene and even if a formal definition of the Anthropocene Epoch is agreed by geoscientists, this would in no way invalidate other definitions or uses. It is the utility and wide appeal that makes the Anthropocene such an important concept.

Composition, Chemistry, and Climate of the Atmosphere. 2: Mean properties of the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Hanwant B. (Editor); Salstein, David A.

1994-01-01

The atmosphere can be defined as the relatively thin gaseous envelope surrounding the entire planet Earth. It possesses a number of properties related to its physical state and chemical composition, and it undergoes a variety of internal processes and external interactions that can either maintain or alter these properties. Whereas descriptions of the atmosphere's chemical properties form much of the remaining chapters of this book, the present chapter will highlight the atmosphere's gases, and these define its temperature structure. In contrast, the larger-scale motions comprise the winds, the global organization of which is often referred to as the general circulation. The framework of the dynamical and thermodynamical laws, including the three principles of conversation of mass, momentum, and energy, are fundamental in describing both the internal processes of the atmosphere and its external interactions. The atmosphere is not a closed system, because it exchanges all three of these internally conservative quantities across the atmosphere's boundary below and receives input from regions outside it. Thus surface fluxes of moisture, momentum, and heat occur to and from the underlying ocean and land. The atmosphere exchanges very little mass and momentum with space, though it absorbs directly a portion of the solar radiational energy received from above.

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

Medeiros, Brian; Williamson, David L.; Olson, Jerry G.

In this study, fundamental characteristics of the aquaplanet climate simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5.3 (CAM5.3) are presented. The assumptions and simplifications of the configuration are described. A 16 year long, perpetual equinox integration with prescribed SST using the model’s standard 18 grid spacing is presented as a reference simulation. Statistical analysis is presented that shows similar aquaplanet configurations can be run for about 2 years to obtain robust climatological structures, including global and zonal means, eddy statistics, and precipitation distributions. Such a simulation can be compared to the reference simulation to discern differences in the climate, includingmore » an assessment of confidence in the differences. To aid such comparisons, the reference simulation has been made available via earthsystemgrid.org. Examples are shown comparing the reference simulation with simulations from the CAM5 series that make different microphysical assumptions and use a different dynamical core.« less

The Potential for Methane Isotopologue Channels in GOSAT-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malina, Edward; Yoshida, Yukio; Matsunaga, Tsuneo; Muller, Jan-Peter

2017-04-01

Of the major Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) currently considered as having a major impact on atmospheric chemistry, Methane is amongst the most important (IPCC, 2014). Methane concentration in the atmosphere has been documented to be rising steadily over the past century, aside from an unexplained short period in the middle of the last decade (Heimann., 2011), leading to renewed efforts to understand global atmospheric Methane. Atmospheric Methane is primarily composed of two key isotopologues, 12CH4 and 13CH4, which have a natural abundance of about 98% and 1.1% respectively. It is a well-established fact that different sources of Methane (i.e. biogenic sources such as methanogens, or non-biogenic such as industrial hydrocarbon burning) vary in the abundance of these isotopologues (Etiope, 2009). The global identification of the ratios of these isotopologues could vastly increase knowledge of global Methane sources, and shed some light on global Methane growth. GOSAT-2 due to be launched in 2018 is a follow on from the original GOSAT mission launched in 2009. GOSAT-2 aims to continue the legacy of GOSAT by providing global measurements of Methane and Carbon Dioxide on a global basis in order to monitor GHG emissions. GOSAT-2 in the context of this study has a significant advantage over GOSAT, which is the extension of the sensitivity of band 3 to 2330nm from 2080nm where significant numbers of Methane spectral lines are located. In this study we apply the well-established Information Content (IC) analysis techniques originally proposed by Rodgers (2000) to determine the potential benefit of retrieving total column Methane isotopologue concentrations assuming bands 2 and 3 of the GOSAT-2/TANSO-FTS-2 instrument. The value of such studies has been proven on multiple occasions and can provide guidance on appropriate potential retrieval setups. Due to the fact that there has been limited research in this area, no 'a priori' state vectors or Variance Covariance Matrices (VCMs) appropriate for isotopologues have been defined previously, we therefore test a number VCMs in order to explore the constraints on retrieving independent information in the total column based on the IC analysis. This analysis and VCM variations also provide the opportunity to explore the potential errors associated with retrievals of isotopologues. Based on this study we will comment on the feasibility of Methane isotopologues retrieval with GOSAT-2 under a range of atmospheric conditions, instrument geometry and VCM setups, as well as the errors associated with these conditions. References: Etiope, G. (2009) 'Natural emissions of methane from geological seepage in Europe', Atmospheric Environment, 43(7), pp. 1430-1443. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.03.014. Heimann, M. (2011) 'Atmospheric science: Enigma of the recent methane budget', Nature, 476(7359), pp. 157-158. doi: 10.1038/476157a. IPCC. Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Available online: https://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/report/ Rodgers, C.D. (2000) Inverse methods for atmospheric sounding: Theory and practice. Singapore, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company.

Global Clear-Sky Surface Skin Temperature from Multiple Satellites Using a Single-Channel Algorithm with Angular Anisotropy Corrections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarino, Benjamin R.; Minnis, Patrick; Chee, Thad; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Yost, Christopher R.; Palikonda, Rabindra

2017-01-01

Surface skin temperature (T(sub s)) is an important parameter for characterizing the energy exchange at the ground/water-atmosphere interface. The Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) employs a single-channel thermal-infrared (TIR) method to retrieve T(sub s) over clear-sky land and ocean surfaces from data taken by geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite imagers. GEO satellites can provide somewhat continuous estimates of T(sub s) over the diurnal cycle in non-polar regions, while polar T(sub s) retrievals from LEO imagers, such as the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), can complement the GEO measurements. The combined global coverage of remotely sensed T(sub s), along with accompanying cloud and surface radiation parameters, produced in near-realtime and from historical satellite data, should be beneficial for both weather and climate applications. For example, near-realtime hourly T(sub s) observations can be assimilated in high-temporal-resolution numerical weather prediction models and historical observations can be used for validation or assimilation of climate models. Key drawbacks to the utility of TIR-derived T(sub s) data include the limitation to clear-sky conditions, the reliance on a particular set of analyses/reanalyses necessary for atmospheric corrections, and the dependence on viewing and illumination angles. Therefore, T(sub s) validation with established references is essential, as is proper evaluation of T(sub s) sensitivity to atmospheric correction source. This article presents improvements on the NASA Langley GEO satellite and AVHRR TIR-based T(sub s) product that is derived using a single-channel technique. The resulting clear-sky skin temperature values are validated with surface references and independent satellite products. Furthermore, an empirically adjusted theoretical model of satellite land surface temperature (LST) angular anisotropy is tested to improve satellite LST retrievals. Application of the anisotropic correction yields reduced mean bias and improved precision of GOES-13 LST relative to independent Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MYD11_L2) LST and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program ground station measurements. It also significantly reduces inter-satellite differences between LSTs retrieved simultaneously from two different imagers. The implementation of these universal corrections into the SatCORPS product can yield significant improvement in near-global-scale, near-realtime, satellite-based LST measurements. The immediate availability and broad coverage of these skin temperature observations should prove valuable to modelers and climate researchers looking for improved forecasts and better understanding of the global climate model.

Quantifying the value of redundant measurements at GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network sites

DOE PAGES

Madonna, F.; Rosoldi, M.; Güldner, J.; ...

2014-11-19

The potential for measurement redundancy to reduce uncertainty in atmospheric variables has not been investigated comprehensively for climate observations. We evaluated the usefulness of entropy and mutual correlation concepts, as defined in information theory, for quantifying random uncertainty and redundancy in time series of the integrated water vapour (IWV) and water vapour mixing ratio profiles provided by five highly instrumented GRUAN (GCOS, Global Climate Observing System, Reference Upper-Air Network) stations in 2010–2012. Results show that the random uncertainties on the IWV measured with radiosondes, global positioning system, microwave and infrared radiometers, and Raman lidar measurements differed by less than 8%.more » Comparisons of time series of IWV content from ground-based remote sensing instruments with in situ soundings showed that microwave radiometers have the highest redundancy with the IWV time series measured by radiosondes and therefore the highest potential to reduce the random uncertainty of the radiosondes time series. Moreover, the random uncertainty of a time series from one instrument can be reduced by ~ 60% by constraining the measurements with those from another instrument. The best reduction of random uncertainty is achieved by conditioning Raman lidar measurements with microwave radiometer measurements. In conclusion, specific instruments are recommended for atmospheric water vapour measurements at GRUAN sites. This approach can be applied to the study of redundant measurements for other climate variables.« less

Further evaluation of wetland emission estimates from the JULES land surface model using SCIAMACHY and GOSAT atmospheric column methane measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayman, Garry; Comyn-Platt, Edward; McNorton, Joey; Chipperfield, Martyn; Gedney, Nicola

2016-04-01

The atmospheric concentration of methane began rising again in 2007 after a period of near-zero growth [1,2], with the largest increases observed over polar northern latitudes and the Southern Hemisphere in 2007 and in the tropics since then. The observed inter-annual variability in atmospheric methane concentrations and the associated changes in growth rates have variously been attributed to changes in different methane sources and sinks [2,3]. Wetlands are generally accepted as being the largest, but least well quantified, single natural source of CH4, with global emission estimates ranging from 142-284 Tg yr-1 [3]. The modelling of wetlands and their associated emissions of CH4 has become the subject of much current interest [4]. We have previously used the HadGEM2 chemistry-climate model to evaluate the wetland emission estimates derived using the UK community land surface model (JULES, the Joint UK Land Earth Simulator) against atmospheric observations of methane, including SCIAMACHY total methane columns [5] up to 2007. We have undertaken a series of new HadGEM2 runs using new JULES emission estimates extended in time to the end of 2012, thereby allowing comparison with both SCIAMACHY and GOSAT atmospheric column methane measurements. We will describe the results of these runs and the implications for methane wetland emissions. References [1] Rigby, M., et al.: Renewed growth of atmospheric methane. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L22805, 2008; [2] Nisbet, E.G., et al.: Methane on the Rise-Again, Science 343, 493, 2014; [3] Kirschke, S., et al.,: Three decades of global methane sources and sinks, Nature Geosciences, 6, 813-823, 2013; [4] Melton, J. R., et al.: Present state of global wetland extent and wetland methane modelling: conclusions from a model inter-comparison project (WETCHIMP), Biogeosciences, 10, 753-788, 2013; [5] Hayman, G.D., et al.: Comparison of the HadGEM2 climate-chemistry model against in situ and SCIAMACHY atmospheric methane data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 13257-13280, 2014.

The Met Office Coupled Atmosphere/Land/Ocean/Sea-Ice Data Assimilation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lea, Daniel; Mirouze, Isabelle; Martin, Matthew; Hines, Adrian; Guiavarch, Catherine; Shelly, Ann

2014-05-01

The Met Office has developed a weakly-coupled data assimilation (DA) system using the global coupled model HADGEM3 (Hadley Centre Global Environment Model, version 3). This model combines the atmospheric model UM (Unified Model) at 60 km horizontal resolution on 85 vertical levels, the ocean model NEMO (Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean) at 25 km (at the equator) horizontal resolution on 75 vertical levels, and the sea-ice model CICE at the same resolution as NEMO. The atmosphere and the ocean/sea-ice fields are coupled every 1-hour using the OASIS coupler. The coupled model is corrected using two separate 6-hour window data assimilation systems: a 4D-Var for the atmosphere with associated soil moisture content nudging and snow analysis schemes on the one hand, and a 3D-Var FGAT for the ocean and sea-ice on the other hand. The background information in the DA systems comes from a previous 6-hour forecast of the coupled model. To show the impact of coupled DA, one-month experiments have been carried out, including 1) a full atmosphere/land/ocean/sea-ice coupled DA run, 2) an atmosphere-only run forced by OSTIA SSTs and sea-ice with atmosphere and land DA, and 3) an ocean-only run forced by atmospheric fields from run 2 with ocean and sea-ice DA. In addition, 5-day forecast runs, started twice a day, have been produced from initial conditions generated by either run 1 or a combination of runs 2 and 3. The different results have been compared to each other and, whenever possible, to other references such as the Met Office atmosphere and ocean operational analyses or the OSTIA data. These all show the coupled DA system functioning well. Evidence of imbalances and initialisation shocks has also been looked for.

Energy, atmospheric chemistry, and global climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Joel S.

1991-01-01

Global atmospheric changes due to ozone destruction and the greenhouse effect are discussed. The work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is reviewed, including its judgements regarding global warming and its recommendations for improving predictive capability. The chemistry of ozone destruction and the global atmospheric budget of nitrous oxide are reviewed, and the global sources of nitrous oxide are described.

Ozone, Climate, and Global Atmospheric Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Joel S.

1992-01-01

Presents an overview of global atmospheric problems relating to ozone depletion and global warming. Provides background information on the composition of the earth's atmosphere and origin of atmospheric ozone. Describes causes, effects, and evidence of ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. A vignette provides a summary of a 1991 assessment of…

Design considerations for Mars photovoltaic power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Appelbaum, Joseph

1990-01-01

Considerations for operation of a photovoltaic power system on Mars are discussed with reference to Viking Lander data. The average solar insolation at Mars is 590 W/sq m, which is reduced yet further by atmospheric dust. Of major concern are dust storms, which have been observed to occur on local as well as on global scales, and their effect on solar array output. While atmospheric opacity may rise to values ranging from 3 to 9, depending on storm severity, there is still an appreciable large diffuse illumination, even at high opacities, so that photovoltaic operation is still possible. If the power system is to continue to generate power even on high-optical-opacity (i.e., dusty atmosphere) days, it is important that the photovoltaic system be designed to collect diffuse irradiance as well as direct. Energy storage will be required for operation during the night. Temperature and wind provide additional considerations for array design.

Estimated Radiation on Mars, Hits per Cell Nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This global map of Mars shows estimates for amounts of high-energy-particle cosmic radiation reaching the surface, a serious health concern for any future human exploration of the planet.

The estimates are based on cosmic-radiation measurements made on the way to Mars by the Mars radiation environment experiment, an instrument on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, plus information about Mars' surface elevations from the laser altimeter instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The areas of Mars expected to have least radiation are where elevation is lowest, because those areas have more atmosphere above them to block out some of the radiation. Earth's thick atmosphere shields us from most cosmic radiation, but Mars has a much thinner atmosphere than Earth does.

Colors in the map refer to the estimated average number of times per year each cell nucleus in a human there would be hit by a high-energy cosmic ray particle. The range is generally from two hits (color-coded green), a moderate risk level, to eight hits (coded red), a high risk level.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor missions for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. The Mars radiation environment experiment was developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for Odyssey, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

CLIVAR-GSOP/GODAE Ocean Synthesis Inter-Comparison of Global Air-Sea Fluxes From Ocean and Coupled Reanalyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdivieso, Maria

2014-05-01

The GODAE OceanView and CLIVAR-GSOP ocean synthesis program has been assessing the degree of consistency between global air-sea flux data sets obtained from ocean or coupled reanalyses (Valdivieso et al., 2014). So far, fifteen global air-sea heat flux products obtained from ocean or coupled reanalyses have been examined: seven are from low-resolution ocean reanalyses (BOM PEODAS, ECMWF ORAS4, JMA/MRI MOVEG2, JMA/MRI MOVECORE, Hamburg Univ. GECCO2, JPL ECCOv4, and NCEP GODAS), five are from eddy-permitting ocean reanalyses developed as part of the EU GMES MyOcean program (Mercator GLORYS2v1, Reading Univ. UR025.3, UR025.4, UKMO GloSea5, and CMCC C-GLORS), and the remaining three are couple reanalyses based on coupled climate models (JMA/MRI MOVE-C, GFDL ECDA and NCEP CFSR). The global heat closure in the products over the period 1993-2009 spanned by all data sets is presented in comparison with observational and atmospheric reanalysis estimates. Then, global maps of ensemble spread in the seasonal cycle, and of the Signal to Noise Ratio of interannual flux variability over the 17-yr common period are shown to illustrate the consistency between the products. We have also studied regional variability in the products, particularly at the OceanSITES project locations (such as, for instance, the TAO/TRITON and PIRATA arrays in the Tropical Pacific and Atlantic, respectively). Comparisons are being made with other products such as OAFlux latent and sensible heat fluxes (Yu et al., 2008) combined with ISCCP satellite-based radiation (Zhang et al., 2004), the ship-based NOC2.0 product (Berry and Kent, 2009), the Large and Yeager (2009) hybrid flux dataset CORE.2, and two atmospheric reanalysis products, the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis (referred to as ERAi, Dee et al., 2011) and the NCEP/DOE reanalysis R2 (referred to as NCEP-R2, Kanamitsu et al., 2002). Preliminary comparisons with the observational flux products from OceanSITES are also underway. References Berry, D.I. and E.C. Kent (2009), A New Air-Sea Interaction Gridded Dataset from ICOADS with Uncertainty Estimates. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc 90(5), 645-656. doi: 10.1175/2008BAMS2639.1. Dee, D. P. et al. (2011), The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 137: 553-597. doi: 10.1002/qj.828. Kanamitsu M., Ebitsuzaki W., Woolen J., Yang S.K., Hnilo J.J., Fiorino M., Potter G. (2002), NCEP-DOE AMIP-II reanalysis (R-2). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 83:1631-1643. Large, W. and Yeager, S. (2009), The global climatology of an interannually varying air-sea flux data set. Clim. Dynamics, Volume 33, pp 341-364 Valdivieso, M. and co-authors (2014): Heat fluxes from ocean and coupled reanalyses, Clivar Exchanges. Issue 64. Yu, L., X. Jin, and R. A. Weller (2008), Multidecade Global Flux Datasets from the Objectively Analyzed Air-sea Fluxes (OAFlux) Project: Latent and Sensible Heat Fluxes, Ocean Evaporation, and Related Surface Meteorological Variables. Technical Report OAFlux Project (OA2008-01), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Zhang, Y., WB Rossow, AA Lacis, V Oinas, MI Mishchenk (2004), Calculation of radiative fluxes from the surface to top of atmsophere based on ISCCP and other global data sets. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984-2012) 109 (D19).

A reference radiosonde system for climate and weather research: IHOP experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junhong; Hock, Terry F.; Lauritsen, Dean; Cole, Harold L.; Beierle, Kathryn; Chamberlain, Ned; Parsons, David B.; Carlson, David J.

2003-04-01

Global radiosonde data are required by meteorological analysis centers for initializing numerical prediction models for weather forecasting, and represent an increasingly valuable resource for studies of climate change and in the development, calibration and validation of retrieval techniques for atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles from satellite. Unfortunately, the usefulness of radiosonde data is limited by sensor accuracy, by data reporting practices, and by the fact that sonde and sensor types vary by location and with time. Numerous studies and reports have called for a reference sonde to serve as a transfer standard to compare and connect data from past, present and future sonde systems. We are working on developing a reference radiosonde system at the Atmospheric Technology Division (ATD) at NCAR. The reference radiosonde system will carry the best sensors, have a flexible infrastructure to host multiple and different user-provided sensors and will be recoverable to reduce costs. The first version of the reference radiosonde system was deployed in the Oklahoma panhandle and Dodge City, KS (NWS radiosonde site) during the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002). A total of sixteen reference sondes were launched during IHOP either with Vaisala RS80 or Sippican (VIZ) radiosondes. The humidity data from the reference humidity sensor (Snow White, SW) are compared with Vaisala and VIZ data. The comparisons show that (a) VIZ carbon hygristor fails to respond to humidity changes in the upper troposphere, (b) the carbon hygristor inside the reference sonde has slower response than that inside NWS VIZ sonde, (c) Vaisala RS80-H agrees with SW very well in the middle and lower troposphere, and (d) SW can detect cirrus clouds near the tropopause and possibly estimate their ice water content (IWC). The climate impacts of these results are also discussed.

Ozone, Climate, and Global Atmospheric Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Joel S.

1992-01-01

The delicate balance of the gases that make up our atmosphere allows life to exist on Earth. Ozone depletion and global warming are related to changes in the concentrations of these gases. To solve global atmospheric problems, we need to understand the composition and chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere and the impact of human activities on them.

Quantitative spectroscopy for the analysis of GOME data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chance, K.

1997-01-01

Accurate analysis of the global ozone monitoring experiment (GOME) data to obtain atmospheric constituents requires reliable, traceable spectroscopic parameters for atmospheric absorption and scattering. Results are summarized for research that includes: the re-determination of Rayleigh scattering cross sections and phase functions for the 200 nm to 1000 nm range; the analysis of solar spectra to obtain a high-resolution reference spectrum with excellent absolute vacuum wavelength calibration; Ring effect cross sections and phase functions determined directly from accurate molecular parameters of N2 and O2; O2 A band line intensities and pressure broadening coefficients; and the analysis of absolute accuracies for ultraviolet and visible absorption cross sections of O3 and other trace species measurable by GOME.

An Overview of the Naval Research Laboratory Ocean Surface Flux (NFLUX) System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, J. C.; Rowley, C. D.; Barron, C. N.

2016-02-01

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) ocean surface flux (NFLUX) system is an end-to-end data processing and assimilation system used to provide near-real time satellite-based surface heat flux fields over the global ocean. Swath-level air temperature (TA), specific humidity (QA), and wind speed (WS) estimates are produced using multiple polynomial regression algorithms with inputs from satellite sensor data records from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A, the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder, and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 sensors. Swath-level WS estimates are also retrieved from satellite environmental data records from WindSat, the MetOp scatterometers, and the Oceansat scatterometer. Swath-level solar and longwave radiative flux estimates are produced utilizing the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for Global Circulation Models (RRTMG). Primary inputs to the RRTMG include temperature and moisture profiles and cloud liquid and ice water paths from the Microwave Integrated Retrieval System. All swath-level satellite estimates undergo an automated quality control process and are then assimilated with atmospheric model forecasts to produce 3-hourly gridded analysis fields. The turbulent heat flux fields, latent and sensible heat flux, are determined from the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) 3.0 bulk algorithms using inputs of TA, QA, WS, and a sea surface temperature model field. Quality-controlled in situ observations over a one-year time period from May 2013 through April 2014 form the reference for validating ocean surface state parameter and heat flux fields. The NFLUX fields are evaluated alongside the Navy's operational global atmospheric model, the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM). NFLUX is shown to have smaller biases and lower or similar root mean square errors compared to NAVGEM.

The UARS and EOS Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Experiments.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, J. W.; Read, W. G.; Froidevaux, L.; Jarnot, R. F.; Cofield, R. E.; Flower, D. A.; Lau, G. K.; Pickett, H. M.; Santee, M. L.; Wu, D. L.; Boyles, M. A.; Burke, J. R.; Lay, R. R.; Loo, M. S.; Livesey, N. J.; Lungu, T. A.; Manney, G. L.; Nakamura, L. L.;  Perun, V. S.;  Ridenoure, B. P.;  Shippony, Z.;  Siegel, P. H.;  Thurstans, R. P.;  Harwood, R. S.;  Pumphrey, H. C.;  Filipiak, M. J.

1999-01-01

The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) experiments obtain measurements of atmospheric composition, temperature, and pressure by observations of millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength thermal emission as the instrument field of view is scanned through the atmospheric limb. Features of the measurement technique include the ability to measure many atmospheric gases as well as temperature and pressure, to obtain measurements even in the presence of dense aerosol and cirrus, and to provide near-global coverage on a daily basis at all times of day and night from an orbiting platform. The composition measurements are relatively insensitive to uncertainties in atmospheric temperature. An accurate spectroscopic database is available, and the instrument calibration is also very accurate and stable. The first MLS experiment in space, launched on the (NASA) Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) in September 1991, was designed primarily to measure stratospheric profiles of ClO, O3, H2O, and atmospheric pressure as a vertical reference. Global measurement of ClO, the predominant radical in chlorine destruction of ozone, was an especially important objective of UARS MLS. All objectives of UARS MLS have been accomplished and additional geophysical products beyond those for which the experiment was designed have been obtained, including measurement of upper-tropospheric water vapor, which is important for climate change studies. A follow-on MLS experiment is being developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) and is scheduled to be launched on the EOS CHEMISTRY platform in late 2002. EOS MLS is designed for many stratospheric measurements, including HOx radicals, which could not be measured by UARS because adequate technology was not available, and better and more extensive upper-tropospheric and lower-stratospheric measurements.

Process based modelling of soil organic carbon redistribution on landscape scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schindewolf, Marcus; Seher, Wiebke; Amorim, Amorim S. S.; Maeso, Daniel L.; Jürgen, Schmidt

2014-05-01

Recent studies have pointed out the great importance of erosion processes in global carbon cycling. Continuous erosion leads to a massive loss of top soils including the loss of organic carbon accumulated over long time in the soil humus fraction. Lal (2003) estimates that 20% of the organic carbon eroded with top soils is emitted into atmosphere, due to aggregate breakdown and carbon mineralization during transport by surface runoff. Furthermore soil erosion causes a progressive decrease of natural soil fertility, since cation exchange capacity is associated with organic colloids. As a consequence the ability of soils to accumulate organic carbon is reduced proportionately to the drop in soil productivity. The colluvial organic carbon might be protected from further degradation depending on the depth of the colluvial cover and local decomposing conditions. Some colluvial sites can act as long-term sinks for organic carbon. The erosional transport of organic carbon may have an effect on the global carbon budget, however, it is uncertain, whether erosion is a sink or a source for carbon in the atmosphere. Another part of eroded soils and organic carbon will enter surface water bodies and might be transported over long distances. These sediments might be deposited in the riparian zones of river networks. Erosional losses of organic carbon will not pass over into atmosphere for the most part. But soil erosion limits substantially the potential of soils to sequester atmospheric CO2 by generating humus. The present study refers to lateral carbon flux modelling on landscape scale using the process based EROSION 3D soil loss simulation model, using existing parameter values. The selective nature of soil erosion results in a preferentially transport of fine particles while less carbonic larger particles remain on site. Consequently organic carbon is enriched in the eroded sediment compared to the origin soil. For this reason it is essential that EROSION 3D provides the grain size distribution (clay, silt and sand) of the transported sediment. A test slope is modeled covering certain land use and soil management scenarios referring to different rainfall events. Results allow first insights on carbon loss and depletion on sediment delivery areas as well as carbon gains and enrichments on deposition areas on landscape scale. Lal, R. (2003). Soil erosion and the global carbon budget. Environment International vol. 29: 437-450.

NASA/MSFC FY90 Global Scale Atmospheric Processes Research Program Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leslie, Fred W. (Editor)

1990-01-01

Research supported by the Global Atmospheric Research Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center on atmospheric remote sensing, meteorology, numerical weather forecasting, satellite data analysis, cloud precipitation, atmospheric circulation, atmospheric models and related topics is discussed.

The Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA): A reference atmospheric reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montabone, Luca; Lewis, Stephen R.; Steele, Liam J.; Holmes, James; Read, Peter L.; Valeanu, Alexandru; Smith, Michael D.; Kass, David; Kleinboehl, Armin; LMD Team, MGS/TES Team, MRO/MCS Team

2016-10-01

The Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA) dataset version 1.0 contains the reanalysis of fundamental atmospheric and surface variables for the planet Mars covering a period of about three Martian years (late MY 24 to early MY 27). This four-dimensional dataset has been produced by data assimilation of retrieved thermal profiles and column dust optical depths from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor/Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS/TES), which have been assimilated into a Mars global climate model (MGCM) using the Analysis Correction scheme developed at the UK Meteorological Office.The MACDA v1.0 reanalysis is publicly available, and the NetCDF files can be downloaded from the archive at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis/British Atmospheric Data Centre (CEDA/BADC). The variables included in the dataset can be visualised using an ad-hoc graphical user interface (the "MACDA Plotter") located at the following URL: http://macdap.physics.ox.ac.uk/The first paper about MACDA reanalysis of TES retrievals appeared in 2006, although the acronym MACDA was not yet used at that time. Ten years later, MACDA v1.0 has been used by several researchers worldwide and has contributed to the advancement of the knowledge about the martian atmosphere in critical areas such as the radiative impact of water ice clouds, the solsticial pause in baroclinic wave activity, and the climatology and dynamics of polar vortices, to cite only a few. It is therefore timely to review the scientific results obtained by using such Mars reference atmospheric reanalysis, in order to understand what priorities the user community should focus on in the next decade.MACDA is an ongoing collaborative project, and work funded by NASA MDAP Programme is currently undertaken to produce version 2.0 of the Mars atmospheric reanalysis. One of the key improvements is the extension of the reanalysis period to nine martian years (MY 24 through MY 32), with the assimilation of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MRO/MCS) retrievals of thermal and dust opacity profiles. MACDA 2.0 is also going to be based on an improved version of the underlying MGCM and an updated scheme to fully assimilate (radiative active) tracers, such as dust.

A New Method for Detecting and Monitoring Atmospheric Natural Hazards with GPS RO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biondi, R.; Steiner, A. K.; Rieckh, T. M.; Kirchengast, G.

2014-12-01

Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) allows measurements in any meteorological condition, with global coverage, high vertical resolution, and high accuracy. With more than 13 years of data availability, RO also became a fundamental tool for studying climate change. We present here the application of RO for detecting and monitoring tropical cyclones (TCs), deep convective systems (CSs) and volcanic ash clouds (ACs).Deep CSs and TCs play a fundamental role in atmospheric circulation producing vertical transport, redistributing water vapor and trace gases, changing the thermal structure of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) and affecting climate through overshooting into the stratosphere. Explosive volcanic eruptions produce large ACs dangerous for the aviation and they can impact climate when the ash is injected into the UTLS.The detection of cloud top height, the determination of cloud extent, the discrimination of ACs from CSs clouds and the detection of overshooting are main challenges for atmospheric natural hazards study. We created a reference atmosphere with a resolution of 5° in latitude and longitude, sampled on a 1° x 1° grid, and a vertical sampling of 100 m. We then compared RO profiles acquired during TCs, CSs and ACs to the reference atmosphere and computed anomaly profiles.CSs, TCs and the ACs leave a clear signature in the atmosphere which can be detected by RO. Using RO temperature and bending angle profiles we gain insight into the vertical thermal structure and developed a new method for detecting the cloud top altitude with high accuracy.We have characterized the TCs by ocean basins and intensities, showing that they have a different thermal structure and reach to different altitudes according to the basin. We provide statistics on overshooting frequency, achieving results consistent with patterns found in the literature and demonstrating that RO is well suited for this kind of study. We have analyzed the Nabro 2010 eruption determining the AC top height and analyzing the long term impact of the eruption in the zonal UTLS thermal structure. The results show that there is a signature allowing the discrimination of ACs from CSs clouds. The comparison of AC top height with the tropopause altitude shows that during Nabro eruption the ash reached the UTLS.

Long-term stability measurements of low concentration Volatile Organic Compound gas mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Nick; Amico di Meane, Elena; Brewer, Paul; Ferracci, Valerio; Corbel, Marivon; Worton, David

2017-04-01

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are a class of compounds with significant influence on the atmosphere due to their large anthropogenic and biogenic emission sources. VOC emissions have a significant impact on the atmospheric hydroxyl budget and nitrogen reservoir species, while also contributing indirectly to the production of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol. However, the global budget of many of these species are poorly constrained. Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) have set challenging data quality objectives for atmospheric monitoring programmes for these classes of traceable VOCs, despite the lack of available stable gas standards. The Key-VOCs Joint Research Project is an ongoing three-year collaboration with the aim of improving the measurement infrastructure of important atmospheric VOCs by providing traceable and comparable reference gas standards and by validating new measurement systems in support of the air monitoring networks. It focuses on VOC compounds that are regulated by European legislation, that are relevant for indoor air monitoring and for air quality and climate monitoring programmes like the VOC programme established by the WMO GAW and the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). These VOCs include formaldehyde, oxy[genated]-VOCs (acetone, ethanol and methanol) and terpenes (a-pinene, 1,8-cineole, δ-3-carene and R-limonene). Here we present the results of a novel long term stability study for low concentration formaldehyde, oxy-VOC and terpenes gas mixtures produced by the Key-VOCs consortium with discussion regarding the implementation of improved preparation techniques and the use of novel cylinder passivation chemistries to guarantee mixture stability.

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

Shen, W.; Tuleya, R.E.; Ginis, I.

In this study, the effect of thermodynamic environmental changes on hurricane intensity is extensively investigated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory hurricane model for a suite of experiments with different initial upper-tropospheric temperature anomalies up to {+-}4 C and sea surface temperatures ranging from 26 to 31 C given the same relative humidity profile. The results indicate that stabilization in the environmental atmosphere and sea surface temperature (SST) increase cause opposing effects on hurricane intensity. The offsetting relationship between the effects of atmospheric stability increase (decrease) and SST increase (decrease) is monotonic and systematic inmore » the parameter space. This implies that hurricane intensity increase due to a possible global warming associated with increased CO{sub 2} is considerably smaller than that expected from warming of the oceanic waters alone. The results also indicate that the intensity of stronger (weaker) hurricanes is more (less) sensitive to atmospheric stability and SST changes. The model-attained hurricane intensity is found to be well correlated with the maximum surface evaporation and the large-scale environmental convective available potential energy. The model-attained hurricane intensity if highly correlated with the energy available from wet-adiabatic ascent near the eyewall relative to a reference sounding in the undisturbed environment for all the experiments. Coupled hurricane-ocean experiments show that hurricane intensity becomes less sensitive to atmospheric stability and SST changes since the ocean coupling causes larger (smaller) intensity reduction for stronger (weaker) hurricanes. This implies less increase of hurricane intensity related to a possible global warming due to increased CO{sub 2}.« less

The 1990 Reference Handbook: Earth Observing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

An overview of the Earth Observing System (EOS) including goals and requirements is given. Its role in the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the International--Biosphere Program is addressed. The EOS mission requirements, science, fellowship program, data and information systems architecture, data policy, space measurement, and mission elements are presented along with the management of EOS. Descriptions of the facility instruments, instrument investigations, and interdisciplinary investigations are also present. The role of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the mission is mentioned.

Recent Greenhouse Gas Concentrations

DOE Data Explorer

Blasing, T. J.

2016-01-01

Gases typically measured in parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb) or parts per trillion (ppt) are presented separately to facilitate comparison of numbers. Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) and atmospheric lifetimes are from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2013, Table 8.A.1), except for the atmospheric lifetime of carbon dioxide (CO2) which is explained in footnote 4. Additional material on greenhouse gases can be found in CDIAC's Reference Tools. To find out how CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, and halons are named, see Name that compound: The numbers game for CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, and Halons. Concentrations given apply to the lower 75-80 percent of the atmosphere, known as the troposphere. Sources of the current and preindustrial concentrations of the atmospheric gases listed in the table below are given in the footnotes. Investigators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have provided the recent concentrations. Much of the data provided results from the work of various investigators at institutions other than CDIAC, and represent considerable effort on their part. We ask as a basic professional courtesy that you acknowledge the primary sources, indicated in the footnotes below, or in the links given in the footnotes. Concentrations of ozone and water vapor are spatially and temporally variable due to their short atmospheric lifetimes. A vertically and horizontally averaged water vapor concentration is about 5,000 ppm. Globally averaged water vapor concentration is difficult to measure precisely because it varies from one place to another and from one season to the next. This precludes a precise determination of changes in water vapor since pre-industrial time. However, a warmer atmosphere will likely contain more water vapor than at present. For a more detailed statement on water vapor from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, see the "water vapor" page at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html

Estimating Top-of-Atmosphere Thermal Infrared Radiance Using MERRA-2 Atmospheric Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleynhans, Tania

Space borne thermal infrared sensors have been extensively used for environmental research as well as cross-calibration of other thermal sensing systems. Thermal infrared data from satellites such as Landsat and Terra/MODIS have limited temporal resolution (with a repeat cycle of 1 to 2 days for Terra/MODIS, and 16 days for Landsat). Thermal instruments with finer temporal resolution on geostationary satellites have limited utility for cross-calibration due to their large view angles. Reanalysis atmospheric data is available on a global spatial grid at three hour intervals making it a potential alternative to existing satellite image data. This research explores using the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis data product to predict top-of-atmosphere (TOA) thermal infrared radiance globally at time scales finer than available satellite data. The MERRA-2 data product provides global atmospheric data every three hours from 1980 to the present. Due to the high temporal resolution of the MERRA-2 data product, opportunities for novel research and applications are presented. While MERRA-2 has been used in renewable energy and hydrological studies, this work seeks to leverage the model to predict TOA thermal radiance. Two approaches have been followed, namely physics-based approach and a supervised learning approach, using Terra/MODIS band 31 thermal infrared data as reference. The first physics-based model uses forward modeling to predict TOA thermal radiance. The second model infers the presence of clouds from the MERRA-2 atmospheric data, before applying an atmospheric radiative transfer model. The last physics-based model parameterized the previous model to minimize computation time. The second approach applied four different supervised learning algorithms to the atmospheric data. The algorithms included a linear least squares regression model, a non-linear support vector regression (SVR) model, a multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and a convolutional neural network (CNN). This research found that the multi-layer perceptron model produced the lowest error rates overall, with an RMSE of 1.22W / m2 sr mum when compared to actual Terra/MODIS band 31 image data. This research further aimed to characterize the errors associated with each method so that any potential user will have the best information available should they wish to apply these methods towards their own application.

The Global Geodetic Observing System: Recent Activities and Accomplishments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, R. S.

2017-12-01

The Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) provides the basis on which future advances in geosciences can be built. By considering the Earth system as a whole (including the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere and biosphere), monitoring Earth system components and their interactions by geodetic techniques and studying them from the geodetic point of view, the geodetic community provides the global geosciences community with a powerful tool consisting mainly of high-quality services, standards and references, and theoretical and observational innovations. The mission of GGOS is: (a) to provide the observations needed to monitor, map and understand changes in the Earth's shape, rotation and mass distribution; (b) to provide the global frame of reference that is the fundamental backbone for measuring and consistently interpreting key global change processes and for many other scientific and societal applications; and (c) to benefit science and society by providing the foundation upon which advances in Earth and planetary system science and applications are built. The goals of GGOS are: (1) to be the primary source for all global geodetic information and expertise serving society and Earth system science; (2) to actively promote, sustain, improve, and evolve the integrated global geodetic infrastructure needed to meet Earth science and societal requirements; (3) to coordinate with the international geodetic services that are the main source of key parameters and products needed to realize a stable global frame of reference and to observe and study changes in the dynamic Earth system; (4) to communicate and advocate the benefits of GGOS to user communities, policy makers, funding organizations, and society. In order to accomplish its mission and goals, GGOS depends on the IAG Services, Commissions, and Inter-Commission Committees. The Services provide the infrastructure and products on which all contributions of GGOS are based. The IAG Commissions and Inter-Commission Committees provide expertise and support for the scientific development within GGOS. In summary, GGOS is IAG's central interface to the scientific community and to society in general. Recent activities and accomplishments of the Global Geodetic Observing System will be presented.

The Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA): A reference atmospheric reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montabone, Luca; Read, Peter; Lewis, Stephen; Steele, Liam; Holmes, James; Valeanu, Alexandru

2016-07-01

The Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA) dataset version 1.0 contains the reanalysis of fundamental atmospheric and surface variables for the planet Mars covering a period of about three Martian years (late MY 24 to early MY 27). This has been produced by data assimilation of retrieved thermal profiles and column dust optical depths from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor/Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS/TES), which have been assimilated into a Mars global climate model (MGCM) using the Analysis Correction scheme developed at the UK Meteorological Office. The MACDA v1.0 reanalysis is publicly available, and the NetCDF files can be downloaded from the archive at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis/British Atmospheric Data Centre (CEDA/BADC). The variables included in the dataset can be visualised using an ad-hoc graphical user interface (the "MACDA Plotter") at the following URL: http://macdap.physics.ox.ac.uk/ MACDA is an ongoing collaborative project, and work is currently undertaken to produce version 2.0 of the Mars atmospheric reanalysis. One of the key improvements is the extension of the reanalysis period to nine martian years (MY 24 through MY 32), with the assimilation of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MRO/MCS) retrievals of thermal and dust opacity profiles. MACDA 2.0 is also going to be based on an improved version of the underlying MGCM and an updated scheme to fully assimilate (radiative active) tracers, such as dust and water ice.

Global transients in ultraviolet and red-infrared ranges from data of Universitetsky-Tatiana-2 satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garipov, G. K.; Khrenov, B. A.; Klimov, P. A.; Klimenko, V. V.; Mareev, E. A.; Martines, O.; Mendoza, E.; Morozenko, V. S.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Park, I. H.; Ponce, E.; Rivera, L.; Salazar, H.; Tulupov, V. I.; Vedenkin, N. N.; Yashin, I. V.

2013-01-01

Light detectors sensitive to wavelength ranges 240-400 nm and beyond 610 nm (which we refer to, for simplicity, as the UV and Red bands) on board Universitetsky-Tatiana-2 satellite have detected transient flashes in the atmosphere of duration 1-128 ms. Measured ratio of the number of Red photons to the number of UV photons indicates that source of transient radiation is at high atmosphere altitude (>50 km). Distribution of events with various photon numbers Qa in the atmosphere found to be different for "luminous" events Qa = 1023 - 1026 (with exponent of differential distribution -2.2) and for "faint" events Qa = 1021 - 1023 (with exponent - 0.97). Luminous event parameters (atmosphere altitude, energy released to radiation, and temporal profiles) are similar to observed elsewhere parameters of transient luminous events (TLE) of elves, sprites, halo, and gigantic blue jets types. Global map of luminous events demonstrates concentration to equatorial zones (latitudes 30°N to 30°S) above continents. Faint events (with number of photons Qa = 1020 - 5ṡ 1021) are distributed more uniformly over latitudes and longitudes. Phenomenon of series of transients registered every minute along satellite orbit (from 3 to 16 transients in one series) was observed. Most TLE-type events belonged to series. Single transients are in average fainter than serial ones. Some transients belonging to series occurs far away of thunderstorm regions. Origin of faint single transients is not clear; several hypothetical models of their production are discussed.

Reviews and syntheses: Field data to benchmark the carbon cycle models for tropical forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Deborah A.; Asao, Shinichi; Fisher, Rosie A.; Reed, Sasha C.; Reich, Peter B.; Ryan, Michael G.; Wood, Tana E.; Yang, Xiaojuan

2017-01-01

For more accurate projections of both the global carbon (C) cycle and the changing climate, a critical current need is to improve the representation of tropical forests in Earth system models. Tropical forests exchange more C, energy, and water with the atmosphere than any other class of land ecosystems. Further, tropical-forest C cycling is likely responding to the rapid global warming, intensifying water stress, and increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. Projections of the future C balance of the tropics vary widely among global models. A current effort of the modeling community, the ILAMB (International Land Model Benchmarking) project, is to compile robust observations that can be used to improve the accuracy and realism of the land models for all major biomes. Our goal with this paper is to identify field observations of tropical-forest ecosystem C stocks and fluxes, and of their long-term trends and climatic and CO2 sensitivities, that can serve this effort. We propose criteria for reference-level field data from this biome and present a set of documented examples from old-growth lowland tropical forests. We offer these as a starting point towards the goal of a regularly updated consensus set of benchmark field observations of C cycling in tropical forests.

Reviews and syntheses: Field data to benchmark the carbon cycle models for tropical forests

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

Clark, Deborah A.; Asao, Shinichi; Fisher, Rosie

For more accurate projections of both the global carbon (C) cycle and the changing climate, a critical current need is to improve the representation of tropical forests in Earth system models. Tropical forests exchange more C, energy, and water with the atmosphere than any other class of land ecosystems. Further, tropical-forest C cycling is likely responding to the rapid global warming, intensifying water stress, and increasing atmospheric CO 2 levels. Projections of the future C balance of the tropics vary widely among global models. A current effort of the modeling community, the ILAMB (International Land Model Benchmarking) project, is tomore » compile robust observations that can be used to improve the accuracy and realism of the land models for all major biomes. Our goal with this paper is to identify field observations of tropical-forest ecosystem C stocks and fluxes, and of their long-term trends and climatic and CO 2 sensitivities, that can serve this effort. We propose criteria for reference-level field data from this biome and present a set of documented examples from old-growth lowland tropical forests. We offer these as a starting point towards the goal of a regularly updated consensus set of benchmark field observations of C cycling in tropical forests.« less

Reviews and syntheses: Field data to benchmark the carbon cycle models for tropical forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Deborah A.; Asao, Shinichi; Fisher, Rosie; Reed, Sasha; Reich, Peter B.; Ryan, Michael G.; Wood, Tana E.; Yang, Xiaojuan

2017-10-01

For more accurate projections of both the global carbon (C) cycle and the changing climate, a critical current need is to improve the representation of tropical forests in Earth system models. Tropical forests exchange more C, energy, and water with the atmosphere than any other class of land ecosystems. Further, tropical-forest C cycling is likely responding to the rapid global warming, intensifying water stress, and increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. Projections of the future C balance of the tropics vary widely among global models. A current effort of the modeling community, the ILAMB (International Land Model Benchmarking) project, is to compile robust observations that can be used to improve the accuracy and realism of the land models for all major biomes. Our goal with this paper is to identify field observations of tropical-forest ecosystem C stocks and fluxes, and of their long-term trends and climatic and CO2 sensitivities, that can serve this effort. We propose criteria for reference-level field data from this biome and present a set of documented examples from old-growth lowland tropical forests. We offer these as a starting point towards the goal of a regularly updated consensus set of benchmark field observations of C cycling in tropical forests.

Reviews and syntheses: Field data to benchmark the carbon cycle models for tropical forests

DOE PAGES

Clark, Deborah A.; Asao, Shinichi; Fisher, Rosie; ...

2017-10-23

For more accurate projections of both the global carbon (C) cycle and the changing climate, a critical current need is to improve the representation of tropical forests in Earth system models. Tropical forests exchange more C, energy, and water with the atmosphere than any other class of land ecosystems. Further, tropical-forest C cycling is likely responding to the rapid global warming, intensifying water stress, and increasing atmospheric CO 2 levels. Projections of the future C balance of the tropics vary widely among global models. A current effort of the modeling community, the ILAMB (International Land Model Benchmarking) project, is tomore » compile robust observations that can be used to improve the accuracy and realism of the land models for all major biomes. Our goal with this paper is to identify field observations of tropical-forest ecosystem C stocks and fluxes, and of their long-term trends and climatic and CO 2 sensitivities, that can serve this effort. We propose criteria for reference-level field data from this biome and present a set of documented examples from old-growth lowland tropical forests. We offer these as a starting point towards the goal of a regularly updated consensus set of benchmark field observations of C cycling in tropical forests.« less

Enhanced poleward propagation of storms under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamarin-Brodsky, Talia; Kaspi, Yohai

2017-12-01

Earth's midlatitudes are dominated by regions of large atmospheric weather variability—often referred to as storm tracks— which influence the distribution of temperature, precipitation and wind in the extratropics. Comprehensive climate models forced by increased greenhouse gas emissions suggest that under global warming the storm tracks shift poleward. While the poleward shift is a robust response across most models, there is currently no consensus on what the underlying dynamical mechanism is. Here we present a new perspective on the poleward shift, which is based on a Lagrangian view of the storm tracks. We show that in addition to a poleward shift in the genesis latitude of the storms, associated with the shift in baroclinicity, the latitudinal displacement of cyclonic storms increases under global warming. This is achieved by applying a storm-tracking algorithm to an ensemble of CMIP5 models. The increased latitudinal propagation in a warmer climate is shown to be a result of stronger upper-level winds and increased atmospheric water vapour. These changes in the propagation characteristics of the storms can have a significant impact on midlatitude climate.

Range Reference Atmosphere 0-70 Km Altitude. Kwajalein Missile Range, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

DOCUMENT 360-82 KWAJALEIN MISSILE RANGE KWAJALEIN, MARSHALL ISLANDS RANGE REFERENCE ATMOSPHERE 0-70 KM ALTITUDE, C00 L’’I METEOROLOGY GROUP .RANGE...34Reference Atmosphere (Part 1), Kwajale 4n Missile Range, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands ," ADA002664. * 19. KEY WORDS (Continue on revorsae d. If necoeewy...CLASSIFICATION OF TIlS PAGE (Whe~n Data EnterecD -v DOCUMENT 360-82 Vo- KWAJALEIN MISSILE RANGE KWAJALEIN, MARSHALL ISLANDS RANGE REFERENCE ATMOSPHERE 0-70 km

Middle Atmosphere Program. Handbook for MAP. Volume 31: Reference models of trace species for the COSPAR international reference atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keating, G. M. (Editor)

1989-01-01

A set of preliminary reference atmosphere models of significant trace species which play important roles in controlling the chemistry, radiation budget, and circulation patterns of the atmosphere were produced. These models of trace species distributions are considered to be reference models rather than standard models; thus, it was not crucial that they be correct in an absolute sense. These reference models can serve as a means of comparison between individual observations, as a first guess in inversion algorithms, and as an approximate representation of observations for comparison to theoretical calculations.

Vulnerability of island tropical montane cloud forests to climate change, with special reference to East Maui, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loope, Lloyd L.; Giambelluca, Thomas W.

1998-01-01

Island tropical montane cloud forests may be among the most sensitive of the world's ecosystems to global climate change. Measurements in and above a montane cloud forest on East Maui, Hawaii, document steep microclimatic gradients. Relatively small climate-driven shifts in patterns of atmospheric circulation are likely to trigger major local changes in rainfall, cloud cover, and humidity. Increased interannual variability in precipitation and hurricane incidence would provide additional stresses on island biota that are highly vulnerable to disturbance-related invasion of non-native species. Because of the exceptional sensitivity of these microclimates and forests to change, they may provide valuable ‘listening posts’ for detecting the onset of human-induced global climate change.

MIPAS ESA v7 carbon tetrachloride data: distribution, trend and atmospheric lifetime estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valeri, M.; Barbara, F.; Boone, C. D.; Ceccherini, S.; Gai, M.; Maucher, G.; Raspollini, P.; Ridolfi, M.; Sgheri, L.; Wetzel, G.; Zoppetti, N.

2017-12-01

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a strong ozone-depleting atmospheric gas regulated by the Montreal protocol. Recently it received increasing interest due to the so called "mystery of CCl4": it was found that its atmospheric concentration at the surface declines with a rate significantly smaller than its lifetime-limited rate. Indeed there is a discrepancy between atmospheric observations and the estimated distribution based on the reported production and consumption. Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) measurements are used to estimate CCl4 distributions, its trend, and atmospheric lifetime in the upper troposphere / lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. In particular, here we use MIPAS product generated with Version 7 of the Level 2 algorithm operated by the European Space Agency. The CCl4 distribution shows features typical of long-lived species of anthropogenic origin: higher concentrations in the troposphere, decreasing with altitude due to the photolysis. We compare MIPAS CCl4 data with independent observations from Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment - Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE - FTS) and stratospheric balloon version of MIPAS (MIPAS-B). The comparison shows a general good agreement between the different datasets. CCl4 trends are evaluated as a function of both latitude and altitude: negative trends (-10/ -15 pptv/decade, -10/ -30 %/decade) are found at all latitudes in the UTLS, apart from a region in the Southern mid-latitudes between 50 and 10 hPa where the trend is slightly positive (5/10 pptv/decade, 15/20 %/decade). At the lowest altitudes sounded by the MIPAS scan we find trend values consistent with those determined on the basis of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Earth System Research Laboratory / Halocarbons and other Atmospheric Trace Species (NOAA / ESRL / HATS) networks. CCl4 global average lifetime of 47(39 - 61) years has been estimated using the tracer-tracer linear correlations approach and the CFC-11 as the reference tracer. This estimation is consistent with the most recent literature result of 44(36 - 58) years.

A three-dimensional multivariate representation of atmospheric variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žagar, Nedjeljka; Jelić, Damjan; Blaauw, Marten; Jesenko, Blaž

2016-04-01

A recently developed MODES software has been applied to the ECMWF analyses and forecasts and to several reanalysis datasets to describe the global variability of the balanced and inertio-gravity (IG) circulation across many scales by considering both mass and wind field and the whole model depth. In particular, the IG spectrum, which has only recently become observable in global datasets, can be studied simultaneously in the mass field and wind field and considering the whole model depth. MODES is open-access software that performs the normal-mode function decomposition of the 3D global datasets. Its application to the ERA Interim dataset reveals several aspects of the large-scale circulation after it has been partitioned into the linearly balanced and IG components. The global energy distribution is dominated by the balanced energy while the IG modes contribute around 8% of the total wave energy. However, on subsynoptic scales IG energy dominates and it is associated with the main features of tropical variability on all scales. The presented energy distribution and features of the zonally-averaged and equatorial circulation provide a reference for the intercomparison of several reanalysis datasets and for the validation of climate models. Features of the global IG circulation are compared in ERA Interim, MERRA and JRA reanalysis datasets and in several CMIP5 models. Since October 2014 the operational medium-range forecasts of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) have been analyzed by MODES daily and an online archive of all the outputs is available at http://meteo.fmf.uni-lj.si/MODES. New outputs are made available daily based on the 00 UTC run and subsequent 12-hour forecasts up to 240-hour forecast. In addition to the energy spectra and horizontal circulation on selected levels for the balanced and IG components, the equatorial Kelvin waves are presented in time and space as the most energetic tropical IG modes propagating vertically and along the equator from its main generation regions in the upper troposphere over the Indian and Pacific region. The validation of the 10-day ECMWF forecasts with analyses in the modal space suggests a lack of variability in the tropics in the medium range. Reference: Žagar, N. et al., 2015: Normal-mode function representation of global 3-D data sets: open-access software for the atmospheric research community. Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1169-1195, doi:10.5194/gmd-8-1169-2015 Žagar, N., R. Buizza, and J. Tribbia, 2015: A three-dimensional multivariate modal analysis of atmospheric predictability with application to the ECMWF ensemble. J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 4423-4444 The MODES software is available from http://meteo.fmf.uni-lj.si/MODES.

The global mean energy balance under cloud-free conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wild, Martin; Hakuba, Maria; Folini, Dois; Ott, Patricia; Long, Charles

2017-04-01

A long standing problem of climate models is their overestimation of surface solar radiation not only under all-sky, but also under clear-sky conditions (Wild et al. 1995, Wild et al. 2006). This overestimation reduced over time in consecutive model generations due to the simulation of stronger atmospheric absorption. Here we analyze the clear sky fluxes of the latest climate model generation from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) against an expanded and updated set of direct observations from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). Clear sky climatologies from these sites have been composed based on the Long and Ackermann (2000) clear sky detection algorithm (Hakuba et al. 2017), and sampling issues when comparing with model simulated clear sky fluxes have been analyzed in Ott (2017). Overall, the overestimation of clear sky insolation in the CMIP5 models is now merely 1-2 Wm-2 in the multimodel mean, compared to 4 Wm-2 in CMIP3 and 6 Wm-2 in AMIPII (Wild et al. 2006). Still a considerable spread in the individual model biases is apparent, ranging from -2 Wm-2 to 10 Wm-2 when averaged over 53 globally distributed BSRN sites. This bias structure is used to infer best estimates for present day global mean clear sky insolation, following an approach developped in Wild et al. (2013, 2015, Clim. Dyn.) for all sky fluxes. Thereby the flux biases in the various models are linearly related to their respective global means. A best estimate can then be inferred from the linear regression at the intersect where the bias against the surface observations becomes zero. This way we obtain a best estimate of 247 Wm-2 for the global mean insolation at the Earth surface under cloud free conditions, and a global mean absorbed solar radiation of 214 Wm-2 in the cloud-free atmosphere, assuming a global mean surface albedo of 13.5%. Combined with a best estimate for the net influx of solar radiation at the Top of Atmosphere under cloud free conditions from CERES EBAF of 286 Wm-2, this leaves an amount of 72 Wm-2 absorbed solar radiation in the cloud free atmosphere. The 72 Wm-2 closely match our best estimate for the global mean cloud-free atmospheric absorption in Wild et al. JGR (2006) based on older models and their biases against much fewer direct observation. This indicates that the estimate of global mean solar absorption in the cloud free atmosphere slightly above 70 Wm-2 is fairly robust. In comparison, the global mean solar absorption under all sky conditions was estimated in Wild et al. (2015) at 80 Wm-2 based on the same approach. The difference between the all- and clear-sky absorption represents the cloud radiative effect on the atmospheric absorption, and is thus estimated here to be around 8 Wm-2. This is similar in magnitude to the 11 Wm-2 derived by Hakuba et al. (2017) when averaged over the atmospheric cloud effect determined at 36 BSRN station. We applied the same methodology also for the longwave fluxes. Thereby we obtained a best estimate for the global mean clear sky downward longwave flux at the Earth surface of 214 Wm-2. Together with a surface and TOA upward longwave flux of 398 Wm-2 and 266 Wm-2, respectively, this leaves an atmospheric longwave divergence under clear sky conditions of 182 Wm-2. Selected related references: Hakuba, M. Z., Folini, D., Wild, M., Long, C. N., Schaepman-Strub, G., and Stephens, G.L., 2017: Cloud Effects on Atmospheric Solar Absorption in Light of Most Recent Surface and Satellite Measurements. AIP Conf. Proc. (in press). Ott, P., 2017: Master Thesis at ETH Zurich (in prep.). Wild, M., Ohmura, A., Gilgen, H., and Roeckner, E., 1995: Validation of GCM simulated radiative fluxes using surface observations. J. Climate, 8, 1309-1324. Wild, M., Long, C.N., and Ohmura, A., 2006: Evaluation of clear-sky solar fluxes in GCMs participating in AMIP and IPCC-AR4 from a surface perspective. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D01104, doi:10.1029/2005JD006118. Wild, M., Folini, D., Schär, C., Loeb, N., Dutton, E.G., and König-Langlo, G., 2013: The global energy balance from a surface perspective. Climate Dynamics, 40, 3107-3134. Wild, M., Folini, D., Hakuba, M., Schär, C., Seneviratne, S.I., Kato, S., Rutan, D., Ammann, C., Wood, E.F., and König-Langlo, G., 2015: The energy balance over land and oceans: An assessment based on direct observations and CMIP5 climate models, Climate Dynamics, 3393-3429, 44, DOI 10.1007/s00382-014-2430-z.

Improving the Long-Term Stability of Atmospheric Surface Deformation Predictions by Mitigating the Effects of Orography Updates in Operational Weather Forecast Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dill, Robert; Bergmann-Wolf, Inga; Thomas, Maik; Dobslaw, Henryk

2016-04-01

The global numerical weather prediction model routinely operated at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is typically updated about two times a year to incorporate the most recent improvements in the numerical scheme, the physical model or the data assimilation procedures into the system for steadily improving daily weather forecasting quality. Even though such changes frequently affect the long-term stability of meteorological quantities, data from the ECMWF deterministic model is often preferred over alternatively available atmospheric re-analyses due to both the availability of the data in near real-time and the substantially higher spatial resolution. However, global surface pressure time-series, which are crucial for the interpretation of geodetic observables, such as Earth rotation, surface deformation, and the Earth's gravity field, are in particular affected by changes in the surface orography of the model associated with every major change in horizontal resolution happened, e.g., in February 2006, January 2010, and May 2015 in case of the ECMWF operational model. In this contribution, we present an algorithm to harmonize surface pressure time-series from the operational ECMWF model by projecting them onto a time-invariant reference topography under consideration of the time-variable atmospheric density structure. The effectiveness of the method will be assessed globally in terms of pressure anomalies. In addition, we will discuss the impact of the method on predictions of crustal deformations based on ECMWF input, which have been recently made available by GFZ Potsdam.

Worldwide atmospheric mercury measurements: a review and synthesis of spatial and temporal trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprovieri, F.; Pirrone, N.; Ebinghaus, R.; Kock, H.; Dommergue, A.

2010-01-01

A large number of activities have been carried out during the last decade in different regions of the world, including polar regions, aiming to assess the level of mercury (Hg) species in ambient air and in precipitation observing their variation over time and with changing meteorological conditions. Following the discovery of atmospheric Hg depletion events (AMDEs) in Polar Regions several studies have indeed been conducted in order to assess the chemical-physical mechanisms related to AMDEs occurred in polar atmospheres with special attention to the consequences of these phenomena in terms of contamination of polar environment due to the rapid conversion of atmospheric gaseous Hg (Hg0) into reactive and water-soluble forms that may potentially become bioavailable. The understanding of the way in which mercury released to the atmosphere is eventually incorporated into biota is of crucial importance not only for the polar regions but also for the marine environment in general. The world's oceans and seas are in fact both sources and sinks of Hg and although it appears that the atmosphere is the major transport/distribution medium for Hg, because most Hg emissions are to the atmosphere, oceans and seas also play an important role. Currently, however, a coordinated observational network for Hg does not exist. There are a number of state and national programs that are collecting atmospheric Hg data but the parameters monitored, the locations of the monitoring sites and the methods employed may prohibit their utility in assessing Hg long-trend variations. The large increase in mercury emissions in fast developing countries (i.e., China, India) over the last decade due primarily to a sharp increase in energy production from the combustion of coal are not currently reflected in the long-term measurements of total gaseous mercury in ambient air and in precipitation data at several continuous monitoring sites in North Europe and North America. The discrepancy between observed gaseous mercury concentrations (steady or decreasing) and global mercury emission inventories (increasing) is not yet clear however, could be at least in part accounted by the increasing in the potential oxidation of the atmosphere recently documented. Therefore, measurements of other key atmospheric constituents at the global monitoring sites are necessary for us to develop a better understanding of the global redistribution of Hg and to further refine model parameterizations of the key processes. The sharing of data from this network, allowing, in fact, access to comparable and long-term data from a wide array of locations for understanding temporal and spatial patterns of Hg transport, deposition and re-emission process producing thus data that will support the validation of regional and global atmospheric Hg models. This paper presents a detailed overview of atmospheric mercury measurements conducted in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres at several terrestrial sites (industrial, rural and remote) during the last decade as well as measurements performed over the world's ocean and seas and in Polar Regions with reference to the monitoring techniques and location of monitoring sites in most of the continents.

Enhancing atmospheric mercury research in China to improve the current understanding of the global mercury cycle: the need for urgent and closely coordinated efforts.

PubMed

Ci, Zhijia; Zhang, Xiaoshan; Wang, Zhangwei

2012-06-05

The current understanding of the global mercury (Hg) cycle remains uncertain because Hg behavior in the environment is very complicated. The special property of Hg causes the atmosphere to be the most important medium for worldwide dispersion and transformation. The source and fate of atmospheric Hg and its interaction with the surface environment are the essential topics in the global Hg cycle. Recent declining measurement trends of Hg in the atmosphere are in apparent conflict with the increasing trends in global anthropogenic Hg emissions. As the single largest country contributor of anthropogenic Hg emission, China's role in the global Hg cycle will become more and more important in the context of the decreasing man-made Hg emission from developed regions. However, much less Hg information in China is available. As a global pollutant which undergoes long-range transport and is persistence in the environment, increasing Hg knowledge in China could not only promote the Hg regulation in this country but also improve the understanding of the fundamental of the global Hg cycle and further push the abatement of this toxin on a global scale. Then the atmospheric Hg research in China may be a breakthrough for improving the current understanding of the global Hg cycle. However, due to the complex behavior of Hg in the atmosphere, a deeper understanding of the atmospheric Hg cycle in China needs greater cooperation across fields.

SPARC Intercomparison of Middle Atmosphere Climatologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randel, William; Fleming, Eric; Geller, Marvin; Hamilton, Kevin; Karoly, David; Ortland, Dave; Pawson, Steve; Swinbank, Richard; Udelhofen, Petra

2002-01-01

This atlas presents detailed incomparisons of several climatological wind and temperature data sets which cover the middle atmosphere (over altitudes approx. 10-80 km). A number of middle atmosphere climatologies have been developed in the research community based on a variety of meteorological analyses and satellite data sets. Here we present comparisons between these climatological data sets for a number of basic circulation statistics, such as zonal mean temperature, winds and eddy flux statistics. Special attention is focused on tropical winds and temperatures, where large differences exist among separate analyses. We also include comparisons between the global climatologies and historical rocketsonde wind and temperature measurements, and also with more recent lidar temperature data. These comparisons highlight differences and uncertainties in contemporary middle atmosphere data sets, and allow biases in particular analyses to be isolated. In addition, a brief atlas of zonal mean temperature and wind statistics is provided to highlight data availability and as a quick-look reference. This technical report is intended as a companion to the climatological data sets held in archive at the SPARC Data Center (http://www.sparc.sunysb.edu).

Polychlorinated biphenyls in the atmosphere of Taizhou, a major e-waste dismantling area in China.

PubMed

Han, Wenliang; Feng, Jialiang; Gu, Zeping; Wu, Minghong; Sheng, Guoying; Fu, Jiamo

2010-01-01

PM2.5, total suspended particles (TSP) and gas phase samples were collected at two sites of Taizhou, a major e-waste dismantling area in China. Concentrations, seasonal variations, congener profiles, gas-particle partitioning and size distribution of the atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied to assess the current state of atmospheric PCBs after the phase out of massive historical dismantling of PCBs containing e-wastes. The average sigma38PCBs concentration in the ambient air (TSP plus gas phase) near the e-waste dismantling area was (12,407 +/- 9592) pg/m3 in winter, which was substantially lower than that found one decade ago. However, the atmospheric PCBs level near the e-waste dismantling area was 54 times of the reference urban site, indicating that the impact of the historical dismantling of PCBs containing e-wastes was still significant. Tri-Penta-CBs were dominant homologues, consisting with their dominant global production. Size distribution of particle-bound PCBs showed that higher chlorinated CBs tended to partition more to the fine particles, facilitating its long range air transportation.

Iron dissolution of dust source materials during simulated acidic processing: the effect of sulfuric, acetic, and oxalic acids.

PubMed

Chen, Haihan; Grassian, Vicki H

2013-09-17

Atmospheric organic acids potentially display different capacities in iron (Fe) mobilization from atmospheric dust compared with inorganic acids, but few measurements have been made on this comparison. We report here a laboratory investigation of Fe mobilization of coal fly ash, a representative Fe-containing anthropogenic aerosol, and Arizona test dust, a reference source material for mineral dust, in pH 2 sulfuric acid, acetic acid, and oxalic acid, respectively. The effects of pH and solar radiation on Fe dissolution have also been explored. The relative capacities of these three acids in Fe dissolution are in the order of oxalic acid > sulfuric acid > acetic acid. Oxalate forms mononuclear bidentate ligand with surface Fe and promotes Fe dissolution to the greatest extent. Photolysis of Fe-oxalate complexes further enhances Fe dissolution with the concomitant degradation of oxalate. These results suggest that ligand-promoted dissolution of Fe may play a more significant role in mobilizing Fe from atmospheric dust compared with proton-assisted processing. The role of atmospheric organic acids should be taken into account in global-biogeochemical modeling to better access dissolved atmospheric Fe deposition flux at the ocean surface.

Antimony in the environment as a global pollutant: a review on analytical methodologies for its determination in atmospheric aerosols.

PubMed

Smichowski, Patricia

2008-03-15

This review summarizes and discusses the research carried out on the determination of antimony and its predominant chemical species in atmospheric aerosols. Environmental matrices such as airborne particulate matter, fly ash and volcanic ash present a number of complex analytical challenges as very sensitive analytical techniques and highly selective separation methodologies for speciation studies. Given the diversity of instrumental approaches and methodologies employed for the determination of antimony and its species in environmental matrices, the objective of this review is to briefly discuss the most relevant findings reported in the last years for this remarkable element and to identify the future needs and trends. The survey includes 92 references and covers principally the literature published over the last decade.

Estimating Real-Time Zenith Tropospheric Delay over Africa Using IGS-RTS Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelazeem, M.

2017-12-01

Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD) is a crucial parameter for atmospheric modeling, severe weather monitoring and forecasting applications. Currently, the international global navigation satellite system (GNSS) real-time service (IGS-RTS) products are used extensively in real-time atmospheric modeling applications. The objective of this study is to develop a real time zenith tropospheric delay estimation model over Africa using the IGS-RTS products. The real-time ZTDs are estimated based on the real-time precise point positioning (PPP) solution. GNSS observations from a number of reference stations are processed over a period of 7 days. Then, the estimated real-time ZTDs are compared with the IGS tropospheric products counterparts. The findings indicate that the estimated real-time ZTDs have millimeter level accuracy in comparison with the IGS counterparts.

How and Why to Do VLBI on GPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickey, J. M.

2010-01-01

In order to establish the position of the center of mass of the Earth in the International Celestial Reference Frame, observations of the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) constellation using the IVS network are important. With a good frame-tie between the coordinates of the IVS telescopes and nearby GPS receivers, plus a common local oscillator reference signal, it should be possible to observe and record simultaneously signals from the astrometric calibration sources and the GPS satellites. The standard IVS solution would give the atmospheric delay and clock offsets to use in analysis of the GPS data. Correlation of the GPS signals would then give accurate orbital parameters of the satellites in the ICRF reference frame, i.e., relative to the positions of the astrometric sources. This is particularly needed to determine motion of the center of mass of the earth along the rotation axis.

Analysis of possible future atmospheric retention of fossil fuel CO/sub 2/

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

Edmonds, J.A.; Reilly, J.; Trabalka, J.R.

1984-09-01

This report investigates the likely rates and the potential range of future CO/sub 2/ emissions, combined with knowledge of the global cycle of carbon, to estimate a possible range of future atmospheric CO/sub 2/ concentrations through the year 2075. Historic fossil fuel usage to the present, growing at a rate of 4.5% per year until 1973 and at a slower rate of 1.9% after 1973, was combined with three scenarios of projected emissions growth ranging from approximately 0.2 to 2.8% per year to provide annual CO/sub 2/ emissions data for two different carbon cycle models. The emissions scenarios were constructedmore » using an energy-economic model and by varying key parameters within the bounds of currently expected future values. The extreme values for CO/sub 2/ emissions in the year 2075 are 6.8 x 10/sup 15/ and 91 x 10/sup 15/ g C year/sup -1/. Carbon cycle model simulations used a range of year - 1800 preindustrial atmospheric concentrations of 245 to 292 ppM CO/sub 2/ and three scenarios of bioshere conversion as additional atmospheric CO/sub 2/ source terms. These simulations yield a range of possible atmospheric CO/sub 2/ concentrations in year 2075 of approximately 500 to 1500 ppM, with a median of about 700 ppM. The time at which atmospheric CO/sub 2/ would potentially double from the preindustrial level ranges from year 2025 to >2075. The practical, programmatic value of this forecast exercise is that it forces quantitative definition of the assumptions, and the uncertainties therein, which form the basis of our understanding of the natural biogeochemical cycle of carbon and both historic and future human influences on the dynamics of the global cycle. Assumptions about the possible range of future atmospheric CO/sub 2/ levels provide a basis on which to evaluate the implications of these changes on climate and the biosphere. 44 references, 17 figures, 21 tables.« less

Simulations of Global Flows in Io’s Rarefied Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoey, William A.; Goldstein, D. B.; Varghese, P. L.; Trafton, L. M.; Walker, A. C.

2013-10-01

The sulfur-rich Ionian atmosphere is populated through a number of mechanisms, the most notable of which include sublimation from insolated surface frost deposits, material sputtering due to the impact of energetic ions from the Jovian plasma torus, and plume emission related to volcanic activity. While local flows are collisional at low altitudes on portions of the moon’s dayside, densities rapidly tend toward the free-molecular limit with altitude, necessitating non-continuum (rarefied gas dynamic) modeling and analysis. While recent work has modestly constrained the relative contributions of sputtering, sublimation, and volcanism to Io’s atmosphere, dynamic wind patterns driven by dayside sublimation and nightside condensation remain poorly understood. This work moves toward the explanation of mid-infrared observations that indicate an apparent super-rotating wind in Io’s atmosphere. In the present work, the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method is employed in the modeling of Io’s rarefied atmosphere; simulations are computed in parallel, on a three-dimensional domain that spans the moon’s entire surface and extends hundreds of kilometers vertically, into the exobase. A wide range of physical phenomena have been incorporated into the atmospheric model, including: [1] the effects of planetary rotation; [2] surface temperature, surface frost inhomogeneity, and thermal inertia; [3] plasma heating and sputtering; [4] gas plumes from superimposed volcanic hot spots; and [5] multi-species chemistry. Furthermore, this work improves upon previous efforts by correcting for non-inertial effects in a moon-fixed reference frame. The influence of such effects on the development of global flow patterns and cyclonic wind is analyzed. The case in which Io transits Jupiter is considered, with the anti-Jovian hemisphere as the dayside. We predict that a circumlunar flow develops that is asymmetric about the subsolar point, and drives atmosphere from the warmer, dayside hemisphere toward the colder nightside. The resultant flow patterns, column densities, species concentrations, and temperatures are discussed in relation to previous simulations of Io in a pre-eclipse configuration. This research is supported via NASA-PATM.

A nonparametric statistical technique for combining global precipitation datasets: development and hydrological evaluation over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abul Ehsan Bhuiyan, Md; Nikolopoulos, Efthymios I.; Anagnostou, Emmanouil N.; Quintana-Seguí, Pere; Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs

2018-02-01

This study investigates the use of a nonparametric, tree-based model, quantile regression forests (QRF), for combining multiple global precipitation datasets and characterizing the uncertainty of the combined product. We used the Iberian Peninsula as the study area, with a study period spanning 11 years (2000-2010). Inputs to the QRF model included three satellite precipitation products, CMORPH, PERSIANN, and 3B42 (V7); an atmospheric reanalysis precipitation and air temperature dataset; satellite-derived near-surface daily soil moisture data; and a terrain elevation dataset. We calibrated the QRF model for two seasons and two terrain elevation categories and used it to generate ensemble for these conditions. Evaluation of the combined product was based on a high-resolution, ground-reference precipitation dataset (SAFRAN) available at 5 km 1 h-1 resolution. Furthermore, to evaluate relative improvements and the overall impact of the combined product in hydrological response, we used the generated ensemble to force a distributed hydrological model (the SURFEX land surface model and the RAPID river routing scheme) and compared its streamflow simulation results with the corresponding simulations from the individual global precipitation and reference datasets. We concluded that the proposed technique could generate realizations that successfully encapsulate the reference precipitation and provide significant improvement in streamflow simulations, with reduction in systematic and random error on the order of 20-99 and 44-88 %, respectively, when considering the ensemble mean.

A new global grid model for the determination of atmospheric weighted mean temperature in GPS precipitable water vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Liangke; Jiang, Weiping; Liu, Lilong; Chen, Hua; Ye, Shirong

2018-05-01

In ground-based global positioning system (GPS) meteorology, atmospheric weighted mean temperature, T_m , plays a very important role in the progress of retrieving precipitable water vapor (PWV) from the zenith wet delay of the GPS. Generally, most of the existing T_m models only take either latitude or altitude into account in modeling. However, a great number of studies have shown that T_m is highly correlated with both latitude and altitude. In this study, a new global grid empirical T_m model, named as GGTm, was established by a sliding window algorithm using global gridded T_m data over an 8-year period from 2007 to 2014 provided by TU Vienna, where both latitude and altitude variations are considered in modeling. And the performance of GGTm was assessed by comparing with the Bevis formula and the GPT2w model, where the high-precision global gridded T_m data as provided by TU Vienna and the radiosonde data from 2015 are used as reference values. The results show the significant performance of the new GGTm model against other models when compared with gridded T_m data and radiosonde data, especially in the areas with great undulating terrain. Additionally, GGTm has the global mean RMS_{PWV} and RMS_{PWV} /PWV values of 0.26 mm and 1.28%, respectively. The GGTm model, fed only by the day of the year and the station coordinates, could provide a reliable and accurate T_m value, which shows the possible potential application in real-time GPS meteorology, especially for the application of low-latitude areas and western China.

Reconstructing the atmospheric concentration and emissions of CF4, C2F6 and C3F8 prior to direct atmospheric measurements, using air from polar firn and ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trudinger, Cathy; Etheridge, David; Sturges, William; Vollmer, Martin; Miller, Benjamin; Worton, David; Rigby, Matt; Krummel, Paul; Martinerie, Patricia; Witrant, Emmanuel; Rayner, Peter; Battle, Mark; Blunier, Thomas; Fraser, Paul; Laube, Johannes; Mani, Frances; Mühle, Jens; O'Doherty, Simon; Schwander, Jakob; Steele, Paul

2015-04-01

Perfluorocarbons are very potent and long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, released predominantly during aluminium production, electronic chip manufacture and refrigeration. Mühle et al. (2010) presented records of the concentration and inferred emissions of CF4 (PFC-14), C2F6 (PFC-116) and C3F8 (PFC-218) from the 1970s up to 2008, using measurements from the Cape Grim Air Archive and a suite of tanks with old Northern Hemisphere air, and the AGAGE in situ network. Mühle et al. (2010) also estimated pre-industrial concentrations of these compounds from a small number of polar firn and ice core samples. Here we present measurements of air from polar firn at four sites (DSSW20K, EDML, NEEM and South Pole) and from air bubbles trapped in ice at two sites (DE08 and DE08-2), along with recent atmospheric measurements to give a continuous record of concentration from preindustrial levels up to the present. We estimate global emissions (with uncertainties) consistent with the concentration records. The uncertainty analysis takes into account uncertainties in characterisation of the age of air in firn and ice by the use of two different (independently-calibrated) firn models (the CSIRO and LGGE-GIPSA firn models). References Mühle, J., A.L. Ganesan, B.R. Miller, P.K. Salameh, C.M. Harth, B.R. Greally, M. Rigby, L.W. Porter, L. P. Steele, C.M. Trudinger, P.B. Krummel, S. O'Doherty, P.J. Fraser, P.G. Simmonds, R.G. Prinn, and R.F. Weiss, Perfluorocarbons in the global atmosphere: tetrafluoromethane, hexafluoroethane, and octafluoropropane, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 5145-5164, doi:10.5194/acp-10-5145-2010, 2010.

Global Scale Atmospheric Processes Research Program Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Worley, B. A. (Editor); Peslen, C. A. (Editor)

1984-01-01

Global modeling; satellite data assimilation and initialization; simulation of future observing systems; model and observed energetics; dynamics of planetary waves; First Global Atmospheric Research Program Global Experiment (FGGE) diagnosis studies; and National Research Council Research Associateship Program are discussed.

Tower-scale performance of four observation-based evapotranspiration algorithms within the WACMOS-ET project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, Dominik; Miralles, Diego; Jimenez, Carlos; Ershadi, Ali; McCabe, Matthew F.; Hirschi, Martin; Seneviratne, Sonia I.; Jung, Martin; Wood, Eric F.; (Bob) Su, Z.; Timmermans, Joris; Chen, Xuelong; Fisher, Joshua B.; Mu, Quiaozen; Fernandez, Diego

2015-04-01

Research on climate variations and the development of predictive capabilities largely rely on globally available reference data series of the different components of the energy and water cycles. Several efforts have recently aimed at producing large-scale and long-term reference data sets of these components, e.g. based on in situ observations and remote sensing, in order to allow for diagnostic analyses of the drivers of temporal variations in the climate system. Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential component of the energy and water cycle, which cannot be monitored directly on a global scale by remote sensing techniques. In recent years, several global multi-year ET data sets have been derived from remote sensing-based estimates, observation-driven land surface model simulations or atmospheric reanalyses. The LandFlux-EVAL initiative presented an ensemble-evaluation of these data sets over the time periods 1989-1995 and 1989-2005 (Mueller et al. 2013). The WACMOS-ET project (http://wacmoset.estellus.eu) started in the year 2012 and constitutes an ESA contribution to the GEWEX initiative LandFlux. It focuses on advancing the development of ET estimates at global, regional and tower scales. WACMOS-ET aims at developing a Reference Input Data Set exploiting European Earth Observations assets and deriving ET estimates produced by a set of four ET algorithms covering the period 2005-2007. The algorithms used are the SEBS (Su et al., 2002), Penman-Monteith from MODIS (Mu et al., 2011), the Priestley and Taylor JPL model (Fisher et al., 2008) and GLEAM (Miralles et al., 2011). The algorithms are run with Fluxnet tower observations, reanalysis data (ERA-Interim), and satellite forcings. They are cross-compared and validated against in-situ data. In this presentation the performance of the different ET algorithms with respect to different temporal resolutions, hydrological regimes, land cover types (including grassland, cropland, shrubland, vegetation mosaic, savanna, woody savanna, needleleaf forest, deciduous forest and mixed forest) are evaluated at the tower-scale in 24 pre-selected study regions on three continents (Europe, North America, and Australia). References: Fisher, J. B., Tu, K.P., and Baldocchi, D.D. Global estimates of the land-atmosphere water flux based on monthly AVHRR and ISLSCP-II data, validated at 16 FLUXNET sites, Remote Sens. Environ. 112, 901-919, 2008. Jiménez, C. et al. Global intercomparison of 12 land surface heat flux estimates. J. Geophys. Res. 116, D02102, 2011. 
 Miralles, D.G. et al. Global land-surface evaporation estimated from satellite-based observations. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 15, 453-469, 2011. 
 Mu, Q., Zhao, M. & Running, S.W. Improvements to a MODIS global terrestrial evapotranspiration algorithm. Remote Sens. Environ. 115, 1781-1800, 2011. 
 Mueller, B., Hirschi, M., Jimenez, C., Ciais, P., Dirmeyer, P. A., Dolman, A. J., Fisher, J. B., Jung, M., Ludwig, F., Maignan, F., Miralles, D. G., McCabe, M. F., Reichstein, M., Sheffield, J., Wang, K., Wood, E. F., Zhang, Y., and Seneviratne, S. I. (2013). Benchmark products for land evapotranspiration: LandFlux-EVAL multi-data set synthesis. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 17, 3707-3720. Mueller, B. et al. Benchmark products for land evapotranspiration: LandFlux-EVAL multi-dataset synthesis. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 17, 3707-3720, 2013. Su, Z. The Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) for estimation of turbulent heat fluxes. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 6, 85-99, 2002.

Uncertainty Propagation of Non-Parametric-Derived Precipitation Estimates into Multi-Hydrologic Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhuiyan, M. A. E.; Nikolopoulos, E. I.; Anagnostou, E. N.

2017-12-01

Quantifying the uncertainty of global precipitation datasets is beneficial when using these precipitation products in hydrological applications, because precipitation uncertainty propagation through hydrologic modeling can significantly affect the accuracy of the simulated hydrologic variables. In this research the Iberian Peninsula has been used as the study area with a study period spanning eleven years (2000-2010). This study evaluates the performance of multiple hydrologic models forced with combined global rainfall estimates derived based on a Quantile Regression Forests (QRF) technique. In QRF technique three satellite precipitation products (CMORPH, PERSIANN, and 3B42 (V7)); an atmospheric reanalysis precipitation and air temperature dataset; satellite-derived near-surface daily soil moisture data; and a terrain elevation dataset are being utilized in this study. A high-resolution, ground-based observations driven precipitation dataset (named SAFRAN) available at 5 km/1 h resolution is used as reference. Through the QRF blending framework the stochastic error model produces error-adjusted ensemble precipitation realizations, which are used to force four global hydrological models (JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator), WaterGAP3 (Water-Global Assessment and Prognosis), ORCHIDEE (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems) and SURFEX (Stands for Surface Externalisée) ) to simulate three hydrologic variables (surface runoff, subsurface runoff and evapotranspiration). The models are forced with the reference precipitation to generate reference-based hydrologic simulations. This study presents a comparative analysis of multiple hydrologic model simulations for different hydrologic variables and the impact of the blending algorithm on the simulated hydrologic variables. Results show how precipitation uncertainty propagates through the different hydrologic model structures to manifest in reduction of error in hydrologic variables.

Nonhydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model (NICAM) for global cloud resolving simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satoh, M.; Matsuno, T.; Tomita, H.; Miura, H.; Nasuno, T.; Iga, S.

2008-03-01

A new type of ultra-high resolution atmospheric global circulation model is developed. The new model is designed to perform "cloud resolving simulations" by directly calculating deep convection and meso-scale circulations, which play key roles not only in the tropical circulations but in the global circulations of the atmosphere. Since cores of deep convection have a few km in horizontal size, they have not directly been resolved by existing atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). In order to drastically enhance horizontal resolution, a new framework of a global atmospheric model is required; we adopted nonhydrostatic governing equations and icosahedral grids to the new model, and call it Nonhydrostatic ICosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM). In this article, we review governing equations and numerical techniques employed, and present the results from the unique 3.5-km mesh global experiments—with O(10 9) computational nodes—using realistic topography and land/ocean surface thermal forcing. The results show realistic behaviors of multi-scale convective systems in the tropics, which have not been captured by AGCMs. We also argue future perspective of the roles of the new model in the next generation atmospheric sciences.

Global and regional kinematics with GPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Robert W.

1994-01-01

The inherent precision of the doubly differenced phase measurement and the low cost of instrumentation made GPS the space geodetic technique of choice for regional surveys as soon as the constellation reached acceptable geometry in the area of interest: 1985 in western North America, the early 1990's in most of the world. Instrument and site-related errors for horizontal positioning are usually less than 3 mm, so that the dominant source of error is uncertainty in the reference frame defined by the satellites orbits and the tracking stations used to determine them. Prior to about 1992, when the tracking network for most experiments was globally sparse, the number of fiducial sites or the level at which they could be tied to an SLR or VLBI reference frame usually, set the accuracy limit. Recently, with a global network of over 30 stations, the limit is set more often by deficiencies in models for non-gravitational forces acting on the satellites. For regional networks in the northern hemisphere, reference frame errors are currently about 3 parts per billion (ppb) in horizontal position, allowing centimeter-level accuracies over intercontinental distances and less than 1 mm for a 100 km baseline. The accuracy of GPS measurements for monitoring height variations is generally 2-3 times worse than for horizontal motions. As for VLBI, the primary source of error is unmodeled fluctuations in atmospheric water vapor, but both reference frame uncertainties and some instrument errors are more serious for vertical than horizontal measurements. Under good conditions, daily repeatabilities at the level of 10 mm rms were achieved. This paper will summarize the current accuracy of GPS measurements and their implication for the use of SLR to study regional kinematics.

The potential impact of hydrogen energy use on the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Ruijven, B. J.; Lamarque, J. F.; van Vuuren, D. P.; Kram, T.; Eerens, H.

2009-04-01

Energy models show very different trajectories for future energy systems (partly as function of future climate policy). One possible option is a transition towards a hydrogen-based energy system. The potential impact of such hydrogen economy on atmospheric emissions is highly uncertain. On the one hand, application of hydrogen in clean fuel cells reduces emissions of local air pollutants, like SOx and NOx. On the other hand, emissions of hydrogen from system leakages are expected to change the atmospheric concentrations and behaviour (see also Price et al., 2007; Sanderson et al., 2003; Schultz et al., 2003; Tromp et al., 2003). The uncertainty arises from several sources: the expected use of hydrogen, the intensity of leakages and emissions, and the atmospheric chemical behaviour of hydrogen. Existing studies to the potential impacts of a hydrogen economy on the atmosphere mostly use hydrogen emission scenarios that are based on simple assumptions. This research combines two different modelling efforts to explore the range of impacts of hydrogen on atmospheric chemistry. First, the potential role of hydrogen in the global energy system and the related emissions of hydrogen and other air pollutants are derived from the global energy system simulation model TIMER (van Vuuren, 2007). A set of dedicated scenarios on hydrogen technology development explores the most pessimistic and optimistic cases for hydrogen deployment (van Ruijven et al., 2008; van Ruijven et al., 2007). These scenarios are combined with different assumptions on hydrogen emission factors. Second, the emissions from the TIMER model are linked to the NCAR atmospheric model (Lamarque et al., 2005; Lamarque et al., 2008), in order to determine the impacts on atmospheric chemistry. By combining an energy system model and an atmospheric model, we are able to consistently explore the boundaries of both hydrogen use, emissions and impacts on atmospheric chemistry. References: Lamarque, J.-F., Kiehl, J. T., Hess, P. G., Collins, W. D., Emmons, L. K., Ginoux, P., Luo, C. and Tie, X. X. (2005). "Response of a coupled chemistry-climate model to changes in aerosol emissions: Global impact on the hydrological cycle and the tropospheric burdens of OH, ozone and NOx." Geophysical Research Letters 32(16). Lamarque, J.-F., Kinnison, D. E., Hess, P. G. and Vitt, F. (2008). "Simulated lower stratospheric trends between 1970 and 2005: identifying the role of climate and composition changes." Journal of Geophysical Research 113(D12301). Price, H., Jaegle, L., Rice, A., Quay, P., Novelli, P. C. and Gammon, R. (2007). "Global budget of molecular hydrogen and its deuterium content: constraints from ground station, cruise, and aircraft observations." Journal of Geophysical Research 112(D22108). Sanderson, M. G., Collins, W. J., Derwent, R. G. and Johnson, C. E. (2003). "Simulation of Global Hydrogen Levels Using a Lagrangian Three-Dimensional Model." Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry 46(1): 15-28. Schultz, M. G., Diehl, T., Brasseur, G. P. and Zittel, W. (2003). "Air Pollution and Climate-Forcing Impacts of a Global Hydrogen Economy." Science 302(5645): 624-627. Tromp, T. K., Shia, R. L., Allen, M., Eiler, J. M. and Yung, Y. L. (2003). "Potential environmental impact of a hydrogen economy on the stratosphere." Science 300(5626): 1740-1742. van Ruijven, B., Hari, L., van Vuuren, D. P. and de Vries, B. (2008). "The potential role of hydrogen in India and Western Europe." Energy Policy 36(5): 1649-1665. van Ruijven, B., van Vuuren, D. P. and de Vries, B. (2007). "The potential role of hydrogen in energy systems with and without climate policy." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 32(12): 1655-1672. van Vuuren, D. P. (2007). Energy systems and climate policy. Dept. of Science, Technology and Society, Faculty of Science. Utrecht, Utrecht University: 326.

Integrated Assessment and the Relation Between Land-Use Change and Climate Change

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Dale, V. H.

1994-10-07

Integrated assessment is an approach that is useful in evaluating the consequences of global climate change. Understanding the consequences requires knowledge of the relationship between land-use change and climate change. Methodologies for assessing the contribution of land-use change to atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentrations are considered with reference to a particular case study area: south and southeast Asia. The use of models to evaluate the consequences of climate change on forests must also consider an assessment approach. Each of these points is discussed in the following four sections.

Global structure and composition of the martian atmosphere with SPICAM on Mars express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Korablev, O.; Fonteyn, D.; Guibert, S.; Chassefière, E.; Lefèvre, F.; Dimarellis, E.; Dubois, J. P.; Hauchecorne, A.; Cabane, M.; Rannou, P.; Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.; Cernogora, G.; Quémerais, E.; Hermans, C.; Kockarts, G.; Lippens, C.; de Maziere, M.; Moreau, D.; Muller, C.; Neefs, E.; Simon, P. C.; Forget, F.; Hourdin, F.; Talagrand, O.; Moroz, V. I.; Rodin, A.; Sandel, B.; Stern, A.

SPectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM) Light, a light-weight (4.7 kg) UV-IR instrument to be flown on Mars Express orbiter, is dedicated to the study of the atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars. A UV spectrometer (118-320 nm, resolution 0.8 nm) is dedicated to nadir viewing, limb viewing and vertical profiling by stellar and solar occultation (3.8 kg). It addresses key issues about ozone, its coupling with H2O, aerosols, atmospheric vertical temperature structure and ionospheric studies. UV observations of the upper atmosphere will allow studies of the ionosphere through the emissions of CO, CO+, and CO2+, and its direct interaction with the solar wind. An IR spectrometer (1.0-1.7 μm, resolution 0.5-1.2 nm) is dedicated primarily to nadir measurements of H2O abundances simultaneously with ozone measured in the UV, and to vertical profiling during solar occultation of H2O, CO2, and aerosols. The SPICAM Light near-IR sensor employs a pioneering technology acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF), leading to a compact and light design. Overall, SPICAM Light is an ideal candidate for future orbiter studies of Mars, after Mars Express, in order to study the interannual variability of martian atmospheric processes. The potential contribution to a Mars International Reference Atmosphere is clear.

Nature of the Venus thermosphere derived from satellite drag measurements (solicited paper)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keating, G.; Theriot, M.; Bougher, S.

2008-09-01

From drag measurements obtained by Pioneer Venus and Magellan, the Venus upper atmosphere was discovered to be much colder than Earth's, even though Venus is much closer to the Sun than the Earth. On the dayside, exospheric temperatures are near 300K compared to Earth's of near 1200K [1]. This is thought to result principally from 15 micron excitation of carbon dioxide by atomic oxygen resulting in very strong 15 micron emission to space, cooling off the upper atmosphere [2]. On the nightside the Venus upper atmosphere is near 100K [3], compared to Earth where temperatures are near 900K. The nightside Venus temperatures drop with altitude contrary to a thermosphere where temperatures rise with altitude. As a result, the very cold nightside is called a "cryosphere" rather than a thermosphere. This is the first cryosphere discovered in the solar system [1]. Temperatures sharply drop near the terminator. Apparently, heat is somehow blocked near the terminator from being significantly transported to the nightside [4]. Recently, drag studies were performed on a number of Earth satellites to establish whether the rise of carbon dioxide on Earth was cooling the Earth's thermosphere similar to the dayside of Venus. Keating et al. [5] discovered that a 10 percent drop in density near 350km at solar minimum occurred globally over a period of 20 years with a 10 per cent rise in carbon dioxide. This should result in about a factor of 2 decline in density from 1976 values, by the end of the 21st century brought on by thermospheric cooling. Subsequent studies have confirmed these results. Thus we are beginning to see the cooling of Earth's upper atmosphere apparently from the same process cooling the Venus thermosphere. Fig. 1 VIRA Exospheric Temperatures Atmospheric drag data from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Magellan were combined to generate an improved version of the Venus International Reference Atmosphere (VIRA) [6], [7]. A "fountain effect" was discovered where the atmosphere rises on the dayside producing adiabatic cooling and drops on the nightside producing some adiabatic heating. (See figure 1). The thermosphere was discovered from drag measurements to respond to the near 27-day period of the rotating Sun, for which regions of maximum solar activity reappear every 27 days. The increased euv emission from active regions increased temperatures and thermospheric density, (See Figure 2). Fig. 2 Exospheric Temperatures Compared to 10.7cm Solar Index Second diurnal survey (12/5/79 - 3/6/80) Pioneer Venus Orbiter measurements (OAD) 11 day running means [2] Estimates were also made of the response to the 11- year Solar Cycle by combining the Pioneer Venus and Magellan data. Dayside exospheric temperatures changed about 80K over the solar cycle, [8]. Earlier estimates of temperature change gave 70K based on Lyman alpha measurements. The responses to solar variability were much weaker than on Earth due apparently to the much stronger O/CO2 cooling on Venus which tended to act as a thermostat on thermospheric temperatures. Another discovery from drag measurements was the 4 to 5 day oscillation of the Venus thermosphere [3], (See figure 3). These oscillations are interpreted as resulting from the 4-day super-rotation of the atmosphere near the cloud tops. Other indications of the super-rotation of the thermosphere come from displacement of the helium bulge and atomic hydrogen bulge from midnight to near 4AM. Fig. 3 Four to Five Day Oscillations in Thermospheric Densities Magellan 1992. During 2008, the Venus Express periapsis will be dropped from 250km down to approximately 180km to allow drag measurements to be made in the North Polar Region, [9]. Drag measurements above 200km have already been obtained from both Pioneer Venus and Magellan so measurements near 180km should be accurate. In 2009, the periapsis may be decreased to a lower altitude allowing accelerometer measurements to be obtained of drag as a function of altitude, to determine density, scale height, inferred temperature, pressure, and other parameters as a function of altitude. The risk involved in the orbital decay and accelerometer measurements is minimal. We have not lost any spacecraft orbiting Venus or Mars due to unexpected thermospheric drag effects in over 30 years. The Venus Express accelerometer drag experiment is very similar to accelerometer experiments aboard Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which orbit Mars. The Venus Express drag measurements of the polar region will allow a global empirical model of the thermosphere to emerge. Previous drag measurements have been made principally near the equator. The experiment may help us understand on a global scale, tides, winds, gravity waves, planetary waves, and the damping of waves. Comparisons will be made between low and high latitude results; between the middle and upper atmosphere; and with other instruments that provide information from current and previous measurements. The character of the sharp temperature gradient near the day/night terminator needs to be studied at all latitudes. The cryosphere we discovered on the nightside needs to be studied at high latitudes. The rotating vortex dipole over the North Pole surrounded by a colder "collar" needs to be analyzed to identify how wave activity extends into the polar thermosphere. We have already discovered super-rotation in the equatorial thermosphere, but we need to study 4-day super-rotation at higher latitudes to obtain a global picture of the thermosphere. The super-rotation may affect escape rates and the evolution of the atmosphere. References: [1] Keating, G. M., et al: Venus Thermosphere and Exosphere: First Satellite Drag Measurements of an Extraterrestrial Atmosphere. Science, Vol. 203, No. 4382, 772-774, Feb. 23, 1979. [2] Keating, G. M. and Bougher, S.W.: Isolation of Major Venus Cooling Mechanism and Implications for Earth and Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, 4189-4197, 1992. [3] Keating, G.M.; Taylor, F.W.; Nicholson, J. V. II; and Hinson, E.W. : Short-Term Cyclic Variations and Diurnal Variations of the Venus Upper Atmosphere, Science, Vol. 205, No. 4401, 62-64, July 6, 1979. [4] Bougher, S. W.; Dickinson, R. E.; Ridley, E. C.; Roble, R. G.; Nagy, A. F.; and Cravens, T. E.: Venus mesosphere and thermosphere, II, Global circulation, temperature, and density variations, Icarus, Vol. 68, 284-312, 1986. [5] Keating, G. M. et al.: Evidence of Long-Term Global Decline in the Earth's Thermospheric Densities Apparently Related to Anthropogenic Effects, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 27, No. 10, 1522-1526, 2000. [6] Keating, G. M. et al.: Models of Venus Neutral Upper Atmosphere Structure and Composition: The Venus International Reference Atmosphere (Edited by A. L. Kliore, V. I. Moros, and G. M. Keating) Advances in Space Research, Vol. 5, No. 11, 117-171,1985. [7] Keating, G. M.; Hsu, N.C., and Lyu, J.: Improved Thermospheric Model for the Venus International Reference Atmosphere, Proceedings of the 31st Scientific Assembly of COSPAR, Birmingham, England, 139, 1996 (Invited) [8] Keating, G. M. and Hsu, N. C.: The Venus Atmospheric Response to Solar Cycle Variations, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 20, 2751-2754, 1993. [9] Keating, G.M. et al: Future drag measurements from Venus Express. Adv

A quasi-static model of global atmospheric electricity. II - Electrical coupling between the upper and lower atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roble, R. G.; Hays, P. B.

1979-01-01

The paper presents a model of global atmospheric electricity used to examine the effect of upper atmospheric generators on the global electrical circuit. The model represents thunderstorms as dipole current generators randomly distributed in areas of known thunderstorm frequency; the electrical conductivity in the model increases with altitude, and electrical effects are coupled with a passive magnetosphere along geomagnetic field lines. The large horizontal-scale potential differences at ionospheric heights map downward into the lower atmosphere where the perturbations in the ground electric field are superimposed on the diurnal variation. Finally, changes in the upper atmospheric conductivity due to solar flares, polar cap absorptions, and Forbush decreases are shown to alter the downward mapping of the high-latitude potential pattern and the global distribution of fields and currents.

Future Drag Measurements from Venus Express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keating, Gerald; Mueller-Wodarg, Ingo; Forbes, Jeffrey M.; Yelle, Roger; Bruinsma, Sean; Withers, Paul; Lopez-Valverde, Miguel Angel; Theriot, Res. Assoc. Michael; Bougher, Stephen

Beginning in July 2008 during the Venus Express Extended Mission, the European Space Agency will dramatically drop orbital periapsis from near 250km to near 180km above the Venus North Polar Region. This will allow orbital decay measurements of atmospheric densities to be made near the Venus North Pole by the VExADE (Venus Express Atmospheric Drag Experiment) whose team leader is Ingo Mueller-Wodarg. VExADE consists of two parts VExADE-ODA (Orbital Drag Analysis from radio tracking data) and VExADE-ACC (Accelerometer in situ atmospheric density measurements). Previous orbital decay measurements of the Venus thermosphere were obtained by Pioneer Venus from the 1970's into the 1990's and from Magellan in the 1990's. The major difference is that the Venus Express will provide measurements in the North Polar Region on the day and night sides, while the earlier measurements were obtained primarily near the equator. The periapsis will drift upwards in altitude similar to the earlier spacecraft and then be commanded down to its lower original values. This cycle in altitude will allow estimates of vertical structure and thus thermospheric temperatures in addition to atmospheric densities. The periapsis may eventually be lowered even further so that accelerometers can more accurately obtain density measurements of the polar atmosphere as a function of altitude, latitude, longitude, local solar time, pressure, Ls, solar activity, and solar wind on each pass. Bias in accelerometer measurements will be determined and corrected for by accelerometer measurements obtained above the discernable atmosphere on each pass. The second experiment, VExADE-ACC, is similar to the accelerometer experiments aboard Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that carried similar accelerometers in orbit around Mars. The risk involved in the orbital decay and accelerometer measurements is minimal. We have not lost any spacecraft orbiting Venus or Mars due to unexpected thermospheric drag effects over the last 30 years. The Venus Express drag experiments will allow a global empirical model of the thermosphere to emerge. This new model will be a substantial improvement over the Venus International Reference Atmosphere, which was based principally on near equatorial measurements. General Circulation Models (GCM's) and other models will be generated that are in fair accord with the empirical models. The experiment may help us understand, on a global scale, tides, winds, gravity waves, planetary waves and the damping of waves. Comparisons will be made between low and high latitude results; between the middle and upper atmosphere; and with other instruments that provide information from current and previous measurements. The character of the sharp temperature gradient near the day/night terminator needs to be studied at all latitudes. The cryosphere we discovered on the nightside needs to be studied at high latitudes. The vortex dipole over the North Pole surrounded by a colder "collar" needs to be analyzed to identify how wave activity extends into the polar thermosphere. We have already discovered super-rotation in the equatorial thermosphere, but we need to study 4-day super-rotation at higher latitudes to obtain a global picture of the thermosphere. The observed global cooling from radiative effects of 15 micron excitation of CO2 by atomic oxygen should improve our understanding of global thermospheric cooling on Earth and Mars as well.

Research Review, 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The Global Modeling and Simulation Branch (GMSB) of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences (GLAS) is engaged in general circulation modeling studies related to global atmospheric and oceanographic research. The research activities discussed are organized into two disciplines: Global Weather/Observing Systems and Climate/Ocean-Air Interactions. The Global Weather activities are grouped in four areas: (1) Analysis and Forecast Studies, (2) Satellite Observing Systems, (3) Analysis and Model Development, (4) Atmospheric Dynamics and Diagnostic Studies. The GLAS Analysis/Forecast/Retrieval System was applied to both FGGE and post FGGE periods. The resulting analyses have already been used in a large number of theoretical studies of atmospheric dynamics, forecast impact studies and development of new or improved algorithms for the utilization of satellite data. Ocean studies have focused on the analysis of long-term global sea surface temperature data, for use in the study of the response of the atmosphere to sea surface temperature anomalies. Climate research has concentrated on the simulation of global cloudiness, and on the sensitivities of the climate to sea surface temperature and ground wetness anomalies.

NASA/MSFC FY88 Global Scale Atmospheric Processes Research Program Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Greg S. (Editor); Leslie, Fred W. (Editor); Arnold, J. E. (Editor)

1989-01-01

Interest in environmental issues and the magnitude of the environmental changes continues. One way to gain more understanding of the atmosphere is to make measurements on a global scale from space. The Earth Observation System is a series of new sensors to measure globally atmospheric parameters. Analysis of satellite data by developing algorithms to interpret the radiance information improves the understanding and also defines requirements for these sensors. One measure of knowledge of the atmosphere lies in the ability to predict its behavior. Use of numerical and experimental models provides a better understanding of these processes. These efforts are described in the context of satellite data analysis and fundamental studies of atmospheric dynamics which examine selected processes important to the global circulation.

Geophysical excitation of LOD/UT1 estimated from the output of the global circulation models of the atmosphere - ERA-40 reanalysis and of the ocean - OMCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korbacz, A.; Brzeziński, A.; Thomas, M.

2008-04-01

We use new estimates of the global atmospheric and oceanic angular momenta (AAM, OAM) to study the influence on LOD/UT1. The AAM series was calculated from the output fields of the atmospheric general circulation model ERA-40 reanalysis. The OAM series is an outcome of global ocean model OMCT simulation driven by global fields of the atmospheric parameters from the ERA- 40 reanalysis. The excitation data cover the period between 1963 and 2001. Our calculations concern atmospheric and oceanic effects in LOD/UT1 over the periods between 20 days and decades. Results are compared to those derived from the alternative AAM/OAM data sets.

Atlas of the global distribution of atmospheric heating during the global weather experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaack, Todd K.; Johnson, Donald R.

1991-01-01

Global distributions of atmospheric heating for the annual cycle of the Global Weather Experiment are estimated from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Level 3b data set. Distributions of monthly, seasonally, and annually averaged heating are presented for isentropic and isobaric layers within the troposphere and for the troposphere as a whole. The distributions depict a large-scale structure of atmospheric heating that appears spatially and temporally consistent with known features of the global circulation and the seasonal evolution.

Evaluation of various LandFlux evapotranspiration algorithms using the LandFlux-EVAL synthesis benchmark products and observational data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, Dominik; Hirschi, Martin; Jimenez, Carlos; McCabe, Mathew; Miralles, Diego; Wood, Eric; Seneviratne, Sonia

2014-05-01

Research on climate variations and the development of predictive capabilities largely rely on globally available reference data series of the different components of the energy and water cycles. Several efforts aimed at producing large-scale and long-term reference data sets of these components, e.g. based on in situ observations and remote sensing, in order to allow for diagnostic analyses of the drivers of temporal variations in the climate system. Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential component of the energy and water cycle, which can not be monitored directly on a global scale by remote sensing techniques. In recent years, several global multi-year ET data sets have been derived from remote sensing-based estimates, observation-driven land surface model simulations or atmospheric reanalyses. The LandFlux-EVAL initiative presented an ensemble-evaluation of these data sets over the time periods 1989-1995 and 1989-2005 (Mueller et al. 2013). Currently, a multi-decadal global reference heat flux data set for ET at the land surface is being developed within the LandFlux initiative of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX). This LandFlux v0 ET data set comprises four ET algorithms forced with a common radiation and surface meteorology. In order to estimate the agreement of this LandFlux v0 ET data with existing data sets, it is compared to the recently available LandFlux-EVAL synthesis benchmark product. Additional evaluation of the LandFlux v0 ET data set is based on a comparison to in situ observations of a weighing lysimeter from the hydrological research site Rietholzbach in Switzerland. These analyses serve as a test bed for similar evaluation procedures that are envisaged for ESA's WACMOS-ET initiative (http://wacmoset.estellus.eu). Reference: Mueller, B., Hirschi, M., Jimenez, C., Ciais, P., Dirmeyer, P. A., Dolman, A. J., Fisher, J. B., Jung, M., Ludwig, F., Maignan, F., Miralles, D. G., McCabe, M. F., Reichstein, M., Sheffield, J., Wang, K., Wood, E. F., Zhang, Y., and Seneviratne, S. I. (2013). Benchmark products for land evapotranspiration: LandFlux-EVAL multi-data set synthesis. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 17(10): 3707-3720.

Earth's changing global atmospheric energy cycle in response to climate change

PubMed Central

Pan, Yefeng; Li, Liming; Jiang, Xun; Li, Gan; Zhang, Wentao; Wang, Xinyue; Ingersoll, Andrew P.

2017-01-01

The Lorenz energy cycle is widely used to investigate atmospheres and climates on planets. However, the long-term temporal variations of such an energy cycle have not yet been explored. Here we use three independent meteorological data sets from the modern satellite era, to examine the temporal characteristics of the Lorenz energy cycle of Earth's global atmosphere in response to climate change. The total mechanical energy of the global atmosphere basically remains constant with time, but the global-average eddy energies show significant positive trends. The spatial investigations suggest that these positive trends are concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere. Significant positive trends are also found in the conversion, generation and dissipation rates of energies. The positive trends in the dissipation rates of kinetic energies suggest that the efficiency of the global atmosphere as a heat engine increased during the modern satellite era. PMID:28117324

A 1985-2015 data-driven global reconstruction of GRACE total water storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphrey, Vincent; Gudmundsson, Lukas; Isabelle Seneviratne, Sonia

2016-04-01

After thirteen years of measurements, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission has enabled for an unprecedented view on total water storage (TWS) variability. However, the relatively short record length, irregular time steps and multiple data gaps since 2011 still represent important limitations to a wider use of this dataset within the hydrological and climatological community especially for applications such as model evaluation or assimilation of GRACE in land surface models. To address this issue, we make use of the available GRACE record (2002-2015) to infer local statistical relationships between detrended monthly TWS anomalies and the main controlling atmospheric drivers (e.g. daily precipitation and temperature) at 1 degree resolution (Humphrey et al., in revision). Long-term and homogeneous monthly time series of detrended anomalies in total water storage are then reconstructed for the period 1985-2015. The quality of this reconstruction is evaluated in two different ways. First we perform a cross-validation experiment to assess the performance and robustness of the statistical model. Second we compare with independent basin-scale estimates of TWS anomalies derived by means of combined atmospheric and terrestrial water-balance using atmospheric water vapor flux convergence and change in atmospheric water vapor content (Mueller et al. 2011). The reconstructed time series are shown to provide robust data-driven estimates of global variations in water storage over large regions of the world. Example applications are provided for illustration, including an analysis of some selected major drought events which occurred before the GRACE era. References Humphrey V, Gudmundsson L, Seneviratne SI (in revision) Assessing global water storage variability from GRACE: trends, seasonal cycle, sub-seasonal anomalies and extremes. Surv Geophys Mueller B, Hirschi M, Seneviratne SI (2011) New diagnostic estimates of variations in terrestrial water storage based on ERA-Interim data. Hydrol Process 25:996-1008

Designing a Methodology for Future Air Travel Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wuebbles, Donald J.; Baughcum, Steven L.; Gerstle, John H.; Edmonds, Jae; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Krull, Nick; Metwally, Munir; Mortlock, Alan; Prather, Michael J.

1992-01-01

The growing demand on air travel throughout the world has prompted several proposals for the development of commercial aircraft capable of transporting a large number of passengers at supersonic speeds. Emissions from a projected fleet of such aircraft, referred to as high-speed civil transports (HSCT's), are being studied because of their possible effects on the chemistry and physics of the global atmosphere, in particular, on stratospheric ozone. At the same time, there is growing concern about the effects on ozone from the emissions of current (primarily subsonic) aircraft emissions. Evaluating the potential atmospheric impact of aircraft emissions from HSCT's requires a scientifically sound understanding of where the aircraft fly and under what conditions the aircraft effluents are injected into the atmosphere. A preliminary set of emissions scenarios are presented. These scenarios will be used to understand the sensitivity of environment effects to a range of fleet operations, flight conditions, and aircraft specifications. The baseline specifications for the scenarios are provided: the criteria to be used for developing the scenarios are defined, the required data base for initiating the development of the scenarios is established, and the state of the art for those scenarios that have already been developed is discussed. An important aspect of the assessment will be the evaluation of realistic projections of emissions as a function of both geographical distribution and altitude from an economically viable commercial HSCT fleet. With an assumed introduction date of around the year 2005, it is anticipated that there will be no HSCT aircraft in the global fleet at that time. However, projections show that, by 2015, the HSCT fleet could reach significant size. We assume these projections of HSCT and subsonic fleets for about 2015 can the be used as input to global atmospheric chemistry models to evaluate the impact of the HSCT fleets, relative to an all-subsonic future fleet. The methodology, procedures, and recommendations for the development of future HSCT and the subsonic fleet scenarios used for this evaluation are discussed.

Accomplishments of the MUSICA project to provide accurate, long-term, global and high-resolution observations of tropospheric {H2O,δD} pairs - a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Matthias; Wiegele, Andreas; Barthlott, Sabine; González, Yenny; Christner, Emanuel; Dyroff, Christoph; García, Omaira E.; Hase, Frank; Blumenstock, Thomas; Sepúlveda, Eliezer; Mengistu Tsidu, Gizaw; Takele Kenea, Samuel; Rodríguez, Sergio; Andrey, Javier

2016-07-01

In the lower/middle troposphere, {H2O,δD} pairs are good proxies for moisture pathways; however, their observation, in particular when using remote sensing techniques, is challenging. The project MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water) addresses this challenge by integrating the remote sensing with in situ measurement techniques. The aim is to retrieve calibrated tropospheric {H2O,δD} pairs from the middle infrared spectra measured from ground by FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometers of the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) and the thermal nadir spectra measured by IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) aboard the MetOp satellites. In this paper, we present the final MUSICA products, and discuss the characteristics and potential of the NDACC/FTIR and MetOp/IASI {H2O,δD} data pairs. First, we briefly resume the particularities of an {H2O,δD} pair retrieval. Second, we show that the remote sensing data of the final product version are absolutely calibrated with respect to H2O and δD in situ profile references measured in the subtropics, between 0 and 7 km. Third, we reveal that the {H2O,δD} pair distributions obtained from the different remote sensors are consistent and allow distinct lower/middle tropospheric moisture pathways to be identified in agreement with multi-year in situ references. Fourth, we document the possibilities of the NDACC/FTIR instruments for climatological studies (due to long-term monitoring) and of the MetOp/IASI sensors for observing diurnal signals on a quasi-global scale and with high horizontal resolution. Fifth, we discuss the risk of misinterpreting {H2O,δD} pair distributions due to incomplete processing of the remote sensing products.

Mars-GRAM 2010: Improving the Precision of Mars-GRAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, H. L.; Justus, C. G.; Ramey, H. S.

2011-01-01

It has been discovered during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) site selection process that the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) when used for sensitivity studies for Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) MapYear=0 and large optical depth values, such as tau=3, is less than realistic. Mars-GRAM's perturbation modeling capability is commonly used, in a Monte-Carlo mode, to perform high fidelity engineering end-to-end simulations for entry, descent, and landing (EDL). Mars-GRAM 2005 has been validated against Radio Science data, and both nadir and limb data from TES. Traditional Mars-GRAM options for representing the mean atmosphere along entry corridors include: (1) TES mapping year 0, with user-controlled dust optical depth and Mars-GRAM data interpolated from NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) results driven by selected values of globally-uniform dust optical depth, or (2) TES mapping years 1 and 2, with Mars-GRAM data coming from MGCM results driven by observed TES dust optical depth. From the surface to 80 km altitude, Mars-GRAM is based on NASA Ames MGCM. Above 80 km, Mars-GRAM is based on the University of Michigan Mars Thermospheric General Circulation Model (MTGCM). MGCM results that were used for Mars-GRAM with MapYear=0 were from a MGCM run with a fixed value of tau=3 for the entire year at all locations. This choice of data has led to discrepancies that have become apparent during recent sensitivity studies for MapYear=0 and large optical depths. Unrealistic energy absorption by time-invariant atmospheric dust leads to an unrealistic thermal energy balance on the polar caps. The outcome is an inaccurate cycle of condensation/sublimation of the polar caps and, as a consequence, an inaccurate cycle of total atmospheric mass and global-average surface pressure. Under an assumption of unchanged temperature profile and hydrostatic equilibrium, a given percentage change in surface pressure would produce a corresponding percentage change in density at all altitudes. Consequently, the final result of a change in surface pressure is an imprecise atmospheric density at all altitudes.

The GFZ real-time GNSS precise positioning service system and its adaption for COMPASS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xingxing; Ge, Maorong; Zhang, Hongping; Nischan, Thomas; Wickert, Jens

2013-03-01

Motivated by the IGS real-time Pilot Project, GFZ has been developing its own real-time precise positioning service for various applications. An operational system at GFZ is now broadcasting real-time orbits, clocks, global ionospheric model, uncalibrated phase delays and regional atmospheric corrections for standard PPP, PPP with ambiguity fixing, single-frequency PPP and regional augmented PPP. To avoid developing various algorithms for different applications, we proposed a uniform algorithm and implemented it into our real-time software. In the new processing scheme, we employed un-differenced raw observations with atmospheric delays as parameters, which are properly constrained by real-time derived global ionospheric model or regional atmospheric corrections and by the empirical characteristics of the atmospheric delay variation in time and space. The positioning performance in terms of convergence time and ambiguity fixing depends mainly on the quality of the received atmospheric information and the spatial and temporal constraints. The un-differenced raw observation model can not only integrate PPP and NRTK into a seamless positioning service, but also syncretize these two techniques into a unique model and algorithm. Furthermore, it is suitable for both dual-frequency and sing-frequency receivers. Based on the real-time data streams from IGS, EUREF and SAPOS reference networks, we can provide services of global precise point positioning (PPP) with 5-10 cm accuracy, PPP with ambiguity-fixing of 2-5 cm accuracy, PPP using single-frequency receiver with accuracy of better than 50 cm and PPP with regional augmentation for instantaneous ambiguity resolution of 1-3 cm accuracy. We adapted the system for current COMPASS to provide PPP service. COMPASS observations from a regional network of nine stations are used for precise orbit determination and clock estimation in simulated real-time mode, the orbit and clock products are applied for real-time precise point positioning. The simulated real-time PPP service confirms that real-time positioning services of accuracy at dm-level and even cm-level is achievable with COMPASS only.

The role of atmospheric nuclear explosions on the stagnation of global warming in the mid 20th century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Yoshiaki

2011-04-01

This study suggests that the cause of the stagnation in global warming in the mid 20th century was the atmospheric nuclear explosions detonated between 1945 and 1980. The estimated GST drop due to fine dust from the actual atmospheric nuclear explosions based on the published simulation results by other researchers (a single column model and Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model) has served to explain the stagnation in global warming. Atmospheric nuclear explosions can be regarded as full-scale in situ tests for nuclear winter. The non-negligible amount of GST drop from the actual atmospheric explosions suggests that nuclear winter is not just a theory but has actually occurred, albeit on a small scale. The accuracy of the simulations of GST by IPCC would also be improved significantly by introducing the influence of fine dust from the actual atmospheric nuclear explosions into their climate models; thus, global warming behavior could be more accurately predicted.

Qualitative Comparison of IGRA and ESRL Radiosonde Archived Databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, John R.

2014-01-01

Multiple databases of atmospheric profile information are freely available to individuals and groups such as the Natural Environments group. Two of the primary database archives provided by NOAA that are most frequently used are those from the Earth Science Research Laboratory (ESRL) and the Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA). Inquiries have been made as to why one database is used as opposed to the other, yet to the best of knowledge, no formal comparison has been performed. The goal of this study is to provide a qualitative comparison of the ESRL and IGRA radiosonde databases. For part of this analyses, 14 upper air observation sites were selected. These sites all have the common attribute of having been used or are planned for use in the development of Range Reference Atmospheres (RRAs) in support of NASA's and DOD's current and future goals.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide and the global carbon cycle

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

Trabalka, J R

1985-12-01

This state-of-the-art volume presents discussions on the global cycle of carbon, the dynamic balance among global atmospheric CO2 sources and sinks. Separate abstracts have been prepared for the individual papers. (ACR)

Gaia's breath - Global methane exhalations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.; Rogers, B.W.

2005-01-01

Methane (CH4) is the most abundant organic compound in the Earth's atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas and thus has implications for global climate change. The current atmospheric CH4 budget, however, does not take into account geologically-sourced CH4 seepage. Geological sources of CH4 include natural macro- and micro-seeps, mud volcanoes, and other miscellaneous sources such as gas hydrates, magmatic volcanoes, geothermal regions, and mid-ocean ridges. Macro-seeps contribute ???25 Tg (teragrams) CH4/yr to the atmosphere, whereas, micro-seepage contributes perhaps 7 Tg CH4/yr. Mud volcanoes emit ???5 Tg CH4/yr, and miscellaneous sources emit ???8 Tg CH4/yr to the atmosphere. Thus, the total contribution to the atmosphere from geological sources is estimated to be 45 Tg CH4/yr, which is significant to the atmospheric organic carbon cycle and should be included in any global inventory of atmospheric CH4. We argue that the atmospheric CH4 global inventory of the Interplanetary Panel on Climate Change must be adjusted in order to incorporate geologically-sourced CH4 from naturally occurring seepage.

The Influence of COSMIC Satellite Data on Regional Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Y.

2006-12-01

The atmospheric limb sounding technique making use of radio signals transmitted by the Global Position System (GPS) has emerged as a promising approach for global atmospheric measurements. As demonstrated by the proof-of-concept GPS Meteorology (GPS/MET) experiment and more recently by the CHAMP and SAC-C missions, the GPS radio occultation (RO) sounding data are of high accuracy and high vertical resolution. On 15 April 2006, the joint U.S.-Taiwan COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 mission, a constellation of six microsatellites, was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base. These satellites are being deployed to their final orbits, which would take about a year. During the early phase of the deployment, the satellites are closely located. This offers a unique opportunity to examine the precision of the GPS RO measurements. The COSMIC data are available in near real-time for global weather analysis and prediction and for climate monitoring. Currently, COSMIC is producing approximately 1300 GPS RO soundings per day at the end of August 2006. This number will be increased as the satellites are further separated through the deployment process. Radio occultation measures phase and amplitude of the microwave signals emitted from GPS. These signals are inverted to obtain profiles of signal bending, atmospheric refractivity, pressure temperature and water vapor. The main objective of the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 mission is to demonstrate the value of these radio occultation products for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, ionospheric research and space weather prediction. This presentation will provide an overview of the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 program. We will present results on the influence of COSMIC data on the regional analysis over the data void regions, particularly over the tropics and high latitudes. For further information on the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3, please refer to http://www.cosmic.ucar.edu/.

Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling due to Atmospheric Tides (Julius Bartels Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, Jeffrey M.

2016-04-01

Within the last decade, a new realization has arrived on the scene of ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) science: terrestrial weather significantly influences space weather. The aspect of space weather referred to here consists of electron density variability that translates to uncertainties in navigation and communications systems, and neutral density variability that translates to uncertainties in orbital and reentry predictions. In the present context "terrestrial weather" primarily refers to the meteorological conditions that determine the spatial-temporal distribution of tropospheric water vapor and latent heating associated with tropical convection, and the middle atmosphere disturbances associated with sudden stratosphere warmings. The net effect of these processes is a spatially- and temporally-evolving spectrum of waves (gravity waves, tides, planetary waves, Kelvin waves) that grows in amplitude with height and enters the IT system near ~100 km. Some members of the wave spectrum penetrate all the way to the base of the exosphere (ca. 500 km). Along the way, nonlinear interactions between different wave components occur, modifying the interacting waves and giving rise to secondary waves. Finally, the IT wind perturbations carried by the waves can redistribute ionospheric plasma, either through the electric fields generated via the dynamo mechanism between 100 and 150 km, or directly by moving plasma along magnetic field lines at higher levels. Additionally, the signatures of wave-driven dynamo currents are reflected in magnetic perturbations observed at the ground. This is how terrestrial atmospheric variability, through the spectrum of vertically- propagating waves that it produces, can effectively drive IT space weather. The primary objective of this Julius Bartels Lecture is to provide an overview of the global observational evidence for the IT consequences of these upward-propagating waves. In honor of Julius Bartels, who performed much research (including his habilitation thesis) on atmospheric and geomagnetic tides, this talk will emphasize the tidal part of the wave spectrum and its effects on the upper atmosphere.

Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio- Studies (TRUTHS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fox, N.; Aiken, J.; Barnett, J.J.; Briottet, X.; Carvell, R.; Frohlich, C.; Groom, S.B.; Hagolle, O.; Haigh, J.D.; Kieffer, H.H.; Lean, J.; Pollock, D.B.; Quinn, T.; Sandford, M.C.W.; Schaepman, M.; Shine, K.P.; Schmutz, W.K.; Teillet, P.M.; Thome, K.J.; Verstraete, M.M.; Zalewski, E.; ,

2002-01-01

The Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio- Studies (TRUTHS) mission offers a novel approach to the provision of key scientific data with unprecedented radiometric accuracy for Earth Observation (EO) and solar studies, which will also establish well-calibrated reference targets/standards to support other EO missions. This paper will present the TRUTHS mission and its objectives. TRUTHS will be the first satellite mission to calibrate its instrumentation directly to SI in orbit, overcoming the usual uncertainties associated with drifts of sensor gain and spectral shape by using an electrical rather than an optical standard as the basis of its calibration. The range of instruments flown as part of the payload will also provide accurate input data to improve atmospheric radiative transfer codes by anchoring boundary conditions, through simultaneous measurements of aerosols, particulates and radiances at various heights. Therefore, TRUTHS will significantly improve the performance and accuracy of Earth observation missions with broad global or operational aims, as well as more dedicated missions. The provision of reference standards will also improve synergy between missions by reducing errors due to different calibration biases and offer cost reductions for future missions by reducing the demands for on-board calibration systems. Such improvements are important for the future success of strategies such as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and the implementation and monitoring of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol. TRUTHS will achieve these aims by measuring the geophysical variables of solar and lunar irradiance, together with both polarised and un-polarised spectral radiance of the Moon, and the Earth and its atmosphere.

Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial - and Helio- Studies (TRUTHS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fox, N.; Aiken, J.; Barnett, J.J.; Briottet, X.; Carvell, R.; Frohlich, C.; Groom, S.B.; Hagolle, O.; Haigh, J.D.; Kieffer, H.H.; Lean, J.; Pollock, D.B.; Quinn, T.; Sandford, M.C.W.; Schaepman, M.; Shine, K.P.; Schmutz, W.K.; Teillet, P.M.; Thome, K.J.; Verstraete, M.M.; Zalewski, E.

2003-01-01

The Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio- Studies (TRUTHS) mission offers a novel approach to the provision of key scientific data with unprecedented radiometric accuracy for Earth Observation (EO) and solar studies, which will also establish well-calibrated reference targets/standards to support other EO missions. This paper presents the TRUTHS mission and its objectives. TRUTHS will be the first satellite mission to calibrate its EO instrumentation directly to SI in orbit, overcoming the usual uncertainties associated with drifts of sensor gain and spectral shape by using an electrical rather than an optical standard as the basis of its calibration. The range of instruments flown as part of the payload will also provide accurate input data to improve atmospheric radiative transfer codes by anchoring boundary conditions, through simultaneous measurements of aerosols, particulates and radiances at various heights. Therefore, TRUTHS will significantly improve the performance and accuracy of EO missions with broad global or operational aims, as well as more dedicated missions. The provision of reference standards will also improve synergy between missions by reducing errors due to different calibration biases and offer cost reductions for future missions by reducing the demands for on-board calibration systems. Such improvements are important for the future success of strategies such as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and the implementation and monitoring of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol. TRUTHS will achieve these aims by measuring the geophysical variables of solar and lunar irradiance, together with both polarised and unpolarised spectral radiance of the Moon, Earth and its atmosphere. Published by Elsevier Ltd of behalf of COSPAR.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service: facilitating the prediction of air quality from global to local scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelen, R. J.; Peuch, V. H.

2017-12-01

The European Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) operationally provides daily forecasts of global atmospheric composition and regional air quality. The global forecasting system is using ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System (IFS), which is used for numerical weather prediction and which has been extended with modules for atmospheric chemistry, aerosols and greenhouse gases. The regional forecasts are produced by an ensemble of seven operational European air quality models that take their boundary conditions from the global system and provide an ensemble median with ensemble spread as their main output. Both the global and regional forecasting systems are feeding their output into air quality models on a variety of scales in various parts of the world. We will introduce the CAMS service chain and provide illustrations of its use in downstream applications. Both the usage of the daily forecasts and the usage of global and regional reanalyses will be addressed.

Background Mole Fractions of Hydrocarbons in North America Determined from NOAA Global Reference Network Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mielke-Maday, I.

2015-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) maintains a global reference network for over 50 trace gas species and analyzes discrete air samples collected by this network throughout the world at the Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. In particular, flask samples are analyzed for a number of hydrocarbons with policy and health relevance such as ozone precursors, greenhouse gases, and hazardous air pollutants. Because this global network's sites are remote and therefore minimally influenced by local anthropogenic emissions, these data yield information about background ambient mole fractions and can provide a context for observations collected in intensive field campaigns, such as the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE), the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) study, and the DISCOVER-AQ deployments. Information about background mole fractions during field campaigns is critical for calculating hydrocarbon enhancements in the region of study and for assessing the extent to which a particular region's local emissions sources contribute to these enhancements. Understanding the geographic variability of the background and its contribution to regional ambient mole fractions is also crucial for the development of realistic regulations. We present background hydrocarbon mole fractions and their ratios in North America using data from air samples collected in the planetary boundary layer at tall towers and aboard aircraft from 2008 to 2014. We discuss the spatial and seasonal variability in these data. We present trends over the time period of measurements and propose possible explanations for these trends.

Theoretical and Observational Determination of Global and Regional Radiation Budget, Forcing and Feedbacks at the Top-of-Atmosphere and Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loeb, Norman G.

2004-01-01

Report consists of: 1. List of accomplishments 2. List of publications 3. Abstracts of published or submitted papers and 4. Subject invention disclosure. The accomplishments of the grant listed are: 1. Improved the third-order turbulence closure in cloud resolving models to remove the liquid water oscillation. 2. Used the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) large-eddy simulation (LES) model to provide data for radiation transfer testing. 3. Revised shortwave k-distribution models based on HITRAN 2000. 4. Developed a gamma-weighted two-stream radiative transfer model for radiation budget estimate applications. 5. Estimated the effect of spherical geometry to the earth radiation budget. 6. Estimated top-of-atmosphere irradiance over snow and sea ice surfaces. 7. Estimated the aerosol direct radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere. 8. Estimated the top-of-atmosphere reflectance of the clear-sky molecular atmosphere over ocean. 9. Developed and validated new set of Angular Distribution Models for the CERES TRMM satellite instrument (tropical) 10. Developed and validated new set of Angular Distribution Models for the CERES Terra satellite instrument (global) 11. Quantified the top-of-atmosphere direct radiative effect of aerosols over global oceans from merged CERES and MODIS observations 12 Clarified the definition of TOA flux reference level for radiation budget studies 13. Developed new algorithm for unfaltering CERES measured radiances 14. Used multiangle POLDER measurements to produce narrowband angular distribution models and examine the effect of scene identification errors on TOA albedo estimates 15. Developed and validated a novel algorithm called the Multidirectional Reflectance Matching (MRM) model for inferring TOA albedos from ice clouds using multi-angle satellite measurements. 16. Developed and validated a novel algorithm called the Multidirectional Polarized Reflectance Matching (MPRM) model for inferring particle shapes from ice clouds using multi-angle polarized satellite measurements. 17. Developed 4 advanced light scattering models including the three-dimensional (3D) uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) model. 18. Develop sunglint in situ measurement and study reflectance distribution in the sunglint area. 19. Lead a balloon-borne radiometer TOA albedo validation effort. 20. Developed a CERES surface UVB, UVA, and UV index product.

The Met Office Unified Model Global Atmosphere 6.0/6.1 and JULES Global Land 6.0/6.1 configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walters, David; Boutle, Ian; Brooks, Malcolm; Melvin, Thomas; Stratton, Rachel; Vosper, Simon; Wells, Helen; Williams, Keith; Wood, Nigel; Allen, Thomas; Bushell, Andrew; Copsey, Dan; Earnshaw, Paul; Edwards, John; Gross, Markus; Hardiman, Steven; Harris, Chris; Heming, Julian; Klingaman, Nicholas; Levine, Richard; Manners, James; Martin, Gill; Milton, Sean; Mittermaier, Marion; Morcrette, Cyril; Riddick, Thomas; Roberts, Malcolm; Sanchez, Claudio; Selwood, Paul; Stirling, Alison; Smith, Chris; Suri, Dan; Tennant, Warren; Vidale, Pier Luigi; Wilkinson, Jonathan; Willett, Martin; Woolnough, Steve; Xavier, Prince

2017-04-01

We describe Global Atmosphere 6.0 and Global Land 6.0 (GA6.0/GL6.0): the latest science configurations of the Met Office Unified Model and JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) land surface model developed for use across all timescales. Global Atmosphere 6.0 includes the ENDGame (Even Newer Dynamics for General atmospheric modelling of the environment) dynamical core, which significantly increases mid-latitude variability improving a known model bias. Alongside developments of the model's physical parametrisations, ENDGame also increases variability in the tropics, which leads to an improved representation of tropical cyclones and other tropical phenomena. Further developments of the atmospheric and land surface parametrisations improve other aspects of model performance, including the forecasting of surface weather phenomena. We also describe GA6.1/GL6.1, which includes a small number of long-standing differences from our main trunk configurations that we continue to require for operational global weather prediction. Since July 2014, GA6.1/GL6.1 has been used by the Met Office for operational global numerical weather prediction, whilst GA6.0/GL6.0 was implemented in its remaining global prediction systems over the following year.

U.S. Hail Frequency and the Global Wind Oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gensini, Vittorio A.; Allen, John T.

2018-02-01

Changes in Earth relative atmospheric angular momentum can be described by an index known as the Global Wind Oscillation. This global index accounts for changes in Earth's atmospheric budget of relative angular momentum through interactions of tropical convection anomalies, extratropical dynamics, and engagement of surface torques (e.g., friction and mountain). It is shown herein that U.S. hail events are more (less) likely to occur in low (high) atmospheric angular momentum base states when excluding weak Global Wind Oscillation days, with the strongest relationships found in the boreal spring and fall. Severe, significant severe, and giant hail events are more likely to occur during Global Wind Oscillation phases 8, 1, 2, and 3 during the peak of U.S. severe weather season. Lower frequencies of hail events are generally found in Global Wind Oscillation phases 4-7 but vary based on Global Wind Oscillation amplitude and month. In addition, probabilistic anomalies of atmospheric ingredients supportive of hail producing supercell thunderstorms closely mimic locations of reported hail frequency, helping to corroborate report results.

Representation of fine scale atmospheric variability in a nudged limited area quasi-geostrophic model: application to regional climate modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omrani, H.; Drobinski, P.; Dubos, T.

2009-09-01

In this work, we consider the effect of indiscriminate nudging time on the large and small scales of an idealized limited area model simulation. The limited area model is a two layer quasi-geostrophic model on the beta-plane driven at its boundaries by its « global » version with periodic boundary condition. This setup mimics the configuration used for regional climate modelling. Compared to a previous study by Salameh et al. (2009) who investigated the existence of an optimal nudging time minimizing the error on both large and small scale in a linear model, we here use a fully non-linear model which allows us to represent the chaotic nature of the atmosphere: given the perfect quasi-geostrophic model, errors in the initial conditions, concentrated mainly in the smaller scales of motion, amplify and cascade into the larger scales, eventually resulting in a prediction with low skill. To quantify the predictability of our quasi-geostrophic model, we measure the rate of divergence of the system trajectories in phase space (Lyapunov exponent) from a set of simulations initiated with a perturbation of a reference initial state. Predictability of the "global", periodic model is mostly controlled by the beta effect. In the LAM, predictability decreases as the domain size increases. Then, the effect of large-scale nudging is studied by using the "perfect model” approach. Two sets of experiments were performed: (1) the effect of nudging is investigated with a « global » high resolution two layer quasi-geostrophic model driven by a low resolution two layer quasi-geostrophic model. (2) similar simulations are conducted with the two layer quasi-geostrophic LAM where the size of the LAM domain comes into play in addition to the first set of simulations. In the two sets of experiments, the best spatial correlation between the nudge simulation and the reference is observed with a nudging time close to the predictability time.

Proposed reference models for atomic oxygen in the terrestrial atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Llewellyn, E. J.; Mcdade, I. C.; Lockerbie, M. D.

1989-01-01

A provisional Atomic Oxygen Reference model was derived from average monthly ozone profiles and the MSIS-86 reference model atmosphere. The concentrations are presented in tabular form for the altitude range 40 to 130 km.

Modern inhalation anesthetics: Potent greenhouse gases in the global atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollmer, Martin K.; Rhee, Tae Siek; Rigby, Matt; Hofstetter, Doris; Hill, Matthias; Schoenenberger, Fabian; Reimann, Stefan

2015-03-01

Modern halogenated inhalation anesthetics undergo little metabolization during clinical application and evaporate almost completely to the atmosphere. Based on their first measurements in a range of environments, from urban areas to the pristine Antarctic environment, we detect a rapid accumulation and ubiquitous presence of isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane in the global atmosphere. Over the past decade, their abundances in the atmosphere have increased to global mean mole fractions in 2014 of 0.097ppt, 0.30ppt, and 0.13ppt (parts per trillion, 10-12, in dry air), respectively. Emissions of these long-lived greenhouse gases inferred from the observations suggest a global combined release to the atmosphere of 3.1 ± 0.6 million t CO2 equivalent in 2014 of which ≈80% stems from desflurane. We also report on halothane, a previously widely used anesthetic. Its global mean mole fraction has declined to 9.2ppq (parts per quadrillion, 10-15) by 2014. However, the inferred present usage is still 280 ±120t yr-1.

Chemistry of the atmosphere: Its impact on global change

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

Birks, J.W.; Calvert, J.G.; Sievers, R.E.

1993-12-31

This book is a summary of the plenary lectures of the CHEMRAWN VII Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, 2-7 December 1991. The book draws together some interesting perspectives relating to global change from the atmospheric chemistry community from more of a chemist`s point of view than a meteorologist`s. In fact, Chemical Research Applied to World Needs (CHEMRAWN) illustrates how the international atmospheric chemistry community (the meeting was cosponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the American Chemical Society) has traditionally put forth a considerable effort to understand the global environmental impact of dumping chemicals into themore » atmosphere. The primary benefit of this book is the concise summary of the research issues confronting the atmospheric science community regarding global change. Being a summary of plenary lectures, the technical depth of the papers is not great. Therefore the book offers a good presentation of material to the nonspecialist who seeks to understand the issues around which the global change research community has focused.« less

Comparisons of Radiative Flux Distributions from Satellite Observations and Global Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raschke, Ehrhard; Kinne, Stefan; Wild, Martin; Stackhouse, Paul; Rossow, Bill

2014-05-01

Radiative flux distributions at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface are compared between typical data from satellite observations and from global modeling. Averages of CERES, ISCCP and SRB data-products (for the same 4-year period) represent satellite observations. Central values of IPCC-4AR output (over a 12-year period) represent global modeling. At TOA, differences are dominated by differences for cloud-effects, which are extracted from the differences between all-sky and clear-sky radiative flux products. As satellite data are considered as TOA reference, these differences document the poor representation of clouds in global modeling, especially for low altitude clouds over oceans. At the surface the differences, caused by the different cloud treatment are overlaid by a general offset. Satellite products suggest a ca 15Wm-2 stronger surface net-imbalance (and with it stronger precipitation). Since surface products of satellite and modeling are based on simulations and many assumptions, this difference has remained an open issue. BSRN surface monitoring is too short and too sparsely distributed for clear answers to provide a reliable basis for validation.

Hydrological Excitations of Polar Motion Derived from Different Variables of Fgoals - g2 Climate Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winska, M.

2016-12-01

The hydrological contribution to decadal, inter-annual and multi-annual suppress polar motion derived from climate model as well as from GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) data is discussed here for the period 2002.3-2016.0. The data set used here are Earth Orientation Parameters Combined 04 (EOP C04), Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System Model: Grid-point Version 2 (FGOAL-g2) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) climate models and GRACE CSR RL05 data for polar motion, hydrological and gravimetric excitation, respectively. Several Hydrological Angular Momentum (HAM) functions are calculated here from the selected variables: precipitation, evaporation, runoff, soil moisture, accumulated snow of the FGOALS and GLDAS climate models as well as from the global mass change fields from GRACE data provided by the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS) Global Geophysical Fluids Center (GGFC). The contribution of different HAM excitation functions to achieve the full agreement between geodetic observations and geophysical excitation functions of polar motion is studied here.

Delayed detection of climate mitigation benefits due to climate inertia and variability.

PubMed

Tebaldi, Claudia; Friedlingstein, Pierre

2013-10-22

Climate change mitigation acts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and thus curbing, or even reversing, the increase in their atmospheric concentration. This reduces the associated anthropogenic radiative forcing, and hence the size of the warming. Because of the inertia and internal variability affecting the climate system and the global carbon cycle, it is unlikely that a reduction in warming would be immediately discernible. Here we use 21st century simulations from the latest ensemble of Earth System Model experiments to investigate and quantify when mitigation becomes clearly discernible. We use one of the scenarios as a reference for a strong mitigation strategy, Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6 and compare its outcome with either RCP4.5 or RCP8.5, both of which are less severe mitigation pathways. We analyze global mean atmospheric CO2, and changes in annually and seasonally averaged surface temperature at global and regional scales. For global mean surface temperature, the median detection time of mitigation is about 25-30 y after RCP2.6 emissions depart from the higher emission trajectories. This translates into detection of a mitigation signal by 2035 or 2045, depending on whether the comparison is with RCP8.5 or RCP4.5, respectively. The detection of climate benefits of emission mitigation occurs later at regional scales, with a median detection time between 30 and 45 y after emission paths separate. Requiring a 95% confidence level induces a delay of several decades, bringing detection time toward the end of the 21st century.

Global atmospheric changes.

PubMed

Piver, W T

1991-12-01

Increasing concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be directly related to global warming. In terms of human health, because a major cause of increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 is the increased combustion of fossil fuels, global warming also may result in increases in air pollutants, acid deposition, and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. To understand better the impacts of global warming phenomena on human health, this review emphasizes the processes that are responsible for the greenhouse effect, air pollution, acid deposition, and increased exposure to UV radiation.

Research Review: Walter Orr Roberts on the Atmosphere, Global Pollution and Weather Modification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobsen, Sally

1973-01-01

Global Atmospheric Research Program is envisaged to study various aspects of the environment for the whole globe. Describes programs undertaken and the international problems involved in implementing results of such research on a global level. (PS)

Long-term decline of global atmospheric ethane concentrations and implications for methane.

PubMed

Simpson, Isobel J; Sulbaek Andersen, Mads P; Meinardi, Simone; Bruhwiler, Lori; Blake, Nicola J; Helmig, Detlev; Rowland, F Sherwood; Blake, Donald R

2012-08-23

After methane, ethane is the most abundant hydrocarbon in the remote atmosphere. It is a precursor to tropospheric ozone and it influences the atmosphere's oxidative capacity through its reaction with the hydroxyl radical, ethane's primary atmospheric sink. Here we present the longest continuous record of global atmospheric ethane levels. We show that global ethane emission rates decreased from 14.3 to 11.3 teragrams per year, or by 21 per cent, from 1984 to 2010. We attribute this to decreasing fugitive emissions from ethane's fossil fuel source--most probably decreased venting and flaring of natural gas in oil fields--rather than a decline in its other major sources, biofuel use and biomass burning. Ethane's major emission sources are shared with methane, and recent studies have disagreed on whether reduced fossil fuel or microbial emissions have caused methane's atmospheric growth rate to slow. Our findings suggest that reduced fugitive fossil fuel emissions account for at least 10-21 teragrams per year (30-70 per cent) of the decrease in methane's global emissions, significantly contributing to methane's slowing atmospheric growth rate since the mid-1980s.

Atmosphere and climate studies of Mars using the Mars Observer pressure modulator infrared radiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccleese, D. J.; Haskins, R. D.; Schofield, J. T.; Zurek, R. W.; Leovy, C. B.; Paige, D. A.; Taylor, F. W.

1992-01-01

Studies of the climate and atmosphere of Mars are limited at present by a lack of meteorological data having systematic global coverage with good horizontal and vertical resolution. The Mars Observer spacecraft in a low, nearly circular, polar orbit will provide an excellent platform for acquiring the data needed to advance significantly our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its remarkable variability. The Mars Observer pressure modulator infrared radiometer (PMIRR) is a nine-channel limb and nadir scanning atmospheric sounder which will observe the atmosphere of Mars globally from 0 to 80 km for a full Martian year. PMIRR employs narrow-band radiometric channels and two pressure modulation cells to measure atmospheric and surface emission in the thermal infrared. PMIRR infrared and visible measurements will be combined to determine the radiative balance of the polar regions, where a sizeable fraction of the global atmospheric mass annually condenses onto and sublimes from the surface. Derived meteorological fields, including diabatic heating and cooling and the vertical variation of horizontal winds, are computed from the globally mapped fields retrieved from PMIRR data.

Recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO2 due to enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake

PubMed Central

Keenan, Trevor F; Prentice, I. Colin; Canadell, Josep G; Williams, Christopher A; Wang, Han; Raupach, Michael; Collatz, G. James

2016-01-01

Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and offset a large fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The terrestrial carbon sink is increasing, yet the mechanisms responsible for its enhancement, and implications for the growth rate of atmospheric CO2, remain unclear. Here using global carbon budget estimates, ground, atmospheric and satellite observations, and multiple global vegetation models, we report a recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO2, and a decline in the fraction of anthropogenic emissions that remain in the atmosphere, despite increasing anthropogenic emissions. We attribute the observed decline to increases in the terrestrial sink during the past decade, associated with the effects of rising atmospheric CO2 on vegetation and the slowdown in the rate of warming on global respiration. The pause in the atmospheric CO2 growth rate provides further evidence of the roles of CO2 fertilization and warming-induced respiration, and highlights the need to protect both existing carbon stocks and regions, where the sink is growing rapidly. PMID:27824333

Recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 due to enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake

DOE PAGES

Keenan, Trevor F.; Prentice, I. Colin; Canadell, Josep G.; ...

2016-11-08

Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and offset a large fraction of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. The terrestrial carbon sink is increasing, yet the mechanisms responsible for its enhancement, and implications for the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2, remain unclear. Here using global carbon budget estimates, ground, atmospheric and satellite observations, and multiple global vegetation models, we report a recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2, and a decline in the fraction of anthropogenic emissions that remain in the atmosphere, despite increasing anthropogenic emissions. We also attribute the observed decline tomore » increases in the terrestrial sink during the past decade, associated with the effects of rising atmospheric CO 2 on vegetation and the slowdown in the rate of warming on global respiration. Furthermore, the pause in the atmospheric CO 2 growth rate provides further evidence of the roles of CO 2 fertilization and warming-induced respiration, and highlights the need to protect both existing carbon stocks and regions, where the sink is growing rapidly.« less

Recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 due to enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake

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

Keenan, Trevor F.; Prentice, I. Colin; Canadell, Josep G.

Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and offset a large fraction of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. The terrestrial carbon sink is increasing, yet the mechanisms responsible for its enhancement, and implications for the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2, remain unclear. Here using global carbon budget estimates, ground, atmospheric and satellite observations, and multiple global vegetation models, we report a recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2, and a decline in the fraction of anthropogenic emissions that remain in the atmosphere, despite increasing anthropogenic emissions. We also attribute the observed decline tomore » increases in the terrestrial sink during the past decade, associated with the effects of rising atmospheric CO 2 on vegetation and the slowdown in the rate of warming on global respiration. Furthermore, the pause in the atmospheric CO 2 growth rate provides further evidence of the roles of CO 2 fertilization and warming-induced respiration, and highlights the need to protect both existing carbon stocks and regions, where the sink is growing rapidly.« less

Characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves observed using the MU (Middle and Upper atmosphere) radar and GPS (Global Positioning System) radio occultation.

PubMed

Tsuda, Toshitaka

2014-01-01

The wind velocity and temperature profiles observed in the middle atmosphere (altitude: 10-100 km) show perturbations resulting from superposition of various atmospheric waves, including atmospheric gravity waves. Atmospheric gravity waves are known to play an important role in determining the general circulation in the middle atmosphere by dynamical stresses caused by gravity wave breaking. In this paper, we summarize the characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves observed using the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar in Japan, as well as novel satellite data obtained from global positioning system radio occultation (GPS RO) measurements. In particular, we focus on the behavior of gravity waves in the mesosphere (50-90 km), where considerable gravity wave attenuation occurs. We also report on the global distribution of gravity wave activity in the stratosphere (10-50 km), highlighting various excitation mechanisms such as orographic effects, convection in the tropics, meteorological disturbances, the subtropical jet and the polar night jet.

Characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves observed using the MU (Middle and Upper atmosphere) radar and GPS (Global Positioning System) radio occultation

PubMed Central

TSUDA, Toshitaka

2014-01-01

The wind velocity and temperature profiles observed in the middle atmosphere (altitude: 10–100 km) show perturbations resulting from superposition of various atmospheric waves, including atmospheric gravity waves. Atmospheric gravity waves are known to play an important role in determining the general circulation in the middle atmosphere by dynamical stresses caused by gravity wave breaking. In this paper, we summarize the characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves observed using the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar in Japan, as well as novel satellite data obtained from global positioning system radio occultation (GPS RO) measurements. In particular, we focus on the behavior of gravity waves in the mesosphere (50–90 km), where considerable gravity wave attenuation occurs. We also report on the global distribution of gravity wave activity in the stratosphere (10–50 km), highlighting various excitation mechanisms such as orographic effects, convection in the tropics, meteorological disturbances, the subtropical jet and the polar night jet. PMID:24492645

Three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation: part I—decomposition model and theorems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Shujuan; Chou, Jifan; Cheng, Jianbo

2018-04-01

In order to study the interactions between the atmospheric circulations at the middle-high and low latitudes from the global perspective, the authors proposed the mathematical definition of three-pattern circulations, i.e., horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations with which the actual atmospheric circulation is expanded. This novel decomposition method is proved to accurately describe the actual atmospheric circulation dynamics. The authors used the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data to calculate the climate characteristics of those three-pattern circulations, and found that the decomposition model agreed with the observed results. Further dynamical analysis indicates that the decomposition model is more accurate to capture the major features of global three dimensional atmospheric motions, compared to the traditional definitions of Rossby wave, Hadley circulation and Walker circulation. The decomposition model for the first time realized the decomposition of global atmospheric circulation using three orthogonal circulations within the horizontal, meridional and zonal planes, offering new opportunities to study the large-scale interactions between the middle-high latitudes and low latitudes circulations.

Global hexachlorocyclohexane use trends and their impact on the Arctic atmospheric environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y. F.; Bidleman, T. F.; Barrie, L. A.; McConnell, L. L.

The relationship between the global technical HCH use trends and their impact on the arctic atmospheric environment has been studied. Two significant drops in global technical HCH usage were identified. In 1983, China banned the use of technical HCH. This represented the largest drop ever in global use rates. In 1990 India stopped technical HCH usage in agriculture and the former Soviet Union banned the use of technical HCH. Since 1990, India has been the biggest user of technical HCH in the world. Significant drops in atmospheric α-HCH in the arctic were observed between 1982 and 1983, and again between 1990 and 1992. The rapid response in atmospheric concentrations to usage is encouraging; however, since α-HCH concentrations in the arctic waters have remained relatively unchanged, the decline in atmospheric α-HCH has reversed the net direction of air-sea gas flux. The accumulated mass in oceans and large lakes may represent a new source of HCH to the arctic atmosphere.

Chemical, Mineralogical, and Physical Properties of Martian Dust and Soil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ming, D. W.; Morris, R. V.

2017-01-01

Global and regional dust storms on Mars have been observed from Earth-based telescopes, Mars orbiters, and surface rovers and landers. Dust storms can be global and regional. Dust is material that is suspended into the atmosphere by winds and has a particle size of 1-3 micrometer. Planetary scientist refer to loose unconsolidated materials at the surface as "soil." The term ''soil'' is used here to denote any loose, unconsolidated material that can be distinguished from rocks, bedrock, or strongly cohesive sediments. No implication for the presence or absence of organic materials or living matter is intended. Soil contains local and regional materials mixed with the globally distributed dust by aeolian processes. Loose, unconsolidated surface materials (dust and soil) may pose challenges for human exploration on Mars. Dust will no doubt adhere to spacesuits, vehicles, habitats, and other surface systems. What will be the impacts on human activity? The objective of this paper is to review the chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of the martian dust and soil.

An empirical model of L-band scintillation S4 index constructed by using FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shih-Ping; Bilitza, Dieter; Liu, Jann-Yenq; Caton, Ronald; Chang, Loren C.; Yeh, Wen-Hao

2017-09-01

Modern society relies heavily on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology for applications such as satellite communication, navigation, and positioning on the ground and/or aviation in the troposphere/stratosphere. However, ionospheric scintillations can severely impact GNSS systems and their related applications. In this study, a global empirical ionospheric scintillation model is constructed with S4-index data obtained by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellites during 2007-2014 (hereafter referred to as the F3CGS4 model). This model describes the S4-index as a function of local time, day of year, dip-latitude, and solar activity using the index PF10.7. The model reproduces the F3/C S4-index observations well, and yields good agreement with ground-based reception of satellite signals. This confirms that the constructed model can be used to forecast global L-band scintillations on the ground and in the near surface atmosphere.

Land cover maps, BVOC emissions, and SOA burden in a global aerosol-climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanelle, Tanja; Henrot, Alexandra; Bey, Isaelle

2015-04-01

It has been reported that different land cover representations influence the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) (e.g. Guenther et al., 2006). But the land cover forcing used in model simulations is quite uncertain (e.g. Jung et al., 2006). As a consequence the simulated emission of BVOCs depends on the applied land cover map. To test the sensitivity of global and regional estimates of BVOC emissions on the applied land cover map we applied 3 different land cover maps into our global aerosol-climate model ECHAM6-HAM2.2. We found a high sensitivity for tropical regions. BVOCs are a very prominent precursor for the production of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA). Therefore the sensitivity of BVOC emissions on land cover maps impacts the SOA burden in the atmosphere. With our model system we are able to quantify that impact. References: Guenther et al. (2006), Estimates of global terrestrial isoprene emissions using MEGAN, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3181-3210, doi:10.5194/acp-6-3181-2006. Jung et al. (2006), Exploiting synergies of global land cover products for carbon cycle modeling, Rem. Sens. Environm., 101, 534-553, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2006.01.020.

Earth observing system: 1989 reference handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

NASA is studying a coordinated effort called the Mission to Planet Earth to understand global change. The goals are to understand the Earth as a system, and to determine those processes that contribute to the environmental balance, as well as those that may result in changes. The Earth Observing System (Eos) is the centerpiece of the program. Eos will create an integrated scientific observing system that will enable multidisciplinary study of the Earth including the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, polar regions, and solid Earth. Science goals, the Eos data and information system, experiments, measuring instruments, and interdisciplinary investigations are described.

Development of an integrated chemical weather prediction system for environmental applications at meso to global scales: NMMB/BSC-CHEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorba, O.; Pérez, C.; Karsten, K.; Janjic, Z.; Dabdub, D.; Baldasano, J. M.

2009-09-01

This contribution presents the ongoing developments of a new fully on-line chemical weather prediction system for meso to global scale applications. The modeling system consists of a mineral dust module and a gas-phase chemistry module coupled on-line to a unified global-regional atmospheric driver. This approach allows solving small scale processes and their interactions at local to global scales. Its unified environment maintains the consistency of all the physico-chemical processes involved. The atmospheric driver is the NCEP/NMMB numerical weather prediction model (Janjic and Black, 2007) developed at National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). It represents an evolution of the operational WRF-NMME model extending from meso to global scales. Its unified non-hydrostatic dynamical core supports regional and global simulations. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center is currently designing and implementing a chemistry transport model coupled online with the new global/regional NMMB. The new modeling system is intended to be a powerful tool for research and to provide efficient global and regional chemical weather forecasts at sub-synoptic and mesoscale resolutions. The online coupling of the chemistry follows the approach similar to that of the mineral dust module already coupled to the atmospheric driver, NMMB/BSC-DUST (Pérez et al., 2008). Chemical species are advected and mixed at the corresponding time steps of the meteorological tracers using the same numerical scheme. Advection is eulerian, positive definite and monotone. The chemical mechanism and chemistry solver is based on the Kinetic PreProcessor KPP (Damian et al., 2002) package with the main purpose of maintaining a wide flexibility when configuring the model. Such approach will allow using a simplified chemical mechanism for global applications or a more complete mechanism for high-resolution local or regional studies. Moreover, it will permit the implementation of a specific configuration for forecasting applications in regional or global domains. An emission process allows the coupling of different emission inventories sources such as RETRO, EDGAR and GEIA for the global domain, EMEP for Europe and HERMES for Spain. The photolysis scheme is based on the Fast-J scheme, coupled with physics of each model layer (e.g., aerosols, clouds, absorbers as ozone) and it considers grid-scale clouds from the atmospheric driver. The dry deposition scheme follows the deposition velocity analogy for gases, enabling the calculation of deposition fluxes from airborne concentrations. No cloud-chemistry processes are included in the system yet (no wet deposition, scavenging and aqueous chemistry). The modeling system developments will be presented and first results of the gas-phase chemistry at global scale will be discussed. REFERENCES Janjic, Z.I., and Black, T.L., 2007. An ESMF unified model for a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, Geophysical Research Abstracts, 9, 05025. Pérez, C., Haustein, K., Janjic, Z.I., Jorba, O., Baldasano, J.M., Black, T.L., and Nickovic, S., 2008. An online dust model within the meso to global NMMB: current progress and plans. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, A41K-03, 2008. Damian, V., Sandu, A., Damian, M., Potra, F., and Carmichael, G.R., 2002. The kinetic preprocessor KPP - A software environment for solving chemical kinetics. Comp. Chem. Eng., 26, 1567-1579. Sandu, A., and Sander, R., 2006. Technical note:Simulating chemical systems in Fortran90 and Matlab with the Kinetic PreProcessor KPP-2.1. Atmos. Chem. and Phys., 6, 187-195.

THE CLIMATE-AIR QUALITY SCALE CONTINUUM AND THE GLOBAL EMISSION INVENTORY ACTIVITY

EPA Science Inventory

The Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA), a core program activity of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, develops data and other related information on key chemical emissions to the atmosphere and...

SHOULD LATITUDINAL ATMOSPHERIC TRACE VAPOR CONCENTRATIONS BE REPORTED ON A MASS DENSITY BASIS?

EPA Science Inventory

For the past several decades the issue of global atmospheric trace vapor migration has been of concern to environmental professionals concerned with global distillation/cold condensation of toxic compounds, contamination of remote ecosystems, global climate change and stratospher...

Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor.

PubMed

Reed, Sasha C; Yang, Xiaojuan; Thornton, Peter E

2015-10-01

324 I. 324 II. 325 III. 326 IV. 327 328 References 328 SUMMARY: Myriad field, laboratory, and modeling studies show that nutrient availability plays a fundamental role in regulating CO2 exchange between the Earth's biosphere and atmosphere, and in determining how carbon pools and fluxes respond to climatic change. Accordingly, global models that incorporate coupled climate-carbon cycle feedbacks made a significant advance with the introduction of a prognostic nitrogen cycle. Here we propose that incorporating phosphorus cycling represents an important next step in coupled climate-carbon cycling model development, particularly for lowland tropical forests where phosphorus availability is often presumed to limit primary production. We highlight challenges to including phosphorus in modeling efforts and provide suggestions for how to move forward. No claim to original US government works New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Coral reefs will transition to net dissolving before end of century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyre, Bradley D.; Cyronak, Tyler; Drupp, Patrick; De Carlo, Eric Heinen; Sachs, Julian P.; Andersson, Andreas J.

2018-02-01

Ocean acidification refers to the lowering of the ocean’s pH due to the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere. Coral reef calcification is expected to decrease as the oceans become more acidic. Dissolving calcium carbonate (CaCO3) sands could greatly exacerbate reef loss associated with reduced calcification but is presently poorly constrained. Here we show that CaCO3 dissolution in reef sediments across five globally distributed sites is negatively correlated with the aragonite saturation state (Ωar) of overlying seawater and that CaCO3 sediment dissolution is 10-fold more sensitive to ocean acidification than coral calcification. Consequently, reef sediments globally will transition from net precipitation to net dissolution when seawater Ωar reaches 2.92 ± 0.16 (expected circa 2050 CE). Notably, some reefs are already experiencing net sediment dissolution.

The oxygen side of sulfate constrains global biospheric productivity in the mid-Phanerozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, B. A.

2009-12-01

Recent work has read in the oxygen side of sulfate a record of CO2 concentrations and extreme environments on Neoproterozoic Earth [1, 2]. The connection between CO2 levels and total isotopic composition of mineral proxies for marine sulfate was motivated by an empirical correlation between CO2 concentrations and in 17O anomalies in samples of atmospheric gases preserved as bubbles in ice cores [3,4]. The 17O anomaly in atmospheric O2 has been interpreted to originate primarily from stratospheric photochemical cycles of O3, O2, and CO2 [3, 4]. Both CO2 and O3 form the 17O-enriched partners for the 17O-depleted O2 and, given a fixed atmospheric lifetime for O2, isotopic mass balance dictates that increasing CO2 levels will drive larger relative 17O deficits in O2. With a photochemically-calibrated relationship between the relative 17O anomaly in atmospheric O2 and atmospheric CO2 levels [1], the amount of CO2 in an ancient atmosphere can be directly estimated from the isotopic record of atmospheric O2 bound up in the oxygen side of sulfate. Although they are correlated, the relative 17O anomaly in atmospheric O2 is not only a function of atmospheric CO2 levels. Photosynthetic O2 is characterized by isotopically ‘normal’ oxygen sourced from the global hydrosphere [3]. Increased photosynthetic O2 production, therefore, dilutes the isotopic anomaly found in atmospheric O2. Measurements of the 17O anomaly in O2 from ice cores allow global changes in global biosphere productivity to be traced back to 60 ka ago [3, 4]. Applying similar analysis to recent datasets of the 17O anomaly in marine sulfates [1] and atmospheric CO2 levels [5] produces quantitative global biospheric productivity estimates for the time interval from 310 to 240 Ma ago. Although the time resolution is coarse, much of the mid-Phanerozoic was characterized by global biospheric productivity similar in magnitude to the average global biospheric productivity for the last 10 ka. Counterintuitively, this includes the global mid-Carboniferous biosphere. Global biospheric productivity at the end of the Permian, however, was apparently greatly enhanced relative to the rest of the mid-Phanerozoic. [1] Huiming Bao, J. Lyons, Chuanming Zhou (2008) Nature 453 504. [2] Huiming Bao, I.J. Fairchild, P.M. Wynn, C. Spötl (2009) Science 323 119. [3] B. Luz, E. Barkan, M. L. Bender, M. H. Thiemens, K. A. Boering (1999) Nature 400 547. [4] T. Blunier, B. Barnett, M. L. Bender, M. B. Hendricks (2002) Global Biogeochem. Cycles 16 doi:10.1029/2001GB001460. [5] D. L. Royer (2006) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70 5665.

Land–atmosphere feedbacks amplify aridity increase over land under global warming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berg, Alexis; Findell, Kirsten; Lintner, Benjamin; Giannini, Alessandra; Seneviratne, Sonia I.; van den Hurk, Bart; Lorenz, Ruth; Pitman, Andy; Hagemann, Stefan; Meier, Arndt; Cheruy, Frédérique; Ducharne, Agnès; Malyshev, Sergey; Milly, Paul C. D.

2016-01-01

The response of the terrestrial water cycle to global warming is central to issues including water resources, agriculture and ecosystem health. Recent studies indicate that aridity, defined in terms of atmospheric supply (precipitation, P) and demand (potential evapotranspiration, Ep) of water at the land surface, will increase globally in a warmer world. Recently proposed mechanisms for this response emphasize the driving role of oceanic warming and associated atmospheric processes. Here we show that the aridity response is substantially amplified by land–atmosphere feedbacks associated with the land surface’s response to climate and CO2 change. Using simulations from the Global Land Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (GLACE)-CMIP5 experiment, we show that global aridity is enhanced by the feedbacks of projected soil moisture decrease on land surface temperature, relative humidity and precipitation. The physiological impact of increasing atmospheric CO2 on vegetation exerts a qualitatively similar control on aridity. We reconcile these findings with previously proposed mechanisms by showing that the moist enthalpy change over land is unaffected by the land hydrological response. Thus, although oceanic warming constrains the combined moisture and temperature changes over land, land hydrology modulates the partitioning of this enthalpy increase towards increased aridity.

A 3D parameterization of nutrients atmospheric deposition to the global ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myriokefalitakis, S.; Nenes, A.; Baker, A. R.; Mihalopoulos, N.; Kanakidou, M.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric deposition of trace constituents, both of natural and anthropogenic origin, can act as a nutrient source into the open ocean and affect marine ecosystem functioning and subsequently the exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the global ocean. Dust is known as a major source of nutrients (such as iron and phosphorus) to the global ocean, but only a fraction of these nutrients is released in soluble form that can be assimilated by the ecosystems. The global atmospheric iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) cycles are here parameterized in a global 3-D chemical transport model. Both primary emissions of total and soluble Fe and P associated with dust and combustion processes are taken into account. The impact of atmospheric acidity on nutrient solubility is parameterised based on experimental findings and model results are evaluated by comparison with available observations. The effect of air-quality changes on soluble nutrient deposition is studied by performing sensitivity simulations using preindustrial, present and future emission scenarios. The link between the soluble Fe and P atmospheric deposition and anthropogenic sources is also investigated. Overall, the response of the chemical composition of nutrient-containing aerosols to environmental changes is demonstrated and quantified.

Application of a global reference for fetal-weight and birthweight percentiles in predicting infant mortality.

PubMed

Ding, G; Tian, Y; Zhang, Y; Pang, Y; Zhang, J S; Zhang, J

2013-12-01

To determine whether the recently published A global reference for fetal-weight and birthweight percentiles (Global Reference) improves small- (SGA), appropriate- (AGA), and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) definitions in predicting infant mortality. Population-based cohort study. The US Linked Livebirth and Infant Death records between 1995 and 2004. Singleton births with birthweight >500 g born at 24-41 weeks of gestation. We compared infant mortality rates of SGA, AGA, and LGA infants classified by three different references: the Global Reference; a commonly used birthweight reference; and Hadlock's ultrasound reference. Infant mortality rates. Among 33 997 719 eligible liveborn singleton births, 25% of preterm and 9% of term infants were classified differently for SGA, AGA, and LGA by the Global Reference and the birthweight reference. The Global Reference indicated higher mortality rates in preterm SGA and preterm LGA infants than the birthweight reference. The mortality rate was considerably higher in infants classified as preterm SGA by the Global Reference but not by the birthweight reference, compared with the corresponding infants classified by the birthweight reference but not by the Global Reference (105.7 versus 12.9 per 1000, RR 8.17, 95% CI 7.38-9.06). Yet, the differences in mortality rates were much smaller in term infants than in preterm infants. Black infants had a particularly higher mortality rate than other races in AGA and LGA preterm and term infants. In respect to the commonly used birthweight reference, the Global Reference increases the identification of infant deaths by improved classification of abnormal newborn size at birth, and these advantages were more obvious in preterm than in term infants. © 2013 RCOG.

Carbon sequestration in wood and paper products

Treesearch

Kenneth E. Skog; Geraldine A. Nicholson

2000-01-01

Recognition that increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will affect the global climate has spurred research into reduction global carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration. The main nonhuman sources of atmospheric CO2 are animal respiration and decay of biomass. However, increases in atmospheric levels are...

Does Titan's Landscape Betray the Late Acquisitions of Its Current Atmosphere?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.; Nimmo, F.

2012-01-01

Titan may have acquired its massive atmosphere relatively recently in solar system history. The sudden appearance of a thick atmosphere may have changed Titan's global topography. This change in global topography may be expressed in the latitudinal distribution of landform types across its surface.

Formulating Energy Policies Related to Fossil Fuel Use: Critical Uncertainties in the Global Carbon Cycle

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Post, W. M.; Dale, V. H.; DeAngelis, D. L.; Mann, L. K.; Mulholland, P. J.; O`Neill, R. V.; Peng, T. -H.; Farrell, M. P.

1990-02-01

The global carbon cycle is the dynamic interaction among the earth's carbon sources and sinks. Four reservoirs can be identified, including the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans, and sediments. Atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentration is determined by characteristics of carbon fluxes among major reservoirs of the global carbon cycle. The objective of this paper is to document the knowns, and unknowns and uncertainties associated with key questions that if answered will increase the understanding of the portion of past, present, and future atmospheric CO{sub 2} attributable to fossil fuel burning. Documented atmospheric increases in CO{sub 2} levels are thought to result primarily from fossil fuel use and, perhaps, deforestation. However, the observed atmospheric CO{sub 2} increase is less than expected from current understanding of the global carbon cycle because of poorly understood interactions among the major carbon reservoirs.

Assessment of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on the Global Carbon Cycle Constrained by Atmospheric Measurements and Remote Sensing Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keeling, Charles D.; Piper, Stephen C.

2001-01-01

This grant aimed to establish how the global carbon cycle has responded and will respond to global change. We proposed to use models to predict measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration and C-13/C-12 isotopic ratio, and thereby to establish how sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2 have been influenced by climatic change and human activities. As the work progressed we developed strategies involving finding regional sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2 by an inverse approach, and studying their seasonal and interannual variability.

Comparative effects of climate on ecosystem nitrogen and soil biogeochemistry in U.S. national parks. FY 2001 Annual Report (Res. Rept. No. 94)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stottlemyer, R.; Edmonds, R.; Scherbarth, L.; Urbanczyk, K.; Van Miegroet, H.; Zak, J.

2002-01-01

In 1998, the USGS Global Change program funded research for a network of Long-Term Reference Ecosystems initially established in national parks and funded by the National Park Service. The network included Noland Divide, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee; Pine Canyon, Big Ben National park, Texas; West Twin Creek, Olympic National Park, Washingtona?? Wallace Lake, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan; and the Asik watershed, Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. The watershed ecosystem model was used since this approach permits additional statistical power in detection of trends among variables, and the watershed in increasingly a land unit used in resource management and planning. The ecosystems represent a major fraction of lands administered by the National Park Service, and were chosen generally for the contrasts among sites. For example, tow of the site, Noland and West Twin, are characterized by high precipitation amounts, but Noland receives some of the highest atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs in North America. In contrast, Pine Canyon and Asik are warm and cold desert sites respectively. The Asik watershed receives <1% the atmospheric N inputs Noland receives. The Asik site is at the northern extent (treeline) of the boreal biome in the North America while Wallace is at the southern ecotone between boreal and northern hardwoods. The research goal for these sites is to gain a basic understanding of ecosystem structure and function, and the response to global change especially atmospheric inputs and climate.

Effects on surface meteorological parameters and radiation levels of a heavy dust storm occurred in Central Arabian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maghrabi, A. H.; Al-Dosari, A. F.

2016-12-01

On 24 April 2015 a severe dust storm event arrived at Riyadh causing various problems. The quantitative impact of this dusty event on solar ultraviolet radiation UVA and UVB, global solar radiation component, downward and outgoing long-wave radiation, and some meteorological variables, was investigated and presented. The results showed significant changes in all of these parameters due to this event. Shortly after the storm arrived, UVA, UVB, global radiation, and air temperature rapidly decrease by 83%, 86%, 57.5%, and 9.4%, respectively. Atmospheric pressure increased by 4 mbar, relative humidly increased from 8% to 16%, and wind direction became northerly with wind speed increasing to a maximum of 6.3 m/s. Outgoing long-wave radiation decreased by 19 W/m2 and downward long-wave radiation increased by 41 W/m2. The dust storm caused the atmosphere to emit radiation that resembled that of a black body. The daily average of the atmospheric pressure showed no changes compared to a non-dusty day. Apart from the relative humidity (which increased by about 32%), the remainder of the variables have shown significant reduction, with different magnitudes, in their daily values due to the dust event compared to the values of a non-disturbed reference day. For instance, the daily mean values of the UVA radiation, air temperature, and outgoing long-wave radiation, decreased in the dusty day by 15.6%, 30.8% and 11.4%, respectively, as compared to the clear day.

Quantifying and Comparing Effects of Climate Engineering Methods on the Earth System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonntag, Sebastian; Ferrer González, Miriam; Ilyina, Tatiana; Kracher, Daniela; Nabel, Julia E. M. S.; Niemeier, Ulrike; Pongratz, Julia; Reick, Christian H.; Schmidt, Hauke

2018-02-01

To contribute to a quantitative comparison of climate engineering (CE) methods, we assess atmosphere-, ocean-, and land-based CE measures with respect to Earth system effects consistently within one comprehensive model. We use the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM) with prognostic carbon cycle to compare solar radiation management (SRM) by stratospheric sulfur injection and two carbon dioxide removal methods: afforestation and ocean alkalinization. The CE model experiments are designed to offset the effect of fossil-fuel burning on global mean surface air temperature under the RCP8.5 scenario to follow or get closer to the RCP4.5 scenario. Our results show the importance of feedbacks in the CE effects. For example, as a response to SRM the land carbon uptake is enhanced by 92 Gt by the year 2100 compared to the reference RCP8.5 scenario due to reduced soil respiration thus reducing atmospheric CO2. Furthermore, we show that normalizations allow for a better comparability of different CE methods. For example, we find that due to compensating processes such as biogeophysical effects of afforestation more carbon needs to be removed from the atmosphere by afforestation than by alkalinization to reach the same global warming reduction. Overall, we illustrate how different CE methods affect the components of the Earth system; we identify challenges arising in a CE comparison, and thereby contribute to developing a framework for a comparative assessment of CE.

The Asian monsoon's role in atmospheric heat transport responses to orbital and millennial-scale climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGee, D.; Green, B.; Donohoe, A.; Marshall, J.

2015-12-01

Recent studies have provided a framework for understanding the zonal-mean position of the tropical rain belt by documenting relationships between rain belt latitude and atmospheric heat transport across the equator (Donohoe et al., 2013). Modern seasonal and interannual variability in globally-averaged rain belt position (often referred to as 'ITCZ position') reflects the interhemispheric heat balance, with the rain belt's displacement toward the warmer hemisphere directly proportional to atmospheric heat transport into the cooler hemisphere. Model simulations suggest that rain belt shifts are likely to have obeyed the same relationship with interhemispheric heat transport in response to past changes in orbital parameters, ice sheets, and ocean circulation. This relationship implies that even small (±1 degree) shifts in the mean rain belt require large changes in hemispheric heat budgets, placing tight bounds on mean rain belt shifts in past climates. This work has primarily viewed tropical circulation in two dimensions, as a pair of zonal-mean Hadley cells on either side of the rain belt that are displaced north and south by perturbations in hemispheric energy budgets, causing the atmosphere to transport heat into the cooler hemisphere. Here we attempt to move beyond this zonal-mean perspective, motivated by arguments that the Asian monsoon system, rather than the zonal-mean circulation, plays the dominant role in annual-mean heat transport into the southern hemisphere in the modern climate (Heaviside and Czaja, 2012; Marshall et al., 2014). We explore a range of climate change experiments, including simulations of North Atlantic cooling and mid-Holocene climate, to test whether changes in interhemispheric atmospheric heat transport are primarily driven by the mean Hadley circulation, the Asian monsoon system, or other regional-scale atmospheric circulation changes. The scalings that this work identifies between Asian monsoon changes and atmospheric heat transport help to provide quantitative insights into Asian monsoon variability in past climates. References cited: Donohoe, A. et al., (2013) Journal of Climate 26, 3597-3618. Heaviside, C. and Czaja, A. (2012) Quart. J. Royal Met. Soc. 139, 2181-2189. Marshall, J. et al., (2014) Climate Dynamics 42, 1967-1979.

Atmospheric Limitations in Stellar Seismology: Should One Measure Radial Velocity or Brightness Fluctuations?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossat, E.

1984-01-01

Low degree p-modes of the Sun have been measured in spatially integrated sunlight (the Sun as a star) both in Doppler shift and in intensity fluctuations. These observations are a good starting point for the discussion of the best way to collect equivalent data on other stars. It is assumed that the Sun is removed far enough in space to become an ordinary star of magnitude zero to one. Evidently another star will oscillate with different frequencies and different amplitudes, but some reference must be made to start with. Using this scheme, a detailed investigation of the limitations of observational accuracy in the search for global p-modes is made. The sources of noise stand in the Sun itself, in the instrumentation, in the observing time duration, in the corpuscular nature of the light and mostly in the Earth atmosphere in the case of ground based observations.

Whole Atmosphere Simulation of Anthropogenic Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, Stanley C.; Liu, Han-Li; Marsh, Daniel R.; McInerney, Joseph M.; Qian, Liying; Vitt, Francis M.

2018-02-01

We simulated anthropogenic global change through the entire atmosphere, including the thermosphere and ionosphere, using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model-eXtended. The basic result was that even as the lower atmosphere gradually warms, the upper atmosphere rapidly cools. The simulations employed constant low solar activity conditions, to remove the effects of variable solar and geomagnetic activity. Global mean annual mean temperature increased at a rate of +0.2 K/decade at the surface and +0.4 K/decade in the upper troposphere but decreased by about -1 K/decade in the stratosphere-mesosphere and -2.8 K/decade in the thermosphere. Near the mesopause, temperature decreases were small compared to the interannual variation, so trends in that region are uncertain. Results were similar to previous modeling confined to specific atmospheric levels and compared favorably with available measurements. These simulations demonstrate the ability of a single comprehensive numerical model to characterize global change throughout the atmosphere.

Mars-GRAM: Increasing the Precision of Sensitivity Studies at Large Optical Depths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Justus, C. G.; Badger, Andrew M.

2010-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is an engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. Mars-GRAM's perturbation modeling capability is commonly used, in a Monte-Carlo mode, to perform high fidelity engineering end-to-end simulations for entry, descent, and landing (EDL). It has been discovered during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) site selection process that Mars-GRAM, when used for sensitivity studies for MapYear=0 and large optical depth values such as tau=3, is less than realistic. A comparison study between Mars atmospheric density estimates from Mars-GRAM and measurements by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) has been undertaken for locations of varying latitudes, Ls, and LTST on Mars. The preliminary results from this study have validated the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) limb data. From the surface to 80 km altitude, Mars-GRAM is based on the NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). MGCM results that were used for Mars-GRAM with MapYear=0 were from a MGCM run with a fixed value of tau=3 for the entire year at all locations. This has resulted in an imprecise atmospheric density at all altitudes. To solve this pressure-density problem, density factor values were determined for tau=.3, 1 and 3 that will adjust the input values of MGCM MapYear 0 pressure and density to achieve a better match of Mars-GRAM MapYear 0 with TES observations for MapYears 1 and 2 at comparable dust loading. The addition of these density factors to Mars-GRAM will improve the results of the sensitivity studies done for large optical depths.

Slicing The 2010 Saturn's Storm: Upper Clouds And Hazes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Hoyos, Santiago; Sanz-Requena, J. F.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Hueso, R.

2012-10-01

At the end of 2010 a small storm erupted in Saturn's northern mid-latitudes. Starting from a localized perturbation, it grew up to be a global-scale disturbance and cover the whole latitude band by February, 2011 (Fletcher et al. 2011, Science 332; Sánchez-Lavega et al. 2011, Nature 475; Fischer et al. 2011, Nature 475). By June, 2011 the storm was facing its end and gradually disappeared (Sánchez-Lavega et al. 2012, Icarus 220). In this work we use the observations acquired by the Cassini ISS instrument during the whole process to investigate the vertical cloud and haze structure above the ammonia condensation level (roughly 1 bar). Cassini ISS observations cover visual wavelengths from the blue to the near-infrared including two methane absorption bands. Such observations have been modeled using a radiative transfer code which reproduces the atmospheric reflectivity as a function of observation/illumination geometry and wavelength together with a retrieval technique to find maximum likelihood atmospheric models. This allows to investigate some atmospheric parameters: cloud-top pressures, aerosol optical thickness and particle absorption, among others. We will focus on two aspects: (1) maximum likelihood models for the undisturbed reference atmosphere in the 15°N to 45°N band before and after the disturbance; (2) models for particular structures during the development of the global-scale phenomenon. Our results show a general increase of particle density and single-scattering albedo inside the storm. However, some discrete features showing anomalous structure and related to the storm peculiar dynamics will also be discussed. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Spanish MICIIN project AYA2009-10701 with FEDER funds, by Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464-07 and by Universidad País Vasco UPV/EHU through program UFI11/55.

ANALYTICAL MODELS OF EXOPLANETARY ATMOSPHERES. I. ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS VIA THE SHALLOW WATER SYSTEM

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

Heng, Kevin; Workman, Jared, E-mail: kevin.heng@csh.unibe.ch, E-mail: jworkman@coloradomesa.edu

2014-08-01

Within the context of exoplanetary atmospheres, we present a comprehensive linear analysis of forced, damped, magnetized shallow water systems, exploring the effects of dimensionality, geometry (Cartesian, pseudo-spherical, and spherical), rotation, magnetic tension, and hydrodynamic and magnetic sources of friction. Across a broad range of conditions, we find that the key governing equation for atmospheres and quantum harmonic oscillators are identical, even when forcing (stellar irradiation), sources of friction (molecular viscosity, Rayleigh drag, and magnetic drag), and magnetic tension are included. The global atmospheric structure is largely controlled by a single key parameter that involves the Rossby and Prandtl numbers. Thismore » near-universality breaks down when either molecular viscosity or magnetic drag acts non-uniformly across latitude or a poloidal magnetic field is present, suggesting that these effects will introduce qualitative changes to the familiar chevron-shaped feature witnessed in simulations of atmospheric circulation. We also find that hydrodynamic and magnetic sources of friction have dissimilar phase signatures and affect the flow in fundamentally different ways, implying that using Rayleigh drag to mimic magnetic drag is inaccurate. We exhaustively lay down the theoretical formalism (dispersion relations, governing equations, and time-dependent wave solutions) for a broad suite of models. In all situations, we derive the steady state of an atmosphere, which is relevant to interpreting infrared phase and eclipse maps of exoplanetary atmospheres. We elucidate a pinching effect that confines the atmospheric structure to be near the equator. Our suite of analytical models may be used to develop decisively physical intuition and as a reference point for three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of atmospheric circulation.« less

Atmosphere-ocean gas exchange based on radiocarbon data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byalko, Alexey

2014-05-01

In recent decades, the intensity of global atmospheric convection has accelerated faster than climate warming; it is possible to judge this process from indirect data. Increasing ocean salinity contrasts provide evidence that evaporation has intensified [1]; sea surface wind velocities and wave heights have increased [2]. The CO2 gas exchange between the atmosphere and ocean must also simultaneously increase. Monthly measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration have been published since 1958 [3], but directly measuring its fluxes from the atmosphere to the ocean and back is hardly possible. We show they can be reconstructed from 14C isotope concentration data. In the past century, two processes influenced the atmospheric 14C concentration in opposite directions: burning fossil fuels and testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. We compare the gas exchange theory with measurements of radiocarbon content in the atmosphere [4—6], which allows assessing the gas exchange quantitatively for the ocean to atmosphere and atmosphere to ocean fluxes separately for period 1960—2010 [7]. References 1. Durack P. J. and Wijffels S. E., J. Climate 23, 4342 (2010). 2. Young I. R., Sieger S., and Babanin A.V., Science 332, 451 (2011). 3. NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory Data: ftp://ftp.cmdl.noaa.gov/ccg/co2/trends/co2_mm_mlo.txt. 4. Nydal R., Lövseth K. // J. Geophys. Res. 1983. V. 88. P. 3579. 5. Levin I., Kromer B. // Radiocarbon. 1997. V. 39. P. 205. 6. Miller J.B., Lehman S.J., Montzka S.A., et al. // J. Geophys. Res. 2012. V. 117. D08302. 7. Byalko A.V. Doklady Physics, 2013. V. 58, 267-271.

The reflectivity of Mars at 1064 nm: Derivation from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data and application to climatology and meteorology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heavens, N. G.

2017-06-01

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on board Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) made > 108 measurements of the reflectivity of Mars at 1064 nm (R1064) by both active sounding and passive radiometry. Past studies of R1064 neglected the effects of atmospheric opacity and viewing geometry on both active and passive measurements and also identified a potential calibration issue with passive radiometry. Therefore, as yet, there exists no acceptable reference R1064 to derive a column opacity product for atmospheric studies and planning future orbital lidar observations. Here, such a reference R1064 is derived by seeking R1064M,N: a Minnaert-corrected normal albedo under clear conditions and assuming minimal phase angle dependence. Over darker surfaces, R1064M,N and the absolute level of atmospheric opacity were estimated from active sounding. Over all surfaces, the opacity derived from active sounding was used to exclude passive radiometry measurements made under opaque conditions and estimate R1064M,N. These latter estimates then were re-calibrated by comparison with RM,N derived from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations over areas of approximately uniform reflectivity. Estimates of R1064M,N from re-calibrated passive radiometry typically agree with HST observations within 10%. The resulting R1064M,N is then used to derive and quantify the uncertainties of a column opacity product, which can be applied to meteorological and climatological studies of Mars, particularly to detect and measure mesoscale cloud/aerosol structures.

The Next Generation of Mars-GRAM and Its Role in the Autonomous Aerobraking Development Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Justus, Carl G.; Ramey, Holly S.

2011-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is an engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. Mars-GRAM 2010 is currently being used to develop the onboard atmospheric density estimator that is part of the Autonomous Aerobraking Development Plan. In previous versions, Mars-GRAM was less than realistic when used for sensitivity studies for Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) MapYear=0 and large optical depth values, such as tau=3. A comparison analysis has been completed between Mars-GRAM, TES and data from the Planetary Data System (PDS) resulting in updated coefficients for the functions relating density, latitude, and longitude of the sun. The adjustment factors are expressed as a function of height (z), Latitude (Lat) and areocentric solar longitude (Ls). The latest release of Mars-GRAM 2010 includes these adjustment factors that alter the in-put data from MGCM and MTGCM for the Mapping Year 0 (user-controlled dust) case. The greatest adjustment occurs at large optical depths such as tau greater than 1. The addition of the adjustment factors has led to better correspondence to TES Limb data from 0-60 km as well as better agreement with MGS, ODY and MRO data at approximately 90-135 km. Improved simulations utilizing Mars-GRAM 2010 are vital to developing the onboard atmospheric density estimator for the Autonomous Aerobraking Development Plan. Mars-GRAM 2010 was not the only planetary GRAM utilized during phase 1 of this plan; Titan-GRAM and Venus-GRAM were used to generate density data sets for Aerobraking Design Reference Missions. These data sets included altitude profiles (both vertical and along a trajectory), GRAM perturbations (tides, gravity waves, etc.) and provided density and scale height values for analysis by other Autonomous Aero-braking team members.

Global energy and water cycle experiment (GEWEX) continental-scale international project (GCIP); reference data sets CD-ROM

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rea, Alan; Cederstrand, Joel R.

1994-01-01

The data sets on this compact disc are a compilation of several geographic reference data sets of interest to the global-change research community. The data sets were chosen with input from the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-Scale International Project (GCIP) Data Committee and the GCIP Hydrometeorology and Atmospheric Subpanels. The data sets include: locations and periods of record for stream gages, reservoir gages, and meteorological stations; a 500-meter-resolution digital elevation model; grid-node locations for the Eta numerical weather-prediction model; and digital map data sets of geology, land use, streams, large reservoirs, average annual runoff, average annual precipitation, average annual temperature, average annual heating and cooling degree days, hydrologic units, and state and county boundaries. Also included are digital index maps for LANDSAT scenes, and for the U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000, 1:100,000, and 1:24,000-scale map series. Most of the data sets cover the conterminous United States; the digital elevation model also includes part of southern Canada. The stream and reservoir gage and meteorological station files cover all states having area within the Mississippi River Basin plus that part of the Mississippi River Basin lying within Canada. Several data-base retrievals were processed by state, therefore many sites outside the Mississippi River Basin are included.

Global daily reference evapotranspiration modeling and evaluation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Senay, G.B.; Verdin, J.P.; Lietzow, R.; Melesse, Assefa M.

2008-01-01

Accurate and reliable evapotranspiration (ET) datasets are crucial in regional water and energy balance studies. Due to the complex instrumentation requirements, actual ET values are generally estimated from reference ET values by adjustment factors using coefficients for water stress and vegetation conditions, commonly referred to as crop coefficients. Until recently, the modeling of reference ET has been solely based on important weather variables collected from weather stations that are generally located in selected agro-climatic locations. Since 2001, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) has been producing six-hourly climate parameter datasets that are used to calculate daily reference ET for the whole globe at 1-degree spatial resolution. The U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science has been producing daily reference ET (ETo) since 2001, and it has been used on a variety of operational hydrological models for drought and streamflow monitoring all over the world. With the increasing availability of local station-based reference ET estimates, we evaluated the GDAS-based reference ET estimates using data from the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS). Daily CIMIS reference ET estimates from 85 stations were compared with GDAS-based reference ET at different spatial and temporal scales using five-year daily data from 2002 through 2006. Despite the large difference in spatial scale (point vs. ∼100 km grid cell) between the two datasets, the correlations between station-based ET and GDAS-ET were very high, exceeding 0.97 on a daily basis to more than 0.99 on time scales of more than 10 days. Both the temporal and spatial correspondences in trend/pattern and magnitudes between the two datasets were satisfactory, suggesting the reliability of using GDAS parameter-based reference ET for regional water and energy balance studies in many parts of the world. While the study revealed the potential of GDAS ETo for large-scale hydrological applications, site-specific use of GDAS ETo in complex hydro-climatic regions such as coastal areas and rugged terrain may require the application of bias correction and/or disaggregation of the GDAS ETo using downscaling techniques.

The biosphere as a driver of global atmospheric change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Joel S.

1991-01-01

The effects of the biosphere on the evolution of atmospheric oxygen and ozone, and the consequences of that development for global atmospheric change, are discussed. Attention is given to the impact of oxygen and ozone on atmospheric photolysis rates, the effect of oxygen on the biogenic production of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide, and the effects of the evolution of atmospheric oxygen on fires and biomass burning. The influence of the latter on atmospheric processes, particularly the production of methane, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, is considered.

Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) Applications for Mars Science Laboratory Mission Site Selection Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, H. L.; Justus, C. G.

2007-01-01

The new Mars-GRAM auxiliary profile capability, using data from TES observations, mesoscale model output, or other sources, allows a potentially higher fidelity representation of the atmosphere, and a more accurate way of estimating inherent uncertainty in atmospheric density and winds. Figure 3 indicates that, with nominal value rpscale=1, Mars-GRAM perturbations would tend to overestimate observed or mesoscale-modeled variability. To better represent TES and mesoscale model density perturbations, rpscale values as low as about 0.4 could be used. Some trajectory model implementations of Mars-GRAM allow the user to dynamically change rpscale and rwscale values with altitude. Figure 4 shows that an mscale value of about 1.2 would better replicate wind standard deviations from MRAMS or MMM5 simulations at the Gale, Terby, or Melas sites. By adjusting the rpscale and rwscale values in Mars-GRAM based on figures such as Figure 3 and 4, we can provide more accurate end-to-end simulations for EDL at the candidate MSL landing sites.

Source of Global Scale Variations in the Midday Vertical Content of Ionospheric Metal Ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joiner, J.; Grebowsky, J. M.; Pesnell, W. D.; Aikin, A. C.; Goldberg, Richard A.

1999-01-01

An analysis of long baseline NIMBUS 7 SBUV (Solar Backscatter UV Spectrometer) observations of the latitudinal variation of the noontime vertical Mg' content above approx. 70 km have revealed seasonal, solar activity and magnetic activity dependencies in the Mg+ content. The distributions were categorized in terms of magnetic coordinates partially because transport processes lifting metallic ions from the main meteor ionization layer below 100 km up into the F- region and down again are controlled by electrodynamical processes. Alternatively, the Nimbus Mg+ distributions may simply be a result of ion/neutral chemistry changes resulting from atmospheric changes and not dynamics. In such a case magnetic control would not dominate the distributions. Using in situ satellite measurements of metal ions from the Atmosphere Explorer satellites in the region above the main meteor layer and published sounding rocket measurements of the main metallic ion layers, the effects of the dynamics on the vertical content are delineated. The consequences of atmospheric changes on the vertical content are explored by separating the Nimbus measurements in a geodetic frame of reference.

Global EDGAR v4.1 emissions of air pollutants: analysis of impacts of emissions abatement in industry and road transport on regional and global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janssens-Maenhout, G.; Olivier, J. G.; Doering, U. M.; van Aardenne, J.; Monni, S.; Pagliari, V.; Peters, J. A.

2010-12-01

The new version v4.1 of the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) compiled by JRC and PBL provides independent estimates of the global anthropogenic emissions and emission trends of precursors of tropospheric ozone (CO, NMVOC, NOx) and acidifying substances (NOx, NH3, SO2) for the period 1970-2005. All emissions are detailed at country level consistently using the same technology-based methodology, combining activity data (international statistics) from publicly available sources and to the extent possible emission factors as recommended by the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook. By using high resolution global grid maps per source category of area sources and point sources, we also compiled datasets with annual emissions on a 0.1x0.1 degree grid, as input for atmospheric models. We provide full and up-to-date inventories per country, also for developing countries. Moreover, the time series back in time to 1970 provides for the trends in official national inventories a historic perspective. As part of our objective to contribute to more reliable inventories by providing a reference emissions database for emission scenarios, inventory comparisons and for atmospheric modellers, we strive to transparently document all data sources used and assumptions made where data was missing, in particular for assumptions made on the shares of technologies where relevant. Technology mixes per country or region were taken from other data sources (such as the Platts database) or estimated using other sources or countries as proxy. The evolution in the adoption of technologies world-wide over the 35 years covered by EDGAR v4.1 will be illustrated for the power industry and the road transport sectors, in particular for Europe and the US. Similarly the regional and global impacts of implemented control measures and end-of pipe abatements will be illustrated by the examples of - NOx and SO2 end-of pipe abatements being implemented since the late eighties for power plants in Europe, and since 2000 appearing in the economically emerging countries such as China; - EURO3 control measures, a European standard for passenger cars, which now reached the age of being exported to African and Latin-American countries. An outlook will be given on the current readiness of Europe to meet the challenging goals of the National Emission Ceilings directive.

Analysis of direct to diffuse partitioning of global solar irradiance at the radiometric station in Badajoz (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, G.; Cancillo, M. L.; Serrano, A.

2010-09-01

This study is aimed at the analysis of the partitioning of global solar irradiance into its direct and diffuse components at the radiometric station in Badajoz (Spain). The detailed knowledge of the solar radiation field is of increasing interest in Southern Europe due to its use as renewable energy. In particular, the knowledge of the solar radiation partitioning into direct and diffuse radiation has become a major demand for the design and suitable orientation of solar panels in solar power plants. In this study the first measurements of solar diffuse irradiance performed in the radiometric station in Badajoz (Spain) are presented and analyzed in the framework of the partitioning of solar global radiation. Thus, solar global and diffuse irradiance were measured at one-minute basis from 23 November 2009 to 31 March 2010. Solar irradiances were measured by two Kipp&Zonen CMP11 pyranometers, using a Kipp&Zonen CM121 shadow ring for the measurements of solar diffuse irradiance. Diffuse measurements were corrected from the solid angle hidden by the ring and direct irradiance was calculated as the difference between global and diffuse measurements. Irradiance was obtained from the pyranomenters by applying calibration coefficients obtained in an inter-comparison campaign performed at INTA/El Arenosillo, in Huelva (Spain), last September 2009. There, calibration coefficients were calculated using as a reference a CMP11 pyranometer which had been previously calibrated by the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Centre in Switzerland. In order to study the partitioning of the solar radiation, the global and diffuse irradiances have been analyzed for three typical different sky conditions: cloud-free, broken clouds and overcast. Particular days within the period of study have been selected by visual inspection. Along with the analysis of the global and diffuse irradiances themselves, ratios of these irradiances to the downward irradiance at the top of the atmosphere have also been analyzed. Several interesting features have been found. It is particularly worth to note the decreasing relative contribution of the direct component to the global irradiance as the solar zenith angle increases, due to a longer path crossed within the atmosphere. In broken clouds and overcast conditions, the diffuse component becomes the major contribution to the irradiance being the high-frequency variability the main difference between both type of cases. While in overcast conditions the global irradiance remains remarkably low, under broken clouds the global irradiance shows a very high variability frequently reaching values higher than the irradiance at the top of the atmosphere, due to multi-reflection phenomenon. The present study contributes to a better knowledge of the radiation field and its partitioning, involving original high-frequency measurements.

Isotopic constraints on global atmospheric methane sources and sinks: a critical assessment of recent findings and new data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwietzke, S.; Sherwood, O.; Michel, S. E.; Bruhwiler, L.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Tans, P. P.

2017-12-01

Methane isotopic data have increasingly been used in recent studies to help constrain global atmospheric methane sources and sinks. The added scientific contributions to this field include (i) careful comparisons and merging of atmospheric isotope measurement datasets to increase spatial coverage, (ii) in-depth analyses of observed isotopic spatial gradients and seasonal patterns, and (iii) improved datasets of isotopic source signatures. Different interpretations have been made regarding the utility of the isotopic data on the diagnosis of methane sources and sinks. Some studies have found isotopic evidence of a largely microbial source causing the renewed growth in global atmospheric methane since 2007, and underestimated global fossil fuel methane emissions compared to most previous studies. However, other studies have challenged these conclusions by pointing out substantial spatial variability in isotopic source signatures as well as open questions in atmospheric sinks and biomass burning trends. This presentation will review and contrast the main arguments and evidence for the different conclusions. The analysis will distinguish among the different research objectives including (i) global methane budget source attribution in steady-state, (ii) source attribution of recent global methane trends, and (iii) identifying specific methane sources in individual plumes during field campaigns. Additional comparisons of model experiments with atmospheric measurements and updates on isotopic source signature data will complement the analysis.

GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH NEWS #18: SYMPOSIUM SESSION ON "GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC CHANGE"

EPA Science Inventory

A session on "Understanding and Managing Effects of Global Atmospheric Change" will be held at the Fifth Symposium of the U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. The Symposium topic is "Indicators in Health and Ecological Risk Assessment." The s...

Global tropospheric methane: An indication of atmosphere-biosphere-climate interactions?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harriss, Robert C.; Sebacher, Daniel I.; Bartlett, Karen B.

1985-01-01

Methane is an important atmospheric gas with potentially critical roles in both photochemical and radiation transfer processes. A major natural source of atmospheric methane involves anaerobic fermentation of organic materials in wetland soils and sediments. A data base of field measurements of atmospheric methane was used in the development of a global methane emissions inventory. Calculations support the following hypotheses: (1) Human activities currently produce methane at a rate approximately equal to natural resources (these rapidly increasing anthropogenic sources can explain most of the recent increase observed in tropospheric methane); and (2) Prior to 200 B.P. (before the present), the influence of climate on wetland extent and distribution was probably a dominant factor controlling global biogenic methane emissions to the atmosphere.

Command generator tracker based direct model reference adaptive tracking guidance for Mars atmospheric entry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuang; Peng, Yuming

2012-01-01

In order to accurately deliver an entry vehicle through the Martian atmosphere to the prescribed parachute deployment point, active Mars entry guidance is essential. This paper addresses the issue of Mars atmospheric entry guidance using the command generator tracker (CGT) based direct model reference adaptive control to reduce the adverse effect of the bounded uncertainties on atmospheric density and aerodynamic coefficients. Firstly, the nominal drag acceleration profile meeting a variety of constraints is planned off-line in the longitudinal plane as the reference model to track. Then, the CGT based direct model reference adaptive controller and the feed-forward compensator are designed to robustly track the aforementioned reference drag acceleration profile and to effectively reduce the downrange error. Afterwards, the heading alignment logic is adopted in the lateral plane to reduce the crossrange error. Finally, the validity of the guidance algorithm proposed in this paper is confirmed by Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

Inter-University Upper Atmosphere Global Observation Network (IUGONET) Metadata Database and Its Interoperability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatagai, A. I.; Iyemori, T.; Ritschel, B.; Koyama, Y.; Hori, T.; Abe, S.; Tanaka, Y.; Shinbori, A.; Umemura, N.; Sato, Y.; Yagi, M.; Ueno, S.; Hashiguchi, N. O.; Kaneda, N.; Belehaki, A.; Hapgood, M. A.

2013-12-01

The IUGONET is a Japanese program to build a metadata database for ground-based observations of the upper atmosphere [1]. The project began in 2009 with five Japanese institutions which archive data observed by radars, magnetometers, photometers, radio telescopes and helioscopes, and so on, at various altitudes from the Earth's surface to the Sun. Systems have been developed to allow searching of the above described metadata. We have been updating the system and adding new and updated metadata. The IUGONET development team adopted the SPASE metadata model [2] to describe the upper atmosphere data. This model is used as the common metadata format by the virtual observatories for solar-terrestrial physics. It includes metadata referring to each data file (called a 'Granule'), which enable a search for data files as well as data sets. Further details are described in [2] and [3]. Currently, three additional Japanese institutions are being incorporated in IUGONET. Furthermore, metadata of observations of the troposphere, taken at the observatories of the middle and upper atmosphere radar at Shigaraki and the Meteor radar in Indonesia, have been incorporated. These additions will contribute to efficient interdisciplinary scientific research. In the beginning of 2013, the registration of the 'Observatory' and 'Instrument' metadata was completed, which makes it easy to overview of the metadata database. The number of registered metadata as of the end of July, totalled 8.8 million, including 793 observatories and 878 instruments. It is important to promote interoperability and/or metadata exchange between the database development groups. A memorandum of agreement has been signed with the European Near-Earth Space Data Infrastructure for e-Science (ESPAS) project, which has similar objectives to IUGONET with regard to a framework for formal collaboration. Furthermore, observations by satellites and the International Space Station are being incorporated with a view for making/linking metadata databases. The development of effective data systems will contribute to the progress of scientific research on solar terrestrial physics, climate and the geophysical environment. Any kind of cooperation, metadata input and feedback, especially for linkage of the databases, is welcomed. References 1. Hayashi, H. et al., Inter-university Upper Atmosphere Global Observation Network (IUGONET), Data Sci. J., 12, WDS179-184, 2013. 2. King, T. et al., SPASE 2.0: A standard data model for space physics. Earth Sci. Inform. 3, 67-73, 2010, doi:10.1007/s12145-010-0053-4. 3. Hori, T., et al., Development of IUGONET metadata format and metadata management system. J. Space Sci. Info. Jpn., 105-111, 2012. (in Japanese)

Hydrological assessment of atmospheric forcing uncertainty in the Euro-Mediterranean area using a land surface model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelati, Emiliano; Decharme, Bertrand; Calvet, Jean-Christophe; Minvielle, Marie; Polcher, Jan; Fairbairn, David; Weedon, Graham P.

2018-04-01

Physically consistent descriptions of land surface hydrology are crucial for planning human activities that involve freshwater resources, especially in light of the expected climate change scenarios. We assess how atmospheric forcing data uncertainties affect land surface model (LSM) simulations by means of an extensive evaluation exercise using a number of state-of-the-art remote sensing and station-based datasets. For this purpose, we use the CO2-responsive ISBA-A-gs LSM coupled with the CNRM version of the Total Runoff Integrated Pathways (CTRIP) river routing model. We perform multi-forcing simulations over the Euro-Mediterranean area (25-75.5° N, 11.5° W-62.5° E, at 0.5° resolution) from 1979 to 2012. The model is forced using four atmospheric datasets. Three of them are based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis (ERA-I). The fourth dataset is independent from ERA-Interim: PGF, developed at Princeton University. The hydrological impacts of atmospheric forcing uncertainties are assessed by comparing simulated surface soil moisture (SSM), leaf area index (LAI) and river discharge against observation-based datasets: SSM from the European Space Agency's Water Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy and Climate Change Initiative projects (ESA-CCI), LAI of the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS), and Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) river discharge. The atmospheric forcing data are also compared to reference datasets. Precipitation is the most uncertain forcing variable across datasets, while the most consistent are air temperature and SW and LW radiation. At the monthly timescale, SSM and LAI simulations are relatively insensitive to forcing uncertainties. Some discrepancies with ESA-CCI appear to be forcing-independent and may be due to different assumptions underlying the LSM and the remote sensing retrieval algorithm. All simulations overestimate average summer and early-autumn LAI. Forcing uncertainty impacts on simulated river discharge are larger on mean values and standard deviations than on correlations with GRDC data. Anomaly correlation coefficients are not inferior to those computed from raw monthly discharge time series, indicating that the model reproduces inter-annual variability fairly well. However, simulated river discharge time series generally feature larger variability compared to measurements. They also tend to overestimate winter-spring high flows and underestimate summer-autumn low flows. Considering that several differences emerge between simulations and reference data, which may not be completely explained by forcing uncertainty, we suggest several research directions. These range from further investigating the discrepancies between LSMs and remote sensing retrievals to developing new model components to represent physical and anthropogenic processes.

A global 2007-2015 spaceborne sun-induced vegetation fluorescence time series evaluated with Australian flux tower observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verstraeten, Willem W.; Sanders, Abram F. J.; Kooreman, Maurits L.; van Leth, Thomas C.; Beringer, Jason; Joiner, Joanna; Delcloo, Andy

2017-04-01

The Gross Primary Production (GPP) of the terrestrial biosphere is a key quantity in the understanding of the global carbon cycle. GPP is the amount of atmospheric carbon fixed through the process of plant photosynthesis and it represents the largest ecosystem gross flux of CO2 between the atmosphere and the Earth surface. To date, monitoring of GPP has not been possible at scales beyond that of a single agricultural field or natural ecosystem. At those scales, networks of eddy-covariance towers provide a platform to measure Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of carbon at high temporal resolution, although with only sparse spatial coverage. Satellite observations can bridge that gap by providing the spatial distributions and changes over time of vegetation-related spectral indices. These "greenness indicators", however, tend to return the potential carbon uptake by plants rather than the actual uptake since short term environmental changes affecting plant productivity (e.g., water availability, temperature, nutrient deficiency, diseases) are not well captured. Sun-induced plant fluorescence (SiF), however, is tightly related to photosynthetic activity in the red and near-infrared wavelength range, and SiF can be retrieved from spaceborne measurements from sensors with good signal-to-noise ratios and fine spectral resolutions. We use optical data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Instrument 2 (GOME-2A) satellite sensor to infer terrestrial fluorescence from space. The spectral signatures of atmospheric absorption, surface reflectance, and fluorescence radiance are disentangled using reference hyperspectral data of non-fluorescence surfaces (desserts) to solve for the atmospheric absorption. An empirically based principal component analysis (PCA) approach was applied. Here we show a global 2007-2015 times series of sun-induced vegetation fluorescence derived from GOME-2A observations which we have compared with GPP data derived from twelve Net Ecosystem Exchange flux tower measurements in Australia. Correlations for individual towers range from 0.37 to 0.84. They are particularly high for managed biome types. Furthermore, we show that deseasonalized Australian SiF time series are able to clearly indicate the break of the Millennium Drought during the local summer of 2010/2011. It illustrates the strong potential of SiF data to monitor vegetation activity in relation with meteorological anomalies which may have impact on the ecosystem carbon budget and thus affect our climate at the long range.

Atmospheric and ocean sensing with GNSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yunck, Thomas P.; Hajj, George A.

2003-01-01

The 1980s and 1990s saw the Global Positioning System (GPS) transform space geodesy from an elite national enterprise to one open to the individual researcher. By adapting the tools from that endeavor we are learning to probe the atmosphere and the ocean surface in novel ways, including ground-based sensing of atmospheric moisture; space-based profiling of atmospheric refractivity by active limb sounding; and global ocean altimetry with reflected signals.

The carbon isotopic composition of ecosystem breath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehleringer, J.

2008-05-01

At the global scale, there are repeatable annual fluctuations in the concentration and isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, sometimes referred to as the "breathing of the planet". Vegetation components within ecosystems fix carbon dioxide through photosynthesis into stable organic compounds; simultaneously both vegetation and heterotrophic components of the ecosystem release previously fixed carbon as respiration. These two-way fluxes influencing carbon dioxide exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere impact both the concentration and isotopic composition of carbon dioxide within the convective boundary layer. Over space, the compounding effects of gas exchange activities from ecosystems become reflected in both regional and global changes in the concentration and isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide. When these two parameters are plotted against each other, there are significant linear relationships between the carbon isotopic composition and inverse concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. At the ecosystem scale, these "Keeling plots" intercepts of C3-dominated ecosystems describe the carbon isotope ratio of biospheric gas exchange. Using Farquhar's model, these carbon isotope values can be translated into quantitative measures of the drought-dependent control of photosynthesis by stomata as water availability changes through time. This approach is useful in aggregating the influences of drought across regional landscapes as it provides a quantitative measure of stomatal influence on photosynthetic gas exchange at the ecosystem-to-region scales. Multi-year analyses of the drought-dependent trends across terrestrial ecosystems show a repeated pattern with water stress in all but one C3-ecosystem type. Ecosystems that are dominated by ring-porous trees appear not to exhibit a dynamic stomatal response to water stress and therefore, there is little dependence of the carbon isotope ratio of gas exchange on site water balance. The mechanistic basis for this pattern is defined; the implications of climate change on ring-porous versus diffuse-porous vegetation and therefore on future atmospheric carbon dioxide isotope-concentration patterns is discussed.

In situ Carbon 13 and Oxygen 18 Ratios of Atmospheric CO2 from Cape Grim\\, Tasmania\\, Australia,1982-1993 (DB1014)

DOE Data Explorer

Francey, R. J. [CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia; Allison, C. E. [CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia

1998-01-01

Since 1982, a continuous program of sampling atmospheric CO2 to determine stable isotope ratios has been maintained at the Australian Baseline Air Pollution Station, Cape Grim, Tasmania (40°, 40'56"S, 144°, 41'18"E). The process of in situ extraction of CO2 from air, the preponderance of samples collected in conditions of strong wind from the marine boundary layer of the Southern Ocean, and the determination of all isotope ratios relative to a common high purity CO2 reference gas with isotopic δ13C close to atmospheric values, are a unique combination of factors with respect to obtaining a globally representative signal from a surface site. Air samples are collected during baseline condition episodes at a frequency of around one sample per week. Baseline conditions are characterized by wind direction in the sector 190°-280°, condensation nucleus concentration below 600 per cm-3, and steady continuous CO2 concentrations (variation ± 0.2 ppmv per hour). A vacuum pump draws air from either the 10 m or 70 m intakes and sampling alternates between the two intakes. The air from the intake is dried with a trap immersed in an alcohol bath at about -80°C. Mass spectrometer analyses for δ13C and δ18O are carried out by CSIRO's Division of Atmospheric Research in Aspendale, usually one to three weeks following collection. This record is possibly the most accurate representation of global atmospheric 13C behavior over the last decade and may be used to partition the uptake of fossil-fuel carbon emissions between ocean and terrestrial plant reservoirs. Using these data, Francey et al. (1995) observed a gradual decrease in δ13C from 1982 to 1993, but with a pronounced flattening from 1988 to 1990; a trend that appears to involve the terrestrial carbon cycle.

The Ocean State Report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Schuckmann, Karina

2017-04-01

COPERNICUS is the European Earth observation and monitoring programme, which aims to give the European Union autonomous and operational capability in space-based observation facilities (see the Sentinel missions) and in situ (measurements in the atmosphere, in the ocean and on the ground), and to operate six interlinked environmental monitoring services for the oceans, the atmosphere, territorial development, emergency situations, security and climate change. In this context, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service provides an open and free access to regular and systematic information about the physical state and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and six European regional seas. Mercator Ocean, the French center of global ocean analysis and forecast has been entrusted by the EU to implement and operate the Copernicus Marine Service. The first Ocean State Report Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service has been prepared, and is planned to appear at an annual basis (fall each year) as a unique reference for ocean state reporting. This report contains a state-of-the-art value-added synthesis of the ocean state for the global ocean and the European regional seas from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service data products and expert analysis. This activity is aiming to reach a wide audience -from the scientific community, over climate and environmental service and agencies, environmental reporting and bodies to the general public. We will give here an overview on the report, highlight main outcomes, and introduce future plans and developments.

The Ocean State Report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Schuckmann, K.

2016-12-01

COPERNICUS is the European Earth observation and monitoring programme, which aims to give the European Union autonomous and operational capability in space-based observation facilities (see the Sentinel missions) and in situ (measurements in the atmosphere, in the ocean and on the ground), and to operate six interlinked environmental monitoring services for the oceans, the atmosphere, territorial development, emergency situations, security and climate change. In this context, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service provides an open and free access to regular and systematic information about the physical state and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and six European regional seas. Mercator Ocean, the French center of global ocean analysis and forecast has been entrusted by the EU to implement and operate the Copernicus Marine Service. In fall 2016, the first Ocean State Report Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service will be published, and is planned to appear at an annual basis (June each year) as a unique reference for ocean state reporting. This report contains a state-of-the-art value-added synthesis of the ocean state for the global ocean and the European regional seas from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service data products and expert analysis. This activity is aiming to reach a wide audience -from the scientific community, over climate and environmental service and agencies, environmental reporting and bodies to the general public. We will give here an overview on the report, highlight main outcomes, and introduce future plans and developments.

Physical applications of GPS geodesy: a review.

PubMed

Bock, Yehuda; Melgar, Diego

2016-10-01

Geodesy, the oldest science, has become an important discipline in the geosciences, in large part by enhancing Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities over the last 35 years well beyond the satellite constellation's original design. The ability of GPS geodesy to estimate 3D positions with millimeter-level precision with respect to a global terrestrial reference frame has contributed to significant advances in geophysics, seismology, atmospheric science, hydrology, and natural hazard science. Monitoring the changes in the positions or trajectories of GPS instruments on the Earth's land and water surfaces, in the atmosphere, or in space, is important for both theory and applications, from an improved understanding of tectonic and magmatic processes to developing systems for mitigating the impact of natural hazards on society and the environment. Besides accurate positioning, all disturbances in the propagation of the transmitted GPS radio signals from satellite to receiver are mined for information, from troposphere and ionosphere delays for weather, climate, and natural hazard applications, to disturbances in the signals due to multipath reflections from the solid ground, water, and ice for environmental applications. We review the relevant concepts of geodetic theory, data analysis, and physical modeling for a myriad of processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and discuss the extensive global infrastructure that has been built to support GPS geodesy consisting of thousands of continuously operating stations. We also discuss the integration of heterogeneous and complementary data sets from geodesy, seismology, and geology, focusing on crustal deformation applications and early warning systems for natural hazards.

Climate and Ocean Circulation During "The Boring Billion" Simulated by CCSM3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, P.; Hu, Y.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

The Boring Billion is referred to the era between approximately 1.8 and 0.8 billion years ago. Geological evidence suggests that no dramatic climate changes in the billions of years, at least in terms of permanent glaciation. The atmospheric oxygen maintained at a relatively low level without significant perturbations. Life had a certain degree of evolution with a quite gentle pace. Relative to the Great Oxidation Event occurred previously, and the Snowball Earth Event and Cambrian Explosion occurred afterwards, this billion years was calm in all aspects so it's often referred to as "the Boring Billion". Why were both the climate and oxygen concentration so stable, and how the anoxic condition in the deep ocean maintained are the questions that motivated our research. We use the Atmosphere Ocean General Circulation Model CCSM3 in this study. The climate of the Boring Billion is simulated for two distinct continental configurations reconstructed for 1540 Ma and 1420 Ma, with continental fragments concentrating towards the North Pole and equator, respectively. The solar constant is set to be 10% weaker than that of the present day. The results show that when the concentration of CO2 is 20 times the present atmospheric level (PAL), the global mean surface temperatures are 19 ° C and 20 ° C for the 1540 Ma and 1420 Ma continental configuration, respectively. Large scale permanent glaciers cannot develop in such a warm climate even for the continents at the polar region. The largest mixed-layer depth in the high-latitude ocean is approximately 1200 m and meridional overturning circulation can reach depth of 3000 m with strength of 40 Sv for both continental configuration. This implies that the material and energy exchange between shallow and deep ocean, as well as atmosphere and ocean, is efficient. When CO2 concentration is reduced to 10 PAL, 5 PAL or 2.5 PAL, global average temperature becomes 16 ° C, 13 ° C and 2 ° C respectively, and permanent glaciers start to form at the polar regions. Therefore, our simulations suggest that the CO2 concentration had to be close to or higher than 20 PAL in order for the simulated climate to be consistent with the observations. Moreover, the oceans were not dynamically stratified, to maintain an anoxic deep ocean biogeochemical processes which are not included in the model have to be invoked.

The UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite): A program to study global ozone change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) program, its goals and objectives are described. Also included are its significance to upper atmosphere science, the experimental and theoretical investigations that comprise it, and the compelling issues of global change, driven by human activities, that led NASA to plan and implement it.

Importance of a Global Approach to Using Regional Models in the Assessment of Source-Receptor Relationships of Mercury

EPA Science Inventory

Regional atmospheric models simulate their pertinent processes over a limited portion of the global atmosphere. This portion of the atmosphere can be a large fraction, as in the case of continental-scale modeling, or small fraction, as in the case of urban-scale modeling. Regio...

Description of atmospheric conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory using the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierre Auger Collaboration; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Ahlers, M.; Ahn, E. J.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Allard, D.; Allekotte, I.; Allen, J.; Allison, P.; Almela, A.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Ambrosio, M.; Aminaei, A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andringa, S.; Antiči'C, T.; Aramo, C.; Arganda, E.; Arqueros, F.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Aublin, J.; Ave, M.; Avenier, M.; Avila, G.; Bäcker, T.; Badescu, A. M.; Balzer, M.; Barber, K. B.; Barbosa, A. F.; Bardenet, R.; Barroso, S. L. C.; Baughman, B.; Bäuml, J.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, B. R.; Becker, K. H.; Bellétoile, A.; Bellido, J. A.; Benzvi, S.; Berat, C.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Blanco, F.; Blanco, M.; Bleve, C.; Blümer, H.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Bonino, R.; Borodai, N.; Brack, J.; Brancus, I.; Brogueira, P.; Brown, W. C.; Bruijn, R.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Burton, R. E.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caccianiga, B.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Catalano, O.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cester, R.; Chauvin, J.; Cheng, S. H.; Chiavassa, A.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chirinos Diaz, J.; Chudoba, J.; Clay, R. W.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Contreras, F.; Cook, H.; Cooper, M. J.; Coppens, J.; Cordier, A.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Creusot, A.; Criss, A.; Cronin, J.; Curutiu, A.; Dagoret-Campagne, S.; Dallier, R.; Daniel, B.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; de Domenico, M.; de Donato, C.; de Jong, S. J.; de La Vega, G.; de Mello Junior, W. J. M.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; de Mitri, I.; de Souza, V.; de Vries, K. D.; Del Peral, L.; Del Río, M.; Deligny, O.; Dembinski, H.; Dhital, N.; di Giulio, C.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Diep, P. N.; Diogo, F.; Dobrigkeit, C.; Docters, W.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dong, P. N.; Dorofeev, A.; Dos Anjos, J. C.; Dova, M. T.; D'Urso, D.; Dutan, I.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Erdmann, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Espadanal, J.; Etchegoyen, A.; Facal San Luis, P.; Fajardo Tapia, I.; Falcke, H.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Ferguson, A. P.; Fick, B.; Filevich, A.; Filipčič, A.; Fliescher, S.; Fracchiolla, C. E.; Fraenkel, E. D.; Fratu, O.; Fröhlich, U.; Fuchs, B.; Gaior, R.; Gamarra, R. F.; Gambetta, S.; García, B.; Garcia Roca, S. T.; Garcia-Gamez, D.; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Gascon, A.; Gemmeke, H.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giller, M.; Glass, H.; Gold, M. S.; Golup, G.; Gomez Albarracin, F.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gómez Vitale, P. F.; Gonçalves, P.; Gonzalez, D.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Gookin, B.; Gorgi, A.; Gouffon, P.; Grashorn, E.; Grebe, S.; Griffith, N.; Grigat, M.; Grillo, A. F.; Guardincerri, Y.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Guzman, A.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harrison, T. A.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Herve, A. E.; Hojvat, C.; Hollon, N.; Holmes, V. C.; Homola, P.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Horvath, P.; Hrabovský, M.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Insolia, A.; Ionita, F.; Italiano, A.; Jarne, C.; Jiraskova, S.; Josebachuili, M.; Kadija, K.; Kampert, K. H.; Karhan, P.; Kasper, P.; Kégl, B.; Keilhauer, B.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemp, E.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Knapp, J.; Koang, D.-H.; Kotera, K.; Krohm, N.; Krömer, O.; Kruppke-Hansen, D.; Kuehn, F.; Kuempel, D.; Kulbartz, J. K.; Kunka, N.; La Rosa, G.; Lachaud, C.; Lahurd, D.; Latronico, L.; Lauer, R.; Lautridou, P.; Le Coz, S.; Leão, M. S. A. B.; Lebrun, D.; Lebrun, P.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Link, K.; López, R.; Lopez Agüera, A.; Louedec, K.; Lozano Bahilo, J.; Lu, L.; Lucero, A.; Ludwig, M.; Lyberis, H.; Maccarone, M. C.; Macolino, C.; Maldera, S.; Mandat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Marin, J.; Marin, V.; Maris, I. C.; Marquez Falcon, H. R.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martin, L.; Martinez, H.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Mathes, H. J.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Maurel, D.; Maurizio, D.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Melissas, M.; Melo, D.; Menichetti, E.; Menshikov, A.; Mertsch, P.; Meurer, C.; Mi'Canovi'C, S.; Micheletti, M. I.; Minaya, I. A.; Miramonti, L.; Molina-Bueno, L.; Mollerach, S.; Monasor, M.; Monnier Ragaigne, D.; Montanet, F.; Morales, B.; Morello, C.; Moreno, E.; Moreno, J. C.; Mostafá, M.; Moura, C. A.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, G.; Münchmeyer, M.; Mussa, R.; Navarra, G.; Navarro, J. L.; Navas, S.; Necesal, P.; Nellen, L.; Nelles, A.; Neuser, J.; Nhung, P. T.; Niechciol, M.; Niemietz, L.; Nierstenhoefer, N.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Nožka, L.; Oehlschläger, J.; Olinto, A.; Ortiz, M.; Pacheco, N.; Pakk Selmi-Dei, D.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Palmieri, N.; Parente, G.; Parizot, E.; Parra, A.; Pastor, S.; Paul, T.; Pech, M.; Pȩkala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Pepe, I. M.; Perrone, L.; Pesce, R.; Petermann, E.; Petrera, S.; Petrinca, P.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, Y.; Pfendner, C.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pieroni, P.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Ponce, V. H.; Pontz, M.; Porcelli, A.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Quel, E. J.; Querchfeld, S.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravel, O.; Ravignani, D.; Revenu, B.; Ridky, J.; Riggi, S.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rivera, H.; Rizi, V.; Roberts, J.; Rodrigues de Carvalho, W.; Rodriguez, G.; Rodriguez Martino, J.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Rodriguez-Cabo, I.; Rodríguez-Frías, M. D.; Ros, G.; Rosado, J.; Rossler, T.; Roth, M.; Rouillé-D'Orfeuil, B.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Rühle, C.; Saftoiu, A.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Salesa Greus, F.; Salina, G.; Sánchez, F.; Santo, C. E.; Santos, E.; Santos, E. M.; Sarazin, F.; Sarkar, B.; Sarkar, S.; Sato, R.; Scharf, N.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schiffer, P.; Schmidt, A.; Scholten, O.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Schovancova, J.; Schovánek, P.; Schröder, F.; Schulte, S.; Schuster, D.; Sciutto, S. J.; Scuderi, M.; Segreto, A.; Settimo, M.; Shadkam, A.; Shellard, R. C.; Sidelnik, I.; Sigl, G.; Silva Lopez, H. H.; Sima, O.; 'Smiałkowski, A.; Šmída, R.; Snow, G. R.; Sommers, P.; Sorokin, J.; Spinka, H.; Squartini, R.; Srivastava, Y. N.; Stanic, S.; Stapleton, J.; Stasielak, J.; Stephan, M.; Stutz, A.; Suarez, F.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Šuša, T.; Sutherland, M. S.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Szuba, M.; Tapia, A.; Tartare, M.; Taşcău, O.; Tavera Ruiz, C. G.; Tcaciuc, R.; Thao, N. T.; Thomas, D.; Tiffenberg, J.; Timmermans, C.; Tkaczyk, W.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Toma, G.; Tomankova, L.; Tomé, B.; Tonachini, A.; Travnicek, P.; Tridapalli, D. B.; Tristram, G.; Trovato, E.; Tueros, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van den Berg, A. M.; Varela, E.; Vargascárdenas, B.; Vázquez, J. R.; Vázquez, R. A.; Veberič, D.; Verzi, V.; Vicha, J.; Videla, M.; Villaseñor, L.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrlich, P.; Wainberg, O.; Walz, D.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weidenhaupt, K.; Weindl, A.; Werner, F.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Widom, A.; Wieczorek, G.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyńska, B.; Wilczyński, H.; Will, M.; Williams, C.; Winchen, T.; Wommer, M.; Wundheiler, B.; Yamamoto, T.; Yapici, T.; Younk, P.; Yuan, G.; Yushkov, A.; Zamorano, B.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zaw, I.; Zepeda, A.; Zhu, Y.; Zimbres Silva, M.; Ziolkowski, M.

2012-04-01

Atmospheric conditions at the site of a cosmic ray observatory must be known for reconstructing observed extensive air showers. The Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) is a global atmospheric model predicated on meteorological measurements and numerical weather predictions. GDAS provides altitude-dependent profiles of the main state variables of the atmosphere like temperature, pressure, and humidity. The original data and their application to the air shower reconstruction of the Pierre Auger Observatory are described. By comparisons with radiosonde and weather station measurements obtained on-site in Malargüe and averaged monthly models, the utility of the GDAS data is shown.

Description of Atmospheric Conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory using the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS)

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

Abreu, P.; /Lisbon, IST; Aglietta, M.

2012-01-01

Atmospheric conditions at the site of a cosmic ray observatory must be known for reconstructing observed extensive air showers. The Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) is a global atmospheric model predicated on meteorological measurements and numerical weather predictions. GDAS provides altitude-dependent profiles of the main state variables of the atmosphere like temperature, pressure, and humidity. The original data and their application to the air shower reconstruction of the Pierre Auger Observatory are described. By comparisons with radiosonde and weather station measurements obtained on-site in Malargue and averaged monthly models, the utility of the GDAS data is shown.

The 2006 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Range Reference Atmosphere Model Validation Study and Sensitivity Analysis to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decker, Ryan K.; Burns, Lee; Merry, Carl; Harrington, Brian

2008-01-01

Atmospheric parameters are essential in assessing the flight performance of aerospace vehicles. The effects of the Earth's atmosphere on aerospace vehicles influence various aspects of the vehicle during ascent ranging from its flight trajectory to the structural dynamics and aerodynamic heatmg on the vehicle. Atmospheric databases charactenzing the wind and thermodynamic environments, known as Range Reference Atmospheres (RRA), have been developed at space launch ranges by a governmental interagency working group for use by aerospace vehicle programs. The National Aeronantics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Shuttle Program (SSP), which launches from Kennedy Space Center, utilizes atmosphenc statistics derived from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Range Reference Atmosphere (CCAFS RRA) database to evaluate environmental constraints on various aspects of the vehlcle during ascent.

Global Modeling Study of the Bioavailable Atmospheric Iron Supply to the Global Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myriokefalitakis, S.; Krol, M. C.; van Noije, T.; Le Sager, P.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric deposition of trace constituents acts as a nutrient source to the open ocean and affect marine ecosystem. Dust is known as a major source of nutrients to the global ocean, but only a fraction of these nutrients is released in a bioavailable form that can be assimilated by the marine biota. Iron (Fe) is a key micronutrient that significantly modulates gross primary production in the High-Nutrient-Low-Chlorophyll (HNLC) oceans, where macronutrients like nitrate are abundant, but primary production is limited by Fe scarcity. The global atmospheric Fe cycle is here parameterized in the state-of-the-art global Earth System Model EC-Earth. The model takes into account the primary emissions of both insoluble and soluble Fe forms, associated with mineral dust and combustion aerosols. The impact of atmospheric acidity and organic ligands on mineral dissolution processes, is parameterized based on updated experimental and theoretical findings. Model results are also evaluated against available observations. Overall, the link between the labile Fe atmospheric deposition and atmospheric composition changes is here demonstrated and quantified. This work has been financed by the Marie-Curie H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 grant (ID 705652) ODEON (Online DEposition over OceaNs; modeling the effect of air pollution on ocean bio-geochemistry in an Earth System Model).

Parameterization of daily solar global ultraviolet irradiation.

PubMed

Feister, U; Jäkel, E; Gericke, K

2002-09-01

Daily values of solar global ultraviolet (UV) B and UVA irradiation as well as erythemal irradiation have been parameterized to be estimated from pyranometer measurements of daily global and diffuse irradiation as well as from atmospheric column ozone. Data recorded at the Meteorological Observatory Potsdam (52 degrees N, 107 m asl) in Germany over the time period 1997-2000 have been used to derive sets of regression coefficients. The validation of the method against independent data sets of measured UV irradiation shows that the parameterization provides a gain of information for UVB, UVA and erythemal irradiation referring to their averages. A comparison between parameterized daily UV irradiation and independent values of UV irradiation measured at a mountain station in southern Germany (Meteorological Observatory Hohenpeissenberg at 48 degrees N, 977 m asl) indicates that the parameterization also holds even under completely different climatic conditions. On a long-term average (1953-2000), parameterized annual UV irradiation values are 15% and 21% higher for UVA and UVB, respectively, at Hohenpeissenberg than they are at Potsdam. Daily global and diffuse irradiation measured at 28 weather stations of the Deutscher Wetterdienst German Radiation Network and grid values of column ozone from the EPTOMS satellite experiment served as inputs to calculate the estimates of the spatial distribution of daily and annual values of UV irradiation across Germany. Using daily values of global and diffuse irradiation recorded at Potsdam since 1937 as well as atmospheric column ozone measured since 1964 at the same site, estimates of daily and annual UV irradiation have been derived for this site over the period from 1937 through 2000, which include the effects of changes in cloudiness, in aerosols and, at least for the period of ozone measurements from 1964 to 2000, in atmospheric ozone. It is shown that the extremely low ozone values observed mainly after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 have substantially enhanced UVB irradiation in the first half of the 1990s. According to the measurements and calculations, the nonlinear long-term changes observed between 1968 and 2000 amount to +4%, ..., +5% for annual global irradiation and UVA irradiation mainly because of changing cloudiness and + 14%, ..., +15% for UVB and erythemal irradiation because of both changing cloudiness and decreasing column ozone. At the mountain site, Hohenpeissenberg, measured global irradiation and parameterized UVA irradiation decreased during the same time period by -3%, ..., -4%, probably because of the enhanced occurrence and increasing optical thickness of clouds, whereas UVB and erythemal irradiation derived by the parameterization have increased by +3%, ..., +4% because of the combined effect of clouds and decreasing ozone. The parameterizations described here should be applicable to other regions with similar atmospheric and geographic conditions, whereas for regions with significantly different climatic conditions, such as high mountainous areas and arctic or tropical regions, the representativeness of the regression coefficients would have to be approved. It is emphasized here that parameterizations, as the one described in this article, cannot replace measurements of solar UV radiation, but they can use existing measurements of solar global and diffuse radiation as well as data on atmospheric ozone to provide estimates of UV irradiation in regions and over time periods for which UV measurements are not available.

Mechanisms of the global electric circuit and lightning variability on the ENSO time scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mareev, Evgeny; Volodin, Evgeny; Slyunyaev, Nikolay

2017-04-01

Many studies of lightning activity on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) time scale show increased activity over tropical land areas during the warm El Niño phase (e.g., Satori et al., 2009; Price, 2009). The mechanisms of this variability—particularly in terms of its role in the global electric circuit (GEC)—are still under debate (e.g., Williams and Mareev, 2014). In this study a general circulation model of the atmosphere and ocean INMCM4.0 (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Coupled Model) is used for modelling the GEC variability on the ENSO time scale. The ionospheric potential (IP) and the lightning flash rate are calculated to study regional peculiarities and possible mechanisms of lightning variation. The IP parameterisation is used (Mareev and Volodin, 2014) which takes into account quasi-stationary currents of electrified clouds (including thunderstorms) as principal contributors into the DC global circuit. The account of conductivity variation in the IP parameterisation is suggested based on the approach realised in (Slyunyaev et al., 2014). Comparison of simulation results with the observational data on lightning activity on the ENSO time scale is discussed. Numerical simulations suggest that the inter-annual IP variability is low and does not exceed 1% of the mean value, being tightly correlated with the mean sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific Ocean (180W-100W, 5S-5N—El Niño area). The IP maximum corresponds to the SST minimum. This result can be explained taking into account that during El Niño (positive temperature anomaly) precipitations in the equatorial part of the Pacific increase while in other tropic zones including the land areas they decrease. Comparison of simulation results with the observational data on lightning activity on the ENSO time scale is discussed. During the El Niño period in the model, the mean aerosol content in the atmosphere decrease, which is caused by the weakening of the winds over Sahara and South-West Asia lifting dust into the atmosphere. Taking into consideration the decrease in the number of thunderstorms, this does not explain the observed global lightning variation. As another possible explanation for the enhanced El Niño lightning activity, the variation of the atmospheric aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei due to fires is discussed. The work was supported by a grant from the Government of the Russian Federation (contract no. 14.B25.31.0023) and by RFBR grant no. 16-05-01086. References Mareev E.A., Volodin E.M. (2014), Variation of the global electric circuit and ionospheric potential in a general circulation model, Geophys. Res. Lett., V. 41, P. 9009-9016. Sátori G., Williams E., Lemperger I. (2009), Variability of global lightning activity on the ENSO time scale, Atmos. Res., V. 91, P. 500-507. Price C. (2009), Will a drier climate result in a more lightning?, Atmos. Res., V. 91, P. 479-484. Williams E.R., Mareev E.A. (2014), Recent progress on the global electrical circuit, Atmos. Res., V. 135-136, P. 208-227. Slyunyaev N.N., Mareev E.A., Kalinin A.V., Zhidkov A.A. (2014), Influence of large-scale conductivity inhomogeneities in the atmosphere on the global electric circuit, J. Atmos. Sci., V. 71, P. 4382-4396.

Towards more Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements (GloCAEM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicoll, Keri; Harrison, Giles

2017-04-01

Earth's atmospheric electrical environment has been studied since the 1750s but its more recent applications to science questions around clouds and climate highlight the incompleteness of our understanding, in part due to lack of suitable global measurements. The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) sustains the near-surface fair weather (FW) electric field, which is present globally in regions which are not strongly electrically disturbed by weather or pollution. It can be measured routinely at the surface using well established instrumentation such as electric field mills. Despite the central role of lightning as a weather hazard and the potentially widespread importance of charge for atmospheric processes, research is hampered by the fragmented nature of surface atmospheric electricity measurements. This makes anything other than local studies in fortuitous fair weather conditions difficult. In contrast to detection of global lightning using satellite measurements and ground-based radio networks, the FW electric field and GEC cannot be measured by remote sensing and no similar measurement networks exist for its study. This presents an opportunity as many researchers worldwide now make high temporal resolution measurements of the FW electric field routinely, which is neither coordinated nor exploited. The GLOCAEM (Global Coordination of Atmospheric Electricity Measurements) project is currently bringing some of these experts together to make the first steps towards an effective global network for FW atmospheric electricity monitoring. A specific objective of the project is to establish the first modern archive of international FW atmospheric electric field data in close to real time to allow global studies of atmospheric electricity to be straightforwardly and robustly performed. Data will be archived through the UK Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA) and will be available for download by users from early 2018. Both 1 second and 1 minute electric field data will be archived, along with meteorological measurements (if available) for ease of interpretation of electrical measurements. Although the primary aim of the project is to provide a close to real time electric field database, archiving of existing historical electric field datasets is also planned to extend the range of studies possible. This presentation will provide a summary of progress with the GLOCAEM project.

Improvement of global and regional mean sea level derived from satellite altimetry multi missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ablain, M.; Faugere, Y.; Larnicol, G.; Picot, N.; Cazenave, A.; Benveniste, J.

2012-04-01

With the satellite altimetry missions, the global mean sea level (GMSL) has been calculated on a continual basis since January 1993. 'Verification' phases, during which the satellites follow each other in close succession (Topex/Poseidon--Jason-1, then Jason-1--Jason-2), help to link up these different missions by precisely determining any bias between them. Envisat, ERS-1 and ERS-2 are also used, after being adjusted on these reference missions, in order to compute Mean Sea Level at high latitudes (higher than 66°N and S), and also to improve spatial resolution by combining all these missions together. The global mean sea level (MSL) deduced from TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and Jason-2 provide a global rate of 3.2 mm from 1993 to 2010 applying the post glacial rebound (MSL aviso website http://www.jason.oceanobs.com/msl). Besides, the regional sea level trends bring out an inhomogeneous repartition of the ocean elevation with local MSL slopes ranging from + 8 mm/yr to - 8 mm/year. A study published in 2009 [Ablain et al., 2009] has shown that the global MSL trend unceratainty was estimated at +/-0.6 mm/year with a confidence interval of 90%. The main sources of errors at global and regional scales are due to the orbit calculation and the wet troposphere correction. But others sea-level components have also a significant impact on the long-term stability of MSL as for instance the stability of instrumental parameters and the atmospheric corrections. Thanks to recent studies performed in the frame of the SALP project (supported by CNES) and Sea-level Climate Change Initiative project (supported by ESA), strong improvements have been provided for the estimation of the global and regional MSL trends. In this paper, we propose to describe them; they concern the orbit calculation thanks to new gravity fields, the atmospheric corrections thanks to ERA-interim reanalyses, the wet troposphere corrections thanks to the stability improvement, and also empirical corrections allowing us to link regional time series together better. These improvements are described at global and regional scale for all the altimetry missions.

Implications of potential future grand solar minimum for ozone layer and climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsenovic, Pavle; Rozanov, Eugene; Anet, Julien; Stenke, Andrea; Schmutz, Werner; Peter, Thomas

2018-03-01

Continued anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are expected to cause further global warming throughout the 21st century. Understanding the role of natural forcings and their influence on global warming is thus of great interest. Here we investigate the impact of a recently proposed 21st century grand solar minimum on atmospheric chemistry and climate using the SOCOL3-MPIOM chemistry-climate model with an interactive ocean element. We examine five model simulations for the period 2000-2199, following the greenhouse gas concentration scenario RCP4.5 and a range of different solar forcings. The reference simulation is forced by perpetual repetition of solar cycle 23 until the year 2199. This reference is compared with grand solar minimum simulations, assuming a strong decline in solar activity of 3.5 and 6.5 W m-2, respectively, that last either until 2199 or recover in the 22nd century. Decreased solar activity by 6.5 W m-2 is found to yield up to a doubling of the GHG-induced stratospheric and mesospheric cooling. Under the grand solar minimum scenario, tropospheric temperatures are also projected to decrease compared to the reference. On the global scale a reduced solar forcing compensates for at most 15 % of the expected greenhouse warming at the end of the 21st and around 25 % at the end of the 22nd century. The regional effects are predicted to be significant, in particular in northern high-latitude winter. In the stratosphere, the reduction of around 15 % of incoming ultraviolet radiation leads to a decrease in ozone production by up to 8 %, which overcompensates for the anticipated ozone increase due to reduced stratospheric temperatures and an acceleration of the Brewer-Dobson circulation. This, in turn, leads to a delay in total ozone column recovery from anthropogenic halogen-induced depletion, with a global ozone recovery to the pre-ozone hole values happening only upon completion of the grand solar minimum.

An Introduction to the Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System from a EUMETSAT Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, S. C.; Hewison, T.; Roebeling, R. A.; Koenig, M.; Schulz, J.; Miu, P.

2012-04-01

The Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System (GSICS) (Goldberg and al. 2011) is an international collaborative effort which aims to monitor, improve and harmonize the quality of observations from operational weather and environmental satellites of the Global Observing System (GOS). GSICS aims at ensuring consistent accuracy among space-based observations worldwide for climate monitoring, weather forecasting, and environmental applications. This is achieved through a comprehensive calibration strategy, which involves monitoring instrument performances, operational inter-calibration of satellite instruments, tying the measurements to absolute references and standards, and recalibration of archived data. A major part of this strategy involves direct comparison of collocated observations from pairs of satellite instruments, which are used to systematically generate calibration functions to compare and correct the calibration of monitored instruments to references. These GSICS Corrections are needed for accurately integrating data from multiple observing systems into both near real-time and re-analysis products, applications and services. This paper gives more insight into the activities carried out by EUMETSAT as a GSICS Processing and Research Centre. Currently these are closely bound to the in-house development and operational implementation of calibration methods for solar and thermal band channels of geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites. They include inter-calibration corrections for Meteosat imagers using reference instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on-board the Aqua satellite for solar band channels, the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on-board Metop-A and, for historic archive data, the High-resolution InfraRed Sounder (HIRS). Additionally, bias monitoring is routinely performed, allowing users to visualise the calibration accuracy of the instruments in near real-time. These activities are based on principles and protocols defined by the GSICS Research Working Group and Data Management Working Group, which require assessment of the calibration uncertainties to ensure the traceability to community references.

Climate-methane cycle feedback in global climate model model simulations forced by RCP scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliseev, Alexey V.; Denisov, Sergey N.; Arzhanov, Maxim M.; Mokhov, Igor I.

2013-04-01

Methane cycle module of the global climate model of intermediate complexity developed at the A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS CM) is extended by coupling with a detailed module for thermal and hydrological processes in soil (Deep Soil Simulator, (Arzhanov et al., 2008)). This is an important improvement with respect with the earlier IAP RAS CM version (Eliseev et al., 2008) which has employed prescribed soil hydrology to simulate CH4 emissions from soil. Geographical distribution of water inundated soil in the model was also improved by replacing the older Olson's ecosystem data base by the data based on the SCIAMACHY retrievals (Bergamaschi et al., 2007). New version of the IAP RAS CM module for methane emissions from soil is validated by using the simulation protocol adopted in the WETCHIMP (Wetland and Wetland CH4 Inter-comparison of Models Project). In addition, atmospheric part of the IAP RAS CM methane cycle is extended by temperature dependence of the methane life-time in the atmosphere in order to mimic the respective dependence of the atmospheric methane chemistry (Denisov et al., 2012). The IAP RAS CM simulations are performed for the 18th-21st centuries according with the CMIP5 protocol taking into account natural and anthropogenic forcings. The new IAP RAS CM version realistically reproduces pre-industrial and present-day characteristics of the global methane cycle including CH4 concentration qCH4 in the atmosphere and CH4 emissions from soil. The latter amounts 150 - 160 TgCH4-yr for the late 20th century and increases to 170 - 230 TgCH4-yr in the late 21st century. Atmospheric methane concentration equals 3900 ppbv under the most aggressive anthropogenic scenario RCP 8.5 and 1850 - 1980 ppbv under more moderate scenarios RCP 6.0 and RCP 4.5. Under the least aggressive scenario RCP 2.6 qCH4 reaches maximum 1730 ppbv in 2020s and declines afterwards. Climate change impact on the methane emissions from soil enhances build up of the methane stock in the atmosphere by 10 - 25% depending on anthropogenic scenario and time instant. In turn, decrease of methane life-time in the atmosphere suppresses this build up by 5 - 40%. The net effect is uncertain but small in terms of resulting additional greenhouse radiative forcing. This smallness is reflected in small additional (relative to the model version with both methane emissions from soil and methane life-time in the atmosphere fixed at their preindustrial values) near-surface warming which globally is not larger than 1 K, i.e, ˜ 4% of warming exhibited by the model version neglecting climate-methane cycle interaction. References [1] M.M. Arzhanov, P.F. Demchenko, A.V. Eliseev, and I.I. Mokhov. Simulation of characteristics of thermal and hydrologic soil regimes in equilibrium numerical experiments with a climate model of intermediate complexity. Izvestiya, Atmos. Ocean. Phys., 44(5):279-287, 2008. doi: 10.1134/S0001433808050022. [2] P. Bergamaschi, C. Frankenberg, J.F. Meirink, M. Krol, F. Dentener, T. Wagner, U. Platt, J.O. Kaplan, S. Körner, M. Heimann, E.J. Dlugokencky, and A. Goede. Satellite chartography of atmospheric methane from SCIAMACHY on board ENVISAT: 2. Evaluation based on inverse model simulations. J. Geophys. Res., 112(D2):D02304, 2007. doi: 10.1029/2006JD007268. [3] S.N. Denisov, A.V. Eliseev, and I.I. Mokhov. Climate change in the IAP RAS global model with interactive methane cycle under RCP anthropogenic scenarios. Rus. Meteorol. Hydrol., 2012. [submitted]. [4] A.V. Eliseev, I.I. Mokhov, M.M. Arzhanov, P.F. Demchenko, and S.N. Denisov. Interaction of the methane cycle and processes in wetland ecosystems in a climate model of intermediate complexity. Izvestiya, Atmos. Ocean. Phys., 44(2):139-152, 2008. doi: 10.1134/S0001433808020011.

Simulating the effect of photochemical aging on the oxidation state and hygroscopicity of organic aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsimpidi, A.; Karydis, V.; Pandis, S. N.; Lelieveld, J.

2016-12-01

Hygroscopicity is an important property of aerosols which describes their propensity to absorb water vapor. The hygroscopicity of organic aerosol (OA) can change during its atmospheric aging affecting the total aerosol hygroscopicity. A more hygroscopic particle will grow more rapidly under humid conditions, scatter incident sunlight more efficiently; and it will more likely form cloud droplets. Both phenomena strongly influence the radiative forcing of climate through the direct and indirect effects of aerosols. Therefore, taking into account the hygrscopicity changes of OA during its atmospheric aging is of prime importance to accurately estimate the aerosol climatic impact. Here, we use a computationally efficient module for the description of OA composition and evolution in the atmosphere (ORACLE) (Tsimpidi et al., 2014) in the frame of the global chemistry climate model EMAC to simulate the global distribution of the OA oxidation state and hygroscopicity. To track the evolution of the OA oxidation state during its atmospheric aging, ORACLE is modified to include the description of the OA oxygen content change when mass from any OA surrogate species reacts with the OH radical. Subsequently, it is assumed that the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of OA, expressed in the form of the hygroscopicity parameter κ, will increase with increasing oxygen content (expressed by the oxygen per carbon ratio, O:C) and will range from κ = 0 (for O:C ≤ 0.2) to κ = 0.35 (for O:C = 1). The exact relationship between O:C and κ is determined based on aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and continuous flow CCN (CCNC) measurements of SOA (Lambe et al., 2011). Following a straightforward mixing rule, the hygroscopicity and oxygen content of total OA is calculated based on the hygroscopicities of the individual OA compounds and their degree of oxidation. A global dataset of O:C measurements is used to validate the model results. ReferencesLambe, A. T., et al. : Laboratory studies of the chemical composition and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and oxidized primary organic aerosol (OPOA), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 8913-8928, 2011. Tsimpidi, A. P., et al. : ORACLE (v1.0): module to simulate the organic aerosol composition and evolution in the atmosphere, Geo. Mod. Devel., 7, 3153-3172, 2014.

The influence of topography on Titan’s atmospheric circulation and hydrologic cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lora, Juan M.; Faulk, Sean; Mitchell, Jonathan

2017-10-01

Titan’s atmospheric circulation is a dominant driver of the global methane hydrologic cycle—producing weather and a seasonal climate cycle—while interactions between the surface and the troposphere strongly constrain regional climates, and contribute to the differentiation between Titan’s low latitude deserts and high latitude lake districts. Yet the influence of surface topography on the atmospheric circulation has only been studied in a few instances, and no published work has investigated the coupling between topographical forcing and Titan’s hydrologic cycle. In this work, we examine the impacts of global topography in the Titan Atmospheric Model (TAM), which includes a robust representation of the methane cycle. We focus in particular on the influence of large-scale topographical features on the atmospheric flow, atmospheric moisture transport, and cloud formation. High latitude transient weather systems have previously been identified as important contributors to global atmospheric methane transport, and here we examine whether topographically-forced stationary or quasi-permanent systems are also important, as they are in Earth’s hydrologic cycle.

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart G of... - Substitutes Subject to Use Restrictions and Unacceptable Substitutes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although actual contributions to global warming depend upon the quantities of PFCs emitted, the... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming...

PATHWAYS OF MERCURY EVASION FROM CONTAMINATED WETLANDS: A GLOBALLY IMPORTANT SOURCE OF ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY?

EPA Science Inventory

Mercury (Hg) is a globally occurring pollutant that bioaccumulates and persists in the environment. The global Hg cycle is highly dependant on air/water exchange, as it is one of the primary pathways to deliver Hg to the atmosphere. Although open water systems appear to be net...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart G of... - Substitutes Subject to Use Restrictions and Unacceptable Substitutes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although actual contributions to global warming depend upon the quantities of PFCs emitted, the... for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart G of... - Substitutes Subject to Use Restrictions and Unacceptable Substitutes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although actual contributions to global warming depend upon the quantities of PFCs emitted, the... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming...

40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart G of... - Substitutes Subject to Use Restrictions and Unacceptable Substitutes

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potentials. Although actual contributions to global warming depend upon the quantities of PFCs emitted, the... characteristic of concern for PFCs is that they have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming...

Development of a global backscatter model for NASA's laser atmospheric wind sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowdle, David; Collins, Laurie; Mach, Douglas; Mcnider, Richard; Song, Aaron

1992-01-01

During the Contract Period April 1, 1989, to September 30, 1992, the Earth Systems Science Laboratory (ESSL) in the Research Institute at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) conducted a program of basic research on atmospheric backscatter characteristics, leading to the development of a global backscatter model. The ESSL research effort was carried out in conjunction with the Earth System Observing Branch (ES43) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, as part of NASA Contract NAS8-37585 under the Atmospheric Dynamics Program at NASA Headquarters. This research provided important inputs to NASA's GLObal Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) program, especially in the understanding of global aerosol life cycles, and to NASA's Doppler Lidar research program, especially the development program for their prospective space-based Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS).

Global and Hemispheric Annual Temperature Variations Between 1854 and 1991 (revised 1994) (NDP-022)

DOE Data Explorer

Jones, P. D. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Wigley, T. M. L. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Wright, P. B. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom

1994-01-01

This data set contains estimates of global and hemispheric annual temperature variations, relative to a 1950 through 1979 reference period, for 1861 through 1991. The estimates are based on corrected land and ocean data. Land data were derived from meteorological data and fixed-position weather-ship data that were corrected for nonclimatic errors, such as station shifts and/or instrument changes. The marine data used were those in the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) compilation, which with updates covers to 1986. Updates to 1991 were made with hemispheric sea-surface temperature estimates produced by the U.K. Meteorological Office. Each record includes year and six annual temperature variations: one estimate each for the globe, the Northern Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere and another estimate each that reflects an adjustment to account for the influence of El Niño/Southern Oscillation events. The data are in one file of 13 kB.

1993 Earth Observing System reference handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asrar, Ghassem (Editor); Dokken, David Jon (Editor)

1993-01-01

Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) is a NASA-sponsored concept that uses space- and ground-based measurement systems to provide the scientific basis for understanding global change. The space-based components of MTPE will provide a constellation of satellites to monitor the Earth from space. Sustained observations will allow researchers to monitor climate variables overtime to determine trends; however, space-based monitoring alone is not sufficient. A comprehensive data and information system, a community of scientists performing research with the data acquired, and extensive ground campaigns are all important components. Brief descriptions of the various elements that comprise the overall mission are provided. The Earth Observing System (EOS) - a series of polar-orbiting and low-inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans - is the centerpiece of MTPE. The elements comprising the EOS mission are described in detail.

Infrared experiments for spaceborne planetary atmospheres research. Full report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The role of infrared sensing in atmospheric science is discussed and existing infrared measurement techniques are reviewed. Proposed techniques for measuring planetary atmospheres are criticized and recommended instrument developments for spaceborne investigations are summarized for the following phenomena: global and local radiative budget; radiative flux profiles; winds; temperature; pressure; transient and marginal atmospheres; planetary rotation and global atmospheric activity; abundances of stable constituents; vertical, lateral, and temporal distribution of abundances; composition of clouds and aerosols; radiative properties of clouds and aerosols; cloud microstructure; cloud macrostructure; and non-LTE phenomena.

In-flight measurement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-10 static Earth sensor error

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvie, E.; Filla, O.; Baker, D.

1993-01-01

Analysis performed in the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) measures error in the static Earth sensor onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-10 spacecraft using flight data. Errors are computed as the difference between Earth sensor pitch and roll angle telemetry and reference pitch and roll attitude histories propagated by gyros. The flight data error determination illustrates the effect on horizon sensing of systemic variation in the Earth infrared (IR) horizon radiance with latitude and season, as well as the effect of anomalies in the global IR radiance. Results of the analysis provide a comparison between static Earth sensor flight performance and that of scanning Earth sensors studied previously in the GSFC/FDD. The results also provide a baseline for evaluating various models of the static Earth sensor. Representative days from the NOAA-10 mission indicate the extent of uniformity and consistency over time of the global IR horizon. A unique aspect of the NOAA-10 analysis is the correlation of flight data errors with independent radiometric measurements of stratospheric temperature. The determination of the NOAA-10 static Earth sensor error contributes to realistic performance expectations for missions to be equipped with similar sensors.

Terrestrial reference frame solution with the Vienna VLBI Software VieVS and implication of tropospheric gradient estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spicakova, H.; Plank, L.; Nilsson, T.; Böhm, J.; Schuh, H.

2011-07-01

The Vienna VLBI Software (VieVS) has been developed at the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics at TU Vienna since 2008. In this presentation, we present the module Vie_glob which is the part of VieVS that allows the parameter estimation from multiple VLBI sessions in a so-called global solution. We focus on the determination of the terrestrial reference frame (TRF) using all suitable VLBI sessions since 1984. We compare different analysis options like the choice of loading corrections or of one of the models for the tropospheric delays. The effect of atmosphere loading corrections on station heights if neglected at observation level will be shown. Time series of station positions (using a previously determined TRF as a priori values) are presented and compared to other estimates of site positions from individual IVS (International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry) Analysis Centers.

A 3D parameterization of iron atmospheric deposition to the global ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myriokefalitakis, Stelios; Krol, Maarten C.; van Noije, Twan P. C.; Le Sager, Philippe

2017-04-01

Atmospheric deposition of trace constituents, both of natural and anthropogenic origin, can act as a nutrient source into the open ocean and affect marine ecosystem functioning and subsequently the exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the global ocean. Dust is known as a major source of nutrients to the global ocean, but only a fraction of these nutrients is released in soluble form that can be assimilated by the ecosystems. Iron (Fe) is a key micronutrient that significantly modulates gross primary production in High-Nutrient-Low-Chlorophyll (HNLC) oceans, where macronutrients like nitrate are abundant but primary production is limited by Fe scarcity. The global atmospheric Fe cycle is here parameterized in the state-of-the-art global Earth System Model EC-Earth. The model takes into account the primary emissions of both insoluble and soluble Fe, associated with dusts and combustion processes. The impact of atmospheric acidity on mineral solubility is parameterized based on updated experimental and theoretical findings, and model results are evaluated against available observations. The link between the soluble Fe atmospheric deposition and anthropogenic sources is also investigated. Overall, the response of the chemical composition of nutrient containing aerosols to atmospheric composition changes is demonstrated and quantified. This work has been financed by the Marie-Curie H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 grant (ID 705652) ODEON (Online DEposition over OceaNs: Modeling the effect of air pollution on ocean bio-geochemistry in an Earth System Model).

Surface Emissivity Retrieved with Satellite Ultraspectral IR Measurements for Monitoring Global Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Larar, Allen M.; Liu, Xu; Smith, William L.; Schluessel, Peter

2009-01-01

Surface and atmospheric thermodynamic parameters retrieved with advanced ultraspectral remote sensors aboard Earth observing satellites are critical to general atmospheric and Earth science research, climate monitoring, and weather prediction. Ultraspectral resolution infrared radiance obtained from nadir observations provide atmospheric, surface, and cloud information. Presented here is the global surface IR emissivity retrieved from Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) measurements under "clear-sky" conditions. Fast radiative transfer models, applied to the cloud-free (or clouded) atmosphere, are used for atmospheric profile and surface parameter (or cloud parameter) retrieval. The inversion scheme, dealing with cloudy as well as cloud-free radiances observed with ultraspectral infrared sounders, has been developed to simultaneously retrieve atmospheric thermodynamic and surface (or cloud microphysical) parameters. Rapidly produced surface emissivity is initially evaluated through quality control checks on the retrievals of other impacted atmospheric and surface parameters. Surface emissivity and surface skin temperature from the current and future operational satellites can and will reveal critical information on the Earth s ecosystem and land surface type properties, which can be utilized as part of long-term monitoring for the Earth s environment and global climate change.

Global soil consumption of atmospheric carbon monoxide: an analysis using a process-based biogeochemistry model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Licheng; Zhuang, Qianlai; Zhu, Qing; Liu, Shaoqing; van Asperen, Hella; Pihlatie, Mari

2018-06-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) plays an important role in controlling the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere by reacting with OH radicals that affect atmospheric methane (CH4) dynamics. We develop a process-based biogeochemistry model to quantify the CO exchange between soils and the atmosphere with a 5 min internal time step at the global scale. The model is parameterized using the CO flux data from the field and laboratory experiments for 11 representative ecosystem types. The model is then extrapolated to global terrestrial ecosystems using monthly climate forcing data. Global soil gross consumption, gross production, and net flux of the atmospheric CO are estimated to be from -197 to -180, 34 to 36, and -163 to -145 Tg CO yr-1 (1 Tg = 1012 g), respectively, when the model is driven with satellite-based atmospheric CO concentration data during 2000-2013. Tropical evergreen forest, savanna and deciduous forest areas are the largest sinks at 123 Tg CO yr-1. The soil CO gross consumption is sensitive to air temperature and atmospheric CO concentration, while the gross production is sensitive to soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and air temperature. By assuming that the spatially distributed atmospheric CO concentrations ( ˜ 128 ppbv) are not changing over time, the global mean CO net deposition velocity is estimated to be 0.16-0.19 mm s-1 during the 20th century. Under the future climate scenarios, the CO deposition velocity will increase at a rate of 0.0002-0.0013 mm s-1 yr-1 during 2014-2100, reaching 0.20-0.30 mm s-1 by the end of the 21st century, primarily due to the increasing temperature. Areas near the Equator, the eastern US, Europe and eastern Asia will be the largest sinks due to optimum soil moisture and high temperature. The annual global soil net flux of atmospheric CO is primarily controlled by air temperature, soil temperature, SOC and atmospheric CO concentrations, while its monthly variation is mainly determined by air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature and soil moisture.

Impacts on regional climate of an afforestation scenario under a +2°C global warming climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strada, Susanna; Noblet-Ducoudré Nathalie, de; Marc, Stéfanon

2017-04-01

Through surface-atmosphere interactions (SAI), land-use and land-cover changes (LULCCs) alter atmospheric conditions with effects on climate at different scales, from local/regional (a few ten kilometres) (Pielke et al., 2011) to global scales (a few hundred kilometres) (Mahmood et al., 2014). Focusing on the regional scale, in the context of climate change, LULCCs may either enhance or dampen climate impacts via changes in SAI they may initiate. Those LULCC-driven atmospheric impacts could in turn influence e.g. the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, with consequences on mitigation and adaptation strategies. Despite LULCC impacts on regional climate are largely discussed in the literature, in Europe information is missing on LULCC impacts under future climate conditions on a country scale (Galos et al., 2015). The latest COPs have urged the scientific community to explore the impacts of reduced global warming (1.5°C to a +2°C) on the Earth system. LULCCs will be one major tool to achieve such targets. In this framework, we investigate impacts on regional climate of a modified landscape under a +2°C climatic scenario. To this purpose, we performed sensitivity studies over western Europe with a fully coupled land-atmosphere regional climate model, WRF-ORCHIDEE (Drobinski et al., 2012, Stefanon et al., 2014). A +2°C scenario was selected among those proposed by the "Impact2C" project (Vautard et al., 2014), and the afforested land-cover scenario proposed in the RCP4.5 is prescribed. We have chosen the maximum extent of forest RCP4.5 simulates for Europe at the end of the 21st century. WRF-ORCHIDEE is fed with boundary atmospheric conditions from the global climate model LMDZ for PD (1971-2000) and the +2°C warming period for the LMDZ model (2028-2057). Preliminary results over the target domain show that, under a +2°C global warming scenario, afforestation contributes by 2% to the total warming due to both climate change and LULCCs. During summer, the afforestation of 1000 km2 increases the mean surface atmospheric temperature by +0.18°C. However, during the same season, afforestation reduces the occurrence of extreme temperatures (> 30°C). By analysing LULCC impacts on both mean climate and extremes, this study aims to possibly raise awareness among decision-makers and land planners on the role LULCCs may play in the context of climate change. References Drobinski, P., et al.: Model of the Regional Coupled Earth system (MORCE): Application to process and climate studies in vulnerable regions, Environ. Modell. Softw., 35, 1-18, 2012. Galos, B., et al.: Regional characteristics of climate change altering effects of afforestation, Environ. Res. Lett., 6, 2015. Mahmood, R., et al.: Land cover changes and their biogeophysical effects on climate, Int. J. Climatol., 34, 929-953, 2014. Pielke, R. A., et al.: Land use/land cover changes and climate: modeling analysis and observational evidence, WIREs Clim Change, 2(6), 828-850, 2011. Stefanon, M., et al.: Simulating the effect of anthropogenic vegetation land cover on heatwave temperatures over central France, Clim. Res., 60: 133-146, 2014. Vautard R., et al.: The European climate under a 2° C global warming. Environ. Res. Lett., 9, 2014.

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Mixing Ratios from the NOAA CMDL Carbon Cycle Cooperative Global Air Sampling Network (2009)

DOE Data Explorer

Conway, Thomas [NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, Boulder, CO (USA); Tans, Pieter [NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, Boulder, CO (USA)

2009-01-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA/CMDL) has measured CO2 in air samples collected weekly at a global network of sites since the late 1960s. Atmospheric CO2 mixing ratios reported in these files were measured by a nondispersive infrared absorption technique in air samples collected in glass flasks. All CMDL flask samples are measured relative to standards traceable to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) CO2 mole fraction scale. These measurements constitute the most geographically extensive, carefully calibrated, internally consistent atmospheric CO2 data set available and are essential for studies aimed at better understanding the global carbon cycle budget.

Meridionally propagating interannual-to-interdecadal variability in a linear ocean-atmosphere model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehta, Vikram M.

1992-01-01

Meridional oscillation modes in a global, primitive-equation coupled ocean-atmosphere model have been analyzed in order to determine whether they contain such meridionally propagating modes as surface-pressure perturbations with years-to-decades oscillation periods. A two-layer global ocean model and a two-level global atmosphere model were then formulated. For realistic parameter values and basic states, meridional modes oscillating at periods of several years to several decades are noted to be present in the coupled ocean-atmosphere model; the oscillation periods, travel times, and meridional structures of surface pressure perturbations in one of the modes are found to be comparable to the corresponding characteristics of observed sea-level pressure perturbations.

Absorption coefficients of CFC-11 and CFC-12 needed for atmospheric remote sensing and global warming studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varanasi, Prasad

1992-01-01

Spectral absorption coefficients k(v) in the atmospheric window are reported for CFC-11 and CFC-12. Data obtained with a grating spectrometer are compared with NCAR cross sections and measurements of k(v) made with a tunable diode laser spectrometer at various temperature-pressure combinations representing tangent heights or layers in the atmosphere are presented. The results are suitable for atmospheric remote sensing and global warming studies.

Global Characterization and Monitoring of Forest Cover Using Landsat Data: Opportunities and Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townshend, John R.; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Huang, ChengQuan; Vermote, Eric F.; Gao, Feng; Channan, Saurabh; Sexton, Joseph O.; Feng, Min; Narasimhan, Ramghuram; Kim, Dohyung;

A Computer-Based Atlas of Global Instrumental Climate Data (DB1003)

DOE Data Explorer

Bradley, Raymond S.; Ahern, Linda G.; Keimig, Frank T.

1994-01-01

Color-shaded and contoured images of global, gridded instrumental data have been produced as a computer-based atlas. Each image simultaneously depicts anomaly maps of surface temperature, sea-level pressure, 500-mbar geopotential heights, and percentages of reference-period precipitation. Monthly, seasonal, and annual composites are available in either cylindrical equidistant or northern and southern hemisphere polar projections. Temperature maps are available from 1854 to 1991, precipitation from 1851 to 1989, sea-level pressure from 1899 to 1991, and 500-mbar heights from 1946 to 1991. The source of data for the temperature images is Jones et al.'s global gridded temperature anomalies. The precipitation images were derived from Eischeid et al.'s global gridded precipitation percentages. Grids from the Data Support Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) were the sources for the sea-level-pressure and 500-mbar geopotential-height images. All images are in GIF files (1024 × 822 pixels, 256 colors) and can be displayed on many different computer platforms. Each annual subdirectory contains 141 images, each seasonal subdirectory contains 563 images, and each monthly subdirectory contains 1656 images. The entire atlas requires approximately 340 MB of disk space, but users may retrieve any number of images at one time.

On the unsteady decline of atmospheric CFC-11: Bumps in the road to ozone recovery or variations in atmospheric transport and/or loss?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montzka, Stephen; Dutton, Geoff; Yu, Pengfei; Portmann, Bob; Ray, Eric; Daniel, John; Moore, Fred; Nance, David; Hall, Brad; Siso, Carolina; Miller, Ben; Mondeel, Debra; Kuijpers, Lambert; Hu, Lei; Elkins, James

2017-04-01

Atmospheric mole fractions of the ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas CFC-11 have declined since 1995 owing to global controls on production associated with the fully adjusted and amended Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. From 2002 to 2012, CFC-11 mole fractions in both hemispheres decreased at a near-constant rate of 2.2 ± 0.2 ppt/yr. Assuming a constant atmospheric loss frequency, these results suggest that CFC-11 emissions did not decrease over this 11-yr period. This conclusion is difficult to reconcile with an idealized model of emissions being sustained by leaks from a shrinking reservoir of CFC-11 (reported global production has been negligible since 2007). Even more surprising, from 2013 to 2015 the atmospheric decline slowed appreciably (mean global rate was -1.3 ± 0.1 ppt/yr) and the hemispheric difference (N - S) increased by 50%. Here we consider the implications of these atmospheric changes. When analyzed with a simple 3-box model and constant loss frequency or a 3-D climate model (WACCM) with specified dynamics, the observations suggest global CFC-11 emissions in 2014-2015 that were 30% (15 Gg/yr) larger in 2014 and 2015 compared to the 2002-2012 mean. Are emissions of this globally controlled Class 1 ozone-depleting substance actually increasing despite global reported production being negligible for nearly a decade? Or do anomalies observed for multiple trace gases during these periods suggest significant changes in stratospheric loss and mixing processes that are not captured by global models using estimates of actual meteorology?

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS): A program to study global ozone change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

A general overview of NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) program is presented in a broad based informational publication. The UARS will be responsible for carrying out the first systematic, comprehensive study of the stratosphere and will furnish important new data on the mesosphere and thermosphere. The UARS mission objectives are to provide an increased understanding of energy input into the upper atmosphere; global photochemistry of the upper atmosphere; dynamics of the upper atmosphere; coupling among these processes; and coupling between the upper and lower atmosphere. These mission objectives are briefly described along with the UARS on-board instrumentation and related data management systems.

A framework for global diurnally-resolved observations of Land Surface Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghent, Darren; Remedios, John

2014-05-01

Land surface temperature (LST) is the radiative skin temperature of the land, and is one of the key parameters in the physics of land-surface processes on regional and global scales. Being a key boundary condition in land surface models, which determine the surface to atmosphere fluxes of heat, water and carbon; thus influencing cloud cover, precipitation and atmospheric chemistry predictions within Global models, the requirement for global diurnal observations of LST is well founded. Earth Observation satellites offer an opportunity to obtain global coverage of LST, with the appropriate exploitation of data from multiple instruments providing a capacity to resolve the diurnal cycle on a global scale. Here we present a framework for the production of global, diurnally resolved, data sets for LST which is a key request from users of LST data. We will show how the sampling of both geostationary and low earth orbit data sets could conceptually be employed to build combined, multi-sensor, pole-to-pole data sets. Although global averages already exist for individual instruments and merging of geostationary based LST is already being addressed operationally (Freitas, et al., 2013), there are still a number of important challenges to overcome. In this presentation, we will consider three of the issues still open in LST remote sensing: 1) the consistency amongst retrievals; 2) the clear-sky bias and its quantification; and 3) merging methods and the propagation of uncertainties. For example, the combined use of both geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) data, and both infra-red and microwave data are relatively unexplored but are necessary to make the most progress. Hence this study will suggest what is state-of-the-art and how considerable advances can be made, accounting also for recent improvements in techniques and data quality. The GlobTemperature initiative under the Data User Element of ESA's 4th Earth Observation Envelope Programme (2013-2017), which aims to support the wider uptake of global-scale satellite LST by the research and operational user communities, will be a particularly important element in the development and subsequent provision of global diurnal LST. References Freitas, S.C., Trigo, I.F., Macedo, J., Barroso, C., Silva, R., & Perdigao, R., 2013, Land surface temperature from multiple geostationary satellites, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 34, 3051-3068.

Downscaling of sea level and fluxes in the Malacca and Singapore Straits using A2 scenario projections of AR4 GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tkalich, Pavel; Koshebutsky, Volodymyr; Maderich, Vladimir; Thompson, Bijoy

2013-04-01

IPCC-coordinated work has been completed within Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) to project climate and ocean variables for the 21st century using coupled atmospheric-ocean General Circulation Models (GCMs). Resolution of the GCMs is not sufficient to resolve local features of narrow Malacca and Singapore Straits, having complex coastal line and bathymetry; therefore, dynamical downscaling of ocean variables from the global grid to the regional scale is advisable using ocean models, such as Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). ROMS is customized for the domain centered on the Singapore and Malacca Straits, extending from 98°E to 109°E and 6°S to 14°N. Following IPCC methodology, the modelling is done for the past reference period 1961-1990, and then for the 21st century projections; subsequently, established past and projected trends and variability of ocean parameters are inter-compared. Boundary conditions for the past reference period are extracted from Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA), while the projections are made using A2 scenario runs of ECHAM5 and CCSM3 GCMs. Atmospheric forcing for ROMS is downscaled with WRF using ERA-40 dataset for the past period, and outputs of atmospheric variables of respective GCMs for the projections. ROMS-downscaled regional sea level change during 1961-1990, corrected for the global thermosteric effect, land-ice melting and Global Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) effect, corresponds to a mean total trend of 1.52 mm/year, which is higher than the global estimate 1.25 mm/year and observed global sea-level rise (1.44 mm/year) for the same period. Local linear trend in the Singapore Strait (0.9 mm/year) corresponds to the observed trend at Victoria Dock tide gauge (1.1 mm/year) for the past period. Mean discharges through the Karimata, Malacca and Singapore Straits are 0.9, 0.21 and 0.12 Sv, respectively, fall in the range of observations and recent model estimates. A2 scenario projections using ROMS-ECHAM5 and ROMS-CCSM3 for 2011-2099 suggest that linear trends of sea level rise in Singapore Strait are 5.4 and 6.1 mm/year, respectively. These values fall in the range of global estimates of 3.0-8.5 mm/year. Mean sea level rise is expected around 0.43 m (ROMS-ECHAM5) and 0.47 m (ROMS-CCSM3) in 2099 relative to mean sea level in 2011. These values are greater than median estimation of global sea rise 0.32 under scenario A2. Mean discharge through Singapore Strait for scenario A2 during 2011 to 2099 is projected to be 0.062 Sv for ROMS-ECHAM5 and 0.11 Sv for ROMS-CCSM3. These projections are comparable to the discharges during 1961-1990 (0.065 and 0.11 Sv, respectively). The linear trend in discharges for the period 2011-2099 is relatively small with statistical confidence level being less than 95%. An important feature computationally discovered is the transient reversal of flow in the Singapore Strait during southwest monsoon. In general, the reversals of flow in ROMS-ECHAM5 and ROMS-CCSM3 are observed respectively to occur 1/3 and 1/5 of the whole period.

Hubble’s Global View of Jupiter During the Juno Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Amy A.; Wong, Michael H.; Orton, Glenn S.; Cosentino, Richard; Tollefson, Joshua; Johnson, Perianne

2017-10-01

With two observing programs designed for mapping clouds and hazes in Jupiter's atmosphere during the Juno mission, the Hubble Space Telescope is acquiring an unprecedented set of global maps for study. The Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program (OPAL, PI: Simon) and the Wide Field Coverage for Juno program (WFCJ, PI: Wong) are designed to enable frequent multi-wavelength global mapping of Jupiter, with many maps timed specifically for Juno’s perijove passes. Filters span wavelengths from 212 to 894 nm. Besides offering global views for Juno observation context, they also reveal a wealth of information about interesting atmospheric dynamical features. We will summarize the latest findings from these global mapping programs, including changes in the Great Red Spot, zonal wind profile analysis, and persistent cyclone-generated waves in the North Equatorial Belt.

An automated system for global atmospheric sampling using B-747 airliners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lew, K. Q.; Gustafsson, U. R. C.; Johnson, R. E.

1981-01-01

The global air sampling program utilizes commercial aircrafts in scheduled service to measure atmospheric constituents. A fully automated system designed for the 747 aircraft is described. Airline operational constraints and data and control subsystems are treated. The overall program management, system monitoring, and data retrieval from four aircraft in global service is described.

Global estimate of net annual carbon flow to phenylpropanoid metabolism

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

Walton, A.B.; Norman, E.G.; Turpin, D.H.

1993-05-01

The steady increase in the concentration of CO[sub 2] in the atmosphere is the focus of renewed interest in the global carbon cycle. Current research is centered upon modeling the effects of the increasing CO[sub 2] concentrations, and thus global warning, on global plant homeostasis. It has been estimated that the annual net primary production (NPP) values for terrestrial and oceanic biomes are 59.9 and 35 Pg C-yr[sup [minus]1], respectively (Melillo et al., 1990). Based on these NPP values, we have estimated the annual C flow to phenlpropanoid metabolism. In our calculation, lignin was used as a surrogate for phenylpropanoidmore » compounds, as lignin is the second most abundant plant polymer. This approach means that our estimate defines the lower limit of C flow to phenylpropanoid metabolism. Each biome was considered separately to determine the percent of the NPP which was directed to the biosynthesis of leaves, stems/branches, and roots. From published values of the lignin content of these organs, the total amount of C directed to the biosynthesis of lignin in each biome was determined. This was used to obtain a global value. Implications of these estimates will be discussed with reference to plant carbon and nitrogen metabolism.« less

Global Atmospheric Heat Distributions Observed from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Bing; Fan, Tai-Fang

2009-01-01

This study focuses on the observations of global atmospheric heat distributions using satellite measurements. Major heat components such as radiation energy, latent heat and sensible heat are considered. The uncertainties and error sources are assessed. Results show that the atmospheric heat is basically balanced, and the observed patterns of radiation and latent heat from precipitation are clearly related to general circulation.

Environmental change and the conversion of permanently frozen ground to wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, R. B.; Moorberg, C.; Turner, J.; Wong, A.; Waldrop, M. P.; Euskirchen, E. S.; Edgar, C.; Turetsky, M. R.

2017-12-01

Much of the land around the arctic is permanently frozen, even in the summer. However, because the world is getting warmer, this frozen ground, known as permafrost, is thawing. When permafrost thaws, the ground collapses and sinks, and often a wetland forms within the collapsed area. This conversion of a permanently frozen landscape to a wetland changes the exchange of greenhouse gases between the land and atmosphere, which can, in turn, impact global temperatures and environmental conditions. Wetlands pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere because they support the growth of many plants. This uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by wetlands helps reduce global warming. However, wetlands also release methane into the atmosphere, which is a potent greenhouse gas — more potent than carbon dioxide. The net effect on global temperatures and environmental conditions depends on the balance between wetland uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide and release of methane. We are measuring the exchange of these two greenhouse gases between the land and atmosphere in a wetland that formed after permafrost thawed so we can know how global temperatures and environmental conditions will change as northern landscapes continue to thaw.

Potential impacts of human water management on the European heat wave 2003 using fully integrated bedrock-to-atmosphere simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keune, Jessica; Sulis, Mauro; Kollet, Stefan; Wada, Yoshihide

2017-04-01

Recent studies indicate that anthropogenic impacts on the terrestrial water cycle lead to a redistribution of water resources in space and time, can trigger land-atmosphere feedbacks, such as the soil moisture-precipitation feedback, and potentially enhance convection and precipitation. Yet, these studies do not consider the full hydrologic cycle from the bedrock to the atmosphere or apply simplified hydrologic models, neglecting the connection of irrigation to water withdrawal and groundwater depletion. Thus, there is a need to incorporate water resource management in 3D hydrologic models coupled to earth system models. This study addresses the impact of water resource management, i.e. irrigation and groundwater abstraction, on land-atmosphere feedbacks through the terrestrial hydrologic cycle in a physics-based soil-vegetation-atmosphere system simulating 3D groundwater dynamics at the continental scale. The integrated Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform, TerrSysMP, consisting of the three-dimensional subsurface and overland flow model ParFlow, the Community Land Model CLM3.5 and the numerical weather prediction model COSMO of the German Weather Service, is set up over the European CORDEX domain in 0.11° resolution. The model closes the terrestrial water and energy cycles from aquifers into the atmosphere. Anthropogenic impacts are considered by applying actual daily estimates of irrigation and groundwater abstraction from Wada et al. (2012, 2016), as a source at the land surface and explicit removal of groundwater from aquifer storage, respectively. Simulations of the fully coupled system are performed over the 2003 European heat wave and compared to a reference simulation, which does not consider human interactions in the terrestrial water cycle. We study the space and time characteristics and evolution of temperature extremes, and soil moisture and precipitation anomalies influenced by human water management during the heat wave. A first set of simulations utilizes the spectral nudging technique to keep the large-scale circulation consistent to the driving ERA-Interim reanalysis and examines the direct and local feedback pathway, along which irrigation cools the land surface, enhances evapotranspiration and increases the total atmospheric water vapor, which may induce local precipitation. A second set of simulations without spectral nudging addresses the indirect feedback, where the atmospheric circulation is modified indirectly by irrigation. Simulations are evaluated over a range of spatial and temporal scales, i.e. from daily to seasonal variations. Results indicate systematic responses at the land surface, but a strong non-linearity of the local feedback affecting tropospheric processes and the occurrence of precipitation, and hence emphasize the need to integrate human water management in regional climate simulations. References: Wada, Y., L. P. H van Beek, and M. F. P. Bierkens (2012), Nonsustainable groundwater sustaining irrigation: A global assessment, Water Resources Research, 48, W00L06, doi: 10.1029/2011WR010562. Wada, Y., I. E. M. de Graaf, and L. P. H. van Beek (2016), High-resolution modeling of human and climate impacts on global water resources, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 8, 735-763, doi: 10.1002/2015MS000618.

The Resolution Sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere Blocking in Four 25-km Atmospheric Global Circulation Models

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

Schiemann, Reinhard; Demory, Marie-Estelle; Shaffrey, Len C.

The aim of this study is to investigate if the representation of Northern Hemisphere blocking is sensitive to resolution in current-generation atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs). An evaluation is thus conducted of how well atmospheric blocking is represented in four AGCMs whose horizontal resolution is increased from a grid spacing of more than 100 km to about 25 km. It is shown that Euro-Atlantic blocking is simulated overall more credibly at higher resolution (i.e., in better agreement with a 50-yr reference blocking climatology created from the reanalyses ERA-40 and ERA-Interim). The improvement seen with resolution depends on the season andmore » to some extent on the model considered. Euro-Atlantic blocking is simulated more realistically at higher resolution in winter, spring, and autumn, and robustly so across the model ensemble. The improvement in spring is larger than that in winter and autumn. Summer blocking is found to be better simulated at higher resolution by one model only, with little change seen in the other three models. The representation of Pacific blocking is not found to systematically depend on resolution. Despite the improvements seen with resolution, the 25-km models still exhibit large biases in Euro-Atlantic blocking. For example, three of the four 25-km models underestimate winter northern European blocking frequency by about one-third. The resolution sensitivity and biases in the simulated blocking are shown to be in part associated with the mean-state biases in the models' midlatitude circulation.« less

The Resolution Sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere Blocking in Four 25-km Atmospheric Global Circulation Models

DOE PAGES

Schiemann, Reinhard; Demory, Marie-Estelle; Shaffrey, Len C.; ...

2016-12-19

The aim of this study is to investigate if the representation of Northern Hemisphere blocking is sensitive to resolution in current-generation atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs). An evaluation is thus conducted of how well atmospheric blocking is represented in four AGCMs whose horizontal resolution is increased from a grid spacing of more than 100 km to about 25 km. It is shown that Euro-Atlantic blocking is simulated overall more credibly at higher resolution (i.e., in better agreement with a 50-yr reference blocking climatology created from the reanalyses ERA-40 and ERA-Interim). The improvement seen with resolution depends on the season andmore » to some extent on the model considered. Euro-Atlantic blocking is simulated more realistically at higher resolution in winter, spring, and autumn, and robustly so across the model ensemble. The improvement in spring is larger than that in winter and autumn. Summer blocking is found to be better simulated at higher resolution by one model only, with little change seen in the other three models. The representation of Pacific blocking is not found to systematically depend on resolution. Despite the improvements seen with resolution, the 25-km models still exhibit large biases in Euro-Atlantic blocking. For example, three of the four 25-km models underestimate winter northern European blocking frequency by about one-third. The resolution sensitivity and biases in the simulated blocking are shown to be in part associated with the mean-state biases in the models' midlatitude circulation.« less

Mars-GRAM Applications for Mars Science Laboratory Mission Site Selection Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary; Justus, C. G.

2007-01-01

An overview is presented of the Mars-Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM 2005) and its new features. One important new feature is the "auxiliary profile" option, whereby a simple input file is used to replace mean atmospheric values from Mars-GRAM's conventional (General Circulation Model) climatology. An auxiliary profile can be generated from any source of data or alternate model output. Results are presented using auxiliary profiles produced from mesoscale model output (Southwest Research Institute's Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) model and Oregon State University's Mars mesoscale model (MMM5) model) for three candidate Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landing sites (Terby Crater, Melas Chasma, and Gale Crater). A global Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) database has also been generated for purposes of making 'Mars-GRAM auxiliary profiles. This data base contains averages and standard deviations of temperature, density, and thermal wind components, averaged over 5-by-5 degree latitude bins and 15 degree L(sub S) bins, for each of three Mars years of TES nadir data. Comparisons show reasonably good consistency between Mars-GRAM with low dust optical depth and both TES observed and mesoscale model simulated density at the three study sites. Mean winds differ by a more significant degree. Comparisons of mesoscale and TES standard deviations' with conventional Mars-GRAM values, show that Mars-GRAM density perturbations are somewhat conservative (larger than observed variability), while mesoscale-modeled wind variations are larger than Mars-GRAM model estimates. Input parameters rpscale (for density perturbations) and rwscale (for wind perturbations) can be used to "recalibrate" Mars-GRAM perturbation magnitudes to better replicate observed or mesoscale model variability.

Analysis of meteorological variables in the Australasian region using ground- and space-based GPS techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuleshov, Yuriy; Choy, Suelynn; Fu, Erjiang Frank; Chane-Ming, Fabrice; Liou, Yuei-An; Pavelyev, Alexander G.

2016-07-01

Results of analysis of meteorological variables (temperature and moisture) in the Australasian region using the global positioning system (GPS) radio occultation (RO) and GPS ground-based observations verified with in situ radiosonde (RS) data are presented. The potential of using ground-based GPS observations for retrieving column integrated precipitable water vapour (PWV) over the Australian continent has been demonstrated using the Australian ground-based GPS reference stations network. Using data from the 15 ground-based GPS stations, the state of the atmosphere over Victoria during a significant weather event, the March 2010 Melbourne storm, has been investigated, and it has been shown that the GPS observations has potential for monitoring the movement of a weather front that has sharp moisture contrast. Temperature and moisture variability in the atmosphere over various climatic regions (the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, the Antarctic and Australia) has been examined using satellite-based GPS RO and in situ RS observations. Investigating recent atmospheric temperature trends over Antarctica, the time series of the collocated GPS RO and RS data were examined, and strong cooling in the lower stratosphere and warming through the troposphere over Antarctica has been identified, in agreement with outputs of climate models. With further expansion of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) system, it is expected that GNSS satellite- and ground-based measurements would be able to provide an order of magnitude larger amount of data which in turn could significantly advance weather forecasting services, climate monitoring and analysis in the Australasian region.

On the importance of an atmospheric reference model: A case study on gravity wave-airglow interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaro-Rivera, Yolián; Huang, Tai-Yin; Urbina, Julio

2018-06-01

The atmospheric reference model utilized in an airglow numerical study is important since airglow emissions depend on the number density of the light-emitting species. In this study, we employ 2-dimensional, nonlinear, time-dependent numerical models, Multiple Airglow Chemistry Dynamics (MACD) and OH Chemistry Dynamics (OHCD), that use the MSISE-90, NRLMSISE-00, and Garcia and Solomon (GS) model data as atmospheric reference models, to investigate gravity wave-induced airglow variations for the OH(8,3) airglow, O2(0,1) atmospheric band, and O(1S) greenline emissions in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) region. Our results show that the OHCD-00 produces the largest wave-induced OH(8,3) airglow intensity variation (∼34%), followed by the OHCD-90 (∼30%), then by the OHCD (∼22%). For O(1S) greenline, the MACD produces the largest wave-induced variation (∼33%), followed by the MACD-90 (∼28%), then by MACD-00 (∼26%). As for O2(0,1) atmospheric band, the MACD produces the largest wave-induced variation (∼31%), followed by the MACD-90 and MACD-00 (∼29%). Our study illustrates the importance and the need for a good atmospheric reference model that can accurately represent the atmosphere.

Atmospheric histories and emissions of chlorofluorocarbons CFC-13 (CClF3), ΣCFC-114 (C2Cl2F4), and CFC-115 (C2ClF5)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollmer, Martin K.; Young, Dickon; Trudinger, Cathy M.; Mühle, Jens; Henne, Stephan; Rigby, Matthew; Park, Sunyoung; Li, Shanlan; Guillevic, Myriam; Mitrevski, Blagoj; Harth, Christina M.; Miller, Benjamin R.; Reimann, Stefan; Yao, Bo; Steele, L. Paul; Wyss, Simon A.; Lunder, Chris R.; Arduini, Jgor; McCulloch, Archie; Wu, Songhao; Siek Rhee, Tae; Wang, Ray H. J.; Salameh, Peter K.; Hermansen, Ove; Hill, Matthias; Langenfelds, Ray L.; Ivy, Diane; O'Doherty, Simon; Krummel, Paul B.; Maione, Michela; Etheridge, David M.; Zhou, Lingxi; Fraser, Paul J.; Prinn, Ronald G.; Weiss, Ray F.; Simmonds, Peter G.

2018-01-01

Based on observations of the chlorofluorocarbons CFC-13 (chlorotrifluoromethane), ΣCFC-114 (combined measurement of both isomers of dichlorotetrafluoroethane), and CFC-115 (chloropentafluoroethane) in atmospheric and firn samples, we reconstruct records of their tropospheric histories spanning nearly 8 decades. These compounds were measured in polar firn air samples, in ambient air archived in canisters, and in situ at the AGAGE (Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment) network and affiliated sites. Global emissions to the atmosphere are derived from these observations using an inversion based on a 12-box atmospheric transport model. For CFC-13, we provide the first comprehensive global analysis. This compound increased monotonically from its first appearance in the atmosphere in the late 1950s to a mean global abundance of 3.18 ppt (dry-air mole fraction in parts per trillion, pmol mol-1) in 2016. Its growth rate has decreased since the mid-1980s but has remained at a surprisingly high mean level of 0.02 ppt yr-1 since 2000, resulting in a continuing growth of CFC-13 in the atmosphere. ΣCFC-114 increased from its appearance in the 1950s to a maximum of 16.6 ppt in the early 2000s and has since slightly declined to 16.3 ppt in 2016. CFC-115 increased monotonically from its first appearance in the 1960s and reached a global mean mole fraction of 8.49 ppt in 2016. Growth rates of all three compounds over the past years are significantly larger than would be expected from zero emissions. Under the assumption of unchanging lifetimes and atmospheric transport patterns, we derive global emissions from our measurements, which have remained unexpectedly high in recent years: mean yearly emissions for the last decade (2007-2016) of CFC-13 are at 0.48 ± 0.15 kt yr-1 (> 15 % of past peak emissions), of ΣCFC-114 at 1.90 ± 0.84 kt yr-1 (˜ 10 % of peak emissions), and of CFC-115 at 0.80 ± 0.50 kt yr-1 (> 5 % of peak emissions). Mean yearly emissions of CFC-115 for 2015-2016 are 1.14 ± 0.50 kt yr-1 and have doubled compared to the 2007-2010 minimum. We find CFC-13 emissions from aluminum smelters but if extrapolated to global emissions, they cannot account for the lingering global emissions determined from the atmospheric observations. We find impurities of CFC-115 in the refrigerant HFC-125 (CHF2CF3) but if extrapolated to global emissions, they can neither account for the lingering global CFC-115 emissions determined from the atmospheric observations nor for their recent increases. We also conduct regional inversions for the years 2012-2016 for the northeastern Asian area using observations from the Korean AGAGE site at Gosan and find significant emissions for ΣCFC-114 and CFC-115, suggesting that a large fraction of their global emissions currently occur in northeastern Asia and more specifically on the Chinese mainland.

Calibration and Application of an Array of Portable FTIR Spectrometers (EM27/SUN) for Detecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, M.; Chelin, P.; Fratacci, T.; Schäfer, K.; Xueref-Remy, I.; Te, Y. V.; Jeseck, P.; Janssen, C.; Vogel, F. R.; Hase, F.; Blumenstock, T.; Kiel, M.; Sha, M. K.; Tu, Q.; Gross, J.; Gizaw, G.

2015-12-01

Anthropogenic global warming is mainly driven by a continuing increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases abundances. Precise knowledge of the variable atmospheric concentrations is of utmost importance for the quantification of sinks and sources of these gases. For global observations of column-averaged dry air mole fractions of greenhouse gases, satellite-borne instruments (e.g. GOSAT or OCO-2) are used. These instruments are validated against a network of ground-based high resolution Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. This network, called TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network), provides column-averaged abundances with reference precision and accuracy. However, these instruments are expensive, logistically demanding and stationary, so TCCON is less adequate for the quantification of sinks and sources on a regional scale. Recently the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology developed a portable FTIR spectrometer (EM27/SUN) together with Bruker Optics, Ettlingen. In addition to filling in the spatial gaps of the existing TCCON network for better global coverage, a set of these spectrometers can be arranged for detecting localized sinks and sources of greenhouse gases on a regional level, e.g. major cities or fracking areas. Due to their long lifetime, CO2 and CH4 emissions of these sources only introduce a small enhancement to the accumulated atmospheric background abundance. Therefore, high precision and stability are a prerequisite for the measurements. We present a rigorous calibration procedure for a quintuple of EM27/SUN spectrometers. Moreover, we show results from a test campaign conducted 2014 in the major city of Berlin, Germany. We demonstrate that the CO2 emissions of Berlin can be clearly identified in the observations. Measurement results are compared with a simple dispersion model. Finally, a comparison between Berlin data and data from a recent campaign in the megacity Paris is shown.

Nitrous oxide emissions estimated with the Carbon Tracker Lagrange regional inversion framework suggest the North American source comes predominantly from agricultural regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevison, C. D.; Andrews, A. E.; Thoning, K. W.; Saikawa, E.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Sweeney, C.; Benmergui, J. S.

2016-12-01

The Carbon Tracker Lagrange (CTL) regional inversion framework is used to estimate North American nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of 1.6 ± 0.4 Tg N/yr over 2008-2013. More than half of the North American emissions are estimated to come from the central agricultural belt, extending from southern Canada to Texas, and are strongest in spring and early summer, consistent with a nitrogen fertilizer-driven source. The estimated N2O flux from the Midwestern corn/soybean belt and the more northerly wheat belt corresponds to 5% of synthetic + organic N fertilizer applied to those regions. While earlier regional atmospheric inversion studies have suggested that global inventories such as EDGAR may be underestimating U.S. anthropogenic N2O emissions by a factor of 3 or more, our results, integrated over a full calendar year, are generally consistent with those inventories and with global inverse model results and budget constraints. The CTL framework is a Bayesian method based on footprints from the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model applied to atmospheric N2O data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, including surface, aircraft and tall tower platforms. The CTL inversion results are sensitive to the prescribed boundary condition or background value of N2O, which is estimated based on a new Empirical BackGround (EBG) product derived from STILT back trajectories applied to NOAA data. Analysis of the N2O EBG products suggests a significant, seasonally-varying influence on surface N2O data due to the stratospheric influx of N2O-depleted air. Figure 1. Posterior annual mean N2O emissions for 2010 estimated with the CTL regional inversion framework. The locations of NOAA surface and aircraft data used in the inversion are superimposed as black circles and grey triangles, respectively. Mobile surface sites are indicated with asterisks.

Is atmospheric phosphorus pollution altering global alpine Lake stoichiometry?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brahney, Janice; Mahowald, Natalie; Ward, Daniel S.; Ballantyne, Ashley P.; Neff, Jason C.

2015-09-01

Anthropogenic activities have significantly altered atmospheric chemistry and changed the global mobility of key macronutrients. Here we show that contemporary global patterns in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emissions drive large hemispheric variation in precipitation chemistry. These global patterns of nutrient emission and deposition (N:P) are in turn closely reflected in the water chemistry of naturally oligotrophic lakes (r2 = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Observed increases in anthropogenic N deposition play a role in nutrient concentrations (r2 = 0.20, p < 0.05) however, atmospheric deposition of P appears to be major contributor to this pattern (r2 = 0.65, p < 0.0001). Atmospheric simulations indicate a global increase in P deposition by 1.4 times the preindustrial rate largely due to increased dust and biomass burning emissions. Although changes in the mass flux of global P deposition are smaller than for N, the impacts on primary productivity may be greater because, on average, one unit of increased P deposition has 16 times the influence of one unit of N deposition. These stoichiometric considerations, combined with the evidence presented here, suggest that increases in P deposition may be a major driver of alpine Lake trophic status, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. These results underscore the need for the broader scientific community to consider the impact of atmospheric phosphorus deposition on the water quality of naturally oligotrophic lakes.

Solar activity influences on atmospheric electricity and on some structures in the middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reiter, Reinhold

1989-01-01

Only processes in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere are reviewed. General aspects of global atmospheric electricity are summarized in Chapter 3 of NCR (1986); Volland (1984) has outlined the overall problems of atmospheric electrodynamics; and Roble and Hays (1982) published a summary of solar effects on the global circuit. The solar variability and its atmospheric effects (overview by Donelly et al, 1987) and the solar-planetary relationships (survey by James et al. 1983) are so extremely complex that only particular results and selected papers of direct relevance or historical importance are compiled herein.

El Nino during the 1990s: Harbinger of Climatic Change or Normal Fluctuation?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.

1999-01-01

Today, El Nino refers to the extreme warming episodes of the globally effective, coupled ocean-atmospheric interaction commonly known as ENSO (i.e., "El Nino-Southern Oscillation"). Concerning its observed decadal frequency and severity, El Nino during the 1990s has often been regarded as being anomalous. Results of analysis reported herein, however, appear to mitigate this belief. For example, regarding the frequency and severity of El Nino, the decade of the 1990s is found to compare quite favorably with that of preceding decades. Hence, the 1990s probably should not be regarded as being anomalous. On the other hand, the number of El Nino-related months per decade has sharply increased during the 1990s, as compared to the preceding four decades, hinting of a marginally significant upward trend. Perhaps, this is an indication that the Earth is now experiencing an ongoing global climatic change. Continued vigilance during the new millennium, therefore, is of paramount importance for determining whether or not this "hint" of a global change is real or if it merely reflects a normal fluctuation of climate.

An Examination of the Nature of Global MODIS Cloud Regimes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Cho, Nayeong; Lee, Dongmin; Kato, Seiji; Huffman, George J.

2014-01-01

We introduce global cloud regimes (previously also referred to as "weather states") derived from cloud retrievals that use measurements by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites. The regimes are obtained by applying clustering analysis on joint histograms of retrieved cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness. By employing a compositing approach on data sets from satellites and other sources, we examine regime structural and thermodynamical characteristics. We establish that the MODIS cloud regimes tend to form in distinct dynamical and thermodynamical environments and have diverse profiles of cloud fraction and water content. When compositing radiative fluxes from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System instrument and surface precipitation from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project, we find that regimes with a radiative warming effect on the atmosphere also produce the largest implied latent heat. Taken as a whole, the results of the study corroborate the usefulness of the cloud regime concept, reaffirm the fundamental nature of the regimes as appropriate building blocks for cloud system classification, clarify their association with standard cloud types, and underscore their distinct radiative and hydrological signatures.

Hot, cold, and annual reference atmospheres for Edwards Air Force Base, California (1975 version)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, D. L.

1975-01-01

Reference atmospheres pertaining to summer (hot), winter (cold), and mean annual conditions for Edwards Air Force Base, California, are presented from surface to 90 km altitude (700 km for the annual model). Computed values of pressure, kinetic temperature, virtual temperature, and density and relative differences percentage departure from the Edwards reference atmospheres, 1975 (ERA-75) of the atmospheric parameters versus altitude are tabulated in 250 m increments. Hydrostatic and gas law equations were used in conjunction with radiosonde and rocketsonde thermodynamic data in determining the vertical structure of these atmospheric models. The thermodynamic parameters were all subjected to a fifth degree least-squares curve-fit procedure, and the resulting coefficients were incorporated into Univac 1108 computer subroutines so that any quantity may be recomputed at any desired altitude using these subroutines.

The Contemporary Carbon Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houghton, R. A.

2003-12-01

The global carbon cycle refers to the exchanges of carbon within and between four major reservoirs: the atmosphere, the oceans, land, and fossil fuels. Carbon may be transferred from one reservoir to another in seconds (e.g., the fixation of atmospheric CO2 into sugar through photosynthesis) or over millennia (e.g., the accumulation of fossil carbon (coal, oil, gas) through deposition and diagenesis of organic matter). This chapter emphasizes the exchanges that are important over years to decades and includes those occurring over the scale of months to a few centuries. The focus will be on the years 1980-2000 but our considerations will broadly include the years ˜1850-2100. Chapter 8.09, deals with longer-term processes that involve rates of carbon exchange that are small on an annual timescale (weathering, vulcanism, sedimentation, and diagenesis).The carbon cycle is important for at least three reasons. First, carbon forms the structure of all life on the planet, making up ˜50% of the dry weight of living things. Second, the cycling of carbon approximates the flows of energy around the Earth, the metabolism of natural, human, and industrial systems. Plants transform radiant energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, starches, and other forms of organic matter; this energy, whether in living organisms or dead organic matter, supports food chains in natural ecosystems as well as human ecosystems, not the least of which are industrial societies habituated (addicted?) to fossil forms of energy for heating, transportation, and generation of electricity. The increased use of fossil fuels has led to a third reason for interest in the carbon cycle. Carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), forms two of the most important greenhouse gases. These gases contribute to a natural greenhouse effect that has kept the planet warm enough to evolve and support life (without the greenhouse effect the Earth's average temperature would be -33°C). Additions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from industrial activity, however, are increasing the concentrations of these gases, enhancing the greenhouse effect, and starting to warm the Earth.The rate and extent of the warming depend, in part, on the global carbon cycle. If the rate at which the oceans remove CO2 from the atmosphere were faster, e.g., concentrations of CO2 would have increased less over the last century. If the processes removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it on land were to diminish, concentrations of CO2 would increase more rapidly than projected on the basis of recent history. The processes responsible for adding carbon to, and withdrawing it from, the atmosphere are not well enough understood to predict future levels of CO2 with great accuracy. These processes are a part of the global carbon cycle.Some of the processes that add carbon to the atmosphere or remove it, such as the combustion of fossil fuels and the establishment of tree plantations, are under direct human control. Others, such as the accumulation of carbon in the oceans or on land as a result of changes in global climate (i.e., feedbacks between the global carbon cycle and climate), are not under direct human control except through controlling rates of greenhouse gas emissions and, hence, climatic change. Because CO2 has been more important than all of the other greenhouse gases under human control, combined, and is expected to continue so in the future, understanding the global carbon cycle is a vital part of managing global climate.This chapter addresses, first, the reservoirs and natural flows of carbon on the earth. It then addresses the sources of carbon to the atmosphere from human uses of land and energy and the sinks of carbon on land and in the oceans that have kept the atmospheric accumulation of CO2 lower than it would otherwise have been. The chapter describes changes in the distribution of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems over the past 150 years as a result of human-induced emissions of carbon. The processes responsible for sinks of carbon on land and in the sea are reviewed from the perspective of feedbacks, and the chapter concludes with some prospects for the future.Earlier comprehensive summaries of the global carbon cycle include studies by Bolin et al. (1979, 1986), Woodwell and Pecan (1973), Bolin (1981), NRC (1983), Sundquist and Broecker (1985), and Trabalka (1985). More recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has summarized information on the carbon cycle in the context of climate change ( Watson et al., 1990; Schimel et al., 1996; Prentice et al., 2001). The basic aspects of the global carbon cycle have been understood for decades, but other aspects, such as the partitioning of the carbon sink between land and ocean, are being re-evaluated continuously with new data and analyses. The rate at which new publications revise estimates of these carbon sinks and re-evaluate the mechanisms that control the magnitude of the sinks suggests that portions of this review will be out of date by the time of publication.

77 FR 24451 - Direct Final Approval of Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators State Plan for Designated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics and Assessment Branch (AT-18J), U.S. Environmental Protection... and Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics and Assessment Branch (AT-18J), U.S. Environmental...

78 FR 72611 - Proposal for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerator Negative Declaration for Designated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-03

[email protected] . 3. Fax: (312) 692-2543. 4. Mail: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere... Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604. 5. Hand Delivery: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere...

Correlated declines in Pacific arctic snow and sea ice cover

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stone, Robert P.; Douglas, David C.; Belchansky, Gennady I.; Drobot, Sheldon

2005-01-01

Simulations of future climate suggest that global warming will reduce Arctic snow and ice cover, resulting in decreased surface albedo (reflectivity). Lowering of the surface albedo leads to further warming by increasing solar absorption at the surface. This phenomenon is referred to as “temperature–albedo feedback.” Anticipation of such a feedback is one reason why scientists look to the Arctic for early indications of global warming. Much of the Arctic has warmed significantly. Northern Hemisphere snow cover has decreased, and sea ice has diminished in area and thickness. As reported in the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment in 2004, the trends are considered to be outside the range of natural variability, implicating global warming as an underlying cause. Changing climatic conditions in the high northern latitudes have influenced biogeochemical cycles on a broad scale. Warming has already affected the sea ice, the tundra, the plants, the animals, and the indigenous populations that depend on them. Changing annual cycles of snow and sea ice also affect sources and sinks of important greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide and methane), further complicating feedbacks involving the global budgets of these important constituents. For instance, thawing permafrost increases the extent of tundra wetlands and lakes, releasing greater amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Variable sea ice cover may affect the hemispheric carbon budget by altering the ocean–atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide. There is growing concern that amplification of global warming in the Arctic will have far-reaching effects on lower latitude climate through these feedback mechanisms. Despite the diverse and convincing observational evidence that the Arctic environment is changing, it remains unclear whether these changes are anthropogenically forced or result from natural variations of the climate system. A better understanding of what controls the seasonal distributions of snow and ice is fundamental to the problem.

Co-benefits of mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions for future air quality and human health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, J. Jason; Smith, Steven J.; Silva, Raquel A.; Naik, Vaishali; Zhang, Yuqiang; Adelman, Zachariah; Fry, Meridith M.; Anenberg, Susan; Horowitz, Larry W.; Lamarque, Jean-Francois

2013-10-01

Actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions often reduce co-emitted air pollutants, bringing co-benefits for air quality and human health. Past studies typically evaluated near-term and local co-benefits, neglecting the long-range transport of air pollutants, long-term demographic changes, and the influence of climate change on air quality. Here we simulate the co-benefits of global GHG reductions on air quality and human health using a global atmospheric model and consistent future scenarios, via two mechanisms: reducing co-emitted air pollutants, and slowing climate change and its effect on air quality. We use new relationships between chronic mortality and exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone, global modelling methods and new future scenarios. Relative to a reference scenario, global GHG mitigation avoids 0.5+/-0.2, 1.3+/-0.5 and 2.2+/-0.8 million premature deaths in 2030, 2050 and 2100. Global average marginal co-benefits of avoided mortality are US$50-380 per tonne of CO2, which exceed previous estimates, exceed marginal abatement costs in 2030 and 2050, and are within the low range of costs in 2100. East Asian co-benefits are 10-70 times the marginal cost in 2030. Air quality and health co-benefits, especially as they are mainly local and near-term, provide strong additional motivation for transitioning to a low-carbon future.

The Wmo Global Atmosphere Watch Programme: Global Framework for Atmospheric Composition Observations and Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasova, O. A.; Jalkanen, L.

2010-12-01

The WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme is the only existing long-term international global programme providing an international coordinated framework for observations and analysis of the chemical composition of the atmosphere. GAW is a partnership involving contributors from about 80 countries. It includes a coordinated global network of observing stations along with supporting facilities (Central Facilities) and expert groups (Scientific Advisory Groups, SAGs and Expert Teams, ETs). Currently GAW coordinates activities and data from 27 Global Stations and a substantial number of Regional and Contributing Stations. Station information is available through the GAW Station Information System GAWSIS (http://gaw.empa.ch/gawsis/). There are six key groups of variables which are addressed by the GAW Programme, namely: ozone, reactive gases, greenhouse gases, aerosols, UV radiation and precipitation chemistry. GAW works to implement integrated observations unifying measurements from different platforms (ground based in situ and remote, balloons, aircraft and satellite) supported by modeling activities. GAW provides data for ozone assessments, Greenhouse Gas Bulletins, Ozone Bulletins and precipitation chemistry assessments published on a regular basis and for early warnings of changes in the chemical composition and related physical characteristics of the atmosphere. To ensure that observations can be used for global assessments, the GAW Programme has developed a Quality Assurance system. Five types of Central Facilities dedicated to the six groups of measurement variables are operated by WMO Members and form the basis of quality assurance and data archiving for the GAW global monitoring network. They include Central Calibration Laboratories (CCLs) that host primary standards (PS), Quality Assurance/Science Activity Centres (QA/SACs), World Calibration Centers (WCCs), Regional Calibration Centers (RCCs), and World Data Centers (WDCs) with responsibility for archiving and access to GAW data. Education, training, workshops, comparison campaigns, station audits/visits and twinning are also provided to build capacities in atmospheric sciences in Member countries.

Understanding Coupling of Global and Diffuse Solar Radiation with Climatic Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamdan, Lubna

Global solar radiation data is very important for wide variety of applications and scientific studies. However, this data is not readily available because of the cost of measuring equipment and the tedious maintenance and calibration requirements. Wide variety of models have been introduced by researchers to estimate and/or predict the global solar radiations and its components (direct and diffuse radiation) using other readily obtainable atmospheric parameters. The goal of this research is to understand the coupling of global and diffuse solar radiation with climatic variability, by investigating the relationships between these radiations and atmospheric parameters. For this purpose, we applied multilinear regression analysis on the data of National Solar Radiation Database 1991--2010 Update. The analysis showed that the main atmospheric parameters that affect the amount of global radiation received on earth's surface are cloud cover and relative humidity. Global radiation correlates negatively with both variables. Linear models are excellent approximations for the relationship between atmospheric parameters and global radiation. A linear model with the predictors total cloud cover, relative humidity, and extraterrestrial radiation is able to explain around 98% of the variability in global radiation. For diffuse radiation, the analysis showed that the main atmospheric parameters that affect the amount received on earth's surface are cloud cover and aerosol optical depth. Diffuse radiation correlates positively with both variables. Linear models are very good approximations for the relationship between atmospheric parameters and diffuse radiation. A linear model with the predictors total cloud cover, aerosol optical depth, and extraterrestrial radiation is able to explain around 91% of the variability in diffuse radiation. Prediction analysis showed that the linear models we fitted were able to predict diffuse radiation with efficiency of test adjusted R2 values equal to 0.93, using the data of total cloud cover, aerosol optical depth, relative humidity and extraterrestrial radiation. However, for prediction purposes, using nonlinear terms or nonlinear models might enhance the prediction of diffuse radiation.

Emission of Trimethylamine from Chenopodium vulvaria - first results from quantifiying plant emissions of amines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shang; Neftel, Albrecht; Jörg, Sintermann; Derstroff, Bettina; Sauvage, Carina; Bohley, Katharina; Kadereit, Gudrun; Williams, Jonathan; Pöhlker, Christopher; Kesselmeier, Jürgen; Sörgel, Matthias

2016-04-01

Amines comprise a wide range of nitrogenous organic compounds such as aliphatic methylamines MA. TMA is the most common amine species emitted by various sources and the most abundant amine in the atmosphere (Ge et al., 2011a). Additionally, TMA has been found to be the dominant amine species in the gas-phase compared to MMA and DMA at agriculture sites (Schade and Crutzen, 1995). On the global scale, the knowledge about the fluxes of most amines is limited (Ge et al., 2011a). Furthermore, terrestrial vegetation is also assumed to be a potential source for amines (Schade and Crutzen, 1995). There are a few studies from the end of the 19th century until 1975, which described high amount of MA-emission from certain plant species, which was associated with their plant tissues or with blossoms during flowering (Smith, 1971). Despite the low atmospheric concentration of amines (DMA = 0.5 ppb (Okita, 1970), TMA = 0.6 -1.6 ppb (Fujii and Kitai, 1987)), previous studies have already shown that amines play an important role in the New aerosol Particle Formation (NPF) (Almeida et al., 2013, and summarized in Sintermann and Neftel, 2015). In the atmosphere, NPF occurs frequently from gas-phase precursors. High uncertainty exists in the estimation of the global secondary aerosols budget, which was cause to the uncertain contribution of the gas-phase precursors to the NPF (Spracklen et al., 2011). It becomes more clearly that instead of binary systems of sulfuric acid and water, ternary system of sulfuric acid, water and a neutralizing compound as NH3 or amines is a key system in NPF (Almeida et al., 2013, Kurten et al., 2014). Despite their low atmospheric concentrations amines may play, at least locally, a crucial role in aerosol formation. In this study, we focus on the plant species chenopodium vulvaria, which is well known as a strong TMA-emitter (Dessaignes, 1856). But TMA emission rates from that plant species was not determined systematically up to now. In this study, we investigate on the TMA emission from chenopodium vulvaria in our dynamic cuvette system described in Sun et al. (2015). As TMA plays a key role in the atmospheric NPF, the results should give a perception of the contribution of the TMA emission from the terrestrial vegetation to the global NPF. Reference Almeida et al., Nature, 502, 359-363, 2013. Ge et al., Atmospheric Environment, 45, 524-546, 2011. Dessaignes, M., C. R. Acad. Sei. (Paris), 43, 670-671, 1856. Fujii et al., Analytical Chemistry, 59, 379-382, 1987. Kurten et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111, 15019-15024, 2014. Okita, T., Atmospheric Environment, 4, 93-102 1970. Schade, G.W. and Crutzen, P.J., Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, 22, 319-346, 1995. Sintermann, J. and Neftel, A., Biogeosciences, 12(11), 3225-3240, 2015. Smith, T. A., Biological Reviews, 46, 201-241, 1971. Spracklen et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 11, 12 109-12 136, 2011. Sun et al., Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discuss, 8, 12051-12104, doi:10.5194/amtd-8-12051-2015, 2015

Maintaining Atmospheric Mass and Water Balance Within Reanalysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takacs, Lawrence L.; Suarez, Max; Todling, Ricardo

2015-01-01

This report describes the modifications implemented into the Goddard Earth Observing System Version-5 (GEOS-5) Atmospheric Data Assimilation System (ADAS) to maintain global conservation of dry atmospheric mass as well as to preserve the model balance of globally integrated precipitation and surface evaporation during reanalysis. Section 1 begins with a review of these global quantities from four current reanalysis efforts. Section 2 introduces the modifications necessary to preserve these constraints within the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) analysis procedure, and the Incremental Analysis Update (IAU) algorithm. Section 3 presents experiments quantifying the impact of the new procedure. Section 4 shows preliminary results from its use within the GMAO MERRA-2 Reanalysis project. Section 5 concludes with a summary.

From transient to steady-state response of ecosystems to atmospheric CO2-enrichment and global climate change: conceptual challenges and need for an integrated approach

Treesearch

Lindsey E. Rustad

2006-01-01

Evidence continues to accumulate that humans are significantly increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, resulting in unprecedented changes in the global climate system. Experimental manipulations of terrestrial ecosystems and their components have greatly increased our understanding of short-term responses to these global perturbations and have...

Estimation of the global climate effect of brown carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, A.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Weber, R. J.; Song, Y.

2017-12-01

Carbonaceous aerosols significantly affect global radiative forcing and climate through absorption and scattering of sunlight. Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) are light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols. The global distribution and climate effect of BrC is uncertain. A recent study suggests that BrC absorption is comparable to BC in the upper troposphere over biomass burning region and that the resulting heating tends to stabilize the atmosphere. Yet current climate models do not include proper treatments of BrC. In this study, we derived a BrC global biomass burning emission inventory from Global Fire Emissions Database 4 (GFED4) and developed a BrC module in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) of Community Earth System Model (CESM) model. The model simulations compared well to BrC observations of the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) and Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Project (DC-3) campaigns and includes BrC bleaching. Model results suggested that BrC in the upper troposphere due to convective transport is as important an absorber as BC globally. Upper tropospheric BrC radiative forcing is particularly significant over the tropics, affecting the atmosphere stability and Hadley circulation.

The Effect of the Interannual Variability of the OH Sink on the Interannual Variability of the Atmospheric Methane Mixing Ratio and Carbon Stable Isotope Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillermo Nuñez Ramirez, Tonatiuh; Houweling, Sander; Marshall, Julia; Williams, Jason; Brailsford, Gordon; Schneising, Oliver; Heimann, Martin

2013-04-01

The atmospheric hydroxyl radical concentration (OH) varies due to changes in the incoming UV radiation, in the abundance of atmospheric species involved in the production, recycling and destruction of OH molecules and due to climate variability. Variability in carbon monoxide emissions from biomass burning induced by El Niño Southern Oscillation are particularly important. Although the OH sink accounts for the oxidation of approximately 90% of atmospheric CH4, the effect of the variability in the distribution and strength of the OH sink on the interannual variability of atmospheric methane (CH4) mixing ratio and stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C-CH4) has often been ignored. To show this effect we simulated the atmospheric signals of CH4 in a three-dimensional atmospheric transport model (TM3). ERA Interim reanalysis data provided the atmospheric transport and temperature variability from 1990 to 2010. We performed simulations using time dependent OH concentration estimations from an atmospheric chemistry transport model and an atmospheric chemistry climate model. The models assumed a different set of reactions and algorithms which caused a very different strength and distribution of the OH concentration. Methane emissions were based on published bottom-up estimates including inventories, upscaled estimations and modeled fluxes. The simulations also included modeled concentrations of atomic chlorine (Cl) and excited oxygen atoms (O(1D)). The isotopic signal of the sources and the fractionation factors of the sinks were based on literature values, however the isotopic signal from wetlands and enteric fermentation processes followed a linear relationship with a map of C4 plant fraction. The same set of CH4emissions and stratospheric reactants was used in all simulations. Two simulations were done per OH field: one in which the CH4 sources were allowed to vary interannually, and a second where the sources were climatological. The simulated mixing ratios and isotopic compositions at global reference stations were used to construct more robust indicators such as global and zonal means and interhemispheric differences. We also compared the model CH4 mixing ratio to satellite observations, for the period 2003 to 2004 with SCIAMACHY and from 2009 to 2010 with GOSAT. The interannual variability of the different OH fields imprinted an interannual variation of the atmospheric CH4 mixing ratio with a magnitude of ±10 ppb, which is comparable to the effect of all sources combined. Meanwhile its effect on the interannual variability of δ13C-CH4 was minor (< 10%). The interannual variability of the mixing ratio interhemispheric difference is dominated by the sources because the OH sink is concentrated in the tropics, thus its interannual variability affects both hemispheres. Meanwhile, although the OH plays an important role in the establishment of an interhemispheric gradient of δ13C-CH4, the interannual variation of this gradient is negligibly affected by the choice of OH field. Overall the study showed that the variability of the OH sink plays a significant role in the interannual variability of the atmospheric methane mixing ratio, and must be considered to improve our understanding of the recent trends in the global methane budget.

Thermal Band Atmospheric Correction Using Atmospheric Profiles Derived from Global Positioning System Radio Occultation and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pagnutti, Mary; Holekamp, Kara; Stewart, Randy; Vaughan, Ronald D.

2006-01-01

This Rapid Prototyping Capability study explores the potential to use atmospheric profiles derived from GPS (Global Positioning System) radio occultation measurements and by AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) onboard the Aqua satellite to improve surface temperature retrieval from remotely sensed thermal imagery. This study demonstrates an example of a cross-cutting decision support technology whereby NASA data or models are shown to improve a wide number of observation systems or models. The ability to use one data source to improve others will be critical to the GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) where a large number of potentially useful systems will require auxiliary datasets as input for decision support. Atmospheric correction of thermal imagery decouples TOA radiance and separates surface emission from atmospheric emission and absorption. Surface temperature can then be estimated from the surface emission with knowledge of its emissivity. Traditionally, radiosonde sounders or atmospheric models based on radiosonde sounders, such as the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) ARL (Air Resources Laboratory) READY (Real-time Environmental Application and Display sYstem), provide the atmospheric profiles required to perform atmospheric correction. Unfortunately, these types of data are too spatially sparse and too infrequently taken. The advent of high accuracy, global coverage, atmospheric data using GPS radio occultation and AIRS may provide a new avenue for filling data input gaps. In this study, AIRS and GPS radio occultation derived atmospheric profiles from the German Aerospace Center CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload), the Argentinean Commission on Space Activities SAC-C (Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C), and the pair of NASA GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites are used as input data in atmospheric radiative transport modeling based on the MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmittance) radiative transport software to separate out the atmospheric component of measured top of atmosphere radiance. Simulated water bodies across a variety of MODTRAN model atmospheres including desert, mid-latitude, tropical and sub-artic conditions provide test bed conditions. Atmospherically corrected radiance and surface temperature results were compared to those obtained using traditional radiosonde balloon data and models. In general, differences between the different techniques were less than 2 percent indicating the potential value satellite derived atmospheric profiles have to atmospherically correct thermal imagery.

Atmospheric histories and global emissions of the anthropogenic hydrofluorocarbons HFC-365mfc, HFC-245fa, HFC-227ea, and HFC-236fa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollmer, Martin K.; Miller, Benjamin R.; Rigby, Matthew; Reimann, Stefan; Mühle, Jens; Krummel, Paul B.; O'Doherty, Simon; Kim, Jooil; Rhee, Tae Siek; Weiss, Ray F.; Fraser, Paul J.; Simmonds, Peter G.; Salameh, Peter K.; Harth, Christina M.; Wang, Ray H. J.; Steele, L. Paul; Young, Dickon; Lunder, Chris R.; Hermansen, Ove; Ivy, Diane; Arnold, Tim; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Kim, Kyung-Ryul; Greally, Brian R.; Hill, Matthias; Leist, Michael; Wenger, Angelina; Prinn, Ronald G.

2011-04-01

We report on ground-based atmospheric measurements and emission estimates of the four anthropogenic hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) HFC-365mfc (CH3CF2CH2CF3, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane), HFC-245fa (CHF2CH2CF3, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane), HFC-227ea (CF3CHFCF3, 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane), and HFC-236fa (CF3CH2CF3, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane). In situ measurements are from the global monitoring sites of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE), the System for Observations of Halogenated Greenhouse Gases in Europe (SOGE), and Gosan (South Korea). We include the first halocarbon flask sample measurements from the Antarctic research stations King Sejong and Troll. We also present measurements of archived air samples from both hemispheres back to the 1970s. We use a two-dimensional atmospheric transport model to simulate global atmospheric abundances and to estimate global emissions. HFC-365mfc and HFC-245fa first appeared in the atmosphere only ˜1 decade ago; they have grown rapidly to globally averaged dry air mole fractions of 0.53 ppt (in parts per trillion, 10-12) and 1.1 ppt, respectively, by the end of 2010. In contrast, HFC-227ea first appeared in the global atmosphere in the 1980s and has since grown to ˜0.58 ppt. We report the first measurements of HFC-236fa in the atmosphere. This long-lived compound was present in the atmosphere at only 0.074 ppt in 2010. All four substances exhibit yearly growth rates of >8% yr-1 at the end of 2010. We find rapidly increasing emissions for the foam-blowing compounds HFC-365mfc and HFC-245fa starting in ˜2002. After peaking in 2006 (HFC-365mfc: 3.2 kt yr-1, HFC-245fa: 6.5 kt yr-1), emissions began to decline. Our results for these two compounds suggest that recent estimates from long-term projections (to the late 21st century) have strongly overestimated emissions for the early years of the projections (˜2005-2010). Global HFC-227ea and HFC-236fa emissions have grown to average values of 2.4 kt yr-1 and 0.18 kt yr-1 over the 2008-2010 period, respectively.

Research highlights of the global modeling and simulation branch for 1986-1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, Wayman (Editor); Susskind, Joel (Editor); Pfaendtner, James (Editor); Randall, David (Editor); Atlas, Robert (Editor)

1988-01-01

This document provides a summary of the research conducted in the Global Modeling and Simulation Branch and highlights the most significant accomplishments in 1986 to 1987. The Branch has been the focal point for global weather and climate prediction research in the Laboratory for Atmospheres through the retrieval and use of satellite data, the development of global models and data assimilation techniques, the simulation of future observing systems, and the performance of atmospheric diagnostic studies.

Using observations to evaluate biosphere-atmosphere interactions in models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Julia; Konings, Alexandra G.; Alemohammad, Seyed H.; Gentine, Pierre

2017-04-01

Biosphere-atmosphere interactions influence the hydrologic cycle by altering climate and weather patterns (Charney, 1975; Koster et al., 2006; Seneviratne et al., 2006), contributing up to 30% of precipitation and radiation variability in certain regions (Green et al., 2017). They have been shown to contribute to the persistence of drought in Europe (Seneviratne et al., 2006), as well as to increase rainfall in the Amazon (Spracklen et al., 2012). Thus, a true representation of these feedbacks in Earth System Models (ESMs) is crucial for accurate forecasting and planning. However, it has been difficult to validate the performance of ESMs since often-times surface and atmospheric flux data are scarce and/or difficult to observe. In this study, we use the results of a new global observational study (using remotely sensed solar-induced fluorescence to represent the biosphere flux) (Green et al., 2017) to determine how well a suite of 13 ESMs capture biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks. We perform a Conditional Multivariate Granger Causality analysis in the frequency domain with radiation, precipitation and temperature as atmospheric inputs and GPP as the biospheric input. Performing the analysis in the frequency domain allows for separation of feedbacks at different time-scales (subseasonal, seasonal or interannual). Our findings can be used to determine whether there is agreement between models, as well as, to pinpoint regions or time-scales of model bias or inaccuracy, which will provide insight on potential improvement. We demonstrate that in addition to the well-known problem of convective parameterization over land in models, the main issue in representing feedbacks between the land and the atmosphere is due to the misrepresentation of water stress. These results provide a direct quantitative assessment of feedbacks in models and how to improve them. References: Charney, J.G. Dynamics of deserts and drought in the Sahel. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 101, 193-202 (1975). Green, J.K., Konings, A.G., Alemohammad, S.H., Berry, J., Entekhabi, D., Kolassa, J., Lee, J.E., Gentine, P. Hotspots of terrestrial biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks. In review. (2017). Koster, R. D. et al. GLACE: The Global Land - Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. Part I: Overview. J. Hydrometeorol. 7, 611-625 (2006). Seneviratne, S.I., Lüthi, D., Litschi M., Schär, C. Land-atmosphere coupling and climate change in Europe. Nature 443, 205-209 (2006). Spracklen, D.V, Arnold, S.R., Taylor, C.M. Observations of increased tropical rainfall preceded by air passage over forests. Nature 489, 282-285 (2012).

Global Sources and Pathways of Mercury in the Context of Human Health.

PubMed

Sundseth, Kyrre; Pacyna, Jozef M; Pacyna, Elisabeth G; Pirrone, Nicola; Thorne, Rebecca J

2017-01-22

This paper reviews information from the existing literature and the EU GMOS (Global Mercury Observation System) project to assess the current scientific knowledge on global mercury releases into the atmosphere, on global atmospheric transport and deposition, and on the linkage between environmental contamination and potential impacts on human health. The review concludes that assessment of global sources and pathways of mercury in the context of human health is important for being able to monitor the effects from implementation of the Minamata Convention targets, although new research is needed on the improvement of emission inventory data, the chemical and physical behaviour of mercury in the atmosphere, the improvement of monitoring network data, predictions of future emissions and speciation, and on the subsequent effects on the environment, human health, as well as the economic costs and benefits of reducing these aspects.

Description and verification of a U.S. Naval Research Lab's loosely coupled data assimilation system for the Navy's Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, N. P.; Metzger, E. J.; Smedstad, O. M.; Ruston, B. C.; Wallcraft, A. J.; Whitcomb, T.; Ridout, J. A.; Zamudio, L.; Posey, P.; Reynolds, C. A.; Richman, J. G.; Phelps, M.

2017-12-01

The Naval Research Laboratory is developing an Earth System Model (NESM) to provide global environmental information to meet Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) operations and planning needs from the upper atmosphere to under the sea. This system consists of a global atmosphere, ocean, ice, wave, and land prediction models and the individual models include: atmosphere - NAVy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM); ocean - HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM); sea ice - Community Ice CodE (CICE); WAVEWATCH III™; and land - NAVGEM Land Surface Model (LSM). Data assimilation is currently loosely coupled between the atmosphere component using a 6-hour update cycle in the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Atmospheric Variational Data Assimilation System - Accelerated Representer (NAVDAS-AR) and the ocean/ice components using a 24-hour update cycle in the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) with 3 hours of incremental updating. This presentation will describe the US Navy's coupled forecast model, the loosely coupled data assimilation, and compare results against stand-alone atmosphere and ocean/ice models. In particular, we will focus on the unique aspects of this modeling system, which includes an eddy resolving ocean model and challenges associated with different update-windows and solvers for the data assimilation in the atmosphere and ocean. Results will focus on typical operational diagnostics for atmosphere, ocean, and ice analyses including 500 hPa atmospheric height anomalies, low-level winds, temperature/salinity ocean depth profiles, ocean acoustical proxies, sea ice edge, and sea ice drift. Overall, the global coupled system is performing with comparable skill to the stand-alone systems.

A quasi-static model of global atmospheric electricity. I - The lower atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hays, P. B.; Roble, R. G.

1979-01-01

A quasi-steady model of global lower atmospheric electricity is presented. The model considers thunderstorms as dipole electric generators that can be randomly distributed in various regions and that are the only source of atmospheric electricity and includes the effects of orography and electrical coupling along geomagnetic field lines in the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The model is used to calculate the global distribution of electric potential and current for model conductivities and assumed spatial distributions of thunderstorms. Results indicate that large positive electric potentials are generated over thunderstorms and penetrate to ionospheric heights and into the conjugate hemisphere along magnetic field lines. The perturbation of the calculated electric potential and current distributions during solar flares and subsequent Forbush decreases is discussed, and future measurements of atmospheric electrical parameters and modifications of the model which would improve the agreement between calculations and measurements are suggested.

Quantifying aluminum and semiconductor industry perfluorocarbon emissions from atmospheric measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jooil; Fraser, Paul J.; Li, Shanlan; Mühle, Jens; Ganesan, Anita L.; Krummel, Paul B.; Steele, L. Paul; Park, Sunyoung; Kim, Seung-Kyu; Park, Mi-Kyung; Arnold, Tim; Harth, Christina M.; Salameh, Peter K.; Prinn, Ronald G.; Weiss, Ray F.; Kim, Kyung-Ryul

2014-07-01

The potent anthropogenic perfluorocarbon greenhouse gases tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6) are emitted to the atmosphere mainly by the aluminum and semiconductor industries. Global emissions of these perfluorocarbons (PFCs) calculated from atmospheric measurements are significantly greater than expected from reported national and industry-based emission inventories. In this study, in situ measurements of the two PFCs in the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment network are used to show that their emission ratio varies according to the relative regional presence of these two industries, providing an industry-specific emission "signature" to apportion the observed emissions. Our results suggest that underestimated emissions from the global semiconductor industry during 1990-2010, as well as from China's aluminum industry after 2002, account for the observed differences between emissions based on atmospheric measurements and on inventories. These differences are significant despite the large uncertainties in emissions based on the methodologies used by these industries.

Global atmospheric particle formation from CERN CLOUD measurements.

PubMed

Dunne, Eimear M; Gordon, Hamish; Kürten, Andreas; Almeida, João; Duplissy, Jonathan; Williamson, Christina; Ortega, Ismael K; Pringle, Kirsty J; Adamov, Alexey; Baltensperger, Urs; Barmet, Peter; Benduhn, Francois; Bianchi, Federico; Breitenlechner, Martin; Clarke, Antony; Curtius, Joachim; Dommen, Josef; Donahue, Neil M; Ehrhart, Sebastian; Flagan, Richard C; Franchin, Alessandro; Guida, Roberto; Hakala, Jani; Hansel, Armin; Heinritzi, Martin; Jokinen, Tuija; Kangasluoma, Juha; Kirkby, Jasper; Kulmala, Markku; Kupc, Agnieszka; Lawler, Michael J; Lehtipalo, Katrianne; Makhmutov, Vladimir; Mann, Graham; Mathot, Serge; Merikanto, Joonas; Miettinen, Pasi; Nenes, Athanasios; Onnela, Antti; Rap, Alexandru; Reddington, Carly L S; Riccobono, Francesco; Richards, Nigel A D; Rissanen, Matti P; Rondo, Linda; Sarnela, Nina; Schobesberger, Siegfried; Sengupta, Kamalika; Simon, Mario; Sipilä, Mikko; Smith, James N; Stozkhov, Yuri; Tomé, Antonio; Tröstl, Jasmin; Wagner, Paul E; Wimmer, Daniela; Winkler, Paul M; Worsnop, Douglas R; Carslaw, Kenneth S

2016-12-02

Fundamental questions remain about the origin of newly formed atmospheric aerosol particles because data from laboratory measurements have been insufficient to build global models. In contrast, gas-phase chemistry models have been based on laboratory kinetics measurements for decades. We built a global model of aerosol formation by using extensive laboratory measurements of rates of nucleation involving sulfuric acid, ammonia, ions, and organic compounds conducted in the CERN CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets) chamber. The simulations and a comparison with atmospheric observations show that nearly all nucleation throughout the present-day atmosphere involves ammonia or biogenic organic compounds, in addition to sulfuric acid. A considerable fraction of nucleation involves ions, but the relatively weak dependence on ion concentrations indicates that for the processes studied, variations in cosmic ray intensity do not appreciably affect climate through nucleation in the present-day atmosphere. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Thermal Structure and Dynamics of Saturn's Northern Springtime Disturbance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fletcher, Leigh N.; Hesman, Brigette E.; Irwin, Patrick G.; Baines, Kevin H.; Momary, Thomas W.; SanchezLavega, Agustin; Flasar, F. Michael; Read, Peter L.; Orton, Glenn S.; SimonMiller, Amy;

Global Atmospheric Monitoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallen, Carl C.

1975-01-01

The global atmospheric monitoring plans of the World Meteorological Organization are detailed. Single and multipurpose basic monitoring systems and the monitoring of chemical properties are discussed. The relationship of the World Meteorological Organization with the United Nations environment program is discussed. A map of the World…

77 FR 24451 - Direct Final Approval of Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators State Plan for Designated...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

...) 886-6030. 4. Mail: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics and..., Illinois 60604. 5. Hand Delivery: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics...

78 FR 34973 - Proposal for Sewage Sludge Incinerators State Plan for Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Indiana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-11

[email protected] . 3. Fax: (312) 692-2543. 4. Mail: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere... Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604. 5. Hand Delivery: Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere...

77 FR 32075 - Approval of Negative Declaration and Withdrawal of Large Municipal Waste Combustors State Plan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-31

..., Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics and Assessment Branch (AT-18J), U.S.... Nash, Chief, Toxics and Global Atmosphere Section, Air Toxics and Assessment Branch (AT-18J), U.S...

Solar-terrestrial coupling through atmospheric electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roble, R. G.; Hays, P. B.

1979-01-01

There are a number of measurements of electrical variations that suggest a solar-terrestrial influence on the global atmospheric electrical circuit. The measurements show variations associated with solar flares, solar magnetic sector boundary crossings, geomagnetic activity, aurorae, differences between ground current and potential gradients at high and low latitudes, and solar cycle variations. The evidence for each variation is examined. Both the experimental evidence and the calculations made with a global model of atmospheric electricity indicate that there is solar-terrestrial coupling through atmospheric electricity which operates by altering the global electric current and field distribution. A global redistribution of currents and fields can be caused by large-scale changes in electrical conductivity, by alteration of the columnar resistance between thunderstorm cloud tops and the ionosphere, or by both. If the columnar resistance is altered above thunderstorms, more current will flow in the global circuit, changing the ionospheric potential and basic circuit variables such as current density and electric fields. The observed variations of currents and fields during solar-induced disturbances are generally less than 50% of mean values near the earth's surface.

Validation and Demonstration of the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) in Support of User Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nalli, N. R.; Gambacorta, A.; Tan, C.; Iturbide, F.; Barnet, C. D.; Reale, A.; Sun, B.; Liu, Q.

2017-12-01

This presentation overviews the performance of the operational SNPP NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) environmental data record (EDR) products. The SNPP Cross-track Infrared Sounder and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (CrIS/ATMS) suite, the first of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program, is one of NOAA's major investments in our nation's future operational environmental observation capability. The NUCAPS algorithm is a world-class NOAA-operational IR/MW retrieval algorithm based upon the well-established AIRS science team algorithm for deriving temperature, moisture, ozone and carbon trace gas to provide users with state-of-the-art EDR products. Operational use of the products includes the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), along with numerous science-user applications. NUCAPS EDR product assessments are made with reference to JPSS Level 1 global requirements, which provide the definitive metrics for assessing that the products have minimally met predefined global performance specifications. The NESDIS/STAR NUCAPS development and validation team recently delivered the Phase 4 algorithm which incorporated critical updates necessary for compatibility with full spectral-resolution (FSR) CrIS sensor data records (SDRs). Based on comprehensive analyses, the NUCAPS Phase 4 CrIS-FSR temperature, moisture and ozone profile EDRs, as well as the carbon trace gas EDRs (CO, CH4 and CO2), are shown o be meeting or close to meeting the JPSS program global requirements. Regional and temporal assessments of interest to EDR users (e.g., AWIPS) will also be presented.

Why CO2 cools the middle atmosphere - a consolidating model perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goessling, Helge F.; Bathiany, Sebastian

2016-08-01

Complex models of the atmosphere show that increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, while warming the surface and troposphere, lead to lower temperatures in the stratosphere and mesosphere. This cooling, which is often referred to as "stratospheric cooling", is evident also in observations and considered to be one of the fingerprints of anthropogenic global warming. Although the responsible mechanisms have been identified, they have mostly been discussed heuristically, incompletely, or in combination with other effects such as ozone depletion, leaving the subject prone to misconceptions. Here we use a one-dimensional window-grey radiation model of the atmosphere to illustrate the physical essence of the mechanisms by which CO2 cools the stratosphere and mesosphere: (i) the blocking effect, associated with a cooling due to the fact that CO2 absorbs radiation at wavelengths where the atmosphere is already relatively opaque, and (ii) the indirect solar effect, associated with a cooling in places where an additional (solar) heating term is present (which on Earth is particularly the case in the upper parts of the ozone layer). By contrast, in the grey model without solar heating within the atmosphere, the cooling aloft is only a transient blocking phenomenon that is completely compensated as the surface attains its warmer equilibrium. Moreover, we quantify the relative contribution of these effects by simulating the response to an abrupt increase in CO2 (and chlorofluorocarbon) concentrations with an atmospheric general circulation model. We find that the two permanent effects contribute roughly equally to the CO2-induced cooling, with the indirect solar effect dominating around the stratopause and the blocking effect dominating otherwise.

Atmospheric and spectroscopic research in the far infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Kwangjai; Radostitz, James V.

1992-01-01

The University of Oregon (UO) has been a major participant in the development of far infrared spectroscopic research of the stratosphere for the purpose of understanding the ozone layer processes. The UO has had a 15-year collaboration with the Italian group of B. Carli, and have participated in the 1978/79 Sub-millimeter Infrared Balloon Experiment (SIBEX), in the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign, (BIC), in the Infrared Balloon Experiment (IBEX), and in the recently concluded Far Infrared Experiment for UARS Correlative Measurements (FIREX). Both IBEX and FIREX programs were conducted in collaboration with NASA Langley, and were designed as validation flights in support of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Program. The technique of atmospheric far infrared spectroscopy offers two important advantages. First, many chemically important species can be measured simultaneously and co-spatially in the atmosphere. Second, far infrared atmospheric spectra can be obtained in thermal emission without reference to the sun's position, enabling full diurnal and global coverage. Recent improvements in instrumentation, field measurements, and molecular concentration retrieval techniques are now making the far infrared a mature measurement technology. This work to date has largely focused on balloon-based studies, but the future efforts will focus also on satellite-based experiments. A program of research in the following general areas was proposed: Laboratory Pressure broadening coefficient studies; specialized detector system assembly and testing; and consultation and assistance with instrument and field support. The proposal was approved and a three-year research grant titled 'Atmospheric and Spectroscopic Research in the Far Infrared' was awarded. A summary of technical accomplishments attained during the grant period are presented.

Introduction. Pliocene climate, processes and problems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haywood, A.M.; Dowsett, H.J.; Valdes, P.J.; Lunt, D.J.; Francis, J.E.; Sellwood, B.W.

2009-01-01

Climate predictions produced by numerical climate models, often referred to as general circulation models (GCMs), suggest that by the end of the twenty-first century global mean annual surface air temperatures will increase by 1.1-6.4??C. Trace gas records from ice cores indicate that atmospheric concentrations of CO2 are already higher than at any time during the last 650000 years. In the next 50 years, atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to reach a level not encountered since an epoch of time known as the Pliocene. Uniformitarianism is a key principle of geological science, but can the past also be a guide to the future? To what extent does an examination of the Pliocene geological record enable us to successfully understand and interpret this guide? How reliable are the 'retrodictions' of Pliocene climates produced by GCMs and what does this tell us about the accuracy of model predictions for the future? These questions provide the scientific rationale for this Theme Issue. ?? 2008 The Royal Society.

Assessment of Global Annual Atmospheric Energy Balance from Satellite Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Bing; Stackhouse, Paul; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Hu, Yongxiang; Sun, Wenbo; Fan, Tai-Fang (Alice); Hinkelman, Laura

2008-01-01

Global atmospheric energy balance is one of the fundamental processes for the earth's climate system. This study uses currently available satellite data sets of radiative energy at the top of atmosphere (TOA) and surface and latent and sensible heat over oceans for the year 2000 to assess the global annual energy budget. Over land, surface radiation data are used to constrain assimilated results and to force the radiation, turbulent heat, and heat storage into balance due to a lack of observation-based turbulent heat flux estimations. Global annual means of the TOA net radiation obtained from both direct measurements and calculations are close to zero. The net radiative energy fluxes into the surface and the surface latent heat transported into the atmosphere are about 113 and 86 Watts per square meter, respectively. The estimated atmospheric and surface heat imbalances are about -8 9 Watts per square meter, values that are within the uncertainties of surface radiation and sea surface turbulent flux estimates and likely systematic biases in the analyzed observations. The potential significant additional absorption of solar radiation within the atmosphere suggested by previous studies does not appear to be required to balance the energy budget the spurious heat imbalances in the current data are much smaller (about half) than those obtained previously and debated at about a decade ago. Progress in surface radiation and oceanic turbulent heat flux estimations from satellite measurements significantly reduces the bias errors in the observed global energy budgets of the climate system.

A mitigation strategy for commercial aviation impact on NOx-related O3 change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasiuk, D. K.; Khan, M. A. H.; Shallcross, D. E.; Derwent, R. G.; Lowenberg, M. H.

2016-07-01

An operational mitigation strategy for commercial aircraft impact on atmospheric composition, referred to as the turboprop replacement strategy (TRS), is described in this paper. The global air traffic between 2005 and 2011 was modeled with the TRS in which turbofan powered aircraft were replaced with nine chosen turboprop powered aircraft on all routes up to 1700 nautical miles (NM) in range. The results of this TRS double the global number of departures, as well as global mission distance, while global mission time grows by nearly a factor of 3. However, the global mission fuel and the emissions of aviation CO2, H2O, and SOx remain approximately unchanged, and the total global aviation CO, hydrocarbons (HC), and NOx emissions are reduced by 79%, 21%, and 11% on average between 2005 and 2011. The TRS lowers the global mean cruise altitude of flights up to 1700 NM by 2.7 km which leads to a significant decrease in global mission fuel burn, mission time, distance flown, and the aircraft emissions of CO2, CO, H2O, NOx, SOx, and HC above 9.2 km. The replacement of turbofans with turboprops in regional fleets on a global scale leads to an overall reduction in levels of tropospheric O3 at the current estimated mean cruise altitude near the tropopause where the radiative forcing of O3 is strongest. Further, the replacement strategy results in a reduction of ground-level aviation CO and NOx emissions by 33 and 29%, respectively, between 2005 and 2011.

Plants, Weathering, and the Evolution of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen

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

Berner, Robert A

Over the past six years we have published 24 papers that can be divided into three sections: (1) Study of plants and weathering, (2) modeling the evolution of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time (past 550 million years). (3) Modeling of atmospheric O2 over Phanerozoic time. References to papers published acknowledging this grant can be found at the end of this report and almost all are supplied in pdf form. (1) In the temperate forests of the Cascade Mountains, USA, calcium and magnesium meet vastly different fates beneath angiosperms vs gymnosperms. Calcium is leached beneath both groves of trees, but leachedmore » 20-40% more beneath the angiosperms. Magnesium is retained in the forest system beneath the angiosperms and leached from beneath the gymnosperms. (2) We have shown that climate and CO2, based on both carbon cycle modeling and hundreds of independent proxies for paleo-CO2, correlate very well over the past 550 million year. In a recent paper we use this correlation to deduce the sensitivity of global mean temperature to a doubling of atmospheric CO2, and results are in excellent agreement with the results of climatologists based on the historical record and on theoretical climate models (GCM’s).(3) We have shown that concentrations of atmospheric oxygen, calculated by a combined carbon-sulfur cycle model, over the past 550 million years have varied with and influenced biological evolution.« less

Remote Measurement of Pollution-A 40-Year Langley Retrospective. Part 2; Aerosols and Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remsberg, Ellis E.

2012-01-01

A workshop was convened in 1971 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the Remote Measurement of Pollution (RMOP), and the findings and recommendations of its participants are in a NASA Special Publication (NASA SP-285). The three primary workshop panels and their chairmen were focused on trace gas species (Will Kellogg), atmospheric particulates or aerosols (Verner Suomi), and water pollution (Gifford Ewing). Many of the workshop participants were specialists in the techniques that might be employed for regional to global-scale, remote measurements of the atmospheric parameters from Earth-orbiting satellites. In 2011 the author published a 40-year retrospective (or Part I) of the instrumental developments that were an outgrowth of the RMOP panel headed by Will Kellogg, i.e., on atmospheric temperature and gaseous species. The current report (or Part II) is an analogous retrospective of the vision of the panel led by Verner Suomi for the measurement of particulates (or aerosols) and clouds and for their effects on Earth s radiation budget. The class of measurement techniques includes laser radar or lidar, solar occultation, limb emission and scattering, nadir-viewing photometry or radiometry, and aerosol polarimetry. In addition, the retrospective refers to the scientific imperatives that led to those instrument developments of 1971-2010. Contributions of the atmospheric technologists at the Langley Research Center are emphasized, and their progress is placed in the context of the parallel and complementary work from within the larger atmospheric science community.

Study of atmospheric dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnider, Richard T.; Christy, John R.; Cox, Gregory N.

1993-01-01

In order to better understand the dynamics of the global atmosphere, a data set of precision temperature measurements was developed using the NASA built Microwave Sounding Unit. Modeling research was carried out to validate global model outputs using various satellite data. Idealized flows in a rotating annulus were studied and applied to the general circulation of the atmosphere. Dynamic stratospheric ozone fluctuations were investigated. An extensive bibliography and several reprints are appended.

A Global Assessment of Rain-Dissolved Organic Carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safieddine, S.; Heald, C. L.

2017-12-01

Precipitation is the largest physical removal pathway of atmospheric organic carbon from the atmosphere. The removed carbon is transferred to the land and ocean in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Limited measurements have hindered efforts to characterize global DOC. In this poster presentation, we show the first simulated global DOC distribution based on a GEOS-Chem model simulation of the atmospheric reactive carbon budget. Over the ocean, simulated DOC concentrations are between 0.1 to 1 mgCL-1 with a total of 85 TgCyr-1 deposited. DOC concentrations are higher inland, ranging between 1 and 10 mgCL-1, producing a total of 188 TgCyr-1 terrestrial organic wet deposition. We compare the 2010 simulated DOC to a 30-year synthesis of available DOC measurements over different environments. Despite imperfect matching of observational and simulated time intervals, the model is able to reproduce much of the spatial variability of DOC (r= 0.63), with a low bias of 35%. We compare the global average carbon oxidation state (OSc) of both atmospheric and dissolved organic carbon, as a simple metric for describing the chemical composition of organics. In the global atmosphere reactive organic carbon (ROC) is dominated by hydrocarbons and ketones, and OSc, ranges from -1.8 to -0.6. In the dissolved form, formaldehyde, formic acid, primary and secondary semi-volatiles organic aerosol dominate the DOC concentrations. The increase in solubility upon oxidation leads to a global increase in OSc in rainwater with -0.6<=OSc <=0. This simulation provides new insight into the current model representation of the flow of atmospheric and rain-dissolved organic carbon, and new opportunities to use observations and simulations to understand the DOC reaching land and ocean.

Contributions of Lower Atmospheric Drivers to the Semiannual Oscillation in Thermospheric Global Mass Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M., Jr.; Emmert, J. T.; Drob, D. P.; Siskind, D. E.

2016-12-01

The thermosphere exhibits intra-annual variations (IAV) in globally averaged mass density that noticeably impact the drag environment of satellites in low Earth orbit. Particularly, the annual and semiannual oscillations (AO and SAO) are collectively the second largest component, after solar variability, of thermospheric global mass density variations. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the oscillations, but they have yet to be reproduced by first-principles modeling simulations. Recent studies have focused on estimating the SAO in eddy diffusion required to explain the thermospheric SAO in mass density. Less attention has been paid to the effect of lower and middle atmospheric drivers on the lower boundary of the thermosphere. In this study, we utilize the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM), to elucidate how the different lower atmospheric drivers influence IAV, and in particular the SAO of globally-averaged thermospheric mass density. We performed numerical simulations of a continuous calendar year assuming constant solar forcing, manipulating the lower atmospheric tidal forcing and gravity wave parameterization in order to quantify the SAO in thermospheric mass density attributable to different lower atmospheric drivers. The prominent initial results are as follows: (1) The "standard" TIME-GCM is capable of simulating the SAO in globally-averaged mass density at 400 km from first-principles, and its amplitude and phase compare well with empirical models; (2) The simulations suggest that seasonally varying Kzz driven by breaking GWs is not the primary driver of the SAO in upper thermospheric globally averaged mass density; (3) Preliminary analysis suggests that the SAO in the upper thermospheric mass density could be a by-product of dynamical wave transport in the mesopause region.

Greenhouse effect in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, B. M.

2016-04-01

Average optical atmospheric parameters for the infrared spectrum range are evaluated on the basis of the Earth energetic balance and parameters of the standard atmosphere. The average optical thickness of the atmosphere is u ≈ 2.5 and this atmospheric emission is originated at altitudes below 10 km. Variations of atmospheric radiative fluxes towards the Earth and outward are calculated as a function of the concentration of \\text{CO}2 molecules for the regular model of molecular spectrum. As a result of doubling of the \\text{CO}2 concentration the change of the global Earth temperature is (0.4 +/- 0.2) \\text{K} if other atmospheric parameters are conserved compared to the value (3.0 +/- 1.5) \\text{K} under real atmospheric conditions with the variation of the amount of atmospheric water. An observed variation of the global Earth temperature during the last century (0.8 ^\\circ \\text{C}) follows from an increase of the mass of atmospheric water by 7% or by conversion of 1% of atmospheric water in aerosols.

Space Observations for Global Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasool, S. I.

1991-01-01

There is now compelling evidence that man's activities are changing both the composition of the atmospheric and the global landscape quite drastically. The consequences of these changes on the global climate of the 21st century is currently a hotly debated subject. Global models of a coupled Earth-ocean-atmosphere system are still very primitive and progress in this area appears largely data limited, specially over the global biosphere. A concerted effort on monitoring biospheric functions on scales from pixels to global and days to decades needs to be coordinated on an international scale in order to address the questions related to global change. An international program of space observations and ground research was described.

Global volcanic emissions: budgets, plume chemistry and impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mather, T. A.

2012-12-01

Over the past few decades our understanding of global volcanic degassing budgets, plume chemistry and the impacts of volcanic emissions on our atmosphere and environment has been revolutionized. Global volcanic emissions budgets are needed if we are to make effective use of regional and global atmospheric models in order to understand the consequences of volcanic degassing on global environmental evolution. Traditionally volcanic SO2 budgets have been the best constrained but recent efforts have seen improvements in the quantification of the budgets of other environmentally important chemical species such as CO2, the halogens (including Br and I) and trace metals (including measurements relevant to trace metal atmospheric lifetimes and bioavailability). Recent measurements of reactive trace gas species in volcanic plumes have offered intriguing hints at the chemistry occurring in the hot environment at volcanic vents and during electrical discharges in ash-rich volcanic plumes. These reactive trace species have important consequences for gas plume chemistry and impacts, for example, in terms of the global fixed nitrogen budget, volcanically induced ozone destruction and particle fluxes to the atmosphere. Volcanically initiated atmospheric chemistry was likely to have been particularly important before biological (and latterly anthropogenic) processes started to dominate many geochemical cycles, with important consequences in terms of the evolution of the nitrogen cycle and the role of particles in modulating the Earth's climate. There are still many challenges and open questions to be addressed in this fascinating area of science.

Do we need a geoelectric index?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzworth, R.; Volland, H.

1986-01-01

The need for a geoelectric index (GI) measuring the global level of atmospheric electrical activity for a given time is assessed, and methods for defining a GI are compared. Current problems in atmospheric and space electrodynamics (the global circuit, solar-terrestrial coupling, lightning effects on the ionosphere/magnetosphere, and mesospheric generators), atmospheric chemistry (the stratospheric ozone cycle and atmospheric gravity waves), and meteorology (fog forecasting) are reviewed to illustrate the usefullness of a GI. Derivations of a GI from in situ electrical measurements and from ground or satellite remote sensing of source properties are described, and a system based on ground measurement of the intensity of the Schumann resonance lines (as proposed by Polk, 1982) is found to be the most practical, requiring as few as three (automatically operated) stations for global coverage.

Validation of Global Climatologies of Trace Gases Using NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Courchaine, Brian; Venable, Jessica C.

1995-01-01

Methane is an important trace gas because it is a greenhouse gas that affects the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. It is produced from biological and anthropogenic sources, and is increasing globally at a rate of approximately 0.6% per year [Climate Change 1992, IPCC]. By using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA/CMDL) ground station data, a global climatology of methane values was produced. Unfortunately, because the NOAA/CMDL ground stations are so sparse, the global climatology is low resolution. In order to compensate for this low resolution data, it was compared to in-situ flight data obtained from the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE). The smoothed ground station data correlated well with the flight data. Thus, for the first time it is shown that the smoothing process used to make global contours of methane using the ground stations is a plausible way to approximate global atmospheric concentrations of the gas. These verified climatologies can be used for testing large-scale models of chemical production, destruction, and transport. This project develops the groundwork for further research in building global climatologies from sparse ground station data and studying the transport and distribution of trace gases.

Downscaling the Local Weather Above Glaciers in Complex Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horak, Johannes; Hofer, Marlis; Gutmann, Ethan; Gohm, Alexander; Rotach, Mathias

2017-04-01

Glaciers have experienced a substantial ice-volume loss during the 20th century. To study their response to climate change, process-based glacier mass-balance models (PBGMs) are employed, which require a faithful representation of the state of the atmosphere above the glacier at high spatial and temporal resolution. Glaciers are usually located in complex topography where weather stations are scarce or not existent at all due to the remoteness of such sites and the associated high cost of maintenance. Furthermore. the effective resolution of global circulation models is too large to adequately capture the local topography and represent local weather, which is prerequisite for atmospheric input used by PBGMs. Dynamical downscaling is a physically consistent but computationally expensive approach to bridge the scale gap between GCM output and input needed by PBGMs, while statistical downscaling is faster but requires measurements for training. Both methods have their merits, however, a computationally frugal approach that does not rely on measurements is desirable, especially for long term studies of glacier response to future climate. In this study the intermediate complexity atmospheric research model (ICAR) is employed (Gutmann et al., 2016). It simplifies the wind field physics by relying on analytical solutions derived with linear theory. ICAR then advects atmospheric quantities within this wind field. This allows for computationally fast downscaling and yields a physically consistent set of atmospheric variables. First results obtained from downscaling air temperature, precipitation amount, relative humidity and wind speed to 4 × 4 km2 are presented. Preliminary ICAR is applied for a six month simulation period during five years and evaluated for three domains located in very distinct climates, namely the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the Cordillera Blanca in Peru and the European Alps using ERA Interim reanalysis data (ERAI) as forcing data set. The evaluation is based on determining the added value of the ICAR simulations - with ERAI output as a reference - in representing the local-scale weather measured at several automatic weather stations. For precipitation amount in particular, data by the Global Precipitation Measurement project are used in a fuzzy verification approach. The results indicate that ICAR provides added value for the Southern Alps of New Zealand in the case of precipitation and relative humidity, for the Cordillera Blanca and the European Alps for wind speed and, at certain locations in the European Alps, for precipitation. In order to more comprehensively investigate the physical plausibility of skill obtained for specific weather situations, the spatio-temporal evolution of the wind field resulting from the ICAR dynamics is analysed for individual case studies. To the authors knowledge this is the first study that specifically investigates the multi-variable consistency of ICAR for different climates, an important prerequisite for all applications which require multi-variable or multi-site input. References: Gutmann, E., Barstad, I., Clark, M., Arnold, J., and Rasmussen, R. (2016). The Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research Model (ICAR). Journal of Hydrometeorology, 17(3), 957-973.

The state of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere using global observations through 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasova, Oksana; Vermeulen, Alex; Ueno, Mikio

2017-04-01

We present results from the twelfth annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/ghg/GHGbulletin.html) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The results are based on research and observations performed by laboratories contributing to the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme (www.wmo.int/gaw). The Bulletin presents results of global analyses of observational data collected according to GAW recommended practices and submitted to the World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG). Bulletins are prepared by the WMO/GAW Scientific Advisory Group for Greenhouse Gases (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/ScientificAdvisoryGroups.html) in collaboration with WDCGG. Observations used for global analysis are collected at more than 100 marine and terrestrial sites worldwide for CO2 and CH4 and at a smaller number of sites for other greenhouse gases. Globally averaged dry-air mole fractions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide derived from this network reached new highs in 2015, with CO2 at 400.0±0.1 ppm, CH4 at 1845±2 ppb and N2O at 328.0±0.1 ppb. These values constitute 144%, 256% and 121% of pre-industrial (before 1750) levels, respectively. It is predicted that 2016 will be the first year in which CO2 at the Mauna Loa Observatory remains above 400 ppm all year, and hence for many generations ( Betts et al., 2016). The atmospheric increase of CO2 from 2014 to 2015 was 2.3 ppm, which is larger than the increase from 2013 to 2014 and the average growth rate for the past decade (˜2.08 ppm per year), despite evidence that global anthropogenic emissions remained essentially static between 2014 and 2015. The higher growth rate in 2015 compared with the previous years is due to increased natural emissions of CO2 related to the most recent El Niño event. According to the most recent data, increased growth rates have persisted far into 2016, consistent with the expected lag between CO2 growth and the ENSO index. The average increase in atmospheric CO2 from 2005 to 2014 corresponds to ˜44% of the CO2 emitted by human activity with the remaining ˜56% removed by the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere (La Quéré et al., 2015). For CH4 the increase from 2014 to 2015 was larger than that observed from 2013 to 2014 and the mean growth rate over the past 10 years. The annual increase of N2O globally averaged mole fraction from 2014 to 2015 was similar to that observed from 2013 to 2014 and greater than the average growth rate over the past 10 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Annual Greenhouse Gas Index shows that from 1990 to 2015 radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 37%, with CO2 accounting for about 80% of this increase. The radiative forcing by all long-lived greenhouse gases in 2015 corresponded to a CO2-equivalent mole fraction of 485 ppm (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/aggi). Bulletin cover story explains the connection between CO2 growth rates and El Niño phenomena. Bulletin contains brief introduction of the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System, which will be presented separately at the other session. References Betts, R.A. et al, 2016: El Niño and a record CO2 rise. Nature Climate Change, 6(9):806-810, doi:10.1038/nclimate3063. Le Quéré, C. et al. 2015: Global carbon budget 2015. Earth System Science Data, 7(2):349-396, doi:10.5194/essd-7-349-2015.

Global Sources and Pathways of Mercury in the Context of Human Health

PubMed Central

Sundseth, Kyrre; Pacyna, Jozef M.; Pacyna, Elisabeth G.; Pirrone, Nicola; Thorne, Rebecca J.

2017-01-01

This paper reviews information from the existing literature and the EU GMOS (Global Mercury Observation System) project to assess the current scientific knowledge on global mercury releases into the atmosphere, on global atmospheric transport and deposition, and on the linkage between environmental contamination and potential impacts on human health. The review concludes that assessment of global sources and pathways of mercury in the context of human health is important for being able to monitor the effects from implementation of the Minamata Convention targets, although new research is needed on the improvement of emission inventory data, the chemical and physical behaviour of mercury in the atmosphere, the improvement of monitoring network data, predictions of future emissions and speciation, and on the subsequent effects on the environment, human health, as well as the economic costs and benefits of reducing these aspects. PMID:28117743

Interesting Scientific Questions Regarding Interactions in the Gas-aerosol-cloud System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabazadeh, Azadeh

2002-01-01

The growth of human population and their use of land, food and energy resources affect the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere and oceans in a complex manner. Many important questions in earth sciences today deal with issues regarding the impact of human activities on our immediate and future environment, ranging in scope from local (i.e. air pollution) to global (i.e. global warming) scale problems. Because the mass of the Earth's atmosphere is negligible compare to that found in the oceans and the biosphere, the atmosphere can respond quickly to natural and/or manmade perturbations. For example, seasonal 'ozone hole' formation in the Antarctic is a result of manmade CFC emissions in just the last 40 years. Also, the observed rise in global temperatures (known as global warming) is linked to a rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas concentrations (emitted primarily by combustion processes) over the last century. The Earth's atmosphere is composed of a mixture of gases, aerosol and cloud particles. Natural and anthropogenic emissions of gases and aerosols affect the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. Changes in the chemical and physical makeup of the atmosphere can influence how the Earth will interact with the incoming solar radiation and the outgoing infrared radiation and vise versa. While, some perturbations are short-lived, others are long-lived and can affect the Earth's global climate and chemistry in many decades to come, In order to be able to separate the natural effects from anthropogenic ones, it is essential that we understand the basic physics and chemistry of interactions in the gas-aerosol-cloud system in the Earth's atmosphere. The important physics and chemistry that takes place in the coupled gas-aerosol-cloud system as it relates to aircraft observations are discussed.

UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING THE RISKS TO HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT FROM GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC CHANGE: A SYNTHESIS

EPA Science Inventory

The global atmosphere is changing. Anthropogenic activities are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases and releasing synthetic compounds that deplete stratospheric ozone and increase UV-B radiation. Changes of temperature in the Northern Hemisphere during the past cent...

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and Earth system processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saltzman, Barry

1993-01-01

During the past eight years, we have been engaged in a NASA-supported program of research aimed at establishing the connection between satellite signatures of the earth's environmental state and the nonlinear dynamics of the global weather and climate system. Thirty-five publications and four theses have resulted from this work, which included contributions in five main areas of study: (1) cloud and latent heat processes in finite-amplitude baroclinic waves; (2) application of satellite radiation data in global weather analysis; (3) studies of planetary waves and low-frequency weather variability; (4) GCM studies of the atmospheric response to variable boundary conditions measurable from satellites; and (5) dynamics of long-term earth system changes. Significant accomplishments from the three main lines of investigation pursued during the past year are presented and include the following: (1) planetary atmospheric waves and low frequency variability; (2) GCM studies of the atmospheric response to changed boundary conditions; and (3) dynamics of long-term changes in the global earth system.

Ozone reference models for the middle atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keating, G. M.; Pitts, M. C.; Young, D. F.

1990-01-01

Data on monthly latitudinal variations in middle-atmosphere vertical ozone profiles are presented, based on extensive Nimbus-7, AE-2, and SME satellite measurements from the period 1978-1982. The coverage of the data sets, the characteristics of the sensors, and the analysis techniques applied are described, and the results are compiled in tables and graphs. These ozone data are intended to supplement the models of the 1986 COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere.

The Global Drifter Program Currents, Sea Surface Temperature, Atmospheric Pressure and Waves in the World's OceanThe Global Drifter Program Currents, Sea Surface Temperature, Atmospheric Pressure and Waves in the World's Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Centurioni, Luca

2017-04-01

The Global Drifter Program is the principal component of the Global Surface Drifting Buoy Array, a branch of NOAA's Global Ocean Observing System and a scientific project of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP). The DBCP is an international program coordinating the use of autonomous data buoys to observe atmospheric and oceanographic conditions over ocean areas where few other measurements are taken. The Global Drifter Program maintains an array of over 1,250 Lagrangian drifters, reporting in near real-time and designed measure 15 m depth Lagrangian currents, sea surface temperature (SST) and sea level atmospheric pressure (SLP), among others, to fulfill the needs to observe the air-sea interface at temporal and spatial scales adequate to support short to medium-range weather forecasting, ocean state estimates and climate science. This overview talk will discuss the main achievements of the program, the main impacts for satellite SST calibration and validation, for numerical weather prediction, and it will review the main scientific findings based on the use of Lagrangian currents. Finally, we will present new developments in Lagrangian drifter technology, which include special drifters designed to measure sea surface salinity, wind and directional wave spectra. New opportunities for expanding the scope of the Global Drifter Program will be discussed.

Integrating uncertainty propagation in GNSS radio occultation retrieval: from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Jakob; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Schwaerz, Marc

2018-05-01

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) observations are highly accurate, long-term stable data sets and are globally available as a continuous record from 2001. Essential climate variables for the thermodynamic state of the free atmosphere - such as pressure, temperature, and tropospheric water vapor profiles (involving background information) - can be derived from these records, which therefore have the potential to serve as climate benchmark data. However, to exploit this potential, atmospheric profile retrievals need to be very accurate and the remaining uncertainties quantified and traced throughout the retrieval chain from raw observations to essential climate variables. The new Reference Occultation Processing System (rOPS) at the Wegener Center aims to deliver such an accurate RO retrieval chain with integrated uncertainty propagation. Here we introduce and demonstrate the algorithms implemented in the rOPS for uncertainty propagation from excess phase to atmospheric bending angle profiles, for estimated systematic and random uncertainties, including vertical error correlations and resolution estimates. We estimated systematic uncertainty profiles with the same operators as used for the basic state profiles retrieval. The random uncertainty is traced through covariance propagation and validated using Monte Carlo ensemble methods. The algorithm performance is demonstrated using test day ensembles of simulated data as well as real RO event data from the satellite missions CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP); Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC); and Meteorological Operational Satellite A (MetOp). The results of the Monte Carlo validation show that our covariance propagation delivers correct uncertainty quantification from excess phase to bending angle profiles. The results from the real RO event ensembles demonstrate that the new uncertainty estimation chain performs robustly. Together with the other parts of the rOPS processing chain this part is thus ready to provide integrated uncertainty propagation through the whole RO retrieval chain for the benefit of climate monitoring and other applications.

Temperature influence on Hadley cell dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molnos, S.

2016-12-01

Over the last decades, satellite observations indicate that the Hadley cells have widened and possibly also intensified [1,2]. This might lead to a shift of fertile habitats with implications for biodiversity and agriculture [3]. Causes for these observed changes are uncertain and the possible role of global warming is debated. To better understand the key dynamical forcings involved, we investigate Hadley cell dynamics with an idealized atmosphere model [4,5] and compare its results with reanalysis data. This statistical-dynamical atmosphere model (SDAM) is based on time-averaged equations, and therefore much faster than the more widely used Atmospheric general circulations models (AGCMs).With SDAMS it is possible to perform climate simulations up to multi-millennia timescales. Here, we employ it to study the dominant processes related to the observed strengthening and widening of the Hadley cell using a very large ensemble sensitivity experiment testing the following possible underlying drivers: meridional temperature gradient, temperature anomaly and global mean temperature GMT. Interestingly, whereas the width of the Hadley cell depends nonlinearly on the temperature gradient, while its Intensification is nearly independent on temperature gradient. In contrast, a larger GMT always leads to an intensified Hadley cell. References: [1] Mitas, C. M.: Has the Hadley cell been strengthening in recent decades?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32(3), 2005. [2] Seidel, D., Fu, Q., Randel, W. and Reichler, T.: Widening of the tropical belt in a changing climate, Nat. Geosci., 1(1), 21-248, 2008. [3] Heffernan, O.: The Mystery of Expanding Tropics, Nature, 530, 20-22, 2016. [4] Coumou, D., Petoukhov, V. and Eliseev, A. V.: Three-dimensional parameterizations of the synoptic scale kinetic energy and momentum flux in the Earth's atmosphere, Nonlinear Process. Geophys., 18(6), 807-827, 2011. [5] Eliseev, A. V., Coumou, D., Chernokulsky, A. V., Petoukhov, V. and Petri, S.: Scheme for calculation of multi-layer cloudiness and precipitation for climate models of intermediate complexity, Geosci. Model Dev., 6(5), 1745-1765, 2013.

The Relative Importance of Random Error and Observation Frequency in Detecting Trends in Upper Tropospheric Water Vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whiteman, David N.; Vermeesch, Kevin C.; Oman, Luke D.; Weatherhead, Elizabeth C.

2011-01-01

Recent published work assessed the amount of time to detect trends in atmospheric water vapor over the coming century. We address the same question and conclude that under the most optimistic scenarios and assuming perfect data (i.e., observations with no measurement uncertainty) the time to detect trends will be at least 12 years at approximately 200 hPa in the upper troposphere. Our times to detect trends are therefore shorter than those recently reported and this difference is affected by data sources used, method of processing the data, geographic location and pressure level in the atmosphere where the analyses were performed. We then consider the question of how instrumental uncertainty plays into the assessment of time to detect trends. We conclude that due to the high natural variability in atmospheric water vapor, the amount of time to detect trends in the upper troposphere is relatively insensitive to instrumental random uncertainty and that it is much more important to increase the frequency of measurement than to decrease the random error in the measurement. This is put in the context of international networks such as the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN) and the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) that are tasked with developing time series of climate quality water vapor data.

The relative importance of random error and observation frequency in detecting trends in upper tropospheric water vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whiteman, David N.; Vermeesch, Kevin C.; Oman, Luke D.; Weatherhead, Elizabeth C.

2011-11-01

Recent published work assessed the amount of time to detect trends in atmospheric water vapor over the coming century. We address the same question and conclude that under the most optimistic scenarios and assuming perfect data (i.e., observations with no measurement uncertainty) the time to detect trends will be at least 12 years at approximately 200 hPa in the upper troposphere. Our times to detect trends are therefore shorter than those recently reported and this difference is affected by data sources used, method of processing the data, geographic location and pressure level in the atmosphere where the analyses were performed. We then consider the question of how instrumental uncertainty plays into the assessment of time to detect trends. We conclude that due to the high natural variability in atmospheric water vapor, the amount of time to detect trends in the upper troposphere is relatively insensitive to instrumental random uncertainty and that it is much more important to increase the frequency of measurement than to decrease the random error in the measurement. This is put in the context of international networks such as the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN) and the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) that are tasked with developing time series of climate quality water vapor data.

Data Assimilation as a Tool for Developing a Mars International Reference Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houben, Howard

2005-01-01

A new paradigm for a Mars International Reference Atmosphere is proposed. In general, as is certainly now the case for Mars, there are sufficient observational data to specify what the full atmospheric state was under a variety of circumstances (season, dustiness, etc.). There are also general circulation models capable of deter- mining the evolution of these states. If these capabilities are combined-using data assimilation techniques-the resulting analyzed states can be probed to answer a wide variety of questions, whether posed by scientists, mission planners, or others. This system would fulfill all the purposes of an international reference atmosphere and would make the scientific results of exploration missions readily available to the community. Preliminary work on a website that would incorporate this functionality has begun.

ACIX: Atmospheric Correction Inter-comparison Exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doxani, Georgia; Gascon, Ferran; Vermote, Éric; Roger, Jean-Claude

2017-04-01

The free and open data access policy to Sentinel-2 (S-2) and Landsat-8 (L-8) satellite imagery has stimulated the development of atmospheric correction (AC) processors for generating Bottom-of-Atmosphere (BOA) products. Several entities have started to generate (or plan to generate in the short term) BOA reflectance products at global scale for S-2 and L-8 missions. To this end, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA are organizing an exercise on AC processors inter-comparison. The results of the exercise are expected to point out the strengths and weaknesses, as well as communalities and discrepancies of various AC processors, in order to suggest and define ways for their further improvement. In particular, 13 atmospheric processors from five different countries participate in ACIX with the aim to inter-compare their performance when applied to L-8 and S-2 data. A protocol describing the inter-comparison process and the test dataset, which is based on the AERONET sites, will be presented. The protocol has been defined according to what was agreed among the participants during the 1st ACIX workshop held in June 2016. It includes the comparison of aerosol optical thickness and water vapour products of the processors with the AERONET measurements. Moreover, concerning the surface reflectances, the protocol describes the inter-comparison among the processors, as well as the comparison with the MODIS surface reflectance and with a reference surface reflectance product. Such a reference product will be obtained using the AERONET characterization of the aerosol (size distribution and refractive indices) and an accurate radiative transfer code. The inter-comparison outcomes will be presented and discussed among the participants in the 2nd ACIX workshop, which will be held on 11-12 April 2017 (ESRIN/ESA). The proposed presentation is an opportunity for the user community to be informed for the first time about the ACIX results and conclusions.

A Statistical Multimodel Ensemble Approach to Improving Long-Range Forecasting in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

Impact of global warming on monsoon variability in Pakistan. J. Anim. Pl. Sci., 21, no. 1, 107–110. Gillies, S., T. Murphree, and D. Meyer, 2012...are generated by multiple regression models that relate globally distributed oceanic and atmospheric predictors to local predictands. The...generated by multiple regression models that relate globally distributed oceanic and atmospheric predictors to local predictands. The predictands are

GEWEX Water and Energy Budget Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roads, J.; Bainto, E.; Masuda, K.; Rodell, Matthew; Rossow, W. B.

2008-01-01

Closing the global water and energy budgets has been an elusive Global Energy and Water-cycle Experiment (GEWEX) goal. It has been difficult to gather many of the needed global water and energy variables and processes, although, because of GEWEX, we now have globally gridded observational estimates for precipitation and radiation and many other relevant variables such as clouds and aerosols. Still, constrained models are required to fill in many of the process and variable gaps. At least there are now several atmospheric reanalyses ranging from the early National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) and NCEP/Department of Energy (DOE) reanalyses to the more recent ERA40 and JRA-25 reanalyses. Atmospheric constraints include requirements that the models state variables remain close to in situ observations or observed satellite radiances. This is usually done by making short-term forecasts from an analyzed initial state; these short-term forecasts provide the next guess, which is corrected by comparison to available observations. While this analysis procedure is likely to result in useful global descriptions of atmospheric temperature, wind and humidity, there is no guarantee that relevant hydroclimate processes like precipitation, which we can observe and evaluate, and evaporation over land, which we cannot, have similar verisimilitude. Alternatively, the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), drives uncoupled land surface models with precipitation, surface solar radiation, and surface meteorology (from bias-corrected reanalyses during the study period) to simulate terrestrial states and surface fluxes. Further constraints are made when a tuned water balance model is used to characterize the global runoff observational estimates. We use this disparate mix of observational estimates, reanalyses, GLDAS and calibrated water balance simulations to try to characterize and close global and terrestrial atmospheric and surface water and energy budgets to within 10-20% for long term (1986-1995), large-scale global to regional annual means.

Observing changes in atmospheric heat content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balcerak, Ernie

2011-10-01

Globally, air temperatures near the surface over land have been rising in recent decades, and this has been presented as solid evidence of global warming. However, some scientists have argued that total heat content (energy), rather than temperature, should be used as a metric of warming trends. Surface air temperature is only one component of the energy content of the surface atmosphere—kinetic energy and latent heat also contribute. Peterson et al. present the first study to use observational data to estimate global changes in surface energy of the atmosphere over time. They include temperature, kinetic energy, and latent heat in their analysis. The authors found that total global surface atmospheric energy and heat content have increased since the 1970s, even though kinetic energy decreased slightly and in some regions latent heat declined while temperature increased.

Sensitivity of terrestrial N2O emission to atmospheric nitrogen deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, A.; Sudo, K.; Nishina, K.; Ishijima, K.; Inatomi, M. I.

2015-12-01

Terrestrial N2O emission is generated from several nitrogen sources including biological fixation, agricultural fertilizer, and atmospheric deposition. There remain large uncertainties how much N2O is produced from atmospheric deposition. This is a crosscutting issue between global warming and atmospheric pollution. In this study, we assessed the sensitivity of global terrestrial N2O emission to atmospheric deposition, using a process-based model VISIT. In the model, N2O emission is estimated separately for nitrification and denitrfication with the NGAS parameterization. The global simulations were conducted from 1901 to 2014 at spatial resolution of 0.5 degree. Atmospheric deposition of ammonium, NOy, and organic nitrogen simulated by the atmospheric chemistry model CHASER from the pre-industrial time to the present was used. Annual total nitrogen deposition was estimated to increase from 27 Tg N in 1901 to 77 Tg N in 2014. The total N2O emission was also estimated to increase in the period, but it was largely attributable to the increased emission from croplands. We need further investigations for the N2O emission from natural soils, which may be nitrogen-limited.

Atmospheric electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanenko, V. D.

Papers are presented on a wide range of studies of atmospheric electricity, from the problem of the global atmospheric-electricity circuit to the effects of atmospheric electricity on ground-based facilities and biological objects. The main topics considered are general problems of atmospheric electricity, studies of atmospheric ions and aerosols, cloud electricity, studies of lightning-storm activity and atmospherics, and lightning protection.

Changes in the use and management of forests for abating carbon emissions: issues and challenges under the Kyoto Protocol.

PubMed

Brown, Sandra; Swingland, Ian R; Hanbury-Tenison, Robin; Prance, Ghillean T; Myers, Norman

2002-08-15

The global carbon cycle is significantly influenced by changes in the use and management of forests and agriculture. Humans have the potential through changes in land use and management to alter the magnitude of forest-carbon stocks and the direction of forest-carbon fluxes. However, controversy over the use of biological means to absorb or reduce emissions of CO(2) (often referred to as carbon 'sinks') has arisen in the context of the Kyoto Protocol. The controversy is based primarily on two arguments: sinks may allow developed nations to delay or avoid actions to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and the technical and operational difficulties are too threatening to the successful implementation of land use and forestry projects for providing carbon offsets. Here we discuss the importance of including carbon sinks in efforts to address global warming and the consequent additional social, environmental and economic benefits to host countries. Activities in tropical forest lands provide the lowest cost methods both of reducing emissions and reducing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. We conclude that the various objections raised as to the inclusion of carbon sinks to ameliorate climate change can be addressed by existing techniques and technology. Carbon sinks provide a practical available method of achieving meaningful reductions in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide while at the same time contribute to national sustainable development goals.

Observational Constraints on the Global Budget of Ethanol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naik, V.; Fiore, A. M.; Horowitz, L. W.; Singh, H. B.; Wiedinmyer, C.; Guenther, A. B.; de Gouw, J.; Millet, D.; Levy, H.; Oppenheimer, M.

2007-12-01

Ethanol, an oxygenated volatile organic compound (OVOC), is used extensively as a motor fuel and fuel additive to promote clean combustion. Ethanol can affect the oxidizing capacity and the ozone-forming potential of the atmosphere. Limited available atmospheric observations suggest a global background atmospheric ethanol mixing ratio of about 20 pptv, with values up to 3 ppbv near source regions; however, the atmospheric distribution and budget of ethanol remain poorly understood. Here, we use the global three-dimensional chemical transport model MOZART-4 to investigate the global ethanol distribution and budget, and place constraints on the budget by evaluating the model with atmospheric observations. We implement a global ethanol source of 14.7 Tg yr-1 in the model consisting of biogenic emissions (9.2 Tg yr-1), industrial/anthropogenic emissions (3.2 Tg yr-1), emissions from biofuels (1.8 Tg yr-1), biomass burning emissions (0.5 Tg yr-1), and a secondary source from atmospheric production (0.056 Tg yr-1). Gas-phase oxidation by the hydroxyl radical accounts for 66% of the global sink of ethanol in the model, dry deposition 9%, and wet scavenging 25%. The simulation yields a global mean ethanol burden of 0.11 Tg and an atmospheric lifetime of 3 days. The simulated boundary layer mean ethanol concentrations underestimate observations from field campaigns over the United States by 50%, downwind of Asia by 76% and over the remote Pacific Ocean by 86%. Because of the short lifetime of ethanol, the model discrepancy over remote tropical regions cannot be attributed to an underestimate of surface emissions over continents. In these regions, the dominant model source is secondary atmospheric production, from the reaction of the ethyl peroxy radical (C2H5O2) either with itself or with the methyl peroxy radical (CH3O2). A ~500-fold increase in this diffuse source (to ~30 Tg yr-1) distributed uniformly throughout the troposphere would largely correct the observation-model mismatch, resulting in a best estimate of the global ethanol source of 44 Tg yr-1. This finding could indicate omission of other chemical species in the model that can provide additional sources of C2H5O2. Candidate OVOCs, such as propionaldehyde, and peroxypropionic nitric anhydride (PPN) that are precursors to C2H5O2, have been measured in the remote troposphere. This hypothesis, however, needs testing by direct measurements of C2H5O2 in the remote tropical troposphere.

Mars Pathfinder meteorological observations on the basis of results of an atmospheric global circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forget, Francois; Hourdin, F.; Talagrand, O.

1994-01-01

The Mars Pathfinder Meteorological Package (ASI/MET) will measure the local pressure, temperature, and winds at its future landing site, somewhere between the latitudes 0 deg N and 30 deg N. Comparable measurements have already been obtained at the surface of Mars by the Viking Landers at 22 deg N (VL1) and 48 deg N (VL2), providing much useful information on the martian atmosphere. In particular the pressure measurements contain very instructive information on the global atmospheric circulation. At the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (LMD), we have analyzed and simulated these measurements with a martian atmospheric global circulation model (GCM), which was the first to simulate the martian atmospheric circulation over more than 1 year. The model is able to reproduce rather accurately many observed features of the martian atmosphere, including the long- and short-period oscillations of the surface pressure observed by the Viking landers. From a meteorological point of view, we think that a landing site located near or at the equator would be an interesting choice.

Definition and Proposed Realization of the International Height Reference System (IHRS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ihde, Johannes; Sánchez, Laura; Barzaghi, Riccardo; Drewes, Hermann; Foerste, Christoph; Gruber, Thomas; Liebsch, Gunter; Marti, Urs; Pail, Roland; Sideris, Michael

2017-05-01

Studying, understanding and modelling global change require geodetic reference frames with an order of accuracy higher than the magnitude of the effects to be actually studied and with high consistency and reliability worldwide. The International Association of Geodesy, taking care of providing a precise geodetic infrastructure for monitoring the Earth system, promotes the implementation of an integrated global geodetic reference frame that provides a reliable frame for consistent analysis and modelling of global phenomena and processes affecting the Earth's gravity field, the Earth's surface geometry and the Earth's rotation. The definition, realization, maintenance and wide utilization of the International Terrestrial Reference System guarantee a globally unified geometric reference frame with an accuracy at the millimetre level. An equivalent high-precision global physical reference frame that supports the reliable description of changes in the Earth's gravity field (such as sea level variations, mass displacements, processes associated with geophysical fluids) is missing. This paper addresses the theoretical foundations supporting the implementation of such a physical reference surface in terms of an International Height Reference System and provides guidance for the coming activities required for the practical and sustainable realization of this system. Based on conceptual approaches of physical geodesy, the requirements for a unified global height reference system are derived. In accordance with the practice, its realization as the International Height Reference Frame is designed. Further steps for the implementation are also proposed.

Atmospheric aerosols: A literature summary of their physical characteristics and chemical composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, F. S., Jr.

1976-01-01

This report contains a summary of 199 recent references on the characterization of atmospheric aerosols with respect to their composition, sources, size distribution, and time changes, and with particular reference to the chemical elements measured by modern techniques, especially activation analysis.

Dynamic-gravimetric preparation of metrologically traceable primary calibration standards for halogenated greenhouse gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillevic, Myriam; Vollmer, Martin K.; Wyss, Simon A.; Leuenberger, Daiana; Ackermann, Andreas; Pascale, Céline; Niederhauser, Bernhard; Reimann, Stefan

2018-06-01

For many years, the comparability of measurements obtained with various instruments within a global-scale air quality monitoring network has been ensured by anchoring all results to a unique suite of reference gas mixtures, also called a primary calibration scale. Such suites of reference gas mixtures are usually prepared and then stored over decades in pressurised cylinders by a designated laboratory. For the halogenated gases which have been measured over the last 40 years, this anchoring method is highly relevant as measurement reproducibility is currently much better ( < 1 %, k = 2 or 95 % confidence interval) than the expanded uncertainty of a reference gas mixture (usually > 2 %). Meanwhile, newly emitted halogenated gases are already measured in the atmosphere at pmol mol-1 levels, while still lacking an established reference standard. For compounds prone to adsorption on material surfaces, it is difficult to evaluate mixture stability and thus variations in the molar fractions over time in cylinders at pmol mol-1 levels.To support atmospheric monitoring of halogenated gases, we create new primary calibration scales for SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride), HFC-125 (pentafluoroethane), HFO-1234yf (or HFC-1234yf, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene), HCFC-132b (1,2-dichloro-1,1-difluoroethane) and CFC-13 (chlorotrifluoromethane). The preparation method, newly applied to halocarbons, is dynamic and gravimetric: it is based on the permeation principle followed by dynamic dilution and cryo-filling of the mixture in cylinders. The obtained METAS-2017 primary calibration scales are made of 11 cylinders containing these five substances at near-ambient and slightly varying molar fractions. Each prepared molar fraction is traceable to the realisation of SI units (International System of Units) and is assigned an uncertainty estimate following international guidelines (JCGM, 2008), ranging from 0.6 % for SF6 to 1.3 % (k = 2) for all other substances. The smallest uncertainty obtained for SF6 is mostly explained by the high substance purity level in the permeator and the low SF6 contamination of the matrix gas. The measured internal consistency of the suite ranges from 0.23 % for SF6 to 1.1 % for HFO-1234yf (k = 1). The expanded uncertainty after verification (i.e. measurement of the cylinders vs. each others) ranges from 1 to 2 % (k = 2).This work combines the advantages of SI-traceable reference gas mixture preparation with a calibration scale system for its use as anchor by a monitoring network. Such a combined system supports maximising compatibility within the network while linking all reference values to the SI and assigning carefully estimated uncertainties.For SF6, comparison of the METAS-2017 calibration scale with the scale prepared by SIO (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, SIO-05) shows excellent concordance, the ratio METAS-2017 / SIO-05 being 1.002. For HFC-125, the METAS-2017 calibration scale is measured as 7 % lower than SIO-14; for HFO-1234yf, it is 9 % lower than Empa-2013. No other scale for HCFC-132b was available for comparison. Finally, for CFC-13 the METAS-2017 primary calibration scale is 5 % higher than the interim calibration scale (Interim-98) that was in use within the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network before adopting the scale established in the present work.

On the Departure from Isothermality of Pluto's Volatile Ice due to Local Insolation and Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trafton, Laurence M.; Stansberry, John A.

2015-11-01

Pluto’s atmosphere is known to be supported by the vapor pressure of ices that are volatile at low temperature, primarily N2 and secondarily CH4 and CO. The atmospheric bulk is regulated by the globally average temperature of the ice, which is determined by a radiative balance between the diurnally average insolation absorbed globally by the volatile ice and the global volatile ice thermal radiation. This bulk is sufficient that Pluto’s atmosphere is close to hydrostatic equilibrium, though this may not remain so as Pluto continues to move towards aphelion. With the weight of the atmosphere currently distributed evenly around the body, the ice temperature is expected to be globally isothermal in absence of topographic variations, due to the transport of latent heat from regions of high insolation to low insolation through sublimation and condensation. Images returned from the New Horizons spacecraft show topographical features, including mountain ranges that extend above 3.5 km, with albedo variations that suggest a topographical dimension or dependence of the volatile ice deposits. In general, the conditions often applied to a volatile atmosphere of hydrostatic equilibrium and vapor-solid phase equilibrium are approximations that may not always both be appropriate. This is particularly the case in the presence of topography when the atmospheric lapse rate differs from the wet adiabat. We present our results of an investigation of the effect of variable insolation and topography on Pluto’s local ice temperature assuming an atmosphere close to hydrostatic equilibrium.

Relating GRACE terrestrial water storage variations to global fields of atmospheric forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphrey, Vincent; Gudmundsson, Lukas; Isabelle Seneviratne, Sonia

2015-04-01

Synoptic, seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in atmospheric dynamics all influence terrestrial water storage, with impacts on ecosystems functions, human activities and land-climate interactions. Here we explore to which degree atmospheric variables can explain GRACE estimates of terrestrial water storage on different time scales. Since 2012, the most recent GRACE gravity field solutions (Release 05) can be used to monitor global changes in terrestrial water storage with an unprecedented level of accuracy over more than a decade. In addition, the release of associated gridded and post-processed products facilitates comparisons with other global datasets such as land surface model outputs or satellite observations. We investigate how decadal trends, inter-annual fluctuations as well as monthly anomalies of the seasonal cycle of terrestrial water storage can be related to fields of atmospheric forcing, including e.g. precipitation and temperature as estimated in global reanalysis products using statistical techniques. In the majority of the locations with high signal to noise ratio, both short and long-term fluctuations of total terrestrial water storage can be reconstructed to a large degree based on available atmospheric forcing. However, in some locations atmospheric forcing alone is not sufficient to explain the total change in water storage, suggesting strong influence of other processes. Within that framework, the question of an amplification or attenuation of atmospheric forcing through land-surface feedbacks and changes in long term water storage is discussed, also with respect to uncertainties and potential systematic biases in the results.

Atmospheric mercury deposition during the last 270 years--A glacial ice core record of natural and anthropogenic sources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schuster, Paul F.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Naftz, David L.; Cecil, L. DeWayne; Olson, Mark L.; DeWild, John F.; Susong, David D.; Green, Jaromy R.; Abbott, Michael L.

2002-01-01

Mercury (Hg) contamination of aquatic ecosystems and subsequent methylmercury bioaccumulation are significant environmental problems of global extent. At regional to global scales, the primary mechanism of Hg contamination is atmospheric Hg transport. Thus, a better understanding of the long-term history of atmospheric Hg cycling and quantification of the sources is critical for assessing the regional and global impact of anthropogenic Hg emissions. Ice cores collected from the Upper Fremont Glacier (UFG), Wyoming, contain a high-resolution record of total atmospheric Hg deposition (ca. 1720−1993). Total Hg in 97 ice-core samples was determined with trace-metal clean handling methods and low-level analytical procedures to reconstruct the first and most comprehensive atmospheric Hg deposition record of its kind yet available from North America. The record indicates major atmospheric releases of both natural and anthropogenic Hg from regional and global sources. Integrated over the past 270-year ice-core history, anthropogenic inputs contributed 52%, volcanic events 6%, and background sources 42%. More significantly, during the last 100 years, anthropogenic sources contributed 70% of the total Hg input. Unlike the 2−7-fold increase observed from preindustrial times (before 1840) to the mid-1980s in sediment-core records, the UFG record indicates a 20-fold increase for the same period. The sediment-core records, however, are in agreement with the last 10 years of this ice-core record, indicating declines in atmospheric Hg deposition.

Atmospheric Fossil Fuel CO2 Tracing By 14C In Some Chinese Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, W.; Niu, Z.; Zhu, Y., Sr.

2016-12-01

CO2 plays an important role in global climate as a primary greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Moreover, it has been shown that more than 70% of global fossil fuel CO2 (CO2ff) emissions are concentrated in urban areas (Duren and Miller, 2012). Our study focuses on atmospheric CO2ff concentrations in 15 Chinese cities using accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) to measure 14C. Our objectives are: (1) to document atmospheric CO2ff concentrations in a variety of urban environments, (2) to differentiate the spatial-temporal variations in CO2ff among these cities, and (3) to ascertain the factors that control the observed variations. For about two years (winter 2014 to winter 2016), the CO2ff concentrations we observed from all sites varied from 5.1±4.5 ppm to 65.8±39.0 ppm. We observed that inland cities display much higher CO2ff concentrations and overall temporal variations than coastal cities in winter, and that northern cities have higher CO2ff concentrations than those of southern cities in winter. For inland cities relatively high CO2ff values are observed in winter and low values in summer; while seasonal variations are not distinct in the coastal cities. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in CO2ff values are found between weekdays and weekends as was shown previously in Xi'an (Zhou et al., 2014). Diurnal CO2ff variations are plainly evident, with high values between midnight and 4:00 am, and during morning and afternoon rush hours (Niu et al., 2016). The high CO2ff concentrations in northern inland cities in winter results mainly from the substantial consumption of fossil fuels for heating. The high CO2ff concentrations seen in diurnal measurements result mainly from variations in atmospheric dispersion, and from vehicle emissions related to traffic flows. The inter-annual variations in CO2ff in cities could provide a useful reference for local governments to develop policy around the effect of energy conservation and emission reduction strategies.

Evaluation of major heat waves' mechanisms in EURO-CORDEX RCMs over Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lhotka, Ondřej; Kyselý, Jan; Plavcová, Eva

2018-06-01

The main aim of the study is to evaluate the capability of EURO-CORDEX regional climate models (RCMs) to simulate major heat waves in Central Europe and their associated meteorological factors. Three reference major heat waves (1994, 2006, and 2015) were identified in the E-OBS gridded data set, based on their temperature characteristics, length and spatial extent. Atmospheric circulation, precipitation, net shortwave radiation, and evaporative fraction anomalies during these events were assessed using the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The analogous major heat waves and their links to the aforementioned factors were analysed in an ensemble of EURO-CORDEX RCMs driven by various global climate models in the 1970-2016 period. All three reference major heat waves were associated with favourable circulation conditions, precipitation deficit, reduced evaporative fraction and increased net shortwave radiation. This joint contribution of large-scale circulation and land-atmosphere interactions is simulated with difficulties in majority of the RCMs, which affects the magnitude of modelled major heat waves. In some cases, the seemingly good reproduction of major heat waves' magnitude is erroneously achieved through extremely favourable circulation conditions compensated by a substantial surplus of soil moisture or vice versa. These findings point to different driving mechanisms of major heat waves in some RCMs compared to observations, which should be taken into account when analysing and interpreting future projections of these events.

NRT Atmospheric Water Vapour Retrieval on the Area of Poland at IGG WUELS AC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplon, Jan; Bosy, Jaroslaw; Sierny, Jan; Hadas, Tomasz; Rohm, Witold; Wilgan, Karina; Ryczywolski, Marcin; Oruba, Artur; Kroszczynski, Krzysztof

2013-04-01

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are designed for positioning, navigation and amongst other possible applications it can also be used to derive information about the state of the atmosphere. Continuous observations from GNSS receivers provide an excellent tool for studying the neutral atmosphere, currently in near real-time. The Near Real-Time (NRT) neutral atmosphere and water vapour distribution models are currently obtained with high resolution from Ground Base Augmentation Systems (GBAS), where reference stations are equipped with GNSS and meteorological sensors. The Poland territory is covered by dense network of GNSS stations in the frame of GBAS system called ASG-EUPOS (www.asgeupos.pl). This system was established in year 2008 by the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography in the frame of the EUPOS project (www.eupos.org) for providing positioning services. The GNSS data are available from 130 reference stations located in Poland and neighbour countries. The ground meteorological observations in the area of Poland and neighbour countries are available from ASG-EUPOS stations included in EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) stations, airports meteorological stations (METAR messages stations), and stations managed by national Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (SYNOP messages stations). Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics (IGG) of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences had created permanent NRT service of ZTD (Zenith Total Delay) estimation for the area of Poland from GPS observations called IGGHZG. The first part of the paper presents the methodology of NRT GNSS data processing for ASG-EUPOS stations for ZTD estimation and its comparison to the results coming from EPN ACs and Military University of Technology in Warsaw AC (MUT AC). Second part covers the procedure of IWV (atmospheric Integrated Water Vapour content) estimation at IGG from IGGHZG product and ZHD (Zenith Hydrostatic Delay) derived from Saastamoinen formula (1972) and meteorological observations from ASG-EUPOS stations, SYNOP (synoptic stations network) and METAR (airport meteorological stations). Paper presents comparison of IWV with the results from NWP (Numerical Weather Prediction) models HIRLAM (via EGVAPII - http://egvap.dmi.dk) and COAMPS (via MUT AC) as well.

The Jovian Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, Michael (Editor); Travis, Larry D. (Editor)

1986-01-01

A conference on the atmosphere of Jupiter produced papers in the areas of thermal and ortho-para hydrogen structure, clouds and chemistry, atmospheric structure, global dynamics, synoptic features and processes, atmospheric dynamics, and future spaceflight opportunities. A session on the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune was included, and the atmosphere of Saturn was discussed in several papers.

Pathway to 2022: The Ongoing Modernization of the United States National Spatial Reference System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, W. A.; Caccamise, D.

2017-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) mission is "to define, maintain and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs." The NSRS is an assemblage of geophysical and geodetic models, tools, and data, with the most-visible components being the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88), which together provide a consistent spatial reference framework for myriad geospatial applications and positioning requirements throughout the United States. The NGS is engaged in an ongoing and comprehensive multi-year project of modernizing the NSRS, a makeover necessitated by technological developments and user accuracy requirements, all with a goal of providing a modern, accurate, accessible, and globally aligned national positioning framework exploiting the substantial power and utility of the Global Navigation Satellite System - of both today and tomorrow. The modernized NSRS will include four new-generation geometric terrestrial reference frames (replacing NAD83) and a technically unprecedented geopotential datum (replacing NAVD88), all to be released in 2022 (anticipated). This poster/presentation will describe the justification for this modernization effort and will update the status and planned evolution of the NSRS as 2022 draws ever closer. Also discussed will be recent developments, including the publication of "blueprint" documents addressing technical details of various facets of the modernized NSRS and a continued series of public Geospatial Summits. Supporting/ancillary projects such as Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D), which will result in the generation of a highly accurate gravimetric geoid - or definitional reference surface (zero elevation) - for the future geopotential datum, and Geoid Slope Validation Surveys (GSVS), which are exploring the achievable accuracy of the new geopotential datum, will be summarized. Also included will be suggestions of user preparation for transition to the NSRS of tomorrow.

The anthropogenic perturbation of the marine nitrogen cycle by atmospheric deposition: Nitrogen cycle feedbacks and the 15N Haber-Bosch effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Simon; Gruber, Nicolas

2016-10-01

Over the last 100 years, anthropogenic emissions have led to a strong increase of atmospheric nitrogen deposition over the ocean, yet the resulting impacts and feedbacks are neither well understood nor quantified. To this end, we run a suite of simulations with the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model v1.2 forced with five scenarios of nitrogen deposition over the period from 1850 through 2100, while keeping all other forcings unchanged. Even though global oceanic net primary production increases little in response to this fertilization, the higher export and the resulting expansion of the oxygen minimum zones cause an increase in pelagic and benthic denitrification and burial by about 5%. In addition, the enhanced availability of fixed nitrogen in the surface ocean reduces global ocean N2 fixation by more than 10%. Despite the compensating effects through these negative feedbacks that eliminate by the year 2000 about 60% of the deposited nitrogen, the anthropogenic nitrogen input forced the upper ocean N budget into an imbalance of between 9 and 22 Tg N yr-1 depending on the deposition scenario. The excess nitrogen accumulates to highly detectable levels and causes in most areas a distinct negative trend in the δ15N of the oceanic fixed nitrogen pools—a trend we refer to as the 15N Haber-Bosch effect. Changes in surface nitrate utilization and the nitrogen feedbacks induce further changes in the δ15N of NO3-, making it a good but complex recorder of the overall impact of the changes in atmospheric deposition.

GPS-Only Terrestrial Reference Frame Based on a Global Reprocessing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, R.; Rothacher, M.; Ruelke, A.; Fritsche, M.; Steigenberger, P.

2007-12-01

The realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) with highest accuracy and stability is fundamental and crucial for applications in geodesy, geodynamics, geophysics and global change. In a joint effort TU Dresden and TU Munich/GFZ Potsdam reprocessed a global GPS network of more than 200 stations. As a contribution to an ITRS realization daily normal equations from 1994 to 2005 were rigorously combined in order to determine a global GPS-only reference frame (PDR05/Potsdam-Dresden-Reprocessing Reference Frame). We present a realization of the global terrestrial reference system which follows the center of mass approach in consideration of the load-induced deformation of the Earth's crust due to the redistribution of surface masses. The stability of our reference frame will be evaluated based on the obtained long-term trends of station coordinates, the load-induced deformation estimates and the homogeneous time series of station positions. We will compare our solution with other recent terrestrial reference system realizations and give some conclusions for future realizations of the ITRS.

Description and Evaluation of IAP-AACM: A Global-regional Aerosol Chemistry Model for the Earth System Model CAS-ESM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y.; Chen, X.

2017-12-01

We present a first description and evaluation of the IAP Atmospheric Aerosol Chemistry Model (IAP-AACM) which has been integrated into the earth system model CAS-ESM. In this way it is possible to research into interaction of clouds and aerosol by its two-way coupling with the IAP Atmospheric General Circulation Model (IAP-AGCM). The model has a nested global-regional grid based on the Global Environmental Atmospheric Transport Model (GEATM) and the Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (NAQPMS). The AACM provides two optional gas chemistry schemes, the CBM-Z gas chemistry as well as a sulfur oxidize box designed specifically for the CAS-ESM. Now the model driven by AGCM has been applied to a 1-year simulation of tropospheric chemistry both on global and regional scales for 2014, and been evaluated against various observation datasets, including aerosol precursor gas concentration, aerosol mass and number concentrations. Furthermore, global budgets in AACM are compared with other global aerosol models. Generally, the AACM simulations are within the range of other global aerosol model predictions, and the model has a reasonable agreement with observations of gases and particles concentration both on global and regional scales.

Monthly Atmospheric 13C/12C Isotopic Ratios for 11 SIO Stations (1977-2008)

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

Keeling, R. F.; Piper, S. C.; Bollenbacher, A. F.

Stable isotopic measurements for atmospheric 13C/12C and 18O/16O at global sampling sites were initiated by Dr. C.D. Keeling and co-workers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in 1977. These isotopic measurements complement the continuing global atmospheric and oceanic CO2 measurements initiated by Keeling in 1957. This work is currently being continued under the direction of R.F. Keeling, who also runs a parallel program at SIO to measure changes in atmospheric O2 and Ar abundances (Scripps O2 Program). A more complete set of 13CO2 data is found online at http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/data/atmospheric_co2.html

Atmospheric optical calibration system

DOEpatents

Hulstrom, Roland L.; Cannon, Theodore W.

1988-01-01

An atmospheric optical calibration system is provided to compare actual atmospheric optical conditions to standard atmospheric optical conditions on the basis of aerosol optical depth, relative air mass, and diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio. An indicator can show the extent to which the actual conditions vary from standard conditions. Aerosol scattering and absorption properties, diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio, and precipitable water vapor determined on a real-time basis for optical and pressure measurements are also used to generate a computer spectral model and for correcting actual performance response of a photovoltaic device to standard atmospheric optical condition response on a real-time basis as the device is being tested in actual outdoor conditions.

The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP): Experimental protocol for CMIP6

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

Pincus, Robert; Forster, Piers M.; Stevens, Bjorn

The phrasing of the first of three questions motivating CMIP6 – “How does the Earth system respond to forcing?” – suggests that forcing is always well-known, yet the radiative forcing to which this question refers has historically been uncertain in coordinated experiments even as understanding of how best to infer radiative forcing has evolved. The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP) endorsed by CMIP6 seeks to provide a foundation for answering the question through three related activities: (i) accurate characterization of the effective radiative forcing relative to a near-preindustrial baseline and careful diagnosis of the components of this forcing; (ii) assessment ofmore » the absolute accuracy of clear-sky radiative transfer parameterizations against reference models on the global scales relevant for climate modeling; and (iii) identification of robust model responses to tightly specified aerosol radiative forcing from 1850 to present. Complete characterization of effective radiative forcing can be accomplished with 180 years (Tier 1) of atmosphere-only simulation using a sea-surface temperature and sea ice concentration climatology derived from the host model's preindustrial control simulation. Assessment of parameterization error requires trivial amounts of computation but the development of small amounts of infrastructure: new, spectrally detailed diagnostic output requested as two snapshots at present-day and preindustrial conditions, and results from the model's radiation code applied to specified atmospheric conditions. In conclusion, the search for robust responses to aerosol changes relies on the CMIP6 specification of anthropogenic aerosol properties; models using this specification can contribute to RFMIP with no additional simulation, while those using a full aerosol model are requested to perform at least one and up to four 165-year coupled ocean–atmosphere simulations at Tier 1.« less

The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP): Experimental protocol for CMIP6

DOE PAGES

Pincus, Robert; Forster, Piers M.; Stevens, Bjorn

2016-09-27

The phrasing of the first of three questions motivating CMIP6 – “How does the Earth system respond to forcing?” – suggests that forcing is always well-known, yet the radiative forcing to which this question refers has historically been uncertain in coordinated experiments even as understanding of how best to infer radiative forcing has evolved. The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP) endorsed by CMIP6 seeks to provide a foundation for answering the question through three related activities: (i) accurate characterization of the effective radiative forcing relative to a near-preindustrial baseline and careful diagnosis of the components of this forcing; (ii) assessment ofmore » the absolute accuracy of clear-sky radiative transfer parameterizations against reference models on the global scales relevant for climate modeling; and (iii) identification of robust model responses to tightly specified aerosol radiative forcing from 1850 to present. Complete characterization of effective radiative forcing can be accomplished with 180 years (Tier 1) of atmosphere-only simulation using a sea-surface temperature and sea ice concentration climatology derived from the host model's preindustrial control simulation. Assessment of parameterization error requires trivial amounts of computation but the development of small amounts of infrastructure: new, spectrally detailed diagnostic output requested as two snapshots at present-day and preindustrial conditions, and results from the model's radiation code applied to specified atmospheric conditions. In conclusion, the search for robust responses to aerosol changes relies on the CMIP6 specification of anthropogenic aerosol properties; models using this specification can contribute to RFMIP with no additional simulation, while those using a full aerosol model are requested to perform at least one and up to four 165-year coupled ocean–atmosphere simulations at Tier 1.« less

The Residence Time of Water in the Atmosphere Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Ent, Ruud; Tuinenburg, Obbe

2017-04-01

This paper revisits the knowledge on the residence time of water in the atmosphere. Based on state-of-the-art data of the hydrological cycle we derive a global average residence time of 8.9±0.4 days (uncertainty given as one standard deviation). We use two different atmospheric moisture tracking models (WAM-2layers and 3D-Trajectories) to obtain atmospheric residence time characteristics in time and space. The tracking models estimate the global average residence time to be around 8.5 days based on ERA-Interim data. We conclude that the statement of a recent study that the global average residence time of water in the atmosphere is 4-5 days, is not correct. We derive spatial maps of residence time, attributed to evaporation and precipitation, and age of atmospheric water, showing that there are different ways of looking at temporal characteristics of atmospheric water. Longer evaporation residence times often indicate larger distances towards areas of high precipitation. From our analysis we find that the residence time over the ocean is about 2 days lower than over land. It can be seen that in winter, the age of atmospheric moisture tends to be much lower than in summer. On the Northern Hemisphere, due to the contrast in ocean-to-land temperature and associated evaporation rates, the age of atmospheric moisture increases following atmospheric moisture flow inland in winter, and decreases in summer. Looking at the probability density functions of atmospheric residence time for precipitation and evaporation we find long-tailed distributions with the median around 5 days. Overall, our research confirms the 8-10 days traditional estimate for the global mean residence time of atmospheric water, and our research contributes to a more complete view on the characteristics of the turnover of water in the atmosphere in time and space. In the light of this session, our results show that the turnover of water is relatively fast, but water travels quite far, which explains why it is so hard to make both weather and hydrological predictions on time spans longer than a week.

Global Earth Outgoing Radiation From A Constellation Of Satellites: Proof-Of-Concept Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gristey, J. J.; Chiu, J. Y. C.; Gurney, R. J.; Han, S. C.; Morcrette, C. J.

2017-12-01

The flux of radiation exiting at the top of the atmosphere, referred to as Earth Outgoing Radiation (EOR), constitutes a vital component of the Earth's energy budget. Since EOR is inherently connected to the rapidly evolving scene from which the radiation originates and exhibits large regional variations, it is of paramount importance that we can monitor EOR at a sufficient frequency and spatial scale for weather and climate studies. Achieving these criteria remains challenging using traditional measurement techniques. However, explosive development in small satellite technology and sensor miniaturisation has paved a viable route for measurements to be made from a constellation of satellites in different orbits. This offers an exciting new opportunity to make observations of EOR with both global coverage and high temporal resolution for the first time. To assess the potential of the constellation approach for observing EOR we perform a series of observing system simulation experiments. We will outline a baseline constellation configuration capable of sampling the Earth with unprecedented temporal resolution. Using this configuration and a sophisticated deconvolution technique, we demonstrate how to recover synoptic-scale global EOR to the accuracy required to understand Earth's global energy budget. Finally, we will reveal the impact of various modifications to the constellation configuration and provide recommendations for the community.

Mars-GRAM 2010: Additions and Resulting Improvements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justh, Hilary L.; Burns, K. Lee

2013-01-01

The Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model (Mars-GRAM) is an engineering-level atmospheric model widely used for diverse mission applications. Mars-GRAM has been utilized during previous aerobraking operations in the atmosphere of Mars. Mars-GRAM has also been used in the prediction and validation of Mars Pathfinder hypersonic aerodynamics, the aerothermodynamic and entry dynamics studies for Mars Polar Lander, the landing site selection process for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the Mars Aerocapture System Study (MASS) as well as the Aerocapture Technology Assessment Group (TAG). Most recently, Mars-GRAM 2010 was used to develop the onboard atmospheric density estimator that is part of the Autonomous Aerobraking Development Plan. The most recent release of Mars-GRAM 2010 contains several changes including an update to Fortran 90/95 and the addition of adjustment factors. Following the completion of a comparison analysis between Mars-GRAM, Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), as well as Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Odyssey (ODY), and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) aerobraking density data, adjustment factors were added to Mars-GRAM 2010 that alter the input data from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) and the University of Michigan Mars Thermospheric General Circulation Model (MTGCM) for the mapping year 0 user-controlled dust case. The addition of adjustment factors resolved the issue of previous versions of Mars-GRAM being less than realistic when used for sensitivity studies for mapping year 0 and large optical depth values, such as tau equal to 3. Mars-GRAM was evaluated at locations and times of TES limb observations and adjustment factors were determined. For altitudes above 80 km and below 135 km, Mars-GRAM (MTGCM) densities were compared to aerobraking densities measured by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Odyssey (ODY), and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to determine the adjustment factors. The adjustment factors generated by this process had to satisfy the gas law as well as the hydrostatic relation and are expressed as a function of height (z), Latitude (Lat) and areocentric solar longitude (Ls). The greatest adjustments are made at large optical depths such as tau greater than 1. The addition of the adjustment factors has led to better correspondence to TES Limb data from 0-60 km altitude as well as better agreement with MGS, ODY and MRO data at approximately 90-130 km altitude. Improved Mars-GRAM atmospheric simulations for various locations, times and dust conditions on Mars will be presented at the workshop session. The latest results validating Mars-GRAM 2010 versus Mars Climate Sounder data will also be presented. Mars-GRAM 2010 updates have resulted in improved atmospheric simulations which will be very important when beginning systems design, performance analysis, and operations planning for future aerocapture, aerobraking or landed missions to Mars.

DSCOVR EPIC L2 Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) Data Release Announcement

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-06-22

... several atmospheric quantities including cloud mask and aerosol optical depth (AOD) required for atmospheric correction. The parameters ... is a useful complementary dataset to MODIS and VIIRS global aerosol products.   Information about the DSCOVR EPIC Atmospheric ...

Environmental assessment for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program: Southern Great Plains Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) site

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

Policastro, A.J.; Pfingston, J.M.; Maloney, D.M.

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program is aimed at supplying improved predictive capability of climate change, particularly the prediction of cloud-climate feedback. The objective will be achieved by measuring the atmospheric radiation and physical and meteorological quantities that control solar radiation in the earth`s atmosphere and using this information to test global climate and related models. The proposed action is to construct and operate a Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) research site in the southern Great Plains as part of the Department of Energy`s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program whose objective is to develop an improved predictive capability of global climatemore » change. The purpose of this CART research site in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma would be to collect meteorological and other scientific information to better characterize the processes controlling radiation transfer on a global scale. Impacts which could result from this facility are described.« less

Atmospheric verification of anthropogenic CO2 emission trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francey, Roger J.; Trudinger, Cathy M.; van der Schoot, Marcel; Law, Rachel M.; Krummel, Paul B.; Langenfelds, Ray L.; Paul Steele, L.; Allison, Colin E.; Stavert, Ann R.; Andres, Robert J.; Rödenbeck, Christian

2013-05-01

International efforts to limit global warming and ocean acidification aim to slow the growth of atmospheric CO2, guided primarily by national and industry estimates of production and consumption of fossil fuels. Atmospheric verification of emissions is vital but present global inversion methods are inadequate for this purpose. We demonstrate a clear response in atmospheric CO2 coinciding with a sharp 2010 increase in Asian emissions but show persisting slowing mean CO2 growth from 2002/03. Growth and inter-hemispheric concentration difference during the onset and recovery of the Global Financial Crisis support a previous speculation that the reported 2000-2008 emissions surge is an artefact, most simply explained by a cumulative underestimation (~ 9PgC) of 1994-2007 emissions; in this case, post-2000 emissions would track mid-range of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emission scenarios. An alternative explanation requires changes in the northern terrestrial land sink that offset anthropogenic emission changes. We suggest atmospheric methods to help resolve this ambiguity.

The Once and Future Battles of Thor and the Midgard Serpent (or the Southern Ocean's Role in Climate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, J. L.

2017-12-01

Floats deployed by oceanographers are giving us all ringside seats to the epic battle between the wind and the deep ocean around Antarctica which will determine the rate of global atmospheric warming over the next century. The poleward-shift and intensification of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds has been shown to maintain the connection between the surface ocean and the atmosphere with the deep ocean even as the surface ocean warms. This "doorway" allows the vast deep ocean reservoir to play a significant role in the transient global climate response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. Coupled climate and earth system models at low and high resolution all simulate poleward-shifted and intensified Southern Hemisphere surface westerly winds when subjected to an atmospheric carbon dioxide doubling. Comparisons of these simulations reveal how stratification, resolution and eddies affect the transient global climate response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases - and our collective fate.

Variations in atmospheric angular momentum and the length of day

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosen, R. D.; Salstein, D. A.

1982-01-01

Six years of twice daily global analyses were used to create and study a lengthy time series of high temporal resolution angular momentum values. Changes in these atmospheric values were compared to independently determined charges in the rotation rate of the solid Earth. Finally, the atmospheric data was examined in more detail to determine the time and space scales on which variations in momentum occur within the atmosphere and which regions are contributing most to the changes found in the global integral. The data and techniques used to derive the time series of momentum values are described.

The chemistry of the global atmosphere; International Symposium of the Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution of IAMAP, 7th, Chamrousse, France, Sept. 5-11, 1990, Selected Papers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buat-Menard, P. (Editor); Delmas, R. J. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Topics presented include the adsorption and reaction of trichlorofluoromethane on various particles, equilibria of the marine multiphase ammonia system, a novel ozone sensor for direct eddy flux measurements, and characterization of the carbonate content of atmospheric aerosols. Also presented are variations in heavy metals concentrations in Antarctic snows, sources of continental dust over Antarctica during the last glacial cycle, an inventory of anthropogenic emissions and air pollution in the USSR, and atmospheric nuclei in the remote free-troposphere.

Divergent pheromone-mediated insect behaviour under global atmospheric change

Treesearch

Edward B. Mondor; Michelle N. Tremblay; Caroline S. Awmack; Richard L. Lindroth

2004-01-01

While the effects of global atmospheric changes on vegetation and resulting insect populations('bottom-up interactions') are being increasingly studied, how these gases modify interactions among insects and their natural enemies ('top-down interactions') is less clear. As natural enemy efficacy is governed largely by behavioural mechanisms, altered...

Homepage for the Global Tropospheric Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, Eugene

1995-01-01

The objective of my NASA summer research project was to create a homepage to describe and present results from the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE). The GTE is a major component of NASA's Tropospheric Chemistry Program and is managed in the Atmospheric Studies Branch, Atmospheric Sciences Division at the NASA Langley Research Center.

NASA/MSFC FY91 Global Scale Atmospheric Processes Research Program Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leslie, Fred W. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The reports presented at the annual Marshall Research Review of Earth Science and Applications are compiled. The following subject areas are covered: understanding of atmospheric processes in a variety of spatial and temporal scales; measurements of geophysical parameters; measurements on a global scale from space; the Mission to Planet Earth Program (comprised of and Earth Observation System and the scientific strategy to analyze these data); and satellite data analysis and fundamental studies of atmospheric dynamics.

The global methane budget 2000–2012

DOE PAGES

Saunois, Marielle; Bousquet, Philippe; Poulter, Ben; ...

2016-12-12

The global methane (CH 4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH 4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH 4 are continuing to increase, making CH 4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH 4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH 4more » by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (~biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations).« less

The global methane budget 2000–2012

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

Saunois, Marielle; Bousquet, Philippe; Poulter, Ben

The global methane (CH 4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH 4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH 4 are continuing to increase, making CH 4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH 4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH 4more » by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (~biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations).« less

Remote sensing of atmosphere and oceans; Proceedings of Symposium 1 and of the Topical Meeting of the 27th COSPAR Plenary Meeting, Espoo, Finland, July 18-29, 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raschke, E. (Editor); Ghazi, A. (Editor); Gower, J. F. R. (Editor); Mccormick, P. (Editor); Gruber, A. (Editor); Hasler, A. F. (Editor)

1989-01-01

Papers are presented on the contribution of space remote sensing observations to the World Climate Research Program and the Global Change Program, covering topics such as space observations for global environmental monitoring, experiments related to land surface fluxes, studies of atmospheric composition, structure, motions, and precipitation, and remote sensing for oceanography, observational studies of the atmosphere, clouds, and the earth radiation budget. Also, papers are given on results from space observations for meteorology, oceanography, and mesoscale atmospheric and ocean processes. The topics include vertical atmospheric soundings, surface water temperature determination, sea level variability, data on the prehurricane atmosphere, linear and circular mesoscale convective systems, Karman vortex clouds, and temporal patterns of phytoplankton abundance.

Solid State Laser Technology Development for Atmospheric Sensing Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, James C.

1998-01-01

NASA atmospheric scientists are currently planning active remote sensing missions that will enable global monitoring of atmospheric ozone, water vapor, aerosols and clouds as well as global wind velocity. The measurements of these elements and parameters are important because of the effects they have on climate change, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, atmospheric transport and, in general, the health of the planet. NASA will make use of Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and backscatter lidar techniques for active remote sensing of molecular constituents and atmospheric phenomena from advanced high-altitude aircraft and space platforms. This paper provides an overview of NASA Langley Research Center's (LaRC's) development of advanced solid state lasers, harmonic generators, and wave mixing techniques aimed at providing the broad range of wavelengths necessary to meet measurement goals of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.

Carbon degassing from the lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mörner, Nils-Axel; Etiope, Giuseppe

2002-06-01

So far, the role of present-day Earth degassing in global C budget and climate effects has been focused to volcanic emissions. The non-volcanic escape of CO 2-CH 4 from the upper mantle, from carbonate bearing rocks in the crust, from hydrocarbon accumulations and from surface deposits and processes is here discussed in detail. An inventory of recent available data is presented. For the first time, a so large quantity of data is considered altogether showing clearly that the geological flux of carbon was previously significantly underestimated. Several lines of evidence show that non-volcanic C fluxes in «colder» environments are much greater than generally assumed. Local and regional data suggest that metamorphic decarbonation, hydrocarbon leakage and mud volcanoes could be significant CO 2-CH 4 sources at global scale. Moreover, extensive surface gas-geochemical observations, including soil-atmosphere flux investigations, open the possibility that ecosystems controlled by biogenic activity (soil, permafrost, seawater) can host important components of endogenous C gas (geogas), even in the absence of surface gas manifestations. This would imply the existence of a geological diffuse, background emission over large areas of our planet. New theories concerning the occurrence of pervasive geogas and lithospheric processes of C-gas production («lithospheric loss in rigidity») can be taken as novel reference and rationale for re-evaluating geological sources of CO 2 and CH 4, and an important endeavour and work prospect for the years to come. Our survey shows that it is still very hard to arrive at a meaningful estimate of the lithospheric non-volcanic degassing into the atmosphere. Orders of 10 2-10 3 Mt CO 2/year can be provisionally considered. Assuming as lower limit for a global subaerial volcanic degassing 300 Mt/year, the lithosphere may emit directly into the atmosphere at least 600 Mt CO 2/year (about 10% of the C source due to deforestation and land-use exchange), an estimate we still consider conservative. It is likely that temporal variations of lithosphere degassing, at Quaternary and secular scale, may influence the atmospheric C budget. The present-day lithosphere degassing would seem higher than the value considered to balance at Ma time-scale the CO 2 uptake due to silicate weathering.

BVOC fluxes from oil palm canopies in South East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misztal, P. K.; Cape, J. N.; Langford, B.; Nemitz, E.; Helfter, C.; Owen, S.; Heal, M. R.; Hewitt, C. N.; Fowler, D.

2009-04-01

Fluxes by virtual disjunct eddy covariance were measured for the first time in South-East Asia in 2008 from an oil palm plantation. Malaysia and Indonesia account for more than 80% of world oil palm production. Our in situ findings suggest much higher isoprene emissions from oil palms than from rainforest, which is consistent with earlier lab-based predictions of emissions from oil palms (Wilkinson et al., 2006). 50% of global biogenic VOC emissions are estimated to derive from tropical rainforests (Guenther et al., 1995) although in fact a large portion of the emission may derive from oil palms in the tropics. Isoprene and monoterpenes are regarded as the most important biogenic VOCs for the atmospheric chemistry. Overall, maximum isoprene emissions from oil palms were recorded at 11:00 local time, with a mean value of 13 mg m-2 h-1. At the rainforest, the maximum fluxes of isoprene were observed later in the day, at about 13:00 with an average of 2.5 mg m-2 h-1. Initial flux results for total monoterpenes indicate that their mass emission ratio with respect to isoprene was about 1:9 at the rainforest and 1:18 at the oil palm plantation. The results are presented with reference to temperature, photosynthetic radiation and meteorological drivers as well as in comparison with CO2 and H2O fluxes. Empirical parameters in the Guenther algorithm for MEGAN (Guenther et al, 2006), which was originally designed for the Amazon region, have been optimised for this oil palm study. The emission factor obtained from eddy covariance measurements was 18.8 mg m-2 h-1, while the one obtained from leaf level studies at the site was 19.5 mg m-2 h-1. Isoprene fluxes from both Amazonia (Karl et al., 2007) and from rainforest in Borneo 2008 seem to be much lower than from oil palms. This can have consequences for atmospheric chemistry of land use change from rainforest to oil palm plantation, including formation of ozone, SOA and particles and indirect effects on the removal rate of greenhouse gases and pollutants by decreasing OH budgets. Global models predicting atmospheric changes and bottom-up estimates from the tropics must be constrained by direct measurements such as presented here, taking separate account of these major contributions from oil palm plantations and tropical rainforests. References: Guenther, A., C.N. Hewitt, D. Erickson, R. Fall, C. Geron, T.E. Graedel, P. Harley, L. Klinger, M. Lerdau, W.A. McKay, T. Pierce, B. Scholes, R. Steinbrecher, R. Tallamraju, J. Taylor and P. Zimmerman, 1995: A global model of natural volatile organic compound emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research 100, 8873-8892. Guenther, A., T. Karl, P. Harley, C. Wiedinmyer, P. I. Palmer, and C. Geron, 2006: Estimates of global terrestrial isoprene emissions using MEGAN (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature). Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 6, 107-173. Karl, T., A. Guenther, R. J. Yokelson, J. Greenberg, M. Potosnak, D. R. Blake, and P. Artaxo, 2007: The tropical forest and fire emissions experiment: Emission, chemistry, and transport of biogenic volatile organic compounds in the lower atmosphere over Amazonia. Journal of Geophysical Research 112, D18302. Wilkinson, M. J., S. M. Owen, M. Possell, J. Hartwell, P. Gould, A. Hall, C. Vickers, and C. N. Hewitt, 2006: Circadian control of isoprene emissions from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Plant Journal 47, 960-968.

Analysis of the Diurnal Variation of the Global Electric Circuit Obtained From Different Numerical Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jánský, Jaroslav; Lucas, Greg M.; Kalb, Christina; Bayona, Victor; Peterson, Michael J.; Deierling, Wiebke; Flyer, Natasha; Pasko, Victor P.

2017-12-01

This work analyzes different current source and conductivity parameterizations and their influence on the diurnal variation of the global electric circuit (GEC). The diurnal variations of the current source parameterizations obtained using electric field and conductivity measurements from plane overflights combined with global Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite data give generally good agreement with measured diurnal variation of the electric field at Vostok, Antarctica, where reference experimental measurements are performed. An approach employing 85 GHz passive microwave observations to infer currents within the GEC is compared and shows the best agreement in amplitude and phase with experimental measurements. To study the conductivity influence, GEC models solving the continuity equation in 3-D are used to calculate atmospheric resistance using yearly averaged conductivity obtained from the global circulation model Community Earth System Model (CESM). Then, using current source parameterization combining mean currents and global counts of electrified clouds, if the exponential conductivity is substituted by the conductivity from CESM, the peak to peak diurnal variation of the ionospheric potential of the GEC decreases from 24% to 20%. The main reason for the change is the presence of clouds while effects of 222Rn ionization, aerosols, and topography are less pronounced. The simulated peak to peak diurnal variation of the electric field at Vostok is increased from 15% to 18% from the diurnal variation of the global current in the GEC if conductivity from CESM is used.

Comparison of the MODIS Collection 5 Multilayer Cloud Detection Product with CALIPSO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven; Wind, Gala; King, Michael D.; Holz, Robert E.; Ackerman, Steven A.; Nagle, Fred W.

2010-01-01

CALIPSO, launched in June 2006, provides global active remote sensing measurements of clouds and aerosols that can be used for validation of a variety of passive imager retrievals derived from instruments flying on the Aqua spacecraft and other A-Train platforms. The most recent processing effort for the MODIS Atmosphere Team, referred to as the Collection 5 scream, includes a research-level multilayer cloud detection algorithm that uses both thermodynamic phase information derived from a combination of solar and thermal emission bands to discriminate layers of different phases, as well as true layer separation discrimination using a moderately absorbing water vapor band. The multilayer detection algorithm is designed to provide a means of assessing the applicability of 1D cloud models used in the MODIS cloud optical and microphysical product retrieval, which are generated at a 1 km resolution. Using pixel-level collocations of MODIS Aqua, CALIOP, we investigate the global performance of multilayer cloud detection algorithms (and thermodynamic phase).

Coral reefs will transition to net dissolving before end of century.

PubMed

Eyre, Bradley D; Cyronak, Tyler; Drupp, Patrick; De Carlo, Eric Heinen; Sachs, Julian P; Andersson, Andreas J

2018-02-23

Ocean acidification refers to the lowering of the ocean's pH due to the uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 from the atmosphere. Coral reef calcification is expected to decrease as the oceans become more acidic. Dissolving calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) sands could greatly exacerbate reef loss associated with reduced calcification but is presently poorly constrained. Here we show that CaCO 3 dissolution in reef sediments across five globally distributed sites is negatively correlated with the aragonite saturation state (Ω ar ) of overlying seawater and that CaCO 3 sediment dissolution is 10-fold more sensitive to ocean acidification than coral calcification. Consequently, reef sediments globally will transition from net precipitation to net dissolution when seawater Ω ar reaches 2.92 ± 0.16 (expected circa 2050 CE). Notably, some reefs are already experiencing net sediment dissolution. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

The formulation of Lamb's Dust Veil Index

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, P. M.; Sear, C. B.

1982-01-01

A catalog of the major explosive volcanic eruptions since 1500 AD and formulated the Dust Veil Index (DVI) is presented. The DVI quantifies the impact on the Earth's energy balance of changes in atmospheric composition due to explosive volcanic eruptions. The DVI for a particular eruption quantifies the climatic impact of the dust and aerosol injection from the eruption integrated over the years following the event. The formulation of the DVI is described. All references are to Lamb (1970). A distinction is made between the catalog of volcanic activity, and the tabulation of the northern hemisphere DVI apportioned over the years. The DVI data are updated to 1975 for any particular eruption, the catalog gives three DVI values: global, Southern Hemisphere, and Northern Hemisphere. The global DVI given in the catalog is considered. The other two DVIs relate to the impact on the hemispheres considered separately and their estimation involves an additional factor apportioning the dust veil between the hemispheres on the basis of the latitude of injection.

A 12.5 GHz-spaced optical frequency comb spanning >400 nm for near-infrared astronomical spectrograph calibration

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

Quinlan, F.; Diddams, S. A.; Ycas, G.

2010-06-15

A 12.5 GHz-spaced optical frequency comb locked to a global positioning system disciplined oscillator for near-infrared (IR) spectrograph calibration is presented. The comb is generated via filtering a 250 MHz-spaced comb. Subsequent nonlinear broadening of the 12.5 GHz comb extends the wavelength range to cover 1380-1820 nm, providing complete coverage over the H-band transmission window of earth's atmosphere. Finite suppression of spurious sidemodes, optical linewidth, and instability of the comb has been examined to estimate potential wavelength biases in spectrograph calibration. Sidemode suppression varies between 20 and 45 dB, and the optical linewidth is {approx}350 kHz at 1550 nm. Themore » comb frequency uncertainty is bounded by {+-}30 kHz (corresponding to a radial velocity of {+-}5 cm/s), limited by the global positioning system disciplined oscillator reference. These results indicate that this comb can readily support radial velocity measurements below 1 m/s in the near IR.« less

A new governance space for health

PubMed Central

Kickbusch, Ilona; Szabo, Martina Marianna Cassar

2014-01-01

Global health refers to ‘those health issues which transcend national boundaries and governments and call for actions on the global forces and global flows that determine the health of people’. (Kickbusch 2006) Governance in this trans-national and cross-cutting arena can be analyzed along three political spaces: global health governance, global governance for health, and governance for global health. It is argued that the management of the interface between these three political spaces of governance in the global public health domain is becoming increasingly important in order to move the global health agenda forward. Global health governance refers mainly to those institutions and processes of governance which are related to an explicit health mandate, such as the World Health Organization; global governance for health refers mainly to those institutions and processes of global governance which have a direct and indirect health impact, such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization or the Human Rights Council; governance for global health refers to the institutions and mechanisms established at the national and regional level to contribute to global health governance and/or to governance for global health – such as national global health strategies or regional strategies for global health. It can also refer to club strategies, such as agreements by a group of countries such as the BRICS. In all three political spaces, the involvement of a multitude of state and non-state actors has become the norm – that is why issues of legitimacy, accountability and transparency have moved to the fore. The transnational nature of global health will require the engagement of all actors to produce global public goods for health (GPGH) and to ensure a rules-based and reliably financed global public health domain. PMID:24560259

A new governance space for health.

PubMed

Kickbusch, Ilona; Szabo, Martina Marianna Cassar

2014-01-01

Global health refers to 'those health issues which transcend national boundaries and governments and call for actions on the global forces and global flows that determine the health of people'. (Kickbusch 2006) Governance in this trans-national and cross-cutting arena can be analyzed along three political spaces: global health governance, global governance for health, and governance for global health. It is argued that the management of the interface between these three political spaces of governance in the global public health domain is becoming increasingly important in order to move the global health agenda forward. Global health governance refers mainly to those institutions and processes of governance which are related to an explicit health mandate, such as the World Health Organization; global governance for health refers mainly to those institutions and processes of global governance which have a direct and indirect health impact, such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization or the Human Rights Council; governance for global health refers to the institutions and mechanisms established at the national and regional level to contribute to global health governance and/or to governance for global health--such as national global health strategies or regional strategies for global health. It can also refer to club strategies, such as agreements by a group of countries such as the BRICS. In all three political spaces, the involvement of a multitude of state and non-state actors has become the norm--that is why issues of legitimacy, accountability and transparency have moved to the fore. The transnational nature of global health will require the engagement of all actors to produce global public goods for health (GPGH) and to ensure a rules-based and reliably financed global public health domain.

Estimation of the spatial validity of local aerosol measurements in Europe using MODIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcos, Carlos; Gómez-Amo, J. Luis; Pedrós, Roberto; Utrillas, M. Pilar; Martínez-Lozano, J. Antonio

2013-04-01

The actual impact of atmospheric aerosols in the Earth's radiative budget is still associated to large uncertainties [IPCC, 2007]. Global monitoring of the aerosol properties and distribution in the atmosphere is needed to improve our knowledge of climate change. The instrumentation used for this purpose can be divided into two main groups: ground-based and satellite-based. Ground-based instruments, like lidars or Sun-photometers, are usually designed to measure accurate local properties of atmospheric aerosols throughout the day. However, the spatial validity of these measurements is conditioned by the aerosol variability within the atmosphere. Satellite-based sensors offer spatially resolved information about aerosols at a global scale, but generally with a worse temporal resolution and in a less detailed way. In this work, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550nm from MODIS Aqua, product MYD04 [Remer, 2005], is used to estimate the area of validity of local measurements at different reference points, corresponding to the AERONET [Holben, 1998] stations during the 2011-2012 period in Europe. For each case, the local AOD (AODloc) at each reference point is calculated as the averaged MODIS data within a radius of 15 km. Then, the AODloc is compared to the AOD obtained when a larger averaging radius is used (AOD(r)), up to 500 km. Only those cases where more than 50% of the pixels in each averaging area contain valid data are used. Four factors that could affect the spatial variability of aerosols are studied: proximity to the sea, human activity, aerosol load and geographical location (latitude and longitude). For the 76 reference points studied, which are sited in different regions of Europe, we have determined that the root mean squared difference (RMSD) between AODloc and AOD(r) , averaged for all cases, increases in a logarithmic way with the averaging radius (RMSD ? log(r)), while the linear correlation coefficient (R) decreases following a logarithmic trend (R ? -log(r)). Among all the factors studied, the aerosol load is the most influential one in the aerosol spatial variability: for averaging radii smaller than 40 km, the RMSD increases with AODloc. Another important factor is the latitude and longitude: the variation of the RMSD in the AOD with regard to the averaging radius can differ up to a 60%, depending on the location. On the contray, the proximity to the sea and the amount of population surrounding each reference point do not have a noticeable influence compared to the above mentioned factors. Holben, B. N., Eck, T. F., Slutsker, I., Buis, J. P., Setzer, A., Vermote, E., Reagan, J. A., Kaufman, Y., Nakajima, T., Lavenu, F., and Smirnov, A.: AERONET - A federated instrument network and data archive for aerosol characterization, Remote Sens. Environ., 66, 1-16, 1998. IPCC (2007). S. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor, H.L. Miller (Eds.), Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK & New York, USA. Remer, L. A., y co-authors, 2005: The MODIS aerosol algorithm, products, and validation. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 947-973. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS3385.1

Satellite Remote Sensing: Aerosol Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, Ralph A.

2013-01-01

Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, and those observed by satellite remote sensing are typically between about 0.05 and 10 microns in size. (Note that in traditional aerosol science, the term "aerosol" refers to both the particles and the medium in which they reside, whereas for remote sensing, the term commonly refers to the particles only. In this article, we adopt the remote-sensing definition.) They originate from a great diversity of sources, such as wildfires, volcanoes, soils and desert sands, breaking waves, natural biological activity, agricultural burning, cement production, and fossil fuel combustion. They typically remain in the atmosphere from several days to a week or more, and some travel great distances before returning to Earth's surface via gravitational settling or washout by precipitation. Many aerosol sources exhibit strong seasonal variability, and most experience inter-annual fluctuations. As such, the frequent, global coverage that space-based aerosol remote-sensing instruments can provide is making increasingly important contributions to regional and larger-scale aerosol studies.

Radiative flux and forcing parameterization error in aerosol-free clear skies

DOE PAGES

Pincus, Robert; Mlawer, Eli J.; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; ...

2015-07-03

This article reports on the accuracy in aerosol- and cloud-free conditions of the radiation parameterizations used in climate models. Accuracy is assessed relative to observationally validated reference models for fluxes under present-day conditions and forcing (flux changes) from quadrupled concentrations of carbon dioxide. Agreement among reference models is typically within 1 W/m 2, while parameterized calculations are roughly half as accurate in the longwave and even less accurate, and more variable, in the shortwave. Absorption of shortwave radiation is underestimated by most parameterizations in the present day and has relatively large errors in forcing. Error in present-day conditions is essentiallymore » unrelated to error in forcing calculations. Recent revisions to parameterizations have reduced error in most cases. As a result, a dependence on atmospheric conditions, including integrated water vapor, means that global estimates of parameterization error relevant for the radiative forcing of climate change will require much more ambitious calculations.« less

New Frontiers Science at Venus from Orbit plus Atmospheric Gas Sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smrekar, Suzanne; Dyar, Melinda; Hensley, Scott; Helbert, Joern; VOX Science and Engineering Teams

2017-10-01

Venus remains the most Earth-like body in terms of size, composition, surface age, and insulation. Venus Origins Explorer (VOX) determines how Earth’s twin diverged, and enables breakthroughs in our understanding of rocky planet evolution and habitability. At the time of the Decadal Survey the ability to map mineralogy from orbit (Helbert et al.) and present-day radar techniques to detect active deformation were not fully appreciated. VOX leverages these methods and in-situ noble gases to answer New Frontiers science objectives:1. Atmospheric physics/chemistry: noble gases and isotopes to constrain atmospheric sources, escape processes, and integrated volcanic outgassing; global search for current volcanically outgassed water.2. Past hydrological cycles: global tessera composition to determine the role of volatiles in crustal formation.3. Crustal physics/chemistry: global crustal mineralogy/chemistry, tectonic processes, heat flow, resolve the catastrophic vs. equilibrium resurfacing debate, active geologic processes and possible crustal recycling.4. Crustal weathering: surface-atmosphere weathering reactions from redox state and the chemical equilibrium of the near-surface atmosphere.5. Atmospheric properties/winds: map cloud particle modes and their temporal variations, and track cloud-level winds in the polar vortices.6. Surface-atmosphere interactions: chemical reactions from mineralogy; weathering state between new, recent and older flows; possible volcanically outgassed water.VOX’s Atmosphere Sampling Vehicle (ASV) dips into and samples the well-mixed atmosphere, using Venus Original Constituents Experiment (VOCE) to measure noble gases. VOX’s orbiter carries the Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM) and the Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR), and maps the gravity field using Ka-band tracking.VOX is the logical next mission to Venus because it delivers: 1) top priority atmosphere, surface, and interior science; 2) key global data for comparative planetology; 3) high-resolution topography, composition, and imaging to optimize future landers; 4) opportunities for revolutionary discoveries with a 3-year long mission, proven implementation and 44 Tb of data.

Isolating the atmospheric circulation response to Arctic sea-ice loss in the coupled climate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kushner, Paul; Blackport, Russell

2017-04-01

In the coupled climate system, projected global warming drives extensive sea-ice loss, but sea-ice loss drives warming that amplifies and can be confounded with the global warming process. This makes it challenging to cleanly attribute the atmospheric circulation response to sea-ice loss within coupled earth-system model (ESM) simulations of greenhouse warming. In this study, many centuries of output from coupled ocean/atmosphere/land/sea-ice ESM simulations driven separately by sea-ice albedo reduction and by projected greenhouse-dominated radiative forcing are combined to cleanly isolate the hemispheric scale response of the circulation to sea-ice loss. To isolate the sea-ice loss signal, a pattern scaling approach is proposed in which the local multidecadal mean atmospheric response is assumed to be separately proportional to the total sea-ice loss and to the total low latitude ocean surface warming. The proposed approach estimates the response to Arctic sea-ice loss with low latitude ocean temperatures fixed and vice versa. The sea-ice response includes a high northern latitude easterly zonal wind response, an equatorward shift of the eddy driven jet, a weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex, an anticyclonic sea level pressure anomaly over coastal Eurasia, a cyclonic sea level pressure anomaly over the North Pacific, and increased wintertime precipitation over the west coast of North America. Many of these responses are opposed by the response to low-latitude surface warming with sea ice fixed. However, both sea-ice loss and low latitude surface warming act in concert to reduce storm track strength throughout the mid and high latitudes. The responses are similar in two related versions of the National Center for Atmospheric Research earth system models, apart from the stratospheric polar vortex response. Evidence is presented that internal variability can easily contaminate the estimates if not enough independent climate states are used to construct them. References: Blackport, R. and P. Kushner, 2017: Isolating the atmospheric circulation response to Arctic sea-ice loss in the coupled climate system. J. Climate, in press. Blackport, R. and P. Kushner, 2016: The Transient and Equilibrium Climate Response to Rapid Summertime Sea Ice Loss in CCSM4. J. Climate, 29, 401-417, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0284.1.

A review of global environmental mercury processes in response to human and natural perturbations: Changes of emissions, climate, and land use.

PubMed

Obrist, Daniel; Kirk, Jane L; Zhang, Lei; Sunderland, Elsie M; Jiskra, Martin; Selin, Noelle E

2018-03-01

We review recent progress in our understanding of the global cycling of mercury (Hg), including best estimates of Hg concentrations and pool sizes in major environmental compartments and exchange processes within and between these reservoirs. Recent advances include the availability of new global datasets covering areas of the world where environmental Hg data were previously lacking; integration of these data into global and regional models is continually improving estimates of global Hg cycling. New analytical techniques, such as Hg stable isotope characterization, provide novel constraints of sources and transformation processes. The major global Hg reservoirs that are, and continue to be, affected by anthropogenic activities include the atmosphere (4.4-5.3 Gt), terrestrial environments (particularly soils: 250-1000 Gg), and aquatic ecosystems (e.g., oceans: 270-450 Gg). Declines in anthropogenic Hg emissions between 1990 and 2010 have led to declines in atmospheric Hg 0 concentrations and Hg II wet deposition in Europe and the US (- 1.5 to - 2.2% per year). Smaller atmospheric Hg 0 declines (- 0.2% per year) have been reported in high northern latitudes, but not in the southern hemisphere, while increasing atmospheric Hg loads are still reported in East Asia. New observations and updated models now suggest high concentrations of oxidized Hg II in the tropical and subtropical free troposphere where deep convection can scavenge these Hg II reservoirs. As a result, up to 50% of total global wet Hg II deposition has been predicted to occur to tropical oceans. Ocean Hg 0 evasion is a large source of present-day atmospheric Hg (approximately 2900 Mg/year; range 1900-4200 Mg/year). Enhanced seawater Hg 0 levels suggest enhanced Hg 0 ocean evasion in the intertropical convergence zone, which may be linked to high Hg II deposition. Estimates of gaseous Hg 0 emissions to the atmosphere over land, long considered a critical Hg source, have been revised downward, and most terrestrial environments now are considered net sinks of atmospheric Hg due to substantial Hg uptake by plants. Litterfall deposition by plants is now estimated at 1020-1230 Mg/year globally. Stable isotope analysis and direct flux measurements provide evidence that in many ecosystems Hg 0 deposition via plant inputs dominates, accounting for 57-94% of Hg in soils. Of global aquatic Hg releases, around 50% are estimated to occur in China and India, where Hg drains into the West Pacific and North Indian Oceans. A first inventory of global freshwater Hg suggests that inland freshwater Hg releases may be dominated by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM; approximately 880 Mg/year), industrial and wastewater releases (220 Mg/year), and terrestrial mobilization (170-300 Mg/year). For pelagic ocean regions, the dominant source of Hg is atmospheric deposition; an exception is the Arctic Ocean, where riverine and coastal erosion is likely the dominant source. Ocean water Hg concentrations in the North Atlantic appear to have declined during the last several decades but have increased since the mid-1980s in the Pacific due to enhanced atmospheric deposition from the Asian continent. Finally, we provide examples of ongoing and anticipated changes in Hg cycling due to emission, climate, and land use changes. It is anticipated that future emissions changes will be strongly dependent on ASGM, as well as energy use scenarios and technology requirements implemented under the Minamata Convention. We predict that land use and climate change impacts on Hg cycling will be large and inherently linked to changes in ecosystem function and global atmospheric and ocean circulations. Our ability to predict multiple and simultaneous changes in future Hg global cycling and human exposure is rapidly developing but requires further enhancement.

ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS OF TERRESTRIAL EXOPLANETS OVER A WIDE RANGE OF ORBITAL AND ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS

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

Kaspi, Yohai; Showman, Adam P., E-mail: yohai.kaspi@weizmann.ac.il

The recent discoveries of terrestrial exoplanets and super-Earths extending over a broad range of orbital and physical parameters suggest that these planets will span a wide range of climatic regimes. Characterization of the atmospheres of warm super-Earths has already begun and will be extended to smaller and more distant planets over the coming decade. The habitability of these worlds may be strongly affected by their three-dimensional atmospheric circulation regimes, since the global climate feedbacks that control the inner and outer edges of the habitable zone—including transitions to Snowball-like states and runaway-greenhouse feedbacks—depend on the equator-to-pole temperature differences, patterns of relativemore » humidity, and other aspects of the dynamics. Here, using an idealized moist atmospheric general circulation model including a hydrological cycle, we study the dynamical principles governing the atmospheric dynamics on such planets. We show how the planetary rotation rate, stellar flux, atmospheric mass, surface gravity, optical thickness, and planetary radius affect the atmospheric circulation and temperature distribution on such planets. Our simulations demonstrate that equator-to-pole temperature differences, meridional heat transport rates, structure and strength of the winds, and the hydrological cycle vary strongly with these parameters, implying that the sensitivity of the planet to global climate feedbacks will depend significantly on the atmospheric circulation. We elucidate the possible climatic regimes and diagnose the mechanisms controlling the formation of atmospheric jet streams, Hadley and Ferrel cells, and latitudinal temperature differences. Finally, we discuss the implications for understanding how the atmospheric circulation influences the global climate.« less

Technical Update: Johnson Space Center system using a solid electrolytic cell in a remote location to measure oxygen fugacities in CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, A. J. G.; Williams, R. J.; Le, L.; Wagstaff, J.; Lofgren, G.; Lanier, A.; Carter, W.; Roshko, A.

1993-01-01

Details are given for the design and application of a (one atmosphere) redox-control system. This system differs from that given in NASA Technical Memorandum 58234 in that it uses a single solid-electrolytic cell in a remote location to measure the oxygen fugacities of multiple CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces. This remote measurement extends the range of sample-furnace conditions that can be measured using a solid-electrolytic cell, and cuts costs by extending the life of the sensors and by minimizing the number of sensors in use. The system consists of a reference furnace and an exhaust-gas manifold. The reference furnace is designed according to the redox control system of NASA Technical Memorandum 58234, and any number of CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnaces can be attached to the exhaust-gas manifold. Using the manifold, the exhaust gas from individual CO/CO2 controlled atmosphere furnaces can be diverted through the reference furnace, where a solid-electrolyte cell is used to read the ambient oxygen fugacity. The oxygen fugacity measured in the reference furnace can then be used to calculate the oxygen fugacity in the individual CO/CO2 controlled-atmosphere furnace. A BASIC computer program was developed to expedite this calculation.

Effects of the Earth’s atmosphere and human neural processing of light on the apparent colors of stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savino, Michael; Comins, Neil Francis

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop a mathematical algorithm for quantifying the perceived colors of stars as viewed from the surface of the Earth across a wide range of possible atmospheric conditions. These results are then used to generate color-corrected stellar images. As a first step, optics corrections are calculated to adjust for the CCD bias and the transmission curves of any filters used during image collection. Next, corrections for atmospheric scattering and absorption are determined for the atmospheric conditions during imaging by utilizing the Simple Model of the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer of Sunshine (SMARTS). These two sets of corrections are then applied to a series of reference spectra, which are then weighted against the CIE 1931 XYZ color matching functions before being mapped onto the sRGB color space, in order to determine a series of reference colors against which the original image will be compared. Each pixel of the image is then re-colored based upon its closest corresponding reference spectrum so that the final image output closely matches, in color, what would be seen by the human eye above the Earth's atmosphere. By comparing against the reference spectrum, the stellar classification for each star in the image can also be determined. An observational experiment is underway to test the accuracy of these calculations.

For how long can we predict the weather? - Insights into atmospheric predictability from global convection-allowing simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Judt, Falko

2017-04-01

A tremendous increase in computing power has facilitated the advent of global convection-resolving numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. Although this technological breakthrough allows for the seamless prediction of weather from local to global scales, the predictability of multiscale weather phenomena in these models is not very well known. To address this issue, we conducted a global high-resolution (4-km) predictability experiment using the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS), a state-of-the-art global NWP model developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The goals of this experiment are to investigate error growth from convective to planetary scales and to quantify the intrinsic, scale-dependent predictability limits of atmospheric motions. The globally uniform resolution of 4 km allows for the explicit treatment of organized deep moist convection, alleviating grave limitations of previous predictability studies that either used high-resolution limited-area models or global simulations with coarser grids and cumulus parameterization. Error growth is analyzed within the context of an "identical twin" experiment setup: the error is defined as the difference between a 20-day long "nature run" and a simulation that was perturbed with small-amplitude noise, but is otherwise identical. It is found that in convectively active regions, errors grow by several orders of magnitude within the first 24 h ("super-exponential growth"). The errors then spread to larger scales and begin a phase of exponential growth after 2-3 days when contaminating the baroclinic zones. After 16 days, the globally averaged error saturates—suggesting that the intrinsic limit of atmospheric predictability (in a general sense) is about two weeks, which is in line with earlier estimates. However, error growth rates differ between the tropics and mid-latitudes as well as between the troposphere and stratosphere, highlighting that atmospheric predictability is a complex problem. The comparatively slower error growth in the tropics and in the stratosphere indicates that certain weather phenomena could potentially have longer predictability than currently thought.

Three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation: part II—dynamical equations of horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Shujuan; Cheng, Jianbo; Xu, Ming; Chou, Jifan

2018-04-01

The three-pattern decomposition of global atmospheric circulation (TPDGAC) partitions three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric circulation into horizontal, meridional and zonal components to study the 3D structures of global atmospheric circulation. This paper incorporates the three-pattern decomposition model (TPDM) into primitive equations of atmospheric dynamics and establishes a new set of dynamical equations of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations in which the operator properties are studied and energy conservation laws are preserved, as in the primitive equations. The physical significance of the newly established equations is demonstrated. Our findings reveal that the new equations are essentially the 3D vorticity equations of atmosphere and that the time evolution rules of the horizontal, meridional and zonal circulations can be described from the perspective of 3D vorticity evolution. The new set of dynamical equations includes decomposed expressions that can be used to explore the source terms of large-scale atmospheric circulation variations. A simplified model is presented to demonstrate the potential applications of the new equations for studying the dynamics of the Rossby, Hadley and Walker circulations. The model shows that the horizontal air temperature anomaly gradient (ATAG) induces changes in meridional and zonal circulations and promotes the baroclinic evolution of the horizontal circulation. The simplified model also indicates that the absolute vorticity of the horizontal circulation is not conserved, and its changes can be described by changes in the vertical vorticities of the meridional and zonal circulations. Moreover, the thermodynamic equation shows that the induced meridional and zonal circulations and advection transport by the horizontal circulation in turn cause a redistribution of the air temperature. The simplified model reveals the fundamental rules between the evolution of the air temperature and the horizontal, meridional and zonal components of global atmospheric circulation.

Atmospheric moisture and cloud structure determined from SSM/I and global gridpoint analyses. [Special Sensor Microwave Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Franklin R.; Huang, Huo-Jin

1989-01-01

Data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/I on the DMSP satellite are used to study atmospheric moisture and cloud structure. Column-integrated water vapor and total liquid water retrievals are obtained using an algorithm based on a radiative model for brightness temperature (Wentz, 1983). The results from analyzing microwave and IR measurements are combined with independent global gridpoint analyses to study the distribution and structure of atmospheric moisture over oceanic regions.

Chlorophyll-a Algorithms for Oligotrophic Oceans: A Novel Approach Based on Three-Band Reflectance Difference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Chuanmin; Lee, Zhongping; Franz, Bryan

2011-01-01

A new empirical algorithm is proposed to estimate surface chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl) in the global ocean for Chl less than or equal to 0.25 milligrams per cubic meters (approximately 77% of the global ocean area). The algorithm is based on a color index (CI), defined as the difference between remote sensing reflectance (R(sub rs), sr(sup -1) in the green and a reference formed linearly between R(sub rs) in the blue and red. For low Chl waters, in situ data showed a tighter (and therefore better) relationship between CI and Chl than between traditional band-ratios and Chl, which was further validated using global data collected concurrently by ship-borne and SeaWiFS satellite instruments. Model simulations showed that for low Chl waters, compared with the band-ratio algorithm, the CI-based algorithm (CIA) was more tolerant to changes in chlorophyll-specific backscattering coefficient, and performed similarly for different relative contributions of non-phytoplankton absorption. Simulations using existing atmospheric correction approaches further demonstrated that the CIA was much less sensitive than band-ratio algorithms to various errors induced by instrument noise and imperfect atmospheric correction (including sun glint and whitecap corrections). Image and time-series analyses of SeaWiFS and MODIS/Aqua data also showed improved performance in terms of reduced image noise, more coherent spatial and temporal patterns, and consistency between the two sensors. The reduction in noise and other errors is particularly useful to improve the detection of various ocean features such as eddies. Preliminary tests over MERIS and CZCS data indicate that the new approach should be generally applicable to all existing and future ocean color instruments.

A physically-based approach of treating dust-water cloud interactions in climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, P.; Karydis, V.; Barahona, D.; Sokolik, I. N.; Nenes, A.

2011-12-01

All aerosol-cloud-climate assessment studies to date assume that the ability of dust (and other insoluble species) to act as a Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) is determined solely by their dry size and amount of soluble material. Recent evidence however clearly shows that dust can act as efficient CCN (even if lacking appreciable amounts of soluble material) through adsorption of water vapor onto the surface of the particle. This "inherent" CCN activity is augmented as the dust accumulates soluble material through atmospheric aging. A comprehensive treatment of dust-cloud interactions therefore requires including both of these sources of CCN activity in atmospheric models. This study presents a "unified" theory of CCN activity that considers both effects of adsorption and solute. The theory is corroborated and constrained with experiments of CCN activity of mineral aerosols generated from clays, calcite, quartz, dry lake beds and desert soil samples from Northern Africa, East Asia/China, and Northern America. The unified activation theory then is included within the mechanistic droplet activation parameterization of Kumar et al. (2009) (including the giant CCN correction of Barahona et al., 2010), for a comprehensive treatment of dust impacts on global CCN and cloud droplet number. The parameterization is demonstrated with the NASA Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) Chemical Transport Model using wind fields computed with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model. References Barahona, D. et al. (2010) Comprehensively Accounting for the Effect of Giant CCN in Cloud Activation Parameterizations, Atmos.Chem.Phys., 10, 2467-2473 Kumar, P., I.N. Sokolik, and A. Nenes (2009), Parameterization of cloud droplet formation for global and regional models: including adsorption activation from insoluble CCN, Atmos.Chem.Phys., 9, 2517- 2532

Global Land Surface Temperature From the Along-Track Scanning Radiometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghent, D. J.; Corlett, G. K.; Göttsche, F.-M.; Remedios, J. J.

2017-11-01

The Leicester Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) and Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) Processor for LAnd Surface Temperature (LASPLAST) provides global land surface temperature (LST) products from thermal infrared radiance data. In this paper, the state-of-the-art version of LASPLAST, as deployed in the GlobTemperature project, is described and applied to data from the Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR). The LASPLAST retrieval formulation for LST is a nadir-only, two-channel, split-window algorithm, based on biome classification, fractional vegetation, and across-track water vapor dependences. It incorporates globally robust retrieval coefficients derived using highly sampled atmosphere profiles. LASPLAST benefits from appropriate spatial resolution auxiliary information and a new probabilistic-based cloud flagging algorithm. For the first time for a satellite-derived LST product, pixel-level uncertainties characterized in terms of random, locally correlated, and systematic components are provided. The new GlobTemperature GT_ATS_2P Version 1.0 product has been validated for 1 year of AATSR data (2009) against in situ measurements acquired from "gold standard reference" stations: Gobabeb, Namibia, and Evora, Portugal; seven Surface Radiation Budget stations, and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement station at Southern Great Plains. These data show average absolute biases for the GT_ATS_2P Version 1.0 product of 1.00 K in the daytime and 1.08 K in the nighttime. The improvements in data provenance including better accuracy, fully traceable retrieval coefficients, quantified uncertainty, and more detailed information in the new harmonized format of the GT_ATS_2P product will allow for more significant exploitation of the historical LST data record from the ATSRs and a valuable near-real-time service from the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometers (SLSTRs).

Environmental and health impacts of fine and ultrafine metallic particles: Assessment of threat scores

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

Goix, Sylvaine; UMR 5245 CNRS-INP-UPS, EcoLab; Lévêque, Thibaut

2014-08-15

This study proposes global threat scores to prioritize the harmfulness of anthropogenic fine and ultrafine metallic particles (FMP) emitted into the atmosphere at the global scale. (Eco)toxicity of physicochemically characterized FMP oxides for metals currently observed in the atmosphere (CdO, CuO, PbO, PbSO{sub 4}, Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and ZnO) was assessed by performing complementary in vitro tests: ecotoxicity, human bioaccessibility, cytotoxicity, and oxidative potential. Using an innovative methodology based on the combination of (eco)toxicity and physicochemical results, the following hazard classification of the particles is proposed: CdCl{sub 2}∼CdO>CuO>PbO>ZnO>PbSO{sub 4}>Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Both cadmium compounds exhibited the highest threat score duemore » to their high cytotoxicity and bioaccessible dose, whatever their solubility and speciation, suggesting that cadmium toxicity is due to its chemical form rather than its physical form. In contrast, the Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} threat score was the lowest due to particles with low specific area and solubility, with no effects except a slight oxidative stress. As FMP physicochemical properties reveal differences in specific area, crystallization systems, dissolution process, and speciation, various mechanisms may influence their biological impact. Finally, this newly developed and global approach could be widely used in various contexts of pollution by complex metal particles and may improve risk management. - Highlights: • Seven micro- and nano- monometallic characterized particles were studied as references. • Bioaccessibility, eco and cytotoxicity, and oxidative potential assays were performed. • According to calculated threat scores: CdCl{sub 2}∼CdO>CuO>PbO>ZnO>PbSO{sub 4}>Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}.« less

Tropical-Cyclone Formation: Theory and Idealized Modelling

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

to saturation at the sea-surface temperature and the positive entropy flux from the ocean surface...and Atmospheric Administration; IFEX = Intensity Forecasting Experiment. 15GFS = NOAA Global Forecasting System ; NOGAPS = Navy Operational Global... Atmospheric Prediction System ; UKMET = United Kingdom Meteorological Office. 16 http://www.met.nps.edu/~mtmontgo/storms2010.html 18 overcomes

The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia: Analyzing Regional Land Use Change Effects.

Treesearch

Michael Keller; Maria Assunção Silva-Dias; Daniel C. Nepstad; Meinrat O. Andreae

2004-01-01

The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) is a multi-disciplinary, multinational scientific project led by Brazil. LBA researchers seek to understand Amazonia in its global context especially with regard to regional and global climate. Current development activities in Amazonia including deforestation, logging, cattle ranching, and agriculture...

A Space-Based Point Design for Global Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Profiling Matched to the Recent NASA/NOAA Draft Science Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavaya, Michael J.; Emmitt, G. David; Frehlich, Rod G.; Amzajerdian, Farzin; Singh, Upendra N.

2002-01-01

An end-to-end point design, including lidar, orbit, scanning, atmospheric, and data processing parameters, for space-based global profiling of atmospheric wind will be presented. The point design attempts to match the recent NASA/NOAA draft science requirements for wind measurement.

Global oceanic emission of ammonia: Constraints from seawater and atmospheric observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulot, F.; Jacob, D. J.; Johnson, M. T.; Bell, T. G.; Baker, A. R.; Keene, W. C.; Lima, I. D.; Doney, S. C.; Stock, C. A.

2015-08-01

Current global inventories of ammonia emissions identify the ocean as the largest natural source. This source depends on seawater pH, temperature, and the concentration of total seawater ammonia (NHx(sw)), which reflects a balance between remineralization of organic matter, uptake by plankton, and nitrification. Here we compare [NHx(sw)] from two global ocean biogeochemical models (BEC and COBALT) against extensive ocean observations. Simulated [NHx(sw)] are generally biased high. Improved simulation can be achieved in COBALT by increasing the plankton affinity for NHx within observed ranges. The resulting global ocean emissions is 2.5 TgN a-1, much lower than current literature values (7-23 TgN a-1), including the widely used Global Emissions InitiAtive (GEIA) inventory (8 TgN a-1). Such a weak ocean source implies that continental sources contribute more than half of atmospheric NHx over most of the ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. Ammonia emitted from oceanic sources is insufficient to neutralize sulfate aerosol acidity, consistent with observations. There is evidence over the Equatorial Pacific for a missing source of atmospheric ammonia that could be due to photolysis of marine organic nitrogen at the ocean surface or in the atmosphere. Accommodating this possible missing source yields a global ocean emission of ammonia in the range 2-5 TgN a-1, comparable in magnitude to other natural sources from open fires and soils.

[Global Atmospheric Chemistry/Transport Modeling and Data-Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prinn, Ronald G.

1999-01-01

This grant supported a global atmospheric chemistry/transport modeling and data- analysis project devoted to: (a) development, testing, and refining of inverse methods for determining regional and global transient source and sink strengths for trace gases; (b) utilization of these inverse methods which use either the Model for Atmospheric Chemistry and Transport (MATCH) which is based on analyzed observed winds or back- trajectories calculated from these same winds for determining regional and global source and sink strengths for long-lived trace gases important in ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect; (c) determination of global (and perhaps regional) average hydroxyl radical concentrations using inverse methods with multiple "titrating" gases; and (d) computation of the lifetimes and spatially resolved destruction rates of trace gases using 3D models. Important ultimate goals included determination of regional source strengths of important biogenic/anthropogenic trace gases and also of halocarbons restricted by the Montreal Protocol and its follow-on agreements, and hydrohalocarbons now used as alternatives to the above restricted halocarbons.

Water vapour correction of the daily 1 km AVHRR global land dataset: Part I validation and use of the Water Vapour input field

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeFelice, Thomas P.; Lloyd, D.; Meyer, D.J.; Baltzer, T. T.; Piraina, P.

2003-01-01

An atmospheric correction algorithm developed for the 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) global land dataset was modified to include a near real-time total column water vapour data input field to account for the natural variability of atmospheric water vapour. The real-time data input field used for this study is the Television and Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder A global total column water vapour dataset. It was validated prior to its use in the AVHRR atmospheric correction process using two North American AVHRR scenes, namely 13 June and 28 November 1996. The validation results are consistent with those reported by others and entail a comparison between TOVS, radiosonde, experimental sounding, microwave radiometer, and data from a hand-held sunphotometer. The use of this data layer as input to the AVHRR atmospheric correction process is discussed.

Evaluation of observation-driven evaporation algorithms: results of the WACMOS-ET project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miralles, Diego G.; Jimenez, Carlos; Ershadi, Ali; McCabe, Matthew F.; Michel, Dominik; Hirschi, Martin; Seneviratne, Sonia I.; Jung, Martin; Wood, Eric F.; (Bob) Su, Z.; Timmermans, Joris; Chen, Xuelong; Fisher, Joshua B.; Mu, Quiaozen; Fernandez, Diego

2015-04-01

Terrestrial evaporation (ET) links the continental water, energy and carbon cycles. Understanding the magnitude and variability of ET at the global scale is an essential step towards reducing uncertainties in our projections of climatic conditions and water availability for the future. However, the requirement of global observational data of ET can neither be satisfied with our sparse global in-situ networks, nor with the existing satellite sensors (which cannot measure evaporation directly from space). This situation has led to the recent rise of several algorithms dedicated to deriving ET fields from satellite data indirectly, based on the combination of ET-drivers that can be observed from space (e.g. radiation, temperature, phenological variability, water content, etc.). These algorithms can either be based on physics (e.g. Priestley and Taylor or Penman-Monteith approaches) or be purely statistical (e.g., machine learning). However, and despite the efforts from different initiatives like GEWEX LandFlux (Jimenez et al., 2011; Mueller et al., 2013), the uncertainties inherent in the resulting global ET datasets remain largely unexplored, partly due to a lack of inter-product consistency in forcing data. In response to this need, the ESA WACMOS-ET project started in 2012 with the main objectives of (a) developing a Reference Input Data Set to derive and validate ET estimates, and (b) performing a cross-comparison, error characterization and validation exercise of a group of selected ET algorithms driven by this Reference Input Data Set and by in-situ forcing data. The algorithms tested are SEBS (Su et al., 2002), the Penman- Monteith approach from MODIS (Mu et al., 2011), the Priestley and Taylor JPL model (Fisher et al., 2008), the MPI-MTE model (Jung et al., 2010) and GLEAM (Miralles et al., 2011). In this presentation we will show the first results from the ESA WACMOS-ET project. The performance of the different algorithms at multiple spatial and temporal scales for the 2005-2007 reference period will be disclosed. The skill of these algorithms to close the water balance over the continents will be assessed by comparisons to runoff data. The consistency in forcing data will allow to (a) evaluate the skill of these five algorithms in producing ET over particular ecosystems, (b) facilitate the attribution of the observed differences to either algorithms or driving data, and (c) set up a solid scientific basis for the development of global long-term benchmark ET products. Project progress can be followed on our website http://wacmoset.estellus.eu. REFERENCES Fisher, J. B., Tu, K.P., and Baldocchi, D.D. Global estimates of the land-atmosphere water flux based on monthly AVHRR and ISLSCP-II data, validated at 16 FLUXNET sites. Remote Sens. Environ. 112, 901-919, 2008. Jiménez, C. et al. Global intercomparison of 12 land surface heat flux estimates. J. Geophys. Res. 116, D02102, 2011. Jung, M. et al. Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply. Nature 467, 951-954, 2010. Miralles, D.G. et al. Global land-surface evaporation estimated from satellite-based observations. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 15, 453-469, 2011. Mu, Q., Zhao, M. & Running, S.W. Improvements to a MODIS global terrestrial evapotranspiration algorithm. Remote Sens. Environ. 115, 1781-1800, 2011. Mueller, B. et al. Benchmark products for land evapotranspiration: LandFlux-EVAL multi- dataset synthesis. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 17, 3707-3720, 2013. Su, Z. The Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) for estimation of turbulent heat fluxes. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 6, 85-99, 2002.

Atmospheric optical calibration system

DOEpatents

Hulstrom, R.L.; Cannon, T.W.

1988-10-25

An atmospheric optical calibration system is provided to compare actual atmospheric optical conditions to standard atmospheric optical conditions on the basis of aerosol optical depth, relative air mass, and diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio. An indicator can show the extent to which the actual conditions vary from standard conditions. Aerosol scattering and absorption properties, diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio, and precipitable water vapor determined on a real-time basis for optical and pressure measurements are also used to generate a computer spectral model and for correcting actual performance response of a photovoltaic device to standard atmospheric optical condition response on a real-time basis as the device is being tested in actual outdoor conditions. 7 figs.

Atmospheric optical calibration system

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

Hulstrom, R.L.; Cannon, T.W.

1988-10-25

An atmospheric optical calibration system is provided to compare actual atmospheric optical conditions to standard atmospheric optical conditions on the basis of aerosol optical depth, relative air mass, and diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio. An indicator can show the extent to which the actual conditions vary from standard conditions. Aerosol scattering and absorption properties, diffuse horizontal skylight to global horizontal photon flux ratio, and precipitable water vapor determined on a real-time basis for optical and pressure measurements are also used to generate a computer spectral model and for correcting actual performance response of a photovoltaic devicemore » to standard atmospheric optical condition response on a real-time basis as the device is being tested in actual outdoor conditions. 7 figs.« less