NASA finds Shrimp Under Antarctic Ice [Video

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

At a depth of 600 feet beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet, a small shrimp-like creature managed to brighten up an otherwise gray polar day in late November 2009. This critter is a three-inch long Lyssianasid amphipod found beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, about 12.5 miles away from open water. NASA scientists were using a borehole camera to look back up towards the ice surface when they spotted this pinkish-orange creature swimming beneath the ice. Credit: NASA

The NASA CYGNSS mission: a pathfinder for GNSS scatterometry remote sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Randy; Gleason, Scott; Ruf, Chris

2014-10-01

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based scatterometry offers breakthrough opportunities for wave, wind, ice, and soil moisture remote sensing. Recent developments in electronics and nano-satellite technologies combined with modeling techniques developed over the past 20 years are enabling a new class of remote sensing capabilities that present more cost effective solutions to existing problems while opening new applications of Earth remote sensing. Key information about the ocean and global climate is hidden from existing space borne observatories because of the frequency band in which they operate. Using GNSS-based bi-static scatterometry performed by a constellation of microsatellites offers remote sensing of ocean wave, wind, and ice data with unprecedented temporal resolution and spatial coverage across the full dynamic range of ocean wind speeds in all precipitating conditions. The NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is a space borne mission being developed to study tropical cyclone inner core processes. CYGNSS consists of 8 GPS bi-static radar receivers to be deployed on separate micro-satellites in October 2016. CYGNSS will provide data to address what are thought to be the principle deficiencies with current tropical cyclone intensity forecasts: inadequate observations and modeling of the inner core. The inadequacy in observations results from two causes: 1) Much of the inner core ocean surface is obscured from conventional remote sensing instruments by intense precipitation in the eye wall and inner rain bands. 2) The rapidly evolving (genesis and intensification) stages of the tropical cyclone life cycle are poorly sampled in time by conventional polar-orbiting, wide-swath surface wind imagers. It is anticipated that numerous additional Earth science applications can also benefit from the cost effective high spatial and temporal sampling capabilities of GNSS remote sensing. These applications include monitoring of rough and

Development of sea ice monitoring with aerial remote sensing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xuhui; Han, Lei; Dong, Liang; Cui, Lulu; Bie, Jun; Fan, Xuewei

2014-11-01

In the north China Sea district, sea ice disaster is very serious every winter, which brings a lot of adverse effects to shipping transportation, offshore oil exploitation, and coastal engineering. In recent years, along with the changing of global climate, the sea ice situation becomes too critical. The monitoring of sea ice is playing a very important role in keeping human life and properties in safety, and undertaking of marine scientific research. The methods to monitor sea ice mainly include: first, shore observation; second, icebreaker monitoring; third, satellite remote sensing; and then aerial remote sensing monitoring. The marine station staffs use relevant equipments to monitor the sea ice in the shore observation. The icebreaker monitoring means: the workers complete the test of the properties of sea ice, such as density, salinity and mechanical properties. MODIS data and NOAA data are processed to get sea ice charts in the satellite remote sensing means. Besides, artificial visual monitoring method and some airborne remote sensors are adopted in the aerial remote sensing to monitor sea ice. Aerial remote sensing is an important means in sea ice monitoring because of its strong maneuverability, wide watching scale, and high resolution. In this paper, several methods in the sea ice monitoring using aerial remote sensing technology are discussed.

Selected bibliography of NACA-NASA aircraft icing publications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, J. J. (Compiler)

1981-01-01

A summary of NACA-NASA icing research from 1940 to 1962 is presented. It includes: the main results of the NACA icing program from 1940 to 1950; a selected bibliography of 132 NACA-NASA aircraft icing publications; a technical summary of each document cited in the selected bibliography; and a microfiche copy of each document cited in the selected bibliography.

Analysis of 2015 Winter In-Flight Icing Case Studies with Ground-Based Remote Sensing Systems Compared to In-Situ SLW Sondes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serke, David J.; King, Michael Christopher; Hansen, Reid; Reehorst, Andrew L.

2016-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have developed an icing remote sensing technology that has demonstrated skill at detecting and classifying icing hazards in a vertical column above an instrumented ground station. This technology has recently been extended to provide volumetric coverage surrounding an airport. Building on the existing vertical pointing system, the new method for providing volumetric coverage utilizes a vertical pointing cloud radar, a multi-frequency microwave radiometer with azimuth and elevation pointing, and a NEXRAD radar. The new terminal area icing remote sensing system processes the data streams from these instruments to derive temperature, liquid water content, and cloud droplet size for each examined point in space. These data are then combined to ultimately provide icing hazard classification along defined approach paths into an airport. To date, statistical comparisons of the vertical profiling technology have been made to Pilot Reports and Icing Forecast Products. With the extension into relatively large area coverage and the output of microphysical properties in addition to icing severity, the use of these comparators is not appropriate and a more rigorous assessment is required. NASA conducted a field campaign during the early months of 2015 to develop a database to enable the assessment of the new terminal area icing remote sensing system and further refinement of terminal area icing weather information technologies in general. In addition to the ground-based remote sensors listed earlier, in-situ icing environment measurements by weather balloons were performed to produce a comprehensive comparison database. Balloon data gathered consisted of temperature, humidity, pressure, super-cooled liquid water content, and 3-D position with time. Comparison data plots of weather balloon and remote measurements, weather balloon flight paths, bulk comparisons of

Remote Sensing of Crystal Shapes in Ice Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

van Diedenhoven, Bastiaan

2017-01-01

Ice crystals in clouds exist in a virtually limitless variation of geometries. The most basic shapes of ice crystals are columnar or plate-like hexagonal prisms with aspect ratios determined by relative humidity and temperature. However, crystals in ice clouds generally display more complex structures owing to aggregation, riming and growth histories through varying temperature and humidity regimes. Crystal shape is relevant for cloud evolution as it affects microphysical properties such as fall speeds and aggregation efficiency. Furthermore, the scattering properties of ice crystals are affected by their general shape, as well as by microscopic features such as surface roughness, impurities and internal structure. To improve the representation of ice clouds in climate models, increased understanding of the global variation of crystal shape and how it relates to, e.g., location, cloud temperature and atmospheric state is crucial. Here, the remote sensing of ice crystal macroscale and microscale structure from airborne and space-based lidar depolarization observations and multi-directional measurements of total and polarized reflectances is reviewed. In addition, a brief overview is given of in situ and laboratory observations of ice crystal shape as well as the optical properties of ice crystals that serve as foundations for the remote sensing approaches. Lidar depolarization is generally found to increase with increasing cloud height and to vary with latitude. Although this variation is generally linked to the variation of ice crystal shape, the interpretation of the depolarization remains largely qualitative and more research is needed before quantitative conclusions about ice shape can be deduced. The angular variation of total and polarized reflectances of ice clouds has been analyzed by numerous studies in order to infer information about ice crystal shapes from them. From these studies it is apparent that pristine crystals with smooth surfaces are generally

Icing Cloud Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ide, Robert F.; Oldenburg, John R.

2001-01-01

The icing research tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1999, necessitating recalibration of the icing clouds. This report describes the methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content. The instruments and methods used to perform the droplet size calibration are also described. The liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and compared to the FAA icing certification criteria. The capabilities of the IRT to produce large droplet icing clouds is also detailed.

Satellite remote sensing over ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R. H.

1984-01-01

Satellite remote sensing provides unique opportunities for observing ice-covered terrain. Passive-microwave data give information on snow extent on land, sea-ice extent and type, and zones of summer melting on the polar ice sheets, with the potential for estimating snow-accumulation rates on these ice sheets. All weather, high-resolution imagery of sea ice is obtained using synthetic aperture radars, and ice-movement vectors can be deduced by comparing sequential images of the same region. Radar-altimetry data provide highly detailed information on ice-sheet topography, with the potential for deducing thickening/thinning rates from repeat surveys. The coastline of Antarctica can be mapped accurately using altimetry data, and the size and spatial distribution of icebergs can be monitored. Altimetry data also distinguish open ocean from pack ice and they give an indication of sea-ice characteristics.

Satellite remote sensing over ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R. H.

1986-01-01

Satellite remote sensing provides unique opportunities for observing ice-covered terrain. Passive-microwave data give information on snow extent on land, sea-ice extent and type, and zones of summer melting on the polar ice sheets, with the potential for estimating snow-accumulation rates on these ice sheets. All weather, high-resolution imagery of sea ice is obtained using synthetic aperture radars, and ice-movement vectors can be deduced by comparing sequential images of the same region. Radar-altimetry data provide highly detailed information on ice-sheet topography, with the potential for deducing thickening/thinning rates from repeat surveys. The coastline of Antarctica can be mapped accurately using altimetry data, and the size and spatial distribution of icebergs can be monitored. Altimetry data also distinguish open ocean from pack ice and they give an indication of sea-ice characteristics.

An integrated approach to the remote sensing of floating ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, W. J.; Ramseier, R. O.; Weeks, W. F.; Gloersen, P.

1976-01-01

Review article on remote sensing applications to glaciology. Ice parameters sensed include: ice cover vs open water, ice thickness, distribution and morphology of ice formations, vertical resolution of ice thickness, ice salinity (percolation and drainage of brine; flushing of ice body with fresh water), first-year ice and multiyear ice, ice growth rate and surface heat flux, divergence of ice packs, snow cover masking ice, behavior of ice shelves, icebergs, lake ice and river ice; time changes. Sensing techniques discussed include: satellite photographic surveys, thermal IR, passive and active microwave studies, microwave radiometry, microwave scatterometry, side-looking radar, and synthetic aperture radar. Remote sensing of large aquatic mammals and operational ice forecasting are also discussed.

Homemade ice cream, à la NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Pictured above, Goddard's astrobiology lab makes cookies and cream ice cream using liquid nitrogen at the Science Jamboree. The NASA Goddard Science Jamboree took place on July 16, 2013. The event allowed the different departments at Goddard a chance to showcase their research and projects to other employees and summer interns. #nasa #nasagoddard #icecream Credit: NASA/Goddard Sawyer Rosenstein

NASA's Observes Effects of Summer Melt on Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's IceBridge, an airborne survey of polar ice, flew over the Helheim/Kangerdlugssuaq region of Greenland on Sept. 11, 2016. This photograph from the flight captures Greenland's Steenstrup Glacier, with the midmorning sun glinting off of the Denmark Strait in the background. IceBridge completed the final flight of the summer campaign to observe the impact of the summer melt season on the ice sheet on Sept. 16. The IceBridge flights, which began on Aug. 27, are mostly repeats of lines that the team flew in early May, so that scientists can observe changes in ice elevation between the spring and late summer. For this short, end-of-summer campaign, the IceBridge scientists flew aboard an HU-25A Guardian aircraft from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Credit: NASA/John Sonntag NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing Program Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratvasky, Thomas P.; VanZante, Judith Foss; Riley, James T.

1999-01-01

The effects of tailplane icing were investigated in a four-year NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing, Program (TIP). This research program was developed to improve the understanding, of iced tailplane aeroperformance and aircraft aerodynamics, and to develop design and training aides to help reduce the number of incidents and accidents caused by tailplane icing. To do this, the TIP was constructed with elements that included icing, wind tunnel testing, dry-air aerodynamic wind tunnel testing, flight tests, and analytical code development. This paper provides an overview of the entire program demonstrating the interconnectivity of the program elements and reports on current accomplishments.

NASA Launches Eighth Year of Antarctic Ice Change Airborne Survey

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

At the southern end of the Earth, a NASA plane carrying a team of scientists and a sophisticated instrument suite to study ice is returning to surveying Antarctica. For the past eight years, Operation IceBridge has been on a mission to build a record of how polar ice is evolving in a changing environment. The information IceBridge has gathered in the Antarctic, which includes data on the thickness and shape of snow and ice, as well as the topography of the land and ocean floor beneath the ocean and the ice, has allowed scientists to determine that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may be in irreversible decline. Researchers have also used IceBridge data to evaluate climate models of Antarctica and map the bedrock underneath Antarctic ice. Read more:http://go.nasa.gov/2dxczkd NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

NASA: First Map Of Thawed Areas Under Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA researchers have helped produce the first map showing what parts of the bottom of the massive Greenland Ice Sheet are thawed – key information in better predicting how the ice sheet will react to a warming climate. Greenland’s thick ice sheet insulates the bedrock below from the cold temperatures at the surface, so the bottom of the ice is often tens of degrees warmer than at the top, because the ice bottom is slowly warmed by heat coming from the Earth’s depths. Knowing whether Greenland’s ice lies on wet, slippery ground or is anchored to dry, frozen bedrock is essential for predicting how this ice will flow in the future, But scientists have very few direct observations of the thermal conditions beneath the ice sheet, obtained through fewer than two dozen boreholes that have reached the bottom. Now, a new study synthesizes several methods to infer the Greenland Ice Sheet’s basal thermal state –whether the bottom of the ice is melted or not– leading to the first map that identifies frozen and thawed areas across the whole ice sheet. Map caption: This first-of-a-kind map, showing which parts of the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet are likely thawed (red), frozen (blue) or still uncertain (gray), will help scientists better predict how the ice will flow in a warming climate. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen Read more: go.nasa.gov/2avKgl2 NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Overview of Icing Research at NASA Glenn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreeger, Richard E.

2013-01-01

The aviation industry continues to deal with icing-related incidents and accidents on a regular basis. Air traffic continues to increase, placing more aircraft in adverse icing conditions more frequently and for longer periods. Icing conditions once considered rare or of little consequence, such as super-cooled large droplet icing or high altitude ice crystals, have emerged as major concerns for modern aviation. Because of this, there is a need to better understand the atmospheric environment, the fundamental mechanisms and characteristics of ice growth, and the aerodynamic effects due to icing, as well as how best to protect these aircraft. The icing branch at NASA Glenn continues to develop icing simulation methods and engineering tools to address current aviation safety issues in airframe, engine and rotorcraft icing.

Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes Part 2 - LEWICE/Thermal

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The Icing Technology Branch at NASA Lewis has been involved in an effort to validate two thermal ice protection codes developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center: LEWICE/Thermal 1 (electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing), and ANTICE 2 (hot gas and el...

Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes. Part 1; Program Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Dean; Bond, Thomas; Sheldon, David; Wright, William; Langhals, Tammy; Al-Khalil, Kamel; Broughton, Howard

1996-01-01

The Icing Technology Branch at NASA Lewis has been involved in an effort to validate two thermal ice protection codes developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. LEWICE/Thermal (electrothermal deicing & anti-icing), and ANTICE (hot-gas & electrothermal anti-icing). The Thermal Code Validation effort was designated as a priority during a 1994 'peer review' of the NASA Lewis Icing program, and was implemented as a cooperative effort with industry. During April 1996, the first of a series of experimental validation tests was conducted in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel(IRT). The purpose of the April 96 test was to validate the electrothermal predictive capabilities of both LEWICE/Thermal, and ANTICE. A heavily instrumented test article was designed and fabricated for this test, with the capability of simulating electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Thermal measurements were then obtained over a range of test conditions, for comparison with analytical predictions. This paper will present an overview of the test, including a detailed description of: (1) the validation process; (2) test article design; (3) test matrix development; and (4) test procedures. Selected experimental results will be presented for de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Finally, the status of the validation effort at this point will be summarized. Detailed comparisons between analytical predictions and experimental results are contained in the following two papers: 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 2- The Validation of LEWICE/Thermal' and 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 3-The Validation of ANTICE'

NASA Operation IceBridge Flies Into the Classroom!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, M.

2017-12-01

Field research opportunities for educators is leveraged as an invaluable tool to increase public engagement in climate research and the geosciences. We investigate the influence of educator's authentic fieldwork by highlighting the post-field impacts of a PolarTREC Teacher who participated in two campaigns, including NASA Operation IceBridge campaign over Antarctica in 2016. NASA's Operation IceBridge has hosted PolarTREC teachers since 2012, welcoming five teachers aboard multiple flights over the Arctic and one over Antarctica. The continuity of teacher inclusion in Operation IceBridge campaigns has facilitated a platform for collaborative curriculum development and revision, integration of National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) data into multiple classrooms, and given us a means whereby students can interact with science team members. I present impacts to my teaching and classrooms as I grapple with "Big Data" to allow students to work directly with lidar and radar data, I examine public outreach impacts through analytics from virtual networking tools including social media, NASA's Mission Tools Suite for Education, and field blog interactions.

Ice Crystal Icing Engine Testing in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Propulsion Systems Laboratory: Altitude Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, Michael J.

2014-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a full scale ice crystal icing turbofan engine test using an obsolete Allied Signal ALF502-R5 engine in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) at NASA Glenn Research Center. The test article used was the exact engine that experienced a loss of power event after the ingestion of ice crystals while operating at high altitude during a 1997 Honeywell flight test campaign investigating the turbofan engine ice crystal icing phenomena. The test plan included test points conducted at the known flight test campaign field event pressure altitude and at various pressure altitudes ranging from low to high throughout the engine operating envelope. The test article experienced a loss of power event at each of the altitudes tested. For each pressure altitude test point conducted the ambient static temperature was predicted using a NASA engine icing risk computer model for the given ambient static pressure while maintaining the engine speed.

NASA's Future Active Remote Sensing Missing for Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartley, Jonathan B.

2000-01-01

Since the beginning of space remote sensing of the earth, there has been a natural progression widening the range of electromagnetic radiation used to sense the earth, and slowly, steadily increasing the spatial, spectral, and radiometric resolution of the measurements. There has also been a somewhat slower trend toward active measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum, motivated in part by increased resolution, but also by the ability to make new measurements. Active microwave instruments have been used to measure ocean topography, to study the land surface. and to study rainfall from space. Future NASA active microwave missions may add detail to the topographical studies, sense soil moisture, and better characterize the cryosphere. Only recently have active optical instruments been flown in space by NASA; however, there are currently several missions in development which will sense the earth with lasers and many more conceptual active optical missions which address the priorities of NASA's earth science program. Missions are under development to investigate the structure of the terrestrial vegetation canopy, to characterize the earth's ice caps, and to study clouds and aerosols. Future NASA missions may measure tropospheric vector winds and make vastly improved measurements of the chemical components of the earth's atmosphere.

NASA's program on icing research and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, John J.; Shaw, Robert J.; Ranaudo, Richard J.

1989-01-01

NASA's program in aircraft icing research and technology is reviewed. The program relies heavily on computer codes and modern applied physics technology in seeking icing solutions on a finer scale than those offered in earlier programs. Three major goals of this program are to offer new approaches to ice protection, to improve our ability to model the response of an aircraft to an icing encounter, and to provide improved techniques and facilities for ground and flight testing. This paper reviews the following program elements: (1) new approaches to ice protection; (2) numerical codes for deicer analysis; (3) measurement and prediction of ice accretion and its effect on aircraft and aircraft components; (4) special wind tunnel test techniques for rotorcraft icing; (5) improvements of icing wind tunnels and research aircraft; (6) ground de-icing fluids used in winter operation; (7) fundamental studies in icing; and (8) droplet sizing instruments for icing clouds.

Determining Greenland Ice Sheet Accumulation Rates from Radar Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jezek, Kenneth C.

2002-01-01

An important component of NASA's Program for Arctic Regional Climate Assessment (PARCA) is a mass balance investigation of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The mass balance is calculated by taking the difference between the areally Integrated snow accumulation and the net ice discharge of the ice sheet. Uncertainties in this calculation Include the snow accumulation rate, which has traditionally been determined by interpolating data from ice core samples taken from isolated spots across the ice sheet. The sparse data associated with ice cores juxtaposed against the high spatial and temporal resolution provided by remote sensing , has motivated scientists to investigate relationships between accumulation rate and microwave observations as an option for obtaining spatially contiguous estimates. The objective of this PARCA continuation proposal was to complete an estimate of surface accumulation rate on the Greenland Ice Sheet derived from C-band radar backscatter data compiled in the ERS-1 SAR mosaic of data acquired during, September-November, 1992. An empirical equation, based on elevation and latitude, is used to determine the mean annual temperature. We examine the influence of accumulation rate, and mean annual temperature on C-band radar backscatter using a forward model, which incorporates snow metamorphosis and radar backscatter components. Our model is run over a range of accumulation and temperature conditions. Based on the model results, we generate a look-up table, which uniquely maps the measured radar backscatter, and mean annual temperature to accumulation rate. Our results compare favorably with in situ accumulation rate measurements falling within our study area.

Laser Remote Sensing at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Norman P.

2005-01-01

NASA is developing active remote sensors to monitor the health of Planet Earth and for exploration of other planets. Development and deployment of these remote sensors can have a huge economic impact. Lasers for these active remote sensors span the spectral range from the ultraviolet to the mid infrared spectral regions. Development activities range from quantum mechanical modeling and prediction of new laser materials to the design, development, and demonstration be deployed in the field.

NASA Lewis Research Center's Program on Icing Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, J. J.; Shaw, R. J.; Olsen, W. A., Jr.

1982-01-01

The helicopter and general aviation, light transport, and commercial transport aircraft share common icing requirements: highly effective, lightweight, low power consuming deicing systems, and detailed knowledge of the aeropenalties due to ice on aircraft surfaces. To meet current and future needs, NASA has a broadbased icing research program which covers both research and engineering applications, and is well coordinated with the FAA, DOD, universities, industry, and some foreign governments. Research activity in ice protection systems, icing instrumentation, experimental methods, analytical modeling, and in-flight research are described.

Active and Passive Remote Sensing of Ice.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

This is a report on the progress that has been made in the study of active and passive remote sensing of ice during the period of February 1, 1984...the emissivities as functions of viewing angles and polarizations. They are used to interpret the passive microwave remote sensing data from

Active and Passive Remote Sensing of Ice.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

This is a report on the progress that has been made in the study of active and passive remote sensing of ice during the period of August 1, 1984...active and passive microwave remote sensing , (2) used the strong fluctuation theory and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to calculate the brightness

Radar Remote Sensing of Ice and Sea State and Air-Sea Interaction in the Marginal Ice Zone

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Radar Remote Sensing of Ice and Sea State and Air-Sea...Interaction in the Marginal Ice Zone Hans C. Graber RSMAS – Department of Ocean Sciences Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing...scattering and attenuation process of ocean waves interacting with ice . A nautical X-band radar on a vessel dedicated to science would be used to follow the

Remote sensing of snow and ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rango, A.

1979-01-01

This paper reviews remote sensing of snow and ice, techniques for improved monitoring, and incorporation of the new data into forecasting and management systems. The snowcover interpretation of visible and infrared data from satellites, automated digital methods, radiative transfer modeling to calculate the solar reflectance of snow, and models using snowcover input data and elevation zones for calculating snowmelt are discussed. The use of visible and near infrared techniques for inferring snow properties, microwave monitoring of snowpack characteristics, use of Landsat images for collecting glacier data, monitoring of river ice with visible imagery from NOAA satellites, use of sequential imagery for tracking ice flow movement, and microwave studies of sea ice are described. Applications of snow and ice research to commercial use are examined, and it is concluded that a major problem to be solved is characterization of snow and ice in nature, since assigning of the correct properties to a real system to be modeled has been difficult.

Evaluation of Alternative Altitude Scaling Methods for Thermal Ice Protection System in NASA Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sam; Addy, Harold E. Jr.; Broeren, Andy P.; Orchard, David M.

2017-01-01

A test was conducted at NASA Icing Research Tunnel to evaluate altitude scaling methods for thermal ice protection system. Two new scaling methods based on Weber number were compared against a method based on Reynolds number. The results generally agreed with the previous set of tests conducted in NRCC Altitude Icing Wind Tunnel where the three methods of scaling were also tested and compared along with reference (altitude) icing conditions. In those tests, the Weber number-based scaling methods yielded results much closer to those observed at the reference icing conditions than the Reynolds number-based icing conditions. The test in the NASA IRT used a much larger, asymmetric airfoil with an ice protection system that more closely resembled designs used in commercial aircraft. Following the trends observed during the AIWT tests, the Weber number based scaling methods resulted in smaller runback ice than the Reynolds number based scaling, and the ice formed farther upstream. The results show that the new Weber number based scaling methods, particularly the Weber number with water loading scaling, continue to show promise for ice protection system development and evaluation in atmospheric icing tunnels.

Practical Application of NASA-Langley Advanced Satellite Products to In-Flight Icing Nowcasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Ben C.; Wolff, Cory A.; Minnis, Patrick

2006-01-01

Experimental satellite-based icing products developed by the NASA Langley Research Center provide new tools to identify the locations of icing and its intensity. Since 1997, research forecasters at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have been helping to guide the NASA Glenn Research Center's Twin Otter aircraft into and out of clouds and precipitation for the purpose of characterizing in-flight icing conditions, including supercooled large drops, the accretions that result from such encounters and their effect on aircraft performance. Since the winter of 2003-04, the NASA Langley satellite products have been evaluated as part of this process, and are being considered as an input to NCAR s automated Current Icing Potential (CIP) products. This has already been accomplished for a relatively straightforward icing event, but many icing events have much more complex characteristics, providing additional challenges to all icing diagnosis tools. In this paper, four icing events with a variety of characteristics will be examined, with a focus on the NASA Langley satellite retrievals that were available in real time and their implications for icing nowcasting and potential applications in CIP.

NASA IceBridge: Scientific Insights from Airborne Surveys of the Polar Sea Ice Covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter-Menge, J.; Farrell, S. L.

2015-12-01

The NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) airborne sea ice surveys are designed to continue a valuable series of sea ice thickness measurements by bridging the gap between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), which operated from 2003 to 2009, and ICESat-2, which is scheduled for launch in 2017. Initiated in 2009, OIB has conducted campaigns over the western Arctic Ocean (March/April) and Southern Oceans (October/November) on an annual basis when the thickness of sea ice cover is nearing its maximum. More recently, a series of Arctic surveys have also collected observations in the late summer, at the end of the melt season. The Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) laser altimeter is one of OIB's primary sensors, in combination with the Digital Mapping System digital camera, a Ku-band radar altimeter, a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) snow radar, and a KT-19 infrared radiation pyrometer. Data from the campaigns are available to the research community at: http://nsidc.org/data/icebridge/. This presentation will summarize the spatial and temporal extent of the OIB campaigns and their complementary role in linking in situ and satellite measurements, advancing observations of sea ice processes across all length scales. Key scientific insights gained on the state of the sea ice cover will be highlighted, including snow depth, ice thickness, surface roughness and morphology, and melt pond evolution.

Advanced ice protection systems test in the NASA Lewis icing research tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bond, Thomas H.; Shin, Jaiwon; Mesander, Geert A.

1991-01-01

Tests of eight different deicing systems based on variations of three different technologies were conducted in the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) in June and July 1990. The systems used pneumatic, eddy current repulsive, and electro-expulsive means to shed ice. The tests were conducted on a 1.83 m span, 0.53 m chord NACA 0012 airfoil operated at a 4 degree angle of attack. The models were tested at two temperatures: a glaze condition at minus 3.9 C and a rime condition at minus 17.2 C. The systems were tested through a range of icing spray times and cycling rates. Characterization of the deicers was accomplished by monitoring power consumption, ice shed particle size, and residual ice. High speed video motion analysis was performed to quantify ice particle size.

NASA Airframe Icing Research Overview Past and Current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potapczuk, Mark

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the past and current research that NASA has done in the area of airframe icing. Both the history experimental efforts and model development to understand the process and problem of ice formation are reviewed. This has resulted in the development of new experimental methods, advanced icing simulation software, flight dynamics and experimental databases that have an impact on design, testing, construction and certification and qualification of the aircraft and its sub-systems.

NASA Sea Ice and Snow Validation Program for the DMSP SSM/I: NASA DC-8 flight report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, D. J.

1988-01-01

In June 1987 a new microwave sensor called the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) was launched as part of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). In recognition of the importance of this sensor to the polar research community, NASA developed a program to acquire the data, to convert the data into sea ice parameters, and finally to validate and archive both the SSM/I radiances and the derived sea ice parameters. Central to NASA's sea ice validation program was a series of SSM/I aircraft underflights with the NASA DC-8 airborne Laboratory. The mission (the Arctic '88 Sea Ice Mission) was completed in March 1988. This report summarizes the mission and includes a summary of aircraft instrumentation, coordination with participating Navy aircraft, flight objectives, flight plans, data collected, SSM/I orbits for each day during the mission, and lists several piggyback experiments supported during this mission.

Remote sensing of the Fram Strait marginal ice zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shuchman, R.A.; Burns, B.A.; Johannessen, O.M.; Josberger, E.G.; Campbell, W.J.; Manley, T.O.; Lannelongue, N.

1987-01-01

Sequential remote sensing images of the Fram Strait marginal ice zone played a key role in elucidating the complex interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice. Analysis of a subset of these images covering a 1-week period provided quantitative data on the mesoscale ice morphology, including ice edge positions, ice concentrations, floe size distribution, and ice kinematics. The analysis showed that, under light to moderate wind conditions, the morphology of the marginal ice zone reflects the underlying ocean circulation. High-resolution radar observations showed the location and size of ocean eddies near the ice edge. Ice kinematics from sequential radar images revealed an ocean eddy beneath the interior pack ice that was verified by in situ oceanographic measurements.

Passive Polarimetric Remote Sensing of Snow and Ice

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-30

In recent years, polarimetric radiometry has shown great potential to revolutionize passive remote sensing of the ocean surface. As a result, several...polarimetric radiometer, in 2001. This project explores the possibility of applying this new technology to remote sensing in the Polar Regions by investigating the polarimetric signature of ice and snow.

Concurrent remote sensing of Arctic sea ice from submarine and aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wadhams, P.; Davis, N. R.; Comiso, J. C.; Kutz, R.; Crawford, J.; Jackson, G.; Krabill, W.; Sear, C. B.; Swift, R.; Tucker, W. B., III

1991-01-01

In May 1987 a concurrent remote sensing study of Arctic sea ice from above and below was carried out. A submarine equipped with sidescan and upward looking sonar collaborated with two remote sensing aircraft equipped with passive microwave, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a laser profilometer and an infrared radiometer. By careful registration of the three tracks it has been possible to find relationships between ice type, ice morphology and thickness, SAR backscatter and microwave brightness temperatures. The key to the process has been the sidescan sonar's ability to identify ice type through differences in characteristic topography. Over a heavily ridged area of mainly multiyear ice there is a strong positive correlation between SAR backscatter and ice draft or elevation. It was also found that passive and active microwave complement each other in that SAR has a high contrast between open water and multiyear ice, while passive microwave has a high contrast between open water and first-year ice.

Norwegian remote sensing experiment in a marginal ice zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrelly, B.; Johannessen, J.A.; Svendsen, E.; Kloster, K.; Horjen, I.; Matzler, C.; Crawford, J.; Harrington, R.; Jones, L.; Swift, C.; Delnore, V.E.; Cavalieri, D.; Gloersen, P.; Hsiao, S.V.; Shemdin, O.H.; Thompson, T.W.; Ramseier, R.O.; Johannessen, O.M.; Campbell, W.J.

1983-01-01

The Norwegian Remote Sensing Experiment in the marginal ice zone north of Svalbard took place in fall 1979. Coordinated passive and active microwave measurements were obtained from shipborne, airborne, and satellite instruments together with in situ observations. The obtained spectra of emissivity (frequency range, 5 to 100 gigahertz) should improve identification of ice types and estimates of ice concentration. Mesoscale features along the ice edge were revealed by a 1.215-gigahertz synthetic aperture radar. Ice edge location by the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer was shown to be accurate to within 10 kilometers.

Remote sensing as a research tool. [sea ice surveillance from aircraft and spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carsey, F. D.; Zwally, H. J.

1986-01-01

The application of aircraft and spacecraft remote sensing techniques to sea ice surveillance is evaluated. The effects of ice in the air-sea-ice system are examined. The measurement principles and characteristics of remote sensing methods for aircraft and spacecraft surveillance of sea ice are described. Consideration is given to ambient visible light, IR, passive microwave, active microwave, and laser altimeter and sonar systems. The applications of these systems to sea ice surveillance are discussed and examples are provided. Particular attention is placed on the use of microwave data and the relation between ice thickness and sea ice interactions. It is noted that spacecraft and aircraft sensing techniques can successfully measure snow cover; ice thickness; ice type; ice concentration; ice velocity field; ocean temperature; surface wind vector field; and air, snow, and ice surface temperatures.

Flight test report of the NASA icing research airplane: Performance, stability, and control after flight through natural icing conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, J. L.; Platz, S. J.; Schinstock, W. C.

1986-01-01

Flight test results are presented documenting the effect of airframe icing on performance and stability and control of a NASA DHC-6 icing research aircraft. Kohlman System Research, Inc., provided the data acquisition system and data analysis under contract to NASA. Performance modeling methods and MMLE techniques were used to determine the effects of natural ice on the aircraft. Results showed that ice had a significant effect on the drag coefficient of the aircraft and a modest effect on the MMLE derived longitudinal stability coefficients (code version MMLE). Data is also presented on asymmetric power sign slip maneuvers showing rudder floating characteristics with and without ice on the vertical stabilizer.

NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Webinar Series

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-07-12

NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Webinar Series Tuesday, July 12, 2016 ... you of a free training opportunity: Introduction to Remote Sensing for Air Quality Applications Webinar Series Beginning in ...

Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Snow and Ice for Global Change Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Richard; Hall, Dorothy K.

2007-01-01

Snow and ice play a significant role in the Earth's water cycle and are sensitive and informative indicators climate change. Significant changes in terrestrial snow and ice water storage are forecast, and while evidence of large-scale changes is emerging, in situ measurements alone are insufficient to help us understand and explain these changes. Imaging remote sensing systems are capable of successfully observing snow and ice in the cryosphere. This chapter examines how those remote sensing sensors, that now have more than 35 years of observation records, are capable of providing information about snow cover, snow water equivalent, snow melt, ice sheet temperature and ice sheet albedo. While significant progress has been made, especially in the last five years, a better understanding is required of the records of satellite observations of these cryospheric variables.

An Initial Study of the Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struk, Peter; Bartkus, Tadas; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Bencic, Timothy; King, Michael; Ratvasky, Thomas; Van Zante, Judith

2017-01-01

This presentation shows results from an initial study of the fundamental physics of ice-crystal ice accretion using the NASA Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL). Ice accretion due to the ingestion of ice-crystals is being attributed to numerous jet-engine power-loss events. The NASA PSL is an altitude jet-engine test facility which has recently added a capability to inject ice particles into the flow. NASA is evaluating whether this facility, in addition to full-engine and motor-driven-rig tests, can be used for more fundamental ice-accretion studies that simulate the different mixed-phase icing conditions along the core flow passage of a turbo-fan engine compressor. The data from such fundamental accretion tests will be used to help develop and validate models of the accretion process. The present study utilized a NACA0012 airfoil. The mixed-phase conditions were generated by partially freezing the liquid-water droplets ejected from the spray bars. This presentation shows data regarding (1) the freeze out characteristics of the cloud, (2) changes in aerothermal conditions due to the presence of the cloud, and (3) the ice accretion characteristics observed on the airfoil model. The primary variable in this test was the PSL plenum humidity which was systematically varied for two duct-exit-plane velocities (85 and 135 ms) as well as two particle size clouds (15 and 50 m MVDi). The observed clouds ranged from fully glaciated to fully liquid, where the liquid clouds were at least partially supercooled. The air total temperature decreased at the test section when the cloud was activated due to evaporation. The ice accretions observed ranged from sharp arrow-like accretions, characteristic of ice-crystal erosion, to cases with double-horn shapes, characteristic of supercooled water accretions.

An Initial Study of the Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struk, Peter M.; Ratvasky, Thomas P.; Bencic, Timothy J.; Van Zante, Judith F.; King, Michael C.; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Bartkus, Tadas P.

2017-01-01

This paper presents results from an initial study of the fundamental physics of ice-crystal ice accretion using the NASA Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL). Ice accretion due to the ingestion of ice-crystals is being attributed to numerous jet-engine power-loss events. The NASA PSL is an altitude jet-engine test facility which has recently added a capability to inject ice particles into the flow. NASA is evaluating whether this facility, in addition to full-engine and motor-driven-rig tests, can be used for more fundamental ice-accretion studies that simulate the different mixed-phase icing conditions along the core flow passage of a turbo-fan engine compressor. The data from such fundamental accretion tests will be used to help develop and validate models of the accretion process. The present study utilized a NACA0012 airfoil. The mixed-phase conditions were generated by partially freezing the liquid-water droplets ejected from the spray bars. This paper presents data regarding (1) the freeze out characteristics of the cloud, (2) changes in aerothermal conditions due to the presence of the cloud, and (3) the ice accretion characteristics observed on the airfoil model. The primary variable in this test was the PSL plenum humidity which was systematically varied for two duct-exit-plane velocities (85 and 135 ms) as well as two particle size clouds (15 and 50 m MVDi). The observed clouds ranged from fully glaciated to fully liquid, where the liquid clouds were at least partially supercooled. The air total temperature decreased at the test section when the cloud was activated due to evaporation. The ice accretions observed ranged from sharp arrow-like accretions, characteristic of ice-crystal erosion, to cases with double-horn shapes, characteristic of supercooled water accretions.

Nasa's Operation Icebridge and Remote Sensing Techniques in the K-12 Classroom as a STEM Integration Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, K.

2017-12-01

NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB), the largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice uses remote sensing methods to collect data on changing sea and land ice. PolarTREC teacher Kelly McCarthy joined the team during the 2016 Spring Arctic Campaign. This presentation explores ways in which k-12 students were engaged in the work being done by OIB through classroom learning experiences, digital communications, and independent research. Initially, digital communication including chats via NASA's Mission Tools Suite for Education (MTSE) platform was leveraged to engage students in the daily work of OIB. Two lessons were piloted with student groups during the 2016-2017 academic year both for students who actively engaged in communications with the team during the expedition and those who had no prior connections to the field. All of the data collected on OIB missions is stored for public use in a digital portal on the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) website. In one lesson, 10th-12th grade students were guided through a tutorial to learn how to access data and begin to develop a story about Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier using pre-selected data sets, Google's MyMaps app, and independent research methods. In the second lesson, 8th grade students were introduced to remote sensing, first through a discussion on vocabulary using productive talk moves and then via a demonstration using Vernier motion detectors and a graph matching simulation. Students worked in groups to develop procedures to map a hidden surface region (boxed assortment of miscellaneous objects) using a Vernier motion sensor to simulate sonar. Students translated data points collected from the motion sensor into a vertical profile of the simulated surface region. Both lessons allowed students a way to engage in two of the most important components of OIB. The ability to work with real data collected by the OIB team provided a unique context through which students gained skill and overcame challenges in

Developing A Model for Lake Ice Phenology Using Satellite Remote Sensing Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skoglund, S. K.; Weathers, K. C.; Norouzi, H.; Prakash, S.; Ewing, H. A.

2017-12-01

Many northern temperate freshwater lakes are freezing over later and thawing earlier. This shift in timing, and the resulting shorter duration of seasonal ice cover, is expected to impact ecological processes, negatively affecting aquatic species and the quality of water we drink. Long-term, direct observations have been used to analyze changes in ice phenology, but those data are sparse relative to the number of lakes affected. Here we develop a model to utilize remote sensing data in approximating the dates of ice-on and ice-off for many years over a variety of lakes. Day and night surface temperatures from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Aqua and Terra (MYD11A1 and MOD11A1 data products) for 2002-2017 were utilized in combination with observed ice-on and ice-off dates of Lake Auburn, Maine, to determine the ability of MODIS data to match ground-based observations. A moving average served to interpolate MODIS temperature data to fill data gaps from cloudy days. The nighttime data were used for ice-off, and the daytime measurements were used for ice-on predictions to avoid fluctuations between day and night ice/water status. The 0˚C intercepts of those data were used to mark approximate days of ice-on or ice-off. This revealed that approximations for ice-off dates were satisfactory (average ±8.2 days) for Lake Auburn as well as for Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire (average ±8.1 days), while approximations for Lake Auburn ice-on were less accurate and showed consistently earlier-than-observed ice-on dates (average -33.8 days). The comparison of observed and remotely sensed Lake Auburn ice cover duration showed relative agreement with a correlation coefficient of 0.46. Other remote sensing observations, such as the new GOES-R satellite, and further exploration of the ice formation process can improve ice-on approximation methods. The model shows promise for estimating ice-on, ice-off, and ice cover duration for northern temperate lakes.

NASA Engine Icing Research Overview: Aeronautics Evaluation and Test Capabilities (AETC) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veres, Joseph P.

2015-01-01

The occurrence of ice accretion within commercial high bypass aircraft turbine engines has been reported by airlines under certain atmospheric conditions. Engine anomalies have taken place at high altitudes that have been attributed to ice crystal ingestion by the engine. The ice crystals can result in degraded engine performance, loss of thrust control, compressor surge or stall, and flameout of the combustor. The Aviation Safety Program at NASA has taken on the technical challenge of a turbofan engine icing caused by ice crystals which can exist in high altitude convective clouds. The NASA engine icing project consists of an integrated approach with four concurrent and ongoing research elements, each of which feeds critical information to the next element. The project objective is to gain understanding of high altitude ice crystals by developing knowledge bases and test facilities for testing full engines and engine components. The first element is to utilize a highly instrumented aircraft to characterize the high altitude convective cloud environment. The second element is the enhancement of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory altitude test facility for gas turbine engines to include the addition of an ice crystal cloud. The third element is basic research of the fundamental physics associated with ice crystal ice accretion. The fourth and final element is the development of computational tools with the goal of simulating the effects of ice crystal ingestion on compressor and gas turbine engine performance. The NASA goal is to provide knowledge to the engine and aircraft manufacturing communities to help mitigate, or eliminate turbofan engine interruptions, engine damage, and failures due to ice crystal ingestion.

An Infrared Solution to a National Priority NASA Ice Detection and Measurement Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meitzler, Thomas; Bryk, Darryl; Sohn, Euijung; Bienkowski, Mary; Lane, Kimberly; Smith, Gregory; Charbeneau, Michelle; Moss, Thomas; Speece, Robert; Stevenson, Charles;

Plans and Preliminary Results of Fundamental Studies of Ice Crystal Icing Physics in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struk, Peter; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Bartkus, Tadas

2017-01-01

This paper describes plans and preliminary results for using the NASA Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) to experimentally study the fundamental physics of ice-crystal ice accretion. NASA is evaluating whether this facility, in addition to full-engine and motor-driven-rig tests, can be used for more fundamental ice-accretion studies that simulate the different mixed-phase icing conditions along the core flow passage of a turbo-fan engine compressor. The data from such fundamental accretion tests will be used to help develop and validate models of the accretion process. This paper presents data from some preliminary testing performed in May 2015 which examined how a mixed-phase cloud could be generated at PSL using evaporative cooling in a warmer-than-freezing environment.

Plans and Preliminary Results of Fundamental Studies of Ice Crystal Icing Physics in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struk, Peter; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Bartkus, Tadas

2016-01-01

This presentation accompanies the paper titled Plans and Preliminary Results of Fundamental Studies of Ice Crystal Icing Physics in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory. NASA is evaluating whether PSL, in addition to full-engine and motor-driven-rig tests, can be used for more fundamental ice-accretion studies that simulate the different mixed-phase icing conditions along the core flow passage of a turbo-fan engine compressor. The data from such fundamental accretion tests will be used to help develop and validate models of the accretion process. This presentation (and accompanying paper) presents data from some preliminary testing performed in May 2015 which examined how a mixed-phase cloud could be generated at PSL using evaporative cooling in a warmer-than-freezing environment.

Users manual for the improved NASA Lewis ice accretion code LEWICE 1.6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

1995-01-01

This report is intended as an update/replacement to NASA CR 185129 'User's Manual for the NASALewis Ice Accretion Prediction Code (LEWICE)' and as an update to NASA CR 195387 'Update to the NASA Lewis Ice Accretion Code LEWICE'. In addition to describing the changes specifically made for this version, information from previous manuals will be duplicated so that the user will not need three manuals to use this code.

DRA/NASA/ONERA Collaboration on Icing Research. Part 2; Prediction of Airfoil Ice Accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.; Gent, R. W.; Guffond, Didier

1997-01-01

This report presents results from a joint study by DRA, NASA, and ONERA for the purpose of comparing, improving, and validating the aircraft icing computer codes developed by each agency. These codes are of three kinds: (1) water droplet trajectory prediction, (2) ice accretion modeling, and (3) transient electrothermal deicer analysis. In this joint study, the agencies compared their code predictions with each other and with experimental results. These comparison exercises were published in three technical reports, each with joint authorship. DRA published and had first authorship of Part 1 - Droplet Trajectory Calculations, NASA of Part 2 - Ice Accretion Prediction, and ONERA of Part 3 - Electrothermal Deicer Analysis. The results cover work done during the period from August 1986 to late 1991. As a result, all of the information in this report is dated. Where necessary, current information is provided to show the direction of current research. In this present report on ice accretion, each agency predicted ice shapes on two dimensional airfoils under icing conditions for which experimental ice shapes were available. In general, all three codes did a reasonable job of predicting the measured ice shapes. For any given experimental condition, one of the three codes predicted the general ice features (i.e., shape, impingement limits, mass of ice) somewhat better than did the other two. However, no single code consistently did better than the other two over the full range of conditions examined, which included rime, mixed, and glaze ice conditions. In several of the cases, DRA showed that the user's knowledge of icing can significantly improve the accuracy of the code prediction. Rime ice predictions were reasonably accurate and consistent among the codes, because droplets freeze on impact and the freezing model is simple. Glaze ice predictions were less accurate and less consistent among the codes, because the freezing model is more complex and is critically

Remote sensing education in NASA's technology transfer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, R. H.

1981-01-01

Remote sensing is a principal focus of NASA's technology transfer program activity with major attention to remote sensing education the Regional Program and the University Applications Program. Relevant activities over the past five years are reviewed and perspective on future directions is presented.

Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes. Part 3; The Validation of Antice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Khalil, Kamel M.; Horvath, Charles; Miller, Dean R.; Wright, William B.

2001-01-01

An experimental program was generated by the Icing Technology Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center to validate two ice protection simulation codes: (1) LEWICE/Thermal for transient electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing simulations, and (2) ANTICE for steady state hot gas and electrothermal anti-icing simulations. An electrothermal ice protection system was designed and constructed integral to a 36 inch chord NACA0012 airfoil. The model was fully instrumented with thermo-couples, RTD'S, and heat flux gages. Tests were conducted at several icing environmental conditions during a two week period at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel. Experimental results of running-wet and evaporative cases were compared to the ANTICE computer code predictions and are presented in this paper.

NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) Icing Facility Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Queito P.

2015-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) was recently upgraded to perform engine inlet ice crystal testing in an altitude environment. The system installed 10 spray bars in the inlet plenum for ice crystal generation using 222 spray nozzles. As an altitude test chamber, PSL is capable of simulation of in-flight icing events in a ground test facility. The system was designed to operate at altitudes from 4,000 ft. to 40,000 ft. at Mach numbers up to 0.8M and inlet total temperatures from -60F to +15F.

New Icing Cloud Simulation System at the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irvine, Thomas B.; Oldenburg, John R.; Sheldon, David W.

1999-01-01

A new spray bar system was designed, fabricated, and installed in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). This system is key to the IRT's ability to do aircraft in-flight icing cloud simulation. The performance goals and requirements levied on the design of the new spray bar system included increased size of the uniform icing cloud in the IRT test section, faster system response time, and increased coverage of icing conditions as defined in Appendix C of the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR), Part 25 and Part 29. Through significant changes to the mechanical and electrical designs of the previous-generation spray bar system, the performance goals and requirements were realized. Postinstallation aerodynamic and icing cloud calibrations were performed to quantify the changes and improvements made to the IRT test section flow quality and icing cloud characteristics. The new and improved capability to simulate aircraft encounters with in-flight icing clouds ensures that the 1RT will continue to provide a satisfactory icing ground-test simulation method to the aeronautics community.

Evaluation of Ice sheet evolution and coastline changes from 1960s in Amery Ice Shelf using multi-source remote sensing images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, G.; Ye, W.; Scaioni, M.; Liu, S.; Feng, T.; Liu, Y.; Tong, X.; Li, R.

2013-12-01

Global change is one of the major challenges that all the nations are commonly facing, and the Antarctica ice sheet changes have been playing a critical role in the global change research field during the past years. Long time-series of ice sheet observations in Antarctica would contribute to the quantitative evaluation and precise prediction of the effects on global change induced by the ice sheet, of which the remote sensing technology would make critical contributions. As the biggest ice shelf and one of the dominant drainage systems in East Antarctic, the Amery Ice Shelf has been making significant contributions to the mass balance of the Antarctic. Study of Amery Ice shelf changes would advance the understanding of Antarctic ice shelf evolution as well as the overall mass balance. At the same time, as one of the important indicators of Antarctica ice sheet characteristics, coastlines that can be detected from remote sensing imagery can help reveal the nature of the changes of ice sheet evolution. Most of the scientific research on Antarctica with satellite remote sensing dated from 1970s after LANDSAT satellite was brought into operation. It was the declassification of the cold war satellite reconnaissance photographs in 1995, known as Declassified Intelligence Satellite Photograph (DISP) that provided a direct overall view of the Antarctica ice-sheet's configuration in 1960s, greatly extending the time span of Antarctica surface observations. This paper will present the evaluation of ice-sheet evolution and coastline changes in Amery Ice Shelf from 1960s, by using multi-source remote sensing images including the DISP images and the modern optical satellite images. The DISP images scanned from negatives were first interior-oriented with the associated parameters, and then bundle block adjustment technology was employed based on the tie points and control points, to derive the mosaic image of the research region. Experimental results of coastlines generated

Ice Crystal Icing Engine Testing in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL): Altitude Investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, Michael J.

2015-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration conducted a full scale ice crystal icing turbofan engine test in the NASA Glenn Research Centers Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) Facility in February 2013. Honeywell Engines supplied the test article, an obsolete, unmodified Lycoming ALF502-R5 turbofan engine serial number LF01 that experienced an un-commanded loss of thrust event while operating at certain high altitude ice crystal icing conditions. These known conditions were duplicated in the PSL for this testing.

New NASA Laser Technology Reveals How Ice Measures Up

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-28

NASA's Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar flew over Southwest Greenland's glaciers and sea ice to test a new method of measuring the height of Earth from space. Read more here: 1.usa.gov/1fkvoBp Credit: NASA/Tim Williams NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Update to the NASA Lewis Ice Accretion Code LEWICE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

1994-01-01

This report is intended as an update to NASA CR-185129 'User's Manual for the NASA Lewis Ice Accretion Prediction Code (LEWICE).' It describes modifications and improvements made to this code as well as changes to the input and output files, interactive input, and graphics output. The comparison of this code to experimental data is shown to have improved as a result of these modifications.

Bayesian inference of ice thickness from remote-sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werder, Mauro A.; Huss, Matthias

2017-04-01

Knowledge about ice thickness and volume is indispensable for studying ice dynamics, future sea-level rise due to glacier melt or their contribution to regional hydrology. Accurate measurements of glacier thickness require on-site work, usually employing radar techniques. However, these field measurements are time consuming, expensive and sometime downright impossible. Conversely, measurements of the ice surface, namely elevation and flow velocity, are becoming available world-wide through remote sensing. The model of Farinotti et al. (2009) calculates ice thicknesses based on a mass conservation approach paired with shallow ice physics using estimates of the surface mass balance. The presented work applies a Bayesian inference approach to estimate the parameters of a modified version of this forward model by fitting it to both measurements of surface flow speed and of ice thickness. The inverse model outputs ice thickness as well the distribution of the error. We fit the model to ten test glaciers and ice caps and quantify the improvements of thickness estimates through the usage of surface ice flow measurements.

NASA Remote Sensing Applications for Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giardino, Marco J.

2008-01-01

NASA's Earth Science Mission Directorate recently completed the deployment of the Earth Observation System (EOS) which is a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. One of the many applications derived from EOS is the advancement of archaeological research and applications. Using satellites, manned and unmanned airborne platform, NASA scientists and their partners have conducted archaeological research using both active and passive sensors. The NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) located in south Mississippi, near New Orleans, has been a leader in space archaeology since the mid-1970s. Remote sensing is useful in a wide range of archaeological research applications from landscape classification and predictive modeling to site discovery and mapping. Remote sensing technology and image analysis are currently undergoing a profound shift in emphasis from broad classification to detection, identification and condition of specific materials, both organic and inorganic. In the last few years, remote sensing platforms have grown increasingly capable and sophisticated. Sensors currently in use, including commercial instruments, offer significantly improved spatial and spectral resolutions. Paired with new techniques of image analysis, this technology provides for the direct detection of archaeological sites. As in all archaeological research, the application of remote sensing to archaeology requires a priori development of specific research designs and objectives. Initially targeted at broad archaeological issues, NASA space archaeology has progressed toward developing practical applications for cultural resources management (CRM). These efforts culminated with the Biloxi Workshop held by NASA and the University of Mississippi in 2002. The workshop and resulting publication specifically address the requirements of cultural resource managers through

Cutting Through Multiyear Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-07

ICESCAPE scientists watched from the deck of the Healy as it cut a path through thick multiyear ice on July 6, 2011. Cutting the path is key for getting researchers to remote research sites amid the sea ice. Credit: NASA/Kathryn Hansen The ICESCAPE mission, or "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment," is a NASA shipborne investigation to study how changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems. The bulk of the research took place in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in summer 2010 and 2011. Credit: NASA/Kathryn Hansen NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Current NASA Earth Remote Sensing Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luvall, Jeffrey C.; Sprigg, William A.; Huete, Alfredo; Pejanovic, Goran; Nickovic, Slobodan; Ponce-Campos, Guillermo; Krapfl, Heide; Budge, Amy; Zelicoff, Alan; Myers, Orrin;

Evaluation of Alternative Altitude Scaling Methods for Thermal Ice Protection System in NASA Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sam; Addy, Harold; Broeren, Andy P.; Orchard, David M.

2017-01-01

A test was conducted at NASA Icing Research Tunnel to evaluate altitude scaling methods for thermal ice protection system. Two scaling methods based on Weber number were compared against a method based on the Reynolds number. The results generally agreed with the previous set of tests conducted in NRCC Altitude Icing Wind Tunnel. The Weber number based scaling methods resulted in smaller runback ice mass than the Reynolds number based scaling method. The ice accretions from the Weber number based scaling method also formed farther upstream. However there were large differences in the accreted ice mass between the two Weber number based scaling methods. The difference became greater when the speed was increased. This indicated that there may be some Reynolds number effects that isnt fully accounted for and warrants further study.

Overview of the NASA tropospheric environmental quality remote sensing program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allario, F.; Ayers, W. G.; Hoell, J. M.

1979-01-01

This paper will summarize the current NASA Tropospheric Environmental Quality Remote Sensing Program for studying the global and regional troposphere from space, airborne and ground-based platforms. As part of the program to develop remote sensors for utilization from space, NASA has developed a series of passive and active remote sensors which have undergone field test measurements from airborne and ground platforms. Recent measurements with active lidar and passive gas filter correlation and infrared heterodyne techniques will be summarized for measurements of atmospheric aerosols, CO, SO2, O3, and NH3. These measurements provide the data base required to assess the sensitivity of remote sensors for applications to urban and regional field measurement programs. Studies of Earth Observation Satellite Systems are currently being performed by the scientific community to assess the capability of satellite imagery to detect regions of elevated pollution in the troposphere. The status of NASA sponsored research efforts in interpreting satellite imagery for determining aerosol loadings over land and inland bodies of water will be presented, and comments on the potential of these measurements to supplement in situ and airborne remote sensors in detecting regional haze will be made.

Atmosphere aerosol/dust composition over central Asia and western Siberia derived from snow/ice core records and calibrated with NASA remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizen, V. B.; Aizen, E. M.; Joswiak, D. R.; Surazakov, A. B.; Takeuchi, N.

2007-12-01

The vast arid and semi-arid regions of central Asia, Mongolia, and Northern China are the world's second largest source of atmospheric mineral dust. In recent years, severe dust storms in Asia have intensified in frequency, duration, and areal coverage. However, limited spatial and temporal extent of aerosol measurements precludes definitive statements to be made regarding relationship between the Asian aerosol generation and climate. It has been well known that glaciers are the natural archives of environmental records related to past climate and aerosol generation. In our research, we utilized central Asian and western Siberia shallow ice-core records recovered from Altai, Tien Shan and Pamir mountain glaciers. Despite the fact that ice-core data may extend climate/aerosol records back in time, their sparse coverage is inadequate to document aerosol spatial distribution. The NASA products from Aura, Terra and Aqua satellite missions address this gap identifying aerosol sources, transport pathways, and area of deposition. The main objective of our research is to evaluate an affect of climate variability on dynamics of Asian aerosol loading to atmosphere and changes in aerosol transport pathways. Dust particle, major and rare earth element analysis from dust aerosols deposited and accumulated in Altai, Tien Shan and Pamir glaciers suggests that loess from Tajikistan, Afghanistan and north-western China are main sources of aerosol loading into the upper troposphere over the central Asia and western Siberia. At the same time, the soluble ionic component of the ice-cores, related to aerosol generated from evaporate deposits, demonstrated both anthropogenic and natural impacts on atmospheric chemistry over these regions. Large perturbations of Ca2+ derived from CaCO3- rich dust transported from Goby Desert to Altai and Tien Shan. Origin and pathway of the ice-core aerosol depositions for the last 10-years were identified through calibrating ice-core records with dust

Passive microwave remote sensing for sea ice research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Techniques for gathering data by remote sensors on satellites utilized for sea ice research are summarized. Measurement of brightness temperatures by a passive microwave imager converted to maps of total sea ice concentration and to the areal fractions covered by first year and multiyear ice are described. Several ancillary observations, especially by means of automatic data buoys and submarines equipped with upward looking sonars, are needed to improve the validation and interpretation of satellite data. The design and performance characteristics of the Navy's Special Sensor Microwave Imager, expected to be in orbit in late 1985, are described. It is recommended that data from that instrument be processed to a form suitable for research applications and archived in a readily accessible form. The sea ice data products required for research purposes are described and recommendations for their archival and distribution to the scientific community are presented.

Time-dependence of sea-ice concentration and multiyear ice fraction in the Arctic Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gloersen, P.; Zwally, H.J.; Chang, A.T.C.; Hall, D.K.; Campbell, W.J.; Ramseier, R.O.

1978-01-01

The time variation of the sea-ice concentration and multiyear ice fraction within the pack ice in the Arctic Basin is examined, using microwave images of sea ice recently acquired by the Nimbus-5 spacecraft and the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory. The images used for these studies were constructed from data acquired from the Electrically Scanned Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) which records radiation from earth and its atmosphere at a wavelength of 1.55 cm. Data are analyzed for four seasons during 1973-1975 to illustrate some basic differences in the properties of the sea ice during those times. Spacecraft data are compared with corresponding NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory data obtained over wide areas in the Arctic Basin during the Main Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (1975) to illustrate the applicability of passive-microwave remote sensing for monitoring the time dependence of sea-ice concentration (divergence). These observations indicate significant variations in the sea-ice concentration in the spring, late fall and early winter. In addition, deep in the interior of the Arctic polar sea-ice pack, heretofore unobserved large areas, several hundred kilometers in extent, of sea-ice concentrations as low as 50% are indicated. ?? 1978 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Applied high-speed imaging for the icing research program at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, Howard; Owens, Jay; Shin, Jaiwon

1992-01-01

The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Lewis Research Center provides scientists a scaled, controlled environment to simulate natural icing events. The closed-loop, low speed, refrigerated wind tunnel offers the experimental capability to test for icing certification requirements, analytical model validation and calibration techniques, cloud physics instrumentation refinement, advanced ice protection systems, and rotorcraft icing methodology development. The test procedures for these objectives all require a high degree of visual documentation, both in real-time data acquisition and post-test image processing. Information is provided to scientific, technical, and industrial imaging specialists as well as to research personnel about the high-speed and conventional imaging systems will be on the recent ice protection technology program. Various imaging examples for some of the tests are presented. Additional imaging examples are available from the NASA Lewis Research Center's Photographic and Printing Branch.

Applied high-speed imaging for the icing research program at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, Howard; Owens, Jay; Shin, Jaiwon

1991-01-01

The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Lewis Research Center provides scientists a scaled, controlled environment to simulate natural icing events. The closed-loop, low speed, refrigerated wind tunnel offers the experimental capability to test for icing certification requirements, analytical model validation and calibration techniques, cloud physics instrumentation refinement, advanced ice protection systems, and rotorcraft icing methodology development. The test procedures for these objectives all require a high degree of visual documentation, both in real-time data acquisition and post-test image processing. Information is provided to scientific, technical, and industrial imaging specialists as well as to research personnel about the high-speed and conventional imaging systems will be on the recent ice protection technology program. Various imaging examples for some of the tests are presented. Additional imaging examples are available from the NASA Lewis Research Center's Photographic and Printing Branch.

A History of NASA Remote Sensing Contributions to Archaeology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giardino, Marco J.

2010-01-01

During its long history of developing and deploying remote sensing instruments, NASA has provided a scientific data that have benefitted a variety of scientific applications among them archaeology. Multispectral and hyperspectral instrument mounted on orbiting and suborbital platforms have provided new and important information for the discovery, delineation and analysis of archaeological sites worldwide. Since the early 1970s, several of the ten NASA centers have collaborated with archaeologists to refine and validate the use of active and passive remote sensing for archeological use. The Stennis Space Center (SSC), located in Mississippi USA has been the NASA leader in archeological research. Together with colleagues from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), SSC scientists have provided the archaeological community with useful images and sophisticated processing that have pushed the technological frontiers of archaeological research and applications. Successful projects include identifying prehistoric roads in Chaco canyon, identifying sites from the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery exploration and assessing prehistoric settlement patterns in southeast Louisiana. The Scientific Data Purchase (SDP) stimulated commercial companies to collect archaeological data. At present, NASA formally solicits "space archaeology" proposals through its Earth Science Directorate and continues to assist archaeologists and cultural resource managers in doing their work more efficiently and effectively. This paper focuses on passive remote sensing and does not consider the significant contributions made by NASA active sensors. Hyperspectral data offers new opportunities for future archeological discoveries.

Update on the NASA Glenn PSL Ice Crystal Cloud Characterization (2016)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, J.; Bencic, T.; Ratvasky, Thomas P.; Struk, Peter M.

2016-01-01

NASA Glenn's Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) is an altitude engine research test facility capable of producing ice-crystal and supercooled liquid clouds. The cloud characterization parameter space is fairly large and complex, but the phase of the cloud seems primarily governed by wet bulb temperature. The presentation will discuss some of the issues uncovered through four cloud characterization efforts to date, as well as some of instrumentation that has been used to characterize cloud parameters including cloud uniformity, bulk total water content, median volumetric diameter and max-diameter, percent freeze-out, relative humidity, and an update on the NASA Glenn PSL Ice Crystal Cloud Characterization (2016).

Sea Ice Mass Reconciliation Exercise (SIMRE) for altimetry derived sea ice thickness data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendricks, S.; Haas, C.; Tsamados, M.; Kwok, R.; Kurtz, N. T.; Rinne, E. J.; Uotila, P.; Stroeve, J.

2017-12-01

Satellite altimetry is the primary remote sensing data source for retrieval of Arctic sea-ice thickness. Observational data sets are available from current and previous missions, namely ESA's Envisat and CryoSat as well as NASA ICESat. In addition, freeboard results have been published from the earlier ESA ERS missions and candidates for new data products are the Sentinel-3 constellation, the CNES AltiKa mission and NASA laser altimeter successor ICESat-2. With all the different aspects of sensor type and orbit configuration, all missions have unique properties. In addition, thickness retrieval algorithms have evolved over time and data centers have developed different strategies. These strategies may vary in choice of auxiliary data sets, algorithm parts and product resolution and masking. The Sea Ice Mass Reconciliation Exercise (SIMRE) is a project by the sea-ice radar altimetry community to bridge the challenges of comparing data sets across missions and algorithms. The ESA Arctic+ research program facilitates this project with the objective to collect existing data sets and to derive a reconciled estimate of Arctic sea ice mass balance. Starting with CryoSat-2 products, we compare results from different data centers (UCL, AWI, NASA JPL & NASA GSFC) at full resolution along selected orbits with independent ice thickness estimates. Three regions representative of first-year ice, multiyear ice and mixed ice conditions are used to compare the difference in thickness and thickness change between products over the seasonal cycle. We present first results and provide an outline for the further development of SIMRE activities. The methodology for comparing data sets is designed to be extendible and the project is open to contributions by interested groups. Model results of sea ice thickness will be added in a later phase of the project to extend the scope of SIMRE beyond EO products.

Incorporation of New Convective Ice Microphysics into the NASA GISS GCM and Impacts on Cloud Ice Water Path (IWP) Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsaesser, Greg; Del Genio, Anthony

2015-01-01

The CMIP5 configurations of the GISS Model-E2 GCM simulated a mid- and high latitude ice IWP that decreased by 50 relative to that simulated for CMIP3 (Jiang et al. 2012; JGR). Tropical IWP increased by 15 in CMIP5. While the tropical IWP was still within the published upper-bounds of IWP uncertainty derived using NASA A-Train satellite observations, it was found that the upper troposphere (200 mb) ice water content (IWC) exceeded the published upper-bound by a factor of 2. This was largely driven by IWC in deep-convecting regions of the tropics.Recent advances in the model-E2 convective parameterization have been found to have a substantial impact on tropical IWC. These advances include the development of both a cold pool parameterization (Del Genio et al. 2015) and new convective ice parameterization. In this presentation, we focus on the new parameterization of convective cloud ice that was developed using data from the NASA TC4 Mission. Ice particle terminal velocity formulations now include information from a number of NASA field campaigns. The new parameterization predicts both an ice water mass weighted-average particle diameter and a particle cross sectional area weighted-average size diameter as a function of temperature and ice water content. By assuming a gamma-distribution functional form for the particle size distribution, these two diameter estimates are all that are needed to explicitly predict the distribution of ice particles as a function of particle diameter.GCM simulations with the improved convective parameterization yield a 50 decrease in upper tropospheric IWC, bringing the tropical and global mean IWP climatologies into even closer agreement with the A-Train satellite observation best estimates.

Incorporation of New Convective Ice Microphysics into the NASA GISS GCM and Impacts on Cloud Ice Water Path (IWP) Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsaesser, G.; Del Genio, A. D.

2015-12-01

The CMIP5 configurations of the GISS Model-E2 GCM simulated a mid- and high-latitude ice IWP that decreased by ~50% relative to that simulated for CMIP3 (Jiang et al. 2012; JGR). Tropical IWP increased by ~15% in CMIP5. While the tropical IWP was still within the published upper-bounds of IWP uncertainty derived using NASA A-Train satellite observations, it was found that the upper troposphere (~200 mb) ice water content (IWC) exceeded the published upper-bound by a factor of ~2. This was largely driven by IWC in deep-convecting regions of the tropics. Recent advances in the model-E2 convective parameterization have been found to have a substantial impact on tropical IWC. These advances include the development of both a cold pool parameterization (Del Genio et al. 2015) and new convective ice parameterization. In this presentation, we focus on the new parameterization of convective cloud ice that was developed using data from the NASA TC4 Mission. Ice particle terminal velocity formulations now include information from a number of NASA field campaigns. The new parameterization predicts both an ice water mass weighted-average particle diameter and a particle cross sectional area weighted-average size diameter as a function of temperature and ice water content. By assuming a gamma-distribution functional form for the particle size distribution, these two diameter estimates are all that are needed to explicitly predict the distribution of ice particles as a function of particle diameter. GCM simulations with the improved convective parameterization yield a ~50% decrease in upper tropospheric IWC, bringing the tropical and global mean IWP climatologies into even closer agreement with the A-Train satellite observation best estimates.

Sea Ice Remote Sensing Using Surface Reflected GPS Signals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komjathy, Attila; Maslanik, James; Zavorotny, Valery U.; Axelrad, Penina; Katzberg, Stephen J.

2000-01-01

This paper describes a new research effort to extend the application of Global Positioning System (GPS) signal reflections, received by airborne instruments, to cryospheric remote sensing. Our experimental results indicate that reflected GPS signals have potential to provide information on the presence and condition of sea and freshwater ice as well as the freeze/thaw state of frozen ground. In this paper we show results from aircraft experiments over the ice pack near Barrow, Alaska indicating correlation between forward-scattered GPS returns and RADARSAT backscattered measurements.

Experimental investigation of passive infrared ice detection for helicopter applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dershowitz, Adam; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

1991-01-01

A technique is proposed to remotely detect rotor icing on helicopters. Using passive infrared (IR) thermometry it is possible to detect the warming caused by latent heat released as supercooled water freezes. During icing, the ice accretion region on the blade leading edge will be warmer than the uniced trailing edge resulting in a chordwise temperature profile characteristic of icing. Preliminary tests were conducted on a static model in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel for a variety of wet (glaze) and dry (rime) ice conditions. The characteristic chordwise temperature profiles were observed with an IR thermal video system and confirmed with thermocouple measurements. A prototype detector system was built consisting of a single point IR pyrometer, and experiments were run on a small scale rotor model. Again the characteristic chordwise temperature profiles were observed during icing, and the IR system was able to remotely detect icing. Based on the static and subscale rotor tests the passive IR technique is promising for rotor ice detection.

Experimental investigation of passive infrared ice detection for helicopter applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dershowitz, Adam; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

1991-01-01

A technique is proposed to remotely detect rotor icing on helicopters. Using passive infrared (IR) thermometry, it is possible to detect the warming caused by latent heat released as supercooled water freezes. During icing, the ice accretion region on the blade leading edge will be warmer than the uniced trailing edge, resulting in a chordwise temperature profile characteristic of icing. Preliminary tests were conducted on a static model in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel for a variety of wet (glaze) and dry (rime) ice conditions. The characteristic chordwise temperature profiles were observed with an IR thermal video system and confirmed with thermocouple measurements. A prototype detector system was built consisting of a single point IR pyrometer. Experiments were run on a small scale rotor model. Again, the characteristic chordwise temperature profiles were observed during icing, and the IR system was able to remotely detect icing. Based on the static and subscale rotor tests, the passive IR technique is promising for rotor ice detection.

Arctic Ice-Ocean Coupling and Gyre Equilibration Observed With Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewey, Sarah; Morison, James; Kwok, Ronald; Dickinson, Suzanne; Morison, David; Andersen, Roger

2018-02-01

Model and observational evidence has shown that ocean current speeds in the Beaufort Gyre have increased and recently stabilized. Because these currents rival ice drift speeds, we examine the potential for the Beaufort Gyre's shift from a system in which the wind drives the ice and the ice drives a passive ocean to one in which the ocean often, in the absence of high winds, drives the ice. The resultant stress exerted on the ocean by the ice and the resultant Ekman pumping are reversed, without any change in average wind stress curl. Through these curl reversals, the ice-ocean stress provides a key feedback in Beaufort Gyre stabilization. This manuscript constitutes one of the first observational studies of ice-ocean stress inclusive of geostrophic ocean currents, by making use of recently available remote sensing data.

NASA Sea Ice Validation Program for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Special Sensor Microwave Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, Donald J. (Editor); Crawford, John P.; Drinkwater, Mark R.; Emery, William J.; Eppler, Duane T.; Farmer, L. Dennis; Fowler, Charles W.; Goodberlet, Mark; Jentz, Robert R.; Milman, Andrew

1992-01-01

The history of the program is described along with the SSM/I sensor, including its calibration and geolocation correction procedures used by NASA, SSM/I data flow, and the NASA program to distribute polar gridded SSM/I radiances and sea ice concentrations (SIC) on CD-ROMs. Following a discussion of the NASA algorithm used to convert SSM/I radiances to SICs, results of 95 SSM/I-MSS Landsat IC comparisons for regions in both the Arctic and the Antarctic are presented. The Landsat comparisons show that the overall algorithm accuracy under winter conditions is 7 pct. on average with 4 pct. negative bias. Next, high resolution active and passive microwave image mosaics from coordinated NASA and Navy aircraft underflights over regions of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in March 1988 were used to show that the algorithm multiyear IC accuracy is 11 pct. on average with a positive bias of 12 pct. Ice edge crossings of the Bering Sea by the NASA DC-8 aircraft were used to show that the SSM/I 15 pct. ice concentration contour corresponds best to the location of the initial bands at the ice edge. Finally, a summary of results and recommendations for improving the SIC retrievals from spaceborne radiometers are provided.

Sharing NASA Science with Decision Makers: A Perspective from NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prados, A. I.; Blevins, B.; Hook, E.

2015-12-01

NASA ARSET http://arset.gsfc.nasa.gov has been providing applied remote sensing training since 2008. The goals of the program are to develop the technical and analytical skills necessary to utilize NASA resources for decision-support. The program has reached over 3500 participants, with 1600 stakeholders from 100 countries in 2015 alone. The target audience for the program are professionals engaged in environmental management in the public and private sectors, such as air quality forecasters, public utilities, water managers and non-governmental organizations engaged in conservation. Many program participants have little or no expertise in NASA remote sensing, and it's frequently their very first exposure to NASA's vast resources. One the key challenges for the program has been the evolution and refinement of its approach to communicating NASA data access, research, and ultimately its value to stakeholders. We discuss ARSET's best practices for sharing NASA science, which include 1) training ARSET staff and other NASA scientists on methods for science communication, 2) communicating the proper amount of scientific information at a level that is commensurate with the technical skills of program participants, 3) communicating the benefit of NASA resources to stakeholders, and 4) getting to know the audience and tailoring the message so that science information is conveyed within the context of agencies' unique environmental challenges.

Overview of Mount Washington Icing Sensors Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryerson, Charles C.; Politovich, Marcia K.; Rancourt, Kenneth L.; Koenig, George G.; Reinking, Roger F.; Miller, Dean R.

2003-01-01

NASA, the FAA, the Department of Defense, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and NOAA are developing techniques for retrieving cloud microphysical properties from a variety of remote sensing technologies. The intent is to predict aircraft icing conditions ahead of aircraft. The Mount Washington Icing Sensors Project MWISP), conducted in April, 1999 at Mt. Washington, NH, was organized to evaluate technologies for the prediction of icing conditions ahead of aircraft in a natural environment, and to characterize icing cloud and drizzle environments. April was selected for operations because the Summit is typically in cloud, generally has frequent freezing precipitation in spring, and the clouds have high liquid water contents. Remote sensing equipment, consisting of radars, radiometers and a lidar, was placed at the base of the mountain, and probes measuring cloud particles, and a radiometer, were operated from the Summit. NASA s Twin Otter research aircraft also conducted six missions over the site. Operations spanned the entire month of April, which was dominated by wrap-around moisture from a low pressure center stalled off the coast of Labrador providing persistent upslope clouds with relatively high liquid water contents and mixed phase conditions. Preliminary assessments indicate excellent results from the lidar, radar polarimetry, radiosondes and summit and aircraft measurements.

Airborne Geophysics and Remote Sensing Applied to Study Greenland Ice Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Csatho, Beata M.

2003-01-01

Overview of project: we combined and jointly analysed geophysical, remote sensing and glaciological data for investigating the temporal changes in ice flow and the role of geologic control on glacial drainage. The project included two different studies, the investigation of recent changes of the Kangerlussuaq glacier and the study of geologic control of ice flow in NW Greenland, around the Humboldt, Petermann and Ryder glaciers.

Ice phase in altocumulus clouds over Leipzig: remote sensing observations and detailed modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmel, M.; Bühl, J.; Ansmann, A.; Tegen, I.

2015-09-01

The present work combines remote sensing observations and detailed cloud modeling to investigate two altocumulus cloud cases observed over Leipzig, Germany. A suite of remote sensing instruments was able to detect primary ice at rather high temperatures of -6 °C. For comparison, a second mixed phase case at about -25 °C is introduced. To further look into the details of cloud microphysical processes, a simple dynamics model of the Asai-Kasahara (AK) type is combined with detailed spectral microphysics (SPECS) forming the model system AK-SPECS. Vertical velocities are prescribed to force the dynamics, as well as main cloud features, to be close to the observations. Subsequently, sensitivity studies with respect to ice microphysical parameters are carried out with the aim to quantify the most important sensitivities for the cases investigated. For the cases selected, the liquid phase is mainly determined by the model dynamics (location and strength of vertical velocity), whereas the ice phase is much more sensitive to the microphysical parameters (ice nucleating particle (INP) number, ice particle shape). The choice of ice particle shape may induce large uncertainties that are on the same order as those for the temperature-dependent INP number distribution.

Ice phase in altocumulus clouds over Leipzig: remote sensing observations and detailed modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmel, M.; Bühl, J.; Ansmann, A.; Tegen, I.

2015-01-01

The present work combines remote sensing observations and detailed cloud modeling to investigate two altocumulus cloud cases observed over Leipzig, Germany. A suite of remote sensing instruments was able to detect primary ice at rather warm temperatures of -6 °C. For comparison, a second mixed phase case at about -25 °C is introduced. To further look into the details of cloud microphysical processes a simple dynamics model of the Asai-Kasahara type is combined with detailed spectral microphysics forming the model system AK-SPECS. Vertical velocities are prescribed to force the dynamics as well as main cloud features to be close to the observations. Subsequently, sensitivity studies with respect to ice microphysical parameters are carried out with the aim to quantify the most important sensitivities for the cases investigated. For the cases selected, the liquid phase is mainly determined by the model dynamics (location and strength of vertical velocity) whereas the ice phase is much more sensitive to the microphysical parameters (ice nuclei (IN) number, ice particle shape). The choice of ice particle shape may induce large uncertainties which are in the same order as those for the temperature-dependent IN number distribution.

Comparison of Balloonsonde and Remote Sensing Atmospheric Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brinker, David J.; Reehorst, Andrew L.; Power, Jack

2006-01-01

As part of its aircraft icing research program, the NASA Glenn Research Center is conducting a program to develop technologies for the remote sensing of atmospheric conditions. A suite of instruments, currently ground-based, are used to identify a region of supercooled liquid water which is labeled as hazardous if its liquid water content is sufficiently high. During the recently completed Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS II), these instruments were deployed in conjunction with those of other U.S. and Canadian researchers at the Mirabel Airport near Montreal. As part of the study, balloonsondes were employed to provide in-situ measurement of the atmospheric conditions that were being concurrently remotely sensed. Balloonsonde launches occurred daily at 1200 GMT to provide AIRS forecasters with local data and additionally when research aircraft were present in the airspace. In this paper, we compare the processed data from the NASA remote sensing instruments, which included an X-band radar, lidar and two radiometers, to the data gathered from the 70 soundings conducted while the NASA instruments were active. Among the parameters compared are cloud upper and lower boundaries, temperature and humidity profiles and freezing levels.

Remote Pulsed Laser Raman Spectroscopy System for Detecting Qater, Ice, and Hydrous Minerals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Christopher S.; Abedin, M. Nuraul; Sharma, Shiv K.; Misra, Anupam K.; Ismail, Syed; Singh, Upendra; Refaat, Tamer F.; Elsayed-Ali, Hani; Sandford, Steve

2006-01-01

For exploration of planetary surfaces, detection of water and ice is of great interest in supporting existence of life on other planets. Therefore, a remote Raman spectroscopy system was demonstrated at NASA Langley Research Center in collaboration with University of Hawaii for detecting ice-water and hydrous minerals on planetary surfaces. In this study, a 532 nm pulsed laser is utilized as an excitation source to allow detection in high background radiation conditions. The Raman scattered signal is collected by a 4-inch telescope positioned in front of a spectrograph. The Raman spectrum is analyzed using a spectrograph equipped with a holographic super notch filter to eliminate Rayleigh scattering, and a holographic transmission grating that simultaneously disperses two spectral tracks onto the detector for higher spectral range. To view the spectrum, the spectrograph is coupled to an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD), which allows detection of very weak Stokes line. The ICCD is operated in gated mode to further suppress effects from background radiation and long-lived fluorescence. The sample is placed at 5.6 m from the telescope, and the laser is mounted on the telescope in a coaxial geometry to achieve maximum performance. The system was calibrated using the spectral lines of a Neon lamp source. To evaluate the system, Raman standard samples such as calcite, naphthalene, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol were analyzed. The Raman evaluation technique was used to analyze water, ice and other hydrous minerals and results from these species are presented.

Nasa's Land Remote Sensing Plans for the 1980's

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higg, H. C.; Butera, K. M.; Settle, M.

1985-01-01

Research since the launch of LANDSAT-1 has been primarily directed to the development of analysis techniques and to the conduct of applications studies designed to address resource information needs in the United States and in many other countries. The current measurement capabilities represented by MSS, TM, and SIR-A and B, coupled with the present level of remote sensing understanding and the state of knowledge in the discipline earth sciences, form the foundation for NASA's Land Processes Program. Science issues to be systematically addressed include: energy balance, hydrologic cycle, biogeochemical cycles, biological productivity, rock cycle, landscape development, geological and botanical associations, and land surface inventory, monitoring, and modeling. A global perspective is required for using remote sensing technology for problem solving or applications context. A successful model for this kind of activity involves joint research with a user entity where the user provides a test site and ground truth and NASA provides the remote sensing techniques to be tested.

Emerging Use of Dual Channel Infrared for Remote Sensing of Sea Ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, N. S.; Serreze, M. C.; Gallaher, D. W.; Koenig, L.; Schaefer, K. M.; Campbell, G. G.; Thompson, J. A.; Grant, G.; Fetterer, F. M.

2017-12-01

Using GOES-16 data as a proxy for overhead persistent infrared, we examine the feasibility of using a dual channel shortwave / midwave infrared (SWIR/MWIR) approach to detect and chart sea ice in Hudson Bay through a series of images with a temporal scale of less than fifteen minutes. While not traditionally exploited for sea ice remote sensing, the availability of near continuous shortwave and midwave infrared data streams over the Arctic from overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) satellites could provide an invaluable source of information regarding the changing Arctic climate. Traditionally used for the purpose of missile warning and strategic defense, characteristics of OPIR make it an attractive source for Arctic remote sensing as the temporal resolution can provide insight into ice edge melt and motion processes. Fundamentally, the time series based algorithm will discern water/ice/clouds using a SWIR/MWIR normalized difference index. Cloud filtering is accomplished through removing pixels categorized as clouds while retaining a cache of previous ice/water pixels to replace any cloud obscured (and therefore omitted) pixels. Demonstration of the sensitivity of GOES-16 SWIR/MWIR to detect and discern water/ice/clouds provides a justification for exploring the utility of military OPIR sensors for civil and commercial applications. Potential users include the scientific community as well as emergency responders, the fishing industry, oil and gas industries, and transportation industries that are seeking to exploit changing conditions in the Arctic but require more accurate and timely ice charting products.

NORSEX 1979 microwave remote sensing data report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hennigar, H. F.; Schaffner, S. K.

1982-01-01

Airborne microwave remote sensing measurements obtained by NASA Langley Research Center in support of the 1979 Norwegian Remote Sensing Experiment (NORSEX) are summarized. The objectives of NORSEX were to investigate the capabilities of an active/passive microwave system to measure ice concentration and type in the vicinity of the marginal ice zone near Svalbard, Norway and to apply microwave techniques to the investigation of a thermal oceanic front near Bear Island, Norway. The instruments used during NORSEX include the stepped frequency microwave radiometer, airborne microwave scatterometer, precision radiation thermometer and metric aerial photography. The data are inventoried, summarized, and presented in a user-friendly format. Data summaries are presented as time-history plots which indicate when and where data were obtained as well as the sensor configuration. All data are available on nine-track computer tapes in card-image format upon request to the NASA Langley Technical Library.

Ice Bridge Antarctic Sea Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-21

Sea ice is seen out the window of NASA's DC-8 research aircraft as it flies 2,000 feet above the Bellingshausen Sea in West Antarctica on Wednesday, Oct., 21, 2009. This was the fourth science flight of NASA’s Operation Ice Bridge airborne Earth science mission to study Antarctic ice sheets, sea ice, and ice shelves. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jane Peterson)

Spectral properties of ice-particulate mixtures and implications for remote sensing. 1. Intimate mixtures.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, R.N.; Lucey, P.G.

1984-01-01

The spectral properties of water ice-partitioning mixtures are studied for the purpose of deriving the ice and particulate abundances from remotely obtained spectra (particulates referring to non-icy materials in the form of grains). Reflectance levels and ice absorption band depths are a complex function of the single scattering albedo of the particulates embedded in the ice. The ice absorption band depths are related to the mean optical path length of photons in ice through Beers law, Fresnel reflection from the ice-crystal faces on the surface, and ice absorption coefficient as a function of wavelength. Laboratory spectra of many ice- particulate mixtures are studied with high-, medium-, and low-albedo particulates.-from Authors

The NASA Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT): Its role in advanced icing research and development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaha, B. J.; Shaw, R. J.

1985-01-01

Currently experimental aircraft icing research is severely hampered by limitations of ground icing simulation facilities. Existing icing facilities do not have the size, speed, altitude, and icing environment simulation capabilities to allow accurate studies to be made of icing problems occurring for high speed fixed wing aircraft and rotorcraft. Use of the currently dormant NASA Lewis Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT), as a proposed high speed propulsion and adverse weather facility, would allow many such problems to be studied. The characteristics of the AWT related to adverse weather simulation and in particular to icing simulation are discussed, and potential icing research programs using the AWT are also included.

Results of low power deicer tests on a swept inlet component in the NASA Lewis icing research tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bond, Thomas H.; Shin, Jaiwon

1993-01-01

Tests were conducted under a USAF/NASA Low Power Deicer program on two expulsive technologies to examine system performance on hardware representative of a modern aircraft part. The BF Goodrich Electro-Expulsive Deicing System and Pneumatic Impulse Ice Protection System were installed on a swept, compound curve, engine inlet component with varying leading edge radius, and tested through a range of icing and system operating conditions in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. A description of the experimental procedure and results, including residual ice thickness, shed ice particle size, and changes in system energy/pressure characteristics are presented.

Results of Low Power Deicer tests on a swept inlet component in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bond, Thomas H.; Shin, Jaiwon

1993-01-01

Tests were conducted under a USAF/NASA Low Power Deicer program on two expulsive technologies to examine system performance on hardware representative of a modern aircraft part. The BF Goodrich Electro-Expulsive Deicing System and Pneumatic Impulse Ice Protection system were installed on a swept, compound curve, engine inlet component with varying leading edge radius, and tested through a range of icing and system operating conditions in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. A description of the experimental procedure and results, including residual ice thickness, shed ice particle size, and changes in system energy/pressure characteristics are presented.

An Update of NASA Public Health Applications Projects using Remote Sensing Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Sue M.; Haynes, J. A.

2009-01-01

Satellite earth observations present a unique vantage point of the earth s environment from space which offers a wealth of health applications for the imaginative investigator. The session will present research results of the remote sensing environmental observations of earth and health applications. This session will an overview of many of the NASA public health applications using Remote Sensing Data and will also discuss opportunities to become a research collaborator with NASA.

FY 2015 Report: Developing Remote Sensing Capabilities for Meter-Scale Sea Ice Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

albedo retrieval from MERIS data–Part 2: Case studies and trends of sea ice albedo and melt ponds in the Arctic for years 2002–2011. The Cryosphere, 9...and spectral sea ice albedo retrieval from MERIS data-Part 1: Validation against in situ, aerial, and ship cruise data. The Cryosphere, 9, 1551-1566. ...1 FY 2015 Report: Developing Remote Sensing Capabilities for Meter-Scale Sea Ice Properties Chris Polashenski USACE-CRREL Building 4070

Experimental study of performance degradation of a rotating system in the NASA Lewis RC icing tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korkan, Kenneth

1992-01-01

The Helicopter Icing Consortium (HIC) conducted one of the first U.S. tests of a heavily instrumented model in the controlled environment of a refrigerated tunnel. In the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at NASA LeRC, ice was accreted on the main rotor blade of the BMTR-1 Sikorsky model helicopter under a variety of environmental conditions, such that liquid water content (LWC) and volume mean droplet diameter (VMD) ranges reflected the Federal Aviation Agency and Department of Defence icing condition envelopes. This report gives the correlated results of the data provided by NASA LeRC. The method of statistical analysis is discussed. Lift, thrust, and torque coefficients are presented as a function of icing time, as correlated with changes in ambient temperature, LWC, and VMD. The physical significance of these forces is discussed.

Application of remote thermal scanning to the NASA energy conservation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, R. L.; Jack, J. R.

1977-01-01

Airborne thermal scans of all NASA centers were made during 1975 and 1976. The remotely sensed data were used to identify a variety of heat losses, including those from building roofs and central heating system distribution lines. Thermal imagery from several NASA centers is presented to demonstrate the capability of detecting these heat losses remotely. Many heat loss areas located by the scan data were verified by ground surveys. At this point, at least for such energy-intensive areas, thermal scanning is an excellent means of detecting many possible energy losses.

Preliminary Analysis of X-Band and Ka-Band Radar for Use in the Detection of Icing Conditions Aloft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reehorst, Andrew L.; Koenig, George G.

2004-01-01

NASA and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) have an on-going activity to develop remote sensing technologies for the detection and measurement of icing conditions aloft. Radar has been identified as a strong tool for this work. However, since the remote detection of icing conditions with the intent to identify areas of icing hazard is a new and evolving capability, there are no set requirements for radar sensitivity. This work is an initial attempt to quantify, through analysis, the sensitivity requirements for an icing remote sensing radar. The primary radar of interest for cloud measurements is Ka-band, however, since NASA is currently using an X-band unit, this frequency is also examined. Several aspects of radar signal analysis were examined. Cloud reflectivity was calculated for several forms of cloud using two different techniques. The Air Force Geophysical Laboratory (AFGL) cloud models, with different drop spectra represented by a modified gamma distribution, were utilized to examine several categories of cloud formation. Also a fundamental methods approach was used to allow manipulation of the cloud droplet size spectra. And an analytical icing radar simulator was developed to examine the complete radar system response to a configurable multi-layer cloud environment. Also discussed is the NASA vertical pointing X-band radar. The radar and its data system are described, and several summer weather events are reviewed.

Comparisons of Mixed-Phase Icing Cloud Simulations with Experiments Conducted at the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartkus, Tadas; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Struk, Peter

2017-01-01

This paper builds on previous work that compares numerical simulations of mixed-phase icing clouds with experimental data. The model couples the thermal interaction between ice particles and water droplets of the icing cloud with the flowing air of an icing wind tunnel for simulation of NASA Glenn Research Centers (GRC) Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). Measurements were taken during the Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics Tests at the PSL tunnel in March 2016. The tests simulated ice-crystal and mixed-phase icing that relate to ice accretions within turbofan engines.

Passive infrared ice detection for helicopter applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dershowitz, Adam L.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

1990-01-01

A technique is proposed to remotely detect rotor icing on helicopters by using passive IR thermometry to detect the warming caused by latent heat release as supercooled water freezes. During icing, the ice accretion region will be warmer than the uniced trailing edge, resulting in a characteristic chordwise temperature profile. Preliminary tests were conducted on a static model in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel for a variety of wet (glaze) and dry (rime) ice conditions. The chordwise temperature profiles were confirmed by observation with an IR thermal video system and thermocouple observations. The IR observations were consistent with predictions of the LEWICE ice accretion code, which was used to extrapolate the observations to rotor icing conditions. Based on the static observations, the passive IR ice detection technique appears promising; however, further testing or rotating blades is required.

Balloons on Ice: NASA Launches Antarctica Scientific Balloon Campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Cosmic rays and the chemicals and atoms that make up the interstellar space between stars are the focus of this year’s NASA Antarctica Long Duration Balloon Flight Campaign, which kicked into high gear with the launch of the Boron And Carbon Cosmic rays in the Upper Stratosphere (BACCUS) payload Nov. 28. The University of Maryland’s BACCUS mission is the first of three payloads taking flight from a balloon launch site on Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf near McMurdo Station with support from the National Science Foundation’s United States Antarctic Program. Read more: go.nasa.gov/2gCMtyP NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

NASA, Navy, and AES/York sea ice concentration comparison of SSM/I algorithms with SAR derived values

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jentz, R. R.; Wackerman, C. C.; Shuchman, R. A.; Onstott, R. G.; Gloersen, Per; Cavalieri, Don; Ramseier, Rene; Rubinstein, Irene; Comiso, Joey; Hollinger, James

1991-01-01

Previous research studies have focused on producing algorithms for extracting geophysical information from passive microwave data regarding ice floe size, sea ice concentration, open water lead locations, and sea ice extent. These studies have resulted in four separate algorithms for extracting these geophysical parameters. Sea ice concentration estimates generated from each of these algorithms (i.e., NASA/Team, NASA/Comiso, AES/York, and Navy) are compared to ice concentration estimates produced from coincident high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The SAR concentration estimates are produced from data collected in both the Beaufort Sea and the Greenland Sea in March 1988 and March 1989, respectively. The SAR data are coincident to the passive microwave data generated by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I).

Remote Sensing Via Satellite: The Canadian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Classen, Hans George

1974-01-01

Describes the joint effort of Canada and NASA in monitoring the Canadian environment using remote-sensing techniques. The project involves the Earth Resources Technology Satellite and has been used to observe seasonal changes, extent of snow cover, crop growth, sea ice, and land use patterns. (GS)

Initial Results from Radiometer and Polarized Radar-Based Icing Algorithms Compared to In-Situ Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serke, David; Reehorst, Andrew L.; King, Michael

2015-01-01

In early 2015, a field campaign was conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The purpose of the campaign is to test several prototype algorithms meant to detect the location and severity of in-flight icing (or icing aloft, as opposed to ground icing) within the terminal airspace. Terminal airspace for this project is currently defined as within 25 kilometers horizontal distance of the terminal, which in this instance is Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland. Two new and improved algorithms that utilize ground-based remote sensing instrumentation have been developed and were operated during the field campaign. The first is the 'NASA Icing Remote Sensing System', or NIRSS. The second algorithm is the 'Radar Icing Algorithm', or RadIA. In addition to these algorithms, which were derived from ground-based remote sensors, in-situ icing measurements of the profiles of super-cooled liquid water (SLW) collected with vibrating wire sondes attached to weather balloons produced a comprehensive database for comparison. Key fields from the SLW-sondes include air temperature, humidity and liquid water content, cataloged by time and 3-D location. This work gives an overview of the NIRSS and RadIA products and results are compared to in-situ SLW-sonde data from one icing case study. The location and quantity of super-cooled liquid as measured by the in-situ probes provide a measure of the utility of these prototype hazard-sensing algorithms.

Broken ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

An area of broken glacier ice seen from the IceBridge DC-8 on Oct. 22, 2012. Credit: NASA / George Hale NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Derive Arctic Sea-ice Freeboard and Thickness from NASA's LVIS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, D.; Hofton, M. A.; Harbeck, J.; Cornejo, H.; Kurtz, N. T.

2015-12-01

The sea-ice freeboard and thickness are derived from the six sea-ice flights of NASA's IceBridge Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) over the Arctic from 2009 to 2013. The LVIS is an airborne scanning laser altimeter. It can operate at an altitude up to 10 km above the ground and produce a data swath up to 2 km wide with 20-m wide footprints. The laser output wavelength is 1064 nm and pulse repetition rate is 1000 Hz. The LVIS L2 geolocated surface elevation product and Level-1b waveform product (http://nsidc.org/data/ilvis2.html and http://nsidc.org/data/ilvis1b.html) at National Snow and Ice Data Center, USA (NSIDC) are used in this study. The elevations are referenced to a geoid with tides and dynamic atmospheric corrections applied. The LVIS waveforms were fitted with Gaussian curves to calculate pulse width, peak location, pulse amplitude, and signal baseline. For each waveform, the centroid, skewness, kurtosis, and pulse area were also calculated. The waveform parameters were calibrated based on laser off pointing angle and laser channels. Calibrated LVIS waveform parameters show a coherent response to variations in surface features along their ground tracks. These parameters, combined with elevation, can be used to identify leads, enabling the derivation of sea-ice freeboard and thickness without relying upon visual images. Preliminary results show that the elevations in some of the LVIS campaigns may vary with laser incident angle; this can introduce an elevation bias if not corrected. Further analysis of the LVIS data shown that the laser incident angle related elevation bias can be removed empirically. The sea-ice freeboard and thickness results from LVIS are compared with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) for an April 20, 2010 flight, when both LVIS and ATM sensors were on the same aircraft and made coincidental measurements along repeat ground tracks.

CBSIT 2009: Airborne Validation of Envisat Radar Altimetry and In Situ Ice Camp Measurements Over Arctic Sea Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connor, Laurence; Farrell, Sinead; McAdoo, David; Krabill, William; Laxon, Seymour; Richter-Menge, Jacqueline; Markus, Thorsten

2010-01-01

The past few years have seen the emergence of satellite altimetry as valuable tool for taking quantitative sea ice monitoring beyond the traditional surface extent measurements and into estimates of sea ice thickness and volume, parameters that arc fundamental to improved understanding of polar dynamics and climate modeling. Several studies have now demonstrated the use of both microwave (ERS, Envisat/RA-2) and laser (ICESat/GLAS) satellite altimeters for determining sea ice thickness. The complexity of polar environments, however, continues to make sea ice thickness determination a complicated remote sensing task and validation studies remain essential for successful monitoring of sea ice hy satellites. One such validation effort, the Arctic Aircraft Altimeter (AAA) campaign of2006. included underflights of Envisat and ICESat north of the Canadian Archipelago using NASA's P-3 aircraft. This campaign compared Envisat and ICESat sea ice elevation measurements with high-resolution airborne elevation measurements, revealing the impact of refrozen leads on radar altimetry and ice drift on laser altimetry. Continuing this research and validation effort, the Canada Basin Sea Ice Thickness (CBSIT) experiment was completed in April 2009. CBSIT was conducted by NOAA. and NASA as part of NASA's Operation Ice Bridge, a gap-filling mission intended to supplement sea and land ice monitoring until the launch of NASA's ICESat-2 mission. CBIST was flown on the NASA P-3, which was equipped with a scanning laser altimeter, a Ku-band snow radar, and un updated nadir looking photo-imaging system. The CB5IT campaign consisted of two flights: an under flight of Envisat along a 1000 km track similar to that flown in 2006, and a flight through the Nares Strait up to the Lincoln Sea that included an overflight of the Danish GreenArc Ice Camp off the coast of northern Greenland. We present an examination of data collected during this campaign, comparing airborne laser altimeter measurements

NASA/FAA/NCAR Supercooled Large Droplet Icing Flight Research: Summary of Winter 1996-1997 Flight Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Dean; Ratvasky, Thomas; Bernstein, Ben; McDonough, Frank; Strapp, J. Walter

1998-01-01

During the winter of 1996-1997, a flight research program was conducted at the NASA-Lewis Research Center to study the characteristics of Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD) within the Great Lakes region. This flight program was a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Based on weather forecasts and real-time in-flight guidance provided by NCAR, the NASA-Lewis Icing Research Aircraft was flown to locations where conditions were believed to be conducive to the formation of Supercooled Large Droplets aloft. Onboard instrumentation was then used to record meteorological, ice accretion, and aero-performance characteristics encountered during the flight. A total of 29 icing research flights were conducted, during which "conventional" small droplet icing, SLD, and mixed phase conditions were encountered aloft. This paper will describe how flight operations were conducted, provide an operational summary of the flights, present selected experimental results from one typical research flight, and conclude with practical "lessons learned" from this first year of operation.

Resource analysis applications in Michigan. [NASA remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schar, S. W.; Enslin, W. R.; Sattinger, I. J.; Robinson, J. G.; Hosford, K. R.; Fellows, R. S.; Raad, J. H.

1974-01-01

During the past two years, available NASA imagery has been applied to a broad spectrum of problems of concern to Michigan-based agencies. These demonstrations include the testing of remote sensing for the purposes of (1) highway corridor planning and impact assessments, (2) game management-area information bases, (3) multi-agency river basin planning, (4) timber resource management information systems, (5) agricultural land reservation policies, and (6) shoreline flooding damage assessment. In addition, cost accounting procedures have been developed for evaluating the relative costs of utilizing remote sensing in land cover and land use analysis data collection procedures.

Liquid water content and droplet size calibration of the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ide, Robert F.

1989-01-01

The icing research tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1986 to 1987, necessitating recalibration of the icing cloud. The methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content are described. PMS Forward Scattering Spectrometer and Optical Array probes were used for measurement of droplet size. Examples of droplet size distributions are shown for several median volumetric diameters. Finally, the liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and are compared to the FAA icing certification criteria.

Ice Bridge Antarctic Sea Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-21

An iceberg is seen out the window of NASA's DC-8 research aircraft as it flies 2,000 feet above the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica on Wednesday, Oct., 21, 2009. This was the fourth science flight of NASA’s Operation Ice Bridge airborne Earth science mission to study Antarctic ice sheets, sea ice, and ice shelves. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jane Peterson)

Update on the NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Lab Ice Crystal Cloud Characterization (2015)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, Judith F.; Bencic, Timothy J.; Ratvasky, Thomas P.

2016-01-01

NASA Glenn's Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL), an altitude engine test facility, was outfitted with a spray system to generate ice crystals. The first ice crystal characterization test occurred in 2012. At PSL, turbine engines and driven rigs can experience ice crystal icing at flight altitudes, temperatures and Mach numbers. To support these tests, four ice crystal characterizations have been conducted in two different facility configurations. In addition, super-cooled liquid and mixed phase clouds have also been generated. This paper will discuss the recent learning from the previous two calibrations. It will describe some of the 12-parameter calibration space, and how those parameters interact with each other, the instrumentation used to characterize the cloud and present a sample of the cloud characterization results.

User Manual for the NASA Glenn Ice Accretion Code LEWICE. Version 2.2.2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

2002-01-01

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 2.2.2 of this code, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from release 2.0 due to the addition of advanced thermal analysis capabilities for de-icing and anti-icing applications using electrothermal heaters or bleed air applications. An extensive effort was also undertaken to compare the results against the database of electrothermal results which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) as was performed for the validation effort for version 2.0. This report will primarily describe the features of the software related to the use of the program. Appendix A of this report has been included to list some of the inner workings of the software or the physical models used. This information is also available in the form of several unpublished documents internal to NASA. This report is intended as a replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this code.

NASA Applied Sciences' DEVELOP Program Fosters the Next Generation of Earth Remote Sensing Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, Lauren M.; Brozen, Madeline W.; Gleason, Jonathan L.; Silcox, Tracey L.; Rea, Mimi; Holley, Sharon D.; Renneboog, Nathan; Underwood, Lauren W.; Ross, Kenton W.

2009-01-01

Satellite remote sensing technology and the science associated with the evaluation of the resulting data are constantly evolving. To meet the growing needs related to this industry, a team of personnel that understands the fundamental science as well as the scientific applications related to remote sensing is essential. Therefore, the workforce that will excel in this field requires individuals who not only have a strong academic background, but who also have practical hands-on experience with remotely sensed data, and have developed knowledge of its real-world applications. NASA's DEVELOP Program has played an integral role in fulfilling this need. DEVELOP is a NASA Science Mission Directorate Applied Sciences training and development program that extends the benefits of NASA Earth science research and technology to society.

NASA MISR Tracks Growth of Rift in the Larsen C Ice Shelf

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-11

A rift in Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf has grown to 110 miles (175 km) long, making it inevitable that an iceberg larger than Rhode Island will soon calve from the ice shelf. Larsen C is the fourth largest ice shelf in Antarctica, with an area of almost 20,000 square miles (50,000 square kilometers). The calving event will remove approximately 10 percent of the ice shelf's mass, according to the Project for Impact of Melt on Ice Shelf Dynamics and Stability (MIDAS), a UK-based team studying the ice shelf. Only 12 miles (20 km) of ice now separates the end of the rift from the ocean. The rift has grown at least 30 miles (50 km) in length since August, but appears to be slowing recently as Antarctica returns to polar winter. Project MIDAS reports that the calving event might destabilize the ice shelf, which could result in a collapse similar to what occurred to the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured views of Larsen C on August 22, 2016, when the rift was 80 miles (130 km) in length; December 8, 2016, when the rift was approximately 90 miles (145 km) long; and April 6, 2017. The MISR instrument has nine cameras, which view the Earth at different angles. The overview image, from December 8, shows the entire Antarctic Peninsula -- home to Larsen A, B, and C ice shelves -- in natural color (similar to how it would appear to the human eye) from MISR's vertical-viewing camera. Combining information from several MISR cameras pointed at different angles gives information about the texture of the ice. The accompanying GIF depicts the inset area shown on the larger image and displays data from all three dates in false color. These multiangular views -- composited from MISR's 46-degree backward-pointing camera, the nadir (vertical-viewing) camera, and the 46-degree forward-pointing camera -- represent variations in ice texture as changes in color, such that areas of rough ice appear

Microwave remote sensing of sea ice in the AIDJEX Main Experiment. [Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, W. J.; Wayenberg, J.; Ramseyer, J. B.; Ramseier, R. O.; Vant, M. R.; Weaver, R.; Redmond, A.; Arsenault, L.; Gloersen, P.; Zwally, H. J.

1978-01-01

A microwave remote sensing program of sea ice in the Beaufort Sea was conducted during the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX). Several types of both passive and active sensors were used to perform surface and aircraft measurements during all seasons of the year. In situ observations were made of physical properties (salinity, temperature, density, surface roughness), dielectric properties, and passive microwave measurements were made of first-year, multiyear, and first-year/multiyear mixtures. Airborne passive microwave measurements were performed with the electronically scanning microwave radiometer while airborne active microwave measurements were performed by synthetic aperture radar, X- and L-band radar, and a scatterometer.

Methods for Validation and Intercomparison of Remote Sensing and In situ Ice Water Measurements: Case Studies from CRYSTAL-FACE and Model Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sayres, D.S.; Pittman, J. V.; Smith, J. B.; Weinstock, E. M.; Anderson, J. G.; Heymsfield, G.; Li, L.; Fridlind, A.; Ackerman, A. S.

2004-01-01

Remote sensing observations, such as those from AURA, are necessary to understand the role of cirrus in determining the radiative and humidity budgets of the upper troposphere. Using these measurements quantitatively requires comparisons with in situ measurements that have previously been validated. However, a direct comparison of remote and in situ measurements is difficult due to the requirement that the spatial and temporal overlap be sufficient in order to guarantee that both instruments are measuring the same air parcel. A difficult as this might be for gas phase intercomparisons, cloud inhomogeneities significantly exacerbate the problem for cloud ice water content measurements. The CRYSTAL-FACE mission provided an opportunity to assess how well such intercomparisons can be performed and to establish flight plans that will be necessary for validation of future satellite instruments. During CRYSTAL-FACE, remote and in situ instruments were placed on different aircraft (NASA's ER-2 and WB-59, and the two planes flew in tandem so that the in situ payload flew in the field of view of the remote instruments. We show here that, even with this type of careful flight planning, it is not always possible to guarantee that remote and in situ instruments are viewing the same air parcel. We use ice water data derived from the in situ Harvard Total Water (HV-TW) instrument, and the remote Goddard Cloud Radar System (CRS) and show that agreement between HV-TW and CRS is a strong function of the horizontal separation and the time delay between the aircraft transects. We also use a cloud model to simulate possible trajectories through a cloud and evaluate the use of statistical analysis in determining the agreement between the two instruments. This type of analysis should guide flight planning for future intercomparison efforts, whether for aircraft or satellite-borne instrumentation.

NASA Remote Sensing Research as Applied to Archaeology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giardino, Marco J.; Thomas, Michael R.

2002-01-01

The use of remotely sensed images is not new to archaeology. Ever since balloons and airplanes first flew cameras over archaeological sites, researchers have taken advantage of the elevated observation platforms to understand sites better. When viewed from above, crop marks, soil anomalies and buried features revealed new information that was not readily visible from ground level. Since 1974 and initially under the leadership of Dr. Tom Sever, NASA's Stennis Space Center, located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, pioneered and expanded the application of remote sensing to archaeological topics, including cultural resource management. Building on remote sensing activities initiated by the National Park Service, archaeologists increasingly used this technology to study the past in greater depth. By the early 1980s, there were sufficient accomplishments in the application of remote sensing to anthropology and archaeology that a chapter on the subject was included in fundamental remote sensing references. Remote sensing technology and image analysis are currently undergoing a profound shift in emphasis from broad classification to detection, identification and condition of specific materials, both organic and inorganic. In the last few years, remote sensing platforms have grown increasingly capable and sophisticated. Sensors currently in use, or nearing deployment, offer significantly finer spatial and spectral resolutions than were previously available. Paired with new techniques of image analysis, this technology may make the direct detection of archaeological sites a realistic goal.

Remote Sensing Product Verification and Validation at the NASA Stennis Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanley, Thomas M.

2005-01-01

Remote sensing data product verification and validation (V&V) is critical to successful science research and applications development. People who use remote sensing products to make policy, economic, or scientific decisions require confidence in and an understanding of the products' characteristics to make informed decisions about the products' use. NASA data products of coarse to moderate spatial resolution are validated by NASA science teams. NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) serves as the science validation team lead for validating commercial data products of moderate to high spatial resolution. At SSC, the Applications Research Toolbox simulates sensors and targets, and the Instrument Validation Laboratory validates critical sensors. The SSC V&V Site consists of radiometric tarps, a network of ground control points, a water surface temperature sensor, an atmospheric measurement system, painted concrete radial target and edge targets, and other instrumentation. NASA's Applied Sciences Directorate participates in the Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) team formed by NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to characterize commercial systems and imagery.

Additional Improvements to the NASA Lewis Ice Accretion Code LEWICE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.; Bidwell, Colin S.

1995-01-01

Due to the feedback of the user community, three major features have been added to the NASA Lewis ice accretion code LEWICE. These features include: first, further improvements to the numerics of the code so that more time steps can be run and so that the code is more stable; second, inclusion and refinement of the roughness prediction model described in an earlier paper; third, inclusion of multi-element trajectory and ice accretion capabilities to LEWICE. This paper will describe each of these advancements in full and make comparisons with the experimental data available. Further refinement of these features and inclusion of additional features will be performed as more feedback is received.

Concept, Simulation, and Instrumentation for Radiometric Inflight Icing Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryerson, Charles; Koenig, George G.; Reehorst, Andrew L.; Scott, Forrest R.

2009-01-01

The multi-agency Flight in Icing Remote Sensing Team (FIRST), a consortium of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has developed technologies for remotely detecting hazardous inflight icing conditions. The USACE Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) assessed the potential of onboard passive microwave radiometers for remotely detecting icing conditions ahead of aircraft. The dual wavelength system differences the brightness temperature of Space and clouds, with greater differences potentially indicating closer and higher magnitude cloud liquid water content (LWC). The Air Force RADiative TRANsfer model (RADTRAN) was enhanced to assess the flight track sensing concept, and a 'flying' RADTRAN was developed to simulate a radiometer system flying through simulated clouds. Neural network techniques were developed to invert brightness temperatures and obtain integrated cloud liquid water. In addition, a dual wavelength Direct-Detection Polarimeter Radiometer (DDPR) system was built for detecting hazardous drizzle drops. This paper reviews technology development to date and addresses initial polarimeter performance.

Ice-Accretion Test Results for Three Large-Scale Swept-Wing Models in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy P.; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Lee, Sam; Malone, Adam M.; Paul, Benard P., Jr.; Woodard, Brian S.

2016-01-01

Icing simulation tools and computational fluid dynamics codes are reaching levels of maturity such that they are being proposed by manufacturers for use in certification of aircraft for flight in icing conditions with increasingly less reliance on natural-icing flight testing and icing-wind-tunnel testing. Sufficient high-quality data to evaluate the performance of these tools is not currently available. The objective of this work was to generate a database of ice-accretion geometry that can be used for development and validation of icing simulation tools as well as for aerodynamic testing. Three large-scale swept wing models were built and tested at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The models represented the Inboard (20% semispan), Midspan (64% semispan) and Outboard stations (83% semispan) of a wing based upon a 65% scale version of the Common Research Model (CRM). The IRT models utilized a hybrid design that maintained the full-scale leading-edge geometry with a truncated afterbody and flap. The models were instrumented with surface pressure taps in order to acquire sufficient aerodynamic data to verify the hybrid model design capability to simulate the full-scale wing section. A series of ice-accretion tests were conducted over a range of total temperatures from -23.8 deg C to -1.4 deg C with all other conditions held constant. The results showed the changing ice-accretion morphology from rime ice at the colder temperatures to highly 3-D scallop ice in the range of -11.2 deg C to -6.3 deg C. Warmer temperatures generated highly 3-D ice accretion with glaze ice characteristics. The results indicated that the general scallop ice morphology was similar for all three models. Icing results were documented for limited parametric variations in angle of attack, drop size and cloud liquid-water content (LWC). The effect of velocity on ice accretion was documented for the Midspan and Outboard models for a limited number of test cases. The data suggest that

Ice-Accretion Test Results for Three Large-Scale Swept-Wing Models in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy P.; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Lee, Sam; Malone, Adam M.; Paul, Bernard P., Jr.; Woodard, Brian S.

2016-01-01

Icing simulation tools and computational fluid dynamics codes are reaching levels of maturity such that they are being proposed by manufacturers for use in certification of aircraft for flight in icing conditions with increasingly less reliance on natural-icing flight testing and icing-wind-tunnel testing. Sufficient high-quality data to evaluate the performance of these tools is not currently available. The objective of this work was to generate a database of ice-accretion geometry that can be used for development and validation of icing simulation tools as well as for aerodynamic testing. Three large-scale swept wing models were built and tested at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The models represented the Inboard (20 percent semispan), Midspan (64 percent semispan) and Outboard stations (83 percent semispan) of a wing based upon a 65 percent scale version of the Common Research Model (CRM). The IRT models utilized a hybrid design that maintained the full-scale leading-edge geometry with a truncated afterbody and flap. The models were instrumented with surface pressure taps in order to acquire sufficient aerodynamic data to verify the hybrid model design capability to simulate the full-scale wing section. A series of ice-accretion tests were conducted over a range of total temperatures from -23.8 to -1.4 C with all other conditions held constant. The results showed the changing ice-accretion morphology from rime ice at the colder temperatures to highly 3-D scallop ice in the range of -11.2 to -6.3 C. Warmer temperatures generated highly 3-D ice accretion with glaze ice characteristics. The results indicated that the general scallop ice morphology was similar for all three models. Icing results were documented for limited parametric variations in angle of attack, drop size and cloud liquid-water content (LWC). The effect of velocity on ice accretion was documented for the Midspan and Outboard models for a limited number of test cases. The data suggest

Improvements to the Total Temperature Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrington, E. Allen; Gonsalez, Jose C.

2005-01-01

The ability to accurately set repeatable total temperature conditions is critical for collecting quality icing condition data, particularly near freezing conditions. As part of efforts to continually improve data quality in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT), new facility instrumentation and new calibration hardware for total temperature measurement were installed and new operational techniques were developed and implemented. This paper focuses on the improvements made in the calibration of total temperature in the IRT.

NASA's Lunar Polar Ice Prospector, RESOLVE: Mission Rehearsal in Apollo Valley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, William E.; Picard, Martin; Quinn, Jacqueline; Sanders, Gerald B.; Colaprete, Anthony; Elphic, Richard C.

2012-01-01

After the completion of the Apollo Program, space agencies didn't visit the moon for many years. But then in the 90's, the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions returned and showed evidence of water ice at the poles. Then in 2009 the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite indisputably showed that the Cabeus crater contained water ice and other useful volatiles. Furthermore, instruments aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show evidence that the water ice may also be present in areas that receive several days of continuous sunlight each month. However, before we can factor this resource into our mission designs, we must understand the distribution and quantity of ice or other volatiles at the poles and whether it can be reasonably harvested for use as propellant or mission consumables. NASA, in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), has been developing a payload to answer these questions. The payload is named RESOLVE. RESOLVE is on a development path that will deliver a tested flight design by the end of 2014. The team has developed a Design Reference Mission using LRO data that has RESOLVE landing near Cabeus Crater in May of2016. One of the toughest obstacles for RESOLVE's solar powered mission is its tight timeline. RESOLVE must be able to complete its objectives in the 5-7 days of available sunlight. The RESOLVE team must be able to work around obstacles to the mission timeline in real time. They can't afford to take a day off to replan as other planetary missions have done. To insure that this mission can be executed as planned, a prototype version of RESOLVE was developed this year and tested at a lunar analog site on Hawaii, known as Apollo Valley, which was once used to train the Apollo astronauts. The RESOLVE team planned the mission with the same type of orbital imagery that would be available from LRO. The simulation team prepositioned a Lander in Apollo Valley with RESOLVE on top mounted on its CSA rover. Then the mission

Update on the NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Lab Ice Crystal Cloud Characterization (2015, 2016)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Zante, Judith; Bencic, Timothy; Ratvasky, Thomas

2016-01-01

NASA Glenn's Propulsion Systems Lab, an altitude engine test facility, was outfitted with a spray system to generate ice crystals in 2011. Turbine engines and driven rigs can experience ice crystal icing at flight altitudes, temperatures and Mach numbers. To support these tests, four ice crystal characterizations have been conducted in two different facility configurations. In addition, super-cooled liquid and mixed phase clouds have also been generated. This paper represents a work in progress. It will describe some of the 11-parameter calibration space, and how those parameters interact with each other, the instrumentation used to characterize the cloud and present a sample of the cloud characterization results.

Sea Ice Thickness, Freeboard, and Snow Depth products from Operation IceBridge Airborne Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurtz, N. T.; Farrell, S. L.; Studinger, M.; Galin, N.; Harbeck, J. P.; Lindsay, R.; Onana, V. D.; Panzer, B.; Sonntag, J. G.

2013-01-01

The study of sea ice using airborne remote sensing platforms provides unique capabilities to measure a wide variety of sea ice properties. These measurements are useful for a variety of topics including model evaluation and improvement, assessment of satellite retrievals, and incorporation into climate data records for analysis of interannual variability and long-term trends in sea ice properties. In this paper we describe methods for the retrieval of sea ice thickness, freeboard, and snow depth using data from a multisensor suite of instruments on NASA's Operation IceBridge airborne campaign. We assess the consistency of the results through comparison with independent data sets that demonstrate that the IceBridge products are capable of providing a reliable record of snow depth and sea ice thickness. We explore the impact of inter-campaign instrument changes and associated algorithm adaptations as well as the applicability of the adapted algorithms to the ongoing IceBridge mission. The uncertainties associated with the retrieval methods are determined and placed in the context of their impact on the retrieved sea ice thickness. Lastly, we present results for the 2009 and 2010 IceBridge campaigns, which are currently available in product form via the National Snow and Ice Data Center

Measured performance of the heat exchanger in the NASA icing research tunnel under severe icing and dry-air conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, W.; Vanfossen, J.; Nussle, R.

1987-01-01

Measurements were made of the pressure drop and thermal perfomance of the unique refrigeration heat exchanger in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) under severe icing and frosting conditions and also with dry air. This data will be useful to those planning to use or extend the capability of the IRT and other icing facilities (e.g., the Altitude Wind Tunnel-AWT). The IRT heat exchanger and refrigeration system is able to cool air passing through the test section down to at least a total temperature of -30 C (well below icing requirements), and usually up to -2 C. The system maintains a uniform temperature across the test section at all airspeeds, which is more difficult and time consuming at low airspeeds, at high temperatures, and on hot, humid days when the cooling towers are less efficient. The very small surfaces of the heat exchanger prevent any icing cloud droplets from passing through it and going through the tests section again. The IRT heat exchanger was originally designed not to be adversely affected by severe icing. During a worst-case icing test the heat exchanger iced up enough so that the temperature uniformaity was no worse than about +/- 1 deg C. The conclusion is that the heat exchanger design performs well.

Paleo ice-cap surfaces and extents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, A.; Pieri, D.

2008-12-01

The distribution, equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) and timing of Pleistocene alpine glaciers are used to constrain paleoclimatic reconstructions. Attention has largely focused on the geomorphic evidence for the former presence of simple valley glaciers; paleo alpine ice caps and their outlet glaciers have proven to be more problematical. This is especially so in the remote continental interior of Asia, where the research invested in the Alps or Rocky Mountains has yet to be duplicated. Even the putative existence and size of paleo ice caps in Tibet and the Kyrgyz Tien Shan is controversial. Remote sensing offers the opportunity to assess vast tracts of land quickly, with images and co-registered digital elevation models (DEMs) offering the most information for studies of paleoglaciers. We pose several questions: (1) With what confidence can nunataks be identified remotely? (2) What insights do their physiographic characteristics offer? (3) What characteristics of the bed of a paleo ice cap can be used to identify its former presence remotely? and (4) Can the geomorphic signatures of the edges of paleo ice caps be recognized and mapped? Reconstruction of the top surface of a paleo ice cap depends on the recognition of nunataks, typically rougher at 1 m to 100 m scales than their surroundings. Nunataks in southern Siberia are commonly notched by multiple sub- horizontal bedrock terraces. These step terraces appear to originate from freeze-thaw action on the rock-ice interface during periods of stability, and presence of multiple terraces suggests stepwise lowering of ice surfaces during deglaciation. An older generation of step-terraced nunataks, distinguished by degraded and eroded terraces, delineates a larger paleo ice cap in the Sayan Range (Siberian - Mongolian border) that significantly pre-dates the last glacial maximum (LGM). Large ice caps can experience pressure melting at their base and can manifest ice streams within the ice cap. Valleys left behind differ

Aircraft icing research at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, J. J.; Shaw, R. J.; Olsen, W. A., Jr.

1982-01-01

Research activity is described for: ice protection systems, icing instrumentation, experimental methods, analytical modeling for the above, and in flight research. The renewed interest in aircraft icing has come about because of the new need for All-Weather Helicopters and General Aviation aircraft. Because of increased fuel costs, tomorrow's Commercial Transport aircraft will also require new types of ice protection systems and better estimates of the aeropenalties caused by ice on unprotected surfaces. The physics of aircraft icing is very similar to the icing that occurs on ground structures and structures at sea; all involve droplets that freeze on the surfaces because of the cold air. Therefore all icing research groups will benefit greatly by sharing their research information.

Method to estimate drag coefficient at the air/ice interface over drifting open pack ice from remotely sensed data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldman, U.

1984-01-01

A knowledge in near real time, of the surface drag coefficient for drifting pack ice is vital for predicting its motions. And since this is not routinely available from measurements it must be replaced by estimates. Hence, a method for estimating this variable, as well as the drag coefficient at the water/ice interface and the ice thickness, for drifting open pack ice was developed. These estimates were derived from three-day sequences of LANDSAT-1 MSS images and surface weather charts and from the observed minima and maxima of these variables. The method was tested with four data sets in the southeastern Beaufort sea. Acceptable results were obtained for three data sets. Routine application of the method depends on the availability of data from an all-weather air or spaceborne remote sensing system, producing images with high geometric fidelity and high resolution.

NASA's MESSENGER Finds New Evidence for Water Ice at Mercury's Poles

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

New observations by the MESSENGER spacecraft provide compelling support for the long-held hypothesis that Mercury harbors abundant water ice and other frozen volatile materials in its permanently shadowed polar craters. Three independent lines of evidence support this conclusion: the first measurements of excess hydrogen at Mercury's north pole with MESSENGER's Neutron Spectrometer, the first measurements of the reflectance of Mercury's polar deposits at near-infrared wavelengths with the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA), and the first detailed models of the surface and near-surface temperatures of Mercury's north polar regions that utilize the actual topography of Mercury's surface measured by the MLA. These findings are presented in three papers published online today in Science Express. Given its proximity to the Sun, Mercury would seem to be an unlikely place to find ice. But the tilt of Mercury's rotational axis is almost zero — less than one degree — so there are pockets at the planet's poles that never see sunlight. Scientists suggested decades ago that there might be water ice and other frozen volatiles trapped at Mercury's poles. The idea received a boost in 1991, when the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico detected unusually radar-bright patches at Mercury's poles, spots that reflected radio waves in the way one would expect if there were water ice. Many of these patches corresponded to the location of large impact craters mapped by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in the 1970s. But because Mariner saw less than 50 percent of the planet, planetary scientists lacked a complete diagram of the poles to compare with the images. MESSENGER's arrival at Mercury last year changed that. Images from the spacecraft's Mercury Dual Imaging System taken in 2011 and earlier this year confirmed that radar-bright features at Mercury's north and south poles are within shadowed regions on Mercury's surface, findings that are consistent with the water-ice hypothesis. To read

Validation Ice Crystal Icing Engine Test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, Michael J.

2014-01-01

The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) is an existing altitude simulation jet engine test facility located at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. It was modified in 2012 with the integration of an ice crystal cloud generation system. This paper documents the inaugural ice crystal cloud test in PSL--the first ever full scale, high altitude ice crystal cloud turbofan engine test to be conducted in a ground based facility. The test article was a Lycoming ALF502-R5 high bypass turbofan engine, serial number LF01. The objectives of the test were to validate the PSL ice crystal cloud calibration and engine testing methodologies by demonstrating the capability to calibrate and duplicate known flight test events that occurred on the same LF01 engine and to generate engine data to support fundamental and computational research to investigate and better understand the physics of ice crystal icing in a turbofan engine environment while duplicating known revenue service events and conducting test points while varying facility and engine parameters. During PSL calibration testing it was discovered than heated probes installed through tunnel sidewalls experienced ice buildup aft of their location due to ice crystals impinging upon them, melting and running back. Filtered city water was used in the cloud generation nozzle system to provide ice crystal nucleation sites. This resulted in mineralization forming on flow path hardware that led to a chronic degradation of performance during the month long test. Lacking internal flow path cameras, the response of thermocouples along the flow path was interpreted as ice building up. Using this interpretation, a strong correlation between total water content (TWC) and a weaker correlation between median volumetric diameter (MVD) of the ice crystal cloud and the rate of ice buildup along the instrumented flow path was identified. For this test article the engine anti-ice system was required to be turned on before ice crystal

Validation Ice Crystal Icing Engine Test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, Michael J.

2014-01-01

The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) is an existing altitude simulation jet engine test facility located at NASA Glenn Research Center in Clevleand, OH. It was modified in 2012 with the integration of an ice crystal cloud generation system. This paper documents the inaugural ice crystal cloud test in PSLthe first ever full scale, high altitude ice crystal cloud turbofan engine test to be conducted in a ground based facility. The test article was a Lycoming ALF502-R5 high bypass turbofan engine, serial number LF01. The objectives of the test were to validate the PSL ice crystal cloud calibration and engine testing methodologies by demonstrating the capability to calibrate and duplicate known flight test events that occurred on the same LF01 engine and to generate engine data to support fundamental and computational research to investigate and better understand the physics of ice crystal icing in a turbofan engine environment while duplicating known revenue service events and conducting test points while varying facility and engine parameters. During PSL calibration testing it was discovered than heated probes installed through tunnel sidewalls experienced ice buildup aft of their location due to ice crystals impinging upon them, melting and running back. Filtered city water was used in the cloud generation nozzle system to provide ice crystal nucleation sites. This resulted in mineralization forming on flow path hardware that led to a chronic degradation of performance during the month long test. Lacking internal flow path cameras, the response of thermocouples along the flow path was interpreted as ice building up. Using this interpretation, a strong correlation between total water content (TWC) and a weaker correlation between median volumetric diameter (MVD) of the ice crystal cloud and the rate of ice buildup along the instrumented flow path was identified. For this test article the engine anti-ice system was required to be turned on before ice crystal icing

Development of an Algorithm for Satellite Remote Sensing of Sea and Lake Ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorofy, Peter T.

Satellite remote sensing of snow and ice has a long history. The traditional method for many snow and ice detection algorithms has been the use of the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI). This manuscript is composed of two parts. Chapter 1, Development of a Mid-Infrared Sea and Lake Ice Index (MISI) using the GOES Imager, discusses the desirability, development, and implementation of alternative index for an ice detection algorithm, application of the algorithm to the detection of lake ice, and qualitative validation against other ice mapping products; such as, the Ice Mapping System (IMS). Chapter 2, Application of Dynamic Threshold in a Lake Ice Detection Algorithm, continues with a discussion of the development of a method that considers the variable viewing and illumination geometry of observations throughout the day. The method is an alternative to Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) models. Evaluation of the performance of the algorithm is introduced by aggregating classified pixels within geometrical boundaries designated by IMS and obtaining sensitivity and specificity statistical measures.

The application of remote sensing image sea ice monitoring method in Bohai Bay based on C4.5 decision tree algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Wei; Song, Wei

2018-02-01

In The Paper, the remote sensing monitoring of sea ice problem was turned into a classification problem in data mining. Based on the statistic of the related band data of HJ1B remote sensing images, the main bands of HJ1B images related with the reflectance of seawater and sea ice were found. On the basis, the decision tree rules for sea ice monitoring were constructed by the related bands found above, and then the rules were applied to Liaodong Bay area seriously covered by sea ice for sea ice monitoring. The result proved that the method is effective.

Remote sensing of snow and ice: A review of the research in the United States 1975 - 1978

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rango, A.

1979-01-01

Research work in the United States from 1975-1978 in the field of remote sensing of snow and ice is reviewed. Topics covered include snowcover mapping, snowmelt runoff forecasting, demonstration projects, snow water equivalent and free water content determination, glaciers, river and lake ice, and sea ice. A bibliography of 200 references is included.

Single-scattering properties of ice particles in the microwave regime: Temperature effect on the ice refractive index with implications in remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Jiachen; Bi, Lei; Yang, Ping; Kattawar, George W.; Weng, Fuzhong; Liu, Quanhua; Greenwald, Thomas

2017-03-01

An ice crystal single-scattering property database is developed in the microwave spectral region (1 to 874 GHz) to provide the scattering, absorption, and polarization properties of 12 ice crystal habits (10-plate aggregate, 5-plate aggregate, 8-column aggregate, solid hexagonal column, hollow hexagonal column, hexagonal plate, solid bullet rosette, hollow bullet rosette, droxtal, oblate spheroid, prolate spheroid, and sphere) with particle maximum dimensions from 2 μm to 10 mm. For each habit, four temperatures (160, 200, 230, and 270 K) are selected to account for temperature dependence of the ice refractive index. The microphysical and scattering properties include projected area, volume, extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry factor, and six independent nonzero phase matrix elements (i.e. P11, P12, P22, P33, P43 and P44). The scattering properties are computed by the Invariant Imbedding T-Matrix (II-TM) method and the Improved Geometric Optics Method (IGOM). The computation results show that the temperature dependence of the ice single-scattering properties in the microwave region is significant, particularly at high frequencies. Potential active and passive remote sensing applications of the database are illustrated through radar reflectivity and radiative transfer calculations. For cloud radar applications, ignoring temperature dependence has little effect on ice water content measurements. For passive microwave remote sensing, ignoring temperature dependence may lead to brightness temperature biases up to 5 K in the case of a large ice water path.

A NASA/University/Industry Consortium for Research on Aircraft Ice Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zumwalt, Glen W.

1989-01-01

From 1982 through 1987, an unique consortium was functioning which involved government (NASA), academia (Wichita State Univ.) and twelve industries. The purpose was the development of a better ice protection systems for aircraft. The circumstances which brought about this activity are described, the formation and operation recounted, and the effectiveness of the ventue evaluated.

Particle Size Measurements From the First Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics Test in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael C.; Bachalo, William; Kurek, Andrzej

2017-01-01

This paper presents particle measurements by the Artium Technologies, Inc. Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging instruments from the first Fundamental Ice Crystal Icing Physics test conducted in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory. The work focuses on humidity sweeps at a larger and a smaller median volumetric diameter. The particle size distribution, number density, and water content measured by the Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging instruments from the sweeps are presented and compared. The current capability for these two instruments to measure and discriminate ICI conditions is examined.

Particle Size Measurements from the first Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics Test in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael C.; Bachalo, William; Kurek, Andrzej

2017-01-01

This presentation shows particle measurements by the Artium Technologies, Inc. Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging instruments from the first Fundamental Ice Crystal Icing Physics test conducted in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory. The work focuses on humidity sweeps at a larger and a smaller median volumetric diameter. The particle size distribution, number density, and water content measured by the Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging instruments from the sweeps are presented and compared. The current capability for these two instruments to measure and discriminate ICI conditions is examined.

Performance of the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer icing cloud droplet sizing probe in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudoff, R. C.; Bachalo, E. J.; Bachalo, W. D.; Oldenburg, J. R.

1992-01-01

The design, development, and testing of an icing cloud droplet sizing probe based upon the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) are discussed. This probe is an in-situ laser interferometry based single particle measuring device capable of determining size distributions. The probe is designed for use in harsh environments such as icing tunnels and natural icing clouds. From the measured size distribution, Median Volume Diameter (MVD) and Liquid Water Content (LWC) may be determined. Both the theory of measurement and the mechanical aspects of the probe design and development are discussed. The MVD results from the probe are compared to an existing calibration based upon different instruments in a series of tests in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. Agreement between the PDPA probe and the existing calibration is close for MVDs between 15 to 30 microns, but the PDPA results are considerably smaller for MVDs under 15 microns.

Comparison of In-Situ, Model and Ground Based In-Flight Icing Severity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serke, David J.; Johnston, Christopher J.; Adriaansen, Daniel R.; Reehorst, Andrew L.; Politovich, Marcia K.; Wolff, Cory A.; McDonough, Frank

2011-01-01

Currently there are two systems that are being developed for the detection of in-flight icing: NASA Icing Remote Sensing System (NIRSS) and current Icing Product (CIP). In-flight icing (IFI) is a significant hazard for the aviation industry. IFI occurs when supercooled liquid water (SLW) comes in contact with, and freezes to, the leading surfaces of an aircraft. Significantly alters aircraft aerodynamic properties: increases the amount of drag on an aircraft and reduces the lift. The objective of this study is to examine how the testbed NIRSS icing severity product and the operational CIP severity product compare to PIREPs of icing severity, and how the NIRSS and CIP compare to each other.

Evaluation of NCAR Icing/SLD Forecasts, Tools and Techniques Used During The 1998 NASA SLD Flight Season

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Ben C.

2001-01-01

Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) icing conditions were implicated in at least one recent aircraft crash, and have been associated with other aircraft incidents. Inflight encounters with SLD can result in ice accreting on unprotected areas of the wing where it can not be removed. Because this ice can adversely affect flight characteristics of some aircraft, there has been concern about flight safety in these conditions. The FAA held a conference on in-flight icing in 1996 where the state of knowledge concerning SLD was explored. One outcome of these meetings was an identified need to acquire SLD flight research data, particularly in the Great Lakes Region. The flight research data was needed by the FAA to develop a better understanding of the meteorological characteristics associated with SLD and facilitate an assessment of existing aircraft icing certification regulations with respect to SLD. In response to this need, NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) conducted a cooperative icing flight research program to acquire SLD flight research data. The NASA Glenn Research Center's Twin Otter icing research aircraft was flown throughout the Great Lakes region during the winters of 1996-97 and 1997-98 to acquire SLD icing and meteorological data. The NASA Twin Otter was instrumented to measure cloud microphysical properties (particle size, LWC (Liquid Water Content), temperature, etc.), capture images of wing and tail ice accretion, and then record the resultant effect on aircraft performance due to the ice accretion. A satellite telephone link enabled the researchers onboard the Twin Otter to communicate with NCAR meteorologists. who provided real-time guidance into SLD icing conditions. NCAR meteorologists also provided preflight SLD weather forecasts that were used to plan the research flights, and served as on-board researchers. This document contains an evaluation of the tools and techniques NCAR

Microwave remote sensing of sea ice in the AIDJEX Main Experiment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, W.J.; Wayenberg, J.; Ramseyer, J.B.; Ramseier, R.O.; Vant, M.R.; Weaver, R.; Redmond, A.; Arsenaul, L.; Gloersen, P.; Zwally, H.J.; Wilheit, T.T.; Chang, T.C.; Hall, D.; Gray, L.; Meeks, D.C.; Bryan, M.L.; Barath, F.T.; Elachi, C.; Leberl, F.; Farr, Tom

1978-01-01

During the AIDJEX Main Experiment, April 1975 through May 1976, a comprehensive microwave sensing program was performed on the sea ice of the Beaufort Sea. Surface and aircraft measurements were obtained during all seasons using a wide variety of active and passive microwave sensors. The surface program obtained passive microwave measurements of various ice types using four antennas mounted on a tracked vehicle. In three test regions, each with an area of approximately 1.5 ?? 104 m2, detailed ice crystallographic, dielectric properties, and brightness temperatures of first-year, multiyear, and first-year/multiyear mixtures were measured. A NASA aircraft obtained passive microwave measurements of the entire area of the AIDJEX manned station array (triangle) during each of 18 flights. This verified the earlier reported ability to distinguish first-year and multiyear ice types and concentration and gave new information on ways to observe ice mixtures and thin ice types. The active microwave measurements from aircraft included those from an X- and L-band radar and from a scatterometer. The former is used to study a wide variety of ice features and to estimate deformations, while both are equally usable to observe ice types. With the present data, only the scatterometer can be used to distinguish positively multiyear from first-year and various types of thin ice. This is best done using coupled active and passive microwave sensing. ?? 1978 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Sea Ice Thickness Measurement by Ground Penetrating Radar for Ground Truth of Microwave Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, M.; Yoshimura, M.; Naoki, K.; Cho, K.; Wakabayashi, H.

2018-04-01

Observation of sea ice thickness is one of key issues to understand regional effect of global warming. One of approaches to monitor sea ice in large area is microwave remote sensing data analysis. However, ground truth must be necessary to discuss the effectivity of this kind of approach. The conventional method to acquire ground truth of ice thickness is drilling ice layer and directly measuring the thickness by a ruler. However, this method is destructive, time-consuming and limited spatial resolution. Although there are several methods to acquire ice thickness in non-destructive way, ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be effective solution because it can discriminate snow-ice and ice-sea water interface. In this paper, we carried out GPR measurement in Lake Saroma for relatively large area (200 m by 300 m, approximately) aiming to obtain grand truth for remote sensing data. GPR survey was conducted at 5 locations in the area. The direct measurement was also conducted simultaneously in order to calibrate GPR data for thickness estimation and to validate the result. Although GPR Bscan image obtained from 600MHz contains the reflection which may come from a structure under snow, the origin of the reflection is not obvious. Therefore, further analysis and interpretation of the GPR image, such as numerical simulation, additional signal processing and use of 200 MHz antenna, are required to move on thickness estimation.

Comparison of In-Situ, Model and Ground Based In-Flight Icing Severity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Christopher J.; Serke, David J.; Adriaansen, Daniel R.; Reehorst, Andrew L.; Politovich, Marica K.; Wolff, Cory A.; McDonough, Frank

2011-01-01

As an aircraft flies through supercooled liquid water, the liquid freezes instantaneously to the airframe thus altering its lift, drag, and weight characteristics. In-flight icing is a contributing factor to many aviation accidents, and the reliable detection of this hazard is a fundamental concern to aviation safety. The scientific community has recently developed products to provide in-flight icing warnings. NASA's Icing Remote Sensing System (NIRSS) deploys a vertically--pointing Ka--band radar, a laser ceilometer, and a profiling multi-channel microwave radiometer for the diagnosis of terminal area in-flight icing hazards with high spatial and temporal resolution. NCAR s Current Icing Product (CIP) combines several meteorological inputs to produce a gridded, three-dimensional depiction of icing severity on an hourly basis. Pilot reports are the best and only source of information on in-situ icing conditions encountered by an aircraft. The goal of this analysis was to ascertain how the testbed NIRSS icing severity product and the operational CIP severity product compare to pilot reports of icing severity, and how NIRSS and CIP compare to each other. This study revealed that the icing severity product from the ground-based NASA testbed system compared very favorably with the operational model-based product and pilot reported in-situ icing.

Ice Stars

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Ice Stars - August 4th, 2002 Description: Like distant galaxies amid clouds of interstellar dust, chunks of sea ice drift through graceful swirls of grease ice in the frigid waters of Foxe Basin near Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Sea ice often begins as grease ice, a soupy slick of tiny ice crystals on the ocean's surface. As the temperature drops, grease ice thickens and coalesces into slabs of more solid ice. Credit: USGS/NASA/Landsat 7 To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Alaska Testbed for the Fusion of Citizen Science and Remote Sensing of Sea Ice and Snow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, J. E.; Sparrow, E.; Lee, O. A.; Brook, M.; Brubaker, M.; Casas, J.

2017-12-01

Citizen science, remote sensing and related environmental information sources for the Alaskan Arctic are synthesized with the objectives of (a) placing local observations into a broader geospatial framework and (b) enabling the use of local observations to evaluate sea ice, snow and land surface products obtained from remote sensing. In its initial phase, the project instituted a coordinated set of community-based observations of sea ice and snow in three coastal communities in western and northern Alaska: Nome, Point Hope and Barrow. Satellite maps of sea ice concentration have been consolidated with the in situ reports, leading to a three-part depiction of surface conditions at each site: narrative reports, surface-based photos, and satellite products. The project has developed a prototype visualization package, enabling users to select a location and date for which the three information sources can be viewed. Visual comparisons of the satellite products and the local reports show generally consistent depictions of the sea ice concentrations in the vicinity of the coastlines, although the satellite products are generally biased low, especially in coastal regions where shorefast ice persists after the appearance of open water farther offshore. A preliminary comparison of the local snow reports and the MODIS daily North American snow cover images indicates that areas of snow persisted in the satellite images beyond the date of snow disappearance reported by the observers. The "in-town" location of most of the snow reports is a factor that must be addressed in further reporting and remote sensing comparisons.

On the retrieval of sea ice thickness and snow depth using concurrent laser altimetry and L-band remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Lu; Xu, Shiming; Liu, Jiping; Wang, Bin

2018-03-01

The accurate knowledge of sea ice parameters, including sea ice thickness and snow depth over the sea ice cover, is key to both climate studies and data assimilation in operational forecasts. Large-scale active and passive remote sensing is the basis for the estimation of these parameters. In traditional altimetry or the retrieval of snow depth with passive microwave remote sensing, although the sea ice thickness and the snow depth are closely related, the retrieval of one parameter is usually carried out under assumptions over the other. For example, climatological snow depth data or as derived from reanalyses contain large or unconstrained uncertainty, which result in large uncertainty in the derived sea ice thickness and volume. In this study, we explore the potential of combined retrieval of both sea ice thickness and snow depth using the concurrent active altimetry and passive microwave remote sensing of the sea ice cover. Specifically, laser altimetry and L-band passive remote sensing data are combined using two forward models: the L-band radiation model and the isostatic relationship based on buoyancy model. Since the laser altimetry usually features much higher spatial resolution than L-band data from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite, there is potentially covariability between the observed snow freeboard by altimetry and the retrieval target of snow depth on the spatial scale of altimetry samples. Statistically significant correlation is discovered based on high-resolution observations from Operation IceBridge (OIB), and with a nonlinear fitting the covariability is incorporated in the retrieval algorithm. By using fitting parameters derived from large-scale surveys, the retrievability is greatly improved compared with the retrieval that assumes flat snow cover (i.e., no covariability). Verifications with OIB data show good match between the observed and the retrieved parameters, including both sea ice thickness and snow depth. With

NASA remote sensing programs: Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raney, W. P.

1981-01-01

In the Earth remote sensing area, NASA's three functions are to understand the basic mechanics and behavior of the Earth, evaluate what resources are available (in the way of minerals, and hydrocarbons on a general scale), and to arrange a scheme for managing our national assets. The capabilities offered by LANDSAT D and technology improvements needed are discussed. The French SPOT system, its orbits, possibilities for stereo imagery, and levels of preprocessing and processing with several degrees of radiometric and geometric corrections are examined. Progress in the AgRISTARS project is mentioned as well as future R & D programs in the use of fluorescence, microwave measurements, and synthetic aperture radar. Other areas of endeaver include studying man environment interactions and Earth radiation budgets, and the establishment of data systems programs.

NASA Laser Remote Sensing Technology Needs for Earth Science in the Next Decade and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trait, David M.; Neff, Jon M.; Valinia, Azita

2007-01-01

In late 2005 the NASA Earth Science Technology Office convened a working group to review decadal-term technology needs for Earth science active optical remote sensing objectives. The outcome from this effort is intended to guide future NASA investments in laser remote sensing technologies. This paper summarizes the working group findings and places them in context with the conclusions of the National Research Council assessment of Earth science needs, completed in 2007.

Wilkins Ice Shelf

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-20

The Wilkins Ice Shelf, as seen by NASA Terra spacecraft, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, experienced multiple disintegration events in 2008. By the beginning of 2009, a narrow ice bridge was all that remained to connect the ice shelf to ice fragments fringing nearby Charcot Island. That bridge gave way in early April 2009. Days after the ice bridge rupture, on April 12, 2009, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite acquired this image of the southern base of the ice bridge, where it connected with the remnant ice shelf. Although the ice bridge has played a role in stabilizing the ice fragments in the region, its rupture doesn't guarantee the ice will immediately move away. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11991

Airframe Icing Research Gaps: NASA Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potapczuk, Mark

2009-01-01

qCurrent Airframe Icing Technology Gaps: Development of a full 3D ice accretion simulation model. Development of an improved simulation model for SLD conditions. CFD modeling of stall behavior for ice-contaminated wings/tails. Computational methods for simulation of stability and control parameters. Analysis of thermal ice protection system performance. Quantification of 3D ice shape geometric characteristics Development of accurate ground-based simulation of SLD conditions. Development of scaling methods for SLD conditions. Development of advanced diagnostic techniques for assessment of tunnel cloud conditions. Identification of critical ice shapes for aerodynamic performance degradation. Aerodynamic scaling issues associated with testing scale model ice shape geometries. Development of altitude scaling methods for thermal ice protections systems. Development of accurate parameter identification methods. Measurement of stability and control parameters for an ice-contaminated swept wing aircraft. Creation of control law modifications to prevent loss of control during icing encounters. 3D ice shape geometries. Collection efficiency data for ice shape geometries. SLD ice shape data, in-flight and ground-based, for simulation verification. Aerodynamic performance data for 3D geometries and various icing conditions. Stability and control parameter data for iced aircraft configurations. Thermal ice protection system data for simulation validation.

NASA Team 2 Sea Ice Concentration Algorithm Retrieval Uncertainty

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brucker, Ludovic; Cavalieri, Donald J.; Markus, Thorsten; Ivanoff, Alvaro

2014-01-01

Satellite microwave radiometers are widely used to estimate sea ice cover properties (concentration, extent, and area) through the use of sea ice concentration (IC) algorithms. Rare are the algorithms providing associated IC uncertainty estimates. Algorithm uncertainty estimates are needed to assess accurately global and regional trends in IC (and thus extent and area), and to improve sea ice predictions on seasonal to interannual timescales using data assimilation approaches. This paper presents a method to provide relative IC uncertainty estimates using the enhanced NASA Team (NT2) IC algorithm. The proposed approach takes advantage of the NT2 calculations and solely relies on the brightness temperatures (TBs) used as input. NT2 IC and its associated relative uncertainty are obtained for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres using the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) TB. NT2 IC relative uncertainties estimated on a footprint-by-footprint swath-by-swath basis were averaged daily over each 12.5-km grid cell of the polar stereographic grid. For both hemispheres and throughout the year, the NT2 relative uncertainty is less than 5%. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is low in the interior ice pack, and it increases in the marginal ice zone up to 5%. In the Northern Hemisphere, areas with high uncertainties are also found in the high IC area of the Central Arctic. Retrieval uncertainties are greater in areas corresponding to NT2 ice types associated with deep snow and new ice. Seasonal variations in uncertainty show larger values in summer as a result of melt conditions and greater atmospheric contributions. Our analysis also includes an evaluation of the NT2 algorithm sensitivity to AMSR-E sensor noise. There is a 60% probability that the IC does not change (to within the computed retrieval precision of 1%) due to sensor noise, and the cumulated probability shows that there is a 90% chance that the IC varies by less than

Iceberg in sea ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

An iceberg embedded in sea ice as seen from the IceBridge DC-8 over the Bellingshausen Sea on Oct. 19, 2012. Credit: NASA / James Yungel NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Capacity Building in Using NASA Remote Sensing for Water Resources and Disasters Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, A. V.; Podest, E.; Prados, A. I.

2017-12-01

The NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET), a part of NASA's Applied Sciences Capacity Building program, empowers the global community through online and in-person training. The program focuses on helping policy makers, environmental managers, and other professionals, both domestic and international, use remote sensing in decision making. Since 2011, ARSET has provided more than 20 trainings in water resource and disaster management, including floods and droughts. This presentation will include an overview of the ARSET program, best practices for approaching trainings, feedback from participants, and examples of case studies from the trainings showing the application of GPM, SMAP, Landsat, Terra and Aqua (MODIS), and Sentinel (SAR) data. This presentation will also outline how ARSET can serve as a liaison between remote sensing applications developers and users in the areas of water resource and disaster management.

Laser And Nonlinear Optical Materials For Laser Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Norman P.

2005-01-01

NASA remote sensing missions involving laser systems and their economic impact are outlined. Potential remote sensing missions include: green house gasses, tropospheric winds, ozone, water vapor, and ice cap thickness. Systems to perform these measurements use lanthanide series lasers and nonlinear devices including second harmonic generators and parametric oscillators. Demands these missions place on the laser and nonlinear optical materials are discussed from a materials point of view. Methods of designing new laser and nonlinear optical materials to meet these demands are presented.

Energy Remote Sensing Applications Projects at the NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, S. D.; Likens, W. C.; Mouat, D. A.

1982-01-01

The NASA Ames Research Center is active in energy projects primarily in the role of providing assistance to users in the solution of a number of problems related to energy. Data bases were produced which can be used, in combination with other sources of information, to solve spatially related energy problems. Six project activities at Ames are described which relate to energy and remote sensing. Two projects involve power demand forecasting and estimations using remote sensing and geographic information systems; two others involve transmission line routing and corridor analysis; one involves a synfuel user needs assessment through remote sensing; and the sixth involves the siting of energy facilities.

NASA Remote Sensing Data for Epidemiological Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maynard, Nancy G.; Vicente, G. A.

2002-01-01

In response to the need for improved observations of environmental factors to better understand the links between human health and the environment, NASA has established a new program to significantly improve the utilization of NASA's diverse array of data, information, and observations of the Earth for health applications. This initiative, lead by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has the following goals: (1) To encourage interdisciplinary research on the relationships between environmental parameters (e.g., rainfall, vegetation) and health, (2) Develop practical early warning systems, (3) Create a unique system for the exchange of Earth science and health data, (4) Provide an investigator field support system for customers and partners, (5) Facilitate a system for observation, identification, and surveillance of parameters relevant to environment and health issues. The NASA Environment and Health Program is conducting several interdisciplinary projects to examine applications of remote sensing data and information to a variety of health issues, including studies on malaria, Rift Valley Fever, St. Louis Encephalitis, Dengue Fever, Ebola, African Dust and health, meningitis, asthma, and filariasis. In addition, the NASA program is creating a user-friendly data system to help provide the public health community with easy and timely access to space-based environmental data for epidemiological studies. This NASA data system is being designed to bring land, atmosphere, water and ocean satellite data/products to users not familiar with satellite data/products, but who are knowledgeable in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. This paper discusses the most recent results of the interdisciplinary environment-health research projects and provides an analysis of the usefulness of the satellite data to epidemiological studies. In addition, there will be a summary of presently-available NASA Earth science data and a description of how it may be obtained.

Growing Crack in Antarctica Larsen C Ice Shelf Spotted by NASA MISR

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-31

Project MIDAS, a United Kingdom-based group that studies the Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica, reported Aug. 18, 2016, that a large crack in the Larsen C shelf has grown by another 13 miles (22 kilometers) in the past six months. The crack is now more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) long. Larsen C is the fourth largest ice shelf in Antarctica, with an area of about 19,300 square miles (50,000 square kilometers), greater than the size of Maryland. Computer modeling by Project MIDAS predicts that the crack will continue to grow and eventually cause between nine and twelve percent of the ice shelf to collapse, resulting in the loss of 2,300 square miles (6,000 square kilometers) of ice -- more than the area of Delaware. This follows the collapse of the Larsen B shelf in 2002 and the Larsen A shelf in 1995, which removed about 1,255 square miles (3,250 square kilometers) and 580 square miles (1,500 square kilometers) of ice, respectively. The Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite flew over Larsen C on Aug. 22, 2016. The MISR instrument views Earth with nine cameras pointed at different angles, which provides information about the texture of the surface. On the left is a natural-color image of the shelf from MISR's vertical-viewing camera. Antarctica is slowly emerging from its polar night, and the low light gives the scene a bluish tint. The Larsen C shelf is on the left, while thinner sea ice is present on the right. A variety of cracks are visible in the Larsen C shelf, all appearing roughly the same. The image is about 130 by 135 miles (210 by 220 kilometers) in size. On the right is a composite image made by combining data from MISR's 46-degree backward-pointing camera (plotted as blue), the vertical-pointing camera (plotted as green), and the 46-degree forward-pointing camera (plotted as red). This has the effect of highlighting surface roughness; smooth surfaces appear as blue-purple, while rough surfaces appear as

Extraction of Ice Sheet Layers from Two Intersected Radar Echograms Near Neem Ice Core in Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, S.; Muller, J.-P.

2016-06-01

Accumulation of snow and ice over time result in ice sheet layers. These can be remotely sensed where there is a contrast in electromagnetic properties, which reflect variations of the ice density, acidity and fabric orientation. Internal ice layers are assumed to be isochronous, deep beneath the ice surface, and parallel to the direction of ice flow. The distribution of internal layers is related to ice sheet dynamics, such as the basal melt rate, basal elevation variation and changes in ice flow mode, which are important parameters to model the ice sheet. Radar echo sounder is an effective instrument used to study the sedimentology of the Earth and planets. Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR) is specific kind of radar echo sounder, which extends studies of ice sheets from surface to subsurface to deep internal ice sheets depending on the frequency utilised. In this study, we examine a study site where folded ice occurs in the internal ice sheet south of the North Greenland Eemian ice drilling (NEEM) station, where two intersected radar echograms acquired by the Multi-channel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) employed in the NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB) mission imaged this folded ice. We propose a slice processing flow based on a Radon Transform to trace and extract these two sets of curved ice sheet layers, which can then be viewed in 3-D, demonstrating the 3-D structure of the ice folds.

Sea Ice Concentration Estimation Using Active and Passive Remote Sensing Data Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Li, F.; Zhang, S.; Zhu, T.

2017-12-01

In this abstract, a decision-level fusion method by utilizing SAR and passive microwave remote sensing data for sea ice concentration estimation is investigated. Sea ice concentration product from passive microwave concentration retrieval methods has large uncertainty within thin ice zone. Passive microwave data including SSM/I, AMSR-E, and AMSR-2 provide daily and long time series observations covering whole polar sea ice scene, and SAR images provide rich sea ice details with high spatial resolution including deformation and polarimetric features. In the proposed method, the merits from passive microwave data and SAR data are considered. Sea ice concentration products from ASI and sea ice category label derived from CRF framework in SAR imagery are calibrated under least distance protocol. For SAR imagery, incident angle and azimuth angle were used to correct backscattering values from slant range to ground range in order to improve geocoding accuracy. The posterior probability distribution between category label from SAR imagery and passive microwave sea ice concentration product is modeled and integrated under Bayesian network, where Gaussian statistical distribution from ASI sea ice concentration products serves as the prior term, which represented as an uncertainty of sea ice concentration. Empirical model based likelihood term is constructed under Bernoulli theory, which meets the non-negative and monotonically increasing conditions. In the posterior probability estimation procedure, final sea ice concentration is obtained using MAP criterion, which equals to minimize the cost function and it can be calculated with nonlinear iteration method. The proposed algorithm is tested on multiple satellite SAR data sets including GF-3, Sentinel-1A, RADARSAT-2 and Envisat ASAR. Results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the accuracy of ASI sea ice concentration products and reduce the uncertainty along the ice edge.

NASA,FAA,ONERA Swept-Wing Icing and Aerodynamics: Summary of Research and Current Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy

2015-01-01

NASA, FAA, ONERA, and other partner organizations have embarked on a significant, collaborative research effort to address the technical challenges associated with icing on large scale, three-dimensional swept wings. These are extremely complex phenomena important to the design, certification and safe operation of small and large transport aircraft. There is increasing demand to balance trade-offs in aircraft efficiency, cost and noise that tend to compete directly with allowable performance degradations over an increasing range of icing conditions. Computational fluid dynamics codes have reached a level of maturity that they are being proposed by manufacturers for use in certification of aircraft for flight in icing. However, sufficient high-quality data to evaluate their performance on iced swept wings are not currently available in the public domain and significant knowledge gaps remain.

Clouds Over Sea Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-01

Low-lying clouds over sea ice on the Bellingshausen Sea. Credit: NASA / Maria-Jose Vinas NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Edge of Ice Shelf

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Edge of an ice shelf in Adelaide Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: NASA / Maria-Jose Vinas NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Sunlight off the ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Sunlight reflecting off of ice in the Bellingshausen Sea on Oct. 19, 2012. Credit: NASA / George Hale NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

The Relationship Between Arctic Sea Ice Albedo and the Geophysical Parameters of the Ice Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihelä, A.

2015-12-01

The Arctic sea ice cover is thinning and retreating. Remote sensing observations have also shown that the mean albedo of the remaining ice cover is decreasing on decadal time scales, albeit with significant annual variability (Riihelä et al., 2013, Pistone et al., 2014). Attribution of the albedo decrease between its different drivers, such as decreasing ice concentration and enhanced surface melt of the ice, remains an important research question for the forecasting of future conditions of the ice cover. A necessary step towards this goal is understanding the relationships between Arctic sea ice albedo and the geophysical parameters of the ice cover. Particularly the question of the relationship between sea ice albedo and ice age is both interesting and not widely studied. The recent changes in the Arctic sea ice zone have led to a substantial decrease of its multi-year sea ice, as old ice melts and is replaced by first-year ice during the next freezing season. It is generally known that younger sea ice tends to have a lower albedo than older ice because of several reasons, such as wetter snow cover and enhanced melt ponding. However, the quantitative correlation between sea ice age and sea ice albedo has not been extensively studied to date, excepting in-situ measurement based studies which are, by necessity, focused on a limited area of the Arctic Ocean (Perovich and Polashenski, 2012).In this study, I analyze the dependencies of Arctic sea ice albedo relative to the geophysical parameters of the ice field. I use remote sensing datasets such as the CM SAF CLARA-A1 (Karlsson et al., 2013) and the NASA MeaSUREs (Anderson et al., 2014) as data sources for the analysis. The studied period is 1982-2009. The datasets are spatiotemporally collocated and analysed. The changes in sea ice albedo as a function of sea ice age are presented for the whole Arctic Ocean and for potentially interesting marginal sea cases. This allows us to see if the the albedo of the older sea

Remote Characterization of Ice Shelf Surface and Basal Processes: Examples from East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenbaum, J. S.; Blankenship, D. D.; Grima, C.; Schroeder, D. M.; Soderlund, K. M.; Young, D. A.; Kempf, S. D.; Siegert, M. J.; Roberts, J. L.; Warner, R. C.; van Ommen, T. D.

2017-12-01

The ability to remotely characterize surface and basal processes of ice shelves has important implications for conducting systematic, repeatable, and safe evaluations of their stability in the context of atmospheric and oceanic forcing. Additionally, techniques developed for terrestrial ice shelves can be adapted to orbital radar sounding datasets planned for forthcoming investigations of icy moons. This has been made possible through recent advances in radar signal processing that enable these data to be used to test hypotheses derived from conceptual and numerical models of ice shelf- and ice shell-ocean interactions. Here, we present several examples of radar sounding-derived characterizations of surface and basal processes underway on ice shelves in East Antarctica. These include percolation of near-surface meltwater in warm austral summers, brine infiltration along ice shelf calving fronts, basal melt rate and distribution, and basal freeze distribution. On Europa, near-surface brines and their migration may impact local geological variability, while basal processes likely control the distribution of melt and freeze. Terrestrially, we emphasize radar-sounding records of the Totten Glacier Ice Shelf which hosts each of these processes as well as the highest known density of basal melt channels of any terrestrial ice shelf. Further, with a maximum floating ice thickness of over 2.5 km, the pressure at Totten's basal interface may be similar to that at Europa's ice-ocean interface; therefore, evaluating surface and basal processes of Totten Glacier and other ice shelves could serve as analogs for understanding melting processes of Europa's ice shell.

Needs Assessment for the Use of NASA Remote Sensing Data for Regulatory Water Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiering, Bruce; Underwood, Lauren

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the assessment of the needs that NASA can use for the remote sensing of water quality. The goal of this project is to provide information for decision-making activities (water quality standards) using remotely sensed/satellite based water quality data from MODIS and Landsat data.

NASA programs in technology transfer and their relation to remote sensing education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, R. H.

1980-01-01

Technology transfer to users is a central feature of NASA programs. In each major area of responsibility, a variety of mechanisms was established to provide for this transfer of operational capability to the proper end user, be it a Federal agency, industry, or other public sector users. In addition, the Technology Utilization program was established to cut across all program areas and to make available a wealth of 'spinoff' technology (i.e., secondary applications of space technology to ground-based use). The transfer of remote sensing technology, particularly to state and local users, presents some real challenges in application and education for NASA and the university community. The agency's approach to the transfer of remote sensing technology and the current and potential role of universities in the process are considered.

Towards GPS Surface Reflection Remote Sensing of Sea Ice Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komjathy, A.; Maslanik, J. A.; Zavorotny, V. U.; Axelrad, P.; Katzberg, S. J.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the research to extend the application of Global Positioning System (GPS) signal reflections, received by airborne instruments, to cryospheric remote sensing. The characteristics of the GPS signals and equipment afford the possibility of new measurements not possible with existing radar and passive microwave systems. In particular, the GPS receiving systems are small and light-weight, and as such are particularly well suited to be deployed on small aircraft or satellite platforms with minimal impact. Our preliminary models and experimental results indicate that reflected GPS signals have potential to provide information on the presence and condition of sea and fresh-water ice as well as the freeze/thaw state of frozen ground. In this paper we show results from aircraft experiments over the ice pack near Barrow, Alaska suggesting correlation between forward scattered GPS returns and RADARSAT backscattered signals.

Survey of university programs in remote sensing funded under grants from the NASA University-Space Applications program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madigan, J. A.; Earhart, R. W.

1978-01-01

NASA's Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA) is currently assessing approaches to transferring NASA technology to both the public and private sectors. As part of this assessment, NASA is evaluating the effectiveness of an ongoing program in remote sensing technology transfer conducted by 20 university contractors/grantees, each supported totally or partially by NASA funds. The University-Space Applications program has as its objective the demonstration of practical benefits from the use of remote sensing technology to a broad spectrum of new users, principally in state and local governments. To evaluate the University-Space Applications program, NASA has a near-term requirement for data on each university effort including total funding, funding sources, length of program, program description, and effectiveness measures.

Satellite Remote Sensing of Tropical Precipitation and Ice Clouds for GCM Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, K. Franklin

2001-01-01

This project, supported by the NASA New Investigator Program, has primarily been funding a graduate student, Darren McKague. Since August 1999 Darren has been working part time at Raytheon, while continuing his PhD research. Darren is planning to finish his thesis work in May 2001, thus some of the work described here is ongoing. The proposed research was to use GOES visible and infrared imager data and SSM/I microwave data to obtain joint distributions of cirrus cloud ice mass and precipitation for a study region in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. These joint distributions of cirrus cloud and rainfall were to be compared to those from the CSU general circulation model to evaluate the cloud microphysical amd cumulus parameterizations in the GCM. Existing algorithms were to be used for the retrieval of cloud ice water path from GOES (Minnis) and rainfall from SSM/I (Wilheit). A theoretical study using radiative transfer models and realistic variations in cloud and precipitation profiles was to be used to estimate the retrieval errors. Due to the unavailability of the GOES satellite cloud retrieval algorithm from Dr. Minnis (a co-PI), there was a change in the approach and emphasis of the project. The new approach was to develop a completely new type of remote sensing algorithm - one to directly retrieve joint probability density functions (pdf's) of cloud properties from multi-dimensional histograms of satellite radiances. The usual approach is to retrieve individual pixels of variables (i.e. cloud optical depth), and then aggregate the information. Only statistical information is actually needed, however, and so a more direct method is desirable. We developed forward radiative transfer models for the SSM/I and GOES channels, originally for testing the retrieval algorithms. The visible and near infrared ice scattering information is obtained from geometric ray tracing of fractal ice crystals (Andreas Macke), while the mid-infrared and microwave scattering is computed

Seasonal sea ice predictions for the Arctic based on assimilation of remotely sensed observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauker, F.; Kaminski, T.; Ricker, R.; Toudal-Pedersen, L.; Dybkjaer, G.; Melsheimer, C.; Eastwood, S.; Sumata, H.; Karcher, M.; Gerdes, R.

2015-10-01

The recent thinning and shrinking of the Arctic sea ice cover has increased the interest in seasonal sea ice forecasts. Typical tools for such forecasts are numerical models of the coupled ocean sea ice system such as the North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Model (NAOSIM). The model uses as input the initial state of the system and the atmospheric boundary condition over the forecasting period. This study investigates the potential of remotely sensed ice thickness observations in constraining the initial model state. For this purpose it employs a variational assimilation system around NAOSIM and the Alfred Wegener Institute's CryoSat-2 ice thickness product in conjunction with the University of Bremen's snow depth product and the OSI SAF ice concentration and sea surface temperature products. We investigate the skill of predictions of the summer ice conditions starting in March for three different years. Straightforward assimilation of the above combination of data streams results in slight improvements over some regions (especially in the Beaufort Sea) but degrades the over-all fit to independent observations. A considerable enhancement of forecast skill is demonstrated for a bias correction scheme for the CryoSat-2 ice thickness product that uses a spatially varying scaling factor.

NASA Fluid Lensing & MiDAR: Next-Generation Remote Sensing Technologies for Aquatic Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chirayath, Ved

2018-01-01

We present two recent instrument technology developments at NASA, Fluid Lensing and MiDAR, and their application to remote sensing of Earth's aquatic systems. Fluid Lensing is the first remote sensing technology capable of imaging through ocean waves in 3D at sub-cm resolutions. MiDAR is a next-generation active hyperspectral remote sensing and optical communications instrument capable of active fluid lensing. Fluid Lensing has been used to provide 3D multispectral imagery of shallow marine systems from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones), including coral reefs in American Samoa and stromatolite reefs in Hamelin Pool, Western Australia. MiDAR is being deployed on aircraft and underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to enable a new method for remote sensing of living and nonliving structures in extreme environments. MiDAR images targets with high-intensity narrowband structured optical radiation to measure an objectâ€"TM"s non-linear spectral reflectance, image through fluid interfaces such as ocean waves with active fluid lensing, and simultaneously transmit high-bandwidth data. As an active instrument, MiDAR is capable of remotely sensing reflectance at the centimeter (cm) spatial scale with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) multiple orders of magnitude higher than passive airborne and spaceborne remote sensing systems with significantly reduced integration time. This allows for rapid video-frame-rate hyperspectral sensing into the far ultraviolet and VNIR wavelengths. Previously, MiDAR was developed into a TRL 2 laboratory instrument capable of imaging in thirty-two narrowband channels across the VNIR spectrum (400-950nm). Recently, MiDAR UV was raised to TRL4 and expanded to include five ultraviolet bands from 280-400nm, permitting UV remote sensing capabilities in UV A, B, and C bands and enabling mineral identification and stimulated fluorescence measurements of organic proteins and compounds, such as green fluorescent proteins in terrestrial and

Embedded ice with lead

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Iceberg embedded in sea ice with a lead on one side. This opening was likely caused by winds blowing against the side of the iceberg. Credit: NASA / George Hale NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Atmospheric Form Drag Coefficients Over Arctic Sea Ice Using Remotely Sensed Ice Topography Data, Spring 2009-2015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petty, Alek A.; Tsamados, Michel C.; Kurtz, Nathan T.

2017-01-01

Sea ice topography significantly impacts turbulent energy/momentum exchange, e.g., atmospheric (wind) drag, over Arctic sea ice. Unfortunately, observational estimates of this contribution to atmospheric drag variability are spatially and temporally limited. Here we present new estimates of the neutral atmospheric form drag coefficient over Arctic sea ice in early spring, using high-resolution Airborne Topographic Mapper elevation data from NASA's Operation IceBridge mission. We utilize a new three-dimensional ice topography data set and combine this with an existing parameterization scheme linking surface feature height and spacing to form drag. To be consistent with previous studies investigating form drag, we compare these results with those produced using a new linear profiling topography data set. The form drag coefficient from surface feature variability shows lower values [less than 0.5-1 × 10(exp. -3)] in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas, compared with higher values [greater than 0.5-1 ×10(exp. -3)] in the more deformed ice regimes of the Central Arctic (north of Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago), which increase with coastline proximity. The results show moderate interannual variability, including a strong increase in the form drag coefficient from 2013 to 2014/2015 north of the Canadian Archipelago. The form drag coefficient estimates are extrapolated across the Arctic with Advanced Scatterometer satellite radar backscatter data, further highlighting the regional/interannual drag coefficient variability. Finally, we combine the results with existing parameterizations of form drag from floe edges (a function of ice concentration) and skin drag to produce, to our knowledge, the first pan-Arctic estimates of the total neutral atmospheric drag coefficient (in early spring) from 2009 to 2015.

Airborne radar surveys of snow depth over Antarctic sea ice during Operation IceBridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panzer, B.; Gomez-Garcia, D.; Leuschen, C.; Paden, J. D.; Gogineni, P. S.

2012-12-01

Over the last decade, multiple satellite-based laser and radar altimeters, optimized for polar observations, have been launched with one of the major objectives being the determination of global sea ice thickness and distribution [5, 6]. Estimation of sea-ice thickness from these altimeters relies on freeboard measurements and the presence of snow cover on sea ice affects this estimate. Current means of estimating the snow depth rely on daily precipitation products and/or data from passive microwave sensors [2, 7]. Even a small uncertainty in the snow depth leads to a large uncertainty in the sea-ice thickness estimate. To improve the accuracy of the sea-ice thickness estimates and provide validation for measurements from satellite-based sensors, the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets deploys the Snow Radar as a part of NASA Operation IceBridge. The Snow Radar is an ultra-wideband, frequency-modulated, continuous-wave radar capable of resolving snow depth on sea ice from 5 cm to more than 2 meters from long-range, airborne platforms [4]. This paper will discuss the algorithm used to directly extract snow depth estimates exclusively using the Snow Radar data set by tracking both the air-snow and snow-ice interfaces. Prior work in this regard used data from a laser altimeter for tracking the air-snow interface or worked under the assumption that the return from the snow-ice interface was greater than that from the air-snow interface due to a larger dielectric contrast, which is not true for thick or higher loss snow cover [1, 3]. This paper will also present snow depth estimates from Snow Radar data during the NASA Operation IceBridge 2010-2011 Antarctic campaigns. In 2010, three sea ice flights were flown, two in the Weddell Sea and one in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas. All three flight lines were repeated in 2011, allowing an annual comparison of snow depth. In 2011, a repeat pass of an earlier flight in the Weddell Sea was flown, allowing for a

The IceBridge Portal - Automated Metadata Generation for Enhanced Data Access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, S.; Schwab, M.; Beam, K.; Deems, J. S.; Fitzgerrell, A.

2016-12-01

NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB) mission, initiated in 2009, collects airborne remote sensing measurements over the polar regions to bridge the gap between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation satellite (ICESat) mission and the upcoming ICESat-2 mission in 2017. OIB combines an evolving mix of instruments to gather data on topography, ice and snow thickness, high-resolution photography, and other properties that are more difficult or impossible to measure via satellite. Once collected, these data are stored and made available at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado. To date, there are nearly 200 terabytes of data available, and with several more campaigns to go. Initially, OIB data could be difficult to discover and access, due to a lack of consistent metadata. However, the Project Office made a decision to revamp the data delivery process. This has led to substantial data reformatting and better adherence to NASA standards as well as the generation of far more metadata associated with each data product. Because of this change, NSIDC has been able to develop a powerful map-based portal for search, discovery and access of these data products. The tools used for automated metadata generation, and the resulting new data portal will be presented.

Configuration of Pluto's Volatile Ices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, William M.; Binzel, R. P.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Earle, A. M.; Ennico, K.; Jennings, D. E.; Howett, C. J. A.; Linscott, I. R.; Lunsford, A. W.; Olkin, C. B.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. Wm; Protopapa, S.; Reuter, D. C.; Singer, K. N.; Spencer, J. R.; Stern, S. A.; Tsang, C. C. C.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Berry, K.; Buie, M. W.; Stansberry, J. A.

2015-11-01

We report on near-infrared remote sensing by New Horizons' Ralph instrument (Reuter et al. 2008, Space Sci. Rev. 140, 129-154) of Pluto's N2, CO, and CH4 ices. These especially volatile ices are mobile even at Pluto's cryogenic surface temperatures. Sunlight reflected from these ices becomes imprinted with their characteristic spectral absorption bands. The detailed appearance of these absorption features depends on many aspects of local composition, thermodynamic state, and texture. Multiple-scattering radiative transfer models are used to retrieve quantitative information about these properties and to map how they vary across Pluto's surface. Using parameter maps derived from New Horizons observations, we investigate the striking regional differences in the abundances and scattering properties of Pluto's volatile ices. Comparing these spatial patterns with the underlying geology provides valuable constraints on processes actively modifying the planet's surface, over a variety of spatial scales ranging from global latitudinal patterns to more regional and local processes within and around the feature informally known as Sputnik Planum. This work was supported by the NASA New Horizons Project.

Seasonal thickness changes of Arctic sea ice north of Svalbard and implications for satellite remote sensing, ecosystem, and environmental management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerland, S.; Rösel, A.; King, J.; Spreen, G.; Divine, D.; Eltoft, T.; Gallet, J. C.; Hudson, S. R.; Itkin, P.; Krumpen, T.; Liston, G. E.; Merkouriadi, I.; Negrel, J.; Nicolaus, M.; Polashenski, C.; Assmy, P.; Barber, D. G.; Duarte, P.; Doulgeris, A. P.; Haas, C.; Hughes, N.; Johansson, M.; Meier, W.; Perovich, D. K.; Provost, C.; Richter-Menge, J.; Skourup, H.; Wagner, P.; Wilkinson, J.; Granskog, M. A.; Steen, H.

2016-12-01

Sea-ice thickness is a crucial parameter to consider when assessing the status of Arctic sea ice, whether for environmental management, monitoring projects, or regional or pan-arctic assessments. Modern satellite remote sensing techniques allow us to monitor ice extent and to estimate sea-ice thickness changes; but accurate quantifications of sea-ice thickness distribution rely on in situ and airborne surveys. From January to June 2015, an international expedition (N-ICE2015) took place in the Arctic Ocean north of Svalbard, with the Norwegian research vessel RV Lance frozen into drifting sea ice. In total, four drifts, with four different floes were made during that time. Sea-ice and snow thickness measurements were conducted on all main ice types present in the region, first year ice, multiyear ice, and young ice. Measurement methods included ground and helicopter based electromagnetic surveys, drillings, hot-wire installations, snow-sonde transects, snow stakes, and ice mass balance and snow buoys. Ice thickness distributions revealed modal thicknesses in spring between 1.6 and 1.7 m, which is lower than reported for the region from comparable studies in 2009 (2.4 m) and 2011 (1.8 m). Knowledge about the ice thickness distribution in a region is crucial to the understanding of climate processes, and also relevant to other disciplines. Sea-ice thickness data collected during N-ICE2015 can also give us insights into how ice and snow thicknesses affect ecosystem processes. In this presentation, we will explore the influence of snow cover and ocean properties on ice thickness, and the role of sea-ice thickness in air-ice-ocean interactions. We will also demonstrate how information about ice thickness aids classification of different sea ice types from SAR satellite remote sensing, which has real-world applications for shipping and ice forecasting, and how sea ice thickness data contributes to climate assessments.

Technology transfer of NASA microwave remote sensing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akey, N. D.

1981-01-01

Viable techniques for effecting the transfer from NASA to a user agency of state-of-the-art airborne microwave remote sensing technology for oceanographic applications were studied. A detailed analysis of potential users, their needs and priorities; platform options; airborne microwave instrument candidates; ancillary instrumentation; and other, less obvious factors that must be considered were studied. Conclusions and recommendations for the development of an orderly and effective technology transfer of an airborne microwave system that could meet the specific needs of the selected user agencies are reported.

Bit of History and Some Lessons Learned in Using NASA Remote Sensing Data in Public Health Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quattrochi, Dale A.; Estes, Sue

2011-01-01

The NASA Applied Sciences Program's public health initiative began in 2004 to illustratethe potential benefits for using remote sensing in public health applications. Objectives/Purpose: The CDC initiated a st udy with NASA through the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to establish a pilot effort to use remote sensing data as part of its Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHTN). As a consequence, the NCEH and NASA developed a project called HELIX-Atlanta (Health and Environment Linkage for Information Exchange) to demonstrate a process for developing a local environmental public health tracking and surveillance network that integrates non-infectious health and environment systems for the Atlanta metropolitan area. Methods: As an ongo ing, systematic integration, analysis and interpretation of data, an EPHTN focuses on: 1 -- environmental hazards; 2 -- human exposure to environmental hazards; and 3 -- health effects potentially related to exposure to environmental hazards. To satisfy the definition of a surveillance system the data must be disseminated to plan, implement, and evaluate environmental public health action. Results: A close working r elationship developed with NCEH where information was exchanged to assist in the development of an EPHTN that incorporated NASA remote sensing data into a surveillance network for disseminating public health tracking information to users. This project?s success provided NASA with the opportunity to work with other public health entities such as the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the University of New Mexico and the University of Arizona. Conclusions: HELIX-Atlanta became a functioning part of the national EPHTN for tracking environmental hazards and exposure, particularly as related to air quality over Atlanta. Learning Objectives: 1 -- remote sensing data can be integral to an EPHTN; 2 -- public tracking objectives can be enhanced through remote sensing data; 3 -- NASA's involvement in

User Manual for the NASA Glenn Ice Accretion Code LEWICE: Version 2.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

1999-01-01

A research project is underway at NASA Glenn to produce a computer code which can accurately predict ice growth under a wide range of meteorological conditions for any aircraft surface. This report will present a description of the code inputs and outputs from version 2.0 of this code, which is called LEWICE. This version differs from previous releases due to its robustness and its ability to reproduce results accurately for different spacing and time step criteria across computing platform. It also differs in the extensive effort undertaken to compare the results against the database of ice shapes which have been generated in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) 1. This report will only describe the features of the code related to the use of the program. The report will not describe the inner working of the code or the physical models used. This information is available in the form of several unpublished documents which will be collectively referred to as a Programmers Manual for LEWICE 2 in this report. These reports are intended as an update/replacement for all previous user manuals of LEWICE. In addition to describing the changes and improvements made for this version, information from previous manuals may be duplicated so that the user will not need to consult previous manuals to use this code.

Iceberg trapped in sea ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-01

An iceberg trapped in sea ice in the Amundsen Sea, seen from the IceBridge DC-8 during the Getz 07 mission on Oct. 27. Credit: NASA / Maria-Jose Vinas NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Lab: 2012 Inaugural Ice Crystal Cloud Calibration Procedure and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZante, Judith F.; Rosine, Bryan M.

2014-01-01

The inaugural calibration of the ice crystal and supercooled liquid water clouds generated in NASA Glenn's engine altitude test facility, the Propulsion Systems Lab (PSL) is reported herein. This calibration was in support of the inaugural engine ice crystal validation test. During the Fall of 2012 calibration effort, cloud uniformity was documented via an icing grid, laser sheet and cloud tomography. Water content was measured via multi-wire and robust probes, and particle sizes were measured with a Cloud Droplet Probe and Cloud Imaging Probe. The environmental conditions ranged from 5,000 to 35,000 ft, Mach 0.15 to 0.55, temperature from +50 to -35 F and relative humidities from less than 1 percent to 75 percent in the plenum.

Satellite/Submarine Arctic Sea Ice Remote Sensing in 2004 and 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, N. E.; Wadhams, P.; Rodrigues, J.

2007-12-01

After an interlude of 8 years the U.K. Royal Navy returned to the Arctic Ocean with an under-ice mission by the submarine shape HMS Tireless in April 2004. A full environmental monitoring programme in which U.K. civilian scientists were allowed to participate was integrated into the mission. This was subsequently followed by a second expedition, in March 2007, which allowed further measurements to be acquired. These have so far been the only opportunities for civilian scientists to utilise navy submarines in the Arctic since the demise of the U.S. SCICEX programme in 2000. This paper presents some of the data collected on these new missions and uses it for validation of sea ice information derived from coincident acquisitions by modern satellite sensors such as the ESA Envisat ASAR and NASA MODIS. In both the 2004 and 2007 expeditions shape Tireless took a track north of Greenland along the latitude 85° N. This was similar to the route used for an earlier submarine-aircraft combined survey in April 1987 with which our results shall be compared. In all three missions the submarine was equipped with a standard upward-looking echosounder and sidescan for ice observations and a full range of satellite-borne, or airborne in the case of the earlier mission, microwave and optical sensors were available for validation. In this study we concentrate on the submarine track north of Greenland from the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) in Fram Strait through to the Lincoln Sea around 65° W. This transect encompasses a wide range of differing sea ice conditions, from the highly mobile mixture of first year and multi year ice being transported on the trans-polar drift through to the highly deformed ice north of Greenland and Ellesmere Island. The combination of submarine measurements of ice thickness and satellite/aircraft top-side measurements gives an accurate indication of how changes in the ice regime are taking place and allows the potential development of multi-sensor data fusion

Aero-Thermal Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (2012 Tests)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pastor-Barsi, Christine; Allen, Arrington E.

2013-01-01

A full aero-thermal calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) was completed in 2012 following the major modifications to the facility that included replacement of the refrigeration plant and heat exchanger. The calibration test provided data used to fully document the aero-thermal flow quality in the IRT test section and to construct calibration curves for the operation of the IRT.

ICE911 Research: Preserving and Rebuilding Reflective Ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, L. A.; Chetty, S.; Manzara, A.; Venkatesh, S.

2014-12-01

We have developed a localized surface albedo modification technique that shows promise as a method to increase reflective multi-year ice using floating materials, chosen so as to have low subsidiary environmental impact. It is now well-known that multi-year reflective ice has diminished rapidly in the Arctic over the past 3 decades and this plays a part in the continuing rapid decrease of summer-time ice. As summer-time bright ice disappears, the Arctic is losing its ability to reflect summer insolation, and this has widespread climatic effects, as well as a direct effect on sea level rise, as oceans heat and once-land-based ice melts into the sea. We have tested the albedo modification technique on a small scale over six Winter/Spring seasons at sites including California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, a Canadian lake, and a small man-made lake in Minnesota, using various materials and an evolving array of instrumentation. The materials can float and can be made to minimize effects on marine habitat and species. The instrumentation is designed to be deployed in harsh and remote locations. Localized snow and ice preservation, and reductions in water heating, have been quantified in small-scale testing. We have continued to refine our material and deployment approaches, and we have had laboratory confirmation by NASA. In the field, the materials were successfully deployed to shield underlying snow and ice from melting; applications of granular materials remained stable in the face of local wind and storms. We are evaluating the effects of snow and ice preservation for protection of infrastructure and habitat stabilization, and we are concurrently developing our techniques to aid in water conservation. Localized albedo modification options such as those being studied in this work may act to preserve ice, glaciers, permafrost and seasonal snow areas, and perhaps aid natural ice formation processes. If this method is deployed on a large enough scale, it could conceivably

Blue Beaufort Sea Ice from Operation IceBridge

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Mosaic image of sea ice in the Beaufort Sea created by the Digital Mapping System (DMS) instrument aboard the IceBridge P-3B. The dark area in the middle of the image is open water seen through a lead, or opening, in the ice. Light blue areas are thick sea ice and dark blue areas are thinner ice formed as water in the lead refreezes. Leads are formed when cracks develop in sea ice as it moves in response to wind and ocean currents. DMS uses a modified digital SLR camera that points down through a window in the underside of the plane, capturing roughly one frame per second. These images are then combined into an image mosaic using specialized computer software. Credit: NASA/DMS NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

A passive infrared ice detection technique for helicopter applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dershowitz, Adam L.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

1991-01-01

A technique has been developed, and successfully tested, to detect icing remotely on helicopter rotor blades. Using passive infrared (IR) thermometry it is possible to detect the warming caused by latent heat released as supercooled water freezes. During icing, the ice accretion region on the leading edge of the blade is found to be warmer than the uniced trailing edge resulting in a chordwise temperature profile characteristic of icing. Preliminary tests, using an IR Thermal video system, were conducted on a static model in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) for a variety of wet (glaze) and dry (rime) ice conditions. A prototype detector system was built consisting of a single point IR pyrometer, and experiments were run on a small scale rotor model. Using this prototype detector, the characteristic chordwise temperature profiles were again observed for a range of icing conditions. Several signal processing methods were investigated, to allow automatic recognition of the icing signature. Additionally, several implementation issues were considered. Based on both the static and subscale rotor tests, where ice was successfully detected, the passive IR technique appears to be promising for rotor ice detection.

NASA Iced Aerodynamics and Controls Current Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addy, Gene

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the state of current research in the area of aerodynamics and aircraft control with ice conditions by the Aviation Safety Program, part of the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Controls Project (IRAC). Included in the presentation is a overview of the modeling efforts. The objective of the modeling is to develop experimental and computational methods to model and predict aircraft response during adverse flight conditions, including icing. The Aircraft icing modeling efforts includes the Ice-Contaminated Aerodynamics Modeling, which examines the effects of ice contamination on aircraft aerodynamics, and CFD modeling of ice-contaminated aircraft aerodynamics, and Advanced Ice Accretion Process Modeling which examines the physics of ice accretion, and works on computational modeling of ice accretions. The IRAC testbed, a Generic Transport Model (GTM) and its use in the investigation of the effects of icing on its aerodynamics is also reviewed. This has led to a more thorough understanding and models, both theoretical and empirical of icing physics and ice accretion for airframes, advanced 3D ice accretion prediction codes, CFD methods for iced aerodynamics and better understanding of aircraft iced aerodynamics and its effects on control surface effectiveness.

NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel: Upgrade and Cloud Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZante, Judith Foss; Ide, Robert F.; Steen, Laura E.

2012-01-01

In 2011, NASA Glenn s Icing Research Tunnel underwent a major modification to it s refrigeration plant and heat exchanger. This paper presents the results of the subsequent full cloud calibration. Details of the calibration procedure and results are presented herein. The steps include developing a nozzle transfer map, establishing a uniform cloud, conducting a drop sizing calibration and finally a liquid water content calibration. The goal of the calibration is to develop a uniform cloud, and to build a transfer map from the inputs of air speed, spray bar atomizing air pressure and water pressure to the output of median volumetric droplet diameter and liquid water content.

Mississippi Sound remote sensing study. [NASA Earth Resources Laboratory seasonal experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, B. H.; Thomann, G. C.

1973-01-01

A study of the Mississippi Sound was initiated in early 1971 by personnel of NASA Earth Resources Laboratory. Four separate seasonal experiments consisting of quasi-synoptic remote and surface measurements over the entire area were planned. Approximately 80 stations distributed throughout Mississippi Sound were occupied. Surface water temperature and secchi extinction depth were measured at each station and water samples were collected for water quality analyses. The surface distribution of three water parameters of interest from a remote sensing standpoint - temperature, salinity and chlorophyll content - are displayed in map form. Areal variations in these parameters are related to tides and winds. A brief discussion of the general problem of radiative measurements of water temperature is followed by a comparison of remotely measured temperatures (PRT-5) to surface vessel measurements.

[Tail Plane Icing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The Aviation Safety Program initiated by NASA in 1997 has put greater emphasis in safety related research activities. Ice-contaminated-tailplane stall (ICTS) has been identified by the NASA Lewis Icing Technology Branch as an important activity for aircraft safety related research. The ICTS phenomenon is characterized as a sudden, often uncontrollable aircraft nose- down pitching moment, which occurs due to increased angle-of-attack of the horizontal tailplane resulting in tailplane stall. Typically, this phenomenon occurs when lowering the flaps during final approach while operating in or recently departing from icing conditions. Ice formation on the tailplane leading edge can reduce tailplane angle-of-attack range and cause flow separation resulting in a significant reduction or complete loss of aircraft pitch control. In 1993, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and NASA embarked upon a four-year research program to address the problem of tailplane stall and to quantify the effect of tailplane ice accretion on aircraft performance and handling characteristics. The goals of this program, which was completed in March 1998, were to collect aerodynamic data for an aircraft tail with and without ice contamination and to develop analytical methods for predicting the effects of tailplane ice contamination. Extensive dry air and icing tunnel tests which resulted in a database of the aerodynamic effects associated with tailplane ice contamination. Although the FAA/NASA tailplane icing program generated some answers regarding ice-contaminated-tailplane stall (ICTS) phenomena, NASA researchers have found many open questions that warrant further investigation into ICTS. In addition, several aircraft manufacturers have expressed interest in a second research program to expand the database to other tail configurations and to develop experimental and computational methodologies for evaluating the ICTS phenomenon. In 1998, the icing branch at NASA Lewis initiated a second

Airborne Polarimetric, Two-Color Laser Altimeter Measurements of Lake Ice Cover: A Pathfinder for NASA's ICESat-2 Spaceflight Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David; Dabney, Philip; Valett, Susan; Yu, Anthony; Vasilyev, Aleksey; Kelly, April

2011-01-01

The ICESat-2 mission will continue NASA's spaceflight laser altimeter measurements of ice sheets, sea ice and vegetation using a new measurement approach: micropulse, single photon ranging at 532 nm. Differential penetration of green laser energy into snow, ice and water could introduce errors in sea ice freeboard determination used for estimation of ice thickness. Laser pulse scattering from these surface types, and resulting range biasing due to pulse broadening, is assessed using SIMPL airborne data acquired over icecovered Lake Erie. SIMPL acquires polarimetric lidar measurements at 1064 and 532 nm using the micropulse, single photon ranging measurement approach.

NASA's DC-8 Desert Shadow

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The DC-8 research aircraft casting its shadow on the ground in California's Mojave Desert during an IceBridge instrument check flight. Prior to field campaigns, IceBridge instrument and aircraft teams run the aircraft through a series of tests to ensure that everything is operating at peak condition. Credit: NASA / Jim Yungel NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Accessing, Utilizing and Visualizing NASA Remote Sensing Data for Malaria Modeling and Surveillance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiang, Richard K.; Adimi, Farida; Kempler, Steven

2007-01-01

This poster presentation reviews the use of NASA remote sensing data that can be used to extract environmental information for modeling malaria transmission. The authors discuss the remote sensing data from Landsat, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Earth Observing One (EO-1), Advanced Land Imager (ALI) and Seasonal to Interannual Earth Science Information Partner (SIESIP) dataset.

ARISE (Antarctic Remote Ice Sensing Experiment) in the East 2003: Validation of Satellite-derived Sea-ice Data Product

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massom, Robert A.; Worby, Anthony; Lytle, Victoria; Markus, Thorsten; Allison, Ian; Scambos, Theodore; Enomoto, Hiroyuki; Tateyama, Kazutaka; Haran, Terence; Comiso, Josefino C.;

Ultra-Wideband Radiometry Remote Sensing of Polar Ice Sheet Temperature Profile, Sea Ice and Terrestrial Snow Thickness: Forward Modeling and Data Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsang, L.; Tan, S.; Sanamzadeh, M.; Johnson, J. T.; Jezek, K. C.; Durand, M. T.

2017-12-01

The recent development of an ultra-wideband software defined radiometer (UWBRAD) operating over the unprotected spectrum of 0.5 2.0 GHz using radio-frequency interference suppression techniques offers new methodologies for remote sensing of the polar ice sheets, sea ice, and terrestrial snow. The instrument was initially designed for remote sensing of the intragalcial temperature profile of the ice sheet, where a frequency dependent penetration depth yields a frequency dependent brightness temperature (Tb) spectrum that can be linked back to the temperature profile of the ice sheet. The instrument was tested during a short flight over Northwest Greenland in September, 2016. Measurements were successfully made over the different snow facies characteristic of Greenland including the ablation, wet snow and percolation facies, and ended just west of Camp Century during the approach to the dry snow zone. Wide-band emission spectra collected during the flight have been processed and analyzed. Results show that the spectra are highly sensitive to the facies type with scattering from ice lenses being the dominant reason for low Tbs in the percolation zone. Inversion of Tb to physical temperature at depth was conducted on the measurements near Camp Century, achieving a -1.7K ten-meter error compared to borehole measurements. However, there is a relatively large uncertainty in the lower part possibly due to the large scattering near the surface. Wideband radiometry may also be applicable to sea ice and terrestrial snow thickness retrieval. Modeling studies suggest that the UWBRAD spectra reduce ambiguities inherent in other sea ice thickness retrievals by utilizing coherent wave interferences that appear in the Tb spectrum. When applied to a lossless medium such as terrestrial snow, this coherent oscillation turns out to be the single key signature that can be used to link back to snow thickness. In this paper, we report our forward modeling findings in support of instrument

Flow quality studies of the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel diffuser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrington, E. Allen; Pickett, Mark T.; Sheldon, David W.

1994-01-01

The purpose was to document the airflow characteristics in the diffuser of the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel and to determine the effects of vortex generators on the flow quality in the diffuser. The results were used to determine how to improve the flow in this portion of the tunnel so that it can be more effectively used as an icing test section and such that overall tunnel efficiency can be improved. The demand for tunnel test time and the desire to test models that are too large for the test section were two of the drivers behind this diffuser study. For all vortex generator configurations tested, the flow quality was improved.

Validation of a Compact Isokinetic Total Water Content Probe for Wind Tunnel Characterization at NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel and at NRC Ice Crystal Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davison, Craig R.; Landreville, Charles; Ratvasky, Thomas P.

2017-01-01

A new compact isokinetic probe to measure total water content in a wind tunnel environment has been developed. The probe has been previously tested under altitude conditions. This paper presents a comprehensive validation of the probe under a range of liquid water conditions at sea level in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel and with ice crystals at sea level at the NRC wind tunnel. The compact isokinetic probe is compared to tunnel calibrations and other probes.

VIIRS Data and Data Access at the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moth, P.; Johnston, T.; Fowler, D. K.

2017-12-01

Working collaboratively, NASA and NOAA are producing data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), a NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), is distributing VIIRS snow cover, ice surface temperature, and sea ice cover products. Data is available in .nc and HDF5 formats with a temporal coverage of 1 January 2012 and onward. VIIRS, NOAA's latest radiometer, was launched aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite on October 28, 2011. The instrument comprises 22 bands; five for high-resolution imagery, 16 at moderate resolution, and one panchromatic day/night band. VIIRS is a whiskbroom scanning radiometer that covers the spectrum between 0.412 μm and 12.01 μm and acquires spatial resolutions at nadir of 750 m, 375 m, and 750 m, respectively. One distinct advantage of VIIRS is to ensure continuity that will lead to the development of snow and sea ice climate data records with data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua and Terra satellites. Combined with the Advanced Very-High-resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the AVHRR-MODIS-VIIRS timeline will start in the early 1980s and span at least four decades-and perhaps beyond-enabling researchers to produce and gain valuable insight from long, high-quality Earth System Data Records (ESDRs). Several options are available to view and download VIIRS data: Direct download from NSIDC via HTTPS. Using NASA Earthdata Search, users can explore and download VIIRS data with temporal and/or spatial filters, re-format, re-project, and subset by spatial extent and parameter. API access is also available for all these options; Using NASA Worldview, users can view Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) from VIIRS data; Users can join a VIIRS subscription list to have new VIIRS data automatically ftp'd or staged on a local server as it is archived at NSIDC.

The Development Of Enabling Technologies For Submillimeter-Wave Remote Sensing of Ice Clouds From Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Racette, Paul; Wang, James R.; Ackerman, Steven; Skofronick-Jackson, Gail; Evans, K. Frank; O'CStarr, David

2006-01-01

This paper presents the chronological development of technologies and techniques that have led to a satellite mission concept aimed at quantifying the temporal and spatial distributions of upper tropospheric ice clouds. The Submillimeter-wave and Infrared Ice Cloud Experiment (SIRICE) is an Earth System Science Pathfinder mission concept designed to improve our understanding of the upper tropospheric water cycle and its coupling to the Earth s radiation budget. Ice outflow from convective storm systems is known to play an important role in regional energy budgets; however, ice generation and subsequent precipitation and sublimation are poorly quantified. SIRICE will provide measurements of ice cloud distributions and microphysical properties which are needed for understanding the crucial link between the hydrologic and energy cycles. The SIRICE measurement platform is comprised of two integrated instruments, the Submillimeter/millimeter-wave radiometer (SM4) and the Infrared Cloud Ice Radiometer (IRCIR). The primary instrument is the SM4, a conical scanner that provides a 1600 km swath of the Earth's surface at 53 degree incidence. The SM4 has 6 linearly polarized receivers measuring 12 spectral bands centered at 183 GHz, 325 GHz, 448 GHz, 643 GHz and 874 GHz; two receivers at 643 GHz measure horizontal and vertical polarizations. Submillimeter-wavelengths are well suited to the remote sensing of ice clouds due to the relative size of the wavelengths to particle sizes. Upwelling emission from lower tropospheric water vapor is scattered by the ice clouds thus causing a brightness temperature depression at submillimeter wavelengths. The IRCIR is a push broom imager with approximately 1500 km swath and spectral channels at 11 and 12 micrometers. This combination of coincident infrared and submillimeter-wavelength measurements were chosen because of its ability to provide retrieval of ice water path and median particle size for a wide range of ice clouds from thin

NASA's P-3 at Sunrise

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's P-3B airborne laboratory on the ramp at Thule Air Base in Greenland early on the morning of Mar. 21, 2013. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Christy Hansen NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Antarctic Ice Shelf Loss Comes From Underneath

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Calving front of an ice shelf in West Antarctica. The traditional view on ice shelves, the floating extensions of seaward glaciers, has been that they mostly lose ice by shedding icebergs. A new study by NASA and university researchers has found that warm ocean waters melting the ice sheets from underneath account for 55 percent of all ice shelf mass loss in Antarctica. This image was taken during the 2012 Antarctic campaign of NASA's Operation IceBridge, a mission that provided data for the new ice shelf study. Read more: www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/earth20130613.html Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jefferson Beck NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Comparisons of Mixed-Phase Icing Cloud Simulations with Experiments Conducted at the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartkus, Tadas P.; Struk, Peter M.; Tsao, Jen-Ching

2017-01-01

This paper builds on previous work that compares numerical simulations of mixed-phase icing clouds with experimental data. The model couples the thermal interaction between ice particles and water droplets of the icing cloud with the flowing air of an icing wind tunnel for simulation of NASA Glenn Research Centers (GRC) Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). Measurements were taken during the Fundamentals of Ice Crystal Icing Physics Tests at the PSL tunnel in March 2016. The tests simulated ice-crystal and mixed-phase icing that relate to ice accretions within turbofan engines. Experimentally measured air temperature, humidity, total water content, liquid and ice water content, as well as cloud particle size, are compared with model predictions. The model showed good trend agreement with experimentally measured values, but often over-predicted aero-thermodynamic changes. This discrepancy is likely attributed to radial variations that this one-dimensional model does not address. One of the key findings of this work is that greater aero-thermodynamic changes occur when humidity conditions are low. In addition a range of mixed-phase clouds can be achieved by varying only the tunnel humidity conditions, but the range of humidities to generate a mixed-phase cloud becomes smaller when clouds are composed of smaller particles. In general, the model predicted melt fraction well, in particular with clouds composed of larger particle sizes.

Software for a GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowe, Stephen

2003-01-01

A special-purpose software Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver designed for remote sensing with reflected GPS signals is described in Delay/Doppler-Mapping GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System (NPO-30385), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. The input accepted by this program comprises raw (open-loop) digitized GPS signals sampled at a rate of about 20 MHz. The program processes the data samples to perform the following functions: detection of signals; tracking of phases and delays; mapping of delay, Doppler, and delay/Doppler waveforms; dual-frequency processing; coherent integrations as short as 125 s; decoding of navigation messages; and precise time tagging of observable quantities. The software can perform these functions on all detectable satellite signals without dead time. Open-loop data collected over water, land, or ice and processed by this software can be further processed to extract geophysical information. Possible examples include mean sea height, wind speed and direction, and significant wave height (for observations over the ocean); bistatic-radar terrain images and measures of soil moisture and biomass (for observations over land); and estimates of ice age, thickness, and surface density (for observations over ice).

Ice Island calves off Petermann Glacier

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-09

NASA image acquired August 5, 2010 On August 5, 2010, an enormous chunk of ice, roughly 97 square miles (251 square kilometers) in size, broke off the Petermann Glacier, along the northwestern coast of Greenland. The Canadian Ice Service detected the remote event within hours in near real-time data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The Peterman Glacier lost about one-quarter of its 70-kilometer (40-mile) long floating ice shelf, said researchers who analyzed the satellite data at the University of Delaware. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these natural-color images of Petermann Glacier 18:05 UTC on August 5, 2010 (top), and 17:15 UTC on July 28, 2010 (bottom). The Terra image of the Petermann Glacier on August 5 was acquired almost 10 hours after the Aqua observation that first recorded the event. By the time Terra took this image, skies were less cloudy than they had been earlier in the day, and the oblong iceberg had broken free of the glacier and moved a short distance down the fjord. Icebergs calving off the Petermann Glacier are not unusual. Petermann Glacier’s floating ice tongue is the Northern Hemisphere’s largest, and it has occasionally calved large icebergs. The recently calved iceberg is the largest to form in the Arctic since 1962, said the University of Delaware. To read more and or to download the high res go here: www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/petermann-calve.html or Click here to see more images from NASA Goddard’s Earth Observatory NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using data obtained from the Goddard Level 1 and Atmospheric Archive and Distribution System (LAADS). Caption by Holli Riebeek and Michon Scott. Instrument: Terra - MODIS NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft

IceBridge team members

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-13

These IceBridge team members aboard a huge U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft are ready to step out into the cold Antarctic air. The C-17 aircraft that fly to Antarctica are operated by the U.S. Air Force's 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Wash. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Michael Studinger NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Comparative Views of Arctic Sea Ice Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

how the sea ice cover grows and contorts over time. 'Using this new data set, we have the first estimates of how much ice has been produced and where it formed during the winter. We have never been able to do this before,' said Kwok. 'Through our radar maps of the Arctic Ocean, we can actually see ice breaking apart and thin ice growth in the new openings.'

RADARSAT gives researchers a piece of the overall puzzle every three days by creating a complete image of the Arctic. NASA scientists then put those puzzle pieces together to create a time-lapsed view of this remote and inhospitable region. So far, they have processed one season's worth of images.

'We can see large cracks in the ice cover, where most ice grows,' said Kwok. 'These cracks are much longer than previously thought, some as long as 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles),' Kwok continued. 'If the ice is thinning due to warming, we'll expect to see more of these long cracks over the Arctic Ocean.'

Scientists believe this is one of the most significant breakthroughs in the last two decades of ice research. 'We are now in a position to better understand the sea ice cover and the role of the Arctic Ocean in global climate change,' said Kwok.

Radar can see through clouds and any kind of weather system, day or night, and as the Arctic regions are usually cloud-covered and subject to long, dark winters, radar is proving to be extremely useful. However, compiling these data into extremely detailed pictures of the Arctic is a challenging task.

'This is truly a major innovation in terms of the quantities of data being processed and the novelty of the methods being used,' said Verne Kaupp, director of the Alaska SAR Facility at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

The mission is a joint project between JPL, the Alaska SAR Facility, and the Canadian Space Agency. Launched by NASA in 1995, the Radarsat satellite is operated by the Canadian Space Agency. JPL manages the Sea Ice Thickness Derived From High

Airborne profiling of ice thickness using a short pulse radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, R. S.; Heighway, J. E.; Gedney, R. T.

1973-01-01

This paper describes helicopter-borne measurements of ice thickness in Lake Superior, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair river as part of NASA's program to develop an ice information system. The profiler described is a high resolution, nonimaging, short pulse radar, operating at a carrier frequency of 2.7 GHz. The system can resolve reflective surfaces separated by as little as 10 cm and permits measurement of the distance between resolvable surfaces with an accuracy of about 1 cm. Data samples are given for measurements both in a static (helicopter hovering), and a traverse mode. Ground truth measurements taken by an ice auger team traveling with the helicopter are compared with the remotely sensed data and the accuracy of the profiler is discussed based on these measurements.

From Antarctica to space: Use of telepresence and virtual reality in control of remote vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoker, Carol; Hine, Butler P., III; Sims, Michael; Rasmussen, Daryl; Hontalas, Phil; Fong, Terrence W.; Steele, Jay; Barch, Don; Andersen, Dale; Miles, Eric

1994-01-01

In the Fall of 1993, NASA Ames deployed a modified Phantom S2 Remotely-Operated underwater Vehicle (ROV) into an ice-covered sea environment near McMurdo Science Station, Antarctica. This deployment was part of the antarctic Space Analog Program, a joint program between NASA and the National Science Foundation to demonstrate technologies relevant for space exploration in realistic field setting in the Antarctic. The goal of the mission was to operationally test the use of telepresence and virtual reality technology in the operator interface to a remote vehicle, while performing a benthic ecology study. The vehicle was operated both locally, from above a dive hole in the ice through which it was launched, and remotely over a satellite communications link from a control room at NASA's Ames Research Center. Local control of the vehicle was accomplished using the standard Phantom control box containing joysticks and switches, with the operator viewing stereo video camera images on a stereo display monitor. Remote control of the vehicle over the satellite link was accomplished using the Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) control software developed at NASA Ames. The remote operator interface included either a stereo display monitor similar to that used locally or a stereo head-mounted head-tracked display. The compressed video signal from the vehicle was transmitted to NASA Ames over a 768 Kbps satellite channel. Another channel was used to provide a bi-directional Internet link to the vehicle control computer through which the command and telemetry signals traveled, along with a bi-directional telephone service. In addition to the live stereo video from the satellite link, the operator could view a computer-generated graphic representation of the underwater terrain, modeled from the vehicle's sensors. The virtual environment contained an animate graphic model of the vehicle which reflected the state of the actual vehicle, along with ancillary information such

NASA Lewis' Icing Research Tunnel Works With Small Local Company to Test Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Dynamic Coatings, Inc., wanted to test coating products that would enable the company to approach new markets. A Space Act Agreement with NASA Lewis Research Center afforded them this opportunity. They used Lewis' Icing Research Tunnel to test coating products for reduced ice adhesion, industrial and aerospace lubrication applications, a tiremold release coating now used in the production of tires for the Boeing 777, and a product that solidifies asbestos fibers (which is being tested as an insulator in a power plant in Iowa). Not only was the testing a success, but during these activities, Dynamic Coatings met another coating company with whom they now have a joint venture offering a barnacle-repellent coating for marine applications, now on the market in Florida.

Operationally Merged Satellite Visible/IR and Passive Microwave Sea Ice Information for Improved Sea Ice Forecasts and Ship Routing

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

microwave sea ice information for improved sea ice forecasts and ship routing W. Meier NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory...updating the initial ice concentration analysis fields along the ice edge. In the past year, NASA Goddard and NRL have generated a merged 4 km AMSR-E...collaborations of three groups: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ( NASA /GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD, NRL/Oceanography Division located at Stennis Space Center (SSC

Simultaneous retrieval of sea ice thickness and snow depth using concurrent active altimetry and passive L-band remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, L.; Xu, S.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

The retrieval of sea ice thickness mainly relies on satellite altimetry, and the freeboard measurements are converted to sea ice thickness (hi) under certain assumptions over snow loading. The uncertain in snow depth (hs) is a major source of uncertainty in the retrieved sea ice thickness and total volume for both radar and laser altimetry. In this study, novel algorithms for the simultaneous retrieval of hi and hs are proposed for the data synergy of L-band (1.4 GHz) passive remote sensing and both types of active altimetry: (1) L-band (1.4GHz) brightness temperature (TB) from Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite and sea ice freeboard (FBice) from radar altimetry, (2) L-band TB data and snow freeboard (FBsnow) from laser altimetry. Two physical models serve as the forward models for the retrieval: L-band radiation model, and the hydrostatic equilibrium model. Verification with SMOS and Operational IceBridge (OIB) data is carried out, showing overall good retrieval accuracy for both sea ice parameters. Specifically, we show that the covariability between hs and FBsnow is crucial for the synergy between TB and FBsnow. Comparison with existing algorithms shows lower uncertainty in both sea ice parameters, and that the uncertainty in the retrieved sea ice thickness as caused by that of snow depth is spatially uncorrelated, with the potential reduction of the volume uncertainty through spatial sampling. The proposed algorithms can be applied to the retrieval of sea ice parameters at basin-scale, using concurrent active and passive remote sensing data based on satellites.

Aero-Thermal Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (2012 Test)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pastor-Barsi, Christine M.; Arrington, E. Allen; VanZante, Judith Foss

2012-01-01

A major modification of the refrigeration plant and heat exchanger at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) occurred in autumn of 2011. It is standard practice at NASA Glenn to perform a full aero-thermal calibration of the test section of a wind tunnel facility upon completion of major modifications. This paper will discuss the tools and techniques used to complete an aero-thermal calibration of the IRT and the results that were acquired. The goal of this test entry was to complete a flow quality survey and aero-thermal calibration measurements in the test section of the IRT. Test hardware that was used includes the 2D Resistive Temperature Detector (RTD) array, 9-ft pressure survey rake, hot wire survey rake, and the quick check survey rake. This test hardware provides a map of the velocity, Mach number, total and static pressure, total temperature, flow angle and turbulence intensity. The data acquired were then reduced to examine pressure, temperature, velocity, flow angle, and turbulence intensity. Reduced data has been evaluated to assess how the facility meets flow quality goals. No icing conditions were tested as part of the aero-thermal calibration. However, the effects of the spray bar air injections on the flow quality and aero-thermal calibration measurements were examined as part of this calibration.

Aero-thermal Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (2000 Tests)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonsalez, Jose C.; Arrington, E. Allen; Curry, Monroe R., III

2001-01-01

Aerothermal calibration measurements and flow quality surveys were made in the test section of the Icing Research Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. These surveys were made following major facility modifications including widening of the heat exchanger tunnel section, replacement of the heat exchanger, installation of new turning vanes, and installation of new fan exit guide vanes. Standard practice at NASA Glenn requires that test section calibration and flow quality surveys be performed following such major facility modifications. A single horizontally oriented rake was used to survey the flow field at several vertical positions within a single cross-sectional plane of the test section. These surveys provided a detailed mapping of the total and static pressure, total temperature, Mach number, velocity, flow angle and turbulence intensity. Data were acquired over the entire velocity and total temperature range of the facility. No icing conditions were tested; however, the effects of air sprayed through the water injecting spray bars were assessed. All data indicate good flow quality. Mach number standard deviations were less than 0.0017, flow angle standard deviations were between 0.3 deg and 0.8 deg, total temperature standard deviations were between 0.5 and 1.8 F for subfreezing conditions, axial turbulence intensities varied between 0.3 and 1.0 percent, and transverse turbulence intensities varied between 0.3 and 1.5 percent. Measurement uncertainties were also quantified.

NASA sea ice and snow validation plan for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program special sensor microwave/imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, Donald J. (Editor); Swift, Calvin T. (Editor)

1987-01-01

This document addresses the task of developing and executing a plan for validating the algorithm used for initial processing of sea ice data from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI). The document outlines a plan for monitoring the performance of the SSMI, for validating the derived sea ice parameters, and for providing quality data products before distribution to the research community. Because of recent advances in the application of passive microwave remote sensing to snow cover on land, the validation of snow algorithms is also addressed.

Icing Simulation Research Supporting the Ice-Accretion Testing of Large-Scale Swept-Wing Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yadlin, Yoram; Monnig, Jaime T.; Malone, Adam M.; Paul, Bernard P.

2018-01-01

The work summarized in this report is a continuation of NASA's Large-Scale, Swept-Wing Test Articles Fabrication; Research and Test Support for NASA IRT contract (NNC10BA05 -NNC14TA36T) performed by Boeing under the NASA Research and Technology for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (RTAPS) contract. In the study conducted under RTAPS, a series of icing tests in the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) have been conducted to characterize ice formations on large-scale swept wings representative of modern commercial transport airplanes. The outcome of that campaign was a large database of ice-accretion geometries that can be used for subsequent aerodynamic evaluation in other experimental facilities and for validation of ice-accretion prediction codes.

An Overview of the NASA P-3B Airborne Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guillory, Anthony R.; Postell, George W.

2009-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) P-3B Orion is a medium-lift, four engine turbo-prop aircraft that has been reconfigured from a military aircraft to an Earth Science research platform. The aircraft has a long history of supporting science missions, flying on average over 200 hours per year. Examples of research missions that have been flown aboard the aircraft are remote sensing flights to study geophysical parameters including ice-sheet topography and periodic change, soil moisture content, atmospheric aerosol constituents, and beach erosion. Missions are conducted for the purposes of calibration/validation of various NASA and international satellites that monitor climate change as well as process studies and the test of new prototype remote sensing instruments. In recent y ears the focus has been on ice surveys of the Arctic and Antarctic, soil moisture research, and measurements of atmospheric chemistry and radiation sciences. The aircraft has been conducting ice surveys of Greenland since 1993 for the purposes of topographic mapping of both the surface and basal topography. Another application of the aircraft has been for soil moisture research. Research has also been conducted using microwave radiometers and radars over various agricultural and forest lands. Recently, a mission was flown in the spring over the High-Arctic to collect air samples of haze and boreal forest fires in an effort to determine anthropogenic amounts and sources of pollution. This pa per will provide an overview of the P-3B platform and highlight recent science missions.

The NASA Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR): A New Sensor for Earth Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Edward

2003-01-01

The Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) is a versatile new airborne imaging radiometer recently developed by NASA. The AESMIR design is unique in that it performs dual-polarized imaging at all standard passive microwave frequency bands (6-89 GHz) using only one sensor headscanner package, providing an efficient solution for Earth remote sensing applications (snow, soil moisture/land parameters, precipitation, ocean winds, sea surface temperature, water vapor, sea ice, etc.). The microwave radiometers themselves will incorporate state-of-the-art receivers, with particular attention given to instrument calibration for the best possible accuracy and sensitivity. The single-package design of AESMIR makes it compatible with high-altitude aircraft platforms such as the NASA ER-2s. The arbitrary 2-axis gimbal can perform conical and cross-track scanning, as well as fixed-beam staring. This compatibility with high-altitude platforms coupled with the flexible scanning configuration, opens up previously unavailable science opportunities for convection/precip/cloud science and co-flying with complementary instruments, as well as providing wider swath coverage for all science applications. By designing AESMIR to be compatible with these high-altitude platforms, we are also compatible with the NASA P-3, the NASA DC-8, C-130s and ground-based deployments. Thus AESMIR can provide low-, mid-, and high- altitude microwave imaging. Parallel filter banks allow AESMIR to simultaneously simulate the exact passbands of multiple satellite radiometers: SSM/I, TMI, AMSR, Windsat, SSMI/S, and the upcoming GPM/GMI and NPOESS/CMIS instruments --a unique capability among aircraft radiometers. An L-band option is also under development, again using the same scanner. With this option, simultaneous imaging from 1.4 to 89 GHz will be feasible. And, all receivers except the sounding channels will be configured for 4-Stokes polarimetric operation using high-speed digital

An Assessment of the Icing Blade and the SEA Multi-Element Sensor for Liquid Water Content Calibration of the NASA GRC Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steen, Laura E.; Ide, Robert F.; Van Zante, Judith Foss

2017-01-01

The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn has recently switched to from using the Icing Blade to using the SEA Multi-Element Sensor (also known as the multi-wire) for its calibration of cloud liquid water content. In order to perform this transition, tests were completed to compare the Multi-Element Sensor to the Icing Blade, particularly with respect to liquid water content, airspeed, and drop size. The two instruments were found to compare well for the majority of Appendix C conditions. However, it was discovered that the Icing Blade under-measures when the conditions approach the Ludlam Limit. This paper also describes data processing procedures for the Multi-Element Sensor in the IRT, including collection efficiency corrections, mounting underneath a splitter plate, and correcting for a jump in the compensation wire power. Further data is presented to describe the repeatability of the IRT with the Multi-Element sensor, health-monitoring checks for the instrument, and a sensing-element configuration comparison.

An Assessment of the SEA Multi-Element Sensor for Liquid Water Content Calibration of the NASA GRC Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steen, Laura E.; Ide, Robert F.; Van Zante, Judith F.

2015-01-01

The NASA Glenn Icing Research tunnel has been using an Icing Blade technique to measure cloud liquid water content (LWC) since 1980. The IRT conducted tests with SEA Multi-Element sensors from 2009 to 2011 to assess their performance in measuring LWC. These tests revealed that the Multi-Element sensors showed some significant advantages over the Icing Blade, particularly at higher water contents, higher impingement rates, and large drop sizes. Results of these and other tests are presented here.

Multi Source Remote Sensing for Monitoring Light-Absorbing Impurities on Snow and Ice in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombo, R.; Baccolo, G.; Garzonio, R.; Massabò, D.; Julitta, T.; Rossini, M.; Ferrero, L.; Delmonte, B.; Maggi, V.; Mattavelli, M.; Panigada, C.; Cogliati, S.; Cremonese, E.; Di Mauro, B.

2016-12-01

The European Alps are located close to one of the most industrialized areas of the planet and they are 3.000 km from the largest desert of the Earth. Light-absorbing impurities (LAI) emitted from these sources can reach the Alpine chain and deposit on snow covered areas and mountain glaciers. Although several studies show that LAI have important impacts on the optical properties of snow and ice, reducing the albedo and promoting the melt, this impact has been poorly characterized in the Alps. In this contribution, we present the results of a multisource remote sensing approach aimed to study the LAI impact on snow and ice properties in the Alpine area. This process has been observed by means of remote and proximal sensing methods, using satellite (Landsat 8, Hyperion and MODIS data), field spectroscopy (ASD measurements), Automatic Weather Stations, aerial surveys (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), radiative transfer modeling (SNICAR and TARTES) and laboratory analysis (hyperspectral imaging system). Furthermore, particle size (Coulter Counter), geochemical (Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, INAA) and optical (Multi-Wavelength Absorbance Analyzer, MWAA) analyses have been applied to determine the nature and radiative properties of particulate material deposited on snow and ice or aggregated into cryoconite holes. Our results demonstrate that LAI can be monitored from remote sensing at different scale. LAI showed to have a strong impact on the Alpine cryosphere, paving the way for the assessment of their role in melting processes.

Five-Hole Flow Angle Probe Calibration for the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonsalez, Jose C.; Arrington, E. Allen

1999-01-01

A spring 1997 test section calibration program is scheduled for the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel following the installation of new water injecting spray bars. A set of new five-hole flow angle pressure probes was fabricated to properly calibrate the test section for total pressure, static pressure, and flow angle. The probes have nine pressure ports: five total pressure ports on a hemispherical head and four static pressure ports located 14.7 diameters downstream of the head. The probes were calibrated in the NASA Glenn 3.5-in.-diameter free-jet calibration facility. After completing calibration data acquisition for two probes, two data prediction models were evaluated. Prediction errors from a linear discrete model proved to be no worse than those from a full third-order multiple regression model. The linear discrete model only required calibration data acquisition according to an abridged test matrix, thus saving considerable time and financial resources over the multiple regression model that required calibration data acquisition according to a more extensive test matrix. Uncertainties in calibration coefficients and predicted values of flow angle, total pressure, static pressure. Mach number. and velocity were examined. These uncertainties consider the instrumentation that will be available in the Icing Research Tunnel for future test section calibration testing.

The Citizens and Remote Sensing Observational Network (CARSON) Guide: Merging NASA Remote Sensing Data with Local Environmental Awareness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acker, James; Riebeek, Holli; Ledley, Tamara Shapiro; Herring, David; Lloyd, Steven

2008-01-01

"Citizen science" generally refers to observatoinal research and data collection conducted by non-professionals, commonly as volunteers. In the environmental science field, citizen scientists may be involved with local nad regional issues such as bird and wildlife populations, weather, urban sprawl, natural hazards, wetlands, lakes and rivers, estuaries, and a spectrum of public health concerns. Some citizen scientists may be primarily motivated by the intellectual challenge of scientific observations. Citizen scientists may now examine and utilize remote-sensing data related to their particular topics of interest with the easy-to-use NASA Web-based tools Giovanni and NEO, which allow exploration and investigation of a wide variety of Earth remote sensing data sets. The CARSON (Citizens and Remote Sensing Observational Network) Guide will be an online resource consisting of chapters each demonstrating how to utilize Giovanni and NEO to access and analyze specific remote-sensing data. Integrated in each chapter will be descriptions of methods that citizen scientists can employ to collect, monitor, analyze, and share data related to the chapter topic which pertain to environmental and ecological conditions in their local region. A workshop held in August 2008 initiated the development of prototype chapters on water quality, air quality, and precipitation. These will be the initial chapters in the first release of the CARSON Guide, which will be used in a pilot project at the Maryland Science Center in spring 2009. The goal of the CARSON Guide is to augment and enhance citizen scientist environmental research with NASA satellite data by creating a participatory network consisting of motivated individuals, environmental groups and organizations, and science-focused institutions such as museuma and nature centers. Members of the network could potentially interact with government programs, academic research projects, and not-for-profit organizations focused on

Global Hawk, NASA's New Remote-Controlled Plane

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired October 23, 2009. At NASA’s Dryden Research Center in California, a group of engineers, scientists, and aviation technicians have set up camp in a noisy, chilly hangar on Edwards Air Force base. For the past two weeks, they have been working to mount equipment—from HD video cameras to ozone sensors—onto NASA’s Global Hawk, a remote-controlled airplane that can fly for up to 30 hours at altitudes up to 65,000 feet. The team is gearing up for the Global Hawk Pacific campaign, a series of four or five scientific research flights that will take the Global Hawk over the Pacific Ocean and Arctic regions. The 44-foot-long aircraft, with its comically large nose and 116-foot wingspan is pictured in the photograph above, banking for landing over Rogers Dry Lake in California at the end of a test flight on October 23, 2009. The long wings carry the plane’s fuel, and the bulbous nose is one of the payload bays, which house the science instruments. For the Global Hawk Pacific campaign, the robotic aircraft will carry ten science instruments that will sample the chemical composition of air in the troposphere (the atmospheric layer closest to Earth) and the stratosphere (the layer above the troposphere). The mission will also observe clouds and aerosol particles in the troposphere. The primary purpose of the mission is to collect observations that can be used to check the accuracy of simultaneous observations collected by NASA’s Aura satellite. Co-lead scientist Paul Newman from Goddard Space Flight Center is writing about the ground-breaking mission for the Earth Observatory’s Notes from the Field blog. NASA Photograph by Carla Thomas. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. To learn more about this image go to: earthobservatory.nasa

Analysis of the Meteorology Associated with the 1998 NASA Glenn Twin Otter Icing Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Ben C.

2000-01-01

This document contains a basic analysis of the meteorology associated with the NASA Glenn Twin Otter icing encounters between December 1997 and March 1998. The purpose of this analysis is to provide a meteorological context for the aircraft data collected during these flights. For each case, the following data elements are presented: (1) A brief overview of the Twin Otter encounter, including locations, liquid water contents, temperatures and microphysical makeup of the clouds and precipitation aloft, (2) Upper-air charts, providing hand-analyzed locations of lows, troughs, ridges, saturated/unsaturated air, temperatures, warm/cold advection, and jet streams, (3) Balloon-borne soundings, providing vertical profiles of temperature, moisture and winds, (4) Infrared and visible satellite data, providing cloud locations and cloud top temperature, (5) 3-hourly surface charts, providing hand-analyzed locations of lows, highs, fronts, precipitation (including type) and cloud cover, (6) Hourly, regional radar mosaics, providing fine resolution of the locations of precipitation (including intensity and type), pilot reports of icing (including intensity and type), surface observations of precipitation type and Twin Otter tracks for a one hour window centered on the time of the radar data, and (7) Hourly plots of icing pilot reports, providing the icing intensity, icing type, icing altitudes and aircraft type. Outages occurred in nearly every dataset at some point. All relevant data that was available is presented here. All times are in UTC and all heights are in feet above mean sea level (MSL).

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-16

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. These photos are from the DC-8 aircraft while flying an AirSAR mission over Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is more similar to Alaska and Patagonia than to the rest of the Antarctic continent. It is drained by fast glaciers, receives abundant precipitation, and melts significantly in the summer months. In recent decades, the Peninsula has experienced significant atmospheric warming (about 2 degrees C since 1950), which has triggered a vast and spectacular retreat of its floating ice shelves, glacier reduction, a decrease in permanent snow cover and a lengthening of the melt season. As a result, the contribution to sea level from this region could be rapid and substantial. With an area of 120,000 km, or ten times the Patagonia ice fields, the Peninsula could contribute as much as 0.4mm/yr sea level rise, which would be the largest single contribution to sea level from anywhere in the world. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-13

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. These photos are from the DC-8 aircraft while flying an AirSAR mission over Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is more similar to Alaska and Patagonia than to the rest of the Antarctic continent. It is drained by fast glaciers, receives abundant precipitation, and melts significantly in the summer months. In recent decades, the Peninsula has experienced significant atmospheric warming (about 2 degrees C since 1950), which has triggered a vast and spectacular retreat of its floating ice shelves, glacier reduction, a decrease in permanent snow cover and a lengthening of the melt season. As a result, the contribution to sea level from this region could be rapid and substantial. With an area of 120,000 km, or ten times the Patagonia ice fields, the Peninsula could contribute as much as 0.4mm/yr sea level rise, which would be the largest single contribution to sea level from anywhere in the world. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-16

The Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. These photos are from the DC-8 aircraft while flying an AirSAR mission over Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is more similar to Alaska and Patagonia than to the rest of the Antarctic continent. It is drained by fast glaciers, receives abundant precipitation, and melts significantly in the summer months. In recent decades, the Peninsula has experienced significant atmospheric warming (about 2 degrees C since 1950), which has triggered a vast and spectacular retreat of its floating ice shelves, glacier reduction, a decrease in permanent snow cover and a lengthening of the melt season. As a result, the contribution to sea level from this region could be rapid and substantial. With an area of 120,000 km, or ten times the Patagonia ice fields, the Peninsula could contribute as much as 0.4mm/yr sea level rise, which would be the largest single contribution to sea level from anywhere in the world. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

A Study of Large Droplet Ice Accretions in the NASA-Lewis IRT at Near-Freezing Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Dean R.; Addy, Harold E. , Jr.; Ide, Robert F.

1996-01-01

This report documents the results of an experimental study on large droplet ice accretions which was conducted in the NASA-Lewis Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) with a full-scale 77.25 inch chord Twin-Otter wing section. This study was intended to: (1) document the existing capability of the IRT to produce a large droplet icing cloud, and (2) study the effect of various parameters on large droplet ice accretions. Results are presented from a study of the IRT's capability to produce large droplets with MVD of 99 and 160 microns. The effect of the initial water droplet temperature on the resultant ice accretion was studied for different initial spray bar air and water temperatures. The initial spray bar water temperature was found to have no discernible effect upon the large droplet ice accretions. Also, analytical and experimental results suggest that the water droplet temperature is very nearly the same as the tunnel ambient temperature, thus providing a realistic simulation of the large droplet natural icing condition. The effect of temperature, droplet size, airspeed, angle-of attack, flap setting and de-icer boot cycling time on ice accretion was studied, and will be discussed in this report. It was found that, in almost all of the cases studied, an ice ridge formed immediately aft of the active portion of the de-icer boot. This ridge was irregular in shape, varied in location, and was in some cases discontinuous due to aerodynamic shedding.

Proceedings of the Airframe Icing Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colantonio, Ron O. (Editor)

2009-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has a long history of working with its partners towards the understanding of ice accretion formation and its associated degradation of aerodynamic performance. The June 9, 2009, Airframe Icing Workshop held at GRC provided an opportunity to examine the current NASA airframe icing research program and to dialogue on remaining and emerging airframe icing issues and research with the external community. Some of the airframe icing gaps identified included, but are not limited to, ice accretion simulation enhancements, three-dimensional benchmark icing database development, three-dimensional iced aerodynamics modeling, and technology development for a smart icing system.

Multi-decadal Arctic sea ice roughness.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsamados, M.; Stroeve, J.; Kharbouche, S.; Muller, J. P., , Prof; Nolin, A. W.; Petty, A.; Haas, C.; Girard-Ardhuin, F.; Landy, J.

2017-12-01

The transformation of Arctic sea ice from mainly perennial, multi-year ice to a seasonal, first-year ice is believed to have been accompanied by a reduction of the roughness of the ice cover surface. This smoothening effect has been shown to (i) modify the momentum and heat transfer between the atmosphere and ocean, (ii) to alter the ice thickness distribution which in turn controls the snow and melt pond repartition over the ice cover, and (iii) to bias airborne and satellite remote sensing measurements that depend on the scattering and reflective characteristics over the sea ice surface topography. We will review existing and novel remote sensing methodologies proposed to estimate sea ice roughness, ranging from airborne LIDAR measurement (ie Operation IceBridge), to backscatter coefficients from scatterometers (ASCAT, QUICKSCAT), to multi angle maging spectroradiometer (MISR), and to laser (Icesat) and radar altimeters (Envisat, Cryosat, Altika, Sentinel-3). We will show that by comparing and cross-calibrating these different products we can offer a consistent multi-mission, multi-decadal view of the declining sea ice roughness. Implications for sea ice physics, climate and remote sensing will also be discussed.

Demonstration of centimeter-level precision, swath mapping, full-waveform laser altimetry from high altitude on the Global Hawk UAV for future application to cryospheric remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, J. B.; Wake, S.; Rabine, D.; Hofton, M. A.; Mitchell, S.

2013-12-01

The Land Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS) is a high-altitude, wide-swath laser altimeter that has, for over 15 years, demonstrated state-of-the-art performance in surface altimetry, including many aspects of remote sensing of the cryosphere such as precise topography of ice sheets and sea ice. NASA Goddard, in cooperation with NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), has developed a new, more capable sensor that can operate autonomously from a high-altitude UAV aircraft to further enhance the LVIS capability and extend its reach and coverage. In June 2012, this latest sensor, known as LVIS-GH, was integrated onto NASA's Global Hawk aircraft and completed a successful high-altitude demonstration flight over Death Valley, Owens Valley, and the Sierra Nevada region of California. Data were collected over a wide variety of terrain types from 58,000' (> 17 km) altitude during the 6 hour long test flight. The full-waveform laser altimetry technique employed by LVIS and LVIS-GH provides precise surface topography measurements for solid earth and cryospheric applications and captures the vertical structure of forests in support of territorial ecology studies. LVIS-GH fully illuminates and maps a 4 km swath and provides cm-level range precision, as demonstrated in laboratory and horizontal range testing, as well as during this test flight. The cm range precision is notable as it applies to accurate measurements of sea ice freeboard and change detection of subtle surface deformation such as heaving in permafrost areas. In recent years, LVIS has primarily supported Operation IceBridge activities, including deployments to the Arctic and Antarctic on manned aircraft such as the NASA DC-8 and P-3. The LVIS-GH sensor provides an major upgrade of coverage capability and remote access; LVIS-GH operating on the long-duration Global Hawk aircraft can map up to 50,000 km^2 in a single flight and can provide access to remote regions such as the entirety of Antarctica. Future

Ice Waves

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Ice Waves - May 21st, 2001 Description: Along the southeastern coast of Greenland, an intricate network of fjords funnels glacial ice to the Atlantic Ocean. During the summer melting season, newly calved icebergs join slabs of sea ice and older, weathered bergs in an offshore slurry that the southward-flowing East Greenland Current sometimes swirls into stunning shapes. Exposed rock of mountain peaks, tinted red in this image, hints at a hidden landscape. Credit: USGS/NASA/Landsat 7 To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Ice, Ice, Baby!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, C.

2008-12-01

The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed an outreach program based on hands-on activities called "Ice, Ice, Baby". These lessons are designed to teach the science principles of displacement, forces of motion, density, and states of matter. These properties are easily taught through the interesting topics of glaciers, icebergs, and sea level rise in K-8 classrooms. The activities are fun, engaging, and simple enough to be used at science fairs and family science nights. Students who have participated in "Ice, Ice, Baby" have successfully taught these to adults and students at informal events. The lessons are based on education standards which are available on our website www.cresis.ku.edu. This presentation will provide information on the activities, survey results from teachers who have used the material, and other suggested material that can be used before and after the activities.

Acquisition of Airborne Sea Ice Remote Sensing Data with CULPIS-X: an Instrument Mounted on a US Coast Guard C-130

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tschudi, M. A.; Tooth, M.; Barton-Grimley, R. A.

2016-12-01

To obtain high-resolution observations of sea ice, we developed the University of Colorado LIDAR Profiler Instrument Suite - Extended (CULPIS-X). CULPIS-X, originally funded by NASA and currently supported by ONR, is being deployed in the flare tube of a US Coast Guard (USCG) C-130 aircraft, during Arctic Domain Awareness (ADA) flights from Kodiak, AK to the Arctic, in cooperation with the Coast Guard and with the Seasonal Ice Zone Remote Sensing (SIZRS, J. Morrison, PI) program. CULPIS-X (Figure 1) contains a LIDAR, digital camera, thermal infrared and hyperspectral radiometers, along with a GPS for aircraft altitude and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for aircraft attitude, and a computer to process and write the instrument data to SD cards. The package is designed to fly over Arctic sea ice for the purposes of measuring sea ice roughness, estimating sea ice thickness, and measuring ice surface temperature and reflectance. CULPIS-X had its inaugural flight aboard a C-130 out of USCG Air Station Sacramento in April 2016. This flight tested the structure of CULPIS-X, along with instrument readiness. The inaugural Arctic flight of CULPIS-X took place on June 15, 2016. The C-130 took off from Kodiak and flew towards Deadhorse, where it turned on to the 150W longitude line and proceeded north to 76N. The C-130 descended to a lower altitude ( 500 feet) during several flight segments along the 150W line, from Deadhorse to 76N and back. The lower altitude is required to obtain ULS LIDAR return pulses as they reflect off the ocean and sea ice. A similar flight was also performed on July 13, 2016. LIDAR data will be utilized to determine the surface roughness of the overflown ice pack. Furthermore, we will pick locations where open water occurred near or within the ice pack, to establish the freeboard of the ice pack, which will be used to estimate the sea ice thickness. More flights are scheduled for this season, in mid-Aug, Sept, and Oct, and are designed to overfly

IceBridge Data Management and Access Strategies at NSIDC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oldenburg, J.; Tanner, S.; Collins, J. A.; Lewis, S.; FitzGerrell, A.

2013-12-01

NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB) mission, initiated in 2009, collects airborne remote sensing measurements over the polar regions to bridge the gap between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation satellite (ICESat) mission and the upcoming ICESat-2 mission in 2016. OIB combines an evolving mix of instruments to gather data on topography, ice and snow thickness, high-resolution photography, and other properties that are more difficult or impossible to measure via satellite. Once collected, these data are stored and made available at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado. To date, there are nearly 90 terabytes of data available, and there are about three more years of data collection left. The main challenges faced in data management at NSIDC are derived from the quantity and heterogeneity of the data. To deal with the quantity of data, the technical teams at NSIDC have significantly automated the data ingest, metadata generation, and other required data management steps. Heterogeneity of data and the evolution of the Operation over time make technical automation complex. To limit complexity, the IceBridge team has agreed to such practices as using specific data file formats, limiting file sizes, using specific filename templates, etc. These agreements evolve as Operation IceBridge moves forward. The metadata generated about the flights and the data collected thereon make the storage of the data more robust, and enable data discoverability. With so much metadata, users can search the vast collection with ease using specific parameters about the data they seek. An example of this in action is the IceBridge data portal developed at NSIDC, http://nsidc.org/icebridge/portal/. This portal uses the GPS data from the flights projected onto maps as well as other flight and instrument metadata to help the user find the exact data file they seek. This implementation is only possible with dependable data management beneath the surface. The data files

Sea Ice in the Bellingshausen Sea

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Antarctica—the continent at the southernmost reach of the planet—is fringed by cold, often frozen waters of the Southern Ocean. The extent of sea ice around the continent typically reaches a peak in September and a minimum in February. The photograph above shows Antarctic sea ice on November 5, 2014, during the annual cycle of melt. The image was acquired by the Digital Mapping System (DMS), a digital camera installed in the belly of research aircraft to capture images of terrain below. In this case, the system flew on the DC-8 during a flight as part of NASA’s Operation IceBridge. Most of the view shows first-year sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea, as it appeared from an altitude of 328 meters (1,076 feet). The block of ice on the right side of the image is older, thicker, and was once attached to the Antarctic Ice Sheet. By the time this image was acquired, however, the ice had broken away to form an iceberg. Given its close proximity to the ice sheet, this could have been a relatively new berg. Read more: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86721 Credit: NASA/Goddard/IceBridge DMS L0 Raw Imagery courtesy of the Digital Mapping System (DMS) team and the NASA DAAC at the National Snow and Ice Data Center Credit: NASA Earth Observatory NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Ice Surfaces In False Color

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

The theme for the weeks of 1/17 and 1/24 is the north polar region of Mars as seen in false color THEMIS images. Ice/frost will typically appear as bright blue in color; dust mantled ice will appear in tones of red/orange.

This full resolution image shows a marked difference in the 'blueness' of the ice surfaces. The lower (presumably older) surface is oranger and the top (presumably younger) surface is blue. This may represent the fresher ice of the upper surface which has not yet covered with as much dust as the lower surface.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 80.8, Longitude 302.1 East (57.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, 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.

Investigation of water droplet trajectories within the NASA icing research tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reehorst, Andrew; Ibrahim, Mounir

1995-01-01

Water droplet trajectories within the NASA Lewis Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) were studied through computer analysis. Of interest was the influence of the wind tunnel contraction and wind tunnel model blockage on the water droplet trajectories. The computer analysis was carried out with a program package consisting of a three-dimensional potential panel code and a three-dimensional droplet trajectory code. The wind tunnel contraction was found to influence the droplet size distribution and liquid water content distribution across the test section from that at the inlet. The wind tunnel walls were found to have negligible influence upon the impingement of water droplets upon a wing model.

NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel: 2012 Cloud Calibration Procedure and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZante, Judith Foss; Ide, Robert F.; Steen, Laura E.

2012-01-01

In 2011, NASA Glenn s Icing Research Tunnel underwent a major modification to it s refrigeration plant and heat exchanger. This paper presents the results of the subsequent full cloud calibration. Details of the calibration procedure and results are presented herein. The steps include developing a nozzle transfer map, establishing a uniform cloud, conducting a drop sizing calibration and finally a liquid water content calibration. The goal of the calibration is to develop a uniform cloud, and to build a transfer map from the inputs of air speed, spray bar atomizing air pressure and water pressure to the output of median volumetric droplet diameter and liquid water content.

IceBridge Survey Flight Over Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This image of Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord with Kap Atholl in the background was taken during an Operation IceBridge survey flight in April, 2013. Sea ice coverage in the fjord ranges from thicker, white ice seen in the background, to thinner grease ice and leads showing open ocean water in the foreground. In March 2013, NASA's Operation IceBridge scientists began another season of research activity over Arctic ice sheets and sea ice. IceBridge, a six-year NASA mission, is the largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever flown. It will yield an unprecedented three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice. These flights will provide a yearly, multi-instrument look at the behavior of the rapidly changing features of the Greenland and Antarctic ice. Image Credit: NASA / Michael Studinger Read more about the mission here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/icebridge/index.html NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Battling fire and ice: remote guidance ultrasound to diagnose injury on the International Space Station and the ice rink.

PubMed

Kwon, David; Bouffard, J Antonio; van Holsbeeck, Marnix; Sargsyan, Asot E; Hamilton, Douglas R; Melton, Shannon L; Dulchavsky, Scott A

2007-03-01

National Aeronautical and Space and Administration (NASA) researchers have optimized training methods that allow minimally trained, non-physician operators to obtain diagnostic ultrasound (US) images for medical diagnosis including musculoskeletal injury. We hypothesize that these techniques could be expanded to non-expert operators including National Hockey League (NHL) and Olympic athletic trainers to diagnose musculoskeletal injuries in athletes. NHL and Olympic athletic trainers received a brief course on musculoskeletal US. Remote guidance musculoskeletal examinations were conducted by athletic trainers, consisting of hockey groin hernia, knee, ankle, elbow, or shoulder evaluations. US images were transmitted to remote experts for interpretation. Groin, knee, ankle, elbow, or shoulder images were obtained on 32 athletes; all real-time US video stream and still capture images were considered adequate for diagnostic interpretation. This experience suggests that US can be expanded for use in locations without a high level of on-site expertise. A non-physician with minimal training can perform complex, diagnostic-quality examinations when directed by a remote-based expert.

Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Water Storage and Application to Drought Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodell, Matt

2007-01-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) consists of groundwater, soil moisture and permafrost, surface water, snow and ice, and wet biomass. TWS variability tends to be dominated by snow and ice in polar and alpine regions, by soil moisture in mid-latitudes, and by surface water in wet, tropical regions such as the Amazon (Rodell and Famiglietti, 2001; Bates et al., 2007). Drought may be defined as a period of abnormally dry weather long enough to cause significant deficits in one or more of the TWS components. Thus, along with observations of the agricultural and socioeconomic impacts, measurements of TWS and its components enable quantification of drought severity. Each of the TWS components exhibits significant spatial variability, while installation and maintenance of sufficiently dense monitoring networks is costly and labor-intensive. Thus satellite remote sensing is an appealing alternative to traditional measurement techniques. Several current remote sensing instruments are able to detect variations in one or more TWS variables, including the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) on NASA's Aqua satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra and Aqua. Future satellite missions have been proposed to improve this capability, including the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity mission (SMOS) and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT), and Snow and Cold Land Processes (SCLP) missions recommended by the US National Academy of Science's Decadal Survey for Earth Science (NRC, 2007). However, only one remote sensing technology is able to monitor changes in TWS from the land surface to the base of the deepest aquifer: satellite gravimetry. This paper focuses on NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission (GRACE; http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/) and its potential as a tool for drought monitoring.

NASA Research Being Shared Through Live, Interactive Video Tours

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, Ruth A.; Zona, Kathleen A.

2001-01-01

On June 2, 2000, the NASA Glenn Research Center Learning Technologies Project (LTP) coordinated the first live remote videoconferencing broadcast from a Glenn facility. The historic event from Glenn's Icing Research Tunnel featured wind tunnel technicians and researchers performing an icing experiment, obtaining results, and discussing the relevance to everyday flight operations and safety. After a brief overview of its history, students were able to "walk through" the tunnel, stand in the control room, and observe a live icing experiment that demonstrated how ice would grow on an airplane wing in flight through an icing cloud. The tour was interactive, with a spirited exchange of questions and explanations between the students and presenters. The virtual tour of the oldest and largest refrigerated icing research tunnel in the world was the second of a series of videoconferencing connections with the AP Physics students at Bay Village High School, Bay Village, Ohio. The first connection, called Aircraft Safety and Icing Research, introduced the Tailplane Icing Program. In an effort to improve aircraft safety by reducing the number of in-flight icing events, Glenn's Icing Branch uses its icing research aircraft to conduct flight tests. The presenter engaged the students in discussions of basic aircraft flight mechanics and the function of the horizontal tailplane, as well as the effect of ice on airfoil (wing or tail) surfaces. A brief video of actual flight footage provided a view of the pilot's actions and reactions and of the horizon during tailplane icing conditions.

Analysis of the Meteorology Associated with the 1997 NASA Glenn Twin Otter Icing Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Ben C.

2000-01-01

This part of the document contains an analysis of the meteorology associated with the premier icing encounters from the January-March 1997 NASA Twin Otter dataset. The purpose of this analysis is to provide a meteorological context for the aircraft data collected during these flights. For each case, the following data elements are presented: (1) A detailed discussion of the Twin Otter encounter, including locations, liquid water contents, temperatures and microphysical makeup of the clouds and precipitation aloft, (2) Upper-air charts, providing hand-analyzed locations of lows, troughs, ridges, saturated/unsaturated air, temperatures, warm/cold advection, and jet streams, (3) Balloon-borne soundings, providing vertical profiles of temperature, moisture and winds, (4) Infrared satellite data, providing cloud locations and cloud top temperature, (5) 3-hourly surface charts, providing hand-analyzed locations of lows, highs, fronts, precipitation (including type) and cloud cover, (6) Hourly plots of icing pilot reports, providing the icing intensity, icing type, icing altitudes and aircraft type, (7) Hourly, regional radar mosaics, providing fine resolution of the locations of precipitation (including intensity and type), pilot reports of icing (including intensity and type), surface observations of precipitation type and Twin Otter tracks for a one hour window centered on the time of the radar data, and (8) Plots of data from individual NEXRAD radars at times and elevation angles that have been matched to Twin Otter flight locations. Outages occurred in nearly every dataset at some point. All relevant data that was available is presented here. All times are in UTC and all heights are in feet above mean sea level (MSL).

What's Cooler Than Being Cool? Icefin: Robotic Exploration Beneath Antarctic Ice Shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, J.; Schmidt, B. E.; Meister, M. R.; Glass, J. B.; Bowman, J. S.; Stockton, A. M.; Dichek, D.; Hurwitz, B.; Ramey, C.; Spears, A.; Walker, C. C.

2017-12-01

The 2017-18 Antarctic field season marks the first of three under the RISEUP project (Ross Ice Shelf & Europa Underwater Probe, NASA PSTAR program grant NNX16AL07G, PI B. E. Schmidt). RISEUP expands our efforts to understand the physical processes governing ice-ocean interactions from beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) to the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS), utilizing the modular autonomous or remotely operable submersible vehicle (AUV/ROV) Icefin. The remote, aphotic regions below Antarctic shelves present a unique opportunity- they are both poorly understood terrestrial environments and analogs for similar systems hypothesized to be present on other bodies in our solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus. By developing new robotic technologies to access and explore ice shelf cavities we are advancing our understanding of how temperature, pressure, and salinity influence the ice-ocean interface, the limits of habitable environments on Earth, and what biological processes and adaptations enable the life discovered by the RISP and WISSARD programs during initial exploration beneath the RIS. These investigations further our understanding of ocean world habitability and support planned and proposed planetary missions (e.g. Europa Clipper, Europa Lander) via improved constraint of marine ice accretion processes, organic entrainment, and interface habitability. Custom built at Georgia Tech and first deployed during the 2014/15 Antarctic season, Icefin is 3.5 m, 125 kg modular vehicle that now carries a full suite of oceanographic sensors (including conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved O2, dissolved organic matter, turbidity, pH, eH, and sonar) that can be deployed through boreholes as small as 25 cm in diameter. Here we present continued analysis of basal ice and oceanographic observations in the McMurdo Sound region from 2012-2015 with, pending anticipated field work, comparisons to preliminary data from the 2017/18 field season beneath both the McMurdo and Ross Ice

Sea Ice in McClure Strait

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired August 17, 2010 In mid-August 2010, the Northwest Passage was almost—but not quite—free of ice. The ice content in the northern route through the passage (through the Western Parry Channel) was very light, but ice remained in McClure (or M’Clure) Strait. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on August 17, 2010. Although most of McClure Strait looks perfectly ice-free, immediately west of Prince Patrick Island, a band of sea ice stretches southward across the strait (left edge of the image). The National Snow and Ice Data Center Sea Ice News and Analysis blog reported that even more ice remained in the southern route (through Amundsen’s Passage) of the Northwest Passage in mid-August 2010. Nevertheless, the ice content in the northern route was not only well below the 1968–2000 average, but also nearly a month ahead of the clearing observed in 2007, when Arctic sea ice set a record low. As of mid-August 2010, however, overall sea ice extent was higher than it had been at the same time of year in 2007. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team Caption by Michon Scott. To learn more go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45333 Instrument: Terra - MODIS NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook Click here to see more images from NASA Goddard’s Earth Observatory

DEM, tide and velocity over sulzberger ice shelf, West Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baek, S.; Shum, C.K.; Lee, H.; Yi, Y.; Kwoun, Oh-Ig; Lu, Z.; Braun, Andreas

2005-01-01

Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets preserve more than 77% of the global fresh water and could raise global sea level by several meters if completely melted. Ocean tides near and under ice shelves shifts the grounding line position significantly and are one of current limitations to study glacier dynamics and mass balance. The Sulzberger ice shelf is an area of ice mass flux change in West Antarctica and has not yet been well studied. In this study, we use repeat-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry data from the ERS-1 and ERS-2 tandem missions for generation of a high-resolution (60-m) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) including tidal deformation detection and ice stream velocity of the Sulzberger Ice Shelf. Other satellite data such as laser altimeter measurements with fine foot-prints (70-m) from NASA's ICESat are used for validation and analyses. The resulting DEM has an accuracy of-0.57??5.88 m and is demonstrated to be useful for grounding line detection and ice mass balance studies. The deformation observed by InSAR is found to be primarily due to ocean tides and atmospheric pressure. The 2-D ice stream velocities computed agree qualitatively with previous methods on part of the Ice Shelf from passive microwave remote-sensing data (i.e., LANDSAT). ?? 2005 IEEE.

Sea Ice Outlook for September 2015 June Report - NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cullather, Richard I.; Keppenne, Christian L.; Marshak, Jelena; Pawson, Steven; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Suarez, Max J.; Vernieres, Guillaume; Zhao, Bin

2015-01-01

The recent decline in perennial sea ice cover in Arctic Ocean is a topic of enormous scientific interest and has relevance to a broad variety of scientific disciplines and human endeavors including biological and physical oceanography, atmospheric circulation, high latitude ecology, the sustainability of indigenous communities, commerce, and resource exploration. A credible seasonal prediction of sea ice extent would be of substantial use to many of the stakeholders in these fields and may also reveal details on the physical processes that result in the current trends in the ice cover. Forecasts are challenging due in part to limitations in the polar observing network, the large variability in the climate system, and an incomplete knowledge of the significant processes. Nevertheless it is a useful to understand the current capabilities of high latitude seasonal forecasting and identify areas where such forecasts may be improved. Since 2008 the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) has conducted a seasonal forecasting contest in which the average Arctic sea ice extent for the month of September (the month of the annual extent minimum) is predicted from available forecasts in early June, July, and August. The competition is known as the Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) but recently came under the auspices of the Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN), and multi-agency funded project to evaluate the SIO. The forecasts are submitted based on modeling, statistical, and heuristic methods. Forecasts of Arctic sea ice extent from the GMAO are derived from seasonal prediction system of the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System model, version 5 (GEOS 5) coupled atmosphere and ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). The projections are made in order to understand the relative skill of the forecasting system and to determine the effects of future improvements to the system. This years prediction is for a September average Arctic ice extent of 5.030.41 million km2.

NASA Applied Sciences' DEVELOP National Program: Training the Next Generation of Remote Sensing Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, Lauren; Brozen, Madeline; Hillyer, Nelson

2010-01-01

Since its inception over a decade ago, the DEVELOP National Program has provided students with experience in utilizing and integrating satellite remote sensing data into real world-applications. In 1998, DEVELOP began with three students and has evolved into a nationwide internship program with over 200 students participating each year. DEVELOP is a NASA Applied Sciences training and development program extending NASA Earth science research and technology to society. Part of the NASA Science Mission Directorate s Earth Science Division, the Applied Sciences Program focuses on bridging the gap between NASA technology and the public by conducting projects that innovatively use NASA Earth science resources to research environmental issues. Project outcomes focus on assisting communities to better understand environmental change over time. This is accomplished through research with global, national, and regional partners to identify the widest array of practical uses of NASA data. DEVELOP students conduct research in areas that examine how NASA science can better serve society. Projects focus on practical applications of NASA s Earth science research results. Each project is designed to address at least one of the Applied Sciences focus areas, use NASA s Earth observation sources and meet partners needs. DEVELOP research teams partner with end-users and organizations who use project results for policy analysis and decision support, thereby extending the benefits of NASA science and technology to the public.

NASA Fundamental Remote Sensing Science Research Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The NASA Fundamental Remote Sensing Research Program is described. The program provides a dynamic scientific base which is continually broadened and from which future applied research and development can draw support. In particular, the overall objectives and current studies of the scene radiation and atmospheric effect characterization (SRAEC) project are reviewed. The SRAEC research can be generically structured into four types of activities including observation of phenomena, empirical characterization, analytical modeling, and scene radiation analysis and synthesis. The first three activities are the means by which the goal of scene radiation analysis and synthesis is achieved, and thus are considered priority activities during the early phases of the current project. Scene radiation analysis refers to the extraction of information describing the biogeophysical attributes of the scene from the spectral, spatial, and temporal radiance characteristics of the scene including the atmosphere. Scene radiation synthesis is the generation of realistic spectral, spatial, and temporal radiance values for a scene with a given set of biogeophysical attributes and atmospheric conditions.

An Assessment of the Icing Blade and the SEA Multi-Element Sensor for Liquid Water Content Calibration of the NASA GRC Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steen, Laura E.; Ide, Robert F.; Van Zante, Judith F.

2016-01-01

The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn has recently switched from using the Icing Blade to using the SEA Multi-Element Sensor (also known as the multi-wire) for its calibration of cloud liquid water content. In order to peform this transition, tests were completed to compare the Multi-Element Sensor to the Icing Blade, particularly with respect to liquid water content, airspeed, and drop size. The two instruments were found to compare well for the majority of Appendix C conditions. However, it was discovered that the Icing Blade under-measures when the conditions approach the Ludlam Limit. This paper also describes data processing procedures for the Multi-Element Sensor in the IRT, including collision efficiency corrections, mounting underneath a splitter plate, and correcting for a jump in the compensation wire power. Further data is presented to describe the repeatability of the IRT with the Multi-Element Sensor, health-monitoring checks for the instrument, and a sensing-element configuration comparison. Ultimately these tests showed that in the IRT, the multi-wire is a better instrument for measuring cloud liquid water content than the blade.

Numerical Analysis of Mixed-Phase Icing Cloud Simulations in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartkus, Tadas; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Struk, Peter; Van Zante, Judith

2017-01-01

This presentation describes the development of a numerical model that couples the thermal interaction between ice particles, water droplets, and the flowing gas of an icing wind tunnel for simulation of NASA Glenn Research Centers Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). The ultimate goal of the model is to better understand the complex interactions between the test parameters and have greater confidence in the conditions at the test section of the PSL tunnel. The model attempts to explain the observed changes in test conditions by coupling the conservation of mass and energy equations for both the cloud particles and flowing gas mass. Model predictions were compared to measurements taken during May 2015 testing at PSL, where test conditions varied gas temperature, pressure, velocity and humidity levels, as well as the cloud total water content, particle initial temperature, and particle size distribution.

Numerical Analysis of Mixed-Phase Icing Cloud Simulations in the NASA Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartkus, Tadas P.; Tsao, Jen-Ching; Struk, Peter M.; Van Zante, Judith F.

2017-01-01

This paper describes the development of a numerical model that couples the thermal interaction between ice particles, water droplets, and the flowing gas of an icing wind tunnel for simulation of NASA Glenn Research Centers Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL). The ultimate goal of the model is to better understand the complex interactions between the test parameters and have greater confidence in the conditions at the test section of the PSL tunnel. The model attempts to explain the observed changes in test conditions by coupling the conservation of mass and energy equations for both the cloud particles and flowing gas mass. Model predictions were compared to measurements taken during May 2015 testing at PSL, where test conditions varied gas temperature, pressure, velocity and humidity levels, as well as the cloud total water content, particle initial temperature, and particle size distribution.

Antarctic Sea-Ice Freeboard and Estimated Thickness from NASA's ICESat and IceBridge Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yi, Donghui; Kurtz, Nathan; Harbeck, Jeremy; Manizade, Serdar; Hofton, Michelle; Cornejo, Helen G.; Zwally, H. Jay; Robbins, John

2016-01-01

ICESat completed 18 observational campaigns during its lifetime from 2003 to 2009. Data from all of the 18 campaign periods are used in this study. Most of the operational periods were between 34 and 38 days long. Because of laser failure and orbit transition from 8-day to 91-day orbit, there were four periods lasting 57, 16, 23, and 12 days. IceBridge data from 2009, 2010, and 2011 are used in this study. Since 2009, there are 19 Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) campaigns, and eight Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) campaigns over the Antarctic sea ice. Freeboard heights are derived from ICESat, ATM and LVIS elevation and waveform data. With nominal densities of snow, water, and sea ice, combined with snow depth data from AMSR-E/AMSR2 passive microwave observation over the southern ocean, sea-ice thickness is derived from the freeboard. Combined with AMSR-E/AMSR2 ice concentration, sea-ice area and volume are also calculated. During the 2003-2009 period, sea-ice freeboard and thickness distributions show clear seasonal variations that reflect the yearly cycle of the growth and decay of the Antarctic pack ice. We found no significant trend of thickness or area for the Antarctic sea ice during the ICESat period. IceBridge sea ice freeboard and thickness data from 2009 to 2011 over the Weddell Sea and Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas are compared with the ICESat results.

ROV dives under Great Lakes ice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bolsenga, S.J.; Gannon, John E.; Kennedy, Gregory; Norton, D.C.; Herdendorf, Charles E.

1989-01-01

Observations of the underside of ice have a wide variety of applications. Severe under-ice roughness can affect ice movements, rough under-ice surfaces can scour the bottom disturbing biota and man-made structures such as pipelines, and the flow rate of rivers is often affected by under-ice roughness. A few reported observations of the underside of an ice cover have been made, usually by cutting a large block of ice and overturning it, by extensive boring, or by remote sensing. Such operations are extremely labor-intensive and, in some cases, prone to inaccuracies. Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) can partially solve these problems. In this note, we describe the use, performance in a hostile environment, and results of a study in which a ROV was deployed under the ice in Lake Erie (North American Great Lakes).

Ice formation in altocumulus clouds over Leipzig: Remote sensing measurements and detailed model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmel, Martin; Bühl, Johannes; Ansmann, Albert; Tegen, Ina

2014-05-01

Over Leipzig, altocumulus clouds are frequently observed using a suite of remote sensing instruments. These observations cover a wide range of heights, temperatures, and microphysical properties of the clouds ranging from purely liquid to heavily frozen. For the current study, two cases were chosen to test the sensitivity of these clouds with respect to several microphysical and dynamical parameters such as aerosol properties (CCN, IN), ice particle shape as well as turbulence. The mixed-phase spectral microphysical model SPECS was coupled to a dynamical model of the Asai-Kasahara type resulting in the model system AK-SPECS. The relatively simple dynamics allows for a fine vertical resolution needed for the rather shallow cloud layers observed. Additionally, the proper description of hydrometeor sedimentation is important especially for the fast growing ice crystals to realistically capture their interaction with the vapour and liquid phase (Bergeron-Findeisen process). Since the focus is on the cloud microphysics, the dynamics in terms of vertical velocity profile is prescribed for the model runs and the feedback of the microphysics on dynamics by release or consumption of latent heat due to phase transfer is not taken into account. The microphysics focuses on (1) ice particle shape allowing hexagonal plates and columns with size-dependant axis ratios and (2) the ice nuclei (IN) budget realized with a prognostic temperature resolved field of potential IN allowing immersion freezing only when active IN and supercooled drops above a certain size threshold are present within a grid cell. Sensitivity studies show for both cases that ice particle shape seems to have the major influence on ice mass formation under otherwise identical conditions. This is due to the effect (1) on terminal fall velocity of the individual ice particle allowing for longer presence times in conditions supersaturated with respect to ice and (2) on water vapour deposition which is enhanced due

Remote Sensing of Lake Ice Phenology in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Pavelsky, T.

2017-12-01

Lake ice phenology (e.g. ice break-up and freeze-up timing) in Alaska is potentially sensitive to climate change. However, there are few current lake ice records in this region, which hinders the comprehensive understanding of interactions between climate change and lake processes. To provide a lake ice database with over a comparatively long time period (2000 - 2017) and large spatial coverage (4000+ lakes) in Alaska, we have developed an algorithm to detect the timing of lake ice using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data. This approach generally consists of three major steps. First, we use a cloud mask (MOD09GA) to filter out satellite images with heavy cloud contamination. Second, daily MODIS reflectance values (MOD09GQ) of lake surface are used to extract ice pixels from water pixels. The ice status of lakes can be further identified based on the fraction of ice pixels. Third, to improve the accuracy of ice phenology detection, we execute post-processing quality control to reduce false ice events caused by outliers. We validate the proposed algorithm over six lakes by comparing with Landsat-based reference data. Validation results indicate a high correlation between the MODIS results and reference data, with normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) ranging from 1.7% to 4.6%. The time series of this lake ice product is then examined to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of lake ice phenology.

Advances in terrestrial physics research at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salomonson, Vincent V.

1987-01-01

Some past, current, and future terrestrial physics research activities at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center are described. The uses of satellites and sensors, such as Tiros, Landsat, Nimbus, and SMMR, for terrestrial physics research are discussed. The spaceborne data are applicable for monitoring and studying vegetation, snow, and ice dynamics; geological features; soil moisture; water resources; the geoid of the earth; and the earth's magnetic field. Consideration is given to improvements in remote sensing systems and data records and the Earth Observing System sensor concepts.

A review of ice accretion data from a model rotor icing test and comparison with theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britton, Randall K.; Bond, Thomas H.

1991-01-01

An experiment was conducted by the Helicopter Icing Consortium (HIC) in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) in which a 1/6 scale fuselage model of a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter with a generic rotor was subjected to a wide range of icing conditions. The HIC consists of members from NASA, Bell Helicopter, Boeing Helicopter, McDonnell Douglas Helicopters, Sikorsky Aircraft, and Texas A&M University. Data was taken in the form of rotor torque, internal force balance measurements, blade strain gage loading, and two dimensional ice shape tracings. A review of the ice shape data is performed with special attention given to repeatability and correctness of trends in terms of radial variation, rotational speed, icing time, temperature, liquid water content, and volumetric median droplet size. Moreover, an indepth comparison between the experimental data and the analysis of NASA's ice accretion code LEWICE is given. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to the quality of the ice accretion data and the predictability of the data base as a whole. Recommendations are also given for improving data taking technique as well as potential future work.

Mapping and assessing variability in the Antarctic marginal ice zone, pack ice and coastal polynyas in two sea ice algorithms with implications on breeding success of snow petrels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroeve, Julienne C.; Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Campbell, G. Garrett; Barbraud, Christophe; Delord, Karine

2016-08-01

Sea ice variability within the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and polynyas plays an important role for phytoplankton productivity and krill abundance. Therefore, mapping their spatial extent as well as seasonal and interannual variability is essential for understanding how current and future changes in these biologically active regions may impact the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Knowledge of the distribution of MIZ, consolidated pack ice and coastal polynyas in the total Antarctic sea ice cover may also help to shed light on the factors contributing towards recent expansion of the Antarctic ice cover in some regions and contraction in others. The long-term passive microwave satellite data record provides the longest and most consistent record for assessing the proportion of the sea ice cover that is covered by each of these ice categories. However, estimates of the amount of MIZ, consolidated pack ice and polynyas depend strongly on which sea ice algorithm is used. This study uses two popular passive microwave sea ice algorithms, the NASA Team and Bootstrap, and applies the same thresholds to the sea ice concentrations to evaluate the distribution and variability in the MIZ, the consolidated pack ice and coastal polynyas. Results reveal that the seasonal cycle in the MIZ and pack ice is generally similar between both algorithms, yet the NASA Team algorithm has on average twice the MIZ and half the consolidated pack ice area as the Bootstrap algorithm. Trends also differ, with the Bootstrap algorithm suggesting statistically significant trends towards increased pack ice area and no statistically significant trends in the MIZ. The NASA Team algorithm on the other hand indicates statistically significant positive trends in the MIZ during spring. Potential coastal polynya area and amount of broken ice within the consolidated ice pack are also larger in the NASA Team algorithm. The timing of maximum polynya area may differ by as much as 5 months between algorithms. These

Possible Mechanisms for Turbofan Engine Ice Crystal Icing at High Altitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsao, Jen-Ching; Struk, Peter M.; Oliver, Michael

2014-01-01

A thermodynamic model is presented to describe possible mechanisms of ice formation on unheated surfaces inside a turbofan engine compression system from fully glaciated ice crystal clouds often formed at high altitude near deep convective weather systems. It is shown from the analysis that generally there could be two distinct types of ice formation: (1) when the "surface freezing fraction" is in the range of 0 to 1, dominated by the freezing of water melt from fully or partially melted ice crystals, the ice structure is formed from accretion with strong adhesion to the surface, and (2) when the "surface melting fraction" is the range of 0 to 1, dominated by the further melting of ice crystals, the ice structure is formed from accumulation of un-melted ice crystals with relatively weak bonding to the surface. The model captures important qualitative trends of the fundamental ice-crystal icing phenomenon reported earlier1,2 from the research collaboration work by NASA and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. Further, preliminary analysis of test data from the 2013 full scale turbofan engine ice crystal icing test3 conducted in the NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) has also suggested that (1) both types of ice formation occurred during the test, and (2) the model has captured some important qualitative trend of turning on (or off) the ice crystal ice formation process in the tested engine low pressure compressor (LPC) targeted area under different icing conditions that ultimately would lead to (or suppress) an engine core roll back (RB) event.

Possible Mechanisms for Turbofan Engine Ice Crystal Icing at High Altitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsao, Jen-Ching; Struk, Peter M.; Oliver, Michael J.

2016-01-01

A thermodynamic model is presented to describe possible mechanisms of ice formation on unheated surfaces inside a turbofan engine compression system from fully glaciated ice crystal clouds often formed at high altitude near deep convective weather systems. It is shown from the analysis that generally there could be two distinct types of ice formation: (1) when the "surface freezing fraction" is in the range of 0 to 1, dominated by the freezing of water melt from fully or partially melted ice crystals, the ice structure is formed from accretion with strong adhesion to the surface, and (2) when the "surface melting fraction" is the range of 0 to 1, dominated by the further melting of ice crystals, the ice structure is formed from accumulation of un-melted ice crystals with relatively weak bonding to the surface. The model captures important qualitative trends of the fundamental ice-crystal icing phenomenon reported earlier (Refs. 1 and 2) from the research collaboration work by NASA and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. Further, preliminary analysis of test data from the 2013 full scale turbofan engine ice crystal icing test (Ref. 3) conducted in the NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) has also suggested that (1) both types of ice formation occurred during the test, and (2) the model has captured some important qualitative trend of turning on (or off) the ice crystal ice formation process in the tested engine low pressure compressor (LPC) targeted area under different icing conditions that ultimately would lead to (or suppress) an engine core roll back (RB) event.

Dibble Ice Shelf

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

This photo, aken onboard a National Science Foundation/NASA chartered Twin Otter aircraft, shows the ice front of Dibble Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, a significant melt water producer from the Wilkes Land region, East Antarctica.

Flow quality studies of the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrington, E. Allen; Pickett, Mark T.; Sheldon, David W.

1994-01-01

A series of studies have been conducted to determine the flow quality in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. The primary purpose of these studies was to document airflow characteristics, including flow angularity, in the test section and tunnel loop. A vertically mounted rake was used to survey total and static pressure and two components of flow angle at three axial stations within the test section (test section inlet, test plane, and test section exit; 15 survey stations total). This information will be used to develop methods of improving the aerodynamic and icing characteristics within the test section. The data from surveys made in the tunnel loop were used to determine areas where overall tunnel flow quality and efficiency can be improved. A separate report documents similar flow quality surveys conducted in the diffuser section of the Icing Research Tunnel. The flow quality studies were conducted at several locations around the tunnel loop. Pressure, velocity, and flow angularity measurements were made by using both fixed and translating probes. Although surveys were made throughout the tunnel loop, emphasis was placed on the test section and tunnel areas directly upstream of the test section (settling chamber, bellmouth, and cooler). Flow visualization, by video recording smoke and tuft patterns, was also used during these studies. A great deal of flow visualization work was conducted in the area of the drive fan. Information gathered there will be used to improve the flow quality upstream and downstream of the fan.

NASA's Earth Science Use of Commercially Availiable Remote Sensing Datasets: Cover Image

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, Lauren W.; Goward, Samuel N.; Fearon, Matthew G.; Fletcher, Rose; Garvin, Jim; Hurtt, George

2008-01-01

The cover image incorporates high resolution stereo pairs acquired from the DigitalGlobe(R) QuickBird sensor. It shows a digital elevation model of Meteor Crater, Arizona at approximately 1.3 meter point-spacing. Image analysts used the Leica Photogrammetry Suite to produce the DEM. The outside portion was computed from two QuickBird panchromatic scenes acquired October 2006, while an Optech laser scan dataset was used for the crater s interior elevations. The crater s terrain model and image drape were created in a NASA Constellation Program project focused on simulating lunar surface environments for prototyping and testing lunar surface mission analysis and planning tools. This work exemplifies NASA s Scientific Data Purchase legacy and commercial high resolution imagery applications, as scientists use commercial high resolution data to examine lunar analog Earth landscapes for advanced planning and trade studies for future lunar surface activities. Other applications include landscape dynamics related to volcanism, hydrologic events, climate change, and ice movement.

NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 Applications - Advancing Dialogue for More Effective Decisions and Societal benefits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado Arias, S.; Brown, M. E.; Escobar, V. M.; Jasinski, M. F.; Neumann, T.

2016-12-01

Since 2012, the NASA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Applications Program has worked to understand how future mission observations can be effectively used to inform operational sea ice forecasting for Arctic shipping, global flood risk monitoring, fire fuel mapping, and other applications. The ICESat-2 Applications Program has implemented various engagement and outreach activities, as well as an Early Adopter program, to facilitate dialogue between potential users, project scientists, science definition team members, NASA Headquarters and the mission's data distribution center. This dialogue clarifies how ICESat-2's science data can be integrated, improved or leveraged to advance science objectives aligned with or beyond those of the mission, and in support of a range of decisions and actions of benefit to communities across the globe. In this presentation, we will present an overview of the Program initiatives and highlight the research-to-applications chains that mission Early Adopters are helping build for ICESat-2. With a total of 19 Early Adopters and more than 400 people engaged as part of the applications community, ICESat-2 has positioned itself to ensure applications where its observations are used to meet the needs of decision makers, policy makers and managers at different scales. For more information visit: http://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/applications

Small Airframe Manufacturer's Icing Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoppins, Jim

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the icing effects, risk mitigation practices, and icing certifications for various Cessna small aircraft models. NASA's role in the development of simulation tools for icing certifications is also discussed.

NASA Fluid Lensing & MiDAR - Next-Generation Remote Sensing Technologies for Aquatic Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chirayath, Ved

2018-01-01

Piti's Tepungan Bay and Tumon Bay, two of five marine preserves in Guam, have not been mapped to a level of detail sufficient to support proposed management strategies. This project addresses this gap by providing high resolution maps to promote sustainable, responsible use of the area while protecting natural resources. Dr. Chirayath, a research scientist at the NASA Ames Laboratory, developed a theoretical model and algorithm called 'Fluid Lensing'. Fluid lensing removes optical distortions caused by moving water, improving the clarity of the images taken of the corals below the surface. We will also be using MiDAR, a next-generation remote sensing instrument that provides real-time multispectral video using an array of LED emitters coupled with NASA's FluidCam Imaging System, which may assist Guam's coral reef response team in understanding the severity and magnitude of coral bleaching events. This project will produce a 3D orthorectified model of the shallow water coral reef ecosystems in Tumon Bay and Piti marine preserves. These 3D models may be printed, creating a tactile diorama and increasing understanding of coral reefs among various audiences, including key decision makers. More importantly, the final data products can enable accurate and quantitative health assessment capabilities for coral reef ecosystems.

Mapping and Assessing Variability in the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone, the Pack Ice and Coastal Polynyas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroeve, Julienne; Jenouvrier, Stephanie

2016-04-01

Sea ice variability within the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and polynyas plays an important role for phytoplankton productivity and krill abundance. Therefore mapping their spatial extent, seasonal and interannual variability is essential for understanding how current and future changes in these biological active regions may impact the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Knowledge of the distribution of different ice types to the total Antarctic sea ice cover may also help to shed light on the factors contributing towards recent expansion of the Antarctic ice cover in some regions and contraction in others. The long-term passive microwave satellite data record provides the longest and most consistent data record for assessing different ice types. However, estimates of the amount of MIZ, consolidated pack ice and polynyas depends strongly on what sea ice algorithm is used. This study uses two popular passive microwave sea ice algorithms, the NASA Team and Bootstrap to evaluate the distribution and variability in the MIZ, the consolidated pack ice and coastal polynyas. Results reveal the NASA Team algorithm has on average twice the MIZ and half the consolidated pack ice area as the Bootstrap algorithm. Polynya area is also larger in the NASA Team algorithm, and the timing of maximum polynya area may differ by as much as 5 months between algorithms. These differences lead to different relationships between sea ice characteristics and biological processes, as illustrated here with the breeding success of an Antarctic seabird.

Sea Ice off the Princess Astrid Coast

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-08

On April 5, 2015, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of sea ice off the coast of East Antarctica’s Princess Astrid Coast. White areas close to the continent are sea ice, while white areas in the northeast corner of the image are clouds. One way to better distinguish ice from clouds is with false-color imagery. In the false-color view of the scene here, ice is blue and clouds are white. The image was acquired after Antarctic sea ice had passed its annual minimum extent (reached on February 20, 2015), and had resumed expansion toward its maximum extent (usually reached in September). Credit: NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Kathryn Hansen via NASA's Earth Observatory Read more: www.nasa.gov/content/sea-ice-off-east-antarcticas-princes... NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Advancements in the LEWICE Ice Accretion Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, William B.

1993-01-01

Recent evidence has shown that the NASA/Lewis Ice Accretion Model, LEWICE, does not predict accurate ice shapes for certain glaze ice conditions. This paper will present the methodology used to make a first attempt at improving the ice accretion prediction in these regimes. Importance is given to the correlations for heat transfer coefficient and ice density, as well as runback flow, selection of the transition point, flow field resolution, and droplet trajectory models. Further improvements and refinement of these modules will be performed once tests in NASA's Icing Research Tunnel, scheduled for 1993, are completed.

Ice Island Calves off Petermann Glacier

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired August 11, 2010. After breaking off the Petermann Glacier on August 5, 2010, a massive ice island floated slowly down the fjord toward the Nares Strait. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image of the ice island on August 11, 2010. In this image, ice is light blue, water is nearly black, and clouds are nearly white. Although a bank of thin clouds hovers over the fjord, the southernmost margin of the ice island is still visible. Toward the north, the leading edge of the ice island retains the same shape it had days earlier, at the time of the initial calving. NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Terra - ASTER To see more images from of the glacier go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/event.php?id=45116 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Tidally induced variations in vertical and horizontal motion on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica, inferred from remotely sensed observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minchew, B. M.; Simons, M.; Riel, B.; Milillo, P.

2017-01-01

To better understand the influence of stress changes over floating ice shelves on grounded ice streams, we develop a Bayesian method for inferring time-dependent 3-D surface velocity fields from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical remote sensing data. Our specific goal is to observe ocean tide-induced variability in vertical ice shelf position and horizontal ice stream flow. Thus, we consider the special case where observed surface displacement at a given location can be defined by a 3-D secular velocity vector, a family of 3-D sinusoidal functions, and a correction to the digital elevation model used to process the SAR data. Using nearly 9 months of SAR data collected from multiple satellite viewing geometries with the COSMO-SkyMed 4-satellite constellation, we infer the spatiotemporal response of Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica, to ocean tidal forcing. Consistent with expected tidal uplift, inferred vertical motion over the ice shelf is dominated by semidiurnal and diurnal tidal constituents. Horizontal ice flow variability, on the other hand, occurs primarily at the fortnightly spring-neap tidal period (Msf). We propose that periodic grounding of the ice shelf is the primary mechanism for translating vertical tidal motion into horizontal flow variability, causing ice flow to accelerate first and most strongly over the ice shelf. Flow variations then propagate through the grounded ice stream at a mean rate of ˜29 km/d and decay quasi-linearly with distance over ˜85 km upstream of the grounding zone.

Looking for Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-23

This image was targeted for NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft to look at a candidate new crater on a lobate apron. Such aprons are often ice-rich, but the crater shows no bright material that would indicate ice.

Ice Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

Heavy water ice clouds almost completely obscure the surface in Vastitas Borealis.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, 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.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 69.5, Longitude 283.6 East (76.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Ice Types in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Determining the amount and type of sea ice in the polar oceans is crucial to improving our knowledge and understanding of polar weather and long term climate fluctuations. These views from two satellite remote sensing instruments; the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on board the RADARSAT satellite and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), illustrate different methods that may be used to assess sea ice type. Sea ice in the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of Alaska was classified and mapped in these concurrent images acquired March 19, 2001 and mapped to the same geographic area.

To identify sea ice types, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ice Center constructs ice charts using several data sources including RADARSAT SAR images such as the one shown at left. SAR classifies sea ice types primarily by how the surface and subsurface roughness influence radar backscatter. In the SAR image, white lines delineate different sea ice zones as identified by the National Ice Center. Regions of mostly multi-year ice (A) are separated from regions with large amounts of first year and younger ice (B-D), and the dashed white line at bottom marks the coastline. In general, sea ice types that exhibit increased radar backscatter appear bright in SAR and are identified as rougher, older ice types. Younger, smoother ice types appear dark to SAR. Near the top of the SAR image, however, red arrows point to bright areas in which large, crystalline 'frost flowers' have formed on young, thin ice, causing this young ice type to exhibit an increased radar backscatter. Frost flowers are strongly backscattering at radar wavelengths (cm) due to both surface roughness and the high salinity of frost flowers, which causes them to be highly reflective to radar energy.

Surface roughness is also registered by MISR, although the roughness observed is at a different spatial scale. Older, rougher ice areas are predominantly backward scattering to

Satellite Remote Sensing: Passive-Microwave Measurements of Sea Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.; Zukor, Dorothy J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Satellite passive-microwave measurements of sea ice have provided global or near-global sea ice data for most of the period since the launch of the Nimbus 5 satellite in December 1972, and have done so with horizontal resolutions on the order of 25-50 km and a frequency of every few days. These data have been used to calculate sea ice concentrations (percent areal coverages), sea ice extents, the length of the sea ice season, sea ice temperatures, and sea ice velocities, and to determine the timing of the seasonal onset of melt as well as aspects of the ice-type composition of the sea ice cover. In each case, the calculations are based on the microwave emission characteristics of sea ice and the important contrasts between the microwave emissions of sea ice and those of the surrounding liquid-water medium.

Optimizing Observations of Sea Ice Thickness and Snow Depth in the Arctic

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) in...and results from this focused effort with data collected during related national and international activities (e.g. other NASA IceBridge sea ice...surface elevation of the snow or ice/air interface, and radar altimetry measurements of the snow/ice interface, taken by NASA IceBridge and NRL

Sparse ice: Geophysical, biological and Indigenous knowledge perspectives on a habitat for ice-associated fauna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, O. A.; Eicken, H.; Weyapuk, W., Jr.; Adams, B.; Mohoney, A. R.

2015-12-01

The significance of highly dispersed, remnant Arctic sea ice as a platform for marine mammals and indigenous hunters in spring and summer may have increased disproportionately with changes in the ice cover. As dispersed remnant ice becomes more common in the future it will be increasingly important to understand its ecological role for upper trophic levels such as marine mammals and its role for supporting primary productivity of ice-associated algae. Potential sparse ice habitat at sea ice concentrations below 15% is difficult to detect using remote sensing data alone. A combination of high resolution satellite imagery (including Synthetic Aperture Radar), data from the Barrow sea ice radar, and local observations from indigenous sea ice experts was used to detect sparse sea ice in the Alaska Arctic. Traditional knowledge on sea ice use by marine mammals was used to delimit the scales where sparse ice could still be used as habitat for seals and walrus. Potential sparse ice habitat was quantified with respect to overall spatial extent, size of ice floes, and density of floes. Sparse ice persistence offshore did not prevent the occurrence of large coastal walrus haul outs, but the lack of sparse ice and early sea ice retreat coincided with local observations of ringed seal pup mortality. Observations from indigenous hunters will continue to be an important source of information for validating remote sensing detections of sparse ice, and improving understanding of marine mammal adaptations to sea ice change.

NASA Remote Sensing Observations for Water Resource and Infrastructure Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granger, S. L.; Armstrong, L.; Farr, T.; Geller, G.; Heath, E.; Hyon, J.; Lavoie, S.; McDonald, K.; Realmuto, V.; Stough, T.; Szana, K.

2008-12-01

Decision support tools employed by water resource and infrastructure managers often utilize data products obtained from local sources or national/regional databases of historic surveys and observations. Incorporation of data from these sources can be laborious and time consuming as new products must be identified, cleaned and archived for each new study site. Adding remote sensing observations to the list of sources holds promise for a timely, consistent, global product to aid decision support at regional and global scales by providing global observations of geophysical parameters including soil moisture, precipitation, atmospheric temperature, derived evapotranspiration, and snow extent needed for hydrologic models and decision support tools. However, issues such as spatial and temporal resolution arise when attempting to integrate remote sensing observations into existing decision support tools. We are working to overcome these and other challenges through partnerships with water resource managers, tool developers and other stakeholders. We are developing a new data processing framework, enabled by a core GIS server, to seamlessly pull together observations from disparate sources for synthesis into information products and visualizations useful to the water resources community. A case study approach is being taken to develop the system by working closely with water infrastructure and resource managers to integrate remote observations into infrastructure, hydrologic and water resource decision tools. We present the results of a case study utilizing observations from the PALS aircraft instrument as a proxy for NASA's upcoming Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission and an existing commercial decision support tool.

The Application of NASA Remote Sensing Technology to Human Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watts, C. T.

2007-01-01

With the help of satellites, the Earth's environment can be monitored from a distance. Earth observing satellites and sensors collect data and survey patterns that supply important information about the environment relating to its affect on human health. Combined with ground data, such patterns and remote sensing data can be essential to public health applications. Remote sensing technology is providing information that can help predict factors that affect human health, such as disease, drought, famine, and floods. A number of public health concerns that affect Earth's human population are part of the current National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Applications Plan to provide remotely gathered data to public health decision-makers to aid in forming and implementing policy to protect human health and preserve well-being. These areas of concern are: air quality; water quality; weather and climate change; infectious, zoonotic, and vector-borne disease; sunshine; food resource security; and health risks associated with the built environment. Collaborations within the Earth Science Applications Plan join local, state, national, or global organizations and agencies as partners. These partnerships engage in projects that strive to understand the connection between the environment and health. The important outcome is to put this understanding to use through enhancement of decision support tools that aid policy and management decisions on environmental health risks. Future plans will further employ developed models in formats that are compatible and accessible to all public health organizations.

Piloted Flight Simulator Developed for Icing Effects Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratvasky, Thomas P.

2005-01-01

In an effort to expand pilot training methods to avoid icing-related accidents, the NASA Glenn Research Center and Bihrle Applied Research Inc. have developed the Ice Contamination Effects Flight Training Device (ICEFTD). ICEFTD simulates the flight characteristics of the NASA Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft in a no-ice baseline and in two ice configurations simulating ice-protection-system failures. Key features of the training device are the force feedback in the yoke, the instrument panel and out-the-window graphics, the instructor s workstation, and the portability of the unit.

Improving AirNow Air Quality Products with NASA Near-Real-Time Remote Sensing Data (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, T.; Pasch, A. N.; DeWinter, J. L.; Haderman, M.; Szykman, J.; White, J. E.; van Donkelaar, A.; Martin, R.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow program provides the public with real-time and forecasted air quality conditions. Millions of people each day use it to protect their health. The AirNow program (http://www.airnow.gov), reports ground-level ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in a standardized index called the Air Quality Index (AQI). AirNow aggregates information from over 130 state, local, and federal air quality agencies and provides tools for over 2,000 agency staff responsible for monitoring, forecasting, and communicating local air quality. Each hour, AirNow systems generate thousands of maps and products. This presentation will describe how AirNow is benefiting from NASA's remote sensing data. We will describe two applications of NASA near-real-time remote sensing data within AirNow through case studies, focusing specifically on days when large spatial gradients in AQI and wildfire smoke impacts were observed. The first case study will show how AirNow is merging satellite-estimated PM2.5 concentrations into the AQI maps via the AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP). AirNow derives these satellite estimates using NASA/NOAA satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals and GEOS-Chem modeled ratios of surface PM2.5 concentrations to AOD. The second case study will show how NASA's Global Image Browse Services (GIBS) provides a near-real-time satellite product in AirNow-Tech for agency users to quickly identify smoke plumes and access air quality conditions in data-sparse areas during wildland fires.

Developing and bounding ice particle mass- and area-dimension expressions for use in atmospheric models and remote sensing

DOE PAGES

Erfani, Ehsan; Mitchell, David L.

2016-04-07

Here, ice particle mass- and projected area-dimension ( m- D and A- D) power laws are commonly used in the treatment of ice cloud microphysical and optical properties and the remote sensing of ice cloud properties. Although there has long been evidence that a single m- D or A- D power law is often not valid over all ice particle sizes, few studies have addressed this fact. This study develops self-consistent m- D and A- D expressions that are not power laws but can easily be reduced to power laws for the ice particle size (maximum dimension or D) rangemore » of interest, and they are valid over a much larger D range than power laws. This was done by combining ground measurements of individual ice particle m and D formed at temperature T < –20 °C during a cloud seeding field campaign with 2-D stereo (2D-S) and cloud particle imager (CPI) probe measurements of D and A, and estimates of m, in synoptic and anvil ice clouds at similar temperatures. The resulting m- D and A- D expressions are functions of temperature and cloud type (synoptic vs. anvil), and are in good agreement with m- D power laws developed from recent field studies considering the same temperature range (–60 °C < T < –20 °C).« less

Aero-Thermal Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (2004 and 2005 Tests)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrington, E. Allen; Pastor, Christine M.; Gonsalez, Jose C.; Curry, Monroe R., III

2010-01-01

A full aero-thermal calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel was completed in 2004 following the replacement of the inlet guide vanes upstream of the tunnel drive system and improvement to the facility total temperature instrumentation. This calibration test provided data used to fully document the aero-thermal flow quality in the IRT test section and to construct calibration curves for the operation of the IRT. The 2004 test was also the first to use the 2-D RTD array, an improved total temperature calibration measurement platform.

Overview of the Icing and Flow Quality Improvements Program for the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irvine, Thomas B.; Kevdzija, Susan L.; Sheldon, David W.; Spera, David A.

2001-01-01

Major upgrades were made in 1999 to the 6- by 9-Foot (1.8- by 2.7-m) Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. These included replacement of the electronic controls for the variable-speed drive motor, replacement of the heat exchanger, complete replacement and enlargement of the leg of the tunnel containing the new heat-exchanger, the addition of flow-expanding and flow-contracting turning vanes upstream and downstream of the heat exchanger, respectively, and the addition of fan outlet guide vanes (OGV's). This paper describes the rationale behind this latest program of IRT upgrades and the program's requirements and goals. An overview is given of the scope of work undertaken by the design and construction contractors, the scale-model IRT (SMIRT) design verification program, the comprehensive reactivation test program initiated upon completion of construction, and the overall management approach followed.

New Fluid Prevents Railway Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Through a licensing agreement between NASA's Ames Research Center and Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc. (MIS), two MIS products have been enhanced with NASA's anti-icing fluid technology. MIS offers the new fluid in two commercial products, the Zero Gravity(TM) Third Rail Anti-Icer/Deicer and the Ice Free Switch(R). Using NASA's fluid technology, these products form a protective-coating barrier that prevents the buildup of ice and snow. Applying the fluid to the railway components prior to ice or snowstorm works as an anti-icing fluid, remaining in place to melt precipitation as it hits the surface. It also functions as a deicing fluid. If applied to an already frozen switch or rail, it will quickly melt the ice, free the frozen parts, and then remain in place to prevent refreezing. Additional benefits include the ability to cling to vertical rail surfaces and resist the effects of rain and wind. With the Ice Free Switch, it takes only five minutes to treat the switch by spraying, brushing, or pouring on the product. Ice Free Switch requires as little as one gallon per switch whereas other deicing fluids require five to ten gallons of liquid to effectively melt ice. Zero Gravity serves the same anti-icing/deicing purposes but applies fluid to the third rail through a system that is easily installed onto mass transit cars. A tank of fluid and a dispensing system are placed underneath the train car and the fluid is applied as the train runs its route.

Subsonic Aircraft Safety Icing Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Sharon Monica; Reveley, Mary S.; Evans, Joni K.; Barrientos, Francesca A.

2008-01-01

NASA's Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) Project is one of four projects within the agency s Aviation Safety Program (AvSafe) in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). The IRAC Project, which was redesigned in the first half of 2007, conducts research to advance the state of the art in aircraft control design tools and techniques. A "Key Decision Point" was established for fiscal year 2007 with the following expected outcomes: document the most currently available statistical/prognostic data associated with icing for subsonic transport, summarize reports by subject matter experts in icing research on current knowledge of icing effects on control parameters and establish future requirements for icing research for subsonic transports including the appropriate alignment. This study contains: (1) statistical analyses of accident and incident data conducted by NASA researchers for this "Key Decision Point", (2) an examination of icing in other recent statistically based studies, (3) a summary of aviation safety priority lists that have been developed by various subject-matter experts, including the significance of aircraft icing research in these lists and (4) suggested future requirements for NASA icing research. The review of several studies by subject-matter experts was summarized into four high-priority icing research areas. Based on the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) Project goals and objectives, the IRAC project was encouraged to conduct work in all of the high-priority icing research areas that were identified, with the exception of the developing of methods to sense and document actual icing conditions.

A New Way to Measure Cirrus Ice Water Content by Using Ice Raman Scatter with Raman Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Zhien; Whiteman, David N.; Demoz, Belay; Veselovskii, Igor

2004-01-01

High and cold cirrus clouds mainly contain irregular ice crystals, such as, columns, hexagonal plates, bullet rosettes, and dendrites, and have different impacts on the climate system than low-level clouds, such as stratus, stratocumulus, and cumulus. The radiative effects of cirrus clouds on the current and future climate depend strongly on cirrus cloud microphysical properties including ice water content (IWC) and ice crystal sizes, which are mostly an unknown aspect of cinus clouds. Because of the natural complexity of cirrus clouds and their high locations, it is a challenging task to get them accurately by both remote sensing and in situ sampling. This study presents a new method to remotely sense cirrus microphysical properties by using ice Raman scatter with a Raman lidar. The intensity of Raman scattering is fundamentally proportional to the number of molecules involved. Therefore, ice Raman scattering signal provides a more direct way to measure IWC than other remote sensing methods. Case studies show that this method has the potential to provide essential information of cirrus microphysical properties to study cloud physical processes in cirrus clouds.

Europa Broken Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-09-07

Jupiter moon Europa, as seen in this image taken June 27, 1996 by NASA Galileo spacecraft, displays features in some areas resembling ice floes seen in Earth polar seas. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00291

Comparison of NASA Team2 and AES-York Ice Concentration Algorithms Against Operational Ice Charts From the Canadian Ice Service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shokr, Mohammed; Markus, Thorsten

2006-01-01

Ice concentration retrieved from spaceborne passive-microwave observations is a prime input to operational sea-ice-monitoring programs, numerical weather prediction models, and global climate models. Atmospheric Environment Service (AES)- York and the Enhanced National Aeronautics and Space Administration Team (NT2) are two algorithms that calculate ice concentration from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager observations. This paper furnishes a comparison between ice concentrations (total, thin, and thick types) output from NT2 and AES-York algorithms against the corresponding estimates from the operational analysis of Radarsat images in the Canadian Ice Service (CIS). A new data fusion technique, which incorporates the actual sensor's footprint, was developed to facilitate this study. Results have shown that the NT2 and AES-York algorithms underestimate total ice concentration by 18.35% and 9.66% concentration counts on average, with 16.8% and 15.35% standard deviation, respectively. However, the retrieved concentrations of thin and thick ice are in much more discrepancy with the operational CIS estimates when either one of these two types dominates the viewing area. This is more likely to occur when the total ice concentration approaches 100%. If thin and thick ice types coexist in comparable concentrations, the algorithms' estimates agree with CIS'S estimates. In terms of ice concentration retrieval, thin ice is more problematic than thick ice. The concept of using a single tie point to represent a thin ice surface is not realistic and provides the largest error source for retrieval accuracy. While AES-York provides total ice concentration in slightly more agreement with CIS'S estimates, NT2 provides better agreement in retrieving thin and thick ice concentrations.

Transport of Gas-Phase Anthropogenic VOCs to the Remote Troposphere During the NASA ATom Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornbrook, R. S.; Apel, E. C.; Hills, A. J.; Asher, E. C. C.; Emmons, L. K.; Blake, D. R.; Blake, N. J.; Simpson, I. J.; Barletta, B.; Meinardi, S.; Montzka, S. A.; Moore, F. L.; Miller, B. R.; Sweeney, C.; McKain, K.; Wofsy, S. C.; Daube, B. C.; Commane, R.; Bui, T. V.; Hanisco, T. F.; Wolfe, G. M.; St Clair, J. M.; Ryerson, T. B.; Thompson, C. R.; Peischl, J.; Ray, E. A.

2017-12-01

The NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) project aims to study the impact of human-produced air pollution on greenhouse gases and on chemically reactive gases in the atmosphere. During the first two deployments, ATom-1 and ATom-2, which took place August 2016 and February 2017, respectively, a suite of trace gas measurement instruments were deployed on the NASA DC-8 which profiled the atmosphere between 0.2 and 13 km from near-pole to near-pole around the globe, sampling in the most remote regions of the atmosphere over the Arctic, Pacific, Southern, and Atlantic Oceans. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a range of lifetimes from days to decades quantified using the Trace Organic Gas Analyzer (TOGA), Whole Air Sampler (WAS) and Programmable Flask Packages (PFPs) demonstrate a significant impact on the remote atmosphere from urban and industrial sources. Comparisons between the transport and fate of pollutants during Northern Hemisphere summer and winter will be presented. Observations of the distributions of anthropogenic VOCs will be compared with simulations using the Community Atmosphere Model with chemistry (CAM-chem).

Modeling of scattering from ice surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlberg, Michael Ross

Theoretical research is proposed to study electromagnetic wave scattering from ice surfaces. A mathematical formulation that is more representative of the electromagnetic scattering from ice, with volume mechanisms included, and capable of handling multiple scattering effects is developed. This research is essential to advancing the field of environmental science and engineering by enabling more accurate inversion of remote sensing data. The results of this research contributed towards a more accurate representation of the scattering from ice surfaces, that is computationally more efficient and that can be applied to many remote-sensing applications.

Data sets for snow cover monitoring and modelling from the National Snow and Ice Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holm, M.; Daniels, K.; Scott, D.; McLean, B.; Weaver, R.

2003-04-01

A wide range of snow cover monitoring and modelling data sets are pending or are currently available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). In-situ observations support validation experiments that enhance the accuracy of remote sensing data. In addition, remote sensing data are available in near-real time, providing coarse-resolution snow monitoring capability. Time series data beginning in 1966 are valuable for modelling efforts. NSIDC holdings include SMMR and SSM/I snow cover data, MODIS snow cover extent products, in-situ and satellite data collected for NASA's recent Cold Land Processes Experiment, and soon-to-be-released ASMR-E passive microwave products. The AMSR-E and MODIS sensors are part of NASA's Earth Observing System flying on the Terra and Aqua satellites Characteristics of these NSIDC-held data sets, appropriateness of products for specific applications, and data set access and availability will be presented.

Unusual radar echoes from the Greenland ice sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rignot, E. J.; Vanzyl, J. J.; Ostro, S. J.; Jezek, K. C.

1993-01-01

In June 1991, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory airborne synthetic-aperture radar (AIRSAR) instrument collected the first calibrated data set of multifrequency, polarimetric, radar observations of the Greenland ice sheet. At the time of the AIRSAR overflight, ground teams recorded the snow and firn (old snow) stratigraphy, grain size, density, and temperature at ice camps in three of the four snow zones identified by glaciologists to characterize four different degrees of summer melting of the Greenland ice sheet. The four snow zones are: (1) the dry-snow zone, at high elevation, where melting rarely occurs; (2) the percolation zone, where summer melting generates water that percolates down through the cold, porous, dry snow and then refreezes in place to form massive layers and pipes of solid ice; (3) the soaked-snow zone where melting saturates the snow with liquid water and forms standing lakes; and (4) the ablation zone, at the lowest elevations, where melting is vigorous enough to remove the seasonal snow cover and ablate the glacier ice. There is interest in mapping the spatial extent and temporal variability of these different snow zones repeatedly by using remote sensing techniques. The objectives of the 1991 experiment were to study changes in radar scattering properties across the different melting zones of the Greenland ice sheet, and relate the radar properties of the ice sheet to the snow and firn physical properties via relevant scattering mechanisms. Here, we present an analysis of the unusual radar echoes measured from the percolation zone.

NASA, Remote Sensing and Archaeology: An Example from Southeast Louisiana

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giardino, Marco J.

2010-01-01

NASA Stennis Space Center, located in Mississippi, USA, undertook an archaeological survey of the southeastern Louisiana marshes beginning in 2003. Progress on this activity was severely hampered by the 2005 hurricane season when both Katrina and Rita devastated the study area. In 2008, the NASA team reinitiated the analysis of the project data and that work continues today. The project was conducted initially in partnership with the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers New Orleans District and Tulane University. NASA and its partners utilized a wide variety of satellite and airborne remote sensing instruments combined with field verification surveys to identify prehistoric archeological sites in the Southeastern Louisiana delta, both known and still undiscovered. The main approach was to carefully map known sites and use the spectral characteristics of these sites to locate high probability targets elsewhere in the region. The archaeological activities were conducted in support of Coast 2050 whose stated goals is to sustain and restore a coastal ecosystem that supports and protects the environment, economy and culture of southern Louisiana. As the Coast 2050 report states: [T]he rate of coastal land loss in Louisiana has reached catastrophic proportions. Within the last 50 years, land loss rates have exceeded 40 square miles per year, and in the 1990's the rate has been estimated to be between 25 and 35 square miles each year. This loss represents 80% of the coastal wetland loss in the entire continental United States.

Users manual for the NASA Lewis three-dimensional ice accretion code (LEWICE 3D)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bidwell, Colin S.; Potapczuk, Mark G.

1993-01-01

A description of the methodology, the algorithms, and the input and output data along with an example case for the NASA Lewis 3D ice accretion code (LEWICE3D) has been produced. The manual has been designed to help the user understand the capabilities, the methodologies, and the use of the code. The LEWICE3D code is a conglomeration of several codes for the purpose of calculating ice shapes on three-dimensional external surfaces. A three-dimensional external flow panel code is incorporated which has the capability of calculating flow about arbitrary 3D lifting and nonlifting bodies with external flow. A fourth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme is used to calculate arbitrary streamlines. An Adams type predictor-corrector trajectory integration scheme has been included to calculate arbitrary trajectories. Schemes for calculating tangent trajectories, collection efficiencies, and concentration factors for arbitrary regions of interest for single droplets or droplet distributions have been incorporated. A LEWICE 2D based heat transfer algorithm can be used to calculate ice accretions along surface streamlines. A geometry modification scheme is incorporated which calculates the new geometry based on the ice accretions generated at each section of interest. The three-dimensional ice accretion calculation is based on the LEWICE 2D calculation. Both codes calculate the flow, pressure distribution, and collection efficiency distribution along surface streamlines. For both codes the heat transfer calculation is divided into two regions, one above the stagnation point and one below the stagnation point, and solved for each region assuming a flat plate with pressure distribution. Water is assumed to follow the surface streamlines, hence starting at the stagnation zone any water that is not frozen out at a control volume is assumed to run back into the next control volume. After the amount of frozen water at each control volume has been calculated the geometry is modified by

NASA Satellite View of Antarctica

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired November 2, 2011 The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of the Knox, Budd Law Dome, and Sabrina Coasts, Antarctica on November 2, 2011 at 01:40 UTC (Nov. 1 at 9:40 p.m. EDT). Operation Ice Bridge is exploring Antarctic ice, and more information can be found at www.nasa.gov/icebridge. Image Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Characterizing Arctic Sea Ice Topography Using High-Resolution IceBridge Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petty, Alek; Tsamados, Michel; Kurtz, Nathan; Farrell, Sinead; Newman, Thomas; Harbeck, Jeremy; Feltham, Daniel; Richter-Menge, Jackie

2016-01-01

We present an analysis of Arctic sea ice topography using high resolution, three-dimensional, surface elevation data from the Airborne Topographic Mapper, flown as part of NASA's Operation IceBridge mission. Surface features in the sea ice cover are detected using a newly developed surface feature picking algorithm. We derive information regarding the height, volume and geometry of surface features from 2009-2014 within the Beaufort/Chukchi and Central Arctic regions. The results are delineated by ice type to estimate the topographic variability across first-year and multi-year ice regimes.

Remotely Operated Vehicles under sea ice - Experiences and results from five years of polar operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katlein, Christian; Arndt, Stefanie; Lange, Benjamin; Belter, Hans Jakob; Schiller, Martin; Nicolaus, Marcel

2016-04-01

The availability of advanced robotic technologies to the Earth Science community has largely increased in the last decade. Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) enable spatially extensive scientific investigations underneath the sea ice of the polar oceans, covering a larger range and longer diving times than divers with significantly lower risks. Here we present our experiences and scientific results acquired from ROV operations during the last five years in the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice region. Working under the sea ice means to have all obstacles and investigated objects above the vehicle, and thus changes several paradigms of ROV operations as compared to blue water applications. Observations of downwelling spectral irradiance and radiance allow a characterization of the optical properties of sea ice and the spatial variability of the energy partitioning across the atmosphere-ice-ocean boundary. Our results show that the decreasing thickness and age of the sea ice have led to a significant increase in light transmission during summer over the last three decades. Spatially extensive measurements from ROV surveys generally provide more information on the light field variability than single spot measurements. The large number of sampled ice conditions during five cruises with the German research icebreaker RV Polarstern allows for the investigations of the seasonal evolution of light transmittance. Both, measurements of hyperspectral light transmittance through sea ice, as well as classification of upward-looking camera images were used to investigate the spatial distribution of ice-algal biomass. Buoyant ice-algal aggregates were found to be positioned in the stretches of level ice, rather than pressure ridges due to a physical interaction of aggregate-buoyancy and under-ice currents. Synchronous measurements of sea ice thickness by upward looking sonar provides crucial additional information to put light-transmittance and biological observations into context

Quantification of Ice Accretions for Icing Scaling Evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruff, Gary A.; Anderson, David N.

2003-01-01

The comparison of ice accretion characteristics is an integral part of aircraft icing research. It is often necessary to compare an ice accretion obtained from a flight test or numerical simulation to one produced in an icing wind tunnel or for validation of an icing scaling method. Traditionally, this has been accomplished by overlaying two-dimensional tracings of ice accretion shapes. This paper addresses the basic question of how to compare ice accretions using more quantitative methods. For simplicity, geometric characteristics of the ice accretions are used for the comparison. One method evaluated is a direct comparison of the percent differences of the geometric measurements. The second method inputs these measurements into a fuzzy inference system to obtain a single measure of the goodness of the comparison. The procedures are demonstrated by comparing ice shapes obtained in the Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center during recent icing scaling tests. The results demonstrate that this type of analysis is useful in quantifying the similarity of ice accretion shapes and that the procedures should be further developed by expanding the analysis to additional icing data sets.

Method to Generate Full-Span Ice Shape on Swept Wing Using Icing Tunnel Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sam; Camello, Stephanie

2015-01-01

There is a collaborative research program by NASA, FAA, ONERA, and university partners to improve the fidelity of experimental and computational simulation methods for swept-wing ice accretion formulations and resultant aerodynamic effects on large transport aircraft. This research utilizes a 65 scale Common Research Model as the baseline configuration. In order to generate the ice shapes for the aerodynamic testing, ice-accretion testing will be conducted in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel utilizing hybrid model from the 20, 64, and 83 spanwise locations. The models will have full-scale leading edges with truncated chord in order to fit the IRT test section. The ice shapes from the IRT tests will be digitized using a commercially available articulated-arm 3D laser scanning system. The methodology to acquire 3D ice shapes using a laser scanner was developed and validated in a previous research effort. Each of these models will yield a 1.5ft span of ice than can be used. However, a full-span ice accretion will require 75 ft span of ice. This means there will be large gaps between these spanwise ice sections that must be filled, while maintaining all of the important aerodynamic features. A method was developed to generate a full-span ice shape from the three 1.5 ft span ice shapes from the three models.

Tests of the Performance of Coatings for Low Ice Adhesion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David N.; Reich, Allen D.

1997-01-01

This paper reports studies of the performance of low-ice-adhesion coatings by NASA Lewis and BFGoodrich. Studies used impact ice accreted both in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) and in the BFGoodrich Icing Wind Tunnel (IWT) and static ice in a BFGoodrich bench-top parallel-plate shear rig. Early tests at NASA Lewis involved simple qualitative evaluations of the ease of removing impact ice from a surface. Coated surfaces were compared with uncoated ones. Some of the coatings were tested again with static ice at BFGoodrich to obtain quantitative measurements. Later, methods to establish the adhesion force on surfaces subjected to impact ice were explored at Lewis. This paper describes the various test programs and the results of testing some of the coatings looked at over the past 5 years. None of the coatings were found to be truly ice-phobic; however, the most effective coatings were found to reduce the adhesion of ice to about 1/2 that of an uncoated aluminum sample.

Design and Fabrication of Nereid-UI: A Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle for Oceanographic Access Under Ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitcomb, L. L.; Bowen, A. D.; Yoerger, D.; German, C. R.; Kinsey, J. C.; Mayer, L. A.; Jakuba, M. V.; Gomez-Ibanez, D.; Taylor, C. L.; Machado, C.; Howland, J. C.; Kaiser, C. L.; Heintz, M.; Pontbriand, C.; Suman, S.; O'hara, L.

2013-12-01

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and collaborators from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of New Hampshire are developing for the Polar Science Community a remotely-controlled underwater robotic vehicle capable of being tele-operated under ice under remote real-time human supervision. The Nereid Under-Ice (Nereid-UI) vehicle will enable exploration and detailed examination of biological and physical environments at glacial ice-tongues and ice-shelf margins, delivering high-definition video in addition to survey data from on board acoustic, chemical, and biological sensors. Preliminary propulsion system testing indicates the vehicle will be able to attain standoff distances of up to 20 km from an ice-edge boundary, as dictated by the current maximum tether length. The goal of the Nereid-UI system is to provide scientific access to under-ice and ice-margin environments that is presently impractical or infeasible. FIBER-OPTIC TETHER: The heart of the Nereid-UI system is its expendable fiber optic telemetry system. The telemetry system utilizes many of the same components pioneered for the full-ocean depth capable HROV Nereus vehicle, with the addition of continuous fiber status monitoring, and new float-pack and depressor designs that enable single-body deployment. POWER SYSTEM: Nereid-UI is powered by a pressure-tolerant lithium-ion battery system composed of 30 Ah prismatic pouch cells, arranged on a 90 volt bus and capable of delivering 15 kW. The cells are contained in modules of 8 cells, and groups of 9 modules are housed together in oil-filled plastic boxes. The power distribution system uses pressure tolerant components extensively, each of which have been individually qualified to 10 kpsi and operation between -20 C and 40 C. THRUSTERS: Nereid-UI will employ eight identical WHOI-designed thrusters, each with a frameless motor, oil-filled and individually compensated, and designed for low-speed (500 rpm max) direct drive. We expect an end

Added Value of Far-Infrared Radiometry for Ice Cloud Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libois, Q.; Blanchet, J. P.; Ivanescu, L.; S Pelletier, L.; Laurence, C.

2017-12-01

Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, most of these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ < 15 μm) part of the spectrum, and none are available in the far-infrared (FIR, λ ≥ 15 μm). Recent developments in FIR sensors technology, though, now make it possible to consider spaceborne remote sensing in the FIR. Here we show that adding a few FIR channels with realistic radiometric performances to existing spaceborne narrowband radiometers would significantly improve their ability to retrieve ice cloud radiative properties. For clouds encountered in the polar regions and the upper troposphere, where the atmosphere above clouds is sufficiently transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. This would somehow extend the range of applicability of current infrared retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, which is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers, and for investigating the water cycle in the driest regions of the atmosphere.

Ice Layer Cross-Section In False Color

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

The theme for the weeks of 1/17 and 1/24 is the north polar region of Mars as seen in false color THEMIS images. Ice/frost will typically appear as bright blue in color; dust mantled ice will appear in tones of red/orange.

This image of shows a cross sectional view of the ice layers. Note the subtle peach banding on the left side of the image. The time variation that the bands represent is not yet understood.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude 83.5, Longitude 118.2 East (241.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, 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.

NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing Program: Flight Test Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratvasky, Thomas P.; VanZante, Judith Foss; Sim, Alex

2000-01-01

This report presents results from research flights that explored the characteristics of an ice-contaminated tailplane using various simulated ice shapes attached to the leading edge of the horizontal tailplane. A clean leading edge provided the baseline case, then three ice shapes were flown in order of increasing severity. Flight tests included both steady state and dynamic maneuvers. The steady state points were 1G wings level and steady heading sideslips. The primary dynamic maneuvers were pushovers to various G-levels; elevator doublets; and thrust transitions. These maneuvers were conducted for a full range of flap positions and aircraft angle of attack where possible. The analysis of this data set has clearly demonstrated the detrimental effects of ice contamination on aircraft stability and controllability. Paths to tailplane stall were revealed through parameter isolation and transition studies. These paths are (1) increasing ice shape severity, (2) increasing flap deflection, (3) high or low speeds, depending on whether the aircraft is in a steady state (high speed) or pushover maneuver (low speed), and (4) increasing thrust. The flight research effort was very comprehensive, but did not examine effects of tailplane design and location, or other aircraft geometry configuration effects. However, this effort provided the role of some of the parameters in promoting tailplane stall. The lessons learned will provide guidance to regulatory agencies, aircraft manufacturers, and operators on ice-contaminated tailplane stall in the effort to increase aviation safety and reduce the fatal accident rate.

NASA SPoRT Initialization Datasets for Local Model Runs in the Environmental Modeling System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; LaFontaine, Frank J.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Carcione, Brian; Wood, Lance; Maloney, Joseph; Estupinan, Jeral; Medlin, Jeffrey M.; Blottman, Peter; Rozumalski, Robert A.

2011-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has developed several products for its National Weather Service (NWS) partners that can be used to initialize local model runs within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Environmental Modeling System (EMS). These real-time datasets consist of surface-based information updated at least once per day, and produced in a composite or gridded product that is easily incorporated into the WRF EMS. The primary goal for making these NASA datasets available to the WRF EMS community is to provide timely and high-quality information at a spatial resolution comparable to that used in the local model configurations (i.e., convection-allowing scales). The current suite of SPoRT products supported in the WRF EMS include a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) composite, a Great Lakes sea-ice extent, a Greenness Vegetation Fraction (GVF) composite, and Land Information System (LIS) gridded output. The SPoRT SST composite is a blend of primarily the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System data for non-precipitation coverage over the oceans at 2-km resolution. The composite includes a special lake surface temperature analysis over the Great Lakes using contributions from the Remote Sensing Systems temperature data. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Ice Percentage product is used to create a sea-ice mask in the SPoRT SST composite. The sea-ice mask is produced daily (in-season) at 1.8-km resolution and identifies ice percentage from 0 100% in 10% increments, with values above 90% flagged as ice.

Amery Ice Shelf's 'Loose Tooth' Gets Looser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

'normal' frequency of calving events from a particular ice shelf is necessary before it can be determined whether calving rates are changing. As part of an effort to determine the normal rate of ice flow and iceberg calving events, the Amery Ice Shelf front has been monitored by various remote sensing instruments for many years. The Amery Ice Shelf is currently considered to be about two-thirds of the way through a calving cycle. The last major calving event occurred in the early 1960's, when a massive iceberg (measuring about 140 kilometers x 70 kilometers) was released.

The Amery 'loose tooth' is the subject of a joint field experiment during the 2002 austral summer, partially funded by NASA and undertaken by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Australian Antarctic Division. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously from pole to pole, and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 9579 and 14807. The panels cover an area of about 204 kilometers x 110 kilometers, and utilize data from blocks 146 to 147 within World Reference System-2 paths 127 and 128, respectively. Data from the two orbital paths have been remapped to identical polar projections, and were cropped to include the same geographic area.

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

"We Freeze to Please": A History of NASA's Icing Research Tunnel and the Quest for Flight Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leary, William M.

2002-01-01

The formation of ice on wings and other control surfaces of airplanes is one of the oldest and most vexing problems that aircraft engineers and scientists continue to face. While no easy, comprehensive answers exist, the staff at NASAs Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has done pioneering work to make flight safer for experimental, commercial, and military customers. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) initiated government research on aircraft icing in the 1930s at its Langley facility in Virginia. Icing research shifted to the NACA's Cleveland facility in the 1940s. Initially there was little focus on icing at either location, as these facilities were more concerned with aerodynamics and engine development. With several high-profile fatal crashes of air mail carriers, however, the NACA soon realized the need for a leading research facility devoted to icing prevention and removal. The IRT began operation in 1944 and, despite renovations and periodic attempts to shut it down, has continued to function productively for almost 60 years. In part because icing has proved so problematic over time, IRT researchers have been unusually open-minded in experimenting with a wide variety of substances, devices, and techniques. Early icing prevention experiments involved grease, pumping hot engine exhaust onto the wings, glycerin soap, mechanical and inflatable "boots," and even corn syrup. The IRT staff also looked abroad for ideas and later tried a German and Soviet technique of electromagnetism, to no avail. More recently, European polymer fluids have been more promising. The IRT even periodically had "amateur nights" in which a dentist's coating for children's teeth proved unequal to the demands of super-cooled water droplets blown at 100 miles per hour. Despite many research dead-ends, IRT researchers have achieved great success over the years. They have developed important computer models, such as the LEWICE software

Remote sensing and GIS technology in the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raup, B.; Kääb, Andreas; Kargel, J.S.; Bishop, M.P.; Hamilton, G.; Lee, E.; Paul, F.; Rau, F.; Soltesz, D.; Khalsa, S.J.S.; Beedle, M.; Helm, C.

2007-01-01

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) is an international consortium established to acquire satellite images of the world's glaciers, analyze them for glacier extent and changes, and to assess these change data in terms of forcings. The consortium is organized into a system of Regional Centers, each of which is responsible for glaciers in their region of expertise. Specialized needs for mapping glaciers in a distributed analysis environment require considerable work developing software tools: terrain classification emphasizing snow, ice, water, and admixtures of ice with rock debris; change detection and analysis; visualization of images and derived data; interpretation and archival of derived data; and analysis to ensure consistency of results from different Regional Centers. A global glacier database has been designed and implemented at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (Boulder, CO); parameters have been expanded from those of the World Glacier Inventory (WGI), and the database has been structured to be compatible with (and to incorporate) WGI data. The project as a whole was originated, and has been coordinated by, the US Geological Survey (Flagstaff, AZ), which has also led the development of an interactive tool for automated analysis and manual editing of glacier images and derived data (GLIMSView). This article addresses remote sensing and Geographic Information Science techniques developed within the framework of GLIMS in order to fulfill the goals of this distributed project. Sample applications illustrating the developed techniques are also shown. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of ice thickness and surface properties on light transmission through Arctic sea ice.

PubMed

Katlein, Christian; Arndt, Stefanie; Nicolaus, Marcel; Perovich, Donald K; Jakuba, Michael V; Suman, Stefano; Elliott, Stephen; Whitcomb, Louis L; McFarland, Christopher J; Gerdes, Rüdiger; Boetius, Antje; German, Christopher R

2015-09-01

The observed changes in physical properties of sea ice such as decreased thickness and increased melt pond cover severely impact the energy budget of Arctic sea ice. Increased light transmission leads to increased deposition of solar energy in the upper ocean and thus plays a crucial role for amount and timing of sea-ice-melt and under-ice primary production. Recent developments in underwater technology provide new opportunities to study light transmission below the largely inaccessible underside of sea ice. We measured spectral under-ice radiance and irradiance using the new Nereid Under-Ice (NUI) underwater robotic vehicle, during a cruise of the R/V Polarstern to 83°N 6°W in the Arctic Ocean in July 2014. NUI is a next generation hybrid remotely operated vehicle (H-ROV) designed for both remotely piloted and autonomous surveys underneath land-fast and moving sea ice. Here we present results from one of the first comprehensive scientific dives of NUI employing its interdisciplinary sensor suite. We combine under-ice optical measurements with three dimensional under-ice topography (multibeam sonar) and aerial images of the surface conditions. We investigate the influence of spatially varying ice-thickness and surface properties on the spatial variability of light transmittance during summer. Our results show that surface properties such as melt ponds dominate the spatial distribution of the under-ice light field on small scales (<1000 m 2 ), while sea ice-thickness is the most important predictor for light transmission on larger scales. In addition, we propose the use of an algorithm to obtain histograms of light transmission from distributions of sea ice thickness and surface albedo.

Remote sensing of snow using bistatic radar reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komanduru, Abi

Snow and ice processes are a critical part of the Earth's hydrological and climate cycles. These processes can serve as an important source of fresh water as well as a cause of flooding. Various missions have been proposed by NASA and ESA for the purpose of remote sensing of snow. This research looks at applying bistatic radar reflectometry to the remote sensing of snow water equivalent. The resulting phase offset from changes in optical path length due to reflection through snow are the primary measurements made. The research uses data from a field campaign in Fraser, CO, involving an instrument collecting direct and reflected from S band during Jan 2015 - Apr 2015. Phase measurements from the field data are made from the two signals and compared to theoretical phase computed from a forward model using in situ data. A moderate correlation (>0.6) is found between the measured and modeled phase.

Operationally Monitoring Sea Ice at the Canadian Ice Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Abreu, R.; Flett, D.; Carrieres, T.; Falkingham, J.

2004-05-01

The Canadian Ice Service (CIS) of the Meteorological Service of Canada promotes safe and efficient maritime operations and protects Canada's environment by providing reliable and timely information about ice and iceberg conditions in Canadian waters. Daily and seasonal charts describing the extent, type and concentration of sea ice and icebergs are provided to support navigation and other activities (e.g. oil and gas) in coastal waters. The CIS relies on a suite of spaceborne visible, infrared and microwave sensors to operationally monitor ice conditions in Canadian coastal and inland waterways. These efforts are complemented by operational sea ice models that are customized and run at the CIS. The archive of these data represent a 35 year archive of ice conditions and have proven to be a valuable dataset for historical sea ice analysis. This presentation will describe the daily integration of remote sensing observations and modelled ice conditions used to produce ice and iceberg products. A review of the decadal evolution of this process will be presented, as well as a glimpse into the future of ice and iceberg monitoring. Examples of the utility of the CIS digital sea ice archive for climate studies will also be presented.

Rewriting Ice Sheet "Glacier-ology"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindschadler, R.

2006-12-01

The revolution in glaciology driven by the suite of increasingly sophisticated satellite instruments has been no more extreme than in the area of ice dynamics. Years ago, glaciologists were (probably unwittingly) selective in what properties of mountain glaciers were also applied to ice sheets. This reinforced the view that they responded slowly to their environment. Notions of rapid response driven by the ideas of John Mercer, Bill Budd and Terry Hughes were politely rejected by the centrists of mainstream glaciological thought. How the tables have turned--and by the ice sheets themselves, captured in the act of rapidly changing by modern remote sensors! The saw-toothed record of sea-level change over past glacial-interglacial cycles required the existence of rapid ice loss processes. Satellite based observations, supported by hard-earned field observations have extended the time scale over which ice sheets can suddenly change to ever shorter intervals: from centuries, to decades, to years to even minutes. As changes continue to be observed, the scientific community is forced to consider new or previously ignored processes to explain these observations. The penultimate goal of ice-sheet dynamics is to credibly predict the future of both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. In this important endeavor, there is no substitute for our ability to observe. Without the extensive data sets provided by remote sensing, numerical models can be neither tested nor improved. The impact of remote sensing on our existing ability to predict the future must be compared to our probable state of knowledge and ability were these data never collected. Among many satellite observed phenomena we would be largely or wholly ignorant of are the recent acceleration of ice throughout much of coastal Greenland; the sudden disintegration of multiple ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula; and the dramatic thinning and acceleration of the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica. These

Innovative Approaches to Remote Sensing in NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peri, Frank; Volz, Stephen

2013-01-01

NASA's Earth Venture class (EV) of mission are competitively selected, Principal Investigator (PI) led, relatively low cost and narrowly focused in scientific scope. Investigations address a full spectrum of earth science objectives, including studies of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, polar ice regions, and solid Earth. EV has three program elements: EV-Suborbital (EVS) are suborbital/airborne investigations; EV-Mission (EVM) element comprises small complete spaceborne missions; and EV-Instrument (EVI) element develops spaceborne instruments for flight as missions-of-opportunity (MoO). To ensure the success of EV, the management approach of each element is tailored according to the specific needs of the element.

Ice Particle Impacts on a Flat Plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vargas, Mario; Ruggeri, Charles; Struk, Peter M.; Pereira, Mike; Revilock, Duane; Kreeger, Richard E.

2015-01-01

An experimental study was conducted at the Ballistic Laboratory of NASA Glenn Research Center to study the impact of ice particles on a stationary flat surface target set at 45 degrees with respect to the direction of motion of the impinging particle (Figure 1). The experiment is part of NASA efforts to study the physics involved in engine power-loss events due to ice-crystal ingestion and ice accretion formation inside engines. These events can occur when aircraft encounter high-altitude convective weather.

Approaching the 2015 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

As the sun sets over the Arctic, the end of this year’s melt season is quickly approaching and the sea ice cover has already shrunk to the fourth lowest in the satellite record. With possibly some days of melting left, the sea ice extent could still drop to the second or third lowest on record. Arctic sea ice, which regulates the planet’s temperature by bouncing solar energy back to space, has been on a steep decline for the last two decades. This animation shows the evolution of Arctic sea ice in 2015, from its annual maximum wintertime extent, reached on February 25, to September 6. Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio DOWNLOAD THIS VIDEO HERE: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=11999 NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds

PubMed Central

Hubbard, Bryn; Luckman, Adrian; Ashmore, David W.; Bevan, Suzanne; Kulessa, Bernd; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Philippe, Morgane; Jansen, Daniela; Booth, Adam; Sevestre, Heidi; Tison, Jean-Louis; O'Leary, Martin; Rutt, Ian

2016-01-01

Surface melt ponds form intermittently on several Antarctic ice shelves. Although implicated in ice-shelf break up, the consequences of such ponding for ice formation and ice-shelf structure have not been evaluated. Here we report the discovery of a massive subsurface ice layer, at least 16 km across, several kilometres long and tens of metres deep, located in an area of intense melting and intermittent ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica. We combine borehole optical televiewer logging and radar measurements with remote sensing and firn modelling to investigate the layer, found to be ∼10 °C warmer and ∼170 kg m−3 denser than anticipated in the absence of ponding and hitherto used in models of ice-shelf fracture and flow. Surface ponding and ice layers such as the one we report are likely to form on a wider range of Antarctic ice shelves in response to climatic warming in forthcoming decades. PMID:27283778

Collaborative Approaches to Increase the Utility of Spatial Data for the Wildfire Management Community Through NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCullum, A. J. K.; Schmidt, C.; Blevins, B.; Weber, K.; Schnase, J. L.; Carroll, M.; Prados, A. I.

2015-12-01

The utility of spatial data products and tools to assess risk and effectively manage wildfires has increased, highlighting the need for communicating information about these new capabilities to decision makers, resource managers, and community leaders. NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program works directly with agencies and policy makers to develop in-person and online training courses that teach end users how to access, visualize, and apply NASA Earth Science data in their profession. The expansion of ARSET into wildfire applications began in 2015 with a webinar and subsequent in-person training hosted in collaboration with Idaho State University's (ISU) GIS Training and Research Center (TReC). These trainings featured presentations from the USDA Forest Service's Remote Sensing Training and Applications Center, the Land Processes DAAC, Northwest Nazarene University, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and ISU's GIS TReC. The webinar focused on providing land managers, non-governmental organizations, and international management agencies with an overview of 1) remote sensing platforms for wildfire applications, 2) products for pre- and post-fire planning and assessment, 3) the use of terrain data, 4) new techniques and technologies such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and the Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP), and 5) the RECOVER Decision Support System. This training highlighted online tools that engage the wildfire community through collaborative monitoring and assessment efforts. Webinar attendance included 278 participants from 178 organizations in 42 countries and 33 US states. The majority of respondents (93%) from a post-webinar survey indicated they displayed improvement in their understanding of specific remote-sensing data products appropriate for their work needs. With collaborative efforts between federal, state, and local agencies and academic institutions, increased use of NASA Earth Observations may lead to improved near real

Operation IceBridge Turns Five

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

stopped functioning in 2009. In addition to extending the ICESat record, IceBridge also sets the stage for ICESat-2, which is scheduled for launch in 2017. Credit: IceBridge DMS L0 Raw Imagery courtesy of the Digital Mapping System (DMS) team/NASA DAAC at the National Snow and Ice Data Center More info: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84549 earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84549

NASA Airborne Campaigns Focus on Climate Impacts in the Arctic

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This red plane is a DHC-3 Otter, the plane flown in NASA's Operation IceBridge-Alaska surveys of mountain glaciers in Alaska. Credit: Chris Larsen, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Over the past few decades, average global temperatures have been on the rise, and this warming is happening two to three times faster in the Arctic. As the region’s summer comes to a close, NASA is hard at work studying how rising temperatures are affecting the Arctic. NASA researchers this summer and fall are carrying out three Alaska-based airborne research campaigns aimed at measuring greenhouse gas concentrations near Earth’s surface, monitoring Alaskan glaciers, and collecting data on Arctic sea ice and clouds. Observations from these NASA campaigns will give researchers a better understanding of how the Arctic is responding to rising temperatures. The Arctic Radiation – IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment, or ARISE, is a new NASA airborne campaign to collect data on thinning sea ice and measure cloud and atmospheric properties in the Arctic. The campaign was designed to address questions about the relationship between retreating sea ice and the Arctic climate. Arctic sea ice reflects sunlight away from Earth, moderating warming in the region. Loss of sea ice means more heat from the sun is absorbed by the ocean surface, adding to Arctic warming. In addition, the larger amount of open water leads to more moisture in the air, which affects the formation of clouds that have their own effect on warming, either enhancing or reducing it. Read more: www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Analysis of Airborne Radar Altimetry Measurements of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferraro, Ellen J.

1994-01-01

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

MODIS Snow and Ice Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorthoy K.; Hoser, Paul (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Daily, global snow cover maps, and sea ice cover and sea ice surface temperature (IST) maps are derived from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are available at no cost through the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Included on this CD-ROM are samples of the MODIS snow and ice products. In addition, an animation, done by the Scientific Visualization studio at Goddard Space Flight Center, is also included.

Is the Wilkins Ice Shelf a Firn Aquifer? Spaceborne Observation of Subsurface Winter Season Liquid Meltwater Storage on the Antarctic Peninsula using Multi-Frequency Active and Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, J.; Scambos, T.; Forster, R. R.; Long, D. G.; Ligtenberg, S.; van den Broeke, M.; Vaughan, D. G.

2015-12-01

Near-surface liquid meltwater on ice shelves has been inferred to influence ice shelf stability if it induces hydrofracture and is linked to disintegration events on the Larsen B and the Wilkins ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula during the summer months. While the initial Wilkins disintegration event occurred in March of 2009, two smaller disintegration events followed in May and in July of that year. It has long been assumed meltwater refreezes soon after surface melt processes cease. Given this assumption, an earlier hypothesis for the two winter season disintegration events was hydrofracture via a brine infiltration layer. Two lines of evidence supported this hypothesis 1) early airborne radar surveys did not record a reflection from the bottom of the ice shelf, and 2) a shallow core drilled in 1972 on the Wilkins encountered liquid water at a depth of ~7 m. The salinity of the water and the temperature at the base of the core, however, were not described. The recent discovery of winter season liquid meltwater storage on the Greenland ice sheet has changed perceptions on meltwater longevity at depth in firn. Evidence of Greenland's firn aquifer includes liquid meltwater encountered in shallow firn cores at 5 m depth and a lack of reflections from the base of the ice sheet in airborne surveys. Thus, previous lines of evidence suggesting brine infiltration may alternatively suggest the presence of a perennial firn aquifer. We recently demonstrated the capability for observation of Greenland's firn aquifer from space using multi-frequency active and passive microwave remote sensing. This research exploits the retrieval technique developed for Greenland to provide the first spaceborne mappings of winter season liquid meltwater storage on the Wilkins. We combine L-band brightness temperature and backscatter data from the MIRAS instrument (1.4 GHz) aboard ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission and the radar (1.3 GHZ) and radiometer(1.4 GHz) aboard NASA

Ice Flow in the North East Greenland Ice Stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joughin, Ian; Kwok, Ron; Fahnestock, M.; MacAyeal, Doug

1999-01-01

Early observations with ERS-1 SAR image data revealed a large ice stream in North East Greenland (Fahnestock 1993). The ice stream has a number of the characteristics of the more closely studied ice streams in Antarctica, including its large size and gross geometry. The onset of rapid flow close to the ice divide and the evolution of its flow pattern, however, make this ice stream unique. These features can be seen in the balance velocities for the ice stream (Joughin 1997) and its outlets. The ice stream is identifiable for more than 700 km, making it much longer than any other flow feature in Greenland. Our research goals are to gain a greater understanding of the ice flow in the northeast Greenland ice stream and its outlet glaciers in order to assess their impact on the past, present, and future mass balance of the ice sheet. We will accomplish these goals using a combination of remotely sensed data and ice sheet models. We are using satellite radar interferometry data to produce a complete maps of velocity and topography over the entire ice stream. We are in the process of developing methods to use these data in conjunction with existing ice sheet models similar to those that have been used to improve understanding of the mechanics of flow in Antarctic ice streams.

Ice Roughness in Short Duration SLD Icing Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClain, Stephen T.; Reed, Dana; Vargas, Mario; Kreeger, Richard E.; Tsao, Jen-Ching

2014-01-01

Ice accretion codes depend on models of roughness parameters to account for the enhanced heat transfer during the ice accretion process. While mitigating supercooled large droplet (SLD or Appendix O) icing is a significant concern for manufacturers seeking future vehicle certification due to the pending regulation, historical ice roughness studies have been performed using Appendix C icing clouds which exhibit mean volumetric diameters (MVD) much smaller than SLD clouds. Further, the historical studies of roughness focused on extracting parametric representations of ice roughness using multiple images of roughness elements. In this study, the ice roughness developed on a 21-in. NACA 0012 at 0deg angle of attack exposed to short duration SLD icing events was measured in the Icing Research Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The MVD's used in the study ranged from 100 micrometer to 200 micrometers, in a 67 m/s flow, with liquid water contents of either 0.6 gm/cubic meters or 0.75 gm/cubic meters. The ice surfaces were measured using a Romer Absolute Arm laser scanning system. The roughness associated with each surface point cloud was measured using the two-dimensional self-organizing map approach developed by McClain and Kreeger (2013) resulting in statistical descriptions of the ice roughness.

Disseminating NASA-based science through NASA's Universe of Learning: Girls STEAM Ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcucci, E.; Meinke, B. K.; Smith, D. A.; Ryer, H.; Slivinski, C.; Kenney, J.; Arcand, K.; Cominsky, L.

2017-12-01

The Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA (GSAWN) initiative partners the NASA's Universe of Learning (UoL) resources with public libraries to provide NASA-themed activities for girls and their families. The program expands upon the legacy program, NASA Science4Girls and Their Families, in celebration of National Women's History Month. Program resources include hands-on activities for engaging girls, such as coding experiences and use of remote telescopes, complementary exhibits, and professional development for library partner staff. The science-institute-embedded partners in NASA's UoL are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. The thematic topics related to NASA Astrophysics enable audiences to experience the full range of NASA scientific and technical disciplines and the different career skills each requires. For example, an activity may focus on understanding exoplanets, methods of their detection, and characteristics that can be determined remotely. The events focus on engaging underserved and underrepresented audiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) via use of research-based best practices, collaborations with libraries, partnerships with local and national organizations (e.g. National Girls Collaborative Project or NGCP), and remote engagement of audiences. NASA's UoL collaborated with another NASA STEM Activation partner, NASA@ My Library, to announce GSAWN to their extensive STAR_Net network of libraries. This partnership between NASA SMD-funded Science learning and literacy teams has included NASA@ My Library hosting a professional development webinar featuring a GSAWN activity, a newsletter and blog post about the program, and plans for future exhibit development. This presentation will provide an overview of the program's progress to engage girls and their families through the development and dissemination of NASA-based science programming.

Understanding global changes on the land - A potential focus for NASA earth sciences and land remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, J. D.; Tuyahov, A. J.; Hogg, H. C.

1983-01-01

Planned NASA contributions to the study of the interaction of living organisms with their physical and chemical environments are discussed. Five major land-related research objectives are stated and the role of remote sensing in achieving them is addressed. The importance of improved sensors and cooperation with domestic and international organizations is stressed.

NASA/ESTO investments in remote sensing technologies (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, Sachidananda R.

2017-02-01

For more then 18 years NASA Earth Science Technology Office has been investing in remote sensing technologies. During this period ESTO has invested in more then 900 tasks. These tasks are managed under multiple programs like Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), Advanced Component Technology (ACT), Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST), In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST), Sustainable Land Imaging - Technology (SLI-T) and others. This covers the whole spectrum of technologies from component to full up satellite in space and software. Over the years many of these technologies have been infused into space missions like Aquarius, SMAP, CYGNSS, SWOT, TEMPO and others. Over the years ESTO is actively investing in Infrared sensor technologies for space applications. Recent investments have been for SLI-T and InVEST program. On these tasks technology development is from simple Bolometers to Advanced Photonic waveguide based spectrometers. Some of the details on these missions and technologies will be presented.

NASA’s Operation IceBridge Completes Twin Polar Campaigns

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Heimdal Glacier in southern Greenland, in an image captured on Oct. 13, 2015, from NASA Langley Research Center's Falcon 20 aircraft flying 33,000 feet above mean sea level. NASA’s Operation IceBridge, an airborne survey of polar ice, recently finalized two overlapping campaigns at both of Earth’s poles. Down south, the mission observed a big drop in the height of two glaciers situated in the Antarctic Peninsula, while in the north it collected much needed measurements of the status of land and sea ice at the end of the Arctic summer melt season. This was the first time in its seven years of operations that IceBridge carried out parallel flights in the Arctic and Antarctic. Every year, the mission flies to the Arctic in the spring and to Antarctica in the fall to keep collect an uninterrupted record of yearly changes in the height of polar ice. Read more: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-s-operation-icebridge-c... Credits: NASA/Goddard/John Sonntag NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Methods for Scaling Icing Test Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David N.

1995-01-01

This report presents the results of tests at NASA Lewis to evaluate several methods to establish suitable alternative test conditions when the test facility limits the model size or operating conditions. The first method was proposed by Olsen. It can be applied when full-size models are tested and all the desired test conditions except liquid-water content can be obtained in the facility. The other two methods discussed are: a modification of the French scaling law and the AEDC scaling method. Icing tests were made with cylinders at both reference and scaled conditions representing mixed and glaze ice in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. Reference and scale ice shapes were compared to evaluate each method. The Olsen method was tested with liquid-water content varying from 1.3 to .8 g/m(exp3). Over this range, ice shapes produced using the Olsen method were unchanged. The modified French and AEDC methods produced scaled ice shapes which approximated the reference shapes when model size was reduced to half the reference size for the glaze-ice cases tested.

An Ultra-Wideband, Microwave Radar for Measuring Snow Thickness on Sea Ice and Mapping Near-Surface Internal Layers in Polar Firn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panzer, Ben; Gomez-Garcia, Daniel; Leuschen, Carl; Paden, John; Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando; Patel, Azsa; Markus, Thorsten; Holt, Benjamin; Gogineni, Prasad

2013-01-01

Sea ice is generally covered with snow, which can vary in thickness from a few centimeters to >1 m. Snow cover acts as a thermal insulator modulating the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, and it impacts sea-ice growth rates and overall thickness, a key indicator of climate change in polar regions. Snow depth is required to estimate sea-ice thickness using freeboard measurements made with satellite altimeters. The snow cover also acts as a mechanical load that depresses ice freeboard (snow and ice above sea level). Freeboard depression can result in flooding of the snow/ice interface and the formation of a thick slush layer, particularly in the Antarctic sea-ice cover. The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed an ultra-wideband, microwave radar capable of operation on long-endurance aircraft to characterize the thickness of snow over sea ice. The low-power, 100mW signal is swept from 2 to 8GHz allowing the air/snow and snow/ ice interfaces to be mapped with 5 c range resolution in snow; this is an improvement over the original system that worked from 2 to 6.5 GHz. From 2009 to 2012, CReSIS successfully operated the radar on the NASA P-3B and DC-8 aircraft to collect data on snow-covered sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic for NASA Operation IceBridge. The radar was found capable of snow depth retrievals ranging from 10cm to >1 m. We also demonstrated that this radar can be used to map near-surface internal layers in polar firn with fine range resolution. Here we describe the instrument design, characteristics and performance of the radar.

Influence of ice thickness and surface properties on light transmission through Arctic sea ice

PubMed Central

Arndt, Stefanie; Nicolaus, Marcel; Perovich, Donald K.; Jakuba, Michael V.; Suman, Stefano; Elliott, Stephen; Whitcomb, Louis L.; McFarland, Christopher J.; Gerdes, Rüdiger; Boetius, Antje; German, Christopher R.

2015-01-01

Abstract The observed changes in physical properties of sea ice such as decreased thickness and increased melt pond cover severely impact the energy budget of Arctic sea ice. Increased light transmission leads to increased deposition of solar energy in the upper ocean and thus plays a crucial role for amount and timing of sea‐ice‐melt and under‐ice primary production. Recent developments in underwater technology provide new opportunities to study light transmission below the largely inaccessible underside of sea ice. We measured spectral under‐ice radiance and irradiance using the new Nereid Under‐Ice (NUI) underwater robotic vehicle, during a cruise of the R/V Polarstern to 83°N 6°W in the Arctic Ocean in July 2014. NUI is a next generation hybrid remotely operated vehicle (H‐ROV) designed for both remotely piloted and autonomous surveys underneath land‐fast and moving sea ice. Here we present results from one of the first comprehensive scientific dives of NUI employing its interdisciplinary sensor suite. We combine under‐ice optical measurements with three dimensional under‐ice topography (multibeam sonar) and aerial images of the surface conditions. We investigate the influence of spatially varying ice‐thickness and surface properties on the spatial variability of light transmittance during summer. Our results show that surface properties such as melt ponds dominate the spatial distribution of the under‐ice light field on small scales (<1000 m2), while sea ice‐thickness is the most important predictor for light transmission on larger scales. In addition, we propose the use of an algorithm to obtain histograms of light transmission from distributions of sea ice thickness and surface albedo. PMID:27660738

Ice Accretion Test Results for Three Large-Scale Swept-Wing Models in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broeren, Andy; Potapczuk, Mark; Lee, Sam; Malone, Adam; Paul, Ben; Woodard, Brian

2016-01-01

The design and certification of modern transport airplanes for flight in icing conditions increasing relies on three-dimensional numerical simulation tools for ice accretion prediction. There is currently no publically available, high-quality, ice accretion database upon which to evaluate the performance of icing simulation tools for large-scale swept wings that are representative of modern commercial transport airplanes. The purpose of this presentation is to present the results of a series of icing wind tunnel test campaigns whose aim was to provide an ice accretion database for large-scale, swept wings.

Light transport and general aviation aircraft icing research requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breeze, R. K.; Clark, G. M.

1981-01-01

A short term and a long term icing research and technology program plan was drafted for NASA LeRC based on 33 separate research items. The specific items listed resulted from a comprehensive literature search, organized and assisted by a computer management file and an industry/Government agency survey. Assessment of the current facilities and icing technology was accomplished by presenting summaries of ice sensitive components and protection methods; and assessments of penalty evaluation, the experimental data base, ice accretion prediction methods, research facilities, new protection methods, ice protection requirements, and icing instrumentation. The intent of the research plan was to determine what icing research NASA LeRC must do or sponsor to ultimately provide for increased utilization and safety of light transport and general aviation aircraft.

Warming Seas and Melting Ice Sheets

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Sea level rise is a natural consequence of the warming of our planet. We know this from basic physics. When water heats up, it expands. So when the ocean warms, sea level rises. When ice is exposed to heat, it melts. And when ice on land melts and water runs into the ocean, sea level rises. For thousands of years, sea level has remained relatively stable and human communities have settled along the planet’s coastlines. But now Earth’s seas are rising. Globally, sea level has risen about eight inches since the beginning of the 20th century and more than two inches in the last 20 years alone. All signs suggest that this rise is accelerating. Read more: go.nasa.gov/1heZn29 Caption: An iceberg floats in Disko Bay, near Ilulissat, Greenland, on July 24, 2015. The massive Greenland ice sheet is shedding about 300 gigatons of ice a year into the ocean, making it the single largest source of sea level rise from melting ice. Credits: NASA/Saskia Madlener NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Ice-shelf Dynamics Near the Front of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Revealed by SAR Interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rignot, E.; MacAyeal, D. R.

1998-01-01

Fifteen synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, obtained by the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Earth Remote Sensing satellites (ERS) 1 & 2 are used to study ice-shelf dynamics near two ends of the iceberg-calving front.

SeaWinds Wind-Ice Interaction

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-05-07

The figure demonstrates of the capability of the SeaWinds instrument on NASA QuikScat satellite in monitoring both sea ice and ocean surface wind, thus helping to further our knowledge in wind-ice interaction and its effect on climate change.

Water Ice on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-16

The Ralph instrument on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft detected water ice on Pluto's surface, picking up on the ice's near-infrared spectral characteristics. (See featured image from Oct. 8, 2015.) The middle panel shows a region west of Pluto's "heart" feature -- which the mission team calls Tombaugh Regio -- about 280 miles (450 kilometers) across. It combines visible imagery from Ralph's Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) with infrared spectroscopy from the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). Areas with the strongest water ice spectral signature are highlighted in blue. Major outcrops of water ice occur in regions informally called Viking Terra, along Virgil Fossa west of Elliot crater, and in Baré Montes. Numerous smaller outcrops are associated with impact craters and valleys between mountains. In the lower left panel, LEISA spectra are shown for two regions indicated by cyan and magenta boxes. The white curve is a water ice model spectrum, showing similar features to the cyan spectrum. The magenta spectrum is dominated by methane ice absorptions. The lower right panel shows an MVIC enhanced color view of the region in the white box, with MVIC's blue, red and near-infrared filters displayed in blue, green and red channels, respectively. The regions showing the strongest water ice signature are associated with terrains that are actually a lighter shade of red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20030

Sea ice in the Greenland Sea

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

As the northern hemisphere experiences the heat of summer, ice moves and melts in the Arctic waters and the far northern lands surrounding it. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of sea ice off Greenland on July 16, 2015. Large chunks of melting sea ice can be seen in the sea ice off the coast, and to the south spirals of ice have been shaped by the winds and currents that move across the Greenland Sea. Along the Greenland coast, cold, fresh melt water from the glaciers flows out to the sea, as do newly calved icebergs. Frigid air from interior Greenland pushes the ice away from the shoreline, and the mixing of cold water and air allows some sea ice to be sustained even at the height of summer. According to observations from satellites, 2015 is on track to be another low year for arctic summer sea ice cover. The past ten years have included nine of the lowest ice extents on record. The annual minimum typically occurs in late August or early September. The amount of Arctic sea ice cover has been dropping as global temperatures rise. The Arctic is two to three times more sensitive to temperature changes as the Earth as a whole. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Ice Clouds in Color IR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

Released August 9, 2004 This image shows two representations of the same infra-red image in the Elysium region of Mars. On the left is a grayscale image showing surface temperature, and on the right is a false-color composite made from 3 individual THEMIS bands. The false-color image is colorized using a technique called decorrelation stretch (DCS), which emphasizes the spectral differences between the bands to highlight compositional variations.

The light blue area in the center of this image is a very nice example of a water ice cloud. Water ice is frequently present in the Martian atmosphere as a thin haze. Clouds such as this one can be difficult to identify in a temperature image, but are easy to spot in the DCS images. In this case, the water ice is relatively confined and concentrated which may be due to the topography of the Elysium volcanic construct.

Image information: IR instrument. Latitude 23.2, Longitude 150.1 East (209.9 West). 100 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed