Multispectral thermal infrared mapping of the 1 October 1988 Kupaianaha flow field, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Realmuto, V.J.; Hon, K.; Kahle, A.B.; Abbott, E.A.; Pieri, D.C.

1992-01-01

Multispectral thermal infrared radiance measurements of the Kupaianaha flow field were acquired with the NASA airborne Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) on the morning of 1 October 1988. The TIMS data were used to map both the temperature and emissivity of the surface of the flow field. The temperature map depicted the underground storage and transport of lava. The presence of molten lava in a tube or tumulus resulted in surface temperatures that were at least 10?? C above ambient. The temperature map also clearly defined the boundaries of hydrothermal plumes which resulted from the entry of lava into the ocean. The emissivity map revealed the boundaries between individual flow units within the Kupaianaha field. In general, the emissivity of the flows varied systematically with age but the relationship between age and emissivity was not unique. Distinct spectral anomalies, indicative of silica-rich surface materials, were mapped near fumaroles and ocean entry sites. This apparent enrichment in silica may have resulted from an acid-induced leaching of cations from the surfaces of glassy flows. Such incipient alteration may have been the cause for virtually all of the emissivity variations observed on the flow field, the spectral anomalies representing areas where the acid attack was most intense. ?? 1992 Springer-Verlag.

A model for the microwave emissivity of the ocean's surface as a function of wind speed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilheit, T. T.

1979-01-01

A quanitative model is presented which describes the ocean surface as a ensemble of flat facets with a normal distribution of slopes. The variance of the slope distribution is linearly related to frequency up to 35 GHz and constant at higher frequencies. These facets are partially covered with an absorbing nonpolarized foam layer. Experimental evidence is presented for this model.

All is not lost: deriving a top-down mass budget of plastic at sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koelmans, Albert A.; Kooi, Merel; Lavender Law, Kara; van Sebille, Erik

2017-11-01

Understanding the global mass inventory is one of the main challenges in present research on plastic marine debris. Especially the fragmentation and vertical transport processes of oceanic plastic are poorly understood. However, whereas fragmentation rates are unknown, information on plastic emissions, concentrations of plastics in the ocean surface layer (OSL) and fragmentation mechanisms is available. Here, we apply a systems engineering analytical approach and propose a tentative ‘whole ocean’ mass balance model that combines emission data, surface area-normalized plastic fragmentation rates, estimated concentrations in the OSL, and removal from the OSL by sinking. We simulate known plastic abundances in the OSL and calculate an average whole ocean apparent surface area-normalized plastic fragmentation rate constant, given representative radii for macroplastic and microplastic. Simulations show that 99.8% of the plastic that had entered the ocean since 1950 had settled below the OSL by 2016, with an additional 9.4 million tons settling per year. In 2016, the model predicts that of the 0.309 million tons in the OSL, an estimated 83.7% was macroplastic, 13.8% microplastic, and 2.5% was < 0.335 mm ‘nanoplastic’. A zero future emission simulation shows that almost all plastic in the OSL would be removed within three years, implying a fast response time of surface plastic abundance to changes in inputs. The model complements current spatially explicit models, points to future experiments that would inform critical model parameters, and allows for further validation when more experimental and field data become available.

Transient Earth system responses to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions: linearities, uncertainties, and probabilities in an observation-constrained model ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinacher, M.; Joos, F.

2016-02-01

Information on the relationship between cumulative fossil CO2 emissions and multiple climate targets is essential to design emission mitigation and climate adaptation strategies. In this study, the transient response of a climate or environmental variable per trillion tonnes of CO2 emissions, termed TRE, is quantified for a set of impact-relevant climate variables and from a large set of multi-forcing scenarios extended to year 2300 towards stabilization. An ˜ 1000-member ensemble of the Bern3D-LPJ carbon-climate model is applied and model outcomes are constrained by 26 physical and biogeochemical observational data sets in a Bayesian, Monte Carlo-type framework. Uncertainties in TRE estimates include both scenario uncertainty and model response uncertainty. Cumulative fossil emissions of 1000 Gt C result in a global mean surface air temperature change of 1.9 °C (68 % confidence interval (c.i.): 1.3 to 2.7 °C), a decrease in surface ocean pH of 0.19 (0.18 to 0.22), and a steric sea level rise of 20 cm (13 to 27 cm until 2300). Linearity between cumulative emissions and transient response is high for pH and reasonably high for surface air and sea surface temperatures, but less pronounced for changes in Atlantic meridional overturning, Southern Ocean and tropical surface water saturation with respect to biogenic structures of calcium carbonate, and carbon stocks in soils. The constrained model ensemble is also applied to determine the response to a pulse-like emission and in idealized CO2-only simulations. The transient climate response is constrained, primarily by long-term ocean heat observations, to 1.7 °C (68 % c.i.: 1.3 to 2.2 °C) and the equilibrium climate sensitivity to 2.9 °C (2.0 to 4.2 °C). This is consistent with results by CMIP5 models but inconsistent with recent studies that relied on short-term air temperature data affected by natural climate variability.

Quantifying Sulfur-Containing Compounds Over the Santa Barbara Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, J.; Hughes, S.; Blake, D. R.

2016-12-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is emitted to the atmosphere through the outgassing of ocean surface waters. OCS is also the primary source of sulfur-containing compounds in the stratosphere and contributes to the formation of the stratospheric sulfate layer. During the 2016 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP), whole air samples were collected on the NASA DC-8 aircraft over the Santa Barbara Channel. Five additional surface samples were taken at various locations along the Santa Barbara Channel. The samples were analyzed using gas chromatography in the Rowland-Blake lab at UC Irvine, and compounds such as OCS, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), carbon disulfide (CS2), bromoform (CHBr3), and methyl iodide (CH3I) associated with ocean emissions and stratospheric aerosols were analyzed. These marine sourced compounds, excluding OCS, showed expected trends of dilution with increasing altitude. The surface samples from the Santa Barbara Channel all exhibited elevated concentrations of OCS in comparison to samples taken from the aircraft, with an average of 666 ± 12 pptv, whereas the average background concentration of OCS was 587 ± 19 pptv. SARP flights from 2009-2015 over the Santa Barbara Channel saw an average OCS concentration of 548 ± 26 pptv. Elevated levels of OCS have never been detected from the aircraft during SARP flights, indicating that OCS emissions must be measured using surface sampling if emission estimates from the ocean are to be evaluated.

Remote sensing of Earth terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kong, J. A.

1993-01-01

Progress report on remote sensing of Earth terrain covering the period from Jan. to June 1993 is presented. Areas of research include: radiative transfer model for active and passive remote sensing of vegetation canopy; polarimetric thermal emission from rough ocean surfaces; polarimetric passive remote sensing of ocean wind vectors; polarimetric thermal emission from periodic water surfaces; layer model with tandom spheriodal scatterers for remote sensing of vegetation canopy; application of theoretical models to active and passive remote sensing of saline ice; radiative transfer theory for polarimetric remote sensing of pine forest; scattering of electromagnetic waves from a dense medium consisting of correlated mie scatterers with size distributions and applications to dry snow; variance of phase fluctuations of waves propagating through a random medium; polarimetric signatures of a canopy of dielectric cylinders based on first and second order vector radiative transfer theory; branching model for vegetation; polarimetric passive remote sensing of periodic surfaces; composite volume and surface scattering model; and radar image classification.

Potential sources of nitrous acid (HONO) and their impacts on ozone: A WRF-Chem study in a polluted subtropical region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Li; Wang, Tao; Zhang, Qiang; Zheng, Junyu; Xu, Zheng; Lv, Mengyao

2016-04-01

Current chemical transport models commonly undersimulate the atmospheric concentration of nitrous acid (HONO), which plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry, due to the lack or inappropriate representations of some sources in the models. In the present study, we parameterized up-to-date HONO sources into a state-of-the-art three-dimensional chemical transport model (Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry: WRF-Chem). These sources included (1) heterogeneous reactions on ground surfaces with the photoenhanced effect on HONO production, (2) photoenhanced reactions on aerosol surfaces, (3) direct vehicle and vessel emissions, (4) potential conversion of NO2 at the ocean surface, and (5) emissions from soil bacteria. The revised WRF-Chem was applied to explore the sources of the high HONO concentrations (0.45-2.71 ppb) observed at a suburban site located within complex land types (with artificial land covers, ocean, and forests) in Hong Kong. With the addition of these sources, the revised model substantially reproduced the observed HONO levels. The heterogeneous conversions of NO2 on ground surfaces dominated HONO sources contributing about 42% to the observed HONO mixing ratios, with emissions from soil bacterial contributing around 29%, followed by the oceanic source (~9%), photochemical formation via NO and OH (~6%), conversion on aerosol surfaces (~3%), and traffic emissions (~2%). The results suggest that HONO sources in suburban areas could be more complex and diverse than those in urban or rural areas and that the bacterial and/or ocean processes need to be considered in HONO production in forested and/or coastal areas. Sensitivity tests showed that the simulated HONO was sensitive to the uptake coefficient of NO2 on the surfaces. Incorporation of the aforementioned HONO sources significantly improved the simulations of ozone, resulting in increases of ground-level ozone concentrations by 6-12% over urban areas in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. This result highlights the importance of accurately representing HONO sources in simulations of secondary pollutants over polluted regions.

Ocean N2O Emissions : Recent Global Estimates and Anthropogenically Influenced Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suntharalingam, P.; Buithenuis, E.; Andrews, O.; Le Quere, C.

2016-12-01

Oceanic N2O is produced by microbial activity during organic matter cycling in the subsurface ocean; its production mechanisms display sensitivity to ambient oxygen level. In the oxic ocean, N2O is produced as a byproduct during the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, mediated by ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archea. N2O is also produced and consumed in sub-oxic and anoxic waters through the action of marine denitrifiers during the multi-step reduction of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen. The oceanic N2O distribution therefore displays significant heterogeneity with background levels of 10-20 nmol/l in the well-oxygenated ocean basins, high concentrations (> 40 nmol/l) in hypoxic waters, and N2O depletion in the core of ocean oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Oceanic N2O emissions are estimated to account for up to a third of the pre-industrial N2O fluxes to the atmosphere, however the natural cycle of ocean N2O has been perturbed in recent decades by inputs of anthropogenically derived nutrient, and by the impacts of climate change. Anthropogenic nitrogen inputs (e.g., NOx and NHy from fossil fuel combustion and agricultural fertilizer) enter the ocean via atmospheric deposition and riverine fluxes, influencing oceanic N2O production via their impact on the marine organic matter cycle. In addition, climate variations associated with surface ocean warming affect oceanic circulation and nutrient transport pathways, influencing marine productivity and the ventilation of oxygen minimum zones. Recent studies have suggested that possible expansion of oceanic OMZs in a warming climate could lead to significant changes in N2O production and fluxes from these regions. We will summarise the current state of knowledge on the ocean N2O budget and net flux to the atmosphere. Recently reported estimates have been based on (i) empirical relationships derived from ocean tracer data (e.g., involving excess N2O and Apparent Oxygen Utilization (AOU) correlations), (ii) ocean biogeochemical models, and (iii) air-sea flux calculations which combine surface ocean N2O measurements with gas-exchange relationships. We will also present results from ongoing ocean biogeochemistry model analyses evaluating the separate influences of climate variation and anthropogenic nutrient inputs on ocean N2O emissions for recent decades.

Unpolarized emissivity with shadow and multiple reflections from random rough surfaces with the geometric optics approximation: application to Gaussian sea surfaces in the infrared band.

PubMed

Bourlier, Christophe

2006-08-20

The emissivity from a stationary random rough surface is derived by taking into account the multiple reflections and the shadowing effect. The model is applied to the ocean surface. The geometric optics approximation is assumed to be valid, which means that the rough surface is modeled as a collection of facets reflecting locally the light in the specular direction. In particular, the emissivity with zero, single, and double reflections are analytically calculated, and each contribution is studied numerically by considering a 1D sea surface observed in the near infrared band. The model is also compared with results computed from a Monte Carlo ray-tracing method.

An updated climatology of surface dimethlysulfide concentrations and emission fluxes in the global ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lana, A.; Bell, T. G.; Simó, R.; Vallina, S. M.; Ballabrera-Poy, J.; Kettle, A. J.; Dachs, J.; Bopp, L.; Saltzman, E. S.; Stefels, J.; Johnson, J. E.; Liss, P. S.

2011-03-01

The potentially significant role of the biogenic trace gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) in determining the Earth's radiation budget makes it necessary to accurately reproduce seawater DMS distribution and quantify its global flux across the sea/air interface. Following a threefold increase of data (from 15,000 to over 47,000) in the global surface ocean DMS database over the last decade, new global monthly climatologies of surface ocean DMS concentration and sea-to-air emission flux are presented as updates of those constructed 10 years ago. Interpolation/extrapolation techniques were applied to project the discrete concentration data onto a first guess field based on Longhurst's biogeographic provinces. Further objective analysis allowed us to obtain the final monthly maps. The new climatology projects DMS concentrations typically in the range of 1-7 nM, with higher levels occurring in the high latitudes, and with a general trend toward increasing concentration in summer. The increased size and distribution of the observations in the DMS database have produced in the new climatology substantially lower DMS concentrations in the polar latitudes and generally higher DMS concentrations in regions that were severely undersampled 10 years ago, such as the southern Indian Ocean. Using the new DMS concentration climatology in conjunction with state-of-the-art parameterizations for the sea/air gas transfer velocity and climatological wind fields, we estimate that 28.1 (17.6-34.4) Tg of sulfur are transferred from the oceans into the atmosphere annually in the form of DMS. This represents a global emission increase of 17% with respect to the equivalent calculation using the previous climatology. This new DMS climatology represents a valuable tool for atmospheric chemistry, climate, and Earth System models.

Methane in the Baltic and North Seas and a reassessment of the marine emissions of methane

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

Bange, H.W.; Bartell, U.H.; Rapsomanikis, S.

During three measurement campaigns on the Baltic and North Seas, atmospheric and dissolved methane was determined with an automated gas chromatographic system. Area-weighted mean saturation values in the sea surface waters were 113{+-}5% and 395{+-}82% and 126{+-}8%. On the bases of our data and a compilation of literature data the global oceanic emissions of methane were reassessed by introducing a concept of regional gas transfer coefficients. Our estimates computed with two different air-sea exchange models lie in the range of 11-18 Tg CH{sub 4} yr{sup -1}. Despite the fact that shelf areas and estuaries only represent a small part ofmore » the world`s ocean they contribute about 75% to the global oceanic emissions. We applied a simple, coupled, three-layer model to evaluate the time dependent variation of the oceanic flux to the atmosphere. The model calculations indicate that even with increasing tropospheric methane concentration, the ocean will remain a source of atmospheric methane. 72 refs., 7 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Monitoring and assessment of ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean-A scoping paper

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, Lisa L.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Feely, Richard; Fabry, Victoria

2010-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is absorbed at the ocean surface by reacting with seawater to form a weak, naturally occurring acid called carbonic acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, the concentration of carbonic acid in seawater also increases, causing a decrease in ocean pH and carbonate mineral saturation states, a process known as ocean acidification. The oceans have absorbed approximately 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or about one-quarter to one-third of the anthropogenic carbon emissions released since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Global surveys of ocean chemistry have revealed that seawater pH has decreased by about 0.1 units (from a pH of 8.2 to 8.1) since the 1700s due to absorption of carbon dioxide (Raven and others, 2005). Modeling studies, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) CO2 emission scenarios, predict that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could reach more than 500 parts per million (ppm) by the middle of this century and 800 ppm by the year 2100, causing an additional decrease in surface water pH of 0.3 pH units. Ocean acidification is a global threat and is already having profound and deleterious effects on the geology, biology, chemistry, and socioeconomic resources of coastal and marine habitats. The polar and sub-polar seas have been identified as the bellwethers for global ocean acidification.

Inter-annual Tropospheric Aerosol Variability in Late Twentieth Century and its Impact on Tropical Atlantic and West African Climate by Direct and Semi-direct Effects

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

Evans, Katherine J; Hack, James J; Truesdale, John

A new high-resolution (0.9more » $$^{\\circ}$$x1.25$$^{\\circ}$$ in the horizontal) global tropospheric aerosol dataset with monthly resolution is generated using the finite-volume configuration of Community Atmosphere Model (CAM4) coupled to a bulk aerosol model and forced with recent estimates of surface emissions for the latter part of twentieth century. The surface emissions dataset is constructed from Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5) decadal-resolution surface emissions dataset to include REanalysis of TROpospheric chemical composition (RETRO) wildfire monthly emissions dataset. Experiments forced with the new tropospheric aerosol dataset and conducted using the spectral configuration of CAM4 with a T85 truncation (1.4$$^{\\circ}$$x1.4$$^{\\circ}$$) with prescribed twentieth century observed sea surface temperature, sea-ice and greenhouse gases reveal that variations in tropospheric aerosol levels can induce significant regional climate variability on the inter-annual timescales. Regression analyses over tropical Atlantic and Africa reveal that increasing dust aerosols can cool the North African landmass and shift convection southwards from West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea in the spring season in the simulations. Further, we find that increasing carbonaceous aerosols emanating from the southwestern African savannas can cool the region significantly and increase the marine stratocumulus cloud cover over the southeast tropical Atlantic ocean by aerosol-induced diabatic heating of the free troposphere above the low clouds. Experiments conducted with CAM4 coupled to a slab ocean model suggest that present day aerosols can shift the ITCZ southwards over the tropical Atlantic and can reduce the ocean mixed layer temperature beneath the increased marine stratocumulus clouds in the southeastern tropical Atlantic.« less

The Response of the Ocean Thermal Skin Layer to Variations in Incident Infrared Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Elizabeth W.; Minnett, Peter J.

2018-04-01

Ocean warming trends are observed and coincide with the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere resulting from human activities. At the ocean surface, most of the incoming infrared (IR) radiation is absorbed within the top micrometers of the ocean's surface where the thermal skin layer (TSL) exists. Thus, the incident IR radiation does not directly heat the upper few meters of the ocean. This paper investigates the physical mechanism between the absorption of IR radiation and its effect on heat transfer at the air-sea boundary. The hypothesis is that given the heat lost through the air-sea interface is controlled by the TSL, the TSL adjusts in response to variations in incident IR radiation to maintain the surface heat loss. This modulates the flow of heat from below and hence controls upper ocean heat content. This hypothesis is tested using the increase in incoming longwave radiation from clouds and analyzing vertical temperature profiles in the TSL retrieved from sea-surface emission spectra. The additional energy from the absorption of increasing IR radiation adjusts the curvature of the TSL such that the upward conduction of heat from the bulk of the ocean into the TSL is reduced. The additional energy absorbed within the TSL supports more of the surface heat loss. Thus, more heat beneath the TSL is retained leading to the observed increase in upper ocean heat content.

Impacts of artificial ocean alkalinization on the carbon cycle and climate in Earth system simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Miriam Ferrer; Ilyina, Tatiana

2016-06-01

Using the state-of-the-art emissions-driven Max Planck Institute Earth system model, we explore the impacts of artificial ocean alkalinization (AOA) with a scenario based on the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) framework. Addition of 114 Pmol of alkalinity to the surface ocean stabilizes atmospheric CO2 concentration to RCP4.5 levels under RCP8.5 emissions. This scenario removes 940 GtC from the atmosphere and mitigates 1.5 K of global warming within this century. The climate adjusts to the lower CO2 concentration preventing the loss of sea ice and high sea level rise. Seawater pH and the carbonate saturation state (Ω) rise substantially above levels of the current decade. Pronounced differences in regional sensitivities to AOA are projected, with the Arctic Ocean and tropical oceans emerging as hot spots for biogeochemical changes induced by AOA. Thus, the CO2 mitigation potential of AOA comes at a price of an unprecedented ocean biogeochemistry perturbation with unknown ecological consequences.

Do oceanic emissions account for the missing source of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lennartz, Sinikka; Marandino, Christa A.; von Hobe, Marc; Cortés, Pau; Simó, Rafel; Booge, Dennis; Quack, Birgit; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Ksionzek, Kerstin; Koch, Boris P.; Bracher, Astrid; Krüger, Kirstin

2016-04-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) has a large potential to constrain terrestrial gross primary production (GPP), one of the largest carbon fluxes in the carbon cycle, as it is taken up by plants in a similar way as CO2. To estimate GPP in a global approach, the magnitude and seasonality of sources and sinks of atmospheric OCS have to be well understood, to distinguish between seasonal variation caused by vegetation uptake and other sources or sinks. However, the atmospheric budget is currently highly uncertain, and especially the oceanic source strength is debated. Recent studies suggest that a missing source of several hundreds of Gg sulfur per year is located in the tropical ocean by a top-down approach. Here, we present highly-resolved OCS measurements from two cruises to the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean as a bottom-up approach. The results from these cruises show that opposite to the assumed ocean source, direct emissions of OCS from the tropical ocean are unlikely to account for the missing source. To reduce uncertainty in the global oceanic emission estimate, our understanding of the production and consumption processes of OCS and its precursors, dimethylsulfide (DMS) and carbon disulphide (CS2), needs improvement. Therefore, we investigate the influence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the photochemical production of OCS in seawater by considering analysis of the composition of DOM from the two cruises. Additionally, we discuss the potential of oceanic emissions of DMS and CS2 to closing the atmospheric OCS budget. Especially the production and consumption processes of CS2 in the surface ocean are not well known, thus we evaluate possible photochemical or biological sources by analyzing its covariation of biological and photochemical parameters.

Forward Modeling of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide in GEOS-5: Uncertainties Related to Surface Fluxes and Sub-Grid Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pawson, Steven; Ott, Lesley E.; Zhu, Zhengxin; Bowman, Kevin; Brix, Holger; Collatz, G. James; Dutkiewicz, Stephanie; Fisher, Joshua B.; Gregg, Watson W.; Hill, Chris;

Evaluating the Impact of Changes in Oceanic Dissolved Oxygen on Marine Nitrous Oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suntharalingam, Parvadha; Buitenhuis, Erik; Schmidtko, Sunke; Andrews, Oliver; LeQuere, Corinne

2013-04-01

Emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous-oxide (N2O) from oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the Equatorial Pacific and Northwest Indian Ocean are believed to provide a significant portion of the global oceanic flux to the atmosphere. Mechanisms of marine N2O production and consumption in these regions display significant sensitivity to ambient oxygen, with high yields at low oxygen levels (O2 < 50 micromol/L), and N2O depletion via denitrification in anoxic zones. These OMZ regions display large gradients in sub-surface N2O, and high rates of N2O turnover that far exceed those observed in the open ocean. Recent studies have suggested that possible expansion of oceanic OMZs in a warming climate, could lead to significant changes in N2O emissions from these zones. In this analysis we employ a global ocean biogeochemistry model (NEMO-PlankTOM), which includes representation of the marine N2O cycle, to explore the impact of changes in dissolved oxygen on the ocean-atmosphere N2O flux. We focus on the period 1960-2000, and evaluate the impact of estimated changes in ocean oxygen from two alternative sources : (a) the observationally-based upper-ocean oxygen distributions and trends of Stramma et al. [2012]; (b) simulated oxygen distributions and temporal variations from a set of CMIP5 Earth System models. We will inter-compare the oceanic N2O estimates derived from these alternative scenarios of ocean de-oxygenation. We will also discuss the implications of our results for the ability to reliably predict changes in N2O emissions under potential expansion of oceanic OMZs, particularly in view of the recently noted discrepancies between observed and modeled trends in oceanic oxygen by Stramma et al. [2012].

Spaceborne Microwave Instrument for High Resolution Remote Sensing of the Earth's Surface Using a Large-Aperture Mesh Antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Njoku, E.; Wilson, W.; Yueh, S.; Freeland, R.; Helms, R.; Edelstein, W.; Sadowy, G.; Farra, D.; West, R.; Oxnevad, K.

2001-01-01

This report describes a two-year study of a large-aperture, lightweight, deployable mesh antenna system for radiometer and radar remote sensing of the Earth from space. The study focused specifically on an instrument to measure ocean salinity and Soil moisture. Measurements of ocean salinity and soil moisture are of critical . importance in improving knowledge and prediction of key ocean and land surface processes, but are not currently obtainable from space. A mission using this instrument would be the first demonstration of deployable mesh antenna technology for remote sensing and could lead to potential applications in other remote sensing disciplines that require high spatial resolution measurements. The study concept features a rotating 6-m-diameter deployable mesh antenna, with radiometer and radar sensors, to measure microwave emission and backscatter from the Earth's surface. The sensors operate at L and S bands, with multiple polarizations and a constant look angle, scanning across a wide swath. The study included detailed analyses of science requirements, reflector and feedhorn design and performance, microwave emissivity measurements of mesh samples, design and test of lightweight radar electronic., launch vehicle accommodations, rotational dynamics simulations, and an analysis of attitude control issues associated with the antenna and spacecraft, The goal of the study was to advance the technology readiness of the overall concept to a level appropriate for an Earth science emission.

Oceanic N2O emissions in the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Rey, J.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.; Tagliabue, A.; Gruber, N.

2014-12-01

The ocean is a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but little is known on how this flux might change in the future. Here, we investigate the potential evolution of marine N2O emissions in the 21st century in response to anthropogenic climate change using the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES. We implemented two different parameterizations of N2O production, which differ primarily at low oxygen (O2) conditions. When forced with output from a climate model simulation run under the business-as-usual high CO2 concentration scenario (RCP8.5), our simulations suggest a decrease of 4 to 12% in N2O emissions from 2005 to 2100, i.e., a reduction from 4.03/3.71 to 3.54/3.56 Tg N yr-1 depending on the parameterization. The emissions decrease strongly in the western basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while they tend to increase above the Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs), i.e., in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and in the northern Indian Ocean. The reduction in N2O emissions is caused on the one hand by weakened nitrification as a consequence of reduced primary and export production, and on the other hand by stronger vertical stratification, which reduces the transport of N2O from the ocean interior to the ocean surface. The higher emissions over the OMZ are linked to an expansion of these zones under global warming, which leads to increased N2O production associated primarily with denitrification. From the perspective of a global climate system, the averaged feedback strength associated with the projected decrease in oceanic N2O emissions amounts to around -0.009 W m-2 K-1, which is comparable to the potential increase from terrestrial N2O sources. However, the assesment for a compensation between the terrestrial and marine feedbacks calls for an improved representation of N2O production terms in fully coupled next generation of Earth System Models.

USGS Arctic Ocean carbon cruise 2010: field activity H-03-10-AR to collect carbon data in the Arctic Ocean, August - September 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, Lisa L.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Gove, Matthew D.; Knorr, Paul O.; Wynn, Jonathan; Byrne, Robert H.; Liu, Xuewu

2013-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is absorbed at the surface of the ocean by reacting with seawater to form carbonic acid, a weak, naturally occurring acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, the concentration of carbonic acid in seawater also increases, causing a decrease in ocean pH and carbonate mineral saturation states, a process known as ocean acidification. The oceans have absorbed approximately 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or about one-quarter to one-third of the anthropogenic carbon emissions released since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (Sabine and others, 2004). Global surveys of ocean chemistry have revealed that seawater pH has decreased by about 0.1 units (from a pH of 8.2 to 8.1) since the 1700s due to absorption of carbon dioxide (Caldeira and Wickett, 2003; Orr and others, 2005; Raven and others, 2005). Modeling studies, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) CO2 emission scenarios, predict that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could reach more than 500 parts per million (ppm) by the middle of this century and 800 ppm by the year 2100, causing an additional decrease in surface water pH of 0.3 pH units. Ocean acidification is a global threat and is already having profound and deleterious effects on the geology, biology, chemistry, and socioeconomic resources of coastal and marine habitats (Raven and others, 2005; Ruttiman, 2006). The polar and sub-polar seas have been identified as the bellwethers for global ocean acidification.

USGS Arctic Ocean carbon cruise 2011: field activity H-01-11-AR to collect carbon data in the Arctic Ocean, August - September 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, Lisa L.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Knorr, Paul O.; Wynn, Jonathan; Lisle, John; Buczkowski, Brian J.; Moore, Barbara; Mayer, Larry; Armstrong, Andrew; Byrne, Robert H.; Liu, Xuewu

2013-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is absorbed at the surface of the ocean by reacting with seawater to form a weak, naturally occurring acid called carbonic acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, the concentration of carbonic acid in seawater also increases, causing a decrease in ocean pH and carbonate mineral saturation states, a process known as ocean acidification. The oceans have absorbed approximately 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or about one-quarter to one-third of the anthropogenic carbon emissions released since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (Sabine and others, 2004). Global surveys of ocean chemistry have revealed that seawater pH has decreased by about 0.1 units (from a pH of 8.2 to 8.1) since the 1700s due to absorption of carbon dioxide (Caldeira and Wickett, 2003; Orr and others, 2005; Raven and others, 2005). Modeling studies, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) CO2 emission scenarios, predict that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could reach more than 500 parts per million (ppm) by the middle of this century and 800 ppm by the year 2100, causing an additional decrease in surface water pH of 0.3 pH units. Ocean acidification is a global threat and is already having profound and deleterious effects on the geology, biology, chemistry, and socioeconomic resources of coastal and marine habitats (Raven and others, 2005; Ruttiman, 2006). The polar and sub-polar seas have been identified as the bellwethers for global ocean acidification.

Do Southern Ocean Cloud Feedbacks Matter for 21st Century Warming?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, W. R.; Maroon, E. A.; Pendergrass, A. G.; Kay, J. E.

2017-12-01

Cloud phase improvements in a state-of-the-art climate model produce a large 1.5 K increase in equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS, the surface warming in response to instantaneously doubled CO2) via extratropical shortwave cloud feedbacks. Here we show that the same model improvements produce only a small surface warming increase in a realistic 21st century emissions scenario. The small 21st century warming increase is attributed to extratropical ocean heat uptake. Southern Ocean mean-state circulation takes up heat while a slowdown in North Atlantic circulation acts as a feedback to slow surface warming. Persistent heat uptake by extratropical oceans implies that extratropical cloud biases may not be as important to 21st century warming as biases in other regions. Observational constraints on cloud phase and shortwave radiation that produce a large ECS increase do not imply large changes in 21st century warming.

Multispectral thermal infrared mapping of the 1 October 1988 Kupaianaha flow field, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Realmuto, Vincent J.; Hon, Ken; Kahle, Anne B.; Abbott, Elsa A.; Pieri, David C.

1992-01-01

Multispectral thermal infrared radiance measurements of the Kupaianaha flow field were acquired with the NASA airborne Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) on the morning of 1 October 1988. The TIMS data were used to map both the temperature and emissivity of the surface of the flow field. The temperature map depicted the underground storage and transport of lava. The presence of molten lava in a tube or tumulus resulted in surface temperatures that were at least 10 C above ambient. The temperature map also clearly defined the boundaries of hydrothermal plumes which resulted from the entry of lava into the ocean. The emissivity map revealed the boundaries between individual flow units within the Kupaianaha field. Distinct spectral anomalies, indicative of silica-rich surface materials, were mapped near fumaroles and ocean entry sites. This apparent enrichment in silica may have resulted from an acid-induced leaching of cations from the surfaces of glassy flows.

Sea-based Infrared Radiance Measurements of Ocean and Atmosphere from the ACAPEX/CalWater2 Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gero, P. J.; Knuteson, R.; Hackel, D.; Phillips, C.; Westphall, M.

2015-12-01

The ARM Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) / CalWater2 was a joint DOE/NOAA field campaign in early 2015 to study atmospheric rivers in the Pacific Ocean and their impacts on the western United States. The campaign goals were to improve understanding and modeling of large-scale dynamics and cloud and precipitation processes associated with atmospheric rivers and aerosol-cloud interactions that influence precipitation variability and extremes in the western United States. Coordinated measurements were made from ground-, aircraft- and sea-based platforms. The second ARM mobile facility (AMF-2) was deployed on board the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown for this campaign, which included a new Marine Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI) to measure the atmospheric downwelling and reflected infrared radiance spectrum at the Earth's surface with high absolute accuracy. The M-AERI measures spectral infrared radiance between 520-3020 cm-1 (3.3-19 μm) at a resolution of 0.5 cm-1. The M-AERI can selectively view the atmospheric scene at zenith, and ocean/atmospheric scenes over a range of ±45° from the horizon. The AERI uses two high-emissivity blackbodies for radiometric calibration, which in conjunction with the instrument design and a suite of rigorous laboratory diagnostics, ensures the radiometric accuracy to be better than 1% (3σ) of the ambient radiance. The M-AERI radiance spectra can be used to retrieve profiles of temperature and water vapor in the troposphere, as well as measurements of trace gases, cloud properties, surface emissivity and ocean skin temperature. We present preliminary results on measurements of ocean skin temperature, ocean emissivity properties as a function of view angle and wind speed, as well as comparisons with radiosondes and satellite observations.

Modeling and Evaluation of the Global Sea-Salt Aerosol Distribution: Sensitivity to Emission Schemes and Resolution Effects at Coastal/Orographic Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spada, M.; Jorba, O.; Perez Garcia-Pando, C.; Janjic, Z.; Baldasano, J. M.

2013-01-01

One of the major sources of uncertainty in model estimates of the global sea-salt aerosol distribution is the emission parameterization. We evaluate a new sea-salt aerosol life cycle module coupled to the online multi-scale chemical transport model NMMB/BSC-CTM. We compare 5 year global simulations using five state-of-the-art sea-salt open-ocean emission schemes with monthly averaged coarse aerosol optical depth (AOD) from selected AERONET sun photometers, surface concentration measurements from the University of Miami's Ocean Aerosol Network, and measurements from two NOAA/PMEL cruises (AEROINDOEX and ACE1). Model results are highly sensitive to the introduction of sea-surface-temperature (SST)-dependent emissions and to the accounting of spume particles production. Emission ranges from 3888 teragrams per year to 8114 teragrams per year, lifetime varies between 7.3 hours and 11.3 hours, and the average column mass load is between 5.0 teragrams and 7.2 teragrams. Coarse AOD is reproduced with an overall correlation of around 0.5 and with normalized biases ranging from +8.8 percent to +38.8 percent. Surface concentration is simulated with normalized biases ranging from minus 9.5 percent to plus 28 percent and the overall correlation is around 0.5. Our results indicate that SST-dependent emission schemes improve the overall model performance in reproducing surface concentrations. On the other hand, they lead to an overestimation of the coarse AOD at tropical latitudes, although it may be affected by uncertainties in the comparison due to the use of all-sky model AOD, the treatment of water uptake, deposition and optical properties in the model and/or an inaccurate size distribution at emission.

Observations of C-Band Brightness Temperature and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate in Hurricanes Earl And Karl (2010)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy; James, Mark; Roberts, Brent J.; Biswax, Sayak; Uhlhorn, Eric; Black, Peter; Linwood Jones, W.; Johnson, Jimmy; Farrar, Spencer; Sahawneh, Saleem

2012-01-01

Ocean surface emission is affected by: a) Sea surface temperature. b) Wind speed (foam fraction). c) Salinity After production of calibrated Tb fields, geophysical fields wind speed and rain rate (or column) are retrieved. HIRAD utilizes NASA Instrument Incubator Technology: a) Provides unique observations of sea surface wind, temp and rain b) Advances understanding & prediction of hurricane intensity c) Expands Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer capabilities d) Uses synthetic thinned array and RFI mitigation technology of Lightweight Rain Radiometer (NASA Instrument Incubator) Passive Microwave C-Band Radiometer with Freq: 4, 5, 6 & 6.6 GHz: a) Version 1: H-pol for ocean wind speed, b) Version 2: dual ]pol for ocean wind vectors. Performance Characteristics: a) Earth Incidence angle: 0deg - 60deg, b) Spatial Resolution: 2-5 km, c) Swath: approx.70 km for 20 km altitude. Observational Goals: WS 10 - >85 m/s RR 5 - > 100 mm/hr.

Simulated effect of calcification feedback on atmospheric CO2 and ocean acidification

PubMed Central

Zhang, Han; Cao, Long

2016-01-01

Ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2 reduces pH and saturation state of calcium carbonate materials of seawater, which could reduce the calcification rate of some marine organisms, triggering a negative feedback on the growth of atmospheric CO2. We quantify the effect of this CO2-calcification feedback by conducting a series of Earth system model simulations that incorporate different parameterization schemes describing the dependence of calcification rate on saturation state of CaCO3. In a scenario with SRES A2 CO2 emission until 2100 and zero emission afterwards, by year 3500, in the simulation without CO2-calcification feedback, model projects an accumulated ocean CO2 uptake of 1462 PgC, atmospheric CO2 of 612 ppm, and surface pH of 7.9. Inclusion of CO2-calcification feedback increases ocean CO2 uptake by 9 to 285 PgC, reduces atmospheric CO2 by 4 to 70 ppm, and mitigates the reduction in surface pH by 0.003 to 0.06, depending on the form of parameterization scheme used. It is also found that the effect of CO2-calcification feedback on ocean carbon uptake is comparable and could be much larger than the effect from CO2-induced warming. Our results highlight the potentially important role CO2-calcification feedback plays in ocean carbon cycle and projections of future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. PMID:26838480

Effects of the Ionosphere on Passive Microwave Remote Sensing of Ocean Salinity from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeVine, D. M.; Abaham, Saji; Hildebrand, Peter H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Among the remote sensing applications currently being considered from space is the measurement of sea surface salinity. The salinity of the open ocean is important for understanding ocean circulation and for modeling energy exchange with the atmosphere. Passive microwave remote sensors operating near 1.4 GHz (L-band) could provide data needed to fill the gap in current coverage and to complement in situ arrays being planned to provide subsurface profiles in the future. However, the dynamic range of the salinity signal in the open ocean is relatively small and propagation effects along the path from surface to sensor must be taken into account. In particular, Faraday rotation and even attenuation/emission in the ionosphere can be important sources of error. The purpose or this work is to estimate the magnitude of these effects in the context of a future remote sensing system in space to measure salinity in L-band. Data will be presented as a function of time location and solar activity using IRI-95 to model the ionosphere. The ionosphere presents two potential sources of error for the measurement of salinity: Rotation of the polarization vector (Faraday rotation) and attenuation/emission. Estimates of the effect of these two phenomena on passive remote sensing over the oceans at L-band (1.4 GHz) are presented.

Projections of Ocean Acidification Under the U.N. Framework Convention of Climate Change Using a Reduced-Form Climate Carbon-Cycle Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartin, C.

2016-02-01

Ocean chemistry is quickly changing in response to continued anthropogenic emissions of carbon to the atmosphere. Mean surface ocean pH has already decreased by 0.1 units relative to the preindustrial era. We use an open-source, simple climate and carbon cycle model ("Hector") to investigate future changes in ocean acidification (pH and calcium carbonate saturations) under the climate agreement from the United Nations Convention on Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) of Parties in Paris 2015 (COP 21). Hector is a reduced-form, very fast-executing model that can emulate the global mean climate of the CMIP5 models, as well as the inorganic carbon cycle in the upper ocean, allowing us to investigate future changes in ocean acidification. We ran Hector under three different emissions trajectories, using a sensitivity analysis approach to quantify model uncertainty and capture a range of possible ocean acidification changes. The first trajectory is a business-as-usual scenario comparable to a Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5, the second a scenario with the COP 21 commitments enacted, and the third an idealized scenario keeping global temperature change to 2°C, comparable to a RCP 2.6. Preliminary results suggest that under the COP 21 agreements ocean pH at 2100 will decrease by 0.2 units and surface saturations of aragonite (calcite) will decrease by 0.9 (1.4) units relative to 1850. Under the COP 21 agreement the world's oceans will be committed to a degree of ocean acidification, however, these changes may be within the range of natural variability evident in some paleo records.

Biotic and Human Vulnerability to Projected Changes in Ocean Biogeochemistry over the 21st Century

PubMed Central

Mora, Camilo; Wei, Chih-Lin; Rollo, Audrey; Amaro, Teresa; Baco, Amy R.; Billett, David; Bopp, Laurent; Chen, Qi; Collier, Mark; Danovaro, Roberto; Gooday, Andrew J.; Grupe, Benjamin M.; Halloran, Paul R.; Ingels, Jeroen; Jones, Daniel O. B.; Levin, Lisa A.; Nakano, Hideyuki; Norling, Karl; Ramirez-Llodra, Eva; Rex, Michael; Ruhl, Henry A.; Smith, Craig R.; Sweetman, Andrew K.; Thurber, Andrew R.; Tjiputra, Jerry F.; Usseglio, Paolo; Watling, Les; Wu, Tongwen; Yasuhara, Moriaki

2013-01-01

Ongoing greenhouse gas emissions can modify climate processes and induce shifts in ocean temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and productivity, which in turn could alter biological and social systems. Here, we provide a synoptic global assessment of the simultaneous changes in future ocean biogeochemical variables over marine biota and their broader implications for people. We analyzed modern Earth System Models forced by greenhouse gas concentration pathways until 2100 and showed that the entire world's ocean surface will be simultaneously impacted by varying intensities of ocean warming, acidification, oxygen depletion, or shortfalls in productivity. In contrast, only a small fraction of the world's ocean surface, mostly in polar regions, will experience increased oxygenation and productivity, while almost nowhere will there be ocean cooling or pH elevation. We compiled the global distribution of 32 marine habitats and biodiversity hotspots and found that they would all experience simultaneous exposure to changes in multiple biogeochemical variables. This superposition highlights the high risk for synergistic ecosystem responses, the suite of physiological adaptations needed to cope with future climate change, and the potential for reorganization of global biodiversity patterns. If co-occurring biogeochemical changes influence the delivery of ocean goods and services, then they could also have a considerable effect on human welfare. Approximately 470 to 870 million of the poorest people in the world rely heavily on the ocean for food, jobs, and revenues and live in countries that will be most affected by simultaneous changes in ocean biogeochemistry. These results highlight the high risk of degradation of marine ecosystems and associated human hardship expected in a future following current trends in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. PMID:24143135

Biotic and human vulnerability to projected changes in ocean biogeochemistry over the 21st century.

PubMed

Mora, Camilo; Wei, Chih-Lin; Rollo, Audrey; Amaro, Teresa; Baco, Amy R; Billett, David; Bopp, Laurent; Chen, Qi; Collier, Mark; Danovaro, Roberto; Gooday, Andrew J; Grupe, Benjamin M; Halloran, Paul R; Ingels, Jeroen; Jones, Daniel O B; Levin, Lisa A; Nakano, Hideyuki; Norling, Karl; Ramirez-Llodra, Eva; Rex, Michael; Ruhl, Henry A; Smith, Craig R; Sweetman, Andrew K; Thurber, Andrew R; Tjiputra, Jerry F; Usseglio, Paolo; Watling, Les; Wu, Tongwen; Yasuhara, Moriaki

2013-10-01

Ongoing greenhouse gas emissions can modify climate processes and induce shifts in ocean temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and productivity, which in turn could alter biological and social systems. Here, we provide a synoptic global assessment of the simultaneous changes in future ocean biogeochemical variables over marine biota and their broader implications for people. We analyzed modern Earth System Models forced by greenhouse gas concentration pathways until 2100 and showed that the entire world's ocean surface will be simultaneously impacted by varying intensities of ocean warming, acidification, oxygen depletion, or shortfalls in productivity. In contrast, only a small fraction of the world's ocean surface, mostly in polar regions, will experience increased oxygenation and productivity, while almost nowhere will there be ocean cooling or pH elevation. We compiled the global distribution of 32 marine habitats and biodiversity hotspots and found that they would all experience simultaneous exposure to changes in multiple biogeochemical variables. This superposition highlights the high risk for synergistic ecosystem responses, the suite of physiological adaptations needed to cope with future climate change, and the potential for reorganization of global biodiversity patterns. If co-occurring biogeochemical changes influence the delivery of ocean goods and services, then they could also have a considerable effect on human welfare. Approximately 470 to 870 million of the poorest people in the world rely heavily on the ocean for food, jobs, and revenues and live in countries that will be most affected by simultaneous changes in ocean biogeochemistry. These results highlight the high risk of degradation of marine ecosystems and associated human hardship expected in a future following current trends in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Projections of oceanic N2O emissions in the 21st century using the IPSL Earth system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Rey, J.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.; Tagliabue, A.; Gruber, N.

2015-07-01

The ocean is a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but little is known about how this flux might change in the future. Here, we investigate the potential evolution of marine N2O emissions in the 21st century in response to anthropogenic climate change using the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES. Assuming nitrification as the dominant N2O formation pathway, we implemented two different parameterizations of N2O production which differ primarily under low-oxygen (O2) conditions. When forced with output from a climate model simulation run under the business-as-usual high-CO2 concentration scenario (RCP8.5), our simulations suggest a decrease of 4 to 12 % in N2O emissions from 2005 to 2100, i.e., a reduction from 4.03/3.71 to 3.54/3.56 TgN yr-1 depending on the parameterization. The emissions decrease strongly in the western basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while they tend to increase above the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), i.e., in the eastern tropical Pacific and in the northern Indian Ocean. The reduction in N2O emissions is caused on the one hand by weakened nitrification as a consequence of reduced primary and export production, and on the other hand by stronger vertical stratification, which reduces the transport of N2O from the ocean interior to the ocean surface. The higher emissions over the OMZ are linked to an expansion of these zones under global warming, which leads to increased N2O production, associated primarily with denitrification. While there are many uncertainties in the relative contribution and changes in the N2O production pathways, the increasing storage seems unequivocal and determines largely the decrease in N2O emissions in the future. From the perspective of a global climate system, the averaged feedback strength associated with the projected decrease in oceanic N2O emissions amounts to around -0.009 W m-2 K-1, which is comparable to the potential increase from terrestrial N2O sources. However, the assessment for a potential balance between the terrestrial and marine feedbacks calls for an improved representation of N2O production terms in fully coupled next-generation Earth system models.

Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the PETM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babila, T. L.; Penman, D. E.; Hoenisch, B.; Kelly, D. C.; Bralower, T. J.; Rosenthal, Y.; Zachos, J. C.

2016-12-01

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations while concomitantly acidifying the oceans. Instrumental records are sparse and limited in duration, making it difficult to separate regional from global trends of ocean acidification. Geologically rapid carbon perturbations such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 56 Ma) are arguably the closest paleo analogue to present climate change. Marine ecosystems experienced dynamic changes during the event, and parallel environmental changes, including acidification and warming. Here we present a synthesis of new and published geochemical reconstructions from various oceanographic settings to determine the magnitude and spatial extent of surface ocean acidification. In the deep ocean, acidification is inferred from widespread dissolution of seafloor carbonates, whereas evidence for surface ocean acidification has emerged from planktonic foraminifera boron proxy records (B/Ca and δ11B) (Penman et al. 2014; Babila et al. 2016). B/Ca and δ11B in surface and thermocline planktonic foraminifera suggest a simultaneous decrease at the PETM onset in all pelagic and shelf sites. Salinity, diagenesis and foraminiferal symbiont loss can complicate the interpretation of boron proxy records. Local salinity changes (based on paired Mg/Ca and δ18O) account for a relatively small component of total B/Ca change. The large range in environmental conditions between sites could explain the subtle differences in absolute values exhibited by the records. Shelf sites (ODP 174AX Bass River and Ancora, NJ) reveal similar absolute values and trends compared to pelagic sites (ODP 1209, N. Pacific), precluding a significant preservation bias on the geochemical records. Southern Ocean sites (ODP 689 and 690) are located in colder surface waters and exhibit a similar decrease in B/Ca, suggesting that temperature and symbiont loss are likely not major factors. We conclude that while the mass of released carbon is comparable to anthropogenic emissions, the rate is much slower, resulting in a less severe degree of undersaturation. Furthermore, the consistent latitudinal pattern of acidification suggests that thermal stress rather than acidification contributed to the observed biotic responses.

Influence of anthropogenic combustion emissions on the deposition of soluble aerosol iron to the ocean: Empirical estimates for island sites in the North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sholkovitz, Edward R.; Sedwick, Peter N.; Church, Thomas M.

2009-07-01

The results of several recent studies challenge the reigning paradigm that continental soil dust provides the only significant atmospheric source of dissolved iron to the surface ocean. This evidence includes correlations between the operational solubility of aerosol iron and atmospheric loadings of black carbon and aluminum-normalized vanadium and nickel, each of which are associated with emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel oil. These observations suggest that the relative solubility of aerosol iron, hence the eolian flux of soluble iron to the surface ocean, may be significantly impacted by anthropogenic oil combustion products. Using recent field data from the Bermuda region, we have developed an empirical method to estimate the solubility of aerosol iron using bulk aerosol concentrations of Fe, V and Al. We apply this method to a large body of published data from the AEROCE program for North Atlantic island sites on Tenerife, Barbados, Bermuda and Ireland, where the relative proportions of anthropogenic aerosols range from minor to major, respectively. Our aerosol iron solubility estimates suggest that anthropogenic emissions contribute approximately 70% and 85% of the annual dry deposition of soluble iron to the surface ocean near Bermuda and Ireland, respectively, implying that human activities have profoundly affected the iron budget of the North Atlantic region. The annual mean dry deposition of soluble iron at Barbados and Izana is dominated by soil dust. The anthropogenic contribution at these two sites ranges from 12% to 30% and is highly dependent on the soil dust solubility of Fe employed in the model. The low end (˜12%) estimate appears to be more representative of these high-dust sites.

A noncoherent model for microwave emissions and backscattering from the sea surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.; Fung, A. K.

1973-01-01

The two-scale (small irregularities superimposed upon large undulations) scattering theory proposed by Semyonov was extended and used to compute microwave apparent temperature and the backscattering cross section from ocean surfaces. The effect of the small irregularities upon the scattering characteristics of the large undulations is included by modifying the Fresnel reflection coefficients; whereas the effect of the large undulations upon those of the small irregularities is taken into account by averaging over the surface normals of the large undulations. The same set of surface parameters is employed for a given wind speed to predict both the scattering and the emission characteristics at both polarizations.

Improving land surface emissivty parameter for land surface models using portable FTIR and remote sensing observation in Taklimakan Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yongqiang; Mamtimin, Ali; He, Qing

2014-05-01

Because land surface emissivity (ɛ) has not been reliably measured, global climate model (GCM) land surface schemes conventionally set this parameter as simply assumption, for example, 1 as in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) model, 0.96 for soil and wetland in the Global and Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES) Common Land Model (CoLM). This is the so-called emissivity assumption. Accurate broadband emissivity data are needed as model inputs to better simulate the land surface climate. It is demonstrated in this paper that the assumption of the emissivity induces errors in modeling the surface energy budget over Taklimakan Desert where ɛ is far smaller than original value. One feasible solution to this problem is to apply the accurate broadband emissivity into land surface models. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument has routinely measured spectral emissivities in six thermal infrared bands. The empirical regression equations have been developed in this study to convert these spectral emissivities to broadband emissivity required by land surface models. In order to calibrate the regression equations, using a portable Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer instrument, crossing Taklimakan Desert along with highway from north to south, to measure the accurate broadband emissivity. The observed emissivity data show broadband ɛ around 0.89-0.92. To examine the impact of improved ɛ to radiative energy redistribution, simulation studies were conducted using offline CoLM. The results illustrate that large impacts of surface ɛ occur over desert, with changes up in surface skin temperature, as well as evident changes in sensible heat fluxes. Keywords: Taklimakan Desert, surface broadband emissivity, Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer, MODIS, CoLM

Incorporating realistic surface longwave spectral emissivity in the CESM and the impact on simulated current climate and climate changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; Huang, X.; Flanner, M.; Yang, P.; Feldman, D.; Kuo, C.

2016-12-01

As of today, most state-of-the-art GCMs still assumes blackbody surface in their longwave radiation scheme. Recent works by Chen et al. (2014) and Feldman et al. (2014) have suggested that the surface spectral emissivity can impact the simulated radiation budget and climate change in a discernible way, especially in high latitudes. Using a recently developed global emissivity database that covers both far-IR and mid-IR, we incorporated the LW surface spectral emissivity into the radiation scheme of the CESM. Effort has been made to ensure a consistent treatment of surface upward LW broadband flux in both the land module and the atmospheric module of the CESM, an important aspect overlooked by the previous study. Then we assess impacts of the inclusion of surface spectral emissivity on simulated mean-state climate and climate changes by carrying out two sets of parallel runs. The first pair of experiments uses the standard slab-ocean CESM v1.1.1 to run two experiments: one control run using forcings at year 2000 level and one sensitivity run abruptly doubling the CO2. The second pair of experiment setup is identical to the first one but using the CESM that we have modified (Surface emissivity is a prognostic variable in our second pair of experiments). The current climate simulation results show that the Sahara desert region in the modified CESM has a warmer surface temperature than in the standard CESM by 2-3K. Over the high-latitude regions, the modified CESM tends to have a colder surface temperature than the standard CESM by 1-2.5K. As a result, the climatological sea ice coverage in the modified CESM is 8% more than it in the standard CESM in both Polar Regions. All these differences are statistically significant. As for simulated climate change in response to a doubling of CO2, the Arctic region in the modified CESM warms consistently faster than in the standard CESM by 1-2K while the Antarctic region shows a non-uniform pattern of differences between two models. Differences in the changes of sea ice coverage between two models show a zonally-uniform dipole pattern over both polar oceans. The reasons for such differences and its linkage with the change of surface spectral emissivity are further explained.

Application of a Topological Metric for Assessing Numerical Ocean Models with Satellite Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morey, S. L.; Dukhovskoy, D. S.; Hiester, H. R.; Garcia-Pineda, O. G.; MacDonald, I. R.

2015-12-01

Satellite-based sensors provide a vast amount of observational data over the world ocean. Active microwave radars measure changes in sea surface height and backscattering from surface waves. Data from passive radiometers sensing emissions in multiple spectral bands can directly measure surface temperature, be combined with other data sources to estimate salinity, or processed to derive estimates of optically significant quantities, such as concentrations of biochemical properties. Estimates of the hydrographic variables can be readily used for assimilation or assessment of hydrodynamic ocean models. Optical data, however, have been underutilized in ocean circulation modeling. Qualitative assessments of oceanic fronts and other features commonly associated with changes in optically significant quantities are often made through visual comparison. This project applies a topological approach, borrowed from the field of computer image recognition, to quantitatively evaluate ocean model simulations of features that are related to quantities inferred from satellite imagery. The Modified Hausdorff Distance (MHD) provides a measure of the similarity of two shapes. Examples of applications of the MHD to assess ocean circulation models are presented. The first application assesses several models' representation of the freshwater plume structure from the Mississippi River, which is associated with a significant expression of color, using a satellite-derived ocean color index. Even though the variables being compared (salinity and ocean color index) differ, the MHD allows contours of the fields to be compared topologically. The second application assesses simulations of surface oil transport driven by winds and ocean model currents using surface oil maps derived from synthetic aperture radar backscatter data. In this case, maps of time composited oil coverage are compared between the simulations and satellite observations.

Elevated Ozone in the Troposphere over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the Northern Hemisphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Tie, Xuexi

2003-01-01

Tropospheric column ozone (TCO) is derived from differential measurements of total column ozone from Nimus-7 and Earth Probe TOMS, and stratospheric column ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder instrument on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. It is shown that TCO during summer months over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at northern mid-latitudes is about the same (50-60 Dobson Units) as over the continents of North America, Europe and Asia, where surface emissions of nitrogen oxides from industrial sources, biomass and biofuel burning and biogenic emissions are significantly larger. This nearly uniform zonal variation in TCO is modulated by surface topography of the Rocky and Himalayan mountains and Tibetan Plateau where TCO is reduced by 20-30 Dobson Units. The zonal characteristics of TCO derived from satellite measurements are well simulated by a global chemical transport model called MOZART-2 (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2). The model results are analyzed to delineate the relative importance of various processes contributing to observed zonal characteristics of TCO, and they are shown that the surface emission of NOx contributes about 50% of the TCO at northern mid-latitudes, especially over the continents of North America, Europe and Asia. The result of TCO derived from TOMS and the analysis from MOZART-2 indicate that TCO is a very useful tool to study tropospheric O3 pollution resulting from surface emissions of pollutants.

Comparison of global cloud liquid water path derived from microwave measurements with CERES-MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Y.; Minnis, P.; Huang, J.; Lin, B.; Ayers, K.; Sun-Mack, S.; Fan, A.

Cloud liquid water path LWP is a crucial parameter for climate studies due to the link that it provides between the atmospheric hydrological and radiative budgets Satellite-based visible infrared techniques such as the Visible Infrared Solar Split-Window Technique VISST can retrieve LWP for water clouds assumes single-layer over a variety of surfaces If the water clouds are overlapped by ice clouds the LWP of the underlying clouds can not be retrieved by such techniques However microwave techniques may be used to retrieve the LWP underneath ice clouds due to the microwave s insensitivity to cloud ice particles LWP is typically retrieved from satellite-observed microwave radiances only over ocean due to variations of land surface temperature and emissivity Recently Deeter and Vivekanandan 2006 developed a new technique for retrieving LWP over land In order to overcome the sensitivity to land surface temperature and emissivity their technique is based on a parameterization of microwave polarization-difference signals In this study a similar regression-based technique for retrieving LWP over land and ocean using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - EOS AMSR-E measurements is developed Furthermore the microwave surface emissivities are also derived using clear-sky fields of view based on the Clouds and Earth s Radiant Energy System Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer CERES-MODIS cloud mask These emissivities are used in an alternate form of the technique The results are evaluated using independent measurements such

Delivery of halogenated very short-lived substances from the west Indian Ocean to the stratosphere during the Asian summer monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiehn, Alina; Quack, Birgit; Hepach, Helmke; Fuhlbrügge, Steffen; Tegtmeier, Susann; Toohey, Matthew; Atlas, Elliot; Krüger, Kirstin

2017-06-01

Halogenated very short-lived substances (VSLSs) are naturally produced in the ocean and emitted to the atmosphere. When transported to the stratosphere, these compounds can have a significant influence on the ozone layer and climate. During a research cruise on RV Sonne in the subtropical and tropical west Indian Ocean in July and August 2014, we measured the VSLSs, methyl iodide (CH3I) and for the first time bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2), in surface seawater and the marine atmosphere to derive their emission strengths. Using the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART with ERA-Interim meteorological fields, we calculated the direct contribution of observed VSLS emissions to the stratospheric halogen burden during the Asian summer monsoon. Furthermore, we compare the in situ calculations with the interannual variability of transport from a larger area of the west Indian Ocean surface to the stratosphere for July 2000-2015. We found that the west Indian Ocean is a strong source for CHBr3 (910 pmol m-2 h-1), very strong source for CH2Br2 (930 pmol m-2 h-1), and an average source for CH3I (460 pmol m-2 h-1). The atmospheric transport from the tropical west Indian Ocean surface to the stratosphere experiences two main pathways. On very short timescales, especially relevant for the shortest-lived compound CH3I (3.5 days lifetime), convection above the Indian Ocean lifts oceanic air masses and VSLSs towards the tropopause. On a longer timescale, the Asian summer monsoon circulation transports oceanic VSLSs towards India and the Bay of Bengal, where they are lifted with the monsoon convection and reach stratospheric levels in the southeastern part of the Asian monsoon anticyclone. This transport pathway is more important for the longer-lived brominated compounds (17 and 150 days lifetime for CHBr3 and CH2Br2). The entrainment of CHBr3 and CH3I from the west Indian Ocean to the stratosphere during the Asian summer monsoon is lower than from previous cruises in the tropical west Pacific Ocean during boreal autumn and early winter but higher than from the tropical Atlantic during boreal summer. In contrast, the projected CH2Br2 entrainment was very high because of the high emissions during the west Indian Ocean cruise. The 16-year July time series shows highest interannual variability for the shortest-lived CH3I and lowest for the longest-lived CH2Br2. During this time period, a small increase in VSLS entrainment from the west Indian Ocean through the Asian monsoon to the stratosphere is found. Overall, this study confirms that the subtropical and tropical west Indian Ocean is an important source region of halogenated VSLSs, especially CH2Br2, to the troposphere and stratosphere during the Asian summer monsoon.

Gradient flux measurements of sea-air DMS transfer during the Surface Ocean Aerosol Production (SOAP) experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Murray J.; Walker, Carolyn F.; Bell, Thomas G.; Harvey, Mike J.; Saltzman, Eric S.; Law, Cliff S.

2018-04-01

Direct measurements of marine dimethylsulfide (DMS) fluxes are sparse, particularly in the Southern Ocean. The Surface Ocean Aerosol Production (SOAP) voyage in February-March 2012 examined the distribution and flux of DMS in a biologically active frontal system in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Three distinct phytoplankton blooms were studied with oceanic DMS concentrations as high as 25 nmol L-1. Measurements of DMS fluxes were made using two independent methods: the eddy covariance (EC) technique using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (API-CIMS) and the gradient flux (GF) technique from an autonomous catamaran platform. Catamaran flux measurements are relatively unaffected by airflow distortion and are made close to the water surface, where gas gradients are largest. Flux measurements were complemented by near-surface hydrographic measurements to elucidate physical factors influencing DMS emission. Individual DMS fluxes derived by EC showed significant scatter and, at times, consistent departures from the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment gas transfer algorithm (COAREG). A direct comparison between the two flux methods was carried out to separate instrumental effects from environmental effects and showed good agreement with a regression slope of 0.96 (r2 = 0.89). A period of abnormal downward atmospheric heat flux enhanced near-surface ocean stratification and reduced turbulent exchange, during which GF and EC transfer velocities showed good agreement but modelled COAREG values were significantly higher. The transfer velocity derived from near-surface ocean turbulence measurements on a spar buoy compared well with the COAREG model in general but showed less variation. This first direct comparison between EC and GF fluxes of DMS provides confidence in compilation of flux estimates from both techniques, as well as in the stable periods when the observations are not well predicted by the COAREG model.

Assessing carbon dioxide removal through global and regional ocean alkalinization under high and low emission pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenton, Andrew; Matear, Richard J.; Keller, David P.; Scott, Vivian; Vaughan, Naomi E.

2018-04-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels continue to rise, increasing the risk of severe impacts on the Earth system, and on the ecosystem services that it provides. Artificial ocean alkalinization (AOA) is capable of reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and surface warming and addressing ocean acidification. Here, we simulate global and regional responses to alkalinity (ALK) addition (0.25 PmolALK yr-1) over the period 2020-2100 using the CSIRO-Mk3L-COAL Earth System Model, under high (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5; RCP8.5) and low (RCP2.6) emissions. While regionally there are large changes in alkalinity associated with locations of AOA, globally we see only a very weak dependence on where and when AOA is applied. On a global scale, while we see that under RCP2.6 the carbon uptake associated with AOA is only ˜ 60 % of the total, under RCP8.5 the relative changes in temperature are larger, as are the changes in pH (140 %) and aragonite saturation state (170 %). The simulations reveal AOA is more effective under lower emissions, therefore the higher the emissions the more AOA is required to achieve the same reduction in global warming and ocean acidification. Finally, our simulated AOA for 2020-2100 in the RCP2.6 scenario is capable of offsetting warming and ameliorating ocean acidification increases at the global scale, but with highly variable regional responses.

Anthropogenic ocean acidification over the twenty-first century and its impact on calcifying organisms.

PubMed

Orr, James C; Fabry, Victoria J; Aumont, Olivier; Bopp, Laurent; Doney, Scott C; Feely, Richard A; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Gruber, Nicolas; Ishida, Akio; Joos, Fortunat; Key, Robert M; Lindsay, Keith; Maier-Reimer, Ernst; Matear, Richard; Monfray, Patrick; Mouchet, Anne; Najjar, Raymond G; Plattner, Gian-Kasper; Rodgers, Keith B; Sabine, Christopher L; Sarmiento, Jorge L; Schlitzer, Reiner; Slater, Richard D; Totterdell, Ian J; Weirig, Marie-France; Yamanaka, Yasuhiro; Yool, Andrew

2005-09-29

Today's surface ocean is saturated with respect to calcium carbonate, but increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are reducing ocean pH and carbonate ion concentrations, and thus the level of calcium carbonate saturation. Experimental evidence suggests that if these trends continue, key marine organisms--such as corals and some plankton--will have difficulty maintaining their external calcium carbonate skeletons. Here we use 13 models of the ocean-carbon cycle to assess calcium carbonate saturation under the IS92a 'business-as-usual' scenario for future emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. In our projections, Southern Ocean surface waters will begin to become undersaturated with respect to aragonite, a metastable form of calcium carbonate, by the year 2050. By 2100, this undersaturation could extend throughout the entire Southern Ocean and into the subarctic Pacific Ocean. When live pteropods were exposed to our predicted level of undersaturation during a two-day shipboard experiment, their aragonite shells showed notable dissolution. Our findings indicate that conditions detrimental to high-latitude ecosystems could develop within decades, not centuries as suggested previously.

Offshore Radiation Observations for Climate Research at the CERES Ocean Validation Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rutledge, Charles K.; Schuster, Gregory L.; Charlock, Thomas P.; Denn, Frederick M.; Smith, William L., Jr.; Fabbri, Bryan E.; Madigan, James J., Jr.; Knapp, Robert J.

2006-01-01

When radiometers on a satellite are pointed towards the planet with the goal of understanding a phenomenon quantitatively, rather than just creating a pleasing image, the task at hand is often problematic. The signal at the detector can be affected by scattering, absorption, and emission; and these can be due to atmospheric constituents (gases, clouds, and aerosols), the earth's surface, and subsurface features. When targeting surface phenomena, the remote sensing algorithm needs to account for the radiation associated with the atmospheric constituents. Likewise, one needs to correct for the radiation leaving the surface, when atmospheric phenomena are of interest. Rigorous validation of such remote sensing products is a real challenge. In visible and near infrared wavelengths, the jumble of effects on atmospheric radiation are best accomplished over dark surfaces with fairly uniform reflective properties (spatial homogeneity) in the satellite instrument's field of view (FOV). The ocean's surface meets this criteria; land surfaces - which are brighter, more spatially inhomogeneous, and more changeable with time - generally do not. NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project has used this backdrop to establish a radiation monitoring site in Virginia's coastal Atlantic Ocean. The project, called the CERES Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE), is located on a rigid ocean platform allowing the accurate measurement of radiation parameters that require precise leveling and pointing unavailable from ships or buoys. The COVE site is an optimal location for verifying radiative transfer models and remote sensing algorithms used in climate research; because of the platform's small size, there are no island wake effects; and suites of sensors can be simultaneously trained both on the sky and directly on ocean itself. This paper describes the site, the types of measurements made, multiple years of atmospheric and ocean surface radiation observations, and satellite validation results.

Aerosols implicated as a prime driver of twentieth-century North Atlantic climate variability.

PubMed

Booth, Ben B B; Dunstone, Nick J; Halloran, Paul R; Andrews, Timothy; Bellouin, Nicolas

2012-04-04

Systematic climate shifts have been linked to multidecadal variability in observed sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean. These links are extensive, influencing a range of climate processes such as hurricane activity and African Sahel and Amazonian droughts. The variability is distinct from historical global-mean temperature changes and is commonly attributed to natural ocean oscillations. A number of studies have provided evidence that aerosols can influence long-term changes in sea surface temperatures, but climate models have so far failed to reproduce these interactions and the role of aerosols in decadal variability remains unclear. Here we use a state-of-the-art Earth system climate model to show that aerosol emissions and periods of volcanic activity explain 76 per cent of the simulated multidecadal variance in detrended 1860-2005 North Atlantic sea surface temperatures. After 1950, simulated variability is within observational estimates; our estimates for 1910-1940 capture twice the warming of previous generation models but do not explain the entire observed trend. Other processes, such as ocean circulation, may also have contributed to variability in the early twentieth century. Mechanistically, we find that inclusion of aerosol-cloud microphysical effects, which were included in few previous multimodel ensembles, dominates the magnitude (80 per cent) and the spatial pattern of the total surface aerosol forcing in the North Atlantic. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic aerosol emissions influenced a range of societally important historical climate events such as peaks in hurricane activity and Sahel drought. Decadal-scale model predictions of regional Atlantic climate will probably be improved by incorporating aerosol-cloud microphysical interactions and estimates of future concentrations of aerosols, emissions of which are directly addressable by policy actions.

Geoengineering impact of open ocean dissolution of olivine on atmospheric CO2, surface ocean pH and marine biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhler, Peter; Abrams, Jesse F.; Völker, Christoph; Hauck, Judith; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter A.

2013-03-01

Ongoing global warming induced by anthropogenic emissions has opened the debate as to whether geoengineering is a ‘quick fix’ option. Here we analyse the intended and unintended effects of one specific geoengineering approach, which is enhanced weathering via the open ocean dissolution of the silicate-containing mineral olivine. This approach would not only reduce atmospheric CO2 and oppose surface ocean acidification, but would also impact on marine biology. If dissolved in the surface ocean, olivine sequesters 0.28 g carbon per g of olivine dissolved, similar to land-based enhanced weathering. Silicic acid input, a byproduct of the olivine dissolution, alters marine biology because silicate is in certain areas the limiting nutrient for diatoms. As a consequence, our model predicts a shift in phytoplankton species composition towards diatoms, altering the biological carbon pumps. Enhanced olivine dissolution, both on land and in the ocean, therefore needs to be considered as ocean fertilization. From dissolution kinetics we calculate that only olivine particles with a grain size of the order of 1 μm sink slowly enough to enable a nearly complete dissolution. The energy consumption for grinding to this small size might reduce the carbon sequestration efficiency by ˜30%.

Mercury as a Global Pollutant: Sources, Pathways, and Effects

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. We synthesize understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects, and consider the implications of Hg-control policies. Primary anthropogenic Hg emissions greatly exceed natural geogenic sources, resulting in increases in Hg reservoirs and subsequent secondary Hg emissions that facilitate its global distribution. The ultimate fate of emitted Hg is primarily recalcitrant soil pools and deep ocean waters and sediments. Transfers of Hg emissions to largely unavailable reservoirs occur over the time scale of centuries, and are primarily mediated through atmospheric exchanges of wet/dry deposition and evasion from vegetation, soil organic matter and ocean surfaces. A key link between inorganic Hg inputs and exposure of humans and wildlife is the net production of methylmercury, which occurs mainly in reducing zones in freshwater, terrestrial, and coastal environments, and the subsurface ocean. Elevated human exposure to methylmercury primarily results from consumption of estuarine and marine fish. Developing fetuses are most at risk from this neurotoxin but health effects of highly exposed populations and wildlife are also a concern. Integration of Hg science with national and international policy efforts is needed to target efforts and evaluate efficacy. PMID:23590191

Assessment of Tropical Cyclone Structure Variability

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cited 2007: Background on the HRD surface wind analysis system . [Available from http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/ hrd... Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Hurricane Wind Analysis System (H*Wind; Powell and Houston 1996...emissions from the ocean and atmosphere in the form of brightness temperatures (TB) for each of six frequencies from 4.55 to 7.22 GHz (Uhlhorn and Black 2003

Changes in Sea Salt Emissions Enhance ENSO Variability

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

Yang, Yang; Russell, Lynn M.; Lou, Sijia

Two 150-year pre-industrial simulations with and without interactive sea salt emissions from the Community Earth System Model (CESM) are performed to quantify the interactions between sea salt emissions and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Variations in sea salt emissions over the tropical Pacific Ocean are affected by changing wind speed associated with ENSO variability. ENSO-induced interannual variations in sea salt emissions result in decreasing (increasing) aerosol optical depth (AOD) by 0.03 over the equatorial central-eastern (western) Pacific Ocean during El Niño events compared to those during La Niña events. These changes in AOD further increase (decrease) radiative fluxes into the atmospheremore » by +0.2 W m -2 (-0.4 W m -2) over the tropical eastern (western) Pacific. Thereby, sea surface temperature increases (decreases) by 0.2–0.4 K over the tropical eastern (western) Pacific Ocean during El Niño compared to La Niña events and enhances ENSO variability by 10%. The increase in ENSO amplitude is a result of systematic heating (cooling) during the warm (cold) phase, of ENSO in the eastern Pacific. Interannual variations in sea salt emissions then produce the anomalous ascent (subsidence) over the equatorial eastern (western) Pacific between El Niño and La Niña events, which is a result of heating anomalies. Due to variations in sea salt emissions, the convective precipitation is enhanced by 0.6–1.2 mm day -1 over the tropical central-eastern Pacific Ocean and weakened by 0.9–1.5 mm day -1 over the Maritime Continent during El Niño compared to La Niña events, enhancing the precipitation variability over the tropical Pacific.« less

Influence of future anthropogenic emissions on climate, natural emissions, and air quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Mark Z.; Streets, David G.

2009-04-01

This study examines the effects of future anthropogenic emissions on climate, and the resulting feedback to natural emissions and air quality. Speciated sector- and region-specific 2030 emission factors were developed to produce gas and particle emission inventories that followed Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B and B1 emission trajectories. Current and future climate model simulations were run, in which anthropogenic emission changes affected climate, which fed back to natural emissions from lightning (NO, NO2, HONO, HNO3, N2O, H2O2, HO2, CO), soils (dust, bacteria, NO, N2O, H2, CH4, H2S, DMS, OCS, CS2), the ocean (bacteria, sea spray, DMS, N2O, H2, CH4), vegetation (pollen, spores, isoprene, monoterpenes, methanol, other VOCs), and photosynthesis/respiration. New methods were derived to calculate lightning flash rates as a function of size-resolved collisions and other physical principles and pollen, spore, and bacteria emissions. Although the B1 scenario was "cleaner" than the A1B scenario, global warming increased more in the B1 scenario because much A1B warming was masked by additional reflective aerosol particles. Thus neither scenario is entirely beneficial from a climate and health perspective, and the best control measure is to reduce warming gases and warming/cooling particles together. Lightning emissions declined by ˜3% in the B1 scenario and ˜12% in the A1B scenario as the number of ice crystals, thus charge-separating bounceoffs, decreased. Net primary production increased by ˜2% in both scenarios. Emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes increased by ˜1% in the A1B scenario and 4-5% in the B1 scenario. Near-surface ozone increased by ˜14% in the A1B scenario and ˜4% in the B1 scenario, reducing ambient isoprene in the latter case. Gases from soils increased in both scenarios due to higher temperatures. Near-surface PM2.5 mass increased by ˜2% in the A1B scenario and decreased by ˜2% in the B1 scenario. The resulting 1.4% higher aerosol optical depths (AODs) in the A1B scenario decreased ocean wind speeds and thus ocean sea spray and bacteria emissions; ˜5% lower AODs in the B1 scenario had the opposite effect.

Assimilation of Feng-Yun-3B satellite microwave humidity sounder data over land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Keyi; Bormann, Niels; English, Stephen; Zhu, Jiang

2018-03-01

The ECMWF has been assimilating Feng-Yun-3B (FY-3B) satellite microwave humidity sounder (MWHS) data over ocean in an operational forecasting system since 24 September 2014. It is more difficult, however, to assimilate microwave observations over land and sea ice than over the open ocean due to higher uncertainties in land surface temperature, surface emissivity and less effective cloud screening. We compare approaches in which the emissivity is retrieved dynamically from MWHS channel 1 [150 GHz (vertical polarization)] with the use of an evolving emissivity atlas from 89 GHz observations from the MWHS onboard NOAA and EUMETSAT satellites. The assimilation of the additional data over land improves the fit of short-range forecasts to other observations, notably ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder) humidity channels, and the forecast impacts are mainly neutral to slightly positive over the first five days. The forecast impacts are better in boreal summer and the Southern Hemisphere. These results suggest that the techniques tested allow for effective assimilation of MWHS/FY-3B data over land.

Supply of Soluble Iron from Combustion and Dust Sources to the Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, A.

2012-12-01

Bioavailable iron (Fe) from atmospheric particle is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton. Global models have been used to deduce atmospheric iron supply to the ocean, but uncertainty in the deposition flux remains large, which can influence the air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide and thus radiative forcing significantly. Here, a global chemical transport model is used to investigate the effect of aerosol emissions from ship plumes on iron solubility in particles from the combustion and dust sources. The emission data sets for combustion-generated aerosols such as those from biomass and fossil fuel burnings are taken from the emission inventory. The iron from combustion sources such as biomass and fossil fuels burning is readily released into solutions in aerosols assuming constant iron solubility (i.e., the mass fraction of dissolved to total iron). In contrast, the emissions of dust are calculated on-line, based on the surface wind speed and soil wetness from the GMAO assimilated meteorological fields. Further, the iron solubility dynamically changes from that in the originally emitted dust aerosols (which is 0.45%) due to reactions with acidic species. The model results reveal that the oil combustion from shipping mainly contributes to high iron solubility at low mass concentration observed over the high latitude North Atlantic Ocean. The model results suggest that the combustion source from ships contributes to a significant deposition of soluble iron to the high latitude oceans in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to continuing growth in global shipping and no regulations regarding particles emissions, the input of bioavailable iron from ship plumes is likely to increase in a future warmer climate when oceanic primary production may be more dependent on the nutrient input from atmospheric aerosols.

Surface Emissivity Maps for Satellite Retrieval of the Longwave Radiation Budget

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, Shashi K.; Wilber, Anne C.; Kratz, David P.

1999-01-01

This paper presents a brief description of the procedure used to produce global surface emissivity maps for the broadband LW, the 8-12 micrometer window, and 12 narrow LW bands. For a detailed description of the methodology and the input data, the reader is referred to Wilber et al. (1999). These maps are based on a time-independent surface type map published by the IGBP, and laboratory measurements of spectral reflectances of surface materials. These maps represent a first attempt to characterize emissivity based on surface types, and many improvements to the methodology presented here are already underway. Effects of viewing zenith angle and sea state on the emissivity of ocean surface (Smith et al. 1996, Wu and Smith 1997, Masuda et al. 1988) will be taken into account. Measurements form ASTER and MODIS will be incorporated as they become available. Seasonal variation of emissivity based on changes in the characteristics of vegetation will be considered, and the variability of emissivity of barren land areas will be accounted for with the use of Zobler World Soil Maps (Zobler 1986). The current maps have been made available to the scientific community from the web site: http://tanalo.larc.nasa.gov:8080/surf_htmls/ SARB_surf.html

Surface Nitrification: A Major Uncertainty in Marine N2O Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zamora, Lauren M.; Oschlies, Andreas

2014-01-01

The ocean is responsible for up to a third of total global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, but uncertainties in emission rates of this potent greenhouse gas are high (approaching 100%). Here we use a marine biogeochemical model to assess six major uncertainties in estimates of N2O production, thereby providing guidance in how future studies may most effectively reduce uncertainties in current and future marine N2O emissions. Potential surface N2O production from nitrification causes the largest uncertainty in N2O emissions (estimated up to approximately 1.6 Tg N/yr (sup -1) or 48% of modeled values), followed by the unknown oxygen concentration at which N2O production switches to N2O consumption (0.8 Tg N/yr (sup -1)or 24% of modeled values). Other uncertainties are minor, cumulatively changing regional emissions by less than 15%. If production of N2O by surface nitrification could be ruled out in future studies, uncertainties in marine N2O emissions would be halved.

Sea-to-air flux of dimethyl sulfide in the South and North Pacific Ocean as measured by proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry coupled with the gradient flux technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omori, Yuko; Tanimoto, Hiroshi; Inomata, Satoshi; Ikeda, Kohei; Iwata, Toru; Kameyama, Sohiko; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Gamo, Toshitaka; Ogawa, Hiroshi; Furuya, Ken

2017-07-01

Exchange of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) between the surface ocean and the lower atmosphere was examined by using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry coupled with the gradient flux (PTR-MS/GF) system. We deployed the PTR-MS/GF system and observed vertical gradients of atmospheric DMS just above the sea surface in the subtropical and transitional South Pacific Ocean and the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. In total, we obtained 370 in situ profiles, and of these we used 46 data sets to calculate the sea-to-air flux of DMS. The DMS flux determined was in the range from 1.9 to 31 μmol m-2 d-1 and increased with wind speed and biological activity, in reasonable accordance with previous observations in the open ocean. The gas transfer velocity of DMS derived from the PTR-MS/GF measurements was similar to either that of DMS determined by the eddy covariance technique or that of insoluble gases derived from the dual tracer experiments, depending on the observation sites located in different geographic regions. When atmospheric conditions were strongly stable during the daytime in the subtropical ocean, the PTR-MS/GF observations captured a daytime versus nighttime difference in DMS mixing ratios in the surface air overlying the ocean surface. The difference was mainly due to the sea-to-air DMS emissions and stable atmospheric conditions, thus affecting the gradient of DMS. This indicates that the DMS gradient is strongly controlled by diurnal variations in the vertical structure of the lower atmosphere above the ocean surface.

From up to date climate and ocean evidence with updated UN emissions projections, the time is now to recommend an immediate massive effort on CO2.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Peter

2017-04-01

This paper provides further compelling evidence for 'an immediate, massive effort to control CO2 emissions, stopped by mid-century' (Cai, Lenton & Lontzek, 2016). Atmospheric CO2 which is above 405 ppm (actual and trend) still accelerating, despite flat emissions since 2014, with a 2015 >3ppm unprecedented spike in Earth history (A. Glikson),is on the worst case IPCC scenario. Atmospheric methane is increasing faster than its past 20-year rate, almost on the worst-case IPCC AR5 scenario (Global Carbon Project, 2016). Observed effects of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution are increasing faster. This includes long-lived atmospheric GHG concentrations, radiative forcing, surface average warming, Greenland ice sheet melting, Arctic daily sea ice anomaly, ocean heat (and rate of going deeper), ocean acidification, and ocean de-oxygenation. The atmospheric GHG concentration of 485 ppm CO2 eq (WMO, 2015) commits us to 'about 2°C' equilibrium (AR5). 2°C by 2100 would require 'substantial emissions reductions over the next few decades' (AR5). Instead, the May 2016 UN update on 'intended' national emissions targets under the Paris Agreement projects global emissions will be 16% higher by 2030 and the November 2016 International Energy Agency update projects energy-related CO2 eq emissions will be 30% higher by 2030, leading to 'around 2.7°C by 2100 and above 3°C thereafter'. Climate change feedback will be positive this century and multiple large vulnerable sources of amplifying feedback exist (AR5). 'Extensive tree mortality and widespread forest die-back linked to drought and temperature stress have been documented on all vegetated continents' (AR5). 'Recent studies suggest a weakening of the land sink, further amplifying atmospheric growth of CO2' (WMO, 2016). Under all but the best-case IPCC AR5 scenario, surface temperature is projected to increase above 2°C by 2100, which is above 3°C (equilibrium) after 2100, with ocean acidification still increasing at 2100. Ocean heat is increasing under all scenarios at 2100. For all producing regions 'With or without adaptation, negative impacts on average crop yields become likely from the 2030s' (AR5). Crop models do not capture all adverse effects. The climate change of 2030 is practically locked in. NASA NEX downscaled daily maximum temperature projections at 1.5°C are incompatible with today's crop yields in major agricultural regions. Climate-change-related impacts from extreme events are high at 1.5°C (AR5) and add to modeled crop declines. 'Some unique and threatened systems are already at risk from climate change (high confidence)' with 'risk of severe consequences' higher with warming of around 1.5°C (AR5). At today's surface temperature increase, 'risks associated with tipping points become moderate' and 'increase disproportionately' as temperature increases above 1.5°C (AR5). According to mitigation projections, global emissions would decline forthwith for a better than 66% chance of a 2°C limit by 2100 (over 3°C after 2100). Failure to do so would risk the future sustainability of civilization and the human population. The IPCC does not make recommendations so this falls on scientists. By recommending immediate (emergency) massive action on CO2, the science community would make a momentous contribution to the future of humanity.

Ocean Heat Uptake Slows 21st Century Surface Warming Driven by Extratropical Cloud Feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, W.; Maroon, E.; Pendergrass, A. G.; Kay, J. E.

2017-12-01

Equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS), the warming in response to instantaneously doubled CO2, has long been used to compare climate models. In many models, ECS is well correlated with warming produced by transient forcing experiments. Modifications to cloud phase at high latitudes in a state-of-the-art climate model, the Community Earth System Model (CESM), produce a large increase in ECS (1.5 K) via extratropical cloud feedbacks. However, only a small surface warming increase occurs in a realistic 21st century simulation including a full-depth dynamic ocean and the "business as usual" RCP8.5 emissions scenario. In fact, the increase in surface warming is only barely above the internal variability-generated range in the CESM Large Ensemble. The small change in 21st century warming is attributed to subpolar ocean heat uptake in both hemispheres. In the Southern Ocean, the mean-state circulation takes up heat while in the North Atlantic a slowdown in circulation acts as a feedback to slow surface warming. These results show the importance of subpolar ocean heat uptake in controlling the pace of warming and demonstrate that ECS cannot be used to reliably infer transient warming when it is driven by extratropical feedbacks.

A statistical examination of Nimbus 7 SMMR data and remote sensing of sea surface temperature, liquid water content in the atmosphere and surfaces wind speed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prabhakara, C.; Wang, I.; Chang, A. T. C.; Gloersen, P.

1982-01-01

Nimbus 7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) brightness temperature measurements over the global oceans have been examined with the help of statistical and empirical techniques. Such analyses show that zonal averages of brightness temperature measured by SMMR, over the oceans, on a large scale are primarily influenced by the water vapor in the atmosphere. Liquid water in the clouds and rain, which has a much smaller spatial and temporal scale, contributes substantially to the variability of the SMMR measurements within the latitudinal zones. The surface wind not only increases the surface emissivity but through its interactions with the atmosphere produces correlations, in the SMMR brightness temperature data, that have significant meteorological implications. It is found that a simple meteorological model can explain the general characteristics of the SMMR data. With the help of this model methods to infer over the global oceans, the surface temperature, liquid water content in the atmosphere, and surface wind speed are developed. Monthly mean estimates of the sea surface temperature and surface winds are compared with the ship measurements. Estimates of liquid water content in the atmosphere are consistent with earlier satellite measurements.

Inverse modeling of CO2 sources and sinks using satellite observations of CO2 from TES and surface flask measurements

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

Nassar, Ray; Jones, DBA; Kulawik, SS

2011-01-01

We infer CO2 surface fluxes using satellite observations of mid-tropospheric CO2 from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and measurements of CO2 from surface flasks in a time-independent inversion analysis based on the GEOS-Chem model. Using TES CO2 observations over oceans, spanning 40 S 40 N, we find that the horizontal and vertical coverage of the TES and flask data are complementary. This complementarity is demonstrated by combining the datasets in a joint inversion, which provides better constraints than from either dataset alone, when a posteriori CO2 distributions are evaluated against independent ship and aircraft CO2 data. In particular, the jointmore » inversion offers improved constraints in the tropics where surface measurements are sparse, such as the tropical forests of South America. Aggregating the annual surface-to-atmosphere fluxes from the joint inversion for the year 2006 yields 1.13 0.21 PgC for the global ocean, 2.77 0.20 PgC for the global land biosphere and 3.90 0.29 PgC for the total global natural flux (defined as the sum of all biospheric, oceanic, and biomass burning contributions but excluding CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion). These global ocean and global land fluxes are shown to be near the median of the broad range of values from other inversion results for 2006. To achieve these results, a bias in TES CO2 in the Southern Hemisphere was assessed and corrected using aircraft flask data, and we demonstrate that our results have low sensitivity to variations in the bias correction approach. Overall, this analysis suggests that future carbon data assimilation systems can benefit by integrating in situ and satellite observations of CO2 and that the vertical information provided by satellite observations of mid-tropospheric CO2 combined with measurements of surface CO2, provides an important additional constraint for flux inversions.« less

Methane mitigation shows significant benefits towards achieving the 1.5 degree target.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, W.; Webber, C.; Cox, P. M.; Huntingford, C.; Lowe, J. A.; Sitch, S.

2017-12-01

Most analyses of allowable carbon emissions to achieve the 1.5 degree target implicitly assume that the ratio of CO2 to non-CO2 greenhouse gases remains near constant, and that all radiative forcing factors have similar impacts on land and ocean carbon storage. Here we determine how plausible reductions in methane emissions will make the carbon targets more feasible. We account for the latest estimates of the methane radiative effect as well as the indirect effects of methane on ozone. We particularly address the differing effects of methane and CO2 mitigation on the land carbon storage including via reduced concentrations of surface ozone. The methodology uses an intermediate complexity climate model (IMOGEN) coupled to a land surface model (JULES) which represents the details of the terrestrial carbon cycle. The carbon emissions inputs to IMOGEN are varied to find allowable pathways consistent with the Paris 1.5 K or 2.0 K targets. The IMOGEN physical parameters are altered to represent the climate characteristics of 38 CMIP5 models (such as climate sensitivity) to provide bounds on the range of allowable CO2 emissions. We examine the effects of three different methane mitigation options that are broadly consistent with the ranges in the SSP scenarios: little mitigation, cost-optimal mitigation, and maximal mitigation. The land and ocean carbon storage increases with methane mitigation, allowing more flexibility in CO2 emission reduction. This is mostly since CO2 fertilisation is reduced less with high methane mitigation, with a small contribution from reduced plant damage with lower surface ozone levels.

Fertilisation of the Southern Atlantic: Ephemeral River Valleys as a replenishing source of nutrient-enriched mineral aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dansie, Andrew; Wiggs, Giles; Thomas, David

2016-04-01

Oceanic dust deposition provides biologically important iron and macronutrients (Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen-based (N) compounds) that contribute to phytoplankton growth, marine productivity and oceanic atmospheric CO2 uptake. Research on dust emission sources to date has largely focused on the northern hemisphere and on ephemeral lakes and pans. Our work considers the ephemeral river valleys of the west coast of Namibia as an important yet overlooked source of ocean-fertilizing dust. Dust plumes are frequently emitted from the river valleys by strong easterly winds during the Southern Hemisphere winter, when the upwelling of the Benguela Current is at its weakest. We present field data from dust emission source areas along the main river channels near the coastal termini of the Huab, Kuiseb and Tsauchab river valleys. Collected data include erodible surface sediment, wind-blown flux, and associated meteorological data. Extensive surface sediment sampling was also undertaken throughout the combined 34,250 km2 extent of each river valley catchment with samples collected from within the main river channels, the main branches of each river system, selected tributaries, and into the upper watersheds. Geochemical data show valley sediment and wind-blown flux material have high concentrations of bioavailable Fe, P and N, exceeding that measured at the major dry lake basin dust sources in southern Africa. The contribution of fertilising deposition material is enhanced by both the spatial proximity of the source areas to the ocean and enrichment of source material by ephemeral fluvial accumulation and desiccation. Results show that geographical factors within each watershed play a key role in the nutrient composition of the emitting fluvial deposits in the river valleys. Analysis explores potential relationships between land use, geology, climate and precipitation in the upper watersheds and their influence on bioavailability of Fe, P and N compounds in wind-erodible valley sediments. MODIS data for dust plume identification and chlorophyll concentration in the southern Atlantic is utilised to investigate associations between recorded dust emission events and phytoplankton growth in the ocean surface waters.

How Will Aerosol-Cloud Interactions Change in an Ice-Free Arctic Summer?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilgen, Anina; Katty Huang, Wan Ting; Ickes, Luisa; Lohmann, Ulrike

2016-04-01

Future temperatures in the Arctic are expected to increase more than the global mean temperature, which will lead to a pronounced retreat in Arctic sea ice. Before mid-century, most sea ice will likely have vanished in late Arctic summers. This will allow ships to cruise in the Arctic Ocean, e.g. to shorten their transport passage or to extract oil. Since both ships and open water emit aerosol particles and precursors, Arctic clouds and radiation may be affected via aerosol-cloud and cloud-radiation interactions. The change in radiation feeds back on temperature and sea ice retreat. In addition to aerosol particles, also the temperature and the open ocean as a humidity source should have a strong effect on clouds. The main goal of this study is to assess the impact of sea ice retreat on the Arctic climate with focus on aerosol emissions and cloud properties. To this purpose, we conducted ensemble runs with the global climate model ECHAM6-HAM2 under present-day and future (2050) conditions. ECHAM6-HAM2 was coupled with a mixed layer ocean model, which includes a sea ice model. To estimate Arctic aerosol emissions from ships, we used an elaborated ship emission inventory (Peters et al. 2011); changes in aerosol emissions from the ocean are calculated online. Preliminary results show that the sea salt aerosol and the dimethyl sulfide burdens over the Arctic Ocean significantly increase. While the ice water path decreases, the total water path increases. Due to the decrease in surface albedo, the cooling effect of the Arctic clouds becomes more important in 2050. Enhanced Arctic shipping has only a very small impact. The increase in the aersol burden due to shipping is less pronounced than the increase due to natural emissions even if the ship emissions are increased by a factor of ten. Hence, there is hardly an effect on clouds and radiation caused by shipping. References Peters et al. (2011), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 5305-5320

Fractionation and current time trends of PCB congeners: evolvement of distributions 1950-2010 studied using a global atmosphere-ocean general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lammel, G.; Stemmler, I.

2012-05-01

PCBs are ubiquitous environmental pollutants expected to decline in abiotic environmental media in response to decreasing primary emissions since the 1970s. A coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model with embedded dynamic sub-models for atmospheric aerosols and the marine biogeochemistry and air-surface exchange processes with soils, vegetation and the cryosphere is used to study the transport and fate of four PCB congeners covering a range of 3-7 chlorine atoms. The change of the geographic distribution of the PCB mixture reflects the sources and sinks' evolvement over time. Globally, secondary emissions (re-volatilisation from surfaces) are on the long term increasingly gaining importance over primary emissions. They are most important for congeners of medium hydrophobicity (5-6 chlorine atoms). Their levels are predicted to decrease slowest. Congeners' fractionation is characterized both geographically and temporally. It causes enrichment of the lighter, less persistent congeners and more delayed decreasing levels in high latitudes in response to decreasing emissions. Delivery of contaminants to high latitudes is predicted to be more efficient than previously suggested. The results suggest furthermore that the effectiveness of emission control measures may significantly vary among substances: trends of decline in abiotic environmental media do not only vary with latitude (slow in high latitudes), but do also show longitudinal gradients

Re-approaching global iodine emissions: A novel parameterisation for sea-surface iodide concentrations using a machine learning approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherwen, T.; Evans, M. J.; Chance, R.; Tinel, L.; Carpenter, L.

2017-12-01

Halogens (Cl, Br, I) in the troposphere have been shown to play a profound role in determining the concentrations of ozone and OH. Iodine, which is essentially oceanic in source, exerts its largest impacts on composition in both the marine boundary layer, and in the upper troposphere. This chemistry has only recently been implemented into global models and significant uncertainties remain, particularly regarding the magnitude of iodine emissions. Iodine emissions are dominated by the inorganic oxidation of iodide in the sea surface by ozone, which leads to release of gaseous inorganic iodine (HOI, I2). Critical for calculation of these fluxes is the sea-surface concentration of iodide, which is poorly constrained by observations. Previous parameterizations for sea-surface iodide concentration have focused on simple regressive relationships with sea surface temperature and another single oceanographic variables. This leads to differences in iodine fluxes of approximately a factor of two, and leads to substantial differences in the modelled impact of iodine on atmospheric composition. Here we use an expanded dataset of oceanic iodide observations, which incorporates new data that has been targeted at areas with poor coverage previously. A novel approach of multivariate machine learning techniques is applied to this expanded dataset to generate a model that yields improved estimates of the global sea surface iodide distribution. We then use a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to explore the impact of this new parameterisation on the atmospheric budget of iodine and its impact on tropospheric composition.

Fractionation and current time trends of PCB congeners: evolvement of distributions 1950-2010 studied using a global atmosphere-ocean general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lammel, G.; Stemmler, I.

2012-08-01

PCBs are ubiquitous environmental pollutants expected to decline in abiotic environmental media in response to decreasing primary emissions since the 1970s. A coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model with embedded dynamic sub-models for atmospheric aerosols and the marine biogeochemistry and air-surface exchange processes with soils, vegetation and the cryosphere is used to study the transport and fate of four PCB congeners covering a range of 3-7 chlorine atoms. The change of the geographic distribution of the PCB mixture reflects the sources and sinks' evolvement over time. Globally, secondary emissions (re-volatilisation from surfaces) are on the long term increasingly gaining importance over primary emissions. Secondary emissions are most important for the congeners with 5-6 chlorine atoms. Correspondingly, the levels of these congeners are predicted to decrease slowest. Changes in congener mixture composition (fractionation) are characterized both geographically and temporally. In high latitudes enrichment of the lighter, less persistent congeners and more delayed decreasing levels in response to decreasing emissions are found. The delivery of the contaminants to high latitudes is predicted to be more efficient than previously suggested. The results suggest furthermore that the effectiveness of emission control measures may significantly vary among substances. The trends of decline of organic contaminant levels in the abiotic environmental media do not only vary with latitude (slow in high latitudes), but do also show longitudinal gradients.

Far-infrared surface emissivity and climate.

PubMed

Feldman, Daniel R; Collins, William D; Pincus, Robert; Huang, Xianglei; Chen, Xiuhong

2014-11-18

Presently, there are no global measurement constraints on the surface emissivity at wavelengths longer than 15 μm, even though this surface property in this far-IR region has a direct impact on the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and infrared cooling rates where the column precipitable water vapor (PWV) is less than 1 mm. Such dry conditions are common for high-altitude and high-latitude locations, with the potential for modeled climate to be impacted by uncertain surface characteristics. This paper explores the sensitivity of instantaneous OLR and cooling rates to changes in far-IR surface emissivity and how this unconstrained property impacts climate model projections. At high latitudes and altitudes, a 0.05 change in emissivity due to mineralogy and snow grain size can cause a 1.8-2.0 W m(-2) difference in the instantaneous clear-sky OLR. A variety of radiative transfer techniques have been used to model the far-IR spectral emissivities of surface types defined by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. Incorporating these far-IR surface emissivities into the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario of the Community Earth System Model leads to discernible changes in the spatial patterns of surface temperature, OLR, and frozen surface extent. The model results differ at high latitudes by as much as 2°K, 10 W m(-2), and 15%, respectively, after only 25 y of integration. Additionally, the calculated difference in far-IR emissivity between ocean and sea ice of between 0.1 and 0.2, suggests the potential for a far-IR positive feedback for polar climate change.

Far-infrared surface emissivity and climate

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

Feldman, Daniel R.; Collins, William D.; Pincus, Robert

Presently, there are no global measurement constraints on the surface emissivity at wavelengths longer than 15 μm, even though this surface property in this far-IR region has a direct impact on the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and infrared cooling rates where the column precipitable water vapor (PWV) is less than 1 mm. Such dry conditions are common for high-altitude and high-latitude locations, with the potential for modeled climate to be impacted by uncertain surface characteristics. This paper explores the sensitivity of instantaneous OLR and cooling rates to changes in far-IR surface emissivity and how this unconstrained property impacts climate modelmore » projections. At high latitudes and altitudes, a 0.05 change in emissivity due to mineralogy and snow grain size can cause a 1.8–2.0 W m⁻² difference in the instantaneous clear-sky OLR. A variety of radiative transfer techniques have been used to model the far-IR spectral emissivities of surface types defined by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. Incorporating these far-IR surface emissivities into the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario of the Community Earth System Model leads to discernible changes in the spatial patterns of surface temperature, OLR, and frozen surface extent. The model results differ at high latitudes by as much as 2°K, 10 W m⁻², and 15%, respectively, after only 25 y of integration. The calculated difference in far-IR emissivity between ocean and sea ice of between 0.1 and 0.2, suggests the potential for a far-IR positive feedback for polar climate change.« less

Far-infrared surface emissivity and climate

PubMed Central

Feldman, Daniel R.; Collins, William D.; Pincus, Robert; Huang, Xianglei; Chen, Xiuhong

2014-01-01

Presently, there are no global measurement constraints on the surface emissivity at wavelengths longer than 15 μm, even though this surface property in this far-IR region has a direct impact on the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and infrared cooling rates where the column precipitable water vapor (PWV) is less than 1 mm. Such dry conditions are common for high-altitude and high-latitude locations, with the potential for modeled climate to be impacted by uncertain surface characteristics. This paper explores the sensitivity of instantaneous OLR and cooling rates to changes in far-IR surface emissivity and how this unconstrained property impacts climate model projections. At high latitudes and altitudes, a 0.05 change in emissivity due to mineralogy and snow grain size can cause a 1.8–2.0 W m−2 difference in the instantaneous clear-sky OLR. A variety of radiative transfer techniques have been used to model the far-IR spectral emissivities of surface types defined by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. Incorporating these far-IR surface emissivities into the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario of the Community Earth System Model leads to discernible changes in the spatial patterns of surface temperature, OLR, and frozen surface extent. The model results differ at high latitudes by as much as 2°K, 10 W m−2, and 15%, respectively, after only 25 y of integration. Additionally, the calculated difference in far-IR emissivity between ocean and sea ice of between 0.1 and 0.2, suggests the potential for a far-IR positive feedback for polar climate change. PMID:25368189

Far-infrared surface emissivity and climate

DOE PAGES

Feldman, Daniel R.; Collins, William D.; Pincus, Robert; ...

2014-11-03

Presently, there are no global measurement constraints on the surface emissivity at wavelengths longer than 15 μm, even though this surface property in this far-IR region has a direct impact on the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and infrared cooling rates where the column precipitable water vapor (PWV) is less than 1 mm. Such dry conditions are common for high-altitude and high-latitude locations, with the potential for modeled climate to be impacted by uncertain surface characteristics. This paper explores the sensitivity of instantaneous OLR and cooling rates to changes in far-IR surface emissivity and how this unconstrained property impacts climate modelmore » projections. At high latitudes and altitudes, a 0.05 change in emissivity due to mineralogy and snow grain size can cause a 1.8–2.0 W m⁻² difference in the instantaneous clear-sky OLR. A variety of radiative transfer techniques have been used to model the far-IR spectral emissivities of surface types defined by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. Incorporating these far-IR surface emissivities into the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario of the Community Earth System Model leads to discernible changes in the spatial patterns of surface temperature, OLR, and frozen surface extent. The model results differ at high latitudes by as much as 2°K, 10 W m⁻², and 15%, respectively, after only 25 y of integration. The calculated difference in far-IR emissivity between ocean and sea ice of between 0.1 and 0.2, suggests the potential for a far-IR positive feedback for polar climate change.« less

21st Century Carbon-Climate Change as Simulated by the Canadian Earth System Model CanESM1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curry, C.; Christian, J. R.; Arora, V.; Boer, G. J.; Denman, K. L.; Flato, G. M.; Scinocca, J. F.; Merryfield, W. J.; Lee, W. G.; Yang, D.

2009-12-01

The Canadian Earth System Model CanESM1 is a fully coupled climate/carbon-cycle model with prognostic ocean and terrestrial components. The model has been used to simulate the 1850-2000 climate using historical greenhouse gas emissions, and future climates using IPCC emission scenarios. Modelled globally averaged CO2 concentration, land and ocean carbon uptake compare well with observation-based values at year 2000, as do the annual cycle and latitudinal distribution of CO2, instilling confidence that the model is suitable for future projections of carbon cycle behaviour in a changing climate. Land use change emissions are calculated explicitly using an observation-based time series of fractional coverage of different plant functional types. A more complete description of the model may be found in Arora et al. (2009). Differences in the land-atmosphere CO2 flux from the present to the future period under the SRES A2 emissions scenario show an increase in land sinks by a factor of 7.5 globally, mostly the result of CO2 fertilization. By contrast, the magnitude of the global ocean CO2 sink increases by a factor of only 2.3 by 2100. Expressed as a fraction of total emissions, ocean carbon uptake decreases throughout the 2000-2100 period, while land carbon uptake increases until around 2050, then declines. The result is an increase in airborne CO2 fraction after the mid-21st century, reaching a value of 0.55 by 2100. The simulated decline in ocean carbon uptake over the 21st century occurs despite steadily rising atmospheric CO2. This behaviour is usually attributed to climate-induced changes in surface temperature and salinity that reduce CO2 solubility, and increasing ocean stratification that weakens the biological pump. However, ocean biological processes such as dinitrogen fixation and calcification may also play an important role. Although not well understood at present, improved parameterizations of these processes will increase confidence in projections of future trends in CO2 uptake.

Sea spray aerosol as a unique source of ice nucleating particles

DOE PAGES

DeMott, Paul J.; Hill, Thomas C. J.; McCluskey, Christina S.; ...

2016-05-24

Ice nucleating particles (INPs) are vital for ice initiation in, and precipitation from, mixed-phase clouds. A source of INPs from oceans within sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions has been suggested in previous studies but remained unconfirmed. Here, we show that INPs are emitted using real wave breaking in a laboratory flume to produce SSA. The number concentrations of INPs from laboratory-generated SSA, when normalized to typical total aerosol number concentrations in the marine boundary layer, agree well with measurements from diverse regions over the oceans. In addition, data in the present study are also in accord with previously published INPmore » measurements made over remote ocean regions. INP number concentrations active within liquid water droplets increase exponentially in number with a decrease in temperature below 0°C, averaging an order of magnitude increase per 5°C interval. The plausibility of a strong increase in SSA INP emissions in association with phytoplankton blooms is also shown in laboratory simulations. Nevertheless, INP number concentrations, or active site densities approximated using “dry” geometric SSA surface areas, are a few orders of magnitude lower than corresponding concentrations or site densities in the surface boundary layer over continental regions. Lastly, these findings have important implications for cloud radiative forcing and precipitation within low-level and midlevel marine clouds unaffected by continental INP sources, such as may occur over the Southern Ocean.« less

Sea spray aerosol as a unique source of ice nucleating particles.

PubMed

DeMott, Paul J; Hill, Thomas C J; McCluskey, Christina S; Prather, Kimberly A; Collins, Douglas B; Sullivan, Ryan C; Ruppel, Matthew J; Mason, Ryan H; Irish, Victoria E; Lee, Taehyoung; Hwang, Chung Yeon; Rhee, Tae Siek; Snider, Jefferson R; McMeeking, Gavin R; Dhaniyala, Suresh; Lewis, Ernie R; Wentzell, Jeremy J B; Abbatt, Jonathan; Lee, Christopher; Sultana, Camille M; Ault, Andrew P; Axson, Jessica L; Diaz Martinez, Myrelis; Venero, Ingrid; Santos-Figueroa, Gilmarie; Stokes, M Dale; Deane, Grant B; Mayol-Bracero, Olga L; Grassian, Vicki H; Bertram, Timothy H; Bertram, Allan K; Moffett, Bruce F; Franc, Gary D

2016-05-24

Ice nucleating particles (INPs) are vital for ice initiation in, and precipitation from, mixed-phase clouds. A source of INPs from oceans within sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions has been suggested in previous studies but remained unconfirmed. Here, we show that INPs are emitted using real wave breaking in a laboratory flume to produce SSA. The number concentrations of INPs from laboratory-generated SSA, when normalized to typical total aerosol number concentrations in the marine boundary layer, agree well with measurements from diverse regions over the oceans. Data in the present study are also in accord with previously published INP measurements made over remote ocean regions. INP number concentrations active within liquid water droplets increase exponentially in number with a decrease in temperature below 0 °C, averaging an order of magnitude increase per 5 °C interval. The plausibility of a strong increase in SSA INP emissions in association with phytoplankton blooms is also shown in laboratory simulations. Nevertheless, INP number concentrations, or active site densities approximated using "dry" geometric SSA surface areas, are a few orders of magnitude lower than corresponding concentrations or site densities in the surface boundary layer over continental regions. These findings have important implications for cloud radiative forcing and precipitation within low-level and midlevel marine clouds unaffected by continental INP sources, such as may occur over the Southern Ocean.

Sea spray aerosol as a unique source of ice nucleating particles

PubMed Central

DeMott, Paul J.; Hill, Thomas C. J.; McCluskey, Christina S.; Prather, Kimberly A.; Ruppel, Matthew J.; Mason, Ryan H.; Irish, Victoria E.; Lee, Taehyoung; Hwang, Chung Yeon; Snider, Jefferson R.; McMeeking, Gavin R.; Dhaniyala, Suresh; Lewis, Ernie R.; Wentzell, Jeremy J. B.; Abbatt, Jonathan; Lee, Christopher; Sultana, Camille M.; Ault, Andrew P.; Axson, Jessica L.; Diaz Martinez, Myrelis; Venero, Ingrid; Santos-Figueroa, Gilmarie; Stokes, M. Dale; Deane, Grant B.; Mayol-Bracero, Olga L.; Grassian, Vicki H.; Bertram, Timothy H.; Bertram, Allan K.; Moffett, Bruce F.; Franc, Gary D.

2016-01-01

Ice nucleating particles (INPs) are vital for ice initiation in, and precipitation from, mixed-phase clouds. A source of INPs from oceans within sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions has been suggested in previous studies but remained unconfirmed. Here, we show that INPs are emitted using real wave breaking in a laboratory flume to produce SSA. The number concentrations of INPs from laboratory-generated SSA, when normalized to typical total aerosol number concentrations in the marine boundary layer, agree well with measurements from diverse regions over the oceans. Data in the present study are also in accord with previously published INP measurements made over remote ocean regions. INP number concentrations active within liquid water droplets increase exponentially in number with a decrease in temperature below 0 °C, averaging an order of magnitude increase per 5 °C interval. The plausibility of a strong increase in SSA INP emissions in association with phytoplankton blooms is also shown in laboratory simulations. Nevertheless, INP number concentrations, or active site densities approximated using “dry” geometric SSA surface areas, are a few orders of magnitude lower than corresponding concentrations or site densities in the surface boundary layer over continental regions. These findings have important implications for cloud radiative forcing and precipitation within low-level and midlevel marine clouds unaffected by continental INP sources, such as may occur over the Southern Ocean. PMID:26699469

Development of a modified two-scale electromagnetic model simulating both active and passive microwave measurements: Comparison to data remotely sensed over the ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boukabara, S. A.; Eymard, L.; Guillou, C.; Lemaire, D.; Sobieski, P.; Guissard, A.

2002-08-01

Spaceborne microwave remote sensing allows the determination of oceanic and atmospheric parameters. Operational payloads such as ERS-1 and ERS-2 and TOPEX/Poseidon as well as missions such as Jason (from NASA-Centre National d'Etudes) or Envisat (from the European Space Agency), have contained or contain paired microwave instruments looking at the nadir direction. This combination consists of microwave radiometers and a radar-altimeter. For the frequencies chosen in oceanographic satellite payloads, the active mode signal is mostly dependent on the surface state through its reflectivity and thus used for the near-surface wind speed retrieval. The active mode can also be attenuated by the atmosphere. On the other hand, the passive mode is related to the surface emissivity and the atmospheric radiation through the radiative transfer equation. Until now, the oceanic and atmospheric parameters have been retrieved separately, the latter being used to correct radar measurements. However, the reflectivity and the emissivity of a target are not independent quantities; hence the synergistic use of these two kinds of microwave measurements should allow one to improve the retrieval quality of the sea and atmosphere parameters. For this purpose, a unified model has been developed for the simulation of both the microwave backscattering coefficient σ° (active measurement) and the microwave emissivity, an important factor for the brightness temperature TB simulation, for every configuration (incidence angles, frequency, polarizations), taking into account the fact that the reflectivity and the emissivity are complementary to unity. The atmospheric absorption is computed following a widely used model from the literature. This paper gives a description and a first attempt of validation of this approach through a comparison with real data. The performance of the model is assessed by comparing the simulations to both brightness temperatures and backscattering coefficients from ERS-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon's instruments during the SEMAPHORE experiment, over a two-month period.

Re-Emergence of Excess Bomb Radiocarbon in Upwelling Waters with High-Latitude Origins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsay, C. M.; Lehman, S.

2016-02-01

The quantity of radiocarbon (14C) in the atmosphere was nearly doubled by nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s. Since then, the terrestrial biosphere and the ocean have absorbed most of the excess 14C from the atmosphere, although atmospheric radiocarbon activity (∆14C) continues to decline due to ongoing emissions of 14C-free CO2 from combustion of fossil fuels. The large transient decline in atmospheric ∆14C combined with gas exchange at the surface and spatially variable time scales of ocean mixing have led to large ∆14C gradients in the surface ocean between upwelling- and downwelling-dominated regions. These gradients continue to evolve over time. We examine the rate of change of surface ocean ∆14C between CLIVAR (2000-2011) and WOCE era (1990s) or other slightly earlier (1980s) datasets and find spatial patterns that reveal mixing between 14C-enriched mode waters, 14C-depleted deep waters and surface waters that are well-equilibrated with the atmosphere. The ∆14C of mode water reaching equatorial upwelling regions has increased between the WOCE and CLIVAR time periods, and the greater contribution of 14C to the low-latitude surface ocean appears to have significantly offset the ∆14C decline otherwise imparted by air-sea gas exchange with the atmosphere. Consequently, ∆14C gradients between low-latitude upwelling regions and gyre centers have weakened proportionally more than between gyre centers and regions where pre-industrial water still upwells, such as the Southern Ocean. Properly accounting for the re-emergence of water with post-industrial characteristics is important to constrain earth system models that seek to explain DIC, pH and other anthropogenically perturbed tracers in the surface ocean. Because of the history of ∆14C in the atmosphere, ocean ∆14C is a useful tracer for this purpose.

VIIRS Marine Isoprene Product and Initial Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, D.; Wang, M.; Wang, B.; Pan, L.; Lee, P.; Goldberg, M.

2017-12-01

Isoprene is a reactive biogenic hydrocarbon that affects atmospheric chemistry, aerosol loading, and cloud formation. We have developed a marine isoprene emission algorithm based on ocean color data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP). and global meteorology simulated by NOAA Global Forecasting System (GFS). This algorithm is implemented to generate a multi-year data record (2012-2015) of marine isoprene. The product was validated using historic ocean observations of marine isoprene, as well as in-situ data collected during two recent cruises (SPACES/OASIS in 2014 and ASTRA-OMZ in 2015). Result shows that the VIIRS product has captured the seasonal and spatial variability of global oceanic isoprene emission, which is controlled by a myriad of biological and environmental variables including chlorophyll-a concentration, phytoplankton functional types, seawater light attenuation rate, wind speed, and sea surface temperature. The VIIRS isoprene emission displays considerable seasonal and spatial variations, with peaks in spring over seawater abundant with nutrient inputs. Year to year variations are small, with the annual global emissions ranging from 0.20 to 0.25 Tg C/yr. This new dataset provides the first multi-year observations of global isoprene emissions that can be used to study a variety of environmental issues such as coastal air quality, global aerosol, and cloud formation. Some "early-adopter" applications of this product are briefly discussed.

Adjusting Mitigation Pathways to Stabilize Climate at 1.5°C and 2.0°C Rise in Global Temperatures to Year 2300

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwin, Philip; Brown, Sally; Haigh, Ivan David; Nicholls, Robert James; Matter, Juerg M.

2018-03-01

To avoid the most dangerous consequences of anthropogenic climate change, the Paris Agreement provides a clear and agreed climate mitigation target of stabilizing global surface warming to under 2.0°C above preindustrial, and preferably closer to 1.5°C. However, policy makers do not currently know exactly what carbon emissions pathways to follow to stabilize warming below these agreed targets, because there is large uncertainty in future temperature rise for any given pathway. This large uncertainty makes it difficult for a cautious policy maker to avoid either: (1) allowing warming to exceed the agreed target or (2) cutting global emissions more than is required to satisfy the agreed target, and their associated societal costs. This study presents a novel Adjusting Mitigation Pathway (AMP) approach to restrict future warming to policy-driven targets, in which future emissions reductions are not fully determined now but respond to future surface warming each decade in a self-adjusting manner. A large ensemble of Earth system model simulations, constrained by geological and historical observations of past climate change, demonstrates our self-adjusting mitigation approach for a range of climate stabilization targets ranging from 1.5°C to 4.5°C, and generates AMP scenarios up to year 2300 for surface warming, carbon emissions, atmospheric CO2, global mean sea level, and surface ocean acidification. We find that lower 21st century warming targets will significantly reduce ocean acidification this century, and will avoid up to 4 m of sea-level rise by year 2300 relative to a high-end scenario.

Estimate of carbonyl sulfide tropical oceanic surface fluxes using Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuai, Le; Worden, John R.; Campbell, J. Elliott; Kulawik, Susan S.; Li, King-Fai; Lee, Meemong; Weidner, Richard J.; Montzka, Stephen A.; Moore, Fred L.; Berry, Joe A.; Baker, Ian; Denning, A. Scott; Bian, Huisheng; Bowman, Kevin W.; Liu, Junjie; Yung, Yuk L.

2015-10-01

Quantifying the carbonyl sulfide (OCS) land/ocean fluxes contributes to the understanding of both the sulfur and carbon cycles. The primary sources and sinks of OCS are very likely in a steady state because there is no significant observed trend or interannual variability in atmospheric OCS measurements. However, the magnitude and spatial distribution of the dominant ocean source are highly uncertain due to the lack of observations. In particular, estimates of the oceanic fluxes range from approximately 280 Gg S yr-1 to greater than 800 Gg S yr-1, with the larger flux needed to balance a similarly sized terrestrial sink that is inferred from NOAA continental sites. Here we estimate summer tropical oceanic fluxes of OCS in 2006 using a linear flux inversion algorithm and new OCS data acquired by the Aura Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES). Modeled OCS concentrations based on these updated fluxes are consistent with HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations during 4th airborne campaign and improve significantly over the a priori model concentrations. The TES tropical ocean estimate of 70 ± 16 Gg S in June, when extrapolated over the whole year (about 840 ± 192 Gg S yr-1 ), supports the hypothesis proposed by Berry et al. (2013) that the ocean flux is in the higher range of approximately 800 Gg S yr-1.

Coral-based history of lead and lead isotopes of the surface Indian Ocean since the mid-20th century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong-Mi; Boyle, Edward A.; Suci Nurhati, Intan; Pfeiffer, Miriam; Meltzner, Aron J.; Suwargadi, Bambang

2014-07-01

Anthropogenic lead (Pb) from industrial activities has greatly altered the distribution of Pb in the present-day oceans, but no continuous temporal Pb evolution record is available for the Indian Ocean despite rapidly emerging industries around the region. Here, we present the coral-inferred annual history of Pb concentration and isotope ratios in the surface Indian Ocean since the mid-20th century (1945-2010). We analyzed Pb in corals from the Chagos Archipelago, western Sumatra and Strait of Singapore - which represent the central Indian Ocean via nearshore sites. Overall, coral Pb/Ca increased in the mid-1970s at all the sites. However, coral Pb isotope ratios evolve distinctively at each site, suggesting Pb contamination arises from different sources in each case. The major source of Pb in the Chagos coral appears to be India's Pb emission from leaded gasoline combustion and coal burning, whereas Pb in western Sumatra seems to be largely affected by Indonesia's gasoline Pb emission with additional Pb inputs from other sources. Pb in the Strait of Singapore has complex sources and its isotopic composition does not reflect Pb from leaded gasoline combustion. Higher 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios found at this site may reflect the contribution of Pb from coals and ores from southern China, Indonesia, and Australia, and local Pb sources in the Strait of Singapore. It is also possible that the Pb isotope ratios of Singapore seawater were elevated through isotope exchange with natural fluvial particles considering its delta setting.

Time-Dependent Cryospheric Longwave Surface Emissivity Feedback in the Community Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Chaincy; Feldman, Daniel R.; Huang, Xianglei; Flanner, Mark; Yang, Ping; Chen, Xiuhong

2018-01-01

Frozen and unfrozen surfaces exhibit different longwave surface emissivities with different spectral characteristics, and outgoing longwave radiation and cooling rates are reduced for unfrozen scenes relative to frozen ones. Here physically realistic modeling of spectrally resolved surface emissivity throughout the coupled model components of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) is advanced, and implications for model high-latitude biases and feedbacks are evaluated. It is shown that despite a surface emissivity feedback amplitude that is, at most, a few percent of the surface albedo feedback amplitude, the inclusion of realistic, harmonized longwave, spectrally resolved emissivity information in CESM1.2.2 reduces wintertime Arctic surface temperature biases from -7.2 ± 0.9 K to -1.1 ± 1.2 K, relative to observations. The bias reduction is most pronounced in the Arctic Ocean, a region for which Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5 (CMIP5) models exhibit the largest mean wintertime cold bias, suggesting that persistent polar temperature biases can be lessened by including this physically based process across model components. The ice emissivity feedback of CESM1.2.2 is evaluated under a warming scenario with a kernel-based approach, and it is found that emissivity radiative kernels exhibit water vapor and cloud cover dependence, thereby varying spatially and decreasing in magnitude over the course of the scenario from secular changes in atmospheric thermodynamics and cloud patterns. Accounting for the temporally varying radiative responses can yield diagnosed feedbacks that differ in sign from those obtained from conventional climatological feedback analysis methods.

Decision Support Tool Evaluation Report for General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment(GNOME) Version 2.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spruce, Joseph P.; Hall, Callie; Zanoni, Vicki; Blonski, Slawomir; D'Sa, Eurico; Estep, Lee; Holland, Donald; Moore, Roxzana F.; Pagnutti, Mary; Terrie, Gregory

2004-01-01

NASA's Earth Science Applications Directorate evaluated the potential of NASA remote sensing data and modeling products to enhance the General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) decision support tool. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Response Division is interested in enhancing GNOME with near-realtime (NRT) NASA remote sensing products on oceanic winds and ocean circulation. The NASA SeaWinds sea surface wind and Jason-1 sea surface height NRT products have potential, as do sea surface temperature and reflectance products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and sea surface reflectance products from Landsat and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer. HAZMAT is also interested in the Advanced Circulation model and the Ocean General Circulation Model. Certain issues must be considered, including lack of data continuity, marginal data redundancy, and data formatting problems. Spatial resolution is an issue for near-shore GNOME applications. Additional work will be needed to incorporate NASA inputs into GNOME, including verification and validation of data products, algorithms, models, and NRT data.

Aquarius main structure configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eremenko, A.

The Aquarius/SAC-D Observatory is a joint US-Argentine mission to map the salinity at the ocean surface. This information is critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system - the water cycle and ocean circulation. By measuring ocean salinity from space, the Aquarius/SAC-D Mission will provide new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate. Aquarius is the primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft. It consists of a Passive Microwave Radiometer to detect the surface emission that is used to obtain salinity and an Active Scatterometer to measure the ocean waves that affect the precision of the salinity measurement. The Aquarius Primary Structure houses instrument electronics, feed assemblies, and supports a deployable boom with a 2.5 m Reflector, and provides the structural interface to the SAC-D Spacecraft. The key challenge for the Aquarius main structure configuration is to satisfy the needs of component accommodations, ensuring that the instrument can meet all operational, pointing, environmental, and launch vehicle requirements. This paper describes the evolution of the Aquarius main structure configuration, the challenges of balancing the conflicting requirements, and the major configuration driving decisions and compromises.

Aquarius Main Structure Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eremenko, Alexander

2012-01-01

The Aquarius/SAC-D Observatory is a joint US-Argentine mission to map the salinity at the ocean surface. This information is critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system - the water cycle and ocean circulation. By measuring ocean salinity from space, the Aquarius/SAC-D Mission will provide new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate. Aquarius is the primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft. It consists of a Passive Microwave Radiometer to detect the surface emission that is used to obtain salinity and an Active Scatterometer to measure the ocean waves that affect the precision of the salinity measurement. The Aquarius Primary Structure houses instrument electronics, feed assemblies, and supports a deployable boom with a 2.5 m Reflector, and provides the structural interface to the SAC-D Spacecraft. The key challenge for the Aquarius main structure configuration is to satisfy the needs of component accommodations, ensuring that the instrument can meet all operational, pointing, environmental, and launch vehicle requirements. This paper describes the evolution of the Aquarius main structure configuration, the challenges of balancing the conflicting requirements, and the major configuration driving decisions and compromises.

Global and regional ocean carbon uptake and climate change: sensitivity to a substantial mitigation scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vichi, Marcello; Manzini, Elisa; Fogli, Pier Giuseppe; Alessandri, Andrea; Patara, Lavinia; Scoccimarro, Enrico; Masina, Simona; Navarra, Antonio

2011-11-01

Under future scenarios of business-as-usual emissions, the ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon is anticipated to decrease because of ocean chemistry constraints and positive feedbacks in the carbon-climate dynamics, whereas it is still unknown how the oceanic carbon cycle will respond to more substantial mitigation scenarios. To evaluate the natural system response to prescribed atmospheric "target" concentrations and assess the response of the ocean carbon pool to these values, 2 centennial projection simulations have been performed with an Earth System Model that includes a fully coupled carbon cycle, forced in one case with a mitigation scenario and the other with the SRES A1B scenario. End of century ocean uptake with the mitigation scenario is projected to return to the same magnitude of carbon fluxes as simulated in 1960 in the Pacific Ocean and to lower values in the Atlantic. With A1B, the major ocean basins are instead projected to decrease the capacity for carbon uptake globally as found with simpler carbon cycle models, while at the regional level the response is contrasting. The model indicates that the equatorial Pacific may increase the carbon uptake rates in both scenarios, owing to enhancement of the biological carbon pump evidenced by an increase in Net Community Production (NCP) following changes in the subsurface equatorial circulation and enhanced iron availability from extratropical regions. NCP is a proxy of the bulk organic carbon made available to the higher trophic levels and potentially exportable from the surface layers. The model results indicate that, besides the localized increase in the equatorial Pacific, the NCP of lower trophic levels in the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans is projected to be halved with respect to the current climate under a substantial mitigation scenario at the end of the twenty-first century. It is thus suggested that changes due to cumulative carbon emissions up to present and the projected concentration pathways of aerosol in the next decades control the evolution of surface ocean biogeochemistry in the second half of this century more than the specific pathways of atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Global negative emissions capacity of ocean macronutrient fertilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Daniel P.

2017-03-01

In order to meet the goal of limiting global average temperature increase to less than 2 °C, it is increasingly apparent that negative emissions technologies of up to 10 Pg C yr-1 will be needed before the end of the century. Recent research indicates that fertilization of the ocean with the macronutrients nitrogen and phosphorus where they limit primary production, may have sequestration advantages over fertilizing iron limited regions. Utilizing global datasets of oceanographic field measurements, and output from a high resolution global circulation model, the current study provides the first comprehensive assessment of the global potential for carbon sequestration from ocean macronutrient fertilization (OMF). Sufficient excess phosphate exists outside the iron limited surface ocean to support once-off sequestration of up to 3.6 Pg C by fertilization with nitrogen. Ongoing maximum capacity of nitrogen only fertilization is estimated at 0.7 ± 0.4 Pg C yr-1. Sequestration capacity is expected to decrease from the upper toward the lower bound over time under continued intense fertilization. If N and P were used in combination the capacity is ultimately limited by societies willingness to utilize phosphate resources. Doubling current phosphate production would allow an additional 0.9 Pg C yr-1 and consume 0.07% yr-1 of known global resources. Therefore offsetting up to around 15% (1.5 Pg C yr-1) of annual global CO2 emissions is assessed as being technically plausible. Environmental risks which to date have received little quantitative evaluation, could also limit the scale of implementation. These results reinforce the need to consider a multi-faceted approach to greenhouse gasses, including a reduction in emissions coupled with further research into negative emissions technologies.

Multi-Decadal Aerosol Variations from 1980 to 2009: A Perspective from Observations and a Global Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Mian; Diehl, T.; Tan, Q.; Prospero, J. M.; Kahn, R. A.; Remer, L. A.; Yu, H.; Sayer, A. M.; Bian, H.; Geogdzhayev, I. V.;

Empirical retrieval of sea spray aerosol production using satellite microwave radiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savelyev, I. B.; Yelland, M. J.; Norris, S. J.; Salisbury, D.; Pascal, R. W.; Bettenhausen, M. H.; Prytherch, J.; Anguelova, M. D.; Brooks, I. M.

2017-12-01

This study presents a novel approach to obtaining global sea spray aerosol (SSA) production source term by relying on direct satellite observations of the ocean surface, instead of more traditional approaches driven by surface meteorology. The primary challenge in developing this empirical algorithm is to compile a calibrated, consistent dataset of SSA surface flux collected offshore over a variety of conditions (i.e., regions and seasons), thus representative of the global SSA production variability. Such dataset includes observations from SEASAW, HiWASE, and WAGES field campaigns, during which the SSA flux was measured from the bow of a research vessel using consistent and state-of-the-art eddy covariance methodology. These in situ data are matched to observations of the state of the ocean surface from Windsat polarimetric microwave satellite radiometer. Previous studies demonstrated the ability of WindSat to detect variations in surface waves slopes, roughness and foam, which led to the development of retrieval algorithms for surface wind vector and more recently whitecap fraction. Similarly, in this study, microwave emissions from the ocean surface are matched to and calibrated against in situ observations of the SSA production flux. The resulting calibrated empirical algorithm is applicable for retrieval of SSA source term throughout the duration of Windsat mission, from 2003 to present.

Time-resolved and Depth-dependent Photo-Degradation of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter Analyzed by Semi-continuous EEM Fluorescence Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonsior, M.; Timko, S.; Conte, M. H.; Schmitt-Kopplin, P.

2016-02-01

Ten liter water samples were collected at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Station (BATS) at 200 m intervals down to a maximum depth of 4530 m and solid-phase extracted. The methanol extracts were dried and re-dissolved in pure water and then used to determine the time-resolved photo-degradation of marine dissolved organic matter to be able to determine kinetic data. Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra were recorded every 20 minutes using a custom-built flow-through photo-degradation system during 20 h of solar simulated light exposure. The resulting EEM spectra were modeled using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) and results revealed reproducible and significant changes in the photo-degradation of marine FDOM originating from different depths. A five component model was fitted and the terrestrial-like components showed the expected high photo-reactivity, but surprisingly, the traditional marine-like peak showed slight photo-production in the surface layer, which might be the reason for its prevalence in the open ocean. Surface ocean waters were depleted in the highly photo-degradable components while protein-like fluorescent components were enriched, which was in agreement with previous studies. Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry confirmed unique aliphatic molecular ions in the Surface Ocean and hydrogen-deficient molecules at depth. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed strong correlations between unsaturated/aromatic molecular ions and depth, where aliphatic molecular ions were more prevalent in the Surface Ocean and aromatic molecular ions at depth. Strong correlations were also found between hydrogen-deficient molecular ions and the humic-like fluorescent components. The rapid photo-degradation of the deep-sea FDOM and the surface oceans relative depletion of aromatic molecular ions suggested that deep-ocean FDOM may be too photochemically labile to survive meridional overturning circulation.

Impacts of interactive dust and its direct radiative forcing on interannual variations of temperature and precipitation in winter over East Asia: Impacts of Dust on IAVs of Temperature

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

Lou, Sijia; Russell, Lynn M.; Yang, Yang

We used 150-year pre-industrial simulations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) to quantify the impacts of interactively-modeled dust emissions on the interannual variations of temperature and precipitation over East Asia during the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) season. The simulated December-January-February dust column burden and dust optical depth are lower over northern China in the strongest EAWM years than those of the weakest years, with regional mean values lower by 38.3% and 37.2%, respectively. The decrease in dust over the dust source regions (the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts) and the downwind region (such as the North China Plain) leadsmore » to an increase in direct radiative forcing (RF) both at the surface and top of atmosphere by up to 1.5 and 0.75 W m-2, respectively. The effects of EAWM-related variations in surface winds, precipitation and their effects on dust emissions and wet removal contribute about 67% to the total dust-induced variations of direct RF at the surface and partly offset the cooling that occurs with the EAWM strengthening by heating the surface. The variations of surface air temperature induced by the changes in wind and dust emissions increase by 0.4-0.6 K over eastern coastal China, northeastern China, and Japan, which weakens the impact of EAWM on surface air temperature by 3–18% in these regions. The warming results from the combined effects of changes in direct RF and easterly wind anomalies that bring warm air from the ocean to these regions. Moreover, the feedback of the changes in wind on dust emissions weakens the variations of the sea level pressure gradient on the Siberian High while enhancing the Maritime Continent Low. Therefore, cold air is prevented from being transported from Siberia, Kazakhstan, western and central China to the western Pacific Ocean and decreases surface air temperature by 0.6 K and 2 K over central China and the Tibetan Plateau, respectively. Over eastern coastal China, the variations of large-scale precipitation induced by the feedback of EAWM-related changes in wind on dust emissions increase by 10-30% in winter because of the increase in surface air temperature and the anomalous circulation.« less

The Aquarius Mission: Sea Surface Salinity from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koblinsky, Chester; Chao, Y.; deCharon, A.; Edelstein, W.; Hildebrand, P.; Lagerloef, G.; LeVine, D.; Pellerano, F.; Rahmat-Samii, Y.; Ruf, C.

2001-01-01

Aquarius is a new satellite mission concept to study the impact of the global water cycle on the ocean, including the response of the ocean to buoyancy forcing and the subsequent feedback of the ocean on the climate. The measurement objective of Aquarius is sea surface salinity, which reflects the concentration of freshwater at the ocean surface. Salinity affects the dielectric constant of sea water and, consequently, the radiometric emission of the sea surface to space. Rudimentary space observations with an L-band radiometer were first made from Skylab in the mid-70s and numerous aircraft missions of increasing quality and improved technology have been conducted since then. Technology is now available to carry out a global mission, which includes both an accurate L band (1.413 Ghz) radiometer and radar system in space and a global array of in situ observations for calibration and validation, in order to address key NASA Earth Science Enterprise questions about the global cycling of water and the response of the ocean circulation to climate change. The key scientific objectives of Aquarius examine the cycling of water at the ocean's surface, the response of the ocean circulation to buoyancy forcing, and the impact of buoyancy forcing on the ocean's thermal feedback to the climate. Global surface salinity will also improve our ability to model the surface solubility chemistry needed to estimate the air-sea exchange of CO2. In order to meet these science objectives, the NASA Salinity Sea Ice Working Group over the past three years has concluded that the mission measurement goals should be better than 0.2 practical salinity units (psu) accuracy, 100 km resolution, and weekly to revisits. The Aquarius mission proposes to meet these measurement requirements through a real aperture dual-polarized L band radiometer and radar system. This system can achieve the less than 0.1 K radiometric temperature measurement accuracy that is required. A 3 m antenna at approx. 600km altitude in a sun-synchronous orbit and 300 km swath can provide the desired 100 km resolution global coverage every week. Within this decade, it may be possible to combine satellite sea surface salinity measurements with ongoing satellite observations of temperature, surface height, air-sea fluxes; vertical profiles of temperature and salinity from the Argo program; and modern ocean/atmosphere modeling and data assimilation tools, in order to finally address the complex influence of buoyancy on the ocean circulation and climate.

Active-passive synergy for interpreting ocean L-band emissivity: Results from the CAROLS airborne campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, A. C. H.; Boutin, J.; Hauser, D.; Dinnat, E. P.

2014-08-01

The impact of the ocean surface roughness on the ocean L-band emissivity is investigated using simultaneous airborne measurements from an L-band radiometer (CAROLS) and from a C-band scatterometer (STORM) acquired in the Gulf of Biscay (off-the French Atlantic coasts) in November 2010. Two synergetic approaches are used to investigate the impact of surface roughness on the L-band brightness temperature (Tb). First, wind derived from the scatterometer measurements is used to analyze the roughness contribution to Tb as a function of wind and compare it with the one simulated by SMOS and Aquarius roughness models. Then residuals from this mean relationship are analyzed in terms of mean square slope derived from the STORM instrument. We show improvement of new radiometric roughness models derived from SMOS and Aquarius satellite measurements in comparison with prelaunch models. Influence of wind azimuth on Tb could not be evidenced from our data set. However, we point out the importance of taking into account large roughness scales (>20 cm) in addition to small roughness scale (5 cm) rapidly affected by wind to interpret radiometric measurements far from nadir. This was made possible thanks to simultaneous estimates of large and small roughness scales using STORM at small (7-16°) and large (30°) incidence angles.

Reduction in Surface Ocean Carbon Storage across the Middle Miocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babila, T. L.; Sosdian, S. M.; Foster, G. L.; Lear, C. H.

2017-12-01

During the Middle Miocene, Earth underwent a profound climate shift from the warmth of the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO; 14-17 Ma) to the stable icehouse of today during the Middle Miocene Climate transition (MMCT). Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO2) revealed by boron isotope records (δ11B) link massive volcanic outputs of Columbia River Flood Basalts to the general warmth of MCO. Superimposed on the long-term cooling trend (MMCT) is a gradual pCO2 decline and numerous positive carbon isotope (δ13C) excursions that indicate dynamic variations in the global carbon cycle. Enhanced organic carbon burial via marine productivity, increased silicate weathering and volcanic emission cessation are each invoked to explain the drawdown of pCO2. To better constrain the oceanic role in carbon sequestration over the Middle Miocene detailed records of carbonate chemistry are needed. We present high resolution Boron/Calcium (B/Ca) and δ13C records in planktonic foraminifer T.trilobus spanning 12-17 Ma at ODP 761 (tropical eastern Indian Ocean) to document changes in surface ocean carbonate chemistry. An overall 30% increase in B/Ca ratios is expressed as two stepwise phases occurring at 14.7 and 13 Ma. Cyclic B/Ca variations are coherent with complimentary δ13C records suggesting a tight coupling between ocean carbonate chemistry parameters. Lower resolution B/Ca data at DSDP 588 (Pacific) and ODP 926 (Atlantic) corroborate the trends observed at ODP 761. We employ a paired approach that combines B/Ca (this study) to δ11B (Foster et al., 2012) and an ad hoc calibration to estimate changes in surface ocean dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). We estimate a substantial decrease in surface ocean DIC spanning the Middle Miocene that culminates with modern day like values. This gradual decline in surface ocean DIC is coeval with existing deep-ocean records which together suggests a whole ocean reduction in carbon storage. We speculate that enhanced weathering rather than short term processes are responsible for mediating global carbon reservoirs over the Middle Miocene.

Impact of Ocean Acidification on Fluxes of non-CO2 Climate-Active Species: Report from the GESAMP WG38 workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suntharalingam, Parvadha; Gehlen, Marion; Hopkins, Frances; Duce, Robert; Jickells, Tim; Gesamp WG38 Workshop, Participants

2017-04-01

Most investigations of the impact of ocean acidification (OA) have focused on changes in oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2, the resulting shifts in carbonate chemical equilibria, and the consequences for marine calcifying organisms. Little attention has been paid to the direct impacts of OA on the ocean sources of a range of other gaseous and aerosol species that are influential in regulating radiative forcing, atmospheric oxidising capacity and atmospheric chemistry. The oceanic processes governing emissions of these species are frequently sensitive to the changes in pH and ocean pCO2 accompanying ocean acidification. Such processes include, for example, metabolic rates of microbial activity, levels of surface primary production, ecosystem composition, and photo-chemical and microbially mediated production/loss pathways for individual species. The direct and indirect influences of these factors on oceanic fluxes of non-CO2 trace-gases and aerosols, and the subsequent feedbacks to climate remain highly uncertain. To address these issues UN/GESAMP Working Group 38, The Atmospheric Input of Chemicals to the Ocean, convened a workshop on this topic at the University of East Anglia in February, 2017. The goals of this workshop are to review and synthesize the current science on the direct impacts of ocean acidification on marine emissions to the atmosphere of key species important for climate, and atmospheric chemistry; and to identify the primary needs for new research to improve process understanding and to quantify the impact of ocean acidification on these marine fluxes (i.e., provide recommendations on the specific laboratory process studies, field measurements and model analyses needed to support targeted research activities on this topic). The results, conclusions, and recommendations of this workshop will be presented.

Climate responses to anthropogenic emissions of short-lived climate pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, L. H.; Collins, W. J.; Olivié, D. J. L.; Cherian, R.; Hodnebrog, Ø.; Myhre, G.; Quaas, J.

2015-07-01

Policies to control air quality focus on mitigating emissions of aerosols and their precursors, and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). On a local scale, these policies will have beneficial impacts on health and crop yields, by reducing particulate matter (PM) and surface ozone concentrations; however, the climate impacts of reducing emissions of SLCPs are less straightforward to predict. In this paper we consider a set of idealized, extreme mitigation strategies, in which the total anthropogenic emissions of individual SLCP emissions species are removed. This provides an upper bound on the potential climate impacts of such air quality strategies. We focus on evaluating the climate responses to changes in anthropogenic emissions of aerosol precursor species: black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). We perform climate integrations with four fully coupled atmosphere-ocean global climate models (AOGCMs), and examine the effects on global and regional climate of removing the total land-based anthropogenic emissions of each of the three aerosol precursor species. We find that the SO2 emissions reductions lead to the strongest response, with all models showing an increase in surface temperature focussed in the Northern Hemisphere mid and (especially) high latitudes, and showing a corresponding increase in global mean precipitation. Changes in precipitation patterns are driven mostly by a northward shift in the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone), consistent with the hemispherically asymmetric warming pattern driven by the emissions changes. The BC and OC emissions reductions give a much weaker response, and there is some disagreement between models in the sign of the climate responses to these perturbations. These differences between models are due largely to natural variability in sea-ice extent, circulation patterns and cloud changes. This large natural variability component to the signal when the ocean circulation and sea-ice are free-running means that the BC and OC mitigation measures do not necessarily lead to a discernible climate response.

Climate responses to anthropogenic emissions of short-lived climate pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, L. H.; Collins, W. J.; Olivié, D. J. L.; Cherian, R.; Hodnebrog, Ø.; Myhre, G.; Quaas, J.; Samset, B. H.

2015-02-01

Policies to control air quality focus on mitigating emissions of aerosols and their precursors, and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). On a local scale, these policies will have beneficial impacts on health and crop yields, by reducing particulate matter (PM) and surface ozone concentrations; however, the climate impacts of reducing emissions of SLCPs are less straightforward to predict. In this paper we consider a set of idealised, extreme mitigation strategies, in which the total anthropogenic emissions of individual SLCP emissions species are removed. This provides an upper bound on the potential climate impacts of such air quality strategies. We focus on evaluating the climate responses to changes in anthropogenic emissions of aerosol precursor species: black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). We perform climate integrations with four fully coupled atmosphere-ocean global climate models (AOGCMs), and examine the effects on global and regional climate of removing the total land-based anthropogenic emissions of each of the three aerosol precursor species. We find that the SO2 emissions reductions lead to the strongest response, with all three models showing an increase in surface temperature focussed in the northern hemisphere high latitudes, and a corresponding increase in global mean precipitation and run-off. Changes in precipitation and run-off patterns are driven mostly by a northward shift in the ITCZ, consistent with the hemispherically asymmetric warming pattern driven by the emissions changes. The BC and OC emissions reductions give a much weaker forcing signal, and there is some disagreement between models in the sign of the climate responses to these perturbations. These differences between models are due largely to natural variability in sea-ice extent, circulation patterns and cloud changes. This large natural variability component to the signal when the ocean circulation and sea-ice are free-running means that the BC and OC mitigation measures do not necessarily lead to a discernible climate response.

Quantifying the influence of CO2 seasonality on future aragonite undersaturation onset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasse, T. P.; McNeil, B. I.; Matear, R. J.; Lenton, A.

2015-10-01

Ocean acidification is a predictable consequence of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and is highly likely to impact the entire marine ecosystem - from plankton at the base of the food chain to fish at the top. Factors which are expected to be impacted include reproductive health, organism growth and species composition and distribution. Predicting when critical threshold values will be reached is crucial for projecting the future health of marine ecosystems and for marine resources planning and management. The impacts of ocean acidification will be first felt at the seasonal scale, however our understanding how seasonal variability will influence rates of future ocean acidification remains poorly constrained due to current model and data limitations. To address this issue, we first quantified the seasonal cycle of aragonite saturation state utilizing new data-based estimates of global ocean-surface dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity. This seasonality was then combined with earth system model projections under different emissions scenarios (representative concentration pathways; RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) to provide new insights into future aragonite undersaturation onset. Under a high emissions scenario (RCP 8.5), our results suggest accounting for seasonality will bring forward the initial onset of month-long undersaturation by 17 ± 10 years compared to annual-mean estimates, with differences extending up to 35 ± 16 years in the North Pacific due to strong regional seasonality. This earlier onset will result in large-scale undersaturation once atmospheric CO2 reaches 496 ppm in the North Pacific and 511 ppm in the Southern Ocean, independent of emission scenario. This work suggests accounting for seasonality is critical to projecting the future impacts of ocean acidification on the marine environment.

The effect of precipitation on measuring sea surface salinity from space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Xuchen; Pan, Delu; He, Xianqiang; Wang, Difeng; Zhu, Qiankun; Gong, Fang

2017-10-01

The sea surface salinity (SSS) can be measured from space by using L-band (1.4 GHz) microwave radiometers. The L-band has been chosen for its sensitivity of brightness temperature to the change of salinity. However, SSS remote sensing is still challenging due to the low sensitivity of brightness temperature to SSS variation: for the vertical polarization, the sensitivity is about 0.4 to 0.8 K/psu with different incident angles and sea surface temperature; for horizontal polarization, the sensitivity is about 0.2 to 0.6 K/psu. It means that we have to make radiometric measurements with accuracy better than 1K even for the best sensitivity of brightness temperature to SSS. Therefore, in order to retrieve SSS, the measured brightness temperature at the top of atmosphere (TOA) needs to be corrected for many sources of error. One main geophysical source of error comes from atmosphere. Currently, the atmospheric effect at L-band is usually corrected by absorption and emission model, which estimate the radiation absorbed and emitted by atmosphere. However, the radiation scattered by precipitation is neglected in absorption and emission models, which might be significant under heavy precipitation. In this paper, a vector radiative transfer model for coupled atmosphere and ocean systems with a rough surface is developed to simulate the brightness temperature at the TOA under different precipitations. The model is based on the adding-doubling method, which includes oceanic emission and reflection, atmospheric absorption and scattering. For the ocean system with a rough surface, an empirical emission model established by Gabarro and the isotropic Cox-Munk wave model considering shadowing effect are used to simulate the emission and reflection of sea surface. For the atmospheric attenuation, it is divided into two parts: For the rain layer, a Marshall-Palmer distribution is used and the scattering properties of the hydrometeors are calculated by Mie theory (the scattering hydrometeors are assumed to be spherical). For the other atmosphere layers, which are assumed to be clear sky, Liebe's millimeter wave propagation model (MPM93) is used to calculate the absorption coefficients of oxygen, water vapor, and cloud droplets. To simulate the change of brightness temperature caused by different rain rate (0-50 mm/h), we assume a 26-layer precipitation structure corresponding to NCEP FNL data. Our radiative transfer simulations showed that the brightness temperature at TOA can be influenced significantly by the heavy precipitation, the results indicate that the atmospheric attenuation of L-band at incidence angle of 42.5° should be a positive bias, and when rain rate rise up to 50 mm/h, the brightness temperature increases are close to 0.6 K and 0.8 K for horizontally and vertically polarized brightness temperature, respectively. Thus, in the case of heavy precipitation, the current absorption and emission model is not accurate enough to correct atmospheric effect, and a radiative transfer model which considers the effect of radiation scattering should be used.

Climate Golden Age or Greenhouse Gas Dark Age Legacy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, P.

2016-12-01

Relying on the IPCC Assessments, this paper assesses legacy from total committed global warming over centuries, correlated with comprehensive projected impacts. Socio-economic inertia, climate system inertia, atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, amplifying feedback emissions, and unmasking of cooling aerosols are determinants. Stabilization of global temperature (and ocean acidification for CO2) requires emissions of "long lived greenhouse gases" to be "about zero," including feedbacks. "The feedback … is positive" this century; many large feedback sources tend to be self- and inter-reinforcing. Only timely total conversion of all fossil fuel power to clean, virtually zero-carbon renewable power can achieve virtual zero carbon emissions. This results in multiple, increasing benefits for the entire world population of today's and all future generations, as laid out here. Conversions of methane- and nitrous oxide-emitting sources have large benefits. Without timely conversion to virtual zero emissions, the global climate and ocean disruptions are predicted to become progressively more severe and practically irreversible. "Continued emission of greenhouse gases will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems." Crop yields in all main food-producing regions are projected to decline progressively with rising temperature (as proxy to multiple adverse effects) (AR5). Ocean heating, acidification, and de-oxygenation are projected to increase under all scenarios, as is species extinction. The legacy for humanity depends on reducing long-lived global emissions fast enough to virtual zero. Today's surface warming with unprecedented and accelerating atmospheric GHG concentrations requires an immediate response. The only IPCC scenario to possibly meet this and not exceed 2ºC by and after 2100 is the best-case RCP2.6, which requires CO2 eq. emissions to peak right away and decline at the latest by 2020.

Polarimetric thermal emission from periodic water surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yueh, S. H.; Nghiem, S. V.; Kwok, R.; Wilson, W. J.; Li, F. K.; Johnson, J. T.; Kong, J. A.

1993-01-01

Experimental results and theoretical calculations are presented to study the polarimetric emission from water surfaces with directional features. For our ground-based Ku-band radiometer measurements, a water pool was constructed on the roof of a building in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a fiberglass surface with periodic corrugations in one direction was impressed on the top of the water surface to create a stationary water surface underneath it. It is observed that the measured Stokes parameters of corrugated fiberglass-covered water surfaces are functions of azimuth angles and agree very well with the theoretical calculations. The theory, after being verified by the experimental data, was then used to calculate the Stokes parameters of periodic surfaces without fiberglass surface layer and with rms height of the order of wind-generated water ripples. The magnitudes of the azimuthal variation of the calculated emissivities at horizontal and vertical polarizations corresponding to the first two Stokes parameters are found to be comparable to the values measured by airborne radiometers and SSM/I. In addition, the third Stokes parameter not shown in the literature is seen to have approximately twice the magnitude of the azimuth variation of either T(sub h) or T(sub v), which may make it more sensitive to the row direction, while less susceptive to noises because the atmospheric and system noises tend to be unpolarized and are expected to be cancelled out when the third Stokes parameter is derived as the difference of two or three power measurements, as indicated by another experiment carried out at a swimming pool with complicated surroundings. The results indicate that passive polarimetry is a potential technology in the remote sensing of ocean wind vector which is a crucial component in the understanding of global climate change. Issues related to the application of microwave passive polarimetry to ocean wind are also discussed.

Assessing the role of "bottom-up" emissions and simplified chemical mechanisms in reconciling CESM2.0 with TOGA observations from the ORCAS and ATom-2 campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asher, E.; Emmons, L. K.; Kinnison, D. E.; Tilmes, S.; Hills, A. J.; Hornbrook, R. S.; Stephens, B. B.; Apel, E. C.

2017-12-01

Surface albedo and precipitation over the Southern Ocean are sensitive to parameterizations of aerosol formation and cloud dynamics in global climate models. Observations of precursor gases for natural aerosols can help constrain the uncertainty in these parameterizations, if used in conjunction with an appropriately simplified chemical mechanism. We implement current oceanic "bottom-up" emission climatologies of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and isoprene in CESM2.0 (Lana et al. 2016; Archer et al. 2009) and compare modeled constituents from two separate chemical mechanisms with data obtained from the Trace Organic Gas Analyzer (TOGA) on the O2/N2 Ratios and CO2 Airborne Study in the Southern Ocean (ORCAS) and the Atmospheric Tomography Mission 2 (ATom-2). We use ORCAS measurements of DMS, isoprene, methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) from over 10 flights in Jan. - Feb. 2016 as a training dataset to improve "bottom-up" emissions. Thereafter, we evaluate the scaled "top-down" emissions in CESM with TOGA data obtained from the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom-2) in Feb. 2017. Recent laboratory studies at NCAR confirm that TOGA surpasses proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and commercial gas chromatography (GC) instruments with respect to accurate measurements of oxygenated VOCs in low nitrogen oxide (NO) environments, such as MVK and MACR.

Scaling laws for perturbations in the ocean-atmosphere system following large CO2 emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towles, N.; Olson, P.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2015-07-01

Scaling relationships are found for perturbations to atmosphere and ocean variables from large transient CO2 emissions. Using the Long-term Ocean-atmosphere-Sediment CArbon cycle Reservoir (LOSCAR) model (Zeebe et al., 2009; Zeebe, 2012b), we calculate perturbations to atmosphere temperature, total carbon, ocean temperature, total ocean carbon, pH, alkalinity, marine-sediment carbon, and carbon-13 isotope anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere resulting from idealized CO2 emission events. The peak perturbations in the atmosphere and ocean variables are then fit to power law functions of the form of γ DαEβ, where D is the event duration, E is its total carbon emission, and γ is a coefficient. Good power law fits are obtained for most system variables for E up to 50 000 PgC and D up to 100 kyr. Although all of the peak perturbations increase with emission rate E/D, we find no evidence of emission-rate-only scaling, α + β = 0. Instead, our scaling yields α + β ≃ 1 for total ocean and atmosphere carbon and 0 < α + β < 1 for most of the other system variables.

Aragonite undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean: effects of ocean acidification and sea ice melt.

PubMed

Yamamoto-Kawai, Michiyo; McLaughlin, Fiona A; Carmack, Eddy C; Nishino, Shigeto; Shimada, Koji

2009-11-20

The increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and attendant increase in ocean acidification and sea ice melt act together to decrease the saturation state of calcium carbonate in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. In 2008, surface waters were undersaturated with respect to aragonite, a relatively soluble form of calcium carbonate found in plankton and invertebrates. Undersaturation was found to be a direct consequence of the recent extensive melting of sea ice in the Canada Basin. In addition, the retreat of the ice edge well past the shelf-break has produced conditions favorable to enhanced upwelling of subsurface, aragonite-undersaturated water onto the Arctic continental shelf. Undersaturation will affect both planktonic and benthic calcifying biota and therefore the composition of the Arctic ecosystem.

Air-Sea exchange of biogenic volatile organic compounds and the impact on aerosol particle size distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Michelle J.; Novak, Gordon A.; Zoerb, Matthew C.; Yang, Mingxi; Blomquist, Byron W.; Huebert, Barry J.; Cappa, Christopher D.; Bertram, Timothy H.

2017-04-01

We report simultaneous, underway eddy covariance measurements of the vertical flux of isoprene, total monoterpenes, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) over the Northern Atlantic Ocean during fall. Mean isoprene and monoterpene sea-to-air vertical fluxes were significantly lower than mean DMS fluxes. While rare, intense monoterpene sea-to-air fluxes were observed, coincident with elevated monoterpene mixing ratios. A statistically significant correlation between isoprene vertical flux and short wave radiation was not observed, suggesting that photochemical processes in the surface microlayer did not enhance isoprene emissions in this study region. Calculations of secondary organic aerosol production rates (PSOA) for mean isoprene and monoterpene emission rates sampled here indicate that PSOA is on average <0.1 μg m-3 d-1. Despite modest PSOA, low particle number concentrations permit a sizable role for condensational growth of monoterpene oxidation products in altering particle size distributions and the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei during episodic monoterpene emission events from the ocean.

Connections between the tropical Pacific Ocean, Arctic sea ice, and anomalous northeastern Pacific ridging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swain, D. L.; Singh, D.; Horton, D. E.; Mankin, J. S.; Ballard, T.; Thomas, L. N.; Diffenbaugh, N. S.

2016-12-01

The ongoing and severe drought in California is linked to the multi-year persistence of anomalously strong ridging along the west coast of North America, which has deflected the Pacific storm track north of its climatological mean position. Recent work has shown that that highly amplified and strongly meridional atmospheric flow patterns in this region similar to the "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge" have become more common in recent decades. Previous investigations have suggested multiple possible contributors to this conspicuous atmospheric anomaly—including remote teleconnections to unusual tropical Pacific Ocean warmth and/or reduced Arctic sea ice, internal (natural) atmospheric variability, and anthropogenic forcing due to greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we explore observed relationships between mid-tropospheric atmospheric structure in this region and five hypothesized surface forcings: sea ice extent in the (1) Barents/Kara and (2) Beaufort/Chukchi regions, and sea surface temperatures in the (3) extratropical northeastern Pacific Ocean, (4) western tropical Pacific Ocean, and (5) eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Using a predictive model based upon these observed relationships, we also investigate whether the failure of the powerful 2015-2016 El Niño event to bring above-average precipitation to California could have been predicted based upon these teleconnections.

Ocean Observations of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, Don

2016-01-01

The ocean influences climate by storing and transporting large amounts of heat, freshwater, and carbon, and exchanging these properties with the atmosphere. About 93% of the excess heat energy stored by the earth over the last 50 years is found in the ocean. More than three quarters of the total exchange of water between the atmosphere and the earth's surface through evaporation and precipitation takes place over the oceans. The ocean contains 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere and is at present acting to slow the rate of climate change by absorbing one quarter of human emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning, cement production, deforestation and other land use change.Here I summarize the observational evidence of change in the ocean, with an emphasis on basin- and global-scale changes relevant to climate. These include: changes in subsurface ocean temperature and heat content, evidence for regional changes in ocean salinity and their link to changes in evaporation and precipitation over the oceans, evidence of variability and change of ocean current patterns relevant to climate, observations of sea level change and predictions over the next century, and biogeochemical changes in the ocean, including ocean acidification.

Seasonal variability and long-term evolution of tropospheric composition in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wai, K. M.; Wu, S.; Kumar, A.; Liao, H.

2014-05-01

Impacts on tropospheric composition in the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere from biomass burning and other emission sources are studied using a global chemical transport model, surface measurements and satellite retrievals. Seasonal variations in observed CO at remote island sites are examined. Easter Island (eastern Pacific Ocean) is impacted indirectly by the hemispheric zonal transport of CO due to the burning in southern Africa/South America, via the westerlies. An increasing trend in CO by 0.33 ppb yr-1 in the past decade at Ascension Island is attributed to the combined effects of South American/southern Africa burnings and the increases in CH4 level. Compared to Easter Island and Ascension Island, much less contribution from biomass burning to atmospheric CO is found at the island of Mahé (western Indian Ocean), where the total CO peaks in January-February, reflecting the contributions of anthropogenic emissions from India. We also examine the 2000-2050 changes in atmospheric composition in the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere driven by future changes in emissions and climate. Changes in solar radiation (UV) over South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) in future January have dominant effects on the O3 distribution. More than 55% of O3 concentrations over the SAO in both present-day and future September are not directly affected by the emissions (including lightning) over the adjacent two continents but are attributable to the transport of O3 from surrounding areas due to CO and CH4 oxidation and stratospheric intrusion. High NOx emissions in both continents in 2050s increase PAN concentrations over remote oceans at the higher southern latitudes (> 35° S) as far as those near Australia, affecting the O3 budget over there. Future changes in biomass burning and anthropogenic NOx emissions in southern Africa lead to a new area of high O3 concentrations near South Africa. The resulted O3 outflow to the Indian Ocean is pronounced due to the effects of the persistent anticyclone. A general reduction in future OH radical concentrations is predicted over the remote marine boundary layer in the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere, as a result of the increases in CH4 and CO emissions.

New insights into modeling an organic mass fraction of sea spray aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meskhidze, N.; Gantt, B.

2010-12-01

As the study of climate change progresses, a need to separate the effects of natural and anthropogenic processes becomes essential in order to correctly forecast the future climate. Due to their massive source regions underlying an atmosphere with low aerosol concentration, marine aerosols derived from sea spray and ocean emitted biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are extremely important for the Earth’s radiative budget, regional air quality and biogeochemical cycling of elements. Measurements of freshly-emitted sea spray have revealed that bubble bursting processes, largely responsible for the production of sea salt aerosol, also control sea-to-air transfer of marine organic matter. It has been established that the organic mass fraction of sea spray can be a function of sea-water composition (e.g., concentrations of Chlorophyll-a, [Chl-a], dissolved organic carbon, [DOC], particulate organic carbon, [POC], types of organic carbon, and the amount of surfactants). Current paramaterizations of marine primary organic aerosol emissions use remotely sensed [Chl-a] data as a proxy for oceanic biological activity. However, it has also been shown that the path length, size, and lifetime of bubbles in seawater as well as spatial coverage of seawater surface by streaks or slicks (visible film of a roughly 50 μm thick layer, highly enriched in organics) can have dramatic effect on organic mass fraction of sea spray (OCss). Dynamics of bubble entrainment and the level of microlayer enrichment by organics relative to the underlying bulk water can be controlled by surface wind speed. For bubble entrainment, high winds can increase rising bubble path length and therefore the amount of organics scavenged by the bubble. However, when the surface wind speeds exceed 8 m s-1 breaking of ocean waves can entirely destroy surface organic films and diminish the amount of organics leaving the sea. Despite the probable impact of wind speed, existing parameterizations do not consider the wind speed dependence of OCss. In this study we use remotely sensed data for ocean slick coverage and surface wind speed in conjunction with an upwind averaged concentrations of [Chl-a], [DOC] and [POC] to derive marine primary organic aerosol emission function. Derived empirical relationships between the aerosol and ocean/meteorological data are then compared to observed OCss at Mace Head and Point Reyes National Seashore. MATLAB curve fitting tool revealed that multi-variable regression analysis (with both wind speed and [Chl-a]) yields a significant improvement between model predicted and observed submicron fraction of OCss. The coefficient of determination increased from R2=0.1 for previous parameterizations to R2=0.6. Based on the results of this study we propose that in addition to sea-water composition, future parameterizations of marine primary organic aerosol emissions should include sea spray organic mass fraction dependence on surface wind speed.

Ocean Biological Pump Sensitivities and Implications for Climate Change Impacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romanou, Anastasia

2013-01-01

The ocean is one of the principal reservoirs of CO2, a greenhouse gas, and therefore plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate. Currently, the ocean sequesters about a third of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, mitigating the human impact on climate. At the same time, the deeper ocean represents the largest carbon pool in the Earth System and processes that describe the transfer of carbon from the surface of the ocean to depth are intimately linked to the effectiveness of carbon sequestration.The ocean biological pump (OBP), which involves several biogeochemical processes, is a major pathway for transfer of carbon from the surface mixed layer into the ocean interior. About 75 of the carbon vertical gradient is due to the carbon pump with only 25 attributed to the solubility pump. However, the relative importance and role of the two pumps is poorly constrained. OBP is further divided to the organic carbon pump (soft tissue pump) and the carbonate pump, with the former exporting about 10 times more carbon than the latter through processes like remineralization.Major uncertainties about OBP, and hence in the carbon uptake and sequestration, stem from uncertainties in processes involved in OBP such as particulate organicinorganic carbon sinkingsettling, remineralization, microbial degradation of DOC and uptakegrowth rate changes of the ocean biology. The deep ocean is a major sink of atmospheric CO2 in scales of hundreds to thousands of years, but how the export efficiency (i.e. the fraction of total carbon fixation at the surface that is transported at depth) is affected by climate change remains largely undetermined. These processes affect the ocean chemistry (alkalinity, pH, DIC, particulate and dissolved organic carbon) as well as the ecology (biodiversity, functional groups and their interactions) in the ocean. It is important to have a rigorous, quantitative understanding of the uncertainties involved in the observational measurements, the models and the projections of future changes.

Equilibrium climate response of the East Asian summer monsoon to forcing of anthropogenic aerosol species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhili; Wang, Qiuyan; Zhang, Hua

2017-12-01

We used an online aerosol-climate model to study the equilibrium climate response of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) to increases in anthropogenic emissions of sulfate, organic carbon, and black carbon aerosols from 1850 to 2000. Our results show that each of these aerosol species has a different effect on the EASM as a result of changes in the local sea-land thermal contrast and atmospheric circulation. The increased emission of sulfate aerosol leads to a decrease in the thermal contrast between the land and ocean, a southward shift of the East Asian subtropical jet, and significant northerly wind anomalies at 850 hPa over eastern China and the ambient oceans, markedly dampening the EASM. An increase in organic carbon aerosol results in pronounced surface cooling and the formation of an anomalous anticyclone over the oceans north of 30°N. These effects cause a slight increase in the sea-land thermal contrast and southerly flow anomalies to the west of the anticyclonic center, strengthening the northern EASM. An increase in organic carbon emission decreases the sea-land thermal contrast over southern China, which weakens the southern EASM. The response of the summer 850-hPa winds and rainfall over the East Asian monsoon region to an increase in black carbon emission is generally consistent with the response to an increase in organic carbon. The increase in black carbon emission leads to a strengthening of the northern EASM north of 35°N and a slight weakening of the southern EASM south of 35°N. The simulated response of the EASM to the increase in black carbon emission is unchanged when the emission of black carbon is scaled up by five times its year 2000 levels, although the intensities of the response is enhanced. The increase in sulfate emission primarily weakens the EASM, whereas the increases in black carbon and organic carbon emissions mitigate weakening of the northern EASM.

OCEANOGRAPHY. Contrasting futures for ocean and society from different anthropogenic CO₂ emissions scenarios.

PubMed

Gattuso, J-P; Magnan, A; Billé, R; Cheung, W W L; Howes, E L; Joos, F; Allemand, D; Bopp, L; Cooley, S R; Eakin, C M; Hoegh-Guldberg, O; Kelly, R P; Pörtner, H-O; Rogers, A D; Baxter, J M; Laffoley, D; Osborn, D; Rankovic, A; Rochette, J; Sumaila, U R; Treyer, S; Turley, C

2015-07-03

The ocean moderates anthropogenic climate change at the cost of profound alterations of its physics, chemistry, ecology, and services. Here, we evaluate and compare the risks of impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems—and the goods and services they provide—for growing cumulative carbon emissions under two contrasting emissions scenarios. The current emissions trajectory would rapidly and significantly alter many ecosystems and the associated services on which humans heavily depend. A reduced emissions scenario—consistent with the Copenhagen Accord's goal of a global temperature increase of less than 2°C—is much more favorable to the ocean but still substantially alters important marine ecosystems and associated goods and services. The management options to address ocean impacts narrow as the ocean warms and acidifies. Consequently, any new climate regime that fails to minimize ocean impacts would be incomplete and inadequate. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Simulation of Aerosol Transport and Radiative Effects In Lmd-gcm During Indoex-ifp 1999

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, M. S.; Boucher, O.; Léon, J.-F.; Venkataraman, C.; Pham, M.

During the January-March 1999, an international collaborative field experiment, In- dian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) was carried out to understand the anthropogenic aerosol effects on radiative forcing (Ramanathan, 2001). In the present work we sim- ulated the cycle of the multi-component aerosol (sulphate, black carbon, organic car- bon, dust, sea-salt and fly-ash) in the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique General Circulation Model (LMD GCM) and estimated the consequent radiative forcing. Sim- ulations are carried out in the zoomed version of the model focusing on the Indian sub- continent and Indian Ocean regions, for January-April 1999. To account correctly for the aerosol emissions in the source regions (Indian subcontinent) we have integrated newly developed SO2 and aerosol emission inventory for India for 1999 (Reddy and Venkataraman, 2002a and b) into the global emission data set input to model. Model performance is evaluated by comparing the simulated aerosol concentration fields against measurements over continental and oceanic stations. Model predicted concentrations agree well in the oceanic stations but are in the lower end of mea- surements in the continental stations. A large plume of sulphate and other aerosols ex- tended from the Indian sub-continent into the Indian Ocean, from surface and elevated flows, extending down to 5S in the pristine southern Indian Ocean. Predicted spec- trally resolved aerosol optical depths (AOD) will be compared with sun-photometer measurements in the region. We also present a comparison of model predicted aerosol optical depths with satellite (Meteosat) derived AOD for the same period. An assess- ment of the multi-component aerosol radiative forcing will be made and results will be discussed in the context of the possible climate effects over the region. Finally, the regional source contributions to sulphate and carbonaceous aerosol loadings in the Indian Ocean will be presented.

Some Dust/Ocean Connections - Past, Present, and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duce, R. A.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric dust has been the subject of communications for more than 3000 years, since the ancient Chinese book Chronicles Reported on Bamboo Shoots in 1150 BC. Similar reports of hwangsa and woo-tou in ancient Korean and kosa in ancient Japanese literature also indicated major Asian dust events in those areas. Western observers noted dust storms in India and Afghanistan in the early 1800s, while in the 1840s Darwin surmised that Sahara dust could be an important component of marine sedimentation in the North Atlantic. More recent interest has focused on the importance of dust as a source of the nutrients iron and phosphorus in the global ocean and the role of iron as a limiting nutrient in many areas of the surface ocean. While significant progress has been made in the past 25 years in identifying important dust/ocean connections, many issues remain. Included are the relative dearth of long-term measurements of atmospheric dust (and iron and phosphorus) over and deposition to the ocean, especially in the southern hemisphere; comparisons between modeled and measured deposition of dust to the ocean; and the solubility of iron and phosphorus (and thus their availability as nutrients) after the mineral matter enters the ocean. Addressing these problems will certainly help to provide more accurate estimates of the input of dust to the ocean and its impacts. However, future changes in dust emissions in a warmer world as well as changes in the acid/base environment that mineral dust experiences during its transport and deposition as a result of emission controls on atmospheric NOx and SO2 are two facors that may change the input of these nutrients to the ocean and their impacts in the coming years. These and other issues will be reviewed in this paper.

Sources of reactive nitrogen in marine aerosol over the Northwest Pacific Ocean in spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Li; Kao, Shuh-Ji; Bao, Hongyan; Xiao, Huayun; Xiao, Hongwei; Yao, Xiaohong; Gao, Huiwang; Li, Jiawei; Lu, Yangyang

2018-05-01

Atmospheric deposition of long-range transport of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen (Nr, mainly comprised of NHx, NOy and water-soluble organic nitrogen, WSON) from continents may have profound impact on marine biogeochemistry. In addition, surface ocean dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) may also contribute to aerosol WSON in the overlying atmosphere. Despite the importance of off-continent dispersion and Nr interactions at the atmosphere-ocean boundary, our knowledge of the sources of various nitrogen species in the atmosphere over the open ocean remains limited due to insufficient observations. We conducted two cruises in the spring of 2014 and 2015 from the coast of China through the East China seas (ECSs, i.e. the Yellow Sea and East China Sea) to the open ocean (i.e. the Northwest Pacific Ocean, NWPO). Concentrations of water-soluble total nitrogen (WSTN), NO3- and NH4+, as well as the δ15N of WSTN and NO3- in marine aerosol, were measured during both cruises. In the spring of 2015, we also analysed the concentrations and δ15N of NO3- and the DON of surface seawater (SSW; at a depth of 5 m) along the cruise track. Aerosol NO3-, NH4+ and WSON decreased logarithmically (1-2 orders of magnitude) with distance from the shore, reflecting strong anthropogenic emission sources of NO3-, NH4+ and WSON in China. Average aerosol NO3- and NH4+ concentrations were significantly higher in 2014 (even in the remote NWOP) than in 2015 due to the stronger wind field in 2014, underscoring the role of the Asian winter monsoon in the seaward transport of anthropogenic NO3- and NH4+. However, the background aerosol WSON over the NWPO in 2015 (13.3 ± 8.5 nmol m-3) was similar to that in 2014 (12.2 ± 6.3 nmol m-3), suggesting an additional non-anthropogenic WSON source in the open ocean. Obviously, marine DON emissions should be considered in model and field assessments of net atmospheric WSON deposition in the open ocean. This study contributes information on parallel isotopic marine DON composition and aerosol Nr datasets, but more research is required to explore complex Nr sources and deposition processes in order to advance our understanding of anthropogenic influences on the marine nitrogen cycle and nitrogen exchange at land-ocean and atmosphere-ocean interfaces.

Towards an Understanding of Atmospheric Methanol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millet, D. B.; Jacob, D. J.; de Gouw, J.; Warneke, C.; Holloway, J. S.; Blake, D. R.; Karl, T.; Campos, T.; Singh, H. B.; Diskin, G. S.

2007-12-01

Methanol, the most abundant non-methane organic gas in the atmosphere, is an important global source of tropospheric CO and formaldehyde, and plays a significant role in the tropical HOx and ozone budgets. The atmospheric methanol budget is highly uncertain, with estimates of the global source ranging from 75 to 490 Tg/yr. New measurements from recent field experiments (INTEX-B, MILAGRO, TEXAQS-II, INTEX-A, and ICARTT) provide quantitative constraints on methanol sources and sinks. Here we use a 3D model of atmospheric chemistry (GEOS-Chem) to interpret these datasets and their implications for the global methanol budget. We find that emissions from terrestrial plants (thought to be the main source) are overestimated by 40-50%; the discrepancy appears specific to certain plant functional types (broadleaf trees and crops). Recent measurements in the surface ocean imply a large in situ biotic source, so that methanol emissions from the ocean biosphere are comparable in magnitude to those from terrestrial ecosystems. The oceans are also a large gross sink for atmospheric methanol (similar to oxidation by OH). Even with the plant growth source decreased by 40-50% according to these new constraints, we find that methanol emissions from the terrestrial biosphere still dominate over those from urban and industrial sources, in contrast to other recent studies.

The response of the SSM/I to the marine environment. Part 2: A parameterization of the effect of the sea surface slope distribution on emission and reflection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petty, Grant W.; Katsaros, Kristina B.

1994-01-01

Based on a geometric optics model and the assumption of an isotropic Gaussian surface slope distribution, the component of ocean surface microwave emissivity variation due to large-scale surface roughness is parameterized for the frequencies and approximate viewing angle of the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager. Independent geophysical variables in the parameterization are the effective (microwave frequency dependent) slope variance and the sea surface temperature. Using the same physical model, the change in the effective zenith angle of reflected sky radiation arising from large-scale roughness is also parameterized. Independent geophysical variables in this parameterization are the effective slope variance and the atmospheric optical depth at the frequency in question. Both of the above model-based parameterizations are intended for use in conjunction with empirical parameterizations relating effective slope variance and foam coverage to near-surface wind speed. These empirical parameterizations are the subject of a separate paper.

The Response of the Ocean Thermal Skin Layer to Air-Sea Surface Heat Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Elizabeth Wing-See

There is much evidence that the ocean is heating as a result of an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere from human activities. GHGs absorb infrared radiation and re-emit infrared radiation back to the ocean's surface which is subsequently absorbed. However, the incoming infrared radiation is absorbed within the top micrometers of the ocean's surface which is where the thermal skin layer exists. Thus the incident infrared radiation does not directly heat the upper few meters of the ocean. We are therefore motivated to investigate the physical mechanism between the absorption of infrared radiation and its effect on heat transfer at the air-sea boundary. The hypothesis is that since heat lost through the air-sea interface is controlled by the thermal skin layer, which is directly influenced by the absorption and emission of infrared radiation, the heat flow through the thermal skin layer adjusts to maintain the surface heat loss, assuming the surface heat loss does not vary, and thus modulates the upper ocean heat content. This hypothesis is investigated through utilizing clouds to represent an increase in incoming longwave radiation and analyzing retrieved thermal skin layer vertical temperature profiles from a shipboard infrared spectrometer from two research cruises. The data are limited to night-time, no precipitation and low winds of less than 2 m/s to remove effects of solar radiation, wind-driven shear and possibilities of thermal skin layer disruption. The results show independence of the turbulent fluxes and emitted radiation on the incident radiative fluxes which rules out the immediate release of heat from the absorption of the cloud infrared irradiance back into the atmosphere through processes such as evaporation and increase infrared emission. Furthermore, independence was confirmed between the incoming and outgoing radiative flux which implies the heat sink for upward flowing heat at the air-sea interface is more-or-less fixed. The surplus energy, from absorbing increasing levels of infrared radiation, is found to adjust the curvature of the thermal skin layer such that there is a smaller gradient at the interface between the thermal skin layer and the mixed layer beneath. The vertical conduction of heat from the mixed layer to the surface is therefore hindered while the additional energy within the thermal skin layer is supporting the gradient changes of the skin layer's temperature profile. This results in heat beneath the thermal skin layer, which is a product of the absorption of solar radiation during the day, to be retained and cause an increase in upper ocean heat content. The accuracy of four published skin layer models were evaluated by comparison with the field results. The results show a need to include radiative effects, which are currently absent, in such models as they do not replicate the findings from the field data and do not elucidate the effects of the absorption of infrared radiation.

Ocean Surface Emissivity at L-band (1.4 GHz): The Dependence on Salinity and Roughness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeVine, D. M.; Lang, R.; Wentz, F.; Messiner, T.

2012-01-01

A characterization of the emissivity of sea water at L-band is important for the remote sensing of sea surface salinity. Measurements of salinity are currently being made in the radio astronomy band at 1.413 GHz by ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission and NASA's Aquarius instrument aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D observatory. The goal of both missions is accuracy on the order of 0.1 psu. This requires accurate knowledge of the dielectric constant of sea water as a function of salinity and temperature and also the effect of waves (roughness). The former determines the emissivity of an ideal (i.e. flat) surface and the later is the major source of error from predictions based on a flat surface. These two aspects of the problem of characterizing the emissivity are being addressed in the context of the Aquarius mission. First, laboratory measurements are being made of the dielectric constant of sea water. This is being done at the George Washington University using a resonant cavity. In this technique, sea water of known salinity and temperature is fed into the cavity along its axis through a narrow tube. The sea water changes the resonant frequency and Q of the cavity which, if the sample is small enough, can be related to the dielectric constant of the sample. An extensive set of measurements have been conducted at 1.413 GHz to develop a model for the real and imaginary part of the dielectric constant as a function of salinity and temperature. The results are compared to the predictions of models based on parameterization of the Debye resonance of the water molecule. The models and measurements are close; however, the differences are significant for remote sensing of salinity. This is especially true at low temperatures where the sensitivity to salinity is lowest.

Spectral longwave emission in the tropics: FTIR measurements at the sea surface and comparison with fast radiation codes

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

Lubin, D.; Cutchin, D.; Conant, W.

Longwave emission by the tropical western Pacific atmosphere has been measured at the ocean surface by a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroradiometer deployed aboard the research vessel John Vickers as part of the Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment. The instrument operated throughout a Pacific Ocean crossing, beginning on 7 March 1993 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and ending on 29 March 1993 in Los Angeles, and recorded longwave emission spectra under atmospheres associated with sea surface temperatures ranging from 291.0 to 302.8 K. Precipitable water vapor abundances ranged from 1.9 to 5.5 column centimeters. Measured emission spectra (downwelling zenith radiance) covered themore » middled infrared (5-20 {mu}m) with one inverse centimeter spectral resolution. FTIR measurements made under an entirely clear field of view are compared with spectra generated by LOWTRAN 7 and MODTRAN 2, as well as downwelling flux calculated by the NCAR COmmunity Climate Model (CCM-2) radiation code, using radiosonde profiles as input data for these calculations. In the spectral interval 800-1000 cm{sup -1}, these comparisons show a discrepance between FTIR data and MODTRAN 2 having an overall variability of 6-7 mW m{sup -2} sr{sup -1} cm and a concave shape that may be related to the representation of water vapor continuum emission in MODTRAN 2. Another discrepancy appears in the spectral interval 1200-1300 cm{sup -1}, whether MODTRAN 2 appears to overestimate zenith radiance by 5 mW m{sup -2} sr-1 cm. These discrepancies appear consistently; however, they become only slightly larger at the highest water vapor abundances. Because these radiance discrepancies correspond to broadband (500-2000 cm{sup -1}) flux uncertainties of around 3 W m{sup -2}, there appear to be no serious inadequacies with the performance of MODTRAN 2 or LOWTRAN 7 at high atmospheric temperatures and water vapor abundances. 23 refs., 10 figs.« less

Atmospheric Impact of Large Methane Emissions and the Gulf Oil Spill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, S.; Cameron-Smith, P. J.; Bergmann, D. J.

2010-12-01

A vast quantity of a highly potent greenhouse gas, methane, is locked in the solid phase as methane clathrates in ocean sediments and underneath permafrost regions. Clathrates are ice-like deposits containing a mixture of water and gas (mostly methane) which are stable under high pressure and low temperatures. Current estimates are about 1600 - 2000 GtC present in oceans and about 400GtC in Arctic permafrost (Archer et al. 2009). This is about 4000 times that of current annual emissions. In a warming climate, increase in ocean temperatures could rapidly destabilize the geothermal gradient which in turn could lead to dissociation of the clathrates and release of methane into the ocean and subsequently into the atmosphere as well. This could result in a number of effects including strong greenhouse heating, increased surface ozone, reduced stratospheric ozone, and intensification of the Arctic ozone hole. Many of the effects in the chemistry of the atmosphere are non-linear. In this paper, we present a parametric study of the effect of large scale methane release to the atmosphere. To that end we use the CESM (Community Earth System Model) version 1 with fully active coupled atmosphere-ocean-land model together with super-fast atmospheric chemistry module to simulate the response to increasing CH4 by 2, 3, 10 and 100 times that of the present day. We have also conducted a parametric study of the possible impact of gaseous emissions from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is a proxy for future clathrate releases. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Oceanic Emissions of Organic Very Short Lived Substances from the Indian Ocean and their Transport to the Stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marandino, C. A.; Quack, B.; Hepach, H.; Atlas, E. L.; Fiehn, A.; Lennartz, S. T.; Bracher, A.; Krüger, K.; Waersted, E.

2016-02-01

Within the frame work of the German project OASIS, research cruises SO234-2 (Durban- Port Louis, 08-20 July, 2014) and SO235 (Port Louis - Male, July 23 to August 07, 2014) of the German research vessel SONNE were conducted by the University of Oslo, Norway (www.uio.no) together with the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany (www.geomar.de) in the subtropical and tropical West Indian Ocean. The research covered the sources and air- sea gas exchange of a suite of natural and anthropogenic short- and long lived trace gases as well as atmospheric composition and transport. Among the gases investigated were very short lived halocarbons such as bromoform, dibromomethane and methyl iodide, which are naturally produced in the oceans and influence stratospheric ozone and climate. The Asian monsoon circulation provides an effective pathway for air masses from the atmospheric boundary layer containing these and other compounds to enter the global stratosphere during boreal summer especially above India and the Bay of Bengal. During the cruises biological, chemical and physical parameters were analyzed in the surface waters and the deep ocean, the atmospheric conditions were determined, the oceanic trace gas emissions calculated and their transport and contribution to the stratospheric halogen budget, deduced from radiosonde launchings and high resolution transport modelling, was determined. The measurements were conducted in various marine biogeochemical regimes close to coasts, near coral reefs and sea banks, in high chlorophyll and oligotrophic regimes. We present novel results from the cruises, including biogeochemical responses to physical forcing and their contribution to the atmosphere.

Distribution of N2O in the atmosphere under global warming - a simulation study with the MPI Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kracher, Daniela; Manzini, Elisa; Reick, Christian H.; Schultz, Martin; Stein, Olaf

2014-05-01

Climate change is driven by an increasing release of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (N2O). Besides fossil fuel burning, also land use change and land management are anthropogenic sources of GHGs. Especially inputs of reactive nitrogen via fertilizer and deposition lead to enhanced emissions of N2O. One effect of a drastic future increase in surface temperature is a modification of atmospheric circulation, e.g. an accelerated Brewer Dobson circulation affecting the exchange between troposphere and stratosphere. N2O is inert in the troposphere and decayed only in the stratosphere. Thus, changes in atmospheric circulation, especially changes in the exchange between troposphere and stratosphere, will affect the atmospheric transport, decay, and distribution of N2O. In our study we assess the impact of global warming on atmospheric circulation and implied effects on the distribution and lifetime of atmospheric N2O. As terrestrial N2O emissions are highly determined by inputs of reactive nitrogen - the location of which being determined by human choice - we examine in particular the importance of latitudinal source regions of N2O for its global distribution. For this purpose we apply the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model, MPI-ESM. MPI-ESM consists of the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM, the land surface model JSBACH, and MPIOM/HAMOCC representing ocean circulation and ocean biogeochemistry. Prognostic atmospheric N2O concentrations in MPI-ESM are determined by land N2O emissions, ocean N2O exchange and atmospheric tracer transport. As stratospheric chemistry is not explicitly represented in MPI-ESM, stratospheric decay rates of N2O are prescribed from a MACC MOZART simulation.

Enhanced Weathering Strategies for Stabilizing Climate and Averting Ocean Acidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Lyla L.; Quirk, Joe; Thorley, Rachel M. S.; Kharecha, Pushker A.; Hansen, James; Ridgwell, Andy; Lomas, Mark R.; Banwart, Steve A.; Beerling, David J.

2015-01-01

Chemical breakdown of rocks, weathering, is an important but very slow part of the carbon cycle that ultimately leads to CO2 being locked up in carbonates on the ocean floor. Artificial acceleration of this carbon sink via distribution of pulverized silicate rocks across terrestrial landscapes may help offset anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We show that idealized enhanced weathering scenarios over less than a third of tropical land could cause significant drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and ameliorate ocean acidification by 2100. Global carbon cycle modelling driven by ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections of twenty-first-century climate change (RCP8.5, business-as-usual; RCP4.5, medium-level mitigation) indicates that enhanced weathering could lower atmospheric CO2 by 30-300 ppm by 2100, depending mainly on silicate rock application rate (1 kg or 5 kg m(exp -2) yr (exp -1)) and composition. At the higher application rate, end-of-century ocean acidification is reversed under RCP4.5 and reduced by about two-thirds under RCP8.5. Additionally, surface ocean aragonite saturation state, a key control on coral calcification rates, is maintained above 3.5 throughout the low latitudes, thereby helping maintain the viability of tropical coral reef ecosystems. However, we highlight major issues of cost, social acceptability, and potential unanticipated consequences that will limit utilization and emphasize the need for urgent efforts to phase down fossil fuel emissions.

Enhanced weathering strategies for stabilizing climate and averting ocean acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Lyla L.; Quirk, Joe; Thorley, Rachel M. S.; Kharecha, Pushker A.; Hansen, James; Ridgwell, Andy; Lomas, Mark R.; Banwart, Steve A.; Beerling, David J.

2016-04-01

Chemical breakdown of rocks, weathering, is an important but very slow part of the carbon cycle that ultimately leads to CO2 being locked up in carbonates on the ocean floor. Artificial acceleration of this carbon sink via distribution of pulverized silicate rocks across terrestrial landscapes may help offset anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We show that idealized enhanced weathering scenarios over less than a third of tropical land could cause significant drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and ameliorate ocean acidification by 2100. Global carbon cycle modelling driven by ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections of twenty-first-century climate change (RCP8.5, business-as-usual; RCP4.5, medium-level mitigation) indicates that enhanced weathering could lower atmospheric CO2 by 30-300 ppm by 2100, depending mainly on silicate rock application rate (1 kg or 5 kg m-2 yr-1) and composition. At the higher application rate, end-of-century ocean acidification is reversed under RCP4.5 and reduced by about two-thirds under RCP8.5. Additionally, surface ocean aragonite saturation state, a key control on coral calcification rates, is maintained above 3.5 throughout the low latitudes, thereby helping maintain the viability of tropical coral reef ecosystems. However, we highlight major issues of cost, social acceptability, and potential unanticipated consequences that will limit utilization and emphasize the need for urgent efforts to phase down fossil fuel emissions.

A New Coupled Ocean-Waves-Atmosphere Model Designed for Tropical Storm Studies: Example of Tropical Cyclone Bejisa (2013-2014) in the South-West Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pianezze, J.; Barthe, C.; Bielli, S.; Tulet, P.; Jullien, S.; Cambon, G.; Bousquet, O.; Claeys, M.; Cordier, E.

2018-03-01

Ocean-Waves-Atmosphere (OWA) exchanges are not well represented in current Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems, which can lead to large uncertainties in tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts. In order to explore and better understand the impact of OWA interactions on tropical cyclone modeling, a fully coupled OWA system based on the atmospheric model Meso-NH, the oceanic model CROCO, and the wave model WW3 and called MSWC was designed and applied to the case of tropical cyclone Bejisa (2013-2014). The fully coupled OWA simulation shows good agreement with the literature and available observations. In particular, simulated significant wave height is within 30 cm of measurements made with buoys and altimeters. Short-term (< 2 days) sensitivity experiments used to highlight the effect of oceanic waves coupling show limited impact on the track, the intensity evolution, and the turbulent surface fluxes of the tropical cyclone. However, it is also shown that using a fully coupled OWA system is essential to obtain consistent sea salt emissions. Spatial and temporal coherence of the sea state with the 10 m wind speed are necessary to produce sea salt aerosol emissions in the right place (in the eyewall of the tropical cyclone) and with the right size distribution, which is critical for cloud microphysics.

Enhanced Weathering Strategies for Stabilizing Climate and Averting Ocean Acidification - Supplementary Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Lyla L.; Quirk, Joe; Thorley, Rachel M. S.; Kharecha, Pushker A.; Hansen, James; Ridgwell, Andy; Lomas, Mark R.; Banwart, Steve A.; Beerling, David J.

2015-01-01

Chemical breakdown of rocks, weathering, is an important but very slow part of the carbon cycle that ultimately leads to CO2 being locked up in carbonates on the ocean floor. Artificial acceleration of this carbon sink via distribution of pulverized silicate rocks across terrestrial landscapes may help offset anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We show that idealized enhanced weathering scenarios over less than a third of tropical land could cause significant drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and ameliorate ocean acidification by 2100. Global carbon cycle modelling driven by ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections of twenty-first-century climate change (RCP8.5, business-as-usual; RCP4.5, medium-level mitigation) indicates that enhanced weathering could lower atmospheric CO2 by 30-300 ppm by 2100, depending mainly on silicate rock application rate (1 kg or 5 kg m(exp. -2) yr (exp -1)) and composition. At the higher application rate, end-of-century ocean acidification is reversed under RCP4.5 and reduced by about two-thirds under RCP8.5. Additionally, surface ocean aragonite saturation state, a key control on coral calcification rates, is maintained above 3.5 throughout the low latitudes, thereby helping maintain the viability of tropical coral reef ecosystems. However, we highlight major issues of cost, social acceptability, and potential unanticipated consequences that will limit utilization and emphasize the need for urgent efforts to phase down fossil fuel emissions.

Decreased abundance of crustose coralline algae due to ocean acidification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Andersson, Andreas J; Jokiel, Paul L.; Rodgers, Ku'ulei S.; Mackenzie, Fred T.

2008-01-01

Owing to anthropogenic emissions, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide could almost double between 2006 and 2100 according to business-as-usual carbon dioxide emission scenarios1. Because the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere2, 3, 4, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will lead to increasing dissolved inorganic carbon and carbon dioxide in surface ocean waters, and hence acidification and lower carbonate saturation states2, 5. As a consequence, it has been suggested that marine calcifying organisms, for example corals, coralline algae, molluscs and foraminifera, will have difficulties producing their skeletons and shells at current rates6, 7, with potentially severe implications for marine ecosystems, including coral reefs6, 8, 9, 10, 11. Here we report a seven-week experiment exploring the effects of ocean acidification on crustose coralline algae, a cosmopolitan group of calcifying algae that is ecologically important in most shallow-water habitats12, 13, 14. Six outdoor mesocosms were continuously supplied with sea water from the adjacent reef and manipulated to simulate conditions of either ambient or elevated seawater carbon dioxide concentrations. The recruitment rate and growth of crustose coralline algae were severely inhibited in the elevated carbon dioxide mesocosms. Our findings suggest that ocean acidification due to human activities could cause significant change to benthic community structure in shallow-warm-water carbonate ecosystems.

Mercury in the atmosphere, snow and melt water ponds in the North Atlantic Ocean during Arctic summer.

PubMed

Aspmo, Katrine; Temme, Christian; Berg, Torunn; Ferrari, Christophe; Gauchard, L Pierre-Alexis; Fain, Xavier; Wibetoe, Grethe

2006-07-01

Atmospheric mercury speciation measurements were performed during a 10 week Arctic summer expedition in the North Atlantic Ocean onboard the German research vessel RV Polarstern between June 15 and August 29, 2004. This expedition covered large areas of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans between latitudes 54 degrees N and 85 degrees N and longitudes 16 degrees W and 16 degrees E. Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and mercury associated with particles (Hg-P) were measured during this study. In addition, total mercury in surface snow and meltwater ponds located on sea ice floes was measured. GEM showed a homogeneous distribution over the open North Atlantic Ocean (median 1.53 +/- 0.12 ng/m3), which is in contrast to the higher concentrations of GEM observed over sea ice (median 1.82 +/- 0.24 ng/m3). It is hypothesized that this results from either (re-) emission of mercury contained in snow and ice surfaces that was previously deposited during atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDE) in the spring or evasion from the ocean due to increased reduction potential at high latitudes during Arctic summer. Measured concentrations of total mercury in surface snow and meltwater ponds were low (all samples <10 ng/L), indicating that marginal accumulation of mercury occurs in these environmental compartments. Results also reveal low concentrations of RGM and Hg-P without a significant diurnal variability. These results indicate that the production and deposition of these reactive mercury species do not significantly contribute to the atmospheric mercury cycle in the North Atlantic Ocean during the Arctic summer.

Sustained climate warming drives declining marine biological productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J. Keith; Fu, Weiwei; Primeau, Francois; Britten, Gregory L.; Lindsay, Keith; Long, Matthew; Doney, Scott C.; Mahowald, Natalie; Hoffman, Forrest; Randerson, James T.

2018-03-01

Climate change projections to the year 2100 may miss physical-biogeochemical feedbacks that emerge later from the cumulative effects of climate warming. In a coupled climate simulation to the year 2300, the westerly winds strengthen and shift poleward, surface waters warm, and sea ice disappears, leading to intense nutrient trapping in the Southern Ocean. The trapping drives a global-scale nutrient redistribution, with net transfer to the deep ocean. Ensuing surface nutrient reductions north of 30°S drive steady declines in primary production and carbon export (decreases of 24 and 41%, respectively, by 2300). Potential fishery yields, constrained by lower–trophic-level productivity, decrease by more than 20% globally and by nearly 60% in the North Atlantic. Continued high levels of greenhouse gas emissions could suppress marine biological productivity for a millennium.

How do Greenhouse Gases Warm the Ocean? Investigation of the Response of the Ocean Thermal Skin Layer to Air-Sea Surface Heat Fluxes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, E.; Minnett, P. J.

2016-12-01

There is much evidence that the ocean is heating due to an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere from human activities. GHGs absorbs infrared (IR) radiation and re-emits the radiation back to the ocean's surface which is subsequently absorbed resulting in a rise in the ocean heat content. However, the incoming longwave radiation, LWin, is absorbed within the top micrometers of the ocean's surface, where the thermal skin layer (TSL) exists and does not directly heat the upper few meters of the ocean. We are therefore motivated to investigate the physical mechanism between the absorption of IR radiation and its effect on heat transfer at the air-sea boundary. The hypothesis is that since heat lost through the air-sea interface is controlled by the TSL, which is directly influenced by the absorption and emission of IR radiation, the heat flow through the TSL adjusts to maintain the surface heat loss, and thus modulates the upper ocean heat content. This hypothesis is investigated through utilizing clouds to represent an increase in LWin and analyzing retrieved TSL vertical profiles from a shipboard IR spectrometer from two research cruises. The data is limited to night-time, no precipitation and low winds of < 2 m/s to remove effects of solar radiation, wind-driven shear and possibilities of TSL disruption. The results show independence between the turbulent fluxes and radiative fluxes which rules out the immediate release of heat from the absorption of the cloud infrared irradiance back into the atmosphere through processes such as evaporation. Instead, we observe the surplus energy, from absorbing increasing levels of LWin, adjusts the curvature of the TSL such that there is a lower gradient at the interface between the TSL and the mixed layer. The release of heat stored within the mixed layer is therefore hindered while the additional energy within the TSL is cycled back into the atmosphere. This results in heat beneath the TSL, which is a product of the absorption of solar radiation during the day, to be retained and cause an increase in upper ocean heat content.

Validation of Aquarius Measurements Using Radiative Transfer Models at L-Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dinnat, E.; LeVine, David M.; Abraham, S.; DeMattheis, P.; Utku, C.

2012-01-01

Aquarius/SAC-D was launched in June 2011 by NASA and CONAE (Argentine space agency). Aquarius includes three L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometers dedicated to measuring sea surface salinity. We report detailed comparisons of Aquarius measurements with radiative transfer model predictions. These comparisons were used as part ofthe initial assessment of Aquarius data. In particular, they were used successfully to estimate the radiometer calibration bias and stability. Further comparisons are being performed to assess the performance of models in the retrieval algorithm for correcting the effect of sources of geophysical "noise" (e.g. the galactic background, atmospheric attenuation and reflected signal from the Sun). Such corrections are critical in bringing the error in retrieved salinity down to the required 0.2 practical salinity unit (psu) on monthly global maps at 150 km by 150 km resolution. The forward models making up the Aquarius simulator have been very useful for preparatory studies in the years leading to Aquarius' launch. The simulator includes various components to compute effects ofthe following processes on the measured signal: 1) emission from Earth surfaces (ocean, land, ice), 2) atmospheric emission and absorption, 3) emission from the Sun, Moon and celestial Sky (directly through the antenna sidelobes or after reflection/scattering at the Earth surface), 4) Faraday rotation, and 5) convolution of the scene by the antenna gain patterns. Since the Aquarius radiometers tum-on in late July 2011, the simulator has been used to perform a first order validation of the data. This included checking the order of magnitude ofthe signal over ocean, land and ice surfaces, checking the relative amplitude of signal at different polarizations, and checking the variation with incidence angle. The comparisons were also used to assess calibration bias and monitor instruments calibration drift. The simulator is also being used in the salinity retrieval. For example, initial assessments of the salinity retrieved from Aquarius data showed degradation in accuracy at locations where glint from the galactic sky background was important. This was traced to an inaccurate correction for the Sky glint. We present comparisons of the simulator prediction to the Aquarius data in order to assess the performances of the models of various physical processes impacting the measurements, such as the effect of sea surface roughness, the impact of the celestial Sky and the Sun emission scattered at the rough ocean surface. We discuss what components of the simulator appear reliable and which ones need improvements. Improved knowledge on the radiative transfer models at L-band will not only lead to better salinity retrieved from Aquarius data, it will also allow be beneficial for SMOS or the upcoming SMAP mission.

Projected Changes on the Global Surface Wave Drift Climate towards the END of the Twenty-First Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco, Ana; Semedo, Alvaro; Behrens, Arno; Weisse, Ralf; Breivik, Øyvind; Saetra, Øyvind; Håkon Christensen, Kai

2016-04-01

The global wave-induced current (the Stokes Drift - SD) is an important feature of the ocean surface, with mean values close to 10 cm/s along the extra-tropical storm tracks in both hemispheres. Besides the horizontal displacement of large volumes of water the SD also plays an important role in the ocean mix-layer turbulence structure, particularly in stormy or high wind speed areas. The role of the wave-induced currents in the ocean mix-layer and in the sea surface temperature (SST) is currently a hot topic of air-sea interaction research, from forecast to climate ranges. The SD is mostly driven by wind sea waves and highly sensitive to changes in the overlaying wind speed and direction. The impact of climate change in the global wave-induced current climate will be presented. The wave model WAM has been forced by the global climate model (GCM) ECHAM5 wind speed (at 10 m height) and ice, for present-day and potential future climate conditions towards the end of the end of the twenty-first century, represented by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) CMIP3 (Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 3) A1B greenhouse gas emission scenario (usually referred to as a ''medium-high emissions'' scenario). Several wave parameters were stored as output in the WAM model simulations, including the wave spectra. The 6 hourly and 0.5°×0.5°, temporal and space resolution, wave spectra were used to compute the SD global climate of two 32-yr periods, representative of the end of the twentieth (1959-1990) and twenty-first (1969-2100) centuries. Comparisons of the present climate run with the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) ERA-40 reanalysis are used to assess the capability of the WAM-ECHAM5 runs to produce realistic SD results. This study is part of the WRCP-JCOMM COWCLIP (Coordinated Ocean Wave Climate Project) effort.

Effect of different emission inventories on modeled ozone and carbon monoxide in Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amnuaylojaroen, T.; Barth, M. C.; Emmons, L. K.; Carmichael, G. R.; Kreasuwun, J.; Prasitwattanaseree, S.; Chantara, S.

2014-12-01

In order to improve our understanding of air quality in Southeast Asia, the anthropogenic emissions inventory must be well represented. In this work, we apply different anthropogenic emission inventories in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.3 using Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers (MOZART) gas-phase chemistry and Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) aerosols to examine the differences in predicted carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) surface mixing ratios for Southeast Asia in March and December 2008. The anthropogenic emission inventories include the Reanalysis of the TROpospheric chemical composition (RETRO), the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-Phase B (INTEX-B), the MACCity emissions (adapted from the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate and megacity Zoom for the Environment projects), the Southeast Asia Composition, Cloud, Climate Coupling Regional Study (SEAC4RS) emissions, and a combination of MACCity and SEAC4RS emissions. Biomass-burning emissions are from the Fire Inventory from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) (FINNv1) model. WRF-Chem reasonably predicts the 2 m temperature, 10 m wind, and precipitation. In general, surface CO is underpredicted by WRF-Chem while surface O3 is overpredicted. The NO2 tropospheric column predicted by WRF-Chem has the same magnitude as observations, but tends to underpredict the NO2 column over the equatorial ocean and near Indonesia. Simulations using different anthropogenic emissions produce only a slight variability of O3 and CO mixing ratios, while biomass-burning emissions add more variability. The different anthropogenic emissions differ by up to 30% in CO emissions, but O3 and CO mixing ratios averaged over the land areas of the model domain differ by ~4.5% and ~8%, respectively, among the simulations. Biomass-burning emissions create a substantial increase for both O3 and CO by ~29% and ~16%, respectively, when comparing the March biomass-burning period to the December period with low biomass-burning emissions. The simulations show that none of the anthropogenic emission inventories are better than the others for predicting O3 surface mixing ratios. However, the simulations with different anthropogenic emission inventories do differ in their predictions of CO surface mixing ratios producing variations of ~30% for March and 10-20% for December at Thai surface monitoring sites.

Synergistic effects of climate-related variables suggest future physiological impairment in a top oceanic predator.

PubMed

Rosa, Rui; Seibel, Brad A

2008-12-30

By the end of this century, anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO(2)) emissions are expected to decrease the surface ocean pH by as much as 0.3 unit. At the same time, the ocean is expected to warm with an associated expansion of the oxygen minimum layer (OML). Thus, there is a growing demand to understand the response of the marine biota to these global changes. We show that ocean acidification will substantially depress metabolic rates (31%) and activity levels (45%) in the jumbo squid, Dosidicus gigas, a top predator in the Eastern Pacific. This effect is exacerbated by high temperature. Reduced aerobic and locomotory scope in warm, high-CO(2) surface waters will presumably impair predator-prey interactions with cascading consequences for growth, reproduction, and survival. Moreover, as the OML shoals, squids will have to retreat to these shallower, less hospitable, waters at night to feed and repay any oxygen debt that accumulates during their diel vertical migration into the OML. Thus, we demonstrate that, in the absence of adaptation or horizontal migration, the synergism between ocean acidification, global warming, and expanding hypoxia will compress the habitable depth range of the species. These interactions may ultimately define the long-term fate of this commercially and ecologically important predator.

Synergistic effects of climate-related variables suggest future physiological impairment in a top oceanic predator

PubMed Central

Rosa, Rui; Seibel, Brad A.

2008-01-01

By the end of this century, anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to decrease the surface ocean pH by as much as 0.3 unit. At the same time, the ocean is expected to warm with an associated expansion of the oxygen minimum layer (OML). Thus, there is a growing demand to understand the response of the marine biota to these global changes. We show that ocean acidification will substantially depress metabolic rates (31%) and activity levels (45%) in the jumbo squid, Dosidicus gigas, a top predator in the Eastern Pacific. This effect is exacerbated by high temperature. Reduced aerobic and locomotory scope in warm, high-CO2 surface waters will presumably impair predator–prey interactions with cascading consequences for growth, reproduction, and survival. Moreover, as the OML shoals, squids will have to retreat to these shallower, less hospitable, waters at night to feed and repay any oxygen debt that accumulates during their diel vertical migration into the OML. Thus, we demonstrate that, in the absence of adaptation or horizontal migration, the synergism between ocean acidification, global warming, and expanding hypoxia will compress the habitable depth range of the species. These interactions may ultimately define the long-term fate of this commercially and ecologically important predator. PMID:19075232

Marine Aerosols and Clouds.

PubMed

Brooks, Sarah D; Thornton, Daniel C O

2018-01-03

The role of marine bioaerosols in cloud formation and climate is currently so uncertain that even the sign of the climate forcing is unclear. Marine aerosols form through direct emissions and through the conversion of gas-phase emissions to aerosols in the atmosphere. The composition and size of aerosols determine how effective they are in catalyzing the formation of water droplets and ice crystals in clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles, respectively. Marine organic aerosols may be sourced both from recent regional phytoplankton blooms that add labile organic matter to the surface ocean and from long-term global processes, such as the upwelling of old refractory dissolved organic matter from the deep ocean. Understanding the formation of marine aerosols and their propensity to catalyze cloud formation processes are challenges that must be addressed given the major uncertainties associated with aerosols in climate models.

Polarimetric infrared imaging simulation of a synthetic sea surface with Mie scattering.

PubMed

He, Si; Wang, Xia; Xia, Runqiu; Jin, Weiqi; Liang, Jian'an

2018-03-01

A novel method to simulate the polarimetric infrared imaging of a synthetic sea surface with atmospheric Mie scattering effects is presented. The infrared emission, multiple reflections, and infrared polarization of the sea surface and the Mie scattering of aerosols are all included for the first time. At first, a new approach to retrieving the radiative characteristics of a wind-roughened sea surface is introduced. A two-scale method of sea surface realization and the inverse ray tracing of light transfer calculation are combined and executed simultaneously, decreasing the consumption of time and memory dramatically. Then the scattering process that the infrared light emits from the sea surface and propagates in the aerosol particles is simulated with a polarized light Monte Carlo model. Transformations of the polarization state of the light are calculated with the Mie theory. Finally, the polarimetric infrared images of the sea surface of different environmental conditions and detection parameters are generated based on the scattered light detected by the infrared imaging polarimeter. The results of simulation examples show that our polarimetric infrared imaging simulation can be applied to predict the infrared polarization characteristics of the sea surface, model the oceanic scene, and guide the detection in the oceanic environment.

Future ocean hypercapnia driven by anthropogenic amplification of the natural CO2 cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, B.

2016-02-01

Elevated carbon dioxide concentrations in seawater (hypercapnia) can induce neurological, physiological and behavioural deficiencies in marine animals. Prediction of the onset and evolution of hypercapnia in the ocean requires a good understanding of annual oceanic carbon dioxide variability, but relevant global observational data are sparse. Here we diagnose global ocean patterns of monthly carbon variability based on observations that allow us to examine the evolution of surface ocean CO2 levels over the entire annual cycle under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We find that some oceanic regions undergo an up to 10-fold amplification of the natural cycle of CO2 by 2100, if atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continue to rise throughout this century (RCP8.5). Projections from a suite of Earth System Climate Models are broadly consistent with the findings from our data based approach. Our predicted amplification in the annual CO2 cycle displays distinct global patterns that may expose major fisheries in the Southern, Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans to high CO2 events many decades earlier than expected from average atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We suggest that these ocean 'CO2 hotspots' evolve as a combination of the strong seasonal dynamics of CO2 and the long-term effective storage of anthropogenic CO2 that lowers the buffer capacity in those regions, causing a non-linear CO2 amplification over the annual cycle. The onset of ocean hypercapnia events (pCO2 >1000 µatm) is forecast for atmospheric CO2 concentrations that exceed 650 ppm, with hypercapnia spreading to up to one half of the surface ocean by the year 2100 under a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5) with potential implications for fisheries over the coming century.

X-ray Probes of Magnetospheric Interactions with Jupiter's Auroral zones, the Galilean Satellites, and the Io Plasma Torus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; Ramsey, B. D.; Waite, J. H., Jr.; Rehak, P.; Johnson, R. E.; Cooper, J. F.; Swartz, D. A.

2004-01-01

Remote observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton Observatory have shown that the Jovian system is a source of x-rays with a rich and complicated structure. The planet's polar auroral zones and its disk are powerful sources of x-ray emission. Chandra observations revealed x-ray emission from the Io Plasma Torus and from the Galilean moons Io, Europa, and possibly Ganymede. The emission from these moons is certainly due to bombardment of their surfaces of highly energetic protons, oxygen and sulfur ions from the region near the Torus exciting atoms in their surfaces and leading to fluorescent x-ray emission lines. Although the x-ray emission from the Galilean moons is faint when observed fiom Earth orbit, an imaging x-ray spectrometer in orbit around these moons, operating at 200 eV and above with 150 eV energy resolution, would provide a detailed mapping (down to 40 m spatial resolution) of the elemental composition in their surfaces. Here we describe the physical processes leading to x-ray emission fiom the surfaces of Jupiter's moons and the instrumental properties, as well as energetic ion flux models or measurements, required to map the elemental composition of their surfaces. We discuss the proposed scenarios leading to possible surface compositions. For Europa, the two most extreme are (1) a patina produced by exogenic processes such as meteoroid bombardment and ion implantation, and (2) upwelling of material fiom the subsurface ocean. We also describe the characteristics of X - m , an imaging x-ray spectrometer under going a feasibility study for the JIM0 mission, with the ultimate goal of providing unprecedented x-ray studies of the elemental composition of the surfaces of Jupiter's icy moons and Io, as well as of Jupiter's auroral x-ray emission.

The importance of the terrestrial weathering feedback for multimillennial coral reef habitat recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meissner, Katrin J.; McNeil, Ben I.; Eby, Michael; Wiebe, Edward C.

2012-09-01

Modern-day coral reefs have well defined environmental envelopes for light, sea surface temperature (SST) and seawater aragonite saturation state (Ωarag). We examine the changes in global coral reef habitat on multimillennial timescales with regard to SST and Ωaragusing a climate model including a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model, a fully coupled carbon cycle, and six different parameterizations for continental weathering (the UVic Earth System Climate Model). The model is forced with emission scenarios ranging from 1,000 Pg C to 5,000 Pg C total emissions. We find that the long-term climate change response is independent of the rate at which CO2 is emitted over the next few centuries. On millennial timescales, the weathering feedback introduces a significant uncertainty even for low emission scenarios. Weathering parameterizations based on atmospheric CO2 only display a different transient response than weathering parameterizations that are dependent on temperature. Although environmental conditions for SST and Ωaragstay globally hostile for coral reefs for millennia for our high emission scenarios, some weathering parameterizations induce a near-complete recovery of coral reef habitat to current conditions after 10,000 years, while others result in a collapse of coral reef habitat throughout our simulations. We find that the multimillennial response in sea surface temperature (SST) substantially lags the aragonite saturation recovery in all configurations. This implies that if corals can naturally adapt over millennia by selecting thermally tolerant species to match warmer ocean temperatures, prospects for long-term recovery of coral reefs are better since Ωarag recovers more quickly than SST.

Deformation and rupture of the oceanic crust may control growth of Hawaiian volcanoes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Got, J.-L.; Monteiller, V.; Monteux, J.; Hassani, R.; Okubo, P.

2008-01-01

Hawaiian volcanoes are formed by the eruption of large quantities of basaltic magma related to hot-spot activity below the Pacific Plate. Despite the apparent simplicity of the parent process - emission of magma onto the oceanic crust - the resulting edifices display some topographic complexity. Certain features, such as rift zones and large flank slides, are common to all Hawaiian volcanoes, indicating similarities in their genesis; however, the underlying mechanism controlling this process remains unknown. Here we use seismological investigations and finite-element mechanical modelling to show that the load exerted by large Hawaiian volcanoes can be sufficient to rupture the oceanic crust. This intense deformation, combined with the accelerated subsidence of the oceanic crust and the weakness of the volcanic edifice/oceanic crust interface, may control the surface morphology of Hawaiian volcanoes, especially the existence of their giant flank instabilities. Further studies are needed to determine whether such processes occur in other active intraplate volcanoes. ??2008 Nature Publishing Group.

Climate change and ocean deoxygenation within intensified surface-driven upwelling circulations.

PubMed

Bakun, Andrew

2017-09-13

Ocean deoxygenation often takes place in proximity to zones of intense upwelling. Associated concerns about amplified ocean deoxygenation arise from an arguable likelihood that coastal upwelling systems in the world's oceans may further intensify as anthropogenic climate change proceeds. Comparative examples discussed include the uniquely intense seasonal Somali Current upwelling, the massive upwelling that occurs quasi-continuously off Namibia and the recently appearing and now annually recurring 'dead zone' off the US State of Oregon. The evident 'transience' in causal dynamics off Oregon is somewhat mirrored in an interannual-scale intermittence in eruptions of anaerobically formed noxious gases off Namibia. A mechanistic scheme draws the three examples towards a common context in which, in addition to the obvious but politically problematic remedy of actually reducing 'greenhouse' gas emissions, the potentially manageable abundance of strongly swimming, finely gill raker-meshed small pelagic fish emerges as a plausible regulating factor.This article is part of the themed issue 'Ocean ventilation and deoxygenation in a warming world'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Deformation and rupture of the oceanic crust may control growth of Hawaiian volcanoes.

PubMed

Got, Jean-Luc; Monteiller, Vadim; Monteux, Julien; Hassani, Riad; Okubo, Paul

2008-01-24

Hawaiian volcanoes are formed by the eruption of large quantities of basaltic magma related to hot-spot activity below the Pacific Plate. Despite the apparent simplicity of the parent process--emission of magma onto the oceanic crust--the resulting edifices display some topographic complexity. Certain features, such as rift zones and large flank slides, are common to all Hawaiian volcanoes, indicating similarities in their genesis; however, the underlying mechanism controlling this process remains unknown. Here we use seismological investigations and finite-element mechanical modelling to show that the load exerted by large Hawaiian volcanoes can be sufficient to rupture the oceanic crust. This intense deformation, combined with the accelerated subsidence of the oceanic crust and the weakness of the volcanic edifice/oceanic crust interface, may control the surface morphology of Hawaiian volcanoes, especially the existence of their giant flank instabilities. Further studies are needed to determine whether such processes occur in other active intraplate volcanoes.

Chemistry-Climate Interactions in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model. 2; New Insights into Modeling the Pre-Industrial Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grenfell, J. Lee; Shindell, D. T.; Koch, D.; Rind, D.; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We investigate the chemical (hydroxyl and ozone) and dynamical response to changing from present day to pre-industrial conditions in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model (GISS GMC). We identify three main improvements not included by many other works. Firstly, our model includes interactive cloud calculations. Secondly we reduce sulfate aerosol which impacts NOx partitioning hence Ox distributions. Thirdly we reduce sea surface temperatures and increase ocean ice coverage which impact water vapor and ground albedo respectively. Changing the ocean data (hence water vapor and ozone) produces a potentially important feedback between the Hadley circulation and convective cloud cover. Our present day run (run 1, control run) global mean OH value was 9.8 x 10(exp 5) molecules/cc. For our best estimate of pre-industrial conditions run (run 2) which featured modified chemical emissions, sulfate aerosol and sea surface temperatures/ocean ice, this value changed to 10.2 x 10(exp 5) molecules/cc. Reducing only the chemical emissions to pre-industrial levels in run 1 (run 3) resulted in this value increasing to 10.6 x 10(exp 5) molecules/cc. Reducing the sulfate in run 3 to pre-industrial levels (run 4) resulted in a small increase in global mean OH (10.7 x 10(exp 5) molecules/cc). Changing the ocean data in run 4 to pre-industrial levels (run 5) led to a reduction in this value to 10.3 x 10(exp 5) molecules/cc. Mean tropospheric ozone burdens were 262, 181, 180, 180, and 182 Tg for runs 1-5 respectively.

Ocean acidification over the next three centuries using a simple global climate carbon-cycle model: projections and sensitivities

DOE PAGES

Hartin, Corinne A.; Bond-Lamberty, Benjamin; Patel, Pralit; ...

2016-08-01

Continued oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 is projected to significantly alter the chemistry of the upper oceans over the next three centuries, with potentially serious consequences for marine ecosystems. Relatively few models have the capability to make projections of ocean acidification, limiting our ability to assess the impacts and probabilities of ocean changes. In this study we examine the ability of Hector v1.1, a reduced-form global model, to project changes in the upper ocean carbonate system over the next three centuries, and quantify the model's sensitivity to parametric inputs. Hector is run under prescribed emission pathways from the Representativemore » Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and compared to both observations and a suite of Coupled Model Intercomparison (CMIP5) model outputs. Current observations confirm that ocean acidification is already taking place, and CMIP5 models project significant changes occurring to 2300. Hector is consistent with the observational record within both the high- (> 55°) and low-latitude oceans (< 55°). The model projects low-latitude surface ocean pH to decrease from preindustrial levels of 8.17 to 7.77 in 2100, and to 7.50 in 2300; aragonite saturation levels (Ω Ar) decrease from 4.1 units to 2.2 in 2100 and 1.4 in 2300 under RCP 8.5. These magnitudes and trends of ocean acidification within Hector are largely consistent with the CMIP5 model outputs, although we identify some small biases within Hector's carbonate system. Of the parameters tested, changes in [H +] are most sensitive to parameters that directly affect atmospheric CO 2 concentrations – Q 10 (terrestrial respiration temperature response) as well as changes in ocean circulation, while changes in Ω Ar saturation levels are sensitive to changes in ocean salinity and Q 10. We conclude that Hector is a robust tool well suited for rapid ocean acidification projections and sensitivity analyses, and it is capable of emulating both current observations and large-scale climate models under multiple emission pathways.« less

Ocean acidification over the next three centuries using a simple global climate carbon-cycle model: projections and sensitivities

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

Hartin, Corinne A.; Bond-Lamberty, Benjamin; Patel, Pralit

Continued oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 is projected to significantly alter the chemistry of the upper oceans over the next three centuries, with potentially serious consequences for marine ecosystems. Relatively few models have the capability to make projections of ocean acidification, limiting our ability to assess the impacts and probabilities of ocean changes. In this study we examine the ability of Hector v1.1, a reduced-form global model, to project changes in the upper ocean carbonate system over the next three centuries, and quantify the model's sensitivity to parametric inputs. Hector is run under prescribed emission pathways from the Representativemore » Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and compared to both observations and a suite of Coupled Model Intercomparison (CMIP5) model outputs. Current observations confirm that ocean acidification is already taking place, and CMIP5 models project significant changes occurring to 2300. Hector is consistent with the observational record within both the high- (> 55°) and low-latitude oceans (< 55°). The model projects low-latitude surface ocean pH to decrease from preindustrial levels of 8.17 to 7.77 in 2100, and to 7.50 in 2300; aragonite saturation levels (Ω Ar) decrease from 4.1 units to 2.2 in 2100 and 1.4 in 2300 under RCP 8.5. These magnitudes and trends of ocean acidification within Hector are largely consistent with the CMIP5 model outputs, although we identify some small biases within Hector's carbonate system. Of the parameters tested, changes in [H +] are most sensitive to parameters that directly affect atmospheric CO 2 concentrations – Q 10 (terrestrial respiration temperature response) as well as changes in ocean circulation, while changes in Ω Ar saturation levels are sensitive to changes in ocean salinity and Q 10. We conclude that Hector is a robust tool well suited for rapid ocean acidification projections and sensitivity analyses, and it is capable of emulating both current observations and large-scale climate models under multiple emission pathways.« less

Ocean acidification over the next three centuries using a simple global climate carbon-cycle model: projections and sensitivities

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

Hartin, Corinne A.; Bond-Lamberty, Benjamin; Patel, Pralit

Continued oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 is projected to significantly alter the chemistry of the upper oceans over the next three centuries, with potentially serious consequences for marine ecosystems. Relatively few models have the capability to make projections of ocean acidification, limiting our ability to assess the impacts and probabilities of ocean changes. In this study we examine the ability of Hector v1.1, a reduced-form global model, to project changes in the upper ocean carbonate system over the next three centuries, and quantify the model's sensitivity to parametric inputs. Hector is run under prescribed emission pathways from the Representativemore » Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and compared to both observations and a suite of Coupled Model Intercomparison (CMIP5) model outputs. Current observations confirm that ocean acidification is already taking place, and CMIP5 models project significant changes occurring to 2300. Hector is consistent with the observational record within both the high- (> 55°) and low-latitude oceans (< 55°). The model projects low-latitude surface ocean pH to decrease from preindustrial levels of 8.17 to 7.77 in 2100, and to 7.50 in 2300; aragonite saturation levels (Ω Ar) decrease from 4.1 units to 2.2 in 2100 and 1.4 in 2300 under RCP 8.5. These magnitudes and trends of ocean acidification within Hector are largely consistent with the CMIP5 model outputs, although we identify some small biases within Hector's carbonate system. Of the parameters tested, changes in [H +] are most sensitive to parameters that directly affect atmospheric CO 2 concentrations – Q 10 (terrestrial respiration temperature response) as well as changes in ocean circulation, while changes in Ω Ar saturation levels are sensitive to changes in ocean salinity and Q 10. We conclude that Hector is a robust tool well suited for rapid ocean acidification projections and sensitivity analyses, and it is capable of emulating both current observations and large-scale climate models under multiple emission pathways.« less

Future ocean hypercapnia driven by anthropogenic amplification of the natural CO2 cycle.

PubMed

McNeil, Ben I; Sasse, Tristan P

2016-01-21

High carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in sea-water (ocean hypercapnia) can induce neurological, physiological and behavioural deficiencies in marine animals. Prediction of the onset and evolution of hypercapnia in the ocean requires a good understanding of annual variations in oceanic CO2 concentration, but there is a lack of relevant global observational data. Here we identify global ocean patterns of monthly variability in carbon concentration using observations that allow us to examine the evolution of surface-ocean CO2 levels over the entire annual cycle under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We predict that the present-day amplitude of the natural oscillations in oceanic CO2 concentration will be amplified by up to tenfold in some regions by 2100, if atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to rise throughout this century (according to the RCP8.5 scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The findings from our data are broadly consistent with projections from Earth system climate models. Our predicted amplification of the annual CO2 cycle displays distinct global patterns that may expose major fisheries in the Southern, Pacific and North Atlantic oceans to hypercapnia many decades earlier than is expected from average atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We suggest that these ocean 'CO2 hotspots' evolve as a combination of the strong seasonal dynamics of CO2 concentration and the long-term effective storage of anthropogenic CO2 in the oceans that lowers the buffer capacity in these regions, causing a nonlinear amplification of CO2 concentration over the annual cycle. The onset of ocean hypercapnia (when the partial pressure of CO2 in sea-water exceeds 1,000 micro-atmospheres) is forecast for atmospheric CO2 concentrations that exceed 650 parts per million, with hypercapnia expected in up to half the surface ocean by 2100, assuming a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5). Such extensive ocean hypercapnia has detrimental implications for fisheries during the twenty-first century.

Future ocean hypercapnia driven by anthropogenic amplification of the natural CO2 cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, Ben I.; Sasse, Tristan P.

2016-01-01

High carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in sea-water (ocean hypercapnia) can induce neurological, physiological and behavioural deficiencies in marine animals. Prediction of the onset and evolution of hypercapnia in the ocean requires a good understanding of annual variations in oceanic CO2 concentration, but there is a lack of relevant global observational data. Here we identify global ocean patterns of monthly variability in carbon concentration using observations that allow us to examine the evolution of surface-ocean CO2 levels over the entire annual cycle under increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We predict that the present-day amplitude of the natural oscillations in oceanic CO2 concentration will be amplified by up to tenfold in some regions by 2100, if atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to rise throughout this century (according to the RCP8.5 scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The findings from our data are broadly consistent with projections from Earth system climate models. Our predicted amplification of the annual CO2 cycle displays distinct global patterns that may expose major fisheries in the Southern, Pacific and North Atlantic oceans to hypercapnia many decades earlier than is expected from average atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We suggest that these ocean ‘CO2 hotspots’ evolve as a combination of the strong seasonal dynamics of CO2 concentration and the long-term effective storage of anthropogenic CO2 in the oceans that lowers the buffer capacity in these regions, causing a nonlinear amplification of CO2 concentration over the annual cycle. The onset of ocean hypercapnia (when the partial pressure of CO2 in sea-water exceeds 1,000 micro-atmospheres) is forecast for atmospheric CO2 concentrations that exceed 650 parts per million, with hypercapnia expected in up to half the surface ocean by 2100, assuming a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5). Such extensive ocean hypercapnia has detrimental implications for fisheries during the twenty-first century.

Sustained climate warming drives declining marine biological productivity

DOE PAGES

Moore, J. Keith; Fu, Weiwei; Primeau, Francois; ...

2018-03-01

Climate change projections to the year 2100 may miss physical-biogeochemical feedbacks that emerge later from the cumulative effects of climate warming. In a coupled climate simulation to the year 2300, the westerly winds strengthen and shift poleward, surface waters warm, and sea ice disappears, leading to intense nutrient trapping in the Southern Ocean. The trapping drives a global-scale nutrient redistribution, with net transfer to the deep ocean. Ensuing surface nutrient reductions north of 30°S drive steady declines in primary production and carbon export (decreases of 24 and 41%, respectively, by 2300). Potential fishery yields, constrained by lower–trophic-level productivity, decrease bymore » more than 20% globally and by nearly 60% in the North Atlantic. Continued high levels of greenhouse gas emissions could suppress marine biological productivity for a millennium.« less

A passive low frequency instrument for radio wave sounding the subsurface oceans of the Jovian icy moons: An instrument concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartogh, P.; Ilyushin, Ya. A.

2016-10-01

Exploration of subsurface oceans on Jovian icy moons is a key issue of the icy moons' geology. Electromagnetic wave propagation is the only way to probe their icy mantles from the orbit. In the present paper, a principal concept of a passive interferometric instrument for deep sounding of the icy moons' crust is proposed. Its working principle is measuring and correlating Jupiter's radio wave emissions with reflections from the deep sub-surface of the icy moons. A number of the functional aspects of the proposed experiment are studied, in particular, impact of the wave scattering on the surface terrain on the instrument performance and digital sampling of the noisy signal. Results of the test of the laboratory prototype of the instrument are also presented in the paper.

Sustained climate warming drives declining marine biological productivity

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

Moore, J. Keith; Fu, Weiwei; Primeau, Francois

Climate change projections to the year 2100 may miss physical-biogeochemical feedbacks that emerge later from the cumulative effects of climate warming. In a coupled climate simulation to the year 2300, the westerly winds strengthen and shift poleward, surface waters warm, and sea ice disappears, leading to intense nutrient trapping in the Southern Ocean. The trapping drives a global-scale nutrient redistribution, with net transfer to the deep ocean. Ensuing surface nutrient reductions north of 30°S drive steady declines in primary production and carbon export (decreases of 24 and 41%, respectively, by 2300). Potential fishery yields, constrained by lower–trophic-level productivity, decrease bymore » more than 20% globally and by nearly 60% in the North Atlantic. Continued high levels of greenhouse gas emissions could suppress marine biological productivity for a millennium.« less

Felsic highland crust on Venus suggested by Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, George L.; Roos-Serote, Maarten; Sugita, Seiji; Gilmore, Martha S.; Kamp, Lucas W.; Carlson, Robert W.; Baines, Kevin H.

2008-12-01

We evaluated the spatial variation of Venusian surface emissivity at 1.18 μm wavelength and that of near-surface atmospheric temperature using multispectral images obtained by the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on board the Galileo spacecraft. The Galileo NIMS observed the nightside thermal emission from the surface and the deep atmosphere of Venus, which is attenuated by scattering from the overlying clouds. To analyze the NIMS data, we used a radiative transfer model based on the adding method. Although there is still an uncertainty in the results owing to the not well known parameters of the atmosphere, our analysis revealed that the horizontal temperature variation in the near-surface atmosphere is no more than +/-2 K on the Venusian nightside and also suggests that the majority of lowlands likely has higher emissivity compared to the majority of highlands. One interpretation for the latter result is that highland materials are generally composed of felsic rocks. Since formation of a large body of granitic magmas requires water, the presence of granitic terrains would imply that Venus may have had an ocean and a mechanism to recycle water into the mantle in the past.

Iron fertilisation and century-scale effects of open ocean dissolution of olivine in a simulated CO2 removal experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauck, Judith; Köhler, Peter; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter; Völker, Christoph

2016-02-01

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches are efforts to reduce the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Here we use a marine carbon cycle model to investigate the effects of one CDR technique: the open ocean dissolution of the iron-containing mineral olivine. We analyse the maximum CDR potential of an annual dissolution of 3 Pg olivine during the 21st century and focus on the role of the micro-nutrient iron for the biological carbon pump. Distributing the products of olivine dissolution (bicarbonate, silicic acid, iron) uniformly in the global surface ocean has a maximum CDR potential of 0.57 gC/g-olivine mainly due to the alkalinisation of the ocean, with a significant contribution from the fertilisation of phytoplankton with silicic acid and iron. The part of the CDR caused by ocean fertilisation is not permanent, while the CO2 sequestered by alkalinisation would be stored in the ocean as long as alkalinity is not removed from the system. For high CO2 emission scenarios the CDR potential due to the alkalinity input becomes more efficient over time with increasing ocean acidification. The alkalinity-induced CDR potential scales linearly with the amount of olivine, while the iron-induced CDR saturates at 113 PgC per century (on average ˜ 1.1 PgC yr-1) for an iron input rate of 2.3 Tg Fe yr-1 (1% of the iron contained in 3 Pg olivine). The additional iron-related CO2 uptake occurs in the Southern Ocean and in the iron-limited regions of the Pacific. Effects of this approach on surface ocean pH are small (\\lt 0.01).

A global ocean inventory of anthropogenic mercury based on water column measurements.

PubMed

Lamborg, Carl H; Hammerschmidt, Chad R; Bowman, Katlin L; Swarr, Gretchen J; Munson, Kathleen M; Ohnemus, Daniel C; Lam, Phoebe J; Heimbürger, Lars-Eric; Rijkenberg, Micha J A; Saito, Mak A

2014-08-07

Mercury is a toxic, bioaccumulating trace metal whose emissions to the environment have increased significantly as a result of anthropogenic activities such as mining and fossil fuel combustion. Several recent models have estimated that these emissions have increased the oceanic mercury inventory by 36-1,313 million moles since the 1500s. Such predictions have remained largely untested owing to a lack of appropriate historical data and natural archives. Here we report oceanographic measurements of total dissolved mercury and related parameters from several recent expeditions to the Atlantic, Pacific, Southern and Arctic oceans. We find that deep North Atlantic waters and most intermediate waters are anomalously enriched in mercury relative to the deep waters of the South Atlantic, Southern and Pacific oceans, probably as a result of the incorporation of anthropogenic mercury. We estimate the total amount of anthropogenic mercury present in the global ocean to be 290 ± 80 million moles, with almost two-thirds residing in water shallower than a thousand metres. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic perturbations to the global mercury cycle have led to an approximately 150 per cent increase in the amount of mercury in thermocline waters and have tripled the mercury content of surface waters compared to pre-anthropogenic conditions. This information may aid our understanding of the processes and the depths at which inorganic mercury species are converted into toxic methyl mercury and subsequently bioaccumulated in marine food webs.

Tropical Storm Erin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Location: The Atlantic Ocean 210 miles south of Galveston, Texas Categorization: Tropical Storm Sustained Winds: 40 mph (60 km/hr)

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Infrared ImageMicrowave Image

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Scaling laws for perturbations in the ocean-atmosphere system following large CO2 emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towles, N.; Olson, P.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2015-01-01

Scaling relationships are derived for the perturbations to atmosphere and ocean variables from large transient CO2 emissions. Using the carbon cycle model LOSCAR (Zeebe et al., 2009; Zeebe, 2012b) we calculate perturbations to atmosphere temperature and total carbon, ocean temperature, total ocean carbon, pH, and alkalinity, marine sediment carbon, plus carbon-13 isotope anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere resulting from idealized CO2 emission events. The peak perturbations in the atmosphere and ocean variables are then fit to power law functions of the form γDαEbeta, where D is the event duration, E is its total carbon emission, and γ is a coefficient. Good power law fits are obtained for most system variables for E up to 50 000 PgC and D up to 100 kyr. However, these power laws deviate substantially from predictions based on simplified equilibrium considerations. For example, although all of the peak perturbations increase with emission rate E/D, we find no evidence of emission rate-only scaling α + β =0, a prediction of the long-term equilibrium between CO2 input by volcanism and CO2 removal by silicate weathering. Instead, our scaling yields α + β ≃ 1 for total ocean and atmosphere carbon and 0< α + β < 1 for most of the other system variables. The deviations in these scaling laws from equilibrium predictions are mainly due to the multitude and diversity of time scales that govern the exchange of carbon between marine sediments, the ocean, and the atmosphere.

Monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids over oceans from the East China Sea to the Arctic Ocean: Roles of ocean emissions, continental input and secondary formation.

PubMed

Hu, Qihou; Xie, Zhouqing; Wang, Xinming; Kang, Hui; Zhang, Yuqing; Ding, Xiang; Zhang, Pengfei

2018-05-30

Organic acids are major components in marine organic aerosols. Many studies on the occurrence, sources and sinks of organic acids over oceans in the low and middle latitudes have been conducted. However, the understanding of relative contributions of specific sources to organic acids over oceans, especially in the high latitudes, is still inadequate. This study measured organic acids, including C 14:0 - C 32:0 saturated monocarboxylic acids (MCAs), C 16:1 , C 18:1 and C 18:2 unsaturated MCAs, and di-C 4 - di-C 10 dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), in the marine boundary layer from the East China Sea to the Arctic Ocean during the 3rd Chinese Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 08). The average concentrations were 18 ± 16 ng/m 3 and 11 ± 5.4 ng/m 3 for ΣMCA and ΣDCA, respectively. The levels of saturated MCAs were much higher than those of unsaturated DCAs, with peaks at C 16:0 , C 18:0 and C 14:0 . DCAs peaked at di-C 4 , followed by di-C 9 and di-C 8 . Concentrations of MCAs and DCAs generally decreased with increasing latitudes. Sources of MCAs and DCAs were further investigated using principal component analysis with a multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) model. Overall, carboxylic acids originated from ocean emissions, continental input (including biomass burning, anthropogenic emissions and terrestrial plant emissions), and secondary formation. All the five sources contributed to MCAs with ocean emissions as the predominant source (48%), followed by biomass burning (20%). In contrast, only 3 sources (i.e., secondary formation (50%), anthropogenic emissions (41%) and biomass burning (9%)) contributed to DCAs. Furthermore, the sources varied with regions. Over the Arctic Ocean, only secondary formation and anthropogenic emissions contributed to MCAs and DCAs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of anthropogenic aerosols from global, East Asian, and non-East Asian sources on East Asian summer monsoon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qiuyan; Wang, Zhili; Zhang, Hua

2017-01-01

The impact of the total effects due to anthropogenic aerosols from global, East Asian, and non-East Asian sources on East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) system is studied using an aerosol-climate online model BCC_AGCM2.0.1_CUACE/Aero. The results show that the summer mean net all-sky shortwave fluxes averaged over East Asian monsoon region (EAMR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and surface reduce by 4.8 and 5.0 W m- 2, respectively, due to the increases of global aerosol emissions in 2000 relative to 1850. Changes in radiations and their resulting changes in heat and water transport and cloud fraction contribute together to the surface cooling over EAMR in summer. The increases in global anthropogenic aerosols lead to a decrease of 2.1 K in summer mean surface temperature and an increase of 0.4 hPa in summer mean surface pressure averaged over EAMR, respectively. It is shown that the changes in surface temperature and pressure are significantly larger over land than ocean, thus decreasing the contrast of land-sea surface temperature and pressure. This results in the marked anomalies of north and northeast winds over eastern and southern China and the surrounding oceans in summer, thereby weakening the EASM. The summer mean precipitation averaged over the EAMR reduces by 12%. The changes in non-East Asian aerosol emissions play a more important role in inducing the changes of local temperature and pressure, and thus significantly exacerbate the weakness of the EASM circulation due to local aerosol changes. The weakening of circulation due to both is comparable, and even the effect of non-local aerosols is larger in individual regions. The changes of local and non-local aerosols contribute comparably to the reductions in precipitation over oceans, whereas cause opposite changes over eastern China. Our results highlight the importance of aerosol changes outside East Asia in the impact of the changes of anthropogenic aerosols on EASM.

Caribbean coral growth influenced by anthropogenic aerosol emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, Lester; Cox, Peter M.; Economou, Theo; Halloran, Paul R.; Mumby, Peter J.; Booth, Ben B. B.; Carilli, Jessica; Guzman, Hector M.

2013-05-01

Coral growth rates are highly dependent on environmental variables such as sea surface temperature and solar irradiance. Multi-decadal variability in coral growth rates has been documented throughout the Caribbean over the past 150-200 years, and linked to variations in Atlantic sea surface temperatures. Multi-decadal variability in sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic, in turn, has been linked to volcanic and anthropogenic aerosol forcing. Here, we examine the drivers of changes in coral growth rates in the western Caribbean between 1880 and 2000, using previously published coral growth chronologies from two sites in the region, and a numerical model. Changes in coral growth rates over this period coincided with variations in sea surface temperature and incoming short-wave radiation. Our model simulations show that variations in the concentration of anthropogenic aerosols caused variations in sea surface temperature and incoming radiation in the second half of the twentieth century. Before this, variations in volcanic aerosols may have played a more important role. With the exception of extreme mass bleaching events, we suggest that neither climate change from greenhouse-gas emissions nor ocean acidification is necessarily the driver of multi-decadal variations in growth rates at some Caribbean locations. Rather, the cause may be regional climate change due to volcanic and anthropogenic aerosol emissions.

Response of the global surface ozone distribution to Northern Hemisphere sea surface temperature changes: implications for long-range transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Kan; Liu, Junfeng; Ban-Weiss, George; Zhang, Jiachen; Tao, Wei; Cheng, Yanli; Tao, Shu

2017-07-01

The response of surface ozone (O3) concentrations to basin-scale warming and cooling of Northern Hemisphere oceans is investigated using the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Idealized, spatially uniform sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies of ±1 °C are individually superimposed onto the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and North Indian oceans. Our simulations suggest large seasonal and regional variability in surface O3 in response to SST anomalies, especially in the boreal summer. The responses of surface O3 associated with basin-scale SST warming and cooling have similar magnitude but are opposite in sign. Increasing the SST by 1 °C in one of the oceans generally decreases the surface O3 concentrations from 1 to 5 ppbv. With fixed emissions, SST increases in a specific ocean basin in the Northern Hemisphere tend to increase the summertime surface O3 concentrations over upwind regions, accompanied by a widespread reduction over downwind continents. We implement the integrated process rate (IPR) analysis in CESM and find that meteorological O3 transport in response to SST changes is the key process causing surface O3 perturbations in most cases. During the boreal summer, basin-scale SST warming facilitates the vertical transport of O3 to the surface over upwind regions while significantly reducing the vertical transport over downwind continents. This process, as confirmed by tagged CO-like tracers, indicates a considerable suppression of intercontinental O3 transport due to increased tropospheric stability at lower midlatitudes induced by SST changes. Conversely, the responses of chemical O3 production to regional SST warming can exert positive effects on surface O3 levels over highly polluted continents, except South Asia, where intensified cloud loading in response to North Indian SST warming depresses both the surface air temperature and solar radiation, and thus photochemical O3 production. Our findings indicate a robust linkage between basin-scale SST variability and continental surface O3 pollution, which should be considered in regional air quality management.

The Rise of GNSS Reflectometry for Earth Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuffada, Cinzia; Li, Zhijin; Nghiem, Son V.; Lowe, Steve; Shah, Rashmi; Clarizia, Maria Paola; Cardellach, Estel

2015-01-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry, i.e. GNSS-R, is a novel remote-sensing technique first published in that uses GNSS signals reflected from the Earth's surface to infer its surface properties such as sea surface height (SSH), ocean winds, sea-ice coverage, vegetation, wetlands and soil moisture, to name a few. This communication discusses the scientific value of GNSS-R to (a) furthering our understanding of ocean mesoscale circulation toward scales finer than those that existing nadir altimeters can resolve, and (b) mapping vegetated wetlands, an emerging application that might open up new avenues to map and monitor the planet's wetlands for methane emission assessments. Such applications are expected to be demonstrated by the availability of data from GEROS-ISS, an ESA experiment currently in phase A, and CyGNSS [3], a NASA mission currently in development. In particular, the paper details the expected error characteristics and the role of filtering played in the assimilation of these data to reduce the altimetric error (when averaging many measurements).

Aerosol contribution to the rapid warming of near-term climate under RCP 2.6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalmers, N.; Highwood, E. J.; Hawkins, E.; Sutton, R.; Wilcox, L. J.

2012-09-01

The importance of aerosol emissions for near term climate projections is investigated by analysing simulations with the HadGEM2-ES model under two different emissions scenarios: RCP2.6 and RCP4.5. It is shown that the near term warming projected under RCP2.6 is greater than under RCP4.5, even though the greenhouse gas forcing is lower. Rapid and substantial reductions in sulphate aerosol emissions due to a reduction of coal burning in RCP2.6 lead to a reduction in the negative shortwave forcing due to aerosol direct and indirect effects. Indirect effects play an important role over the northern hemisphere oceans, especially the subtropical northeastern Pacific where an anomaly of 5-10 Wm-2 develops. The pattern of surface temperature change is consistent with the expected response to this surface radiation anomaly, whilst also exhibiting features that reflect redistribution of energy, and feedbacks, within the climate system. These results demonstrate the importance of aerosol emissions as a key source of uncertainty in near term projections of global and regional climate.

Trade-Off Between Dimethyl Sulfide and Isoprene Emissions from Marine Phytoplankton.

PubMed

Dani, K G Srikanta; Loreto, Francesco

2017-05-01

Marine phytoplankton emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and isoprene that influence air quality, cloud dynamics, and planetary albedo. We show that globally (i) marine phytoplankton taxa tend to emit either DMS or isoprene, and (ii) sea-water surface concentration and emission hotspots of DMS and isoprene have opposite latitudinal gradients. We argue that a convergence of antioxidant functions between DMS and isoprene is possible, driven by potential metabolic competition for photosynthetic substrates. Linking phytoplankton emission traits to their latitudinal niches, we hypothesize that natural selection favors DMS emission in cold (polar) waters and isoprene emission in warm (tropical) oceans, and that global warming may expand the geographic range of marine isoprene-emitters. A trade-off between DMS and isoprene at metabolic, organismal, and geographic levels may have important consequences for future marine biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of different emission inventories on modeled ozone and carbon monoxide in Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amnuaylojaroen, T.; Barth, M. C.; Emmons, L. K.; Carmichael, G. R.; Kreasuwun, J.; Prasitwattanaseree, S.; Chantara, S.

2014-04-01

In order to improve our understanding of air quality in Southeast Asia, the anthropogenic emissions inventory must be well represented. In this work, we apply different anthropogenic emission inventories in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.3 using MOZART gas-phase chemistry and GOCART aerosols to examine the differences in predicted carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) surface mixing ratios for Southeast Asia in March and December 2008. The anthropogenic emission inventories include the Reanalysis of the TROpospheric chemical composition (RETRO), the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-Phase B (INTEX-B), the MACCity emissions (adapted from the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate and megacity Zoom for the Environment projects), the Southeast Asia Composition, Cloud, Climate Coupling Regional Study (SEAC4RS) emissions, and a combination of MACCity and SEAC4RS emissions. Biomass burning emissions are from the Fire Inventory from NCAR (FINNv1) model. WRF-chem reasonably predicts the 2 m temperature, 10 m wind, and precipitation. In general, surface CO is underpredicted by WRF-Chem while surface O3 is overpredicted. The NO2 tropospheric column predicted by WRF-Chem has the same magnitude as observations, but tends to underpredict NO2 column over the equatorial ocean and near Indonesia. Simulations using different anthropogenic emissions produce only a slight variability of O3 and CO mixing ratios, while biomass burning emissions add more variability. The different anthropogenic emissions differ by up to 20% in CO emissions, but O3 and CO mixing ratios differ by ~4.5% and ~8%, respectively, among the simulations. Biomass burning emissions create a substantial increase for both O3 and CO by ~29% and ~16%, respectively, when comparing the March biomass burning period to December with low biomass burning emissions. The simulations show that none of the anthropogenic emission inventories are better than the others and any of the examined inventories can be used for air quality simulations in Southeast Asia.

Hotspots of Very Short Lived Halocarbons in the Tropical Ocean and Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Y.; Tegtmeier, S.; Quack, B.; Atlas, E. L.

2017-12-01

Very short lived halocarbons (VSLH) with atmospheric lifetimes shorter than 6 months are known to have natural oceanic sources. VSLH have drawn lots of attentions due to their contribution to stratospheric ozone depletion and tropospheric chemistry. VSLH in the ocean show a large spatial variability often with enhanced concentrations in coastal and upwelling regions. It is unclear how this variability in oceanic concentration and emissions impacts the atmospheric VSLH distribution. Such knowledge however is relevant in order to understand their impact on atmospheric chemistry and in order to design meaningful aircraft campaigns and measurement stations. Measurements from three tropical ship campaigns (TransBrom 2009, SHIVA 2011, and OASIS, 2014) suggest localized oceanic "hotspot", regions with very high VSLH emissions from the ocean into the atmosphere. It is also an open question if there's significant impact of these hotspots on the concentrations of VSLH in the atmosphere or if atmospheric transport and mixing obliterates their signals in the atmosphere. In our study, the Lagrangian transport model FLEXPART is used to investigate the atmospheric transport of CHBr3, CH2Br2, and CH3I emitted from the ocean into atmosphere. First, we derive typical atmospheric background concentrations of VSLH from (uniform and non-uniform) oceanic emissions found in the open ocean. In these simulations, the clear structures of meteorological processes (i.e. typhoons and other convective systems) are captured in the VSLHs background concentrations. In a second step, we apply VSLH emissions derived during the ship campaigns to analyze the impacts of the strong oceanic hotspots on the atmospheric VSLH distributions. These hotspots do not show an atmospheric signature if their regional extent is limited, even if their emissions are orders of magnitudes larger than the background emissions. However, if the hotspots extend over a region larger than roughly 0.3° x 0.3° (latitude x longitude), they produce a clear signal of enhanced atmospheric VSLH abundance. Our results will help to understand how oceanic VSLH concentrations, atmospheric transport patterns and atmospheric VSLH distributions are coupled, and predict the maximum mixing ratios that can be expected in the vicinity of oceanic hotspots.

Contrasted demographic responses facing future climate change in Southern Ocean seabirds.

PubMed

Barbraud, Christophe; Rivalan, Philippe; Inchausti, Pablo; Nevoux, Marie; Rolland, Virginie; Weimerskirch, Henri

2011-01-01

1. Recent climate change has affected a wide range of species, but predicting population responses to projected climate change using population dynamics theory and models remains challenging, and very few attempts have been made. The Southern Ocean sea surface temperature and sea ice extent are projected to warm and shrink as concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases increase, and several top predator species are affected by fluctuations in these oceanographic variables. 2. We compared and projected the population responses of three seabird species living in sub-tropical, sub-Antarctic and Antarctic biomes to predicted climate change over the next 50 years. Using stochastic population models we combined long-term demographic datasets and projections of sea surface temperature and sea ice extent for three different IPCC emission scenarios (from most to least severe: A1B, A2, B1) from general circulation models of Earth's climate. 3. We found that climate mostly affected the probability to breed successfully, and in one case adult survival. Interestingly, frequent nonlinear relationships in demographic responses to climate were detected. Models forced by future predicted climatic change provided contrasted population responses depending on the species considered. The northernmost distributed species was predicted to be little affected by a future warming of the Southern Ocean, whereas steep declines were projected for the more southerly distributed species due to sea surface temperature warming and decrease in sea ice extent. For the most southerly distributed species, the A1B and B1 emission scenarios were respectively the most and less damaging. For the two other species, population responses were similar for all emission scenarios. 4. This is among the first attempts to study the demographic responses for several populations with contrasted environmental conditions, which illustrates that investigating the effects of climate change on core population dynamics is feasible for different populations using a common methodological framework. Our approach was limited to single populations and have neglected population settlement in new favourable habitats or changes in inter-specific relations as a potential response to future climate change. Predictions may be enhanced by merging demographic population models and climatic envelope models. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 British Ecological Society.

Potential climatic impacts and reliability of very large-scale wind farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C.; Prinn, R. G.

2010-02-01

Meeting future world energy needs while addressing climate change requires large-scale deployment of low or zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies such as wind energy. The widespread availability of wind power has fueled substantial interest in this renewable energy source as one of the needed technologies. For very large-scale utilization of this resource, there are however potential environmental impacts, and also problems arising from its inherent intermittency, in addition to the present need to lower unit costs. To explore some of these issues, we use a three-dimensional climate model to simulate the potential climate effects associated with installation of wind-powered generators over vast areas of land or coastal ocean. Using wind turbines to meet 10% or more of global energy demand in 2100, could cause surface warming exceeding 1 °C over land installations. In contrast, surface cooling exceeding 1 °C is computed over ocean installations, but the validity of simulating the impacts of wind turbines by simply increasing the ocean surface drag needs further study. Significant warming or cooling remote from both the land and ocean installations, and alterations of the global distributions of rainfall and clouds also occur. These results are influenced by the competing effects of increases in roughness and decreases in wind speed on near-surface turbulent heat fluxes, the differing nature of land and ocean surface friction, and the dimensions of the installations parallel and perpendicular to the prevailing winds. These results are also dependent on the accuracy of the model used, and the realism of the methods applied to simulate wind turbines. Additional theory and new field observations will be required for their ultimate validation. Intermittency of wind power on daily, monthly and longer time scales as computed in these simulations and inferred from meteorological observations, poses a demand for one or more options to ensure reliability, including backup generation capacity, very long distance power transmission lines, and onsite energy storage, each with specific economic and/or technological challenges.

Potential climatic impacts and reliability of very large-scale wind farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C.; Prinn, R. G.

2009-09-01

Meeting future world energy needs while addressing climate change requires large-scale deployment of low or zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies such as wind energy. The widespread availability of wind power has fueled legitimate interest in this renewable energy source as one of the needed technologies. For very large-scale utilization of this resource, there are however potential environmental impacts, and also problems arising from its inherent intermittency, in addition to the present need to lower unit costs. To explore some of these issues, we use a three-dimensional climate model to simulate the potential climate effects associated with installation of wind-powered generators over vast areas of land or coastal ocean. Using wind turbines to meet 10% or more of global energy demand in 2100, could cause surface warming exceeding 1°C over land installations. In contrast, surface cooling exceeding 1°C is computed over ocean installations, but the validity of simulating the impacts of wind turbines by simply increasing the ocean surface drag needs further study. Significant warming or cooling remote from both the land and ocean installations, and alterations of the global distributions of rainfall and clouds also occur. These results are influenced by the competing effects of increases in roughness and decreases in wind speed on near-surface turbulent heat fluxes, the differing nature of land and ocean surface friction, and the dimensions of the installations parallel and perpendicular to the prevailing winds. These results are also dependent on the accuracy of the model used, and the realism of the methods applied to simulate wind turbines. Additional theory and new field observations will be required for their ultimate validation. Intermittency of wind power on daily, monthly and longer time scales as computed in these simulations and inferred from meteorological observations, poses a demand for one or more options to ensure reliability, including backup generation capacity, very long distance power transmission lines, and onsite energy storage, each with specific economic and/or technological challenges.

Impacts of ENSO events on cloud radiative effects in preindustrial conditions: Changes in cloud fraction and their dependence on interactive aerosol emissions and concentrations: IMPACT OF ENSO ON CLOUD RADIATIVE EFFECT

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

Yang, Yang; Russell, Lynn M.; Xu, Li

The impacts of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on shortwave and longwave cloud radiative effects (CRESW and CRELW) and the underlying changes in cloud fraction as well as aerosol emissions, wet scavenging and transport are quantified using three 150-year simulations in preindustrial conditions by the CESM model. Compared to recent observations from Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), the model simulation successfully reproduced larger variations of CRESW over the tropical western and central Pacific, Indonesian regions, and the eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as large variations of CRELW located mainly within the tropics. The ENSO cycle ismore » found to dominate interannual variations of cloud radiative effects, especially over the tropics. Relative to those during La Niña events, simulated cooling (warming) effects from CRESW (CRELW) during El Niño events are stronger over the tropical western and central Pacific Ocean, with the largest difference exceeding 40 Wm–2 (30 Wm–2), with weaker effects of 10–30 Wm–2 over Indonesian regions and the subtropical Pacific Ocean. Sensitivity tests show that variations of cloud radiative effects are mainly driven by ENSO-related changes in cloud fraction. The variations in medium and high cloud fractions each account for about 20–50% of the interannual variations of CRESW over the tropics and almost all of the variations of CRELW between 60°S and 60°N. The variation of low cloud fraction contributes most interannual variations of CRESW over the mid-latitude oceans. Variations in natural aerosol concentrations considering emissions, wet scavenging and transport explained 10–30% of the interannual variations of both CRESW and CRELW over the tropical Pacific, Indonesian regions and the tropical Indian Ocean. Changes in wet scavenging of natural aerosol modulate the variations of cloud radiative effects. Because of increased (decreased) precipitation over the tropical western Pacific Ocean in El Niño (La Niña) events, increased (decreased) wet scavenging of natural aerosols dampens more than 4–6% of variations of cloud radiative effects averaged over the tropics. In contrast, increased surface winds cause feedbacks that increase sea spray emissions that enhance the variations by 3–4% averaged over the tropics.« less

Seasonally different carbon flux changes in the Southern Ocean in response to the southern annular mode.

PubMed

Hauck, J; Völker, C; Wang, T; Hoppema, M; Losch, M; Wolf-Gladrow, D A

2013-12-01

Stratospheric ozone depletion and emission of greenhouse gases lead to a trend of the southern annular mode (SAM) toward its high-index polarity. The positive phase of the SAM is characterized by stronger than usual westerly winds that induce changes in the physical carbon transport. Changes in the natural carbon budget of the upper 100 m of the Southern Ocean in response to a positive SAM phase are explored with a coupled ecosystem-general circulation model and regression analysis. Previously overlooked processes that are important for the upper ocean carbon budget during a positive SAM period are identified, namely, export production and downward transport of carbon north of the polar front (PF) as large as the upwelling in the south. The limiting micronutrient iron is brought into the surface layer by upwelling and stimulates phytoplankton growth and export production but only in summer. This leads to a drawdown of carbon and less summertime outgassing (or more uptake) of natural CO 2 . In winter, biological mechanisms are inactive, and the surface ocean equilibrates with the atmosphere by releasing CO 2 . In the annual mean, the upper ocean region south of the PF loses more carbon by additional export production than by the release of CO 2 into the atmosphere, highlighting the role of the biological carbon pump in response to a positive SAM event.

Radiolytic Gas-Driven Cryovolcanism at Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Killen, R. M.; Cooper, J. F.; Sarantos, M.; Sittler, E. C., Jr.

2014-12-01

A large apparent plume of water vapor was detected at the south pole of Europa in December 2012 by the Hubble Space Telescope [Roth et al., 2014] when Europa was near maximum radial distance (apojove) in its orbit around Jupiter. The absence thus far of further detections both at apojove and elsewhere may indicate an episodic source. There was reportedly no evident brightening locally or globally of the Europa oxygen neutral atmosphere coincident with the plume water vapor detection. This could be consistent with an O2-driven cryovolcanism model in which bubbles of trapped gases in the ice crust are released from clathrates on thermal contact with rising oceanic water and expand to force upward fluid flows to the surface. It has long been suggested [Chyba, 2000; Cooper et al., 2001] that the Europa ocean could be oxygenated by radiolytic oxygen from surface irradiation, also implying that the overlying ice crust could be saturated in oxygen clathrates [Hand et al., 2006]. That the moon ocean could be a potentially habitable environment by oxygenation or other processes has been a major motivation for missions to Europa. The radiolytic gas source would be far greater at Europa as compared to much lesser source rates for a similar model at Enceladus [Cooper et al., 2009]. Detected plume emissions could arise from both the directly ejected vapor and from sputtering and/or sublimation of chemically-active plume frost in the polar cap region. Europa's surface gravity is much higher than that of Enceladus, so most of the plume vapor would return to the surface as frost. If sputtering or radiolysis were active contributors to polar cap emissions from the frost, then emissions could also maximize at 6.5-hour intervals as Europa passes through the densest part of the jovian magnetospheric plasma sheet as well as at 85-hour apojove intervals of the orbital period. For comparison to available polar cap plume and global atmospheric observations we present ballistic simulations of the resultant neutral gas density distributions for different source models. Chyba, C., Nature, 403, 381, 2000. Cooper, J. F., et al., Icarus, 149, 133-159, 2001. Cooper, J. F., et al., Plan. Sp. Sci., 57, 1607-1620, 2009. Hand, K. P., et al., Astrobiology, 6, 463-482, 2006. Roth, L., et al., Science, 343, 171-174, 2014.

Amplification of global warming through pH dependence of DMS production simulated with a fully coupled Earth system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwinger, Jörg; Tjiputra, Jerry; Goris, Nadine; Six, Katharina D.; Kirkevåg, Alf; Seland, Øyvind; Heinze, Christoph; Ilyina, Tatiana

2017-08-01

We estimate the additional transient surface warming ΔTs caused by a potential reduction of marine dimethyl sulfide (DMS) production due to ocean acidification under the high-emission scenario RCP8.5 until the year 2200. Since we use a fully coupled Earth system model, our results include a range of feedbacks, such as the response of marine DMS production to the additional changes in temperature and sea ice cover. Our results are broadly consistent with the findings of a previous study that employed an offline model set-up. Assuming a medium (strong) sensitivity of DMS production to pH, we find an additional transient global warming of 0.30 K (0.47 K) towards the end of the 22nd century when DMS emissions are reduced by 7.3 Tg S yr-1 or 31 % (11.5 Tg S yr-1 or 48 %). The main mechanism behind the additional warming is a reduction of cloud albedo, but a change in shortwave radiative fluxes under clear-sky conditions due to reduced sulfate aerosol load also contributes significantly. We find an approximately linear relationship between reduction of DMS emissions and changes in top of the atmosphere radiative fluxes as well as changes in surface temperature for the range of DMS emissions considered here. For example, global average Ts changes by -0. 041 K per 1 Tg S yr-1 change in sea-air DMS fluxes. The additional warming in our model has a pronounced asymmetry between northern and southern high latitudes. It is largest over the Antarctic continent, where the additional temperature increase of 0.56 K (0.89 K) is almost twice the global average. We find that feedbacks are small on the global scale due to opposing regional contributions. The most pronounced feedback is found for the Southern Ocean, where we estimate that the additional climate change enhances sea-air DMS fluxes by about 9 % (15 %), which counteracts the reduction due to ocean acidification.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific: seasonal variation and source attribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yuanhong; Zhang, Lin; Pan, Yuepeng; Wang, Yuesi; Paulot, Fabien; Henze, Daven

2016-04-01

Rapid Asian industrialization has lead to increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition downwind threatening the marine environment. We present an analysis of the sources and processes controlling atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific, using the GEOS-Chem global chemistry model and its adjoint model at 1/2°× 2/3° horizontal resolution over the East Asia and its adjacent oceans. We focus our analyses on the marginal seas: the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea. Asian nitrogen emissions in the model are 28.6 Tg N a-1 as NH3 and 15.7 Tg N a-1 as NOx. China has the largest sources with 12.8 Tg N a-1 as NH3 and 7.9 Tg N a-1 as NOx; the much higher NH3 emissions reflect its intensive agricultural activities. We improve the seasonality of Asian NH3 emissions; emissions are a factor of 3 higher in summer than winter. The model simulation for 2008-2010 is evaluated with NH3 and NO2 column observations from satellite instruments, and wet deposition flux measurements from surface monitoring sites. Simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific ranges 0.8-20 kg N ha-1 a-1, decreasing rapidly downwind the Asian continent. Deposition fluxes average 11.9 kg N ha-1 a-1 (5.0 as reduced nitrogen NHx and 6.9 as oxidized nitrogen NOy) to the Yellow Sea, and 5.6 kg N ha-1 a-1 (2.5 as NHx and 3.1 as NOy) to the South China Sea. Nitrogen sources over the ocean (ship NOx and oceanic NH3) have little contribution to deposition over the Yellow Sea, about 7% over the South China Sea, and become important (greater than 30%) further downwind. We find that the seasonality of nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific is determined by variations in meteorology largely controlled by the East Asian Monsoon and in nitrogen emissions. The model adjoint further points out that nitrogen deposition to the Yellow Sea originates from sources over China (92% contribution) and the Korean peninsula (7%), and by sectors from fertilizer use (24%), power plants (22%), and transportation (18%). Deposition to the South China Sea shows source contribution from Mainland China (64%), Taiwan (21%), and the rest 15% from the Southeast Asian countries and oceanic NH3 emissions. The adjoint analyses also indicate that reducing Asian NH3 emissions would increase NOy dry deposition to the Yellow Sea (28% offset annually), limiting the effectiveness of NH3 emission controls.

Mesoscale Modeling of Smoke Particles Distribution and Their Radiative Feedback over Northern Sub-Saharan African Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Y.; Wang, J.; Ichoku, C. M.; Ellison, L.

2015-12-01

Stretching from southern boundary of Sahara to the equator and expanding west to east from Atlantic Ocean coasts to the India Ocean coasts, the northern sub-Saharan African (NSSA) region has been subject to intense biomass burning. Comprised of savanna, shrub, tropical forest and a number of agricultural crops, the extensive fires burn belt covers central and south of NSSA during dry season (from October to March) contributes to one of the highest biomass burning rate per km2 in the world. Due to smoke particles' absorption effects of solar radiation, they can modify the surface and atmosphere temperature and thus change atmospheric stability, height of the boundary layer, regional atmospheric circulation, evaporation rate, cloud formation, and precipitation. Hence, smoke particles emitted from biomass burning over NSSA region has a significant influence to the air quality, weather and climate variability. In this study, the first version of this Fire Energetics and Emissions Research (FEER.v1) emissions of several smoke constituents including light-absorbing organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC) are applied to a state-of-science meteorology-chemistry model as NOAA Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). We analyzed WRF-Chem simulations of surface and vertical distribution of various pollutants and their direct radiative effects in conjunction with satellite observation data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar data with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIPSO) to strengthen the importance of combining space measured emission products like FEER.v1 emission inventory with mesoscale model over intense biomass burning region, especially in area where ground-based air-quality and radiation-related observations are limited or absent.

Hubble Space Telescope observations of Europa in and out of eclipse

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparks, W.B.; McGrath, M.; Hand, K.; Ford, H.C.; Geissler, P.; Hough, J.H.; Turner, E.L.; Chyba, C.F.; Carlson, R.; Turnbull, M.

2010-01-01

Europa is a prime target for astrobiology and has been prioritized as the next target for a National Aeronautics and Space Administration flagship mission. It is important, therefore, that we advance our understanding of Europa, its ocean and physical environment as much as possible. Here, we describe observations of Europa obtained during its orbital eclipse by Jupiter using the Hubble Space Telescope. We obtained Advanced Camera for Surveys Solar Blind Channel far ultraviolet low-resolution spectra that show oxygen line emission both in and out of eclipse. We also used the Wide-Field and Planetary Camera-2 and searched for broad-band optical emission from fluorescence of the surface material, arising from the very high level of incident energetic particle radiation on ices and potentially organic substances. The high-energy particle radiation at the surface of Europa is extremely intense and is responsible for the production of a tenuous oxygen atmosphere and associated FUV line emission. Approximately 50% of the oxygen emission lasts at least a few hours into the eclipse. We discuss the detection limits of the optical emission, which allow us to estimate the fraction of incident energy reradiated at optical wavelengths, through electron-excited emission, Cherenkov radiation in the ice and fluorescent processes. ?? 2010 Cambridge University Press.

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

DeMott, Paul J.; Hill, Thomas C. J.

This campaign augmented measurements obtained via deployment of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) in the Marine ARM GPCI1 Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign. The measurements, comprised of shipboard aerosol collections obtained during the five legs of the summer 2013 cruises, were sent for offline processing to measure ice nucleating particle (INP) number concentrations. The forty-three sample periods each represented, nominally, 24-hour segments during outbound and inbound transits of the Horizon Spirit. The samples were collected at locations between Los Angeles and Hawaii. Eight samples have been analyzed for immersion freezing temperature spectramore » thus far, using funding from other grants. Remaining samples are being frozen until support for further processing is obtained. Future analyses will investigate the inorganic/organic proportions of ice nuclei, in addition to determining the genetic composition of the overall biological community associated with INPs. Resulting correlations will be compared with other archived aerosol quantities, meteorological and ocean data (e.g., temperature, wind speed, sea surface temperature, etc…) and satellite ocean color products. These findings will ultimately aid in parameterizing oceanic (e.g., sea spray) INP emissions in regional and global scale models, when illustrating aerosol connections to cloud phases and properties. Independent future analyses of frozen filter samples, as proposed by collaborating investigators at the time of this report, will include single particle analyses of marine boundary layer aerosol compositions and morphology. The MAGIC-IN data are considered representative of the oligotrophic, low Chlorophyll-a (with the exception of near-shore) ocean regions, which exist along the MAGIC transect. Current analyses suggest that INP numbers in the marine boundary layer over this region are typically low, compared to existing measurements over marine areas and those collected in the laboratory as the result of realistic sea spray particle generation. These findings, along with separate studies, confirm the existence of highly variable emission sources for INP from oceans, (though weaker than land-based emissions at modestly cooled temperatures).« less

Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparrow, K. J.; Kessler, J. D.

2017-12-01

In response to climate change, methane can be released to ocean sediments and waters from thawing subsea permafrost and decomposing methane hydrates. However, it is unknown if methane derived from these massive stores of frozen, ancient carbon reaches the atmosphere. We quantified the fraction of methane sourced from ancient carbon in shelf waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea, a region that has both permafrost and methane hydrates and is experiencing significant warming. While the radiocarbon-methane analyses indicate that ancient carbon is being mobilized and emitted as methane into shelf bottom waters, surprisingly, we find that modern sources of methane predominate in surface waters of relatively shallow mid-outer shelf stations. These results suggest that even if there is a heightened liberation of ancient methane as climate change proceeds, oceanic dispersion and oxidation processes can strongly limit its emission to the atmosphere.

Current understanding of the driving mechanisms for spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric speciated mercury: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Huiting; Cheng, Irene; Zhang, Leiming

2016-10-01

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant and thought to be the main source of mercury in oceanic and remote terrestrial systems, where it becomes methylated and bioavailable; hence, atmospheric mercury pollution has global consequences for both human and ecosystem health. Understanding of spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric speciated mercury can advance our knowledge of mercury cycling in various environments. This review summarized spatiotemporal variations of total gaseous mercury or gaseous elemental mercury (TGM/GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particulate-bound mercury (PBM) in various environments including oceans, continents, high elevation, the free troposphere, and low to high latitudes. In the marine boundary layer (MBL), the oxidation of GEM was generally thought to drive the diurnal and seasonal variations of TGM/GEM and GOM in most oceanic regions, leading to lower GEM and higher GOM from noon to afternoon and higher GEM during winter and higher GOM during spring-summer. At continental sites, the driving mechanisms of TGM/GEM diurnal patterns included surface and local emissions, boundary layer dynamics, GEM oxidation, and for high-elevation sites mountain-valley winds, while oxidation of GEM and entrainment of free tropospheric air appeared to control the diurnal patterns of GOM. No pronounced diurnal variation was found for Tekran measured PBM at MBL and continental sites. Seasonal variations in TGM/GEM at continental sites were attributed to increased winter combustion and summertime surface emissions, and monsoons in Asia, while those in GOM were controlled by GEM oxidation, free tropospheric transport, anthropogenic emissions, and wet deposition. Increased PBM at continental sites during winter was primarily due to local/regional coal and wood combustion emissions. Long-term TGM measurements from the MBL and continental sites indicated an overall declining trend. Limited measurements suggested TGM/GEM increasing from the Southern Hemisphere (SH) to the Northern Hemisphere (NH) due largely to the vast majority of mercury emissions in the NH, and the latitudinal gradient was insignificant in summer probably as a result of stronger meridional mixing. Aircraft measurements showed no significant vertical variation in GEM over the field campaign regions; however, depletion of GEM was observed in stratospherically influenced air masses. In examining the remaining questions and issues, recommendations for future research needs were provided, and among them is the most imminent need for GOM speciation measurements and fundamental understanding of multiphase redox kinetics.

What controls the seasonal cycle of columnar methane observed by GOSAT over different regions in India?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, Naveen; Hayashida, Sachiko; Saeki, Tazu; Patra, Prabir K.

2017-10-01

Methane (CH4) is one of the most important short-lived climate forcers for its critical roles in greenhouse warming and air pollution chemistry in the troposphere, and the water vapor budget in the stratosphere. It is estimated that up to about 8 % of global CH4 emissions occur from South Asia, covering less than 1 % of the global land. With the availability of satellite observations from space, variability in CH4 has been captured for most parts of the global land with major emissions, which were otherwise not covered by the surface observation network. The satellite observation of the columnar dry-air mole fractions of methane (XCH4) is an integrated measure of CH4 densities at all altitudes from the surface to the top of the atmosphere. Here, we present an analysis of XCH4 variability over different parts of India and the surrounding cleaner oceanic regions as measured by the Greenhouse gases Observation SATellite (GOSAT) and simulated by an atmospheric chemistry-transport model (ACTM). Distinct seasonal variations of XCH4 have been observed over the northern (north of 15° N) and southern (south of 15° N) parts of India, corresponding to the peak during the southwestern monsoon (July-September) and early autumn (October-December) seasons, respectively. Analysis of the transport, emission, and chemistry contributions to XCH4 using ACTM suggests that a distinct XCH4 seasonal cycle over northern and southern regions of India is governed by both the heterogeneous distributions of surface emissions and a contribution of the partial CH4 column in the upper troposphere. Over most of the northern Indian Gangetic Plain regions, up to 40 % of the peak-to-trough amplitude during the southwestern (SW) monsoon season is attributed to the lower troposphere ( ˜ 1000-600 hPa), and ˜ 40 % to uplifted high-CH4 air masses in the upper troposphere ( ˜ 600-200 hPa). In contrast, the XCH4 seasonal enhancement over semi-arid western India is attributed mainly ( ˜ 70 %) to the upper troposphere. The lower tropospheric region contributes up to 60 % in the XCH4 seasonal enhancement over the Southern Peninsula and oceanic region. These differences arise due to the complex atmospheric transport mechanisms caused by the seasonally varying monsoon. The CH4 enriched air mass is uplifted from a high-emission region of the Gangetic Plain by the SW monsoon circulation and deep cumulus convection and then confined by anticyclonic wind in the upper tropospheric heights ( ˜ 200 hPa). The anticyclonic confinement of surface emission over a wider South Asia region leads to a strong contribution of the upper troposphere in the formation of the XCH4 peak over northern India, including the semi-arid regions with extremely low CH4 emissions. Based on this analysis, we suggest that a link between surface emissions and higher levels of XCH4 is not always valid over Asian monsoon regions, although there is often a fair correlation between surface emissions and XCH4. The overall validity of ACTM simulation for capturing GOSAT observed seasonal and spatial XCH4 variability will allow us to perform inverse modeling of XCH4 emissions in the future using XCH4 data.

Gaseous elemental mercury in the marine boundary layer and air-sea flux in the Southern Ocean in austral summer.

PubMed

Wang, Jiancheng; Xie, Zhouqing; Wang, Feiyue; Kang, Hui

2017-12-15

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in the marine boundary layer (MBL), and dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) in surface seawater of the Southern Ocean were measured in the austral summer from December 13, 2014 to February 1, 2015. GEM concentrations in the MBL ranged from 0.4 to 1.9ngm -3 (mean±standard deviation: 0.9±0.2ngm -3 ), whereas DGM concentrations in surface seawater ranged from 7.0 to 75.9pgL -1 (mean±standard deviation: 23.7±13.2pgL -1 ). The occasionally observed low GEM in the MBL suggested either the occurrence of atmospheric mercury depletion in summer, or the transport of GEM-depleted air from the Antarctic Plateau. Elevated GEM concentrations in the MBL and DGM concentrations in surface seawater were consistently observed in the ice-covered region of the Ross Sea implying the influence of the sea ice environment. Diminishing sea ice could cause more mercury evasion from the ocean to the air. Using the thin film gas exchange model, the air-sea fluxes of gaseous mercury in non-ice-covered area during the study period were estimated to range from 0.0 to 6.5ngm -2 h -1 with a mean value of 1.5±1.8ngm -2 h -1 , revealing GEM (re-)emission from the East Southern Ocean in summer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observations During GRIP from HIRAD: Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Jones, L.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Bailey, M. C.; Buckley, C. D.; Simmons, D. E.; Johnstone, S.; Peterson, A.;

THEORETICAL EMISSION SPECTRA OF ATMOSPHERES OF HOT ROCKY SUPER-EARTHS

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

Ito, Yuichi; Ikoma, Masahiro; Kawahara, Hajime

Motivated by recent detection of transiting high-density super-Earths, we explore the detectability of hot rocky super-Earths orbiting very close to their host stars. In an environment hot enough for their rocky surfaces to be molten, they would have an atmosphere composed of gas species from the magma oceans. In this study, we investigate the radiative properties of the atmosphere that is in gas/melt equilibrium with the underlying magma ocean. Our equilibrium calculations yield Na, K, Fe, Si, SiO, O, and O{sub 2} as the major atmospheric species. We compile the radiative absorption line data of those species available in the literature andmore » calculate their absorption opacities in the wavelength region of 0.1–100 μm. Using them, we integrate the thermal structure of the atmosphere. Then, we find that thermal inversion occurs in the atmosphere because of the UV absorption by SiO. In addition, we calculate the ratio of the planetary to stellar emission fluxes during secondary eclipse, and we find prominent emission features induced by SiO at 4 μm detectable by Spitzer, and those at 10 and 100 μm detectable by near-future space telescopes.« less

Marine Fuel Choice For Ocean Going Vessels Within Emission Control Areas

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) contracted with Leidos Corporation to analyze the impact on ocean-going vessel fuel usage of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) emissions control areas in North America and the Caribbean. EIA plans to update the upcoming Annual Energy Outlook 2016 to include a new methodology for calculating the amount of fuel consumption by ocean-going vessels traveling though North American and Caribbean emissions control areas, including the impact of compliance strategies.

Interannual variability of carbon monoxide emission estimates over South America from 2006 to 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooghiemstra, P. B.; Krol, M. C.; van Leeuwen, T. T.; van der Werf, G. R.; Novelli, P. C.; Deeter, M. N.; Aben, I.; Röckmann, T.

2012-08-01

We present the first inverse modeling study to estimate CO emissions constrained by both surface and satellite observations. Our 4D-Var system assimilates National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) surface and Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite observations jointly by fitting a bias correction scheme. This approach leads to the identification of a positive bias of maximum 5 ppb in MOPITT column-averaged CO mixing ratios in the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH). The 4D-Var system is used to estimate CO emissions over South America in the period 2006-2010 and to analyze the interannual variability (IAV) of these emissions. We infer robust, high spatial resolution CO emission estimates that show slightly smaller IAV due to fires compared to the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED3) prior emissions. South American dry season (August and September) biomass burning emission estimates amount to 60, 92, 42, 16 and 93 Tg CO/yr for 2006 to 2010, respectively. Moreover, CO emissions probably associated with pre-harvest burning of sugar cane plantations in São Paulo state are underestimated in current inventories by 50-100%. We conclude that climatic conditions (such as the widespread drought in 2010) seem the most likely cause for the IAV in biomass burning CO emissions. However, socio-economic factors (such as the growing global demand for soy, beef and sugar cane ethanol) and associated deforestation fires, are also likely as drivers for the IAV of CO emissions, but are difficult to link directly to CO emissions.

Lightning and anthropogenic NOx sources over the U.S. and the western North Atlantic Ocean: Impact on tropospheric O3 from space-borne observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Y.; Eldering, A.; Osterman, G.; Wang, Y.; Cunnold, D.; Yang, Q.; Bucsela, E.; Pickering, K.

2008-12-01

We use the Regional chEmical trAnsport Model (REAM) to analyze the contributions of lightning and anthropogenic NOx on ozone concentrations over the U.S. and the western North Atlantic Ocean from June to August 2005. Tropospheric NO2 columns from OMI, tropospheric O3 columns derived from OMI and MLS measurements, and vertical O3 profiles from TES over the region are used in the analysis. With a 50% reduction in the industrial and electrical power generation NOx emissions in the 23 eastern states over the U.S. from 1999 EPA NEI and a parameterization of lightning-produced NOx based on concurrent NLDN, CAPE, and cloud mass flux data, REAM generally captures the spatial distribution of lightning flash rates and OMI NO2 and OMI-MLS O3 column enhancements with high correlation coefficients (0.6-0.9). The model results show that over the U.S., the contribution of surface NOx emissions to summertime tropospheric O3 declines from 47% to 41% due to the reduced emissions. The contribution of surface NOx emissions becomes similar to that of stratospheric transport over the U.S., with the additional being the dramatic reduction in the relative impact of fossil-fuel NOx emissions over continental outflow regions. In the convective outflow regions over the Gulf of Mexico and the western North Atlantic, the contribution of lightning NOx production on tropospheric O3 in the summer is larger than that of anthropogenic NOx emissions with mean differences of 5% to 25%. The impact of NOx produced by lightning is becoming larger as fossil-fuel combustion NOx emissions decrease. After the onset of the North American monsoon, lightning-derived upper tropospheric O3 enhancements in July and August are shown over the convective outflow regions from REAM simulated and TES measured O3 vertical profiles. This result suggests that TES measurements have a potential to constrain lightning-derived tropospheric O3 enhancements, which may play a critical role in controlling climate.

Modeling the Impact of Forest and Peat Fires on Carbon-Isotopic Compositions of Cretaceous Atmosphere and Vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkelstein, D. B.; Pratt, L. M.

2004-12-01

Prevalence of wildfires or peat fires associated with seasonally dry conditions in the Cretaceous is supported by recent studies documenting the widespread presence of pyrolytic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fusinite. Potential roles of CO2 emissions from fire have been overlooked in many discussions of Cretaceous carbon-isotope excursions (excluding K-P boundary discussions). Enhanced atmospheric CO2 levels could increase fire frequency through elevated lightning activity. When biomass or peat is combusted, emissions of CO2 are more negative than atmospheric CO2. Five reservoirs (atmosphere, vegetation, soil, and shallow and deep oceans), and five fluxes (productivity, respiration, litter fall, atmosphere-ocean exchange, and surface-deep ocean exchange) were modeled as a closed system. The size of the Cretaceous peat reservoir was estimated by compilation of published early Cretaceous coal resources. Initial pCO2 was assumed to be 2x pre-industrial atmospheric levels (P.A.L.). Critical variables in the model are burning efficiency and post-fire growth rates. Assuming 1% of standing terrestrial biomass is consumed by wildfires each year for ten years (without combustion of peat), an increase of atmospheric CO2 (from 2.0 to 2.2x P.A.L.) and a negative carbon isotope excursion (-1.2 ‰ ) are recorded by both atmosphere and new growth. Net primary productivity linked to the residence time of the vegetation and soil reservoirs results in a negative isotope shift followed by a broad positive isotope excursion. Decreasing the rate of re-growth dampens this trailing positive shift and increases the duration of the excursion. Post-fire pCO2 and new growth returned to initial values after 72 years. Both negative and positive isotope excursions are recorded in the model in surface ocean waters. Exchange of CO2 with the surface- and deep-ocean dampens the isotopic shift of the atmosphere. Excursions are first recorded in the atmosphere (and new growth), followed by the ocean, vegetation, and soil reservoirs. Ten to twenty five-year cycles of drought and fire are not recorded as individual excursions in the soil reservoir as the rate of transfer between the vegetation and soil reservoirs homogenizes the signal. A wildfire-modeled excursion does not propagate a geologically significant excursion through time. Combustion of a peat reservoir is necessary to drive and validate a geologically and isotopically significant excursion. Assuming 0.5% of the standing early Cretaceous peat reservoir is consumed by fire for each year for ten years coupled with the earlier scenario, the atmospheric CO2 increases from 2.0 to 3.1x P.A.L., atmosphere, vegetation, and the surface ocean record a negative carbon isotope excursion of -5.1 ‰ , -3.8 ‰ and -1.8 ‰ respectively, with a duration of 741 years. Increasing the size of the vegetation reservoir translates the excursions from the centennial to millennial scale. For example, doubling the vegetation reservoir (from 1.4 to 2.8E+16 gC) for a 25 year global peat conflagration (0.5% combusted each year) results in a CO2 increase from 2.0 to 4.0x P.A.L., and the atmosphere, vegetation, and the surface ocean reservoirs with a negative carbon isotope excursion of -5.7 ‰ , -8.7 ‰ and -2.3 ‰ respectively. Addition of carbonaceous aerosols (black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to pelagic marine sediments could potentially serve as a high-resolution record of ancient fires and firmly tie isotopic shifts to paleofires.

High-Speed Laser Imaging, Emission and Temperature Measurements of Explosions

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

of these optical fibers illuminated the entrance slit of a dedicated Ocean Optics model HR-2000 spectrograph. The seven spectrographs were modified...Hewlett-Packard). The spectral response of the system was calibrated using an ARC Model XS432 Xenon lamp. Time resolution is approximately 12...F FOROHAR 101 STRAUSS AVE INDIAN HEAD MD 20640-5035 1 NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CTR CODE 920J R GUIRGUIS 101 STRAUSS AVE INDIAN

The Carbon Cycle: Implications for Climate Change and Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-13

burning of fossil fuels, deforestation , and other land use activities, have significantly altered the carbon cycle. As a result, atmospheric...80% of human-related CO2 emissions results from fossil fuel combustion, and 20% from land use change (primarily deforestation ). Fossil fuel burning...warming the planet. At present, the oceans and land surface are acting as sinks for CO2 emitted from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation , but

A basis set for exploration of sensitivity to prescribed ocean conditions for estimating human contributions to extreme weather in CAM5.1-1degree

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

Stone, Dáithí A.; Risser, Mark D.; Angélil, Oliver M.

This paper presents two contributions for research into better understanding the role of anthropogenic warming in extreme weather. The first contribution is the generation of a large number of multi-decadal simulations using a medium-resolution atmospheric climate model, CAM5.1-1degree, under two scenarios of historical climate following the protocols of the C20C+ Detection and Attribution project: the one we have experienced (All-Hist), and one that might have been experienced in the absence of human interference with the climate system (Nat-Hist). These simulations are also specifically designed for understanding extreme weather and atmospheric variability in the context of anthropogenic climate change.The second contributionmore » takes advantage of the duration and size of these simulations in order to identify features of variability in the prescribed ocean conditions that may strongly influence calculated estimates of the role of anthropogenic emissions on extreme weather frequency (event attribution). There is a large amount of uncertainty in how much anthropogenic emissions should warm regional ocean surface temperatures, yet contributions to the C20C+ Detection and Attribution project and similar efforts so far use only one or a limited number of possible estimates of the ocean warming attributable to anthropogenic emissions when generating their Nat-Hist simulations. Thus, the importance of the uncertainty in regional attributable warming estimates to the results of event attribution studies is poorly understood. The identification of features of the anomalous ocean state that seem to strongly influence event attribution estimates should therefore be able to serve as a basis set for effective sampling of other plausible attributable warming patterns. The identification performed in this paper examines monthly temperature and precipitation output from the CAM5.1-1degree simulations averaged over 237 land regions, and compares interannual anomalous variations in the ratio between the frequencies of extremes in the All-Hist and Nat-Hist simulations against variations in ocean temperatures.« less

A basis set for exploration of sensitivity to prescribed ocean conditions for estimating human contributions to extreme weather in CAM5.1-1degree

DOE PAGES

Stone, Dáithí A.; Risser, Mark D.; Angélil, Oliver M.; ...

2018-03-01

This paper presents two contributions for research into better understanding the role of anthropogenic warming in extreme weather. The first contribution is the generation of a large number of multi-decadal simulations using a medium-resolution atmospheric climate model, CAM5.1-1degree, under two scenarios of historical climate following the protocols of the C20C+ Detection and Attribution project: the one we have experienced (All-Hist), and one that might have been experienced in the absence of human interference with the climate system (Nat-Hist). These simulations are also specifically designed for understanding extreme weather and atmospheric variability in the context of anthropogenic climate change.The second contributionmore » takes advantage of the duration and size of these simulations in order to identify features of variability in the prescribed ocean conditions that may strongly influence calculated estimates of the role of anthropogenic emissions on extreme weather frequency (event attribution). There is a large amount of uncertainty in how much anthropogenic emissions should warm regional ocean surface temperatures, yet contributions to the C20C+ Detection and Attribution project and similar efforts so far use only one or a limited number of possible estimates of the ocean warming attributable to anthropogenic emissions when generating their Nat-Hist simulations. Thus, the importance of the uncertainty in regional attributable warming estimates to the results of event attribution studies is poorly understood. The identification of features of the anomalous ocean state that seem to strongly influence event attribution estimates should therefore be able to serve as a basis set for effective sampling of other plausible attributable warming patterns. The identification performed in this paper examines monthly temperature and precipitation output from the CAM5.1-1degree simulations averaged over 237 land regions, and compares interannual anomalous variations in the ratio between the frequencies of extremes in the All-Hist and Nat-Hist simulations against variations in ocean temperatures.« less

Dehydration of lawsonite could directly trigger earthquakes in subducting oceanic crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okazaki, Keishi; Hirth, Greg

2016-02-01

Intermediate-depth earthquakes in cold subduction zones are observed within the subducting oceanic crust, as well as the mantle. In contrast, intermediate-depth earthquakes in hot subduction zones predominantly occur just below the Mohorovičić discontinuity. These observations have stimulated interest in relationships between blueschist-facies metamorphism and seismicity, particularly through dehydration reactions involving the mineral lawsonite. Here we conducted deformation experiments on lawsonite, while monitoring acoustic emissions, in a Griggs-type deformation apparatus. The temperature was increased above the thermal stability of lawsonite, while the sample was deforming, to test whether the lawsonite dehydration reaction induces unstable fault slip. In contrast to similar tests on antigorite, unstable fault slip (that is, stick-slip) occurred during dehydration reactions in the lawsonite and acoustic emission signals were continuously observed. Microstructural observations indicate that strain is highly localized along the fault (R1 and B shears), and that the fault surface develops slickensides (very smooth fault surfaces polished by frictional sliding). The unloading slope during the unstable slip follows the stiffness of the apparatus at all experimental conditions, regardless of the strain rate and temperature ramping rate. A thermomechanical scaling factor for the experiments is within the range estimated for natural subduction zones, indicating the potential for unstable frictional sliding within natural lawsonite layers.

Evaluation of Long-term Aerosol Data Records from SeaWiFS over Land and Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettenhausen, C.; Hsu, C.; Jeong, M.; Huang, J.

2010-12-01

Deserts around the globe produce mineral dust aerosols that may then be transported over cities, across continents, or even oceans. These aerosols affect the Earth’s energy balance through direct and indirect interactions with incoming solar radiation. They also have a biogeochemical effect as they deliver scarce nutrients to remote ecosystems. Large dust storms regularly disrupt air traffic and are a general nuisance to those living in transport regions. In the past, measuring dust aerosols has been incomplete at best. Satellite retrieval algorithms were limited to oceans or vegetated surfaces and typically neglected desert regions due to their high surface reflectivity in the mid-visible and near-infrared wavelengths, which have been typically used for aerosol retrievals. The Deep Blue aerosol retrieval algorithm was developed to resolve these shortcomings by utilizing the blue channels from instruments such as the Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to infer aerosol properties over these highly reflective surfaces. The surface reflectivity of desert regions is much lower in the blue channels and thus it is easier to separate the aerosol and surface signals than at the longer wavelengths used in other algorithms. More recently, the Deep Blue algorithm has been expanded to retrieve over vegetated surfaces and oceans as well. A single algorithm can now follow dust from source to sink. In this work, we introduce the SeaWiFS instrument and the Deep Blue aerosol retrieval algorithm. We have produced global aerosol data records over land and ocean from 1997 through 2009 using the Deep Blue algorithm and SeaWiFS data. We describe these data records and validate them with data from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). We also show the relative performance compared to the current MODIS Deep Blue operational aerosol data in desert regions. The current results are encouraging and this dataset will be useful to future studies in understanding the effects of dust aerosols on global processes, long-term aerosol trends, quantifying dust emissions, transport, and inter-annual variability.

SMOS after 2 YEARS and a half in orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerr, Y.; Richaume, P.; Wigneron, J.-P.; Waldteufel, P.; Mecklenburg, S.; Cabot, F.; Boutin, J.; Font, J.; Reul, N.

2012-04-01

The SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) satellite was successfully launched in November 2009. This ESA led mission for Earth Observation is dedicated to provide soil moisture over continental surface (with an accuracy goal of 0.04 m3/m3) and ocean salinity. These two geophysical features are important as they control the energy balance between the surface and the atmosphere. Their knowledge at a global scale is of interest for climatic and weather researches in particular in improving models forecasts. The purpose of this communication is to present the mission results after more than two years in orbit as well as some outstanding results already obtained. A special attention will be devoted to level 2 products. Modeling multi-angular brightness temperatures is not straightforward. The radiative model transfer model L-MEB (L-band Microwave Emission) is used over land while different models with different approaches as to the modeling of sea surface roughness are used over ocean surfaces. Over land the approach is based on semi-empirical relationships, adapted to different type of surface. The model computes a dielectric constant leading to surface emissivity. Surface features (roughness, vegetation) are also considered in the models. However, considering SMOS spatial resolution a wide area is seen by the instrument with strong heterogeneity. The L2 soil moisture retrieval scheme takes this into account. Brightness temperatures are computed for every classes composing a working area. A weighted function is applied for the incidence angle and the antenna beam. Once the brightness temperature is computed for the entire working area, the minimizing process starts. If no soil moisture is derived (not attempted or process failed) a dielectric constant is still derived from an simplified modeled (the cardioid model). SMOS data enabled very quickly to infer Sea surface salinity fields. As salinity retrieval is quite challenging, retrieving it enable to assess very finely the characteristics of the complete system in terms of stability, drift etc. Some anomalies such as the ascending descending temperature differences, temporal drifts or land sea contamination were used to infer issues and improve data quality. The modeling has to account for several perturbing factors 'galactic reflection, sea state, atmospheric path and Faraday rotation etc…as the useful signal is quite small when compared to the perturbing factors impact as well as the instrument sensitivity. Over sea ice several studies showed that it was possible to infer thin ice (first year ice, 50 cm or less) from SMOS measurements. Other studies focused on the Antarctic plateau with also very interesting new results. This presentation will show in detail the SMOS in flight results. The retrieval schemes have been developed to reach science requirements, that is to derive the surface soil moisture over continental surface with an accuracy better than 0,04m3/m3. Over the ocean the goals are not yet satisfied but results are already getting close to the requirements.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities.

PubMed

Müller, R Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-02-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO 2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities

PubMed Central

Müller, R. Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-01-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments. PMID:29457135

Natural and Anthropogenic Aerosol Trends from Satellite and Surface Observations and Model Simulations over the North Atlantic Ocean from 2002 to 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jongeward, Andrew R.; Li, Zhanqing; He, Hao; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2016-01-01

Aerosols contribute to Earths radiative budget both directly and indirectly, and large uncertainties remain in quantifying aerosol effects on climate. Variability in aerosol distribution and properties, as might result from changing emissions and transport processes, must be characterized. In this study, variations in aerosol loading across the eastern seaboard of theUnited States and theNorthAtlanticOcean during 2002 to 2012 are analyzed to examine the impacts of anthropogenic emission control measures using monthly mean data from MODIS, AERONET, and IMPROVE observations and Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model simulation.MODIS observes a statistically significant negative trend in aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the midlatitudes (-0.030 decade(sup-1)). Correlation analyses with surface AOD from AERONET sites in the upwind region combined with trend analysis from GOCART component AOD confirm that the observed decrease in the midlatitudes is chiefly associated with anthropogenic aerosols that exhibit significant negative trends from the eastern U.S. coast extending over the western North Atlantic. Additional analysis of IMPROVE surface PM(sub 2.5) observations demonstrates statistically significant negative trends in the anthropogenic components with decreasing mass concentrations over the eastern United States. Finally, a seasonal analysis of observational datasets is performed. The negative trend seen by MODIS is strongest during spring (MAM) and summer (JJA) months. This is supported by AERONET seasonal trends and is identified from IMPROVE seasonal trends as resulting from ammonium sulfate decreases during these seasons.

The anthropogenic perturbation of the marine nitrogen cycle by atmospheric deposition: Nitrogen cycle feedbacks and the 15N Haber-Bosch effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Simon; Gruber, Nicolas

2016-10-01

Over the last 100 years, anthropogenic emissions have led to a strong increase of atmospheric nitrogen deposition over the ocean, yet the resulting impacts and feedbacks are neither well understood nor quantified. To this end, we run a suite of simulations with the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model v1.2 forced with five scenarios of nitrogen deposition over the period from 1850 through 2100, while keeping all other forcings unchanged. Even though global oceanic net primary production increases little in response to this fertilization, the higher export and the resulting expansion of the oxygen minimum zones cause an increase in pelagic and benthic denitrification and burial by about 5%. In addition, the enhanced availability of fixed nitrogen in the surface ocean reduces global ocean N2 fixation by more than 10%. Despite the compensating effects through these negative feedbacks that eliminate by the year 2000 about 60% of the deposited nitrogen, the anthropogenic nitrogen input forced the upper ocean N budget into an imbalance of between 9 and 22 Tg N yr-1 depending on the deposition scenario. The excess nitrogen accumulates to highly detectable levels and causes in most areas a distinct negative trend in the δ15N of the oceanic fixed nitrogen pools—a trend we refer to as the 15N Haber-Bosch effect. Changes in surface nitrate utilization and the nitrogen feedbacks induce further changes in the δ15N of NO3-, making it a good but complex recorder of the overall impact of the changes in atmospheric deposition.

Venus Surface Composition Constrained by Observation and Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilmore, Martha; Treiman, Allan; Helbert, Jörn; Smrekar, Suzanne

2017-11-01

New observations from the Venus Express spacecraft as well as theoretical and experimental investigation of Venus analogue materials have advanced our understanding of the petrology of Venus melts and the mineralogy of rocks on the surface. The VIRTIS instrument aboard Venus Express provided a map of the southern hemisphere of Venus at ˜1 μm allowing, for the first time, the definition of surface units in terms of their 1 μm emissivity and derived mineralogy. Tessera terrain has lower emissivity than the presumably basaltic plains, consistent with a more silica-rich or felsic mineralogy. Thermodynamic modeling and experimental production of melts with Venera and Vega starting compositions predict derivative melts that range from mafic to felsic. Large volumes of felsic melts require water and may link the formation of tesserae to the presence of a Venus ocean. Low emissivity rocks may also be produced by atmosphere-surface weathering reactions unlike those seen presently. High 1 μm emissivity values correlate to stratigraphically recent flows and have been used with theoretical and experimental predictions of basalt weathering to identify regions of recent volcanism. The timescale of this volcanism is currently constrained by the weathering of magnetite (higher emissivity) in fresh basalts to hematite (lower emissivity) in Venus' oxidizing environment. Recent volcanism is corroborated by transient thermal anomalies identified by the VMC instrument aboard Venus Express. The interpretation of all emissivity data depends critically on understanding the composition of surface materials, kinetics of rock weathering and their measurement under Venus conditions. Extended theoretical studies, continued analysis of earlier spacecraft results, new atmospheric data, and measurements of mineral stability under Venus conditions have improved our understanding atmosphere-surface interactions. The calcite-wollastonite CO2 buffer has been discounted due, among other things, to the rarity of wollastonite and instability of carbonate at the Venus surface. Sulfur in the Venus atmosphere has been shown experimentally to react with Ca in surface minerals to produce anhydrite. The extent of this SO2 buffer is constrained by the Ca content of surface rocks and sulfur content of the atmosphere, both of which are likely variable, perhaps due to active volcanism. Experimental work on a range of semiconductor and ferroelectric minerals is placing constraints on the cause(s) of Venus' anomalously radar bright highlands.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific: seasonal variation and source attribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Zhang, L.; Pan, Y.; Wang, Y.; Paulot, F.; Henze, D. K.

2015-09-01

Rapid Asian industrialization has led to increased downwind atmospheric nitrogen deposition threatening the marine environment. We present an analysis of the sources and processes controlling atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific, using the GEOS-Chem global chemistry model and its adjoint model at 1/2° × 2/3° horizontal resolution over East Asia and its adjacent oceans. We focus our analyses on the marginal seas: the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea. Asian nitrogen emissions in the model are 28.6 Tg N a-1 as NH3 and 15.7 Tg N a-1 as NOx. China has the largest sources with 12.8 Tg N a-1 as NH3 and 7.9 Tg N a-1 as NOx; the high-NH3 emissions reflect its intensive agricultural activities. We find Asian NH3 emissions are a factor of 3 higher in summer than winter. The model simulation for 2008-2010 is evaluated with NH3 and NO2 column observations from satellite instruments, and wet deposition flux measurements from surface monitoring sites. Simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific ranges 0.8-20 kg N ha-1 a-1, decreasing rapidly downwind of the Asian continent. Deposition fluxes average 11.9 kg N ha-1 a-1 (5.0 as reduced nitrogen NHx and 6.9 as oxidized nitrogen NOy) to the Yellow Sea, and 5.6 kg N ha-1 a-1 (2.5 as NHx and 3.1 as NOy) to the South China Sea. Nitrogen sources over the ocean (ship NOx and oceanic NH3) have little contribution to deposition over the Yellow Sea, about 7 % over the South China Sea, and become important (greater than 30 %) further downwind. We find that the seasonality of nitrogen deposition to the northwestern Pacific is determined by variations in meteorology largely controlled by the East Asian monsoon and in nitrogen emissions. The model adjoint further estimates that nitrogen deposition to the Yellow Sea originates from sources over China (92 % contribution) and the Korean peninsula (7 %), and by sectors from fertilizer use (24 %), power plants (22 %), and transportation (18 %). Deposition to the South China Sea shows source contribution from mainland China (66 %), Taiwan (20 %), and the rest (14 %) from the southeast Asian countries and oceanic NH3 emissions. The adjoint analyses also indicate that reducing Asian NH3 emissions would increase NOy dry deposition to the Yellow Sea (28 % offset annually), limiting the effectiveness of NH3 emission controls on reducing nitrogen deposition to the Yellow Sea.

Impact of elevated CO2 on shellfish calcification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gazeau, Frédéric; Quiblier, Christophe; Jansen, Jeroen M.; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre; Middelburg, Jack J.; Heip, Carlo H. R.

2007-04-01

Ocean acidification resulting from human emissions of carbon dioxide has already lowered and will further lower surface ocean pH. The consequent decrease in calcium carbonate saturation potentially threatens calcareous marine organisms. Here, we demonstrate that the calcification rates of the edible mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) decline linearly with increasing pCO2. Mussel and oyster calcification may decrease by 25 and 10%, respectively, by the end of the century, following the IPCC IS92a scenario (~740 ppmv in 2100). Moreover, mussels dissolve at pCO2 values exceeding a threshold value of ~1800 ppmv. As these two species are important ecosystem engineers in coastal ecosystems and represent a large part of worldwide aquaculture production, the predicted decrease of calcification in response to ocean acidification will probably have an impact on coastal biodiversity and ecosystem functioning as well as potentially lead to significant economic loss.

Response of SO2 and Particulate Air Pollution to Local and Regional Emission Controls: A Case Study in Maryland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

He, Hao; Vinnikov, Konstantin Y.; Li, Can; Krotkov, Nickolay Anatoly; Jongeward, Andrew R.; Li, Zhanqing; Stehr, Jeffrey W.; Hains, Jennifer; Dickerson, RUssell R.

2016-01-01

This paper addresses the questions of what effect local regulations can have on pollutants with different lifetimes and how surface observations and remotely sensed data can be used to determine the impacts. We investigated the decadal trends of tropospheric sulfur dioxide (SO2) and aerosol pollution over Maryland and its surrounding states, using surface, aircraft, and satellite measurements. Aircraft measurements indicated fewer isolated SO2 plumes observed in summers, a 40 decrease of column SO2, and a 20 decrease of atmospheric optical depth (AOD) over Maryland after the implementation of local regulations on sulfur emissions from power plants (90 reduction from 2010). Surface observations of SO2 and particulate matter (PM) concentrations in Maryland show similar trends. OMI SO2 and MODIS AOD observations were used to investigate the column contents of air pollutants over the eastern U.S.; these indicate decreasing trends in column SO2 (60 decrease) and AOD (20 decrease). The decrease of upwind SO2 emissions also reduced aerosol loadings over the downwind Atlantic Ocean near the coast by 20, while indiscernible changes of the SO2 column were observed. A step change of SO2 emissions in Maryland starting in 20092010 had an immediate and profound benefit in terms of local surface SO2 concentrations but a modest impact on aerosol pollution, indicating that short-lived pollutants are effectively controlled locally, while long-lived pollutants require regional measures.

Estimates of future warming-induced methane emissions from hydrate offshore west Svalbard for a range of climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marín-Moreno, Héctor; Minshull, Timothy A.; Westbrook, Graham K.; Sinha, Bablu

2015-05-01

Methane hydrate close to the hydrate stability limit in seafloor sediment could represent an important source of methane to the oceans and atmosphere as the oceans warm. We investigate the extent to which patterns of past and future ocean-temperature fluctuations influence hydrate stability in a region offshore West Svalbard where active gas venting has been observed. We model the transient behavior of the gas hydrate stability zone at 400-500 m water depth (mwd) in response to past temperature changes inferred from historical measurements and proxy data and we model future changes predicted by seven climate models and two climate-forcing scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways RCPs 2.6 and 8.5). We show that over the past 2000 year, a combination of annual and decadal temperature fluctuations could have triggered multiple hydrate-sourced methane emissions from seabed shallower than 400 mwd during episodes when the multidecadal average temperature was similar to that over the last century (˜2.6°C). These temperature fluctuations can explain current methane emissions at 400 mwd, but decades to centuries of ocean warming are required to generate emissions in water deeper than 420 m. In the venting area, future methane emissions are relatively insensitive to the choice of climate model and RCP scenario until 2050 year, but are more sensitive to the RCP scenario after 2050 year. By 2100 CE, we estimate an ocean uptake of 97-1050 TgC from marine Arctic hydrate-sourced methane emissions, which is 0.06-0.67% of the ocean uptake from anthropogenic CO2 emissions for the period 1750-2011.

Microwave emission measurements of sea surface roughness, soil moisture, and sea ice structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gloersen, P.; Wilheit, T. T.; Schmugge, T. J.

1972-01-01

In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the microwave radiometers to be carried aboard the Nimbus 5 and 6 satellites and proposed for one of the earth observatory satellites, remote measurements of microwave radiation at wavelengths ranging from 0.8 to 21 cm have been made of a variety of the earth's surfaces from the NASA CV-990 A/C. Brightness temperatures of sea water surfaces of varying roughness, of terrain with varying soil moisture, and of sea ice of varying structure were observed. In each case, around truth information was available for correlation with the microwave brightness temperature. The utility of passive microwave radiometry in determining ocean surface wind speeds, at least for values higher than 7 meters/second has been demonstrated. In addition, it was shown that radiometric signatures can be used to determine soil moisture in unvegetated terrain to within five percentage points by weight. Finally, it was demonstrated that first year thick, multi-year, and first year thin sea ice can be distinguished by observing their differing microwave emissivities at various wavelengths.

Infrared Surveys of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Aerial surveys with infrared imaging radiometer depict volcanic thermal patterns and structural features.

PubMed

Fisher, W A; Moxham, R M; Polcyn, F; Landis, G H

1964-11-06

Aerial infrared-sensor surveys of Kilauea volcano have depicted the areal extent and the relative intensity of abnormal thermal features in the caldera area of the volcano and along its associated rift zones. Many of these anomalies show correlation with visible steaming and reflect convective transfer of heat to the surface from subterranean sources. Structural details of the volcano, some not evident from surface observation, are also delineated by their thermal abnormalities. Several changes were observed in the patterns of infrared emission during the period of study; two such changes show correlation in location with subsequent eruptions, but the cause-and-effect relationship is uncertain. Thermal anomalies were also observed on the southwest flank of Mauna Loa; images of other volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, and of Haleakala on the island of Maui, revealed no thermal abnormalities. Approximately 25 large springs issuing into the ocean around the periphery of Hawaii have been detected. Infrared emission varies widely with surface texture and composition, suggesting that similar observations may have value for estimating surface conditions on the moon or planets.

Infrared surveys of Hawaiian volcanoes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fischer, W. A.; Moxham, R.M.; Polcyn, F.; Landis, G.H.

1964-01-01

Aerial infrared-sensor surveys of Kilauea volcano have depicted the areal extent and the relative intensity of abnormal thermal features in the caldera area of the volcano and along its associated rift zones. Many of these anomalies show correlation with visible steaming and reflect convective transfer of heat to the surface from subterranean sources. Structural details of the volcano, some not evident from surface observation, are also delineated by their thermal abnormalities. Several changes were observed in the patterns of infrared emission during the period of study; two such changes show correlation in location with subsequent eruptions, but the cause-and-effect relationship is uncertain.Thermal anomalies were also observed on the southwest flank of Mauna Loa; images of other volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, and of Haleakala on the island of Maui, revealed no thermal abnormalities.Approximately 25 large springs issuing into the ocean around the periphery of Hawaii have been detected.Infrared emission varies widely with surface texture and composition, suggesting that similar observations may have value for estimating surface conditions on the moon or planets.

Tropical Storm Ernesto over Cuba

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave Image

These infrared, microwave, and visible images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite.

Infrared Image Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Image In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Modeling long-term carbon residue in the ocean-atmosphere system following large CO2 emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towles, N. J.; Olson, P.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2013-12-01

We use the LOSCAR carbon cycle model (Zeebe et al., 2009; Zeebe, 2012) to calculate the residual carbon in the ocean and atmosphere following large CO2 emissions. We consider the system response to CO2 emissions ranging from 100 to 20000 PgC, and emission durations from 100 yr to 100 kyr, subject to a wide range of system parameters such as the strengths of silicate weathering and the oceanic biological carbon pump. We define the carbon gain factor as the ratio of residual carbon in the ocean-atmosphere to the total emitted carbon. For moderate sized emissions shorter than about 50 kyr, we find that the carbon gain factor grows during the emission and peaks at about 1.7, primarily due to the erosion of carbonate marine sediments. In contrast, for longer emissions, the carbon gain factor peaks at a smaller value, and for very large emissions (more than 5000 PgC), the gain factor decreases with emission size due to carbonate sediment exhaustion. This gain factor is sensitive to model parameters such as low latitude efficiency of the biological pump. The timescale for removal of the residual carbon (reducing the carbon gain factor to zero) depends strongly on the assumed sensitivity of silicate weathering to atmospheric pCO2, and ranges from less than one million years to several million years.

Pathways of PFOA to the Arctic: variabilities and contributions of oceanic currents and atmospheric transport and chemistry sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stemmler, I.; Lammel, G.

2010-10-01

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds are industrial chemicals in use for decades which resist degradation in the environment and seem to accumulate in polar regions. Transport of PFOA was modeled using a spatially resolved global multicompartment model including fully coupled three-dimensional ocean and atmosphere general circulation models, and two-dimensional top soil, vegetation surfaces, and sea ice compartments. In addition to primary emissions, the formation of PFOA in the atmosphere from degradation of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol was included as a PFOA source. Oceanic transport, delivered 14.8±5.0 (8-23) t a-1 to the Arctic, strongly influenced by changes in water transport, which determined its interannual variability. This pathway constituted the dominant source of PFOA to the Arctic. Formation of PFOA in the atmosphere led to episodic transport events (timescale of days) into the Arctic with small spatial extent. Deposition in the polar region was found to be dominated by wet deposition over land, and shows maxima in boreal winter. The total atmospheric deposition of PFOA in the Arctic in the 1990s was ≈1 t a-1, much higher than previously estimated, and is dominated by primary emissions rather than secondary formation.

Pathways of PFOA to the Arctic: variabilities and contributions of oceanic currents and atmospheric transport and chemistry sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stemmler, I.; Lammel, G.

2010-05-01

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds are industrial chemicals in use since decades which resist degradation in the environment and seem to accumulate in polar regions. Transport of PFOA was modeled using a spatially resolved global multicompartment model including fully coupled three-dimensional ocean and atmosphere general circulation models, and two-dimensional top soil, vegetation surfaces, and sea ice compartments. In addition to primary emissions, the formation of PFOA in the atmosphere from degradation of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol was included as a PFOA source. Oceanic transport, delivered 14.8±5.0 (8-23) t a-1 to the Arctic, strongly influenced by changes in water transport, which determined its interannual variability. This pathway constituted the dominant source of PFOA to the Arctic. Formation of PFOA in the atmosphere lead to episodic transport events (timescale of days) into the Arctic with small spatial extent. Deposition in the polar region was found to be dominated by wet deposition over land, and shows maxima in boreal winter. The total atmospheric deposition of PFOA in the Arctic in the 1990s was ≍1 t a-1, much higher than previously estimated, and is dominated by primary emissions rather than secondarily formed.

Influence of wind speed averaging on estimates of dimethylsulfide emission fluxes

DOE PAGES

Chapman, E. G.; Shaw, W. J.; Easter, R. C.; ...

2002-12-03

The effect of various wind-speed-averaging periods on calculated DMS emission fluxes is quantitatively assessed. Here, a global climate model and an emission flux module were run in stand-alone mode for a full year. Twenty-minute instantaneous surface wind speeds and related variables generated by the climate model were archived, and corresponding 1-hour-, 6-hour-, daily-, and monthly-averaged quantities calculated. These various time-averaged, model-derived quantities were used as inputs in the emission flux module, and DMS emissions were calculated using two expressions for the mass transfer velocity commonly used in atmospheric models. Results indicate that the time period selected for averaging wind speedsmore » can affect the magnitude of calculated DMS emission fluxes. A number of individual marine cells within the global grid show DMS emissions fluxes that are 10-60% higher when emissions are calculated using 20-minute instantaneous model time step winds rather than monthly-averaged wind speeds, and at some locations the differences exceed 200%. Many of these cells are located in the southern hemisphere where anthropogenic sulfur emissions are low and changes in oceanic DMS emissions may significantly affect calculated aerosol concentrations and aerosol radiative forcing.« less

Variations of the Organic Matter Composition in the Sea Surface Microlayer: A Comparison between Open Ocean, Coastal, and Upwelling Sites Off the Peruvian Coast

PubMed Central

Zäncker, Birthe; Bracher, Astrid; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Engel, Anja

2017-01-01

The sea surface microlayer (SML) is the thin boundary layer between the ocean and the atmosphere, making it important for air-sea exchange processes. However, little is known about what controls organic matter composition in the SML. In particular, there are only few studies available on the differences of the SML of various oceanic systems. Here, we compared the organic matter and neuston species composition in the SML and the underlying water (ULW) at 11 stations with varying distance from the coast in the Peruvian upwelling regime, a system with high emissions of climate relevant trace gases, such as N2O and CO2. In the open ocean, organic carbon, and amino acids were highly enriched in the SML compared to the ULW. The enrichment decreased at the coastal stations and vanished in the upwelling regime. At the same time, the degradation of organic matter increased from the open ocean to the upwelling stations. This suggests that in the open ocean, upward transport processes or new production of organic matter within the SML are faster than degradation processes. Phytoplankton was generally not enriched in the SML, one group though, the Trichodesmium-like TrL (possibly containing Trichodesmium), were enriched in the open ocean but not in the upwelling region indicating that they find a favorable habitat in the open ocean SML. Our data show that the SML is a distinct habitat; its composition is more similar among different systems than between SML and ULW of a single station. Generally the enrichment of organic matter is assumed to be reduced when encountering low primary production and high wind speeds. However, our study shows the highest enrichments of organic matter in the open ocean which had the lowest primary production and the highest wind speeds. PMID:29375483

Variations of the Organic Matter Composition in the Sea Surface Microlayer: A Comparison between Open Ocean, Coastal, and Upwelling Sites Off the Peruvian Coast.

PubMed

Zäncker, Birthe; Bracher, Astrid; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Engel, Anja

2017-01-01

The sea surface microlayer (SML) is the thin boundary layer between the ocean and the atmosphere, making it important for air-sea exchange processes. However, little is known about what controls organic matter composition in the SML. In particular, there are only few studies available on the differences of the SML of various oceanic systems. Here, we compared the organic matter and neuston species composition in the SML and the underlying water (ULW) at 11 stations with varying distance from the coast in the Peruvian upwelling regime, a system with high emissions of climate relevant trace gases, such as N 2 O and CO 2 . In the open ocean, organic carbon, and amino acids were highly enriched in the SML compared to the ULW. The enrichment decreased at the coastal stations and vanished in the upwelling regime. At the same time, the degradation of organic matter increased from the open ocean to the upwelling stations. This suggests that in the open ocean, upward transport processes or new production of organic matter within the SML are faster than degradation processes. Phytoplankton was generally not enriched in the SML, one group though, the Trichodesmium -like TrL (possibly containing Trichodesmium ), were enriched in the open ocean but not in the upwelling region indicating that they find a favorable habitat in the open ocean SML. Our data show that the SML is a distinct habitat; its composition is more similar among different systems than between SML and ULW of a single station. Generally the enrichment of organic matter is assumed to be reduced when encountering low primary production and high wind speeds. However, our study shows the highest enrichments of organic matter in the open ocean which had the lowest primary production and the highest wind speeds.

Quantifying Methane Emissions from the Arctic Ocean Seabed to the Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Platt, Stephen; Pisso, Ignacio; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Hermansen, Ove; Silyakova, Anna; Ferré, Benedicte; Vadakkepuliyambatta, Sunil; Myhre, Gunnar; Mienert, Jürgen; Stohl, Andreas; Myhre, Cathrine Lund

2016-04-01

Large quantities of methane are stored under the seafloor in the shallow waters of the Arctic Ocean. Some of this is in the form of hydrates which may be vulnerable to deomposition due to surface warming. The Methane Emissions from Arctic Ocean to Atmosphere MOCA, (http://moca.nilu.no/) project was established in collaboration with the Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE, https://cage.uit.no/). In summer 2014, and summer and autumn 2015 we deployed oceanographic CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) stations and performed state-of-the-art atmospheric measurements of CH4, CO2, CO, and other meteorological parameters aboard the research vessel Helmer Hanssen west of Prins Karl's Forland, Svalbard. Air samples were collected for isotopic analysis (13C, 2H) and quantification of other hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, etc.). Atmospheric measurements are also available from the nearby Zeppelin Observatory at a mountain close to Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. We will present data from these measurements that show an upper constraint of the methane flux in measurement area in 2014 too low to influence the annual CH4 budget. This is further supported by top-down constraints (maximum release consistent with observations at the Helmer Hansen and Zeppelin Observatory) determined using FLEXPART foot print sensitivities and the OsloCTM3 model. The low flux estimates despite the presence of active seeps in the area (numerous gas flares were observed using echo sounding) were apparently due to the presence of a stable ocean pycnocline at ~50 m.

Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf

PubMed Central

Sparrow, Katy J.; Kessler, John D.; Southon, John R.; Garcia-Tigreros, Fenix; Schreiner, Kathryn M.; Ruppel, Carolyn D.; Miller, John B.; Lehman, Scott J.; Xu, Xiaomei

2018-01-01

In response to warming climate, methane can be released to Arctic Ocean sediment and waters from thawing subsea permafrost and decomposing methane hydrates. However, it is unknown whether methane derived from this sediment storehouse of frozen ancient carbon reaches the atmosphere. We quantified the fraction of methane derived from ancient sources in shelf waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea, a region that has both permafrost and methane hydrates and is experiencing significant warming. Although the radiocarbon-methane analyses indicate that ancient carbon is being mobilized and emitted as methane into shelf bottom waters, surprisingly, we find that methane in surface waters is principally derived from modern-aged carbon. We report that at and beyond approximately the 30-m isobath, ancient sources that dominate in deep waters contribute, at most, 10 ± 3% of the surface water methane. These results suggest that even if there is a heightened liberation of ancient carbon–sourced methane as climate change proceeds, oceanic oxidation and dispersion processes can strongly limit its emission to the atmosphere. PMID:29349299

Limited contribution of ancient methane to surface waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparrow, Katy J.; Kessler, John D.; Southon, John R.; Garcia-Tigreros, Fenix; Schreiner, Kathryn M.; Ruppel, Carolyn D.; Miller, John B.; Lehman, Scott J.; Xu, Xiaomei

2018-01-01

In response to warming climate, methane can be released to Arctic Ocean sediment and waters from thawing subsea permafrost and decomposing methane hydrates. However, it is unknown whether methane derived from this sediment storehouse of frozen ancient carbon reaches the atmosphere. We quantified the fraction of methane derived from ancient sources in shelf waters of the U.S. Beaufort Sea, a region that has both permafrost and methane hydrates and is experiencing significant warming. Although the radiocarbon-methane analyses indicate that ancient carbon is being mobilized and emitted as methane into shelf bottom waters, surprisingly, we find that methane in surface waters is principally derived from modern-aged carbon. We report that at and beyond approximately the 30-m isobath, ancient sources that dominate in deep waters contribute, at most, 10 ± 3% of the surface water methane. These results suggest that even if there is a heightened liberation of ancient carbon–sourced methane as climate change proceeds, oceanic oxidation and dispersion processes can strongly limit its emission to the atmosphere.

In situ phytoplankton absorption, fluorescence emission, and particulate backscattering spectra determined from reflectance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roesler, Collin S.; Pery, Mary Jane

1995-01-01

An inverse model was developed to extract the absortion and scattering (elastic and inelastic) properties of oceanic constituents from surface spectral reflectance measurements. In particular, phytoplankton spectral absorption coefficients, solar-stimulated chlorophyll a fluorescence spectra, and particle backscattering spectra were modeled. The model was tested on 35 reflectance spectra obtained from irradiance measurements in optically diverse ocean waters (0.07 to 25.35 mg/cu m range in surface chlorophyll a concentrations). The universality of the model was demonstrated by the accurate estimation of the spectral phytoplankton absorption coefficents over a range of 3 orders of magnitude (rho = 0.94 at 500 nm). Under most oceanic conditions (chlorophyll a less than 3 mg/cu m) the percent difference between measured and modeled phytoplankton absorption coefficents was less than 35%. Spectral variations in measured phytoplankton absorption spectra were well predicted by the inverse model. Modeled volume fluorescence was weakly correlated with measured chl a; fluorescence quantum yield varied from 0.008 to 0.09 as a function of environment and incident irradiance. Modeled particle backscattering coefficients were linearly related to total particle cross section over a twentyfold range in backscattering coefficents (rho = 0.996, n = 12).

Characterization of Different Land Classes and Disaster Monitoring Using Microwave Land Emissivity for the Indian Subcontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Korak; Raju, Suresh; Antony, Tinu; Krishna Moorthy, K.

Despite the ability of satellite borne microwave radiometers to measure the atmospheric pa-rameters, liquid water and the microphysical properties of clouds, they have serious limitations over the land owing its large and spatially heterogeneous emissivity compared to the relatively low and homogenous oceans. This calls for determination of the spatial maps of land-surface emissivity with accuracies better than ˜2%. In this study, the characterization of microwave emissivity of different land surface classes over the Indian region is carried out with the forth-coming Indo-French microwave satellite program Megha-Tropiques in focus. The land emissivity is retrieved using satellite microwave radiometer data from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) at 10, 19, 22, 37 and 85 GHz. After identify-ing the clear sky daily data, the microwave radiative transfer computation, is applied to the respective daily atmospheric profile for deducing the upwelling and downwelling atmospheric radiations. This, along with the skin temperature data, is used to retrieve land emission from satellites data. The emissivity maps of placecountry-regionIndia for three months representing winter (January) and post-monsoon (September-October) seasons of 2008 at V and H polar-izations of all the channels (except for 22 GHz) are generated. Though the land emissivity values in V-polarization vary between 0.5 and ˜1, some land surface classes such as the desert region, marshy land, fresh snow covered region and evergreen forest region, etc, show distinct emissivity characteristics. On this basis few typical classes having uniform physical properties over sufficient area are identified. Usually the Indian desert region is dry and shows low emis-sivity (˜0.88 in H-polarisation) and high polarization difference, V-H (˜0.1). Densely vegetated zones of tropical rain forests exhibit high emissivity values (˜0.95) and low polarization dif-ference (lt;0.01). The mangrove forest region and marshy areas exhibit very low emissivities (˜0.8) with very high polarization difference (˜0.2). The usefulness of microwave emissivity to identify and quantify natural disasters such as the inundated regions in the vast Ganga basin during the severe floods in 2008 over country-regionIndia and placecountry-regionBangladesh is also demonstrated as a case study Keywords: Land surface emissivity, Microwave Remote sensing, Megha-Tropiques, Disaster monitoring *corresponding author: koraksaha@gmail.com

Predicting Fire Season Severity in South America Using Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yang; Randerson, James T.; Morton, Douglas C.; Jin, Yufang; DeFries, Ruth S.; Collatz, George J.; Kasibhatla, Prasad S.; Giglio, Louis; Jin, Yufang; Marlier, Miriam

2011-01-01

Fires in South America cause forest degradation and contribute to carbon emissions associated with land use change. Here we investigated the relationship between year-to-year changes in satellite-derived estimates of fire activity in South America and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. We found that the Oceanic Ni o Index (ONI) was correlated with interannual fire activity in the eastern Amazon whereas the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index was more closely linked with fires in the southern and southwestern Amazon. Combining these two climate indices, we developed an empirical model that predicted regional annual fire season severity (FSS) with 3-5 month lead times. Our approach provides the foundation for an early warning system for forecasting the vulnerability of Amazon forests to fires, thus enabling more effective management with benefits for mitigation of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions.

Elevated Tropospheric Ozone over the Atlantic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandra, S.; Ziemke, J. R.; Tie, X.

2003-01-01

Tropospheric column ozone (TCO) is derived from differential measurements of TOMS total column ozone and Microwave Limb Sounder stratospheric column ozone. It is shown that TCO during summer months over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in northern midlatitudes is about the same (50 to 60 Dobson Units) as over the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia, where surface emissions of nitrogen oxides from industrial sources, biomass and biofuel burning and biogenic emissions are significantly larger. This nearly uniform zonal variation in TCO is modulated by surface topography of the Rocky and Himalayan mountains, and Tibetan plateau where TCO is reduced by 20 to 30 Dobson Units. The zonal variation in TCO is well simulated by a global chemical transport model called MOZART-2 (Model of Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2). The model results are analyzed to delineate the relative importance of various processes contributing to observed zonal characteristics of TCO.

A History of Warming Sea Surface Temperature and Ocean Acidification Recorded by Planktonic Foraminifera Geochemistry from the Santa Barbara Basin, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborne, E.; Thunell, R.; Bizimis, M.; Buckley, W. P., Jr.; benitez-Nelson, C. R.; Chartier, C. J.

2015-12-01

The geochemistry of foraminiferal shells has been widely used to reconstruct past conditions of the ocean and climate. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenically produced CO2 has resulted in an increase in global temperatures and a decline in the mean pH of the world's oceans. The California Current System is a particularly susceptible region to ocean acidification due to natural upwelling processes that also cause a reduction in seawater pH. The trace element concentration of magnesium and boron in planktonic foraminiferal shells are used here as proxies for temperature and carbonate ion concentration ([CO32-]), respectively. Newly developed calibrations relating Mg/Ca ratios to temperature (R2 0.91) and B/Ca ratios to [CO32-] (R2 0.84) for the surface-mixed layer species Globogerina bulloides were generated using material collected in the Santa Barbara Basin sediment trap time-series. Using these empirical relationships, temperature and [CO32-] are reconstructed using a 0.5 meter long multi-core collected within the basin. 210Pb activities were used to determine a sedimentation rate for the core to estimate ages for core samples (sedimentation rate: 0.341 cm/yr). A spike in 137Cs activity is used as a tie-point to the year 1965 coinciding with the peak of nuclear bomb testing. Our down-core record extends through the mid-19th century to create a history of rising sea surface temperatures and declining [CO32-] as a result of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

Quantification of A Tropical Missing Source From Ocean For The Carbonyl Sulfide Global Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuai, Le; Worden, John; Campbell, Elliott; Kulawik, Susan; Lee, Meemong; Montzka, Stephen; Berry, Joe; Baker, Ian; Denning, Scott; Kawa, Randy; Bian, Huisheng; Yung, Yuk

2015-04-01

Quantifying the carbonyl sulfide (OCS) surface fluxes contributes to the understanding of both sulfur cycle and carbon cycle. Although the major sources and sinks of OCS are well recognized, the uncertainties of individual types of the fluxes remain large. With the understanding of a large underestimate of ecosystem uptake, it suggests a large missing ocean source over tropical region to compensate the increased sink. However before AURA Tropospheric Emissions Spectrometer (TES) OCS data is released, no direct measurements have been taken to test this hypothesis. In this study, we performed a flux inversion to update the fluxes from TES OCS. Then we compared three experimental GEOS-Chem forward model runs driven by different fluxes based on TES inversion to HIPPO aircraft estimates in free troposphere and also to NOAA near surface observations. The TES data supports the hypothesis that a large source from tropical ocean is missing in the current OCS global budget and suggests that the source is even larger than that proposed in Berry et al., (2013). Consequently, it leads to a larger land uptake and increase the estimates of GPP. TES data also suggests the missing oceanic source is not symmetric about equator. It is strong and distributed further north of the equator (to 40°N) but weak and narrow south of the equator (to 20°S).

Appraisal of Emissions from Ocean-going Vessels Coming to Kolkata Port, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Anindita; Biswas, Jhumoor; Roychowdhury, Soma; Farooqui, Zuber M.

2017-12-01

Rapid economic growth has escalated India's share in international trade. The pressure on these ports, which handle a substantial portion of the trade, has increased to perform with optimal efficiency, and decrease turnaround time so as to increase the number of ships visiting the port area. The caveat is that increased shipping activity is accompanied by enhanced emissions of harmful pollutants and green house gases. This study has revealed increased turnaround time for ships resulting in substantial emissions from auxiliary engines. There should be an optimum balance between operational control and environmental control of pollutants. Kolkata is a megacity with active riverine ports that can generate high levels of air quality emissions, especially NOx, SOx and particulate matter. An exhaustive annual emissions inventory based on ocean going vessels activity has been developed for 2013-2014 for Kolkata port, using recent EPA approved methodology. This includes greenhouse gas emissions from marine engines as well. The study indicates that amongst the different categories of ocean going ships, containers contribute the most (49%) of air and greenhouse gas emissions in 75th percentile class and above followed by general cargo (14%) and oil tankers (13%). The study depicts existing status of marine emissions in Kolkata port from ocean going vessels, which would serve in development of integrated air quality and climate change management plans and serve as a prototype for other major ports of India.

Increasing efficiency of CO2 uptake by combined land-ocean sink

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Marle, M.; van Wees, D.; Houghton, R. A.; Nassikas, A.; van der Werf, G.

2017-12-01

Carbon-climate feedbacks are one of the key uncertainties in predicting future climate change. Such a feedback could originate from carbon sinks losing their efficiency, for example due to saturation of the CO2 fertilization effect or ocean warming. An indirect approach to estimate how the combined land and ocean sink responds to climate change and growing fossil fuel emissions is based on assessing the trends in the airborne fraction of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel and land use change. One key limitation with this approach has been the large uncertainty in quantifying land use change emissions. We have re-assessed those emissions in a more data-driven approach by combining estimates coming from a bookkeeping model with visibility-based land use change emissions available for the Arc of Deforestation and Equatorial Asia, two key regions with large land use change emissions. The advantage of the visibility-based dataset is that the emissions are observation-based and this dataset provides more detailed information about interannual variability than previous estimates. Based on our estimates we provide evidence that land use and land cover change emissions have increased more rapidly than previously thought, implying that the airborne fraction has decreased since the start of CO2 measurements in 1959. This finding is surprising because it means that the combined land and ocean sink has become more efficient while the opposite is expected.

Changes in optical characteristics of surface microlayers in the Peruvian upwelling region hint to photochemically and microbially-mediated DOM turnover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, A.; Galgani, L.

2016-02-01

The coastal upwelling system off Peru is characterized by high biological activity and associated subsurface oxygen minimum zone, leading to an enhanced emission of atmospheric trace gases. High biological productivity in the water column may promote the establishment of enriched organic surface films, key environments for processes regulating gas fluxes across the water-air interface. During M91 cruise to the Peruvian upwelling, we focused our attention on the composition of the sea-surface microlayer (SML), the oceanic uppermost boundary directly subject to high solar radiation, often enriched in specific organic compounds of biological origin like Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) and marine gels. In the SML, the continuous photochemical and microbial recycling of organic matter may strongly influence gas exchange between marine systems and the atmosphere. In order to understand organic matter cycling in surface films, we analyzed SML and underlying water samples in 38 stations determining DOC concentrations, amino acids composition, marine gels, CDOM and bacterial abundance as indicators of photochemical and microbial alteration processes. CDOM composition was characterized by spectral slopes (S) values and Excitation-Emission Matrix fluorescence (EEMs), which allow to track changes in molecular weight (MW) of DOM, and to determine potential DOM sources. Profound changes in spectral slope properties were observed suggesting smaller MW CDOM in the SML compared to underlying water. Microbial and photochemical degradation are likely the main drivers for organic matter cycling in the top layer of the ocean. Consequences on the formation of inorganic and organic species highly relevant for air-sea gas exchange and for climate dynamics will be discussed.

Enhanced marine sulphur emissions offset global warming and impact rainfall.

PubMed

Grandey, B S; Wang, C

2015-08-21

Artificial fertilisation of the ocean has been proposed as a possible geoengineering method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The associated increase in marine primary productivity may lead to an increase in emissions of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), the primary source of sulphate aerosol over remote ocean regions, potentially causing direct and cloud-related indirect aerosol effects on climate. This pathway from ocean fertilisation to aerosol induced cooling of the climate may provide a basis for solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering. In this study, we investigate the transient climate impacts of two emissions scenarios: an RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) control; and an idealised scenario, based on RCP4.5, in which DMS emissions are substantially enhanced over ocean areas. We use mini-ensembles of a coupled atmosphere-ocean configuration of CESM1(CAM5) (Community Earth System Model version 1, with the Community Atmosphere Model version 5). We find that the cooling effect associated with enhanced DMS emissions beneficially offsets greenhouse gas induced warming across most of the world. However, the rainfall response may adversely affect water resources, potentially impacting human livelihoods. These results demonstrate that changes in marine phytoplankton activity may lead to a mixture of positive and negative impacts on the climate.

Enhanced marine sulphur emissions offset global warming and impact rainfall

PubMed Central

Grandey, B. S.; Wang, C.

2015-01-01

Artificial fertilisation of the ocean has been proposed as a possible geoengineering method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The associated increase in marine primary productivity may lead to an increase in emissions of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), the primary source of sulphate aerosol over remote ocean regions, potentially causing direct and cloud-related indirect aerosol effects on climate. This pathway from ocean fertilisation to aerosol induced cooling of the climate may provide a basis for solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering. In this study, we investigate the transient climate impacts of two emissions scenarios: an RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) control; and an idealised scenario, based on RCP4.5, in which DMS emissions are substantially enhanced over ocean areas. We use mini-ensembles of a coupled atmosphere-ocean configuration of CESM1(CAM5) (Community Earth System Model version 1, with the Community Atmosphere Model version 5). We find that the cooling effect associated with enhanced DMS emissions beneficially offsets greenhouse gas induced warming across most of the world. However, the rainfall response may adversely affect water resources, potentially impacting human livelihoods. These results demonstrate that changes in marine phytoplankton activity may lead to a mixture of positive and negative impacts on the climate. PMID:26293204

Enhanced marine sulphur emissions offset global warming and impact rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grandey, B. S.; Wang, C.

2015-08-01

Artificial fertilisation of the ocean has been proposed as a possible geoengineering method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The associated increase in marine primary productivity may lead to an increase in emissions of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), the primary source of sulphate aerosol over remote ocean regions, potentially causing direct and cloud-related indirect aerosol effects on climate. This pathway from ocean fertilisation to aerosol induced cooling of the climate may provide a basis for solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering. In this study, we investigate the transient climate impacts of two emissions scenarios: an RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) control; and an idealised scenario, based on RCP4.5, in which DMS emissions are substantially enhanced over ocean areas. We use mini-ensembles of a coupled atmosphere-ocean configuration of CESM1(CAM5) (Community Earth System Model version 1, with the Community Atmosphere Model version 5). We find that the cooling effect associated with enhanced DMS emissions beneficially offsets greenhouse gas induced warming across most of the world. However, the rainfall response may adversely affect water resources, potentially impacting human livelihoods. These results demonstrate that changes in marine phytoplankton activity may lead to a mixture of positive and negative impacts on the climate.

New Observations of C-band Brightness Temperatures and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate From the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Roberts, J. B.; Buckley, C. D.; Biswas, S.; May, C.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Atlas, R.; Black, P.;

Introduction to this special issue on ocean acidification: the pathway from science to policy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mathis, Jeremy T.; Cooley, Sarah R.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Williamson, Phillip

2015-01-01

Ocean acidification (OA) is a progressive decrease in the pH of seawater over decades, caused primarily by uptake of excess atmospheric CO2 and accompanied by changes in seawater carbonate chemistry. Scientific studies designed to examine the effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on global carbon fluxes have also led to the detection of OA. During the last decade, this phenomenon has surged to the attention of not only scientists but also policymakers and the public. OA chemistry is well understood and follows first principles of acid-base chemistry (e.g., Gattuso and Hansson, 2011; Box 1 in McLaughlin et al.). Today, total anthropogenic release of CO2 exceeds nine petagrams of carbon annually, with ~85% coming directly from industrial sources and ~15% from changes in land use. The three major sinks for this CO2 are: ~46% of CO2 emitted remains in the atmosphere, ~29% is absorbed by the terrestrial biosphere, and the ocean absorbs the remaining ~26% (Le Quéré et al., 2014), resulting in OA. Since the Industrial Revolution, global average surface ocean pH has dropped 0.1 unit (about a 30% increase in acidity; IPCC, 2013), and it is expected to drop another 0.3 to 0.4 units by 2100 (100-150% increase in acidity) if CO2 emissions continue in a business-as-usual scenario (Orr et al., 2005; IPCC, 2013). Some areas of the ocean, such as coastal regions, upwelling zones, and polar seas, may be subjected to much greater chemical perturbations from OA than indicated by such globally averaged values (e.g., Feely et al., 2008; Mathis et al.).

Effect of Terrestrial and Marine Organic Aerosol on Regional and Global Climate: Model Development, Application, and Verification with Satellite Data

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

Meskhidze, Nicholas; Zhang, Yang; Kamykowski, Daniel

2012-03-28

In this DOE project the improvements to parameterization of marine primary organic matter (POM) emissions, hygroscopic properties of marine POM, marine isoprene derived secondary organic aerosol (SOA) emissions, surfactant effects, new cloud droplet activation parameterization have been implemented into Community Atmosphere Model (CAM 5.0), with a seven mode aerosol module from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)'s Modal Aerosol Model (MAM7). The effects of marine aerosols derived from sea spray and ocean emitted biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) on microphysical properties of clouds were explored by conducting 10 year CAM5.0-MAM7 model simulations at a grid resolution 1.9° by 2.5° withmore » 30 vertical layers. Model-predicted relationship between ocean physical and biological systems and the abundance of CCN in remote marine atmosphere was compared to data from the A-Train satellites (MODIS, CALIPSO, AMSR-E). Model simulations show that on average, primary and secondary organic aerosol emissions from the ocean can yield up to 20% increase in Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) at 0.2% Supersaturation, and up to 5% increases in droplet number concentration of global maritime shallow clouds. Marine organics were treated as internally or externally mixed with sea salt. Changes associated with cloud properties reduced (absolute value) the model-predicted short wave cloud forcing from -1.35 Wm-2 to -0.25 Wm-2. By using different emission scenarios, and droplet activation parameterizations, this study suggests that addition of marine primary aerosols and biologically generated reactive gases makes an important difference in radiative forcing assessments. All baseline and sensitivity simulations for 2001 and 2050 using global-through-urban WRF/Chem (GU-WRF) were completed. The main objective of these simulations was to evaluate the capability of GU-WRF for an accurate representation of the global atmosphere by exploring the most accurate configuration of physics options in GWRF for global scale modeling in 2001 at a horizontal grid resolution of 1° x 1°. GU-WRF model output was evaluated using observational datasets from a variety of sources including surface based observations (NCDC and BSRN), model reanalysis (NCEP/ NCAR Reanalysis and CMAP), and remotely-sensed data (TRMM) to evaluate the ability of GU-WRF to simulate atmospheric variables at the surface as well as aloft. Explicit treatment of nanoparticles produced from new particle formation in GU-WRF/Chem-MADRID was achieved by expanding particle size sections from 8 to 12 to cover particles with the size range of 1.16 nm to 11.6m. Simulations with two different nucleation parameterizations were conducted for August 2002 over a global domain at a 4º by 5º horizontal resolution. The results are evaluated against field measurement data from the 2002 Aerosol Nucleation and Real Time Characterization Experiment (ANARChE) in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as satellite and reanalysis data. We have also explored the relationship between clean marine aerosol optical properties and ocean surface wind speed using remotely sensed data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on board the CALIPSO satellite and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) on board the AQUA satellite. Detailed data analyses were carried out over 15 regions selected to be representative of different areas of the global ocean for the time period from June 2006 to April 2011. We show that for very low (less than 4 m s-1) and very high (more than 12 m s-1) wind speed conditions the mean CALIPSO-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) has little dependency on the surface wind speed. For an intermediate (between 4 and 12 m s-1) marine AOD was linearly correlated with the surface wind speed values, with a slope of 0.0062 s m-1. Results of our study suggest that considerable improvements to both optical properties of marine aerosols and their production mechanisms can be achieved by discriminating clean marine aerosols (or sea salt particles) from all other types of aerosols present over the ocean.« less

A Proposed Extension to the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity Level 2 Algorithm for Mixed Forest and Moderate Vegetation Pixels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panciera, Rocco; Walker, Jeffrey P.; Kalma, Jetse; Kim, Edward

2011-01-01

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS)mission, launched in November 2009, provides global maps of soil moisture and ocean salinity by measuring the L-band (1.4 GHz) emission of the Earth's surface with a spatial resolution of 40-50 km.Uncertainty in the retrieval of soilmoisture over large heterogeneous areas such as SMOS pixels is expected, due to the non-linearity of the relationship between soil moisture and the microwave emission. The current baseline soilmoisture retrieval algorithm adopted by SMOS and implemented in the SMOS Level 2 (SMOS L2) processor partially accounts for the sub-pixel heterogeneity of the land surface, by modelling the individual contributions of different pixel fractions to the overall pixel emission. This retrieval approach is tested in this study using airborne L-band data over an area the size of a SMOS pixel characterised by a mix Eucalypt forest and moderate vegetation types (grassland and crops),with the objective of assessing its ability to correct for the soil moisture retrieval error induced by the land surface heterogeneity. A preliminary analysis using a traditional uniform pixel retrieval approach shows that the sub-pixel heterogeneity of land cover type causes significant errors in soil moisture retrieval (7.7%v/v RMSE, 2%v/v bias) in pixels characterised by a significant amount of forest (40-60%). Although the retrieval approach adopted by SMOS partially reduces this error, it is affected by errors beyond the SMOS target accuracy, presenting in particular a strong dry bias when a fraction of the pixel is occupied by forest (4.1%v/v RMSE,-3.1%v/v bias). An extension to the SMOS approach is proposed that accounts for the heterogeneity of vegetation optical depth within the SMOS pixel. The proposed approach is shown to significantly reduce the error in retrieved soil moisture (2.8%v/v RMSE, -0.3%v/v bias) in pixels characterised by a critical amount of forest (40-60%), at the limited cost of only a crude estimate of the optical depth of the forested area (better than 35% uncertainty). This study makes use of an unprecedented data set of airborne L-band observations and ground supporting data from the National Airborne Field Experiment 2005 (NAFE'05), which allowed accurate characterisation of the land surface heterogeneity over an area equivalent in size to a SMOS pixel.

Importance of reactive halogens in the tropical marine atmosphere using WRF-chem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badia, Alba; Reeves, Claire E.; Baker, Alex; Volkamer, Rainer; Apel, Eric; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; von Glasow, Roland

2017-04-01

Halogen species (chlorine, bromine and iodine) are known to play an important role in the chemistry and oxidizing capacity of the troposphere, particularly in the marine boundary layer (MBL). Reactive halogens participate in catalytic reaction cycles that efficiently destroy O3, change the HOX and NOX partitioning, affect the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and mercury, reduce the lifetime of methane, and take part in new particle formation. Numerical models predicted that reactive halogen compounds account for 30% of O3 destruction in the MBL and 5-20% globally. Up to 34% of O3 loss in the tropical East Pacific is due to I and Br combined. Recent studies have highlighted the key role that heterogeneous chemistry plays in explaining observations of BrO and IO abundances in the tropical troposphere. The main objective of this study is to investigate the atmospheric chemistry in the tropical East Pacific with a focus on reactive halogens using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) and field data from the TORERO campaign. Our reaction mechanism in WRF-Chem is based on the MOZART mechanism and has been extended to include bromine, chlorine and iodine chemistry. Heterogeneous recycling reactions involving sea-salt aerosol and other particles have been included into the model, along with oceanic emissions of important OVOCs and halocarbons. Sea surface emissions of inorganic iodine are calculated using the parameterisation of Carpenter et al., 2013. Focusing on TORERO observations from the ships and a selected number of flights we present the tropospheric impacts of halogens (BrO, IO) in the tropospheric chemistry of relevant species (O3, OH and OVOCS). Sensitivity runs are made in order to study the impact of heterogeneous chemistry in the iodine and bromine species partitioning. A comparison between the online calculation of Very Short Lived Halocarbons (VSLH) oceanic emissions with prescribed oceanic emissions is also presented. Results show that a better performance in O3 concentrations is obtained with the inclusion of halogens. We see a big impact on the Bry partitioning with an improvement of modelled BrO when the heterogeneous chemistry is included. An improvement of our model results is seen when online oceanic emissions are computed.

The Aquarius Salinity Retrieval Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meissner, Thomas; Wentz, Frank; Hilburn, Kyle; Lagerloef, Gary; Le Vine, David

2012-01-01

The first part of this presentation gives an overview over the Aquarius salinity retrieval algorithm. The instrument calibration [2] converts Aquarius radiometer counts into antenna temperatures (TA). The salinity retrieval algorithm converts those TA into brightness temperatures (TB) at a flat ocean surface. As a first step, contributions arising from the intrusion of solar, lunar and galactic radiation are subtracted. The antenna pattern correction (APC) removes the effects of cross-polarization contamination and spillover. The Aquarius radiometer measures the 3rd Stokes parameter in addition to vertical (v) and horizontal (h) polarizations, which allows for an easy removal of ionospheric Faraday rotation. The atmospheric absorption at L-band is almost entirely due to molecular oxygen, which can be calculated based on auxiliary input fields from numerical weather prediction models and then successively removed from the TB. The final step in the TA to TB conversion is the correction for the roughness of the sea surface due to wind, which is addressed in more detail in section 3. The TB of the flat ocean surface can now be matched to a salinity value using a surface emission model that is based on a model for the dielectric constant of sea water [3], [4] and an auxiliary field for the sea surface temperature. In the current processing only v-pol TB are used for this last step.

Climate, ocean circulation, and sea level changes under stabilization and overshoot pathways to 1.5 K warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palter, Jaime B.; Frölicher, Thomas L.; Paynter, David; John, Jasmin G.

2018-06-01

The Paris Agreement has initiated a scientific debate on the role that carbon removal - or net negative emissions - might play in achieving less than 1.5 K of global mean surface warming by 2100. Here, we probe the sensitivity of a comprehensive Earth system model (GFDL-ESM2M) to three different atmospheric CO2 concentration pathways, two of which arrive at 1.5 K of warming in 2100 by very different pathways. We run five ensemble members of each of these simulations: (1) a standard Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP4.5) scenario, which produces 2 K of surface warming by 2100 in our model; (2) a stabilization pathway in which atmospheric CO2 concentration never exceeds 440 ppm and the global mean temperature rise is approximately 1.5 K by 2100; and (3) an overshoot pathway that passes through 2 K of warming at mid-century, before ramping down atmospheric CO2 concentrations, as if using carbon removal, to end at 1.5 K of warming at 2100. Although the global mean surface temperature change in response to the overshoot pathway is similar to the stabilization pathway in 2100, this similarity belies several important differences in other climate metrics, such as warming over land masses, the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), ocean acidification, sea ice coverage, and the global mean sea level change and its regional expressions. In 2100, the overshoot ensemble shows a greater global steric sea level rise and weaker AMOC mass transport than in the stabilization scenario, with both of these metrics close to the ensemble mean of RCP4.5. There is strong ocean surface cooling in the North Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean in response to overshoot forcing due to perturbations in the ocean circulation. Thus, overshoot forcing in this model reduces the rate of sea ice loss in the Labrador, Nordic, Ross, and Weddell seas relative to the stabilized pathway, suggesting a negative radiative feedback in response to the early rapid warming. Finally, the ocean perturbation in response to warming leads to strong pathway dependence of sea level rise in northern North American cities, with overshoot forcing producing up to 10 cm of additional sea level rise by 2100 relative to stabilization forcing.

TIME-DEPENDENT, COMPOSITIONALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION IN THE OCEANS OF ACCRETING NEUTRON STARS

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

Medin, Zach; Cumming, Andrew, E-mail: zmedin@lanl.gov, E-mail: cumming@physics.mcgill.ca

2015-03-20

We discuss the effect of convection driven by chemical separation at the ocean-crust boundary of accreting neutron stars. We extend the steady-state results of Medin and Cumming to transient accretors, by considering the time-dependent cases of heating during accretion outbursts and cooling during quiescence. During accretion outbursts, inward heat transport has only a small effect on the temperature profile in the outer layers until the ocean is strongly enriched in light elements, a process that takes hundreds of years to complete. During quiescence, however, inward heat transport rapidly cools the outer layers of the ocean while keeping the inner layersmore » hot. We find that this leads to a sharp drop in surface emission at around a week followed by a gradual recovery as cooling becomes dominated by the crust. Such a dip should be observable in the light curves of these neutron star transients, if enough data is taken at a few days to a month after the end of accretion. If such a dip is definitively observed, it will provide strong constraints on the chemical composition of the ocean and outer crust.« less

Evidence for a Biological Control on Emissions of Marine Ice Nucleating Particles: Laboratory, Field and Modeling Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCluskey, Christina Song

Laboratory, field, and modeling studies were used to (1) confirm the hypothesized source of marine ice nucleating particle (INP) emissions associated with marine organic aerosol that arises from elevated oceanic biological productivity; (2) identify marine INP compositions and their activation temperatures; (3) determine the natural abundances and variability of the number concentrations of marine INPs (nINPs); and (4) evaluate the current best model estimates of marine INPs against new observations. Observations of seawater biology, aerosol composition and ice nucleation ability of bulk seawater, the sea surface microlayer (upper 50 mum of the ocean surface), and laboratory-generated sea spray aerosol (SSA) during simulated phytoplankton blooms revealed that emissions of INPs active at temperatures warmer than -22°C increased during the decay of two phytoplankton blooms. Enrichment of organic matter in the sea surface microlayer and its subsequent control on transferring organic material into the aerosol phase was found to be an important factor in the release of INPs from the ocean surface. Integration of all size and compositional analyses led to two proposed classes of marine INPs: (A) ice nucleation active molecules and (B) ice nucleation active intact or fragmented microbes (e.g., diatoms or bacteria). To investigate marine INPs present in nature, several field campaigns were carried out over oceans and at two remote coastal sites. Regarding their abundance and variability, the number concentrations of ice nucleating particles, nINPs, active at temperatures warmer than -30 °C, ranged over three or more orders of magnitude at any particular temperature for samples collected in the marine boundary layer during six research voyages over the Pacific Ocean, spanning 70°S to 60°N over various seasons. nINPs were greater and more variable in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere. Factors that contributed to this variability were investigated in detail at a North Atlantic Ocean coastal site (Mace Head Research Station, MHD) and over the Southern Ocean (SO). At MHD, normalizing observations by aerosol surface area and limiting measurements to pristine marine air masses narrowed the variability in nINPs. That subset of data was used to develop a parameterization for INPs in pristine sea spray organic aerosol over the North Atlantic Ocean. Higher n INPs active at temperatures warmer than -22°C were observed in pristine SSA during a period that was influenced by organic aerosol arising from offshore biological activity. The INPs observed during this event comprised ice nucleation active microbes (marine INP class B), which were distinct from other marine organic INPs at MHD. These observations indicate that further research is required to incorporate the microbe INP type into parameterizations. Measurements of INPs in the SO marine boundary layer aerosol and in seawater samples were the first in this region in over four decades. Observed nINPs were a factor of 100 lower than those historical measurements. nINPs observed over the SO were less variable than MHD and INP composition included refractory, heat-stable organic (marine INP class A), and heat-labile materials (marine INP class B). These data serve as new observational constraints on nINPs and their sources and compositions that can be applied to evaluate numerical modeling studies. The database from this work was used in an exploratory study to evaluate current modeling approaches for predicting marine INPs. Simulations with the atmospheric component (CAM5) of the Department of Energy Community Earth System Model with implementation of a physically-based parameterization for sea spray organic aerosol were conducted for the MHD and SO study periods. Modeled aerosol mass, number and composition were used as input for two marine INP parameterizations that have been developed since the beginning of this work (circa 2014). Findings indicated that, for INPs active at -15°C during the MHD study period, observed nINPs were bounded by estimates derived from the two marine INP parameterizations. Periods with discrepancies between modeled estimates and observed nINPs were explained by observational evidence that different classes of marine INPs were present at MHD, further supporting the need for additional studies regarding the emissions of different marine INP classes. Different INP types (e.g., marine organic, mineral dust) are active at different temperatures and the observations from this work clearly indicate that organic aerosol is an important factor for determining marine nINPs. Thus, further evaluation of these parameterizations for INPs active at a range of temperatures (0 to -27°C) and against measurements over the Southern Ocean, where sea spray organic aerosol production may be quite different from other regions, will be conducted in the future with these simulations. This deeper analysis may reveal underlying limitations of the parameterizations and provide insights on how to further refine numerical representations of INPs. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Emission Inventories for Ocean-Going Vessels Using ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report describes the development of emission inventories for ocean-going vessels using Category 3 propulsion engines within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Inventories are presented for the 2002, 2020, and 2030 calendar years. To support the C3 Commercial Marine Rule

Aquarius Instrument and Salinity Retrieval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Vine, D. M.

2011-01-01

Aquarius has been designed to map the surface salinity field of the global ocean from space a parameter important for understanding ocean circulation and its relationship to climate and the global water cycle. Salinity is measured remotely from space by measuring the thermal emission from the ocean surface. This is done at the low frequency end of the microwave spectrum (e.g. 1.4 GHz) where the emission is sufficiently sensitive to changes in salinity to be detected with sophisticated radiometers. The goal is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variation of the large scale features of the surface salinity field in the open ocean by providing maps on a monthly basis with a spatial resolution of 150 km and an accuracy of 0.2 psu. These are challenging requirements that have led to some unique features of the instrument. These include: a) The addition of a co-located scatterometer to help provide a correction for roughness; b) The addition of a polarimetric channel (third Stokes parameter) to the radiometer to help correct for Faraday rotation; c) Asun-synchronous orbit with a 6 pm ascending equatorial crossing to minimize Faraday rotation and with the antennas looking away from the sun toward the nighttime side to minimize contamination by radiation from the sun; and d) An antenna designed to limit side lobes in the direction of rays from the sun. In addition, achieving the accuracy goal of 0.2 psu requires averaging over one month and to do this requires a highly stable radiometer. Aquarius has three separate radiometers that image in pushbroom fashion with the three antenna beams looking across track. The antenna is a 2.5-m diameter, offset parabolic reflector with three feed horns and the three beams are arranged to image with the boresight aligned to look across track, roughly perpendicular to the spacecraft heading and pointing away from the Sun. The three beams point at angles of theta = 25.8 deg., 33.8 deg. and 40.3 deg. with respect to the spacecraft nadir which correspond to local incidence angles at the surface of 28.7 deg., 37.8 deg. and 45.6 deg., respectively. The resolution of the three radiometer beams (axes of the 3dB ellipse) is: 76 x 94 km for the inner beam, 84 x 120 km for the middle beam to 96 x 156 km for the outer beam. Together they cover a swath of about 390 km. Aquarius will map the global ice-free ocean every 7-days from which monthly average composites will be derived. This will provide a snapshot of the mean field, as well as resolving the seasonal to interannual variations over the three-year baseline of the mission.

How Much Global Burned Area Can Be Forecast on Seasonal Time Scales Using Sea Surface Temperatures?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yang; Morton, Douglas C.; Andela, Niels; Giglio, Louis; Randerson, James T.

2016-01-01

Large-scale sea surface temperature (SST) patterns influence the interannual variability of burned area in many regions by means of climate controls on fuel continuity, amount, and moisture content. Some of the variability in burned area is predictable on seasonal timescales because fuel characteristics respond to the cumulative effects of climate prior to the onset of the fire season. Here we systematically evaluated the degree to which annual burned area from the Global Fire Emissions Database version 4 with small fires (GFED4s) can be predicted using SSTs from 14 different ocean regions. We found that about 48 of global burned area can be forecast with a correlation coefficient that is significant at a p < 0.01 level using a single ocean climate index (OCI) 3 or more months prior to the month of peak burning. Continental regions where burned area had a higher degree of predictability included equatorial Asia, where 92% of the burned area exceeded the correlation threshold, and Central America, where 86% of the burned area exceeded this threshold. Pacific Ocean indices describing the El Nino-Southern Oscillation were more important than indices from other ocean basins, accounting for about 1/3 of the total predictable global burned area. A model that combined two indices from different oceans considerably improved model performance, suggesting that fires in many regions respond to forcing from more than one ocean basin. Using OCI-burned area relationships and a clustering algorithm, we identified 12 hotspot regions in which fires had a consistent response to SST patterns. Annual burned area in these regions can be predicted with moderate confidence levels, suggesting operational forecasts may be possible with the aim of improving ecosystem management.

The role of internal variability for decadal carbon uptake anomalies in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spring, Aaron; Hi, Hongmei; Ilyina, Tatiana

2017-04-01

The Southern Ocean is a major sink for anthropogenic CO2 emissions and hence it plays an essential role in modulating global carbon cycle and climate change. Previous studies based on observations (e.g., Landschützer et al. 2015) show pronounced decadal variations of carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean in recent decades and this variability is largely driven by internal climate variability. However, due to limited ensemble size of simulations, the variability of this important ocean sink is still poorly assessed by the state-of-the-art earth system models (ESMs). To assess the internal variability of carbon sink in the Southern Ocean, we use a large ensemble of 100 member simulations based on the Max Planck Institute-ESM (MPI-ESM). The large ensemble of simulations is generated via perturbed initial conditions in the ocean and atmosphere. Each ensemble member includes a historical simulation from 1850 to 2005 with an extension until 2100 under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 future projections. Here we use model simulations from 1980-2015 to compare with available observation-based dataset. We found several ensemble members showing decadal decreasing trends in the carbon sink, which are similar to the trend shown in observations. This result suggests that MPI-ESM large ensemble simulations are able to reproduce decadal variation of carbon sink in the Southern Ocean. Moreover, the decreasing trends of Southern Ocean carbon sink in MPI-ESM are mainly contributed by region between 50-60°S. To understand the internal variability of the air-sea carbon fluxes in the Southern Ocean, we further investigate the variability of underlying processes, such as physical climate variability and ocean biological processes. Our results indicate two main drivers for the decadal decreasing trend of carbon sink: i) Intensified winds enhance upwelling of old carbon-rich waters, this leads to increase of the ocean surface pCO2; ii) Primary production is reduced in area from 50-60°S, probably induced by reduced euphotic water column stability; therefore the biological drawdown of ocean surface pCO2 is weakened accordingly and hence the ocean is in favor of carbon outgassing. Landschützer, et al. (2015): The reinvigoration of the Southern Ocean carbon sink, Science, 349, 1221-1224.

Unexpected source of Fukushima-derived radiocesium to the coastal ocean of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanial, Virginie; Buesseler, Ken O.; Charette, Matthew A.; Nagao, Seiya

2017-12-01

Synthesizing published data, we provide a quantitative summary of the global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium (V), including both human-derived and natural fluxes. Through mining of V ores (130 × 109 g V/y) and extraction and combustion of fossil fuels (600 × 109 g V/y), humans are the predominant force in the geochemical cycle of V at Earth’s surface. Human emissions of V to the atmosphere are now likely to exceed background emissions by as much as a factor of 1.7, and, presumably, we have altered the deposition of V from the atmosphere by a similar amount. Excessive V in air and water has potential, but poorly documented, consequences for human health. Much of the atmospheric flux probably derives from emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, but the magnitude of this flux depends on the type of fuel, with relatively low emissions from coal and higher contributions from heavy crude oils, tar sands bitumen, and petroleum coke. Increasing interest in petroleum derived from unconventional deposits is likely to lead to greater emissions of V to the atmosphere in the near future. Our analysis further suggests that the flux of V in rivers has been incremented by about 15% from human activities. Overall, the budget of dissolved V in the oceans is remarkably well balanced—with about 40 × 109 g V/y to 50 × 109 g V/y inputs and outputs, and a mean residence time for dissolved V in seawater of about 130,000 y with respect to inputs from rivers.

Model Sensitivity Studies of the Decrease in Atmospheric Carbon Tetrachloride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chipperfield, Martyn P.; Liang, Qing; Rigby, Matt; Hossaini, Ryan; Montzka, Stephen A.; Dhomse, Sandip; Feng, Wuhu; Prinn, Ronald G.; Weiss, Ray F.; Harth, Christina M.;

Model sensitivity studies of the decrease in atmospheric carbon tetrachloride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chipperfield, Martyn P.; Liang, Qing; Rigby, Matthew; Hossaini, Ryan; Montzka, Stephen A.; Dhomse, Sandip; Feng, Wuhu; Prinn, Ronald G.; Weiss, Ray F.; Harth, Christina M.; Salameh, Peter K.; Mühle, Jens; O'Doherty, Simon; Young, Dickon; Simmonds, Peter G.; Krummel, Paul B.; Fraser, Paul J.; Steele, L. Paul; Happell, James D.; Rhew, Robert C.; Butler, James; Yvon-Lewis, Shari A.; Hall, Bradley; Nance, David; Moore, Fred; Miller, Ben R.; Elkins, James W.; Harrison, Jeremy J.; Boone, Chris D.; Atlas, Elliot L.; Mahieu, Emmanuel

2016-12-01

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is an ozone-depleting substance, which is controlled by the Montreal Protocol and for which the atmospheric abundance is decreasing. However, the current observed rate of this decrease is known to be slower than expected based on reported CCl4 emissions and its estimated overall atmospheric lifetime. Here we use a three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model to investigate the impact on its predicted decay of uncertainties in the rates at which CCl4 is removed from the atmosphere by photolysis, by ocean uptake and by degradation in soils. The largest sink is atmospheric photolysis (74 % of total), but a reported 10 % uncertainty in its combined photolysis cross section and quantum yield has only a modest impact on the modelled rate of CCl4 decay. This is partly due to the limiting effect of the rate of transport of CCl4 from the main tropospheric reservoir to the stratosphere, where photolytic loss occurs. The model suggests large interannual variability in the magnitude of this stratospheric photolysis sink caused by variations in transport. The impact of uncertainty in the minor soil sink (9 % of total) is also relatively small. In contrast, the model shows that uncertainty in ocean loss (17 % of total) has the largest impact on modelled CCl4 decay due to its sizeable contribution to CCl4 loss and large lifetime uncertainty range (147 to 241 years). With an assumed CCl4 emission rate of 39 Gg year-1, the reference simulation with the best estimate of loss processes still underestimates the observed CCl4 (overestimates the decay) over the past 2 decades but to a smaller extent than previous studies. Changes to the rate of CCl4 loss processes, in line with known uncertainties, could bring the model into agreement with in situ surface and remote-sensing measurements, as could an increase in emissions to around 47 Gg year-1. Further progress in constraining the CCl4 budget is partly limited by systematic biases between observational datasets. For example, surface observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) network are larger than from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network but have shown a steeper decreasing trend over the past 2 decades. These differences imply a difference in emissions which is significant relative to uncertainties in the magnitudes of the CCl4 sinks.

Sea Surface Slope Statistics for Intermediate and Shore Scale Ocean Waves Measured Using a Low-Altitude Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandemack, Douglas; Crawford, Tim; Dobosy, Ron; Elfouhaily, Tanos; Busalacchi, Antonio J. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

Ocean surface remote sensing techniques often rely on scattering or emission linked to shorter- scale gravity-capillary ocean wavelets. However, it is increasingly apparent that slightly longer wavelengths of O(10 to 500 cm) are vital components in the robust sea surface description needed to link varied global remote sensing data sets. This paper describes a sensor suite developed to examine sea surface slope variations in the field using an aircraft flying at very low altitude (below 30 m) and will also provide preliminary measurements detailing changes in slope characteristics versus sea state and friction velocity. Two-dimensional surface slope is measured using simultaneous range measurements from three compact short-range laser altimeters mounted in an equilateral triangle arrangement with spacing of about 1 m. In addition, all three lasers provide independent wave elevation profiles after GPS-aided correction for aircraft altitude. Laser range precision is 1 cm rms while vertical motion correction is 15 cm rms. The measurements are made along-track at approximately 1 m intervals setting the spatial scale of the measurement to cover waves of intermediate to long scale. Products available for this array then include surface elevation, two-dimensional slope distribution, and the cross- and along-track 1-D slope distributions. To complement the laser, a down-looking mm-wave radar scatterometer is centered within the laser array to measure radar backscatter simultaneously with the laser slope. The radar's footprint is nominally 1 m in diameter. Near-vertical radar backscatter is inversely proportional to the small-scale surface slope variance and to the tilt of the underlying (laser-measured) surface facet. Together the laser and radar data provide information on wave roughness from the longest scales down to about 1 cm. These measurements are complemented by aircraft turbulence probe data that provides robust surface flux information.

On the role of atmosphere-ocean interactions in the expected long-term changes of the Earth's ozone layer caused by greenhouse gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zadorozhny, Alexander; Dyominov, Igor

It is well known that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere produce a global warming of the troposphere and a global cooling of the stratosphere. The expected stratospheric cooling essentially influences the ozone layer via increased polar stratospheric cloud formation and via temperature dependences of the gas phase reaction rates. One more mechanism of how greenhouse gases influences the ozone layer is enhanced water evaporation from the oceans into the atmosphere because of increasing temperatures of the ocean surface due to greenhouse effect. The subject of this paper is a study of the influence of anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases CO2, CH4, N2O and ozone-depleting chlorine and bromine compounds on the expected long-term changes of the ozone layer with taking into account an increase of water vapour content in the atmosphere due to greenhouse effect. The study based on 2-D zonally averaged interactive dynamical radiative-photochemical model of the troposphere and stratosphere. The model allows to self-consistently calculating diabatic circulation, temperature, gaseous composition of the troposphere and stratosphere at latitudes from the South to North Poles, as well as distribution of sulphate aerosol particles and polar stratospheric clouds of two types. It was supposed in the model that an increase of the ocean surface temperature caused by greenhouse effect is similar to calculated increase of atmospheric surface temperature. Evaporation rate from the ocean surface was computed in dependence of latitude. The model time-dependent runs were made for the period from 1975 to 2100 using two IPCC scenarios depicting maximum and average expected increases of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The model calculations show that anthropogenic increasing of water vapour abundance in the atmosphere due to heating of the ocean surface caused by greenhouse effect gives a sensible contribution to the expected ozone changes. The enhanced evaporation from the ocean increases noticeably a water vapour abundance in the stratosphere that decreases global total ozone and retards the expected recovery of the ozone layer. In polar latitudes, additional stratospheric water vapour increase due to greenhouse effect noticeably strengthens the impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gases on ozone through modification of polar stratospheric clouds and retards the expected recovery of the ozone, too. In the Northern hemisphere, the delay of the ozone recovery is about 5 years, in the Southern hemisphere the delay is about 2 years.

Dry Sources of Plume Emissions on Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolotov, M. Y.

2009-12-01

Salt-bearing icy particles [1], inorganic gases [2] and organic species [2,3] emitted from Enceladus could originate in the heterogeneous icy shell that captured oceanic water and primordial solids earlier in history. A major trapping could have occurred during sinking of a dense (1.6 g/cm3) primordial rock-ice crust [4] into an early salt-, gas- and organic-bearing ocean [5]. The lack of spectral and geological signs for rocky components at the surface is consistent with the submergence of primordial crust that has not been affected by initial water-rock differentiation. The sinking could have been triggered by impacts and/or volume changes in the interior. A rapid submergence could have caused vigorous boiling and freezing of oceanic water that appeared at the surface. The low temperature of submerged crust, and cooling of surface waters may have limited major melting of sunken rock-ice blocks. Some primary spices (e.g. HCN [2]), if released from sunken rock-ice debris, could have been re-captured in ice, which limited their chemical interactions. After formation of a thin icy shell, diking events and impacts caused further trapping of salty oceanic water in multiple disrupted areas, as occurred on Europa. Condensed and soluble organic compounds, and at least some CO2, N2, CH4 and light hydrocarbons released via oceanic degassing were trapped as well. The concentration of salts in rapidly frozen oceanic water reflected oceanic composition, and the salt/water ratio in Na-rich E-ring particles [1] may represent salinity of the early ocean. In fact, the salinity inferred from the composition of salt-rich particles (4-20 g/kg H2O [1]) and salt composition matches models for the early ocean [5]. The Na-poor E-ring particles [1] may originate from a middle part of the icy shell that formed through slow downward freezing and expelling impurities into solution. The dominance of Na-poor E-ring icy grains (~93%, [1]) implies a low volume of salty ice that represents rapidly frozen early oceanic water. A lack of highly saline particles in E ring that are expected to form due to significant evaporation of an aqueous reservoir also argues for dry sources. The E-ring grains [1,3] may represent neither thick salt deposits at the core-ice boundary nor brines that may exist at that boundary today [5]. A low upper limit for atomic Na content at Enceladus [6] is consistent with Na emission in salt particles from dry sources. A low (far from eutectic) NH3/H2O ratio in plumes [2] implies dry sources as well. If present, primary species (e.g. NH3, HCN) in plums [2] and Mg silicates in E-ring particles [3] could originate from unmelted fragments of sunken primordial crust that have been incorporated into the formed icy shell. The structural heterogeneity of current icy shell may account for the chemical diversity of gases [2] and solids [1,3] emitted from Enceladus. Refs.: [1] Portberg F. et al. (2009) Nature 459, 1098-1101. [2] Waite J. et al. et al. (2009) Nature 460, 487-490. [3] Postberg F. et al. (2008) Icarus 193, 438-454. [4] Schubert G. et al. (2007) Icarus 188, 335-345. [5] Zolotov M. (2007) GRL 34, L23203. [6] Schneider N. et al. (2009) Nature 459, 1098-1101.

Africa burning: A thematic analysis of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swap, Robert J.; Annegarn, Harold J.; Suttles, J. Timothy; King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Privette, Jeffrey L.; Scholes, Robert J.

2003-07-01

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) was a major surface, airborne, and spaceborne field campaign carried out in southern Africa in 2000 and 2001 that addressed a broad range of phenomena related to land-atmosphere interactions and the biogeochemical functioning of the southern African system. This paper presents a thematic analysis and integration of the Journal of Geophysical Research SAFARI 2000 Special Issue, presenting key findings of an intensive field campaign over southern Africa in August and September of 2000. The integrating themes deal with surface emissions characterization; airborne characterizations of aerosols and trace gases; regional haze and trace gas characterization; and radiant measurements by surface, aircraft, and remote sensing platforms. Enhanced regional fuel loads associated with the moist La Niña phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle produced above average biomass burning emissions, which consequently dominated all other aerosol and trace gas emissions during the dry season. Southward transport of a broad plume of smoke originating in equatorial Africa and exiting off the east coast toward the Indian Ocean (the river of smoke) is attributed to unusual synoptic airflows associated the ENSO phase. New and revised biogenic and pyrogenic emission factors are reported, including a number of previously unreported oxygenated organic compounds and inorganic compounds from biomass combustion. Emission factors are scaled up to regional emission surfaces for biogenic species utilizing species specific and light-dependent emission factors. Fire scar estimates reveal contradictory information on the timing of the peak and extent of the biomass-burning season. Integrated tall stack coordinated measurements (between ground, airborne and remotely sensing platforms) of upwelling and downwelling radiation in massive thick aerosol layers covering much of southern Africa yield consistent estimates of large negative forcing for both surface and top of atmosphere radiative forcing. Radiation calculations are supported by novel information on chemical speciation and internal aerosol particle structure. The overall conclusion is that SAFARI 2000, as an integrating theme, has been able to give significant new insights into the regional scale biogeochemical cycling of southern Africa and contributed in important ways to the validation of remote sensing instruments on board the NASA Terra spacecraft.

Emissions of Bromine and Iodine from the Marine Environment in New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Aviles, M.; Kreher, K.; Johnston, P. V.; Hay, T.; Thomas, A.; Schofield, R.

2009-12-01

As noted in the WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2006, halogenated very short-lived substances (VSLS) contribute to the atmospheric budget of halogens and thereby lead to substantial decreases in ozone and increases in surface UV radiation in the tropics and mid-latitudes. Halogenated VSLS are primarily of natural origin; oceanic emissions constitute the largest source providing 90-95% of the total global flux to the atmosphere. Macro algae in the ocean appear to be an important source of polyhalogenated VSLS. Oxidation of halogenated VSLS in the atmosphere (i.e. photolysis and reactions with OH) produces halogen oxide radicals (e.g. ClO, BrO, IO) which have been suggested as the main component of gas-phase halogens. Countries with long coastlines and little land suitable for forestation are investigating the possibility of industrial scale marine kelp farming as a means of carbon sequestration. This marine analogy of the Kyoto Protocol forest has been thought as a means to contribute to climate change mitigation. Knowledge of how natural emissions of VSLS will respond to both the drivers of climate change (e.g. changes in CO2 and land use) and to the consequences of climate change (e.g. changes in sea surface temperature and wind stress) is very limited. As a result, it is imperative that observational studies are performed to quantify the contributions of these natural VSLS to halogen loading in the troposphere and, subsequently, in the stratosphere. For this, transport and degradation processes of the source gases and product gases need to be studied and quantified. A key question surfacing from the WMO Assessment is to what extent halogenated VSLS contribute to atmospheric Bry and Iy. During a field campaign conducted during the spring of 2009, measurements of BrO and IO were made along the coastline of the South Island of New Zealand using a portable Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) spectrometer with the aim of determining coastal sites where high active halogen release could be observed. The selected sites had high biomass concentration of marine algae that would be exposed by low tides. Local macro algae type, tidal height, sunlight, temperature, and wind speed were recorded and correlated to the resulting data in order to better understand the environmental factors that modulate the emissions of halogen oxides from the marine environment to the troposphere. Results of this multi-disciplinary approach to studying brominated VSLS and their atmospheric implications are presented. As well, the chemical processes taking place and producing these halogen oxides are discussed in a thorough manner. This study contributes to a better understanding of the origin of bromine and iodine in the lowermost atmosphere (i.e. marine boundary layer). Particularly, the role that natural emissions of halogenated VSLS from the ocean may play in the halogen budget of the lower atmosphere is addressed by quantitatively understanding key links in this chain so that its potential future impacts on atmospheric chemistry, surface UV radiation, and the biosphere can be thoroughly assessed.

The influence of ocean halogen and sulfur emissions in the air quality of a coastal megacity: The case of Los Angeles.

PubMed

Muñiz-Unamunzaga, Maria; Borge, Rafael; Sarwar, Golam; Gantt, Brett; de la Paz, David; Cuevas, Carlos A; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso

2018-01-01

The oceans are the main source of natural halogen and sulfur compounds, which have a significant influence on the oxidizing capacity of the marine atmosphere; however, their impact on the air quality of coastal cities is currently unknown. We explore the effect of marine halogens (Cl, Br and I) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on the air quality of a large coastal city through a set of high-resolution (4-km) air quality simulations for the urban area of Los Angeles, US, using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ model). The results indicate that marine halogen emissions decrease ozone and nitrogen dioxide levels up to 5ppbv and 2.5ppbv, respectively, in the city of Los Angeles. Previous studies suggested that the inclusion of chlorine in air quality models leads to the generation of ozone in urban areas through photolysis of nitryl chloride (ClNO 2 ). However, we find that when considering the chemistry of Cl, Br and I together the net effect is a reduction of surface ozone concentrations. Furthermore, combined ocean emissions of halogens and DMS cause substantial changes in the levels of key urban atmospheric oxidants such as OH, HO 2 and NO 3 , and in the composition and mass of fine particles. Although the levels of ozone, NO 3 and HO x are reduced, we find a 10% increase in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mean concentration, attributed to the increase in aerosol acidity and sulfate aerosol formation when combining DMS and bromine. Therefore, this new pathway for enhanced SOA formation may potentially help with current model under predictions of urban SOA. Although further observations and research are needed to establish these preliminary conclusions, this first city-scale investigation suggests that the inclusion of oceanic halogens and DMS in air quality models may improve regional air quality predictions over coastal cities around the world. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variation of atmospheric carbon monoxide over the Arctic Ocean during summer 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Keyhong; Siek Rhee, Tae; Emmons, Louisa

2014-05-01

Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) plays an important role in ozone-related chemistry in the troposphere, especially under low-NOx conditions like the open ocean. During summer 2012, we performed a continuous high-resolution (0.1Hz) shipboard measurement of atmospheric CO over the Arctic Ocean. We also simulated the observation using a 3-D global chemical transport model (the Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers-4; MOZART-4) for further analysis of the observed results. In the model, tags for each sources and emission regions of CO are applied and this enables us to delineate the source composition of the observations. Along with the observed variation of CO concentration during the research cruise, we will present in detailed analysis of the variation of source components and change of regional contributions. We found large (~80ppbv) variation of CO concentration in the Arctic Ocean which is mostly influenced by the variation of biomass burning activity. The contribution of anthropogenic emission is limited over the Arctic Ocean, although the northeast Asian anthropogenic emission shows a dominant component of transported anthropogenic CO. Also, our analysis shows, near the Bering Strait, Europe is the main emission region for anthropogenic CO.

Chemical Controls of Ozone Dry Deposition to the Sea Surface Microlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, L.; Chance, R.; Tinel, L.; Saint, A.; Sherwen, T.; Loades, D.; Evans, M. J.; Boxhall, P.; Hamilton, J.; Stolle, C.; Wurl, O.; Ribas-Ribas, M.; Pereira, R.

2017-12-01

Oceanic dry deposition of atmospheric ozone (O3) is both the largest and most uncertain O3 depositional sink, and is widely acknowledged to be controlled largely by chemical reactions in the sea surface microlayer (SML) involving iodide (I-) and dissolved organic material (DOM). These reactions not only determine how quickly O3 can be removed from the atmosphere, but also result in emissions of trace gases including volatile organic compounds and may constitute a source of secondary organic aerosols to the marine atmosphere. Iodide concentrations at the sea surface vary by approximately an order of magnitude spatially, leading to more than fivefold variation in ozone deposition velocities (and volatile iodine fluxes). Sea-surface temperature is a reasonable predictor of [I-], however two recent parameterisations for surface I- differ by a factor of two at low latitudes. The nature and reactivity of marine DOM to O3 is almost completely unknown, although studies have suggested approximately equivalent chemical control of I- and DOM on ozone deposition. Here we present substantial new measurements of oceanic I- in both bulk seawater and the overlying SML, and show improved estimates of the global sea surface iodide distribution. We also present analyses of water-soluble DOM isolated from the SML and bulk seawater, and corresponding laboratory studies of ozone uptake to bulk and SML seawater, with the aim of characterizing the reactivity of O3 towards marine DOM.

The multi-millennial Antarctic commitment to future sea-level rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golledge, N. R.; Kowalewski, D. E.; Naish, T. R.; Levy, R. H.; Fogwill, C. J.; Gasson, E. G. W.

2015-10-01

Atmospheric warming is projected to increase global mean surface temperatures by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial values by the end of this century. If anthropogenic emissions continue unchecked, the warming increase may reach 8-10 degrees Celsius by 2300 (ref. 2). The contribution that large ice sheets will make to sea-level rise under such warming scenarios is difficult to quantify because the equilibrium-response timescale of ice sheets is longer than those of the atmosphere or ocean. Here we use a coupled ice-sheet/ice-shelf model to show that if atmospheric warming exceeds 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above present, collapse of the major Antarctic ice shelves triggers a centennial- to millennial-scale response of the Antarctic ice sheet in which enhanced viscous flow produces a long-term commitment (an unstoppable contribution) to sea-level rise. Our simulations represent the response of the present-day Antarctic ice-sheet system to the oceanic and climatic changes of four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We find that substantial Antarctic ice loss can be prevented only by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to RCP 2.6 levels. Higher-emissions scenarios lead to ice loss from Antarctic that will raise sea level by 0.6-3 metres by the year 2300. Our results imply that greenhouse gas emissions in the next few decades will strongly influence the long-term contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to global sea level.

The multi-millennial Antarctic commitment to future sea-level rise.

PubMed

Golledge, N R; Kowalewski, D E; Naish, T R; Levy, R H; Fogwill, C J; Gasson, E G W

2015-10-15

Atmospheric warming is projected to increase global mean surface temperatures by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial values by the end of this century. If anthropogenic emissions continue unchecked, the warming increase may reach 8-10 degrees Celsius by 2300 (ref. 2). The contribution that large ice sheets will make to sea-level rise under such warming scenarios is difficult to quantify because the equilibrium-response timescale of ice sheets is longer than those of the atmosphere or ocean. Here we use a coupled ice-sheet/ice-shelf model to show that if atmospheric warming exceeds 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above present, collapse of the major Antarctic ice shelves triggers a centennial- to millennial-scale response of the Antarctic ice sheet in which enhanced viscous flow produces a long-term commitment (an unstoppable contribution) to sea-level rise. Our simulations represent the response of the present-day Antarctic ice-sheet system to the oceanic and climatic changes of four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We find that substantial Antarctic ice loss can be prevented only by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to RCP 2.6 levels. Higher-emissions scenarios lead to ice loss from Antarctic that will raise sea level by 0.6-3 metres by the year 2300. Our results imply that greenhouse gas emissions in the next few decades will strongly influence the long-term contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to global sea level.

Global emissions of refrigerants HCFC-22 and HFC-134a: Unforeseen seasonal contributions

PubMed Central

Xiang, Bin; Montzka, Stephen A.; Miller, Scot M.; Elkins, James W.; Moore, Fred L.; Atlas, Elliot L.; Miller, Ben R.; Weiss, Ray F.; Prinn, Ronald G.; Wofsy, Steven C.

2014-01-01

HCFC-22 (CHClF2) and HFC-134a (CH2FCF3) are two major gases currently used worldwide in domestic and commercial refrigeration and air conditioning. HCFC-22 contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion, and both species are potent greenhouse gases. In this work, we study in situ observations of HCFC-22 and HFC-134a taken from research aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in a 3-y span [HIaper-Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) 2009–2011] and combine these data with long-term ground observations from global surface sites [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) networks]. We find the global annual emissions of HCFC-22 and HFC-134a have increased substantially over the past two decades. Emissions of HFC-134a are consistently higher compared with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) inventory since 2000, by 60% more in recent years (2009–2012). Apart from these decadal emission constraints, we also quantify recent seasonal emission patterns showing that summertime emissions of HCFC-22 and HFC-134a are two to three times higher than wintertime emissions. This unforeseen large seasonal variation indicates that unaccounted mechanisms controlling refrigerant gas emissions are missing in the existing inventory estimates. Possible mechanisms enhancing refrigerant losses in summer are (i) higher vapor pressure in the sealed compartment of the system at summer high temperatures and (ii) more frequent use and service of refrigerators and air conditioners in summer months. Our results suggest that engineering (e.g., better temperature/vibration-resistant system sealing and new system design of more compact/efficient components) and regulatory (e.g., reinforcing system service regulations) steps to improve containment of these gases from working devices could effectively reduce their release to the atmosphere. PMID:25422438

Emission Inventories for Ocean-Going Vessels Using Category 3 Propulsion Engines in or Near the United States; Technical Support Document

EPA Science Inventory

This report describes the development of emission inventories for ocean-going vessels using Category 3 propulsion engines within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Inventories are presented for the 2002, 2020, and 2030 calendar years.

Assessment of lidar remote sensing capability of Raman water temperature from laboratory and field experiments (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Josset, Damien B.; Hou, Weilin W.; Goode, Wesley; Matt, Silvia C.; Hu, Yongxiang

2017-05-01

Lidar remote sensing based on visible wavelength is one of the only way to penetrate the water surface and to obtain range resolved information of the ocean surface mixed layer at the synoptic scale. Accurate measurement of the mixed layer properties is important for ocean weather forecast and to assist the optimal deployment of military assets. Turbulence within the mixed layer also plays an important role in climate variability as it also influences ocean heat storage and algae photosynthesis (Sverdrup 1953, Behrenfeld 2010). As of today, mixed layer depth changes are represented in the models through various parameterizations constrained mostly by surface properties like wind speed, surface salinity and sea surface temperature. However, cooling by wind and rain can create strong gradients (0.5C) of temperature between the submillimeter surface layer and the subsurface layer (Soloviev and Lukas, 1997) which will manifest itself as a low temperature bias in the observations. Temperature and salinity profiles are typically used to characterize the mixed layer variability (de Boyer Montégut et al. 2004) and are both key components of turbulence characterization (Hou 2009). Recently, several research groups have been investigating ocean temperature profiling with laser remote sensing based either on Brillouin (Fry 2012, Rudolf and Walther 2014) or Raman scattering (Artlett and Pask 2015, Lednev et al. 2016). It is the continuity of promising research that started decades ago (Leonard et al. 1979, Guagliardo and Dufilho 1980, Hirschberg et al. 1984) and can benefit from the current state of laser and detector technology. One aspect of this research that has not been overlooked (Artlett and Pask 2012) but has yet to be revisited is the impact of temperature on vibrational Raman polarization (Chang and Young, 1972). The TURBulence Ocean Lidar is an experimental system, aimed at characterizing underwater turbulence by examining various Stokes parameters. Its multispectral capability in both emission (based on an optical parametric oscillator) and detection (optical filters) provide flexibility to measure the polarization signature of both elastic and inelastic scattering. We will present the characteristics of TURBOL and several results from our laboratory and field experiments with an emphasis on temperature profiling capabilities based on vibrational Raman polarization. We will also present other directions of research related to this activity.

A Radar/Radiometer Instrument for Mapping Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildebrand, Peter H.; Hilliard, Laurence; Rincon, Rafael; LeVine, David; Mead, James

2003-01-01

The RadSTAR instrument combines an L-band, digital beam-forming radar with an L-band synthetic aperture, thinned array (STAR) radiometer. The RadSTAR development will support NASA Earth science goals by developing a novel, L-band scatterometer/ radiometer that measures Earth surface bulk material properties (surface emissions and backscatter) as well as surface characteristics (backscatter). Present, real aperture airborne L-Band active/passive measurement systems such as the JPUPALS (Wilson, et al, 2000) provide excellent sampling characteristics, but have no scanning capabilities, and are extremely large; the huge JPUPALS horn requires a the C-130 airborne platform, operated with the aft loading door open during flight operation. The approach used for the upcoming Aquarius ocean salinity mission or the proposed Hydros soil mission use real apertures with multiple fixed beams or scanning beams. For real aperture instruments, there is no upgrade path to scanning over a broad swath, except rotation of the whole aperture, which is an approach with obvious difficulties as aperture size increases. RadSTAR will provide polarimetric scatterometer and radiometer measurements over a wide swath, in a highly space-efficient configuration. The electronic scanning approaches provided through STAR technology and digital beam forming will enable the large L-band aperture to scan efficiently over a very wide swath. RadSTAR technology development, which merges an interferometric radiometer with a digital beam forming scatterometer, is an important step in the path to space for an L-band scatterometer/radiometer. RadSTAR couples a patch array antenna with a 1.26 GHz digital beam forming radar scatterometer and a 1.4 GHz STAR radiometer to provide Earth surface backscatter and emission measurements in a compact, cross-track scanning instrument with no moving parts. This technology will provide the first L-band, emission and backscatter measurements in a compact aircraft instrument and will be ideally suited to large apertures, possibly at GEO, and could possibly be implemented on a swarm of micro-satellites. This instrument will have wide application for validation studies, and will have application for other microwave frequencies.

Increased frequency of extreme Indian Ocean Dipole events due to greenhouse warming.

PubMed

Cai, Wenju; Santoso, Agus; Wang, Guojian; Weller, Evan; Wu, Lixin; Ashok, Karumuri; Masumoto, Yukio; Yamagata, Toshio

2014-06-12

The Indian Ocean dipole is a prominent mode of coupled ocean-atmosphere variability, affecting the lives of millions of people in Indian Ocean rim countries. In its positive phase, sea surface temperatures are lower than normal off the Sumatra-Java coast, but higher in the western tropical Indian Ocean. During the extreme positive-IOD (pIOD) events of 1961, 1994 and 1997, the eastern cooling strengthened and extended westward along the equatorial Indian Ocean through strong reversal of both the mean westerly winds and the associated eastward-flowing upper ocean currents. This created anomalously dry conditions from the eastern to the central Indian Ocean along the Equator and atmospheric convergence farther west, leading to catastrophic floods in eastern tropical African countries but devastating droughts in eastern Indian Ocean rim countries. Despite these serious consequences, the response of pIOD events to greenhouse warming is unknown. Here, using an ensemble of climate models forced by a scenario of high greenhouse gas emissions (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5), we project that the frequency of extreme pIOD events will increase by almost a factor of three, from one event every 17.3 years over the twentieth century to one event every 6.3 years over the twenty-first century. We find that a mean state change--with weakening of both equatorial westerly winds and eastward oceanic currents in association with a faster warming in the western than the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean--facilitates more frequent occurrences of wind and oceanic current reversal. This leads to more frequent extreme pIOD events, suggesting an increasing frequency of extreme climate and weather events in regions affected by the pIOD.

Coralline Algal Skeletal δ13C as a Multicentury Recorder of Carbon Dynamics in the Labrador Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng Xiao Hou, Alicia; Halfar, Jochen; Adey, Walter; Wortmann, Ulrich; Williams, Branwen; Chan, Phoebe

2017-04-01

The introduction of isotopically light carbon due to the emission of fossil fuel derived CO2 since the beginning of the industrial revolution has decreased δ13C in the atmosphere and oceans (termed the δ13C Suess effect). Approximately 48% of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement manufacturing were taken up by the oceans during the period 1800 to 1994, decreasing the δ13C of the oceanic dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir (DIC). Rates of oceanic carbon uptake vary regionally in response to several factors including ocean circulation, productivity, and water temperature. Despite the enhanced CO2-uptake ability of the North Atlantic Ocean, carbon fluxes of surface ocean waters in high latitude regions are relatively poorly understood compared to tropical oceans. Therefore, century-scale, high-resolution marine climate archives from high latitude regions are needed in order to better understand both preindustrial carbon isotope dynamics as well as carbon isotope changes in response to anthropogenic forcing. Here, we present a 193-year record of δ13C obtained from the annual growth bands of a long-lived calcified coralline alga collected off the coast of central Labrador, near Kingitok Island, Canada (55.3983° N, 59.8467° W) to observe regional changes in carbon isotopes beginning in the preindustrial period. The algal δ13C record demonstrates an overall decreasing trend of -0.006‰/year from 1819 (1.15‰) to 2012 (-0.013‰), with the fastest rate of decrease (-0.032‰/year) occurring from 1960 (1.63‰) to 2012 (-0.013‰). Comparisons of the coralline algal δ13C record to a bivalve δ13C record (r = 0.30, p < 0.00007) and an atmospheric CO2 δ13C record from compiled ice core and direct measurement data (r =0.35, p < 0.00000051) displays a good correspondence of century-scale δ13C trends. The coralline algal record is interpreted as representing a combination of changes in primary productivity, which dominates the signal during the preindustrial portion of the record (1819 to 1850), and the increasing atmospheric input of anthropogenically derived light carbon post 1850. The latter effect becomes increasingly important in the younger portion of the coralline algal record. In order to study changes in surface ocean productivity, we therefore mathematically removed the Suess effect from 1850 onwards using a previously established Suess Effect Correction Factor. The Suess corrected algal δ13C record now exhibits an overall increasing trend from 1850 to 2012. We interpret this as reflecting an ongoing increase in Labrador Sea primary productivity, which is supported by observed recent increases in ocean productivity associated with the decline in sea ice cover in the Arctic and Subarctic oceans. Considering the important economic value of enormous fisheries supported by the Arctic and sub-Arctic oceans and the role of this region as a significant CO2 sink, it is necessary to quantify changes in primary productivity as well as the rate of oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2, both of which are reflected in changes in the carbon isotope composition of oceanic DIC.

Resolution Enhancement of Spaceborne Radiometer Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krim, Hamid

2001-01-01

Our progress over the last year has been along several dimensions: 1. Exploration and understanding of Earth Observatory System (EOS) mission with available data from NASA. 2. Comprehensive review of state of the art techniques and uncovering of limitations to be investigated (e.g. computational, algorithmic ...). and 3. Preliminary development of resolution enhancement algorithms. With the advent of well-collaborated satellite microwave radiometers, it is now possible to obtain long time series of geophysical parameters that are important for studying the global hydrologic cycle and earth radiation budget. Over the world's ocean, these radiometers simultaneously measure profiles of air temperature and the three phases of atmospheric water (vapor, liquid, and ice). In addition, surface parameters such as the near surface wind speed, the sea surface temperature, and the sea ice type and concentration can be retrieved. The special sensor microwaves imager SSM/I has wide application in atmospheric remote sensing over the ocean and provide essential inputs to numerical weather-prediction models. SSM/I data has also been used for land and ice studies, including snow cover classification measurements of soil and plant moisture contents, atmospheric moisture over land, land surface temperature and mapping polar ice. The brightness temperature observed by SSM/I is function of the effective brightness temperature of the earth's surface and the emission scattering and attenuation of the atmosphere. Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) is a new instrument that will measure the earth radiation over the spectral range from 7 to 90 GHz. Over the world's ocean, it will be possible to retrieve the four important geographical parameters SST, wind speed, vertically integrated water vapor, vertically integrated cloud liquid water L.

Effects of Northern Hemisphere Sea Surface Temperature Changes on the Global Air Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, K.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

The roles of regional sea surface temperature (SST) variability on modulating the climate system and consequently the air quality are investigated using the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Idealized, spatially uniform SST anomalies of +/- 1 °C are superimposed onto the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and North Indian Oceans individually. Ignoring the response of natural emissions, our simulations suggest large seasonal and regional variability of surface O3 and PM2.5 concentrations in response to SST anomalies, especially during boreal summers. Increasing the SST by 1 °C in one of the oceans generally decreases the surface O3 concentrations from 1 to 5 ppbv while increases the anthropogenic PM2.5 concentrations from 0.5 to 3 µg m-3. We implement the integrated process rate (IPR) analysis in CESM and find that meteorological transport in response to SST changes is the key process causing air pollutant perturbations in most cases. During boreal summers, the increase in tropical SST over different ocean basins enhances deep convection, which significantly increases the air temperature over the upper troposphere and trigger large-scale subsidence over nearby and remote regions. These processes tend to increase tropospheric stability and suppress rainfall at lower mid-latitudes. Consequently, it reduces the vertical transport of O3 to the surface while facilitating the accumulation of PM2.5 concentrations over most regions. In addition, this regional SST warming may also considerably suppress intercontinental transport of air pollution as confirmed with idealized CO-like tracers. Our findings indicate a robust linkage between basin-scale SST variability and regional air quality, which can help local air quality management.

Instability of seawater pH in the South China Sea during the mid-late Holocene: Evidence from boron isotopic composition of corals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liu, Yajing; Liu, W.; Peng, Z.; Xiao, Y.; Wei, G.; Sun, W.; He, J.; Liu, Gaisheng; Chou, C.-L.

2009-01-01

We used positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry (PTIMS) to generate high precision ??11B records in Porites corals of the mid-late Holocene from the South China Sea (SCS). The ??11B values of the Holocene corals vary significantly, ranging from 22.2??? to 25.5???. The paleo-pH records of the SCS, reconstructed from the ??11B data, were not stable as previously thought but show a gradual increase from the Holocene thermal optimal and a sharp decrease to modern values. The latter is likely caused by the large amount of anthropogenic CO2 emissions since the Industrial Revolution but variations of atmospheric pCO2 cannot explain the pH change of the SCS before the Industrial Revolution. We suggest that variations of monsoon intensity during the mid-late Holocene may have driven the sea surface pH increase from the mid to late Holocene. Results of this study indicate that the impact of anthropogenic atmospheric CO2 emissions may have reversed the natural pH trend in the SCS since the mid-Holocene. Such ocean pH records in the current interglacial period can help us better understand the physical and biological controls on ocean pH and possibly predict the long-term impact of climate change on future ocean acidification. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instability of seawater pH in the South China Sea during the mid-late Holocene: Evidence from boron isotopic composition of corals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi; Liu, Weiguo; Peng, Zicheng; Xiao, Yingkai; Wei, Gangjian; Sun, Weidong; He, Jianfeng; Liu, Guijian; Chou, Chen-Lin

2009-03-01

We used positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry (PTIMS) to generate high precision δ 11B records in Porites corals of the mid-late Holocene from the South China Sea (SCS). The δ 11B values of the Holocene corals vary significantly, ranging from 22.2‰ to 25.5‰. The paleo-pH records of the SCS, reconstructed from the δ 11B data, were not stable as previously thought but show a gradual increase from the Holocene thermal optimal and a sharp decrease to modern values. The latter is likely caused by the large amount of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions since the Industrial Revolution but variations of atmospheric pCO 2 cannot explain the pH change of the SCS before the Industrial Revolution. We suggest that variations of monsoon intensity during the mid-late Holocene may have driven the sea surface pH increase from the mid to late Holocene. Results of this study indicate that the impact of anthropogenic atmospheric CO 2 emissions may have reversed the natural pH trend in the SCS since the mid-Holocene. Such ocean pH records in the current interglacial period can help us better understand the physical and biological controls on ocean pH and possibly predict the long-term impact of climate change on future ocean acidification.

Investigations of the Climate System Response to Climate Engineering in a Hierarchy of Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCusker, Kelly E.

Global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is causing negative impacts on diverse ecological and human systems around the globe, and these impacts are projected to worsen as climate continues to warm. In the absence of meaningful greenhouse gas emissions reductions, new strategies have been proposed to engineer the climate, with the aim of preventing further warming and avoiding associated climate impacts. We investigate one such strategy here, falling under the umbrella of `solar radiation management', in which sulfate aerosols are injected into the stratosphere. We use a global climate model with a coupled mixed-layer depth ocean and with a fully-coupled ocean general circulation model to simulate the stabilization of climate by balancing increasing carbon dioxide with increasing stratospheric sulfate concentrations. We evaluate whether or not severe climate impacts, such as melting Arctic sea ice, tropical crop failure, or destabilization of the West Antarctic ice sheet, could be avoided. We find that while tropical climate emergencies might be avoided by use of stratospheric aerosol injections, avoiding polar emergencies cannot be guaranteed due to large residual climate changes in those regions, which are in part due to residual atmospheric circulation anomalies. We also find that the inclusion of a fully-coupled ocean is important for determining the regional climate response because of its dynamical feedbacks. The efficacy of stratospheric sulfate aerosol injections, and solar radiation management more generally, depends on its ability to be maintained indefinitely, without interruption from a variety of possible sources, such as technological failure, a breakdown in global cooperation, lack of funding, or negative unintended consequences. We next consider the scenario in which stratospheric sulfate injections are abruptly terminated after a multi- decadal period of implementation while greenhouse gas emissions have continued unabated. We show that upon cessation, an abrupt, spatially broad, and sustained warming over land occurs that is well outside the bounds of 20th century climate variability. We then use an upwelling-diffusion energy balance climate model to further show the sensitivity of these trends to background greenhouse gas emissions, termination year, and climate sensitivity. We find that the rate of warming from cessation of solar radiation management -- of critical importance for ecological and human systems -- is principally controlled by the background greenhouse gas concentrations. It follows that the only way to avoid the risk of an abrupt and dangerous warming that is inherent to the large-scale implementation of solar radiation management is to also strongly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The climate system responds to radiative forcing on a diverse spectrum of timescales, which will affect what goals can be achieved for a given stratospheric aerosol implementation. We next investigate how different rates of stratospheric sulfate aerosol deployment affect what climate impacts can be avoided by simulating two rates of increasing stratospheric sulfate concentrations in a fully-coupled global climate model. We find that disparate goals are achieved for different rates of deployment; for a slow ramping of sulfate, land surface temperature trends remain small but sea levels continue to rise for decades, whereas a quick ramp-up of sulfate yields large land surface cooling trends and immediately reduces sea level. However, atmospheric circulation changes also act to create a large-scale subsurface ocean environment around Antarctica that is favorable for increased basal melting of ice sheet outlets, thereby leaving the potential open for increased sea level rise even in the absence of large atmospheric surface warming. We show that instead, when greenhouse gases are abruptly returned to preindustrial levels, circulation anomalies are reversed, and the subsurface ocean environment does not pose the same threat to Antarctic ice sheets. We conclude that again, reduction of greenhouse gases is the preferred strategy for avoiding climate impacts of global warming.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esteban-Fernandez, Daniel; Changy, P.; Carswell, J.; Contreras, R.; Chu, T.

2006-01-01

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

Inter-Sensor Comparison of Microwave Land Surface Emissivity Products to Improve Precipitation Retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norouzi, H.; Temimi, M.; Turk, J.; Prigent, C.; Furuzawa, F.; Tian, Y.

2013-12-01

Microwave land surface emissivity acts as the background signal to estimate rain rate, cloud liquid water, and total precipitable water. Therefore, its accuracy can directly affect the uncertainty of such measurements. Over land, unlike over oceans, the microwave emissivity is relatively high and and varies significantly as surface conditions and land cover change. Lack of ground truth measurement of microwave emissivity especially on global scale has made the uncertainty analysis of this parameter very challenging. The present study investigates the consistency among the existing global land emissivity estimates from different microwave sensors. The products are determined from various sensors and frequencies ranging from 7 to 90 GHz. The selected emissivity products in this study are from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) by NOAA - Cooperative remote Sensing and Science and Technology Center (CREST), the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) by The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) by Nagoya University, Japan, and WindSat by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The emissivity estimates are based on different algorithms and ancillary data sets. This work investigates the difference among these emissivity products from 2003 to 2008 dynamically and spectrally. The similarities and discrepancies of the retrievals are studied at different land cover types. The mean relative difference (MRD) and other statistical parameters are calculated temporally for all five years of the study. Some inherent discrepancies between the selected products can be attributed to the difference in geometry in terms of incident angle, spectral response, and the foot print size which can affect the estimations. The results reveal that in lower frequencies (=<19 GHz) ancillary data especially skin temperature data set is the major source of difference in emissivity retrievals, while in higher frequencies (>19 GHz) the residuals of atmospheric effect on the signal cause inconsistency among the products. The time series and correlation between emissivity maps were analyzed over different land classes to assess the consistency of emissivity variations with geophysical variable such as soil moisture, precipitation, and vegetation.

Mechanistic insights into a hydrate contribution to the Paleocene-Eocene carbon cycle perturbation from coupled thermohydraulic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minshull, T. A.; Marín-Moreno, H.; Armstrong McKay, D. I.; Wilson, P. A.

2016-08-01

During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the carbon isotopic signature (δ13C) of surface carbon-bearing phases decreased abruptly by at least 2.5 to 3.0‰. This carbon isotope excursion (CIE) has been attributed to widespread methane hydrate dissociation in response to rapid ocean warming. We ran a thermohydraulic modeling code to simulate hydrate dissociation due to ocean warming for various PETM scenarios. Our results show that hydrate dissociation in response to such warming can be rapid but suggest that methane release to the ocean is modest and delayed by hundreds to thousands of years after the onset of dissociation, limiting the potential for positive feedback from emission-induced warming. In all of our simulations at least half of the dissociated hydrate methane remains beneath the seabed, suggesting that the pre-PETM hydrate inventory needed to account for all of the CIE is at least double that required for isotopic mass balance.

UV photochemistry of carboxylic acids at the air-sea boundary: A relevant source of glyoxal and other oxygenated VOC in the marine atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, R.; Tinel, L.; Gonzalez, L.; Ciuraru, R.; Bernard, F.; George, C.; Volkamer, R.

2017-01-01

Photochemistry plays an important role in marine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) degradation, but the mechanisms that convert DOC into volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remain poorly understood. We irradiated carboxylic acids (C7-C9) on a simulated ocean surface with UV light (<320 nm) in a photochemical flow reactor and transferred the VOC products into a dark ozone reactor. Glyoxal was detected as a secondary product from heptanoic, octanoic, and nonanoic acid (NA) films, but not from octanol. Primary glyoxal emissions were not observed, nor was glyoxal formed in the absence of ozone. Addition of a photosensitizer had no noticeable effect. The concurrent detection of heptanal in the NA system suggests that the ozonolysis of 2-nonenal is the primary chemical mechanism that produces glyoxal. This source can potentially sustain tens of parts per trillion by volume (pptv) glyoxal over oceans, and helps to explain why glyoxal fluxes in marine air are directed from the atmosphere into the ocean.

Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran; Wilcox, Eric M.; Bender, Frida A.-M.

2017-04-01

There are multiple factors which affect the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including the atmospheric vertical structure and dominant meteorological conditions in addition to aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood. As bio- and fossil fuel combustion has increased in southeast Asia, corresponding increases in atmospheric aerosol pollution have been seen over the surrounding regions. These emissions notably include black carbon (BC) aerosols, which absorb rather than reflect solar radiation, affecting the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean through direct warming in addition to modifying cloud microphysical properties. The CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign was conducted during the winter monsoon season (February and March) of 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, a region dominated by trade cumulus clouds. During CARDEX, small unmanned aircraft were deployed, measuring aerosol, radiation, cloud, water vapor fluxes, and meteorological properties while a surface observatory collected continuous measurements of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV), water vapor fluxes, surface and total-column aerosol, and cloud liquid water path (LWP). We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV)

Nitrous oxide and methane in the Atlantic Ocean between 50°N and 52°S: Latitudinal distribution and sea-to-air flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forster, Grant; Upstill-Goddard, Rob C.; Gist, Niki; Robinson, Carol; Uher, Gunther; Woodward, E. Malcolm S.

2009-07-01

We discuss nitrous oxide (N 2O) and methane (CH 4) distributions in 49 vertical profiles covering the upper ˜300 m of the water column along two ˜13,500 km transects between ˜50°N and ˜52°S during the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programme (AMT cruises 12 and 13). Vertical N 2O profiles were amenable to analysis on the basis of common features coincident with Longhurst provinces. In contrast, CH 4 showed no such pattern. The most striking feature of the latitudinal depth distributions was a well-defined "plume" of exceptionally high N 2O concentrations coincident with very low levels of CH 4, located between ˜23.5°N and ˜23.5°S; this feature reflects the upwelling of deep waters containing N 2O derived from nitrification, as identified by an analysis of N 2O, apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and NO 3-, and presumably depleted in CH 4 by bacterial oxidation. Sea-to-air emissions fluxes for a region equivalent to ˜42% of the Atlantic Ocean surface area were in the range 0.40-0.68 Tg N 2O yr -1 and 0.81-1.43 Tg CH 4 yr -1. Based on contemporary estimates of the global ocean source strengths of atmospheric N 2O and CH 4, the Atlantic Ocean could account for ˜6-15% and 4-13%, respectively, of these source totals. Given that the Atlantic Ocean accounts for around 20% of the global ocean surface, on unit area basis it appears that the Atlantic may be a slightly weaker source of atmospheric N 2O than other ocean regions but it could make a somewhat larger contribution to marine-derived atmospheric CH 4 than previously thought.

Global average concentration and trend for hydroxyl radicals deduced from ALE/GAGE trichloroethane (methyl chloroform) data for 1978-1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prinn, R.; Cunnold, D.; Simmonds, P.; Alyea, F.; Boldi, R.; Crawford, A.; Fraser, P.; Gutzler, D.; Hartley, D.; Rosen, R.

1992-01-01

An optimal estimation inversion scheme is utilized with atmospheric data and emission estimates to determined the globally averaged CH3CCl3 tropospheric lifetime and OH concentration. The data are taken from atmospheric measurements from surface stations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane and show an annual increase of 4.4 +/- 0.2 percent. Industrial emission estimates and a small oceanic loss rate are included, and the OH concentration for the same period (1978-1990) are incorporated at 1.0 +/- 0.8 percent/yr. The positive OH trend is consistent with theories regarding OH and ozone trends with respect to land use and global warming. Attention is given to the effects of the ENSO on the CH3CCl3 data and the assumption of continuing current industrial anthropogenic emissions. A novel tropical atmospheric tracer-transport mechanism is noted with respect to the CH3CCl3 data.

An effective and novel pore sealing agent to enhance the corrosion resistance performance of Al coating in artificial ocean water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Han-Seung; Singh, Jitendra Kumar; Ismail, Mohamed A.

2017-02-01

A new technique was accepted to fill the porosity of Al coating applied by arc thermal spray process to enhance corrosion resistance performance in artificial ocean water. The porosity is the inherent property of arc thermal spray coating process. In this study, applied coating was treated with different concentrations of ammonium phosphate mono basic (NH4H2PO4: AP) solution thereafter dried at room temperature and kept in humidity chamber for 7d to deposit uniform film. The corrosion resistance of Al coating and treated samples have been evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic techniques with exposure periods in artificial ocean water. Electrochemical techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) indicated that phosphate ion would have been retarding corrosion of Al coating effectively. The formation of AHP (Ammonium Aluminum Hydrogen Phosphate Hydrate: NH4)3Al5H6(PO4)8.18H2O) on Al coating surface after treatment with AP is nano sized, crystalline and uniformly deposited but after exposure them in artificial ocean water, they form AHPH (Aluminum hydroxide phosphate hydrate Al3(PO4)2(OH)3(H2O)5) that is very protective, adherent, uniform and plate like morphology of corrosion products. The AHPH is sparingly soluble and adherent to surface and imparted improved corrosion resistance.

An effective and novel pore sealing agent to enhance the corrosion resistance performance of Al coating in artificial ocean water

PubMed Central

Lee, Han-Seung; Singh, Jitendra Kumar; Ismail, Mohamed A.

2017-01-01

A new technique was accepted to fill the porosity of Al coating applied by arc thermal spray process to enhance corrosion resistance performance in artificial ocean water. The porosity is the inherent property of arc thermal spray coating process. In this study, applied coating was treated with different concentrations of ammonium phosphate mono basic (NH4H2PO4: AP) solution thereafter dried at room temperature and kept in humidity chamber for 7d to deposit uniform film. The corrosion resistance of Al coating and treated samples have been evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic techniques with exposure periods in artificial ocean water. Electrochemical techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) indicated that phosphate ion would have been retarding corrosion of Al coating effectively. The formation of AHP (Ammonium Aluminum Hydrogen Phosphate Hydrate: NH4)3Al5H6(PO4)8.18H2O) on Al coating surface after treatment with AP is nano sized, crystalline and uniformly deposited but after exposure them in artificial ocean water, they form AHPH (Aluminum hydroxide phosphate hydrate Al3(PO4)2(OH)3(H2O)5) that is very protective, adherent, uniform and plate like morphology of corrosion products. The AHPH is sparingly soluble and adherent to surface and imparted improved corrosion resistance. PMID:28157233

Typhoon Ioke in the Western Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave ImageVisible Light Image

These infrared, microwave, and visible images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite.

Infrared Image Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Image In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Vis/NIR Image The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Earth 2075 (CO2) - can Ocean-Amplified Carbon Capture (oacc) Impart Atmospheric CO2-SINKING Ability to CCS Fossil Energy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, R.; Routh, M.; Chaudhuri, S.; Fry, S.; Ison, M.; Hughes, S.; Komor, C.; Klabunde, K.; Sethi, V.; Collins, D.; Polkinghorn, W.; Wroobel, B.; Hughes, J.; Gower, G.; Shkolnik, J.

2017-12-01

Previous attempts to capture atmospheric CO2 by algal blooming were stalled by ocean viruses, zooplankton feeding, and/or bacterial decomposition of surface blooms, re-releasing captured CO2 instead of exporting it to seafloor. CCS fossil energy coupling could bypass algal bloom limits—enabling capture of 10 GtC/yr atmospheric CO2 by selective emiliania huxleyi (EHUX) blooming in mid-latitude open oceans, far from coastal waters and polar seas. This could enable a 500 GtC drawdown, 350 ppm restoration by 2050, 280 ppm CO2 by 2075, and ocean pH 8.2. White EHUX blooms could also reflect sunlight back into outer space and seed extra ocean cloud cover, via DMS release, to raise albedo 1.8%—restoring preindustrial temperature (ΔT = 0°C) by 2030. Open oceans would avoid post-bloom anoxia, exclusively a coastal water phenomenon. The EHUX calcification reaction initially sources CO2, but net sinking prevails in follow-up equilibration reactions. Heavier-than-water EHUX sink captured CO2 to the sea floor before surface decomposition occurs. Seeding EHUX high on their nonlinear growth curve could accelerate short-cycle secondary open-ocean blooming—overwhelming mid-latitude viruses, zooplankton, and competition from other algae. Mid-latitude "ocean deserts" exhibit low viral, zooplankton, and bacterial counts. Thermocline prevents nutrient upwelling that would otherwise promote competing algae. Adding nitrogen nutrient would foster exclusive EHUX blooming. Elevated EHUX seed levels could arise from sealed, pH-buffered, floating, seed-production bioreactors infused with 10% CO2 from carbon feedstock supplied by inland CCS fossil power plants capturing 90% of emissions as liquid CO2. Deep-water SPAR platforms extract natural gas from beneath the sea floor. On-platform Haber and pH processing could convert extracted CH4 to buffered NH4+ nutrient, enabling ≥0.7 GtC/yr of bioreactor seed production and 10 GtC/yr of amplified secondary open-ocean CO2 capture—making CCS fossil energy 1400% carbon negative.

An improved parameterisation of ozone dry deposition to the ocean and its impact in a global climate-chemistry model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhar, Ashok K.; Galbally, Ian E.; Woodhouse, Matthew T.; Thatcher, Marcus

2017-03-01

Schemes used to parameterise ozone dry deposition velocity at the oceanic surface mainly differ in terms of how the dominant term of surface resistance is parameterised. We examine three such schemes and test them in a global climate-chemistry model that incorporates meteorological nudging and monthly-varying reactive-gas emissions. The default scheme invokes the commonly used assumption that the water surface resistance is constant. The other two schemes, named the one-layer and two-layer reactivity schemes, include the simultaneous influence on the water surface resistance of ozone solubility in water, waterside molecular diffusion and turbulent transfer, and a first-order chemical reaction of ozone with dissolved iodide. Unlike the one-layer scheme, the two-layer scheme can indirectly control the degree of interaction between chemical reaction and turbulent transfer through the specification of a surface reactive layer thickness. A comparison is made of the modelled deposition velocity dependencies on sea surface temperature (SST) and wind speed with recently reported cruise-based observations. The default scheme overestimates the observed deposition velocities by a factor of 2-4 when the chemical reaction is slow (e.g. under colder SSTs in the Southern Ocean). The default scheme has almost no temperature, wind speed, or latitudinal variations in contrast with the observations. The one-layer scheme provides noticeably better variations, but it overestimates deposition velocity by a factor of 2-3 due to an enhancement of the interaction between chemical reaction and turbulent transfer. The two-layer scheme with a surface reactive layer thickness specification of 2.5 µm, which is approximately equal to the reaction-diffusive length scale of the ozone-iodide reaction, is able to simulate the field measurements most closely with respect to absolute values as well as SST and wind-speed dependence. The annual global oceanic deposition of ozone determined using this scheme is approximately half of the original oceanic deposition obtained using the default scheme, and it corresponds to a 10 % decrease in the original estimate of the total global ozone deposition. The previously reported modelled estimate of oceanic deposition is roughly one-third of total deposition and with this new parameterisation it is reduced to 12 % of the modelled total global ozone deposition. Deposition parameterisation influences the predicted atmospheric ozone mixing ratios, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. For the latitudes 45-70° S, the two-layer scheme improves the prediction of ozone observed at an altitude of 1 km by 7 % and that within the altitude range 1-6 km by 5 % compared to the default scheme.

Delayed CO2 emissions from mid-ocean ridge volcanism as a possible cause of late-Pleistocene glacial cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huybers, Peter; Langmuir, Charles H.

2017-01-01

The coupled 100,000 year variations in ice volume, temperature, and atmospheric CO2 during the late Pleistocene are generally considered to arise from a combination of orbital forcing, ice dynamics, and ocean circulation. Also previously argued is that changes in glaciation influence atmospheric CO2 concentrations through modifying subaerial volcanic eruptions and CO2 emissions. Building on recent evidence that ocean ridge volcanism responds to changes in sea level, here it is suggested that ocean ridges may play an important role in generating late-Pleistocene 100 ky glacial cycles. If all volcanic CO2 emissions responded immediately to changes in pressure, subaerial and ocean-ridge volcanic emissions anomalies would oppose one another. At ocean ridges, however, the egress of CO2 from the mantle is likely to be delayed by tens-of-thousands of years, or longer, owing to ascent time. A simple model involving temperature, ice, and CO2 is presented that oscillates at ∼100 ky time scales when incorporating a delayed CO2 contribution from ocean ridge volcanism, even if the feedback accounts for only a small fraction of total changes in CO2. Oscillations readily become phase-locked with insolation forcing associated with changes in Earth's orbit. Under certain parameterizations, a transition from ∼40 ky to larger ∼100 ky oscillations occurs during the middle Pleistocene in response to modulations in orbital forcing. This novel description of Pleistocene glaciation should be testable through ongoing advances in understanding the circulation of carbon through the solid earth.

The Impacts of Daily Surface Forcing in the Upper Ocean over Tropical Pacific: A Numerical Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sui, C.-H.; Rienecker, Michele M.; Li, Xiaofan; Lau, William K.-M.; Laszlo, Istvan; Pinker, Rachel T.

2001-01-01

Tropical Pacific Ocean is an important region that affects global climate. How the ocean responds to the atmospheric surface forcing (surface radiative, heat and momentum fluxes) is a major topic in oceanographic research community. The ocean becomes warm when more heat flux puts into the ocean. The monthly mean forcing has been used in the past years since daily forcing was unavailable due to the lack of observations. The daily forcing is now available from the satellite measurements. This study investigates the response of the upper ocean over tropical Pacific to the daily atmospheric surface forcing. The ocean surface heat budgets are calculated to determine the important processes for the oceanic response. The differences of oceanic responses between the eastern and western Pacific are intensively discussed.

Observation- and model-based estimates of particulate dry nitrogen deposition to the oceans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Alex R.; Kanakidou, Maria; Altieri, Katye E.; Daskalakis, Nikos; Okin, Gregory S.; Myriokefalitakis, Stelios; Dentener, Frank; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Sarin, Manmohan M.; Duce, Robert A.; Galloway, James N.; Keene, William C.; Singh, Arvind; Zamora, Lauren; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Rohekar, Shital S.; Prospero, Joseph M.

2017-07-01

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions to the atmosphere have increased significantly the deposition of nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) to the surface waters of the open ocean, with potential impacts on marine productivity and the global carbon cycle. Global-scale understanding of the impacts of N deposition to the oceans is reliant on our ability to produce and validate models of nitrogen emission, atmospheric chemistry, transport and deposition. In this work, ˜ 2900 observations of aerosol NO3- and NH4+ concentrations, acquired from sampling aboard ships in the period 1995-2012, are used to assess the performance of modelled N concentration and deposition fields over the remote ocean. Three ocean regions (the eastern tropical North Atlantic, the northern Indian Ocean and northwest Pacific) were selected, in which the density and distribution of observational data were considered sufficient to provide effective comparison to model products. All of these study regions are affected by transport and deposition of mineral dust, which alters the deposition of N, due to uptake of nitrogen oxides (NOx) on mineral surfaces. Assessment of the impacts of atmospheric N deposition on the ocean requires atmospheric chemical transport models to report deposition fluxes; however, these fluxes cannot be measured over the ocean. Modelling studies such as the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP), which only report deposition flux, are therefore very difficult to validate for dry deposition. Here, the available observational data were averaged over a 5° × 5° grid and compared to ACCMIP dry deposition fluxes (ModDep) of oxidised N (NOy) and reduced N (NHx) and to the following parameters from the Tracer Model 4 of the Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (TM4): ModDep for NOy, NHx and particulate NO3- and NH4+, and surface-level particulate NO3- and NH4+ concentrations. As a model ensemble, ACCMIP can be expected to be more robust than TM4, while TM4 gives access to speciated parameters (NO3- and NH4+) that are more relevant to the observed parameters and which are not available in ACCMIP. Dry deposition fluxes (CalDep) were calculated from the observed concentrations using estimates of dry deposition velocities. Model-observation ratios (RA, n), weighted by grid-cell area and number of observations, were used to assess the performance of the models. Comparison in the three study regions suggests that TM4 overestimates NO3- concentrations (RA, n = 1.4-2.9) and underestimates NH4+ concentrations (RA, n = 0.5-0.7), with spatial distributions in the tropical Atlantic and northern Indian Ocean not being reproduced by the model. In the case of NH4+ in the Indian Ocean, this discrepancy was probably due to seasonal biases in the sampling. Similar patterns were observed in the various comparisons of CalDep to ModDep (RA, n = 0.6-2.6 for NO3-, 0.6-3.1 for NH4+). Values of RA, n for NHx CalDep-ModDep comparisons were approximately double the corresponding values for NH4+ CalDep-ModDep comparisons due to the significant fraction of gas-phase NH3 deposition incorporated in the TM4 and ACCMIP NHx model products. All of the comparisons suffered due to the scarcity of observational data and the large uncertainty in dry deposition velocities used to derive deposition fluxes from concentrations. These uncertainties have been a major limitation on estimates of the flux of material to the oceans for several decades. Recommendations are made for improvements in N deposition estimation through changes in observations, modelling and model-observation comparison procedures. Validation of modelled dry deposition requires effective comparisons to observable aerosol-phase species' concentrations, and this cannot be achieved if model products only report dry deposition flux over the ocean.

Observation- and Model-Based Estimates of Particulate Dry Nitrogen Deposition to the Oceans.

PubMed

Baker, Alex R; Kanakidou, Maria; Altieri, Katye E; Daskalakis, Nikos; Okin, Gregory S; Myriokefalitakis, Stelios; Dentener, Frank; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Sarin, Manmohan M; Duce, Robert A; Galloway, James N; Keene, William C; Singh, Arvind; Zamora, Lauren; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Rohekar, Shital S; Prospero, Joseph M

2017-01-01

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions to the atmosphere have increased significantly the deposition of nitrate (NO 3 - ) and ammonium (NH 4 + ) to the surface waters of the open ocean, with potential impacts on marine productivity and the global carbon cycle. Global-scale understanding of the impacts of N deposition to the oceans is reliant on our ability to produce and validate models of nitrogen emission, atmospheric chemistry, transport and deposition. In this work, ~2900 observations of aerosol NO 3 - and NH 4 + concentrations, acquired from sampling aboard ships in the period 1995 - 2012, are used to assess the performance of modelled N concentration and deposition fields over the remote ocean. Three ocean regions (the eastern tropical North Atlantic, the northern Indian Ocean and northwest Pacific) were selected, in which the density and distribution of observational data were considered sufficient to provide effective comparison to model products. All of these study regions are affected by transport and deposition of mineral dust, which alters the deposition of N, due to uptake of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) on mineral surfaces. Assessment of the impacts of atmospheric N deposition on the ocean requires atmospheric chemical transport models to report deposition fluxes, however these fluxes cannot be measured over the ocean. Modelling studies such as the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP), which only report deposition flux are therefore very difficult to validate for dry deposition. Here the available observational data were averaged over a 5° × 5° grid and compared to ACCMIP dry deposition fluxes (ModDep) of oxidised N (NO y ) and reduced N (NH x ) and to the following parameters from the TM4-ECPL (TM4) model: ModDep for NO y , NH x and particulate NO 3 - and NH 4 + , and surface-level particulate NO 3 - and NH 4 + concentrations. As a model ensemble, ACCMIP can be expected to be more robust than TM4, while TM4 gives access to speciated parameters (NO 3 - and NH 4 + ) that are more relevant to the observed parameters and which are not available in ACCMIP. Dry deposition fluxes (CalDep) were calculated from the observed concentrations using estimates of dry deposition velocities. Model - observation ratios, weighted by grid-cell area and numbers of observations, (R A,n ) were used to assess the performance of the models. Comparison in the three study regions suggests that TM4 over-estimates NO 3 - concentrations (R A,n = 1.4 - 2.9) and under-estimates NH 4 + concentrations (R A,n = 0.5 - 0.7), with spatial distributions in the tropical Atlantic and northern Indian Ocean not being reproduced by the model. In the case of NH 4 + in the Indian Ocean, this discrepancy was probably due to seasonal biases in the sampling. Similar patterns were observed in the various comparisons of CalDep to ModDep (R A,n = 0.6 - 2.6 for NO 3 - , 0.6 - 3.1 for NH 4 + ). Values of R A,n for NH x CalDep - ModDep comparisons were approximately double the corresponding values for NH 4 + CalDep - ModDep comparisons due to the significant fraction of gas-phase NH 3 deposition incorporated in the TM4 and ACCMIP NH x model products. All of the comparisons suffered due to the scarcity of observational data and the large uncertainty in dry deposition velocities used to derive deposition fluxes from concentrations. These uncertainties have been a major limitation on estimates of the flux of material to the oceans for several decades. Recommendations are made for improvements in N deposition estimation through changes in observations, modelling and model - observation comparison procedures. Validation of modelled dry deposition requires effective comparisons to observable aerosol-phase species concentrations and this cannot be achieved if model products only report dry deposition flux over the ocean.

Quantifying the impact of sub-grid surface wind variability on sea salt and dust emissions in CAM5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Kai; Zhao, Chun; Wan, Hui; Qian, Yun; Easter, Richard C.; Ghan, Steven J.; Sakaguchi, Koichi; Liu, Xiaohong

2016-02-01

This paper evaluates the impact of sub-grid variability of surface wind on sea salt and dust emissions in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). The basic strategy is to calculate emission fluxes multiple times, using different wind speed samples of a Weibull probability distribution derived from model-predicted grid-box mean quantities. In order to derive the Weibull distribution, the sub-grid standard deviation of surface wind speed is estimated by taking into account four mechanisms: turbulence under neutral and stable conditions, dry convective eddies, moist convective eddies over the ocean, and air motions induced by mesoscale systems and fine-scale topography over land. The contributions of turbulence and dry convective eddy are parameterized using schemes from the literature. Wind variabilities caused by moist convective eddies and fine-scale topography are estimated using empirical relationships derived from an operational weather analysis data set at 15 km resolution. The estimated sub-grid standard deviations of surface wind speed agree well with reference results derived from 1 year of global weather analysis at 15 km resolution and from two regional model simulations with 3 km grid spacing.The wind-distribution-based emission calculations are implemented in CAM5. In terms of computational cost, the increase in total simulation time turns out to be less than 3 %. Simulations at 2° resolution indicate that sub-grid wind variability has relatively small impacts (about 7 % increase) on the global annual mean emission of sea salt aerosols, but considerable influence on the emission of dust. Among the considered mechanisms, dry convective eddies and mesoscale flows associated with topography are major causes of dust emission enhancement. With all the four mechanisms included and without additional adjustment of uncertain parameters in the model, the simulated global and annual mean dust emission increase by about 50 % compared to the default model. By tuning the globally constant dust emission scale factor, the global annual mean dust emission, aerosol optical depth, and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes can be adjusted to the level of the default model, but the frequency distribution of dust emission changes, with more contribution from weaker wind events and less contribution from stronger wind events. In Africa and Asia, the overall frequencies of occurrence of dust emissions increase, and the seasonal variations are enhanced, while the geographical patterns of the emission frequency show little change.

Quantifying the impact of sub-grid surface wind variability on sea salt and dust emissions in CAM5

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Kai; Zhao, Chun; Wan, Hui; ...

2016-02-12

This paper evaluates the impact of sub-grid variability of surface wind on sea salt and dust emissions in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). The basic strategy is to calculate emission fluxes multiple times, using different wind speed samples of a Weibull probability distribution derived from model-predicted grid-box mean quantities. In order to derive the Weibull distribution, the sub-grid standard deviation of surface wind speed is estimated by taking into account four mechanisms: turbulence under neutral and stable conditions, dry convective eddies, moist convective eddies over the ocean, and air motions induced by mesoscale systems and fine-scale topography overmore » land. The contributions of turbulence and dry convective eddy are parameterized using schemes from the literature. Wind variabilities caused by moist convective eddies and fine-scale topography are estimated using empirical relationships derived from an operational weather analysis data set at 15 km resolution. The estimated sub-grid standard deviations of surface wind speed agree well with reference results derived from 1 year of global weather analysis at 15 km resolution and from two regional model simulations with 3 km grid spacing.The wind-distribution-based emission calculations are implemented in CAM5. In terms of computational cost, the increase in total simulation time turns out to be less than 3 %. Simulations at 2° resolution indicate that sub-grid wind variability has relatively small impacts (about 7 % increase) on the global annual mean emission of sea salt aerosols, but considerable influence on the emission of dust. Among the considered mechanisms, dry convective eddies and mesoscale flows associated with topography are major causes of dust emission enhancement. With all the four mechanisms included and without additional adjustment of uncertain parameters in the model, the simulated global and annual mean dust emission increase by about 50 % compared to the default model. By tuning the globally constant dust emission scale factor, the global annual mean dust emission, aerosol optical depth, and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes can be adjusted to the level of the default model, but the frequency distribution of dust emission changes, with more contribution from weaker wind events and less contribution from stronger wind events. Lastly, in Africa and Asia, the overall frequencies of occurrence of dust emissions increase, and the seasonal variations are enhanced, while the geographical patterns of the emission frequency show little change.« less

Quantifying the impact of sub-grid surface wind variability on sea salt and dust emissions in CAM5

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

Zhang, Kai; Zhao, Chun; Wan, Hui

This paper evaluates the impact of sub-grid variability of surface wind on sea salt and dust emissions in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). The basic strategy is to calculate emission fluxes multiple times, using different wind speed samples of a Weibull probability distribution derived from model-predicted grid-box mean quantities. In order to derive the Weibull distribution, the sub-grid standard deviation of surface wind speed is estimated by taking into account four mechanisms: turbulence under neutral and stable conditions, dry convective eddies, moist convective eddies over the ocean, and air motions induced by mesoscale systems and fine-scale topography overmore » land. The contributions of turbulence and dry convective eddy are parameterized using schemes from the literature. Wind variabilities caused by moist convective eddies and fine-scale topography are estimated using empirical relationships derived from an operational weather analysis data set at 15 km resolution. The estimated sub-grid standard deviations of surface wind speed agree well with reference results derived from 1 year of global weather analysis at 15 km resolution and from two regional model simulations with 3 km grid spacing.The wind-distribution-based emission calculations are implemented in CAM5. In terms of computational cost, the increase in total simulation time turns out to be less than 3 %. Simulations at 2° resolution indicate that sub-grid wind variability has relatively small impacts (about 7 % increase) on the global annual mean emission of sea salt aerosols, but considerable influence on the emission of dust. Among the considered mechanisms, dry convective eddies and mesoscale flows associated with topography are major causes of dust emission enhancement. With all the four mechanisms included and without additional adjustment of uncertain parameters in the model, the simulated global and annual mean dust emission increase by about 50 % compared to the default model. By tuning the globally constant dust emission scale factor, the global annual mean dust emission, aerosol optical depth, and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes can be adjusted to the level of the default model, but the frequency distribution of dust emission changes, with more contribution from weaker wind events and less contribution from stronger wind events. Lastly, in Africa and Asia, the overall frequencies of occurrence of dust emissions increase, and the seasonal variations are enhanced, while the geographical patterns of the emission frequency show little change.« less

Surface and atmosphere parameter maps from earth-orbiting radiometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gloersen, P.

1976-01-01

Earlier studies have shown that an earth-orbiting electrically scanned microwave radiometer (ESMR) is capable of inferring the extent, concentration, and age of sea ice; the extent, concentration, and thickness of lake ice; rainfall rates over oceans; surface wind speeds over open water; particle size distribution in the deep snow cover of continental ice sheets; and soil moisture content in unvegetated fields. Most other features of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere require multispectral imaging techniques to unscramble the combined contributions of the atmosphere and the surface. Multispectral extraction of surface parameters is analyzed on the basis of a pertinent equation in terms of the observed brightness temperature, the emissivity of the surface which depends on wavelength and various parameters, the sensible temperature of the surface, and the total atmospheric opacity which is also wavelength dependent. Implementation of the multispectral technique is examined. Properties of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere to be determined from a scanning multichannel microwave radiometer are tabulated.

Risk maps for Antarctic krill under projected Southern Ocean acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawaguchi, S.; Ishida, A.; King, R.; Raymond, B.; Waller, N.; Constable, A.; Nicol, S.; Wakita, M.; Ishimatsu, A.

2013-09-01

Marine ecosystems of the Southern Ocean are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba; hereafter krill) is the key pelagic species of the region and its largest fishery resource. There is therefore concern about the combined effects of climate change, ocean acidification and an expanding fishery on krill and ultimately, their dependent predators--whales, seals and penguins. However, little is known about the sensitivity of krill to ocean acidification. Juvenile and adult krill are already exposed to variable seawater carbonate chemistry because they occupy a range of habitats and migrate both vertically and horizontally on a daily and seasonal basis. Moreover, krill eggs sink from the surface to hatch at 700-1,000m (ref. ), where the carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) in sea water is already greater than it is in the atmosphere. Krill eggs sink passively and so cannot avoid these conditions. Here we describe the sensitivity of krill egg hatch rates to increased CO2, and present a circumpolar risk map of krill hatching success under projected pCO2 levels. We find that important krill habitats of the Weddell Sea and the Haakon VII Sea to the east are likely to become high-risk areas for krill recruitment within a century. Furthermore, unless CO2 emissions are mitigated, the Southern Ocean krill population could collapse by 2300 with dire consequences for the entire ecosystem.

Glacial CO2 Cycles: A Composite Scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broecker, W. S.

2015-12-01

There are three main contributors to the glacial drawdown of atmospheric CO2 content: starvation of the supply of carbon to the ocean-atmosphere reservoir, excess CO2 storage in the deep sea, and surface-ocean cooling. In this talk, I explore a scenario in which all three play significant roles. Key to this scenario is the assumption that deep ocean storage is related to the extent of nutrient stratification of the deep Atlantic. The stronger this stratification, the larger the storage of respiration CO2. Further, it is my contention that the link between Milankovitch insolation cycles and climate is reorganizations of the ocean's thermohaline circulation leading to changes in the deep ocean's CO2 storage. If this is the case, the deep Atlantic d13C record kept in benthic foraminifera shells tells us that deep ocean CO2 storage follows Northern Hemisphere summer insolation cycles and thus lacks the downward ramp so prominent in the records of sea level, benthic 18O and CO2. Rather, the ramp is created by the damping of planetary CO2 emissions during glacial time intervals. As it is premature to present a specific scenario, I provide an example as to how these three contributors might be combined. As their magnitudes and shapes remain largely unconstrained, the intent of this exercise is to provoke creative thinking.

The impact of local surface changes in Borneo on atmospheric composition at wider spatial scales: coastal processes, land-use change and air quality

PubMed Central

Pyle, J. A.; Warwick, N. J.; Harris, N. R. P.; Abas, Mohd Radzi; Archibald, A. T.; Ashfold, M. J.; Ashworth, K.; Barkley, Michael P.; Carver, G. D.; Chance, K.; Dorsey, J. R.; Fowler, D.; Gonzi, S.; Gostlow, B.; Hewitt, C. N.; Kurosu, T. P.; Lee, J. D.; Langford, S. B.; Mills, G.; Moller, S.; MacKenzie, A. R.; Manning, A. J.; Misztal, P.; Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd; Nemitz, E.; Newton, H. M.; O'Brien, L. M.; Ong, Simon; Oram, D.; Palmer, P. I.; Peng, Leong Kok; Phang, Siew Moi; Pike, R.; Pugh, T. A. M.; Rahman, Noorsaadah Abdul; Robinson, A. D.; Sentian, J.; Samah, Azizan Abu; Skiba, U.; Ung, Huan Eng; Yong, Sei Eng; Young, P. J.

2011-01-01

We present results from the OP3 campaign in Sabah during 2008 that allow us to study the impact of local emission changes over Borneo on atmospheric composition at the regional and wider scale. OP3 constituent data provide an important constraint on model performance. Treatment of boundary layer processes is highlighted as an important area of model uncertainty. Model studies of land-use change confirm earlier work, indicating that further changes to intensive oil palm agriculture in South East Asia, and the tropics in general, could have important impacts on air quality, with the biggest factor being the concomitant changes in NOx emissions. With the model scenarios used here, local increases in ozone of around 50 per cent could occur. We also report measurements of short-lived brominated compounds around Sabah suggesting that oceanic (and, especially, coastal) emission sources dominate locally. The concentration of bromine in short-lived halocarbons measured at the surface during OP3 amounted to about 7 ppt, setting an upper limit on the amount of these species that can reach the lower stratosphere. PMID:22006963

The impact of local surface changes in Borneo on atmospheric composition at wider spatial scales: coastal processes, land-use change and air quality.

PubMed

Pyle, J A; Warwick, N J; Harris, N R P; Abas, Mohd Radzi; Archibald, A T; Ashfold, M J; Ashworth, K; Barkley, Michael P; Carver, G D; Chance, K; Dorsey, J R; Fowler, D; Gonzi, S; Gostlow, B; Hewitt, C N; Kurosu, T P; Lee, J D; Langford, S B; Mills, G; Moller, S; MacKenzie, A R; Manning, A J; Misztal, P; Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd; Nemitz, E; Newton, H M; O'Brien, L M; Ong, Simon; Oram, D; Palmer, P I; Peng, Leong Kok; Phang, Siew Moi; Pike, R; Pugh, T A M; Rahman, Noorsaadah Abdul; Robinson, A D; Sentian, J; Samah, Azizan Abu; Skiba, U; Ung, Huan Eng; Yong, Sei Eng; Young, P J

2011-11-27

We present results from the OP3 campaign in Sabah during 2008 that allow us to study the impact of local emission changes over Borneo on atmospheric composition at the regional and wider scale. OP3 constituent data provide an important constraint on model performance. Treatment of boundary layer processes is highlighted as an important area of model uncertainty. Model studies of land-use change confirm earlier work, indicating that further changes to intensive oil palm agriculture in South East Asia, and the tropics in general, could have important impacts on air quality, with the biggest factor being the concomitant changes in NO(x) emissions. With the model scenarios used here, local increases in ozone of around 50 per cent could occur. We also report measurements of short-lived brominated compounds around Sabah suggesting that oceanic (and, especially, coastal) emission sources dominate locally. The concentration of bromine in short-lived halocarbons measured at the surface during OP3 amounted to about 7 ppt, setting an upper limit on the amount of these species that can reach the lower stratosphere.

DMS emissions from Sphagnum-dominated wetlands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hines, Mark E.; Demello, William Zamboni; Bayley, Suzanne E.

1992-01-01

The role of terrestrial sources of biogenic S and their effect on atmospheric chemistry remain as major unanswered questions in our understanding of the natural S cycle. The role of northern wetlands as sources and sinks of gaseous S was investigated by measuring rates of S gas exchange as a function of season, hydrologic conditions, and gradients in trophic status. Experiments were conducted in wetlands in New Hampshire (NH), and in Mire 239, a poor fen at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario. Emissions were determined using Teflon enclosures, gas cryotrapping methods, and GC with flame photometric detection. Emissions of DMS dominated fluxes. In NH, DMS fluxes were greater than 1.6 micromol/m(sup -2)d(sup -1) in early summer, 1989 when temperatures were warm and the water table was approximately 5 cm below the surface. These rates are several-fold faster than average oceanic rates of DMS emission. A rapid drop in the water table resulted in a 6-fold decrease in DMS emissions in late July. In 1990, a new beaver dam kept water levels above the surface and S emissions were much lower than during 1989. The elimination of the beaver and a drop in the water table in August produced a rapid increase in S gas emissions. Emissions of DMS were highest in the most oligotrophic areas. Mire 239 (ELA) was irrigated with sulfuric and nitric acids to simulate acid rain. S emissions were determined before and after an acidification event in control and experimental areas in both minerotrophic and oligotrophic regions. Emissions of DMS were higher in the acidified areas compared to unacidified controls. Emissions were also much higher in the oligotrophic regions compared to the minerotrophic ones. Despite the wide differences in S gas fluxes (20-fold), it was difficult to determine whether acidification or variations in trophic status was not responsible for differences in S gas emissions. DMS emitted into the atmosphere was not derived from the water table but originated in peat in the unsaturated zone.

Optical Remote Sensing Algorithm Validation using High-Frequency Underway Biogeochemical Measurements in Three Large Global River Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, C.; Richey, J. E.; Striegl, R. G.; Ward, N.; Sawakuchi, H. O.; Crawford, J.; Loken, L. C.; Stadler, P.; Dornblaser, M.; Butman, D. E.

2017-12-01

More than 93% of the world's river-water volume occurs in basins impacted by large dams and about 43% of river water discharge is impacted by flow regulation. Human land use also alters nutrient and carbon cycling and the emission of carbon dioxide from inland reservoirs. Increased water residence times and warmer temperatures in reservoirs fundamentally alter the physical settings for biogeochemical processing in large rivers, yet river biogeochemistry for many large systems remains undersampled. Satellite remote sensing holds promise as a methodology for responsive regional and global water resources management. Decades of ocean optics research has laid the foundation for the use of remote sensing reflectance in optical wavelengths (400 - 700 nm) to produce satellite-derived, near-surface estimates of phytoplankton chlorophyll concentration. Significant improvements between successive generations of ocean color sensors have enabled the scientific community to document changes in global ocean productivity (NPP) and estimate ocean biomass with increasing accuracy. Despite large advances in ocean optics, application of optical methods to inland waters has been limited to date due to their optical complexity and small spatial scale. To test this frontier, we present a study evaluating the accuracy and suitability of empirical inversion approaches for estimating chlorophyll-a, turbidity and temperature for the Amazon, Columbia and Mississippi rivers using satellite remote sensing. We demonstrate how riverine biogeochemical measurements collected at high frequencies from underway vessels can be used as in situ matchups to evaluate remotely-sensed, near-surface temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll-a derived from the Landsat 8 (NASA) and Sentinel 2 (ESA) satellites. We investigate the use of remote sensing water reflectance to infer trophic status as well as tributary influences on the optical characteristics of the Amazon, Mississippi and Columbia rivers.

Ammonia in the summer Arctic marine boundary layer: Sources, Sinks and Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wentworth, G.; Murphy, J. G.; Croft, B.; Martin, R.; Pierce, J. R.; Tremblay, J. E.; Courchesne, I.; Côté, J. S.; Gagnon, J.; Levasseur, M.; Thomas, J. L.; Abbatt, J.

2015-12-01

The abundance of NH3 can influence new particle formation rates, aerosol chemical and optical properties, as well as N-sensitive ecosystems via deposition. Sources and sinks of gas-phase ammonia (NH3) are poorly constrained in the High Arctic due to a lack of field observations. In particular, both the magnitude and direction of sea-air NH3 exchange are highly uncertain, although previous studies suggest the open ocean is likely to act as a net sink at high latitudes. In order to investigate potential NH3 sources, sinks and impacts, hourly gas-phase NH3 and particulate-phase NH4+ and SO42- measurements were taken from 13 July to 7 August 2014 aboard a research cruise throughout Baffin Bay and the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Simultaneous measurements of total seawater ammonium, pH and sea surface temperature were used to compute the compensation point (χ), which is the ambient NH3 concentration at which sea-air fluxes change direction. Ambient NH3 ranged from 30-650 ng m-3 throughout the cruise and was several orders of magnitude larger than measured χ values (0.4-10 ng m-3). Hence, the summertime Arctic Ocean is a strong net sink of NH3. GEOS-Chem (a chemical transport model) was employed to examine the impact of seabird guano (feces) on surface NH3 concentrations. A simulation without guano-derived NH3 emissions yielded highly acidic aerosol and underestimated surface NH3 by several orders of magnitude. Including NH3 emission estimates from seabird guano greatly improved model-measurement comparison. The importance of seabird guano as an NH3 source was also investigated using the FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model driven by WRF meteorology (FLEXPART-WRF). FLEXPART-WRF results confirm that air masses with origins co-located with large seabird colonies were enriched in NH3, whereas those originating over the open ocean were depleted in NH3. The influence of NH3 from wildfires, as well as implications for N-deposition and aerosol neutralization are also discussed.

Response of near-surface currents in the Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utari, P. A.; Nurkhakim, M. Y.; Setiabudidaya, D.; Iskandar, I.

2018-05-01

Anomalous ocean-atmosphere conditions were detected in the tropical Indian Ocean during boreal spring to boreal winter 2015. It was suggested that the anomalous conditions were characteristics of the positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) event. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the response of near-surface currents in the tropical Indian Ocean to the anomalous atmospheric condition in 2015. Near-surface current from OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real Time) reanalysis data combined with the sea surface temperature (SST) data from OISST – NOAA, sea surface height (SSH) and surface winds from the ECMWF were used in this investigation. The analysis showed that the evolution of 2015 pIOD started in June/July, peaked in the September and terminated in late November 2015. Correlated with the evolution of the pIOD, easterly winds anomalies were detected along the equator. As the oceanic response to these easterly wind anomalies, the surface currents anomalously westward during the peak of the pIOD. It was interesting to note that the evolution of 2015 pIOD event was closely related to the ocean wave dynamics as revealed by the SSH data. Downwelling westward propagating Rossby waves were detected in the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean. Once reached the western boundary of the Indian Ocean, they were redirected back into interior Indian Ocean and propagating eastward as the downwelling Kelvin waves.

Constraining CO emission estimates using atmospheric observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooghiemstra, P. B.

2012-06-01

We apply a four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation system to optimize carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and to reduce the uncertainty of emission estimates from individual sources using the chemistry transport model TM5. In the first study only a limited amount of surface network observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) is used to test the 4D-Var system. Uncertainty reduction up to 60% in yearly emissions is observed over well-constrained regions and the inferred emissions compare well with recent studies for 2004. However, since the observations only constrain total CO emissions, the 4D-Var system has difficulties separating anthropogenic and biogenic sources in particular. The inferred emissions are validated with NOAA aircraft data over North America and the agreement is significantly improved from the prior to posterior simulation. Validation with the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument shows a slight improved agreement over the well-constrained Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics (except for the African continent). However, the model simulation with posterior emissions underestimates MOPITT CO total columns on the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH) by about 10%. This is caused by a reduction in SH CO sources mainly due to surface stations on the high southern latitudes. In the second study, we compare two global inversions to estimate carbon monoxide (CO) emissions for 2004. Either surface flask observations from NOAA or CO total columns from the MOPITT instrument are assimilated in a 4D-Var framework. In the Southern Hemisphere (SH) three important findings are reported. First, due to their different vertical sensitivity, the stations-only inversion increases SH biomass burning emissions by 108 Tg CO/yr more than the MOPITT-only inversion. Conversely, the MOPITT-only inversion results in SH natural emissions (mainly CO from oxidation of NMVOCs) that are 185 Tg CO/yr higher compared to the stations-only inversion. Second, MOPITT-only derived biomass burning emissions are reduced with respect to the prior which is in contrast to previous (inverse) modeling studies. Finally, MOPITT derived total emissions are significantly higher for South America and Africa compared to the stations-only inversion. This is likely due to a positive bias in the MOPITT V4 product. This bias is also apparent from validation with surface stations and ground-truth FTIR columns. In the final study we present the first inverse modeling study to estimate CO emissions constrained by both surface (NOAA) and satellite (MOPITT) observations using a bias correction scheme. This approach leads to the identification of a positive bias of maximum 5 ppb in MOPITT column-averaged CO mixing ratios in the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH). The 4D-Var system is used to estimate CO emissions over South America in the period 2006-2010 and to analyze the interannual variability (IAV) of these emissions. We infer robust, high spatial resolution CO emission estimates that show slightly smaller IAV due to fires compared to the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED3) prior emissions. Moreover, CO emissions probably associated with pre-harvest burning of sugar cane plantations are underestimated in current inventories by 50-100%.

Ocean acidification causes structural deformities in juvenile coral skeletons.

PubMed

Foster, Taryn; Falter, James L; McCulloch, Malcolm T; Clode, Peta L

2016-02-01

Rising atmospheric CO2 is causing the oceans to both warm and acidify, which could reduce the calcification rates of corals globally. Successful coral recruitment and high rates of juvenile calcification are critical to the replenishment and ultimate viability of coral reef ecosystems. Although elevated Pco2 (partial pressure of CO2) has been shown to reduce the skeletal weight of coral recruits, the structural changes caused by acidification during initial skeletal deposition are unknown. We show, using high-resolution three-dimensional x-ray microscopy, that ocean acidification (Pco2 ~900 μatm, pH ~7.7) not only causes reduced overall mineral deposition but also a deformed and porous skeletal structure in newly settled coral recruits. In contrast, elevated temperature (+3°C) had little effect on skeletal formation except to partially mitigate the effects of elevated Pco2. The striking structural deformities we observed show that new recruits are at significant risk, being unable to effectively build their skeletons in the Pco2 conditions predicted to occur for open ocean surface waters under a "business-as-usual" emissions scenario [RCP (representative concentration pathway) 8.5] by the year 2100.

Ocean acidification causes structural deformities in juvenile coral skeletons

PubMed Central

Foster, Taryn; Falter, James L.; McCulloch, Malcolm T.; Clode, Peta L.

2016-01-01

Rising atmospheric CO2 is causing the oceans to both warm and acidify, which could reduce the calcification rates of corals globally. Successful coral recruitment and high rates of juvenile calcification are critical to the replenishment and ultimate viability of coral reef ecosystems. Although elevated Pco2 (partial pressure of CO2) has been shown to reduce the skeletal weight of coral recruits, the structural changes caused by acidification during initial skeletal deposition are unknown. We show, using high-resolution three-dimensional x-ray microscopy, that ocean acidification (Pco2 ~900 μatm, pH ~7.7) not only causes reduced overall mineral deposition but also a deformed and porous skeletal structure in newly settled coral recruits. In contrast, elevated temperature (+3°C) had little effect on skeletal formation except to partially mitigate the effects of elevated Pco2. The striking structural deformities we observed show that new recruits are at significant risk, being unable to effectively build their skeletons in the Pco2 conditions predicted to occur for open ocean surface waters under a “business-as-usual” emissions scenario [RCP (representative concentration pathway) 8.5] by the year 2100. PMID:26989776

Evaluating host-associated sources of marine methane supersaturation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanton, J. M.; Pieper, L. M.; Allen, E. E.

2013-12-01

Methane can be found in surface ocean waters at levels from 5% to 75% greater than expected from exchange with the atmosphere. Because oceanic emissions account for up to 4% of the planet's annual methane inventory, understanding marine sources and sinks is relevant to global greenhouse gas budgets. These methane levels are presumed to result from the activity of microorganisms in the water column, yet this presents a paradox: how can biotic methanogensis, primarily understood as an anaerobic process, take place in oxic waters? One working theory is that methanogens find safe harbor in the gastrointestinal tracts of marine animals. We investigate the possibility that microbial communities within fish, and the fecal material they produce, contribute to in-situ methane production in the open ocean. Using genetic markers, we test the GI tracts of benthic and pelagic marine teleosts for the presence of methanogenic organisms and for components of the methanogenesis pathway. Our results indicate that methanogens may be present in fish, but in low numbers. This work sets the scene for measurement of methane production rates from these gut-associated communities in order to elucidate their contribution to oceanic methane supersaturation.

Re-evaluating the 1940s CO2 plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, Ana; Ciais, Philippe; Barichivich, Jonathan; Bopp, Laurent; Brovkin, Victor; Gasser, Thomas; Peng, Shushi; Pongratz, Julia; Viovy, Nicolas; Trudinger, Cathy M.

2016-09-01

The high-resolution CO2 record from Law Dome ice core reveals that atmospheric CO2 concentration stalled during the 1940s (so-called CO2 plateau). Since the fossil-fuel emissions did not decrease during the period, this stalling implies the persistence of a strong sink, perhaps sustained for as long as a decade or more. Double-deconvolution analyses have attributed this sink to the ocean, conceivably as a response to the very strong El Niño event in 1940-1942. However, this explanation is questionable, as recent ocean CO2 data indicate that the range of variability in the ocean sink has been rather modest in recent decades, and El Niño events have generally led to higher growth rates of atmospheric CO2 due to the offsetting terrestrial response. Here, we use the most up-to-date information on the different terms of the carbon budget: fossil-fuel emissions, four estimates of land-use change (LUC) emissions, ocean uptake from two different reconstructions, and the terrestrial sink modelled by the TRENDY project to identify the most likely causes of the 1940s plateau. We find that they greatly overestimate atmospheric CO2 growth rate during the plateau period, as well as in the 1960s, in spite of giving a plausible explanation for most of the 20th century carbon budget, especially from 1970 onwards. The mismatch between reconstructions and observations during the CO2 plateau epoch of 1940-1950 ranges between 0.9 and 2.0 Pg C yr-1, depending on the LUC dataset considered. This mismatch may be explained by (i) decadal variability in the ocean carbon sink not accounted for in the reconstructions we used, (ii) a further terrestrial sink currently missing in the estimates by land-surface models, or (iii) LUC processes not included in the current datasets. Ocean carbon models from CMIP5 indicate that natural variability in the ocean carbon sink could explain an additional 0.5 Pg C yr-1 uptake, but it is unlikely to be higher. The impact of the 1940-1942 El Niño on the observed stabilization of atmospheric CO2 cannot be confirmed nor discarded, as TRENDY models do not reproduce the expected concurrent strong decrease in terrestrial uptake. Nevertheless, this would further increase the mismatch between observed and modelled CO2 growth rate during the CO2 plateau epoch. Tests performed using the OSCAR (v2.2) model indicate that changes in land use not correctly accounted for during the period (coinciding with drastic socioeconomic changes during the Second World War) could contribute to the additional sink required. Thus, the previously proposed ocean hypothesis for the 1940s plateau cannot be confirmed by independent data. Further efforts are required to reduce uncertainty in the different terms of the carbon budget during the first half of the 20th century and to better understand the long-term variability of the ocean and terrestrial CO2 sinks.

The multi-millennial Antarctic commitment to future sea-level rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golledge, Nicholas R.; Kowalewski, Douglas E.; Naish, Timothy R.; Levy, Richard H.; Fogwill, Christopher J.; Gasson, Edward G. W.

2016-04-01

Atmospheric warming is projected to increase global mean surface temperatures by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius above present values by the end of this century (Collins et al., 2013). If anthropogenic emissions continue unchecked, the warming increase may reach 8-10 degrees Celsius by 2300 (Rogelj et al., 2012). The contribution that large ice sheets will make to sea-level rise under such warming scenarios is difficult to quantify because the equilibrium-response timescale of ice sheets is longer than those of the atmosphere or ocean. Here we use a coupled ice-sheet/ice-shelf model to show that if atmospheric warming exceeds 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above present, collapse of the major Antarctic ice shelves triggers a centennial- to millennial-scale response of the Antarctic ice sheet in which enhanced viscous flow produces a long-term commitment (an unstoppable contribution) to sea-level rise. Our simulations represent the response of the present-day Antarctic ice-sheet system to the oceanic and climatic changes of four representative concentration pathways (RCPs) from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Collins et al., 2013). We find that substantial Antarctic ice loss can be prevented only by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to RCP 2.6 levels. Higher-emissions scenarios lead to ice loss from Antarctic that will raise sea level by 0.6-3 metres by the year 2300. Our results imply that greenhouse gas emissions in the next few decades will strongly influence the long-term contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to global sea level.

Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise and Superstorms: Evidence from Paleoclimate Data, Climate Modeling, and Modern Observations that 2C Global Warming Could Be Dangerous

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, J.; Sato, Makiko; Hearty, Paul; Ruedy, Reto; Kelley, Maxwell; Masson-Delmotte, Valerie; Russell, Gary; Tselioudis, George; Cao, Junji; Rignot, Eric;

Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 °C global warming could be dangerous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, James; Sato, Makiko; Hearty, Paul; Ruedy, Reto; Kelley, Maxwell; Masson-Delmotte, Valerie; Russell, Gary; Tselioudis, George; Cao, Junji; Rignot, Eric; Velicogna, Isabella; Tormey, Blair; Donovan, Bailey; Kandiano, Evgeniya; von Schuckmann, Karina; Kharecha, Pushker; Legrande, Allegra N.; Bauer, Michael; Lo, Kwok-Wai

2016-03-01

We use numerical climate simulations, paleoclimate data, and modern observations to study the effect of growing ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland. Meltwater tends to stabilize the ocean column, inducing amplifying feedbacks that increase subsurface ocean warming and ice shelf melting. Cold meltwater and induced dynamical effects cause ocean surface cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic, thus increasing Earth's energy imbalance and heat flux into most of the global ocean's surface. Southern Ocean surface cooling, while lower latitudes are warming, increases precipitation on the Southern Ocean, increasing ocean stratification, slowing deepwater formation, and increasing ice sheet mass loss. These feedbacks make ice sheets in contact with the ocean vulnerable to accelerating disintegration. We hypothesize that ice mass loss from the most vulnerable ice, sufficient to raise sea level several meters, is better approximated as exponential than by a more linear response. Doubling times of 10, 20 or 40 years yield multi-meter sea level rise in about 50, 100 or 200 years. Recent ice melt doubling times are near the lower end of the 10-40-year range, but the record is too short to confirm the nature of the response. The feedbacks, including subsurface ocean warming, help explain paleoclimate data and point to a dominant Southern Ocean role in controlling atmospheric CO2, which in turn exercised tight control on global temperature and sea level. The millennial (500-2000-year) timescale of deep-ocean ventilation affects the timescale for natural CO2 change and thus the timescale for paleo-global climate, ice sheet, and sea level changes, but this paleo-millennial timescale should not be misinterpreted as the timescale for ice sheet response to a rapid, large, human-made climate forcing. These climate feedbacks aid interpretation of events late in the prior interglacial, when sea level rose to +6-9 m with evidence of extreme storms while Earth was less than 1 °C warmer than today. Ice melt cooling of the North Atlantic and Southern oceans increases atmospheric temperature gradients, eddy kinetic energy and baroclinicity, thus driving more powerful storms. The modeling, paleoclimate evidence, and ongoing observations together imply that 2 °C global warming above the preindustrial level could be dangerous. Continued high fossil fuel emissions this century are predicted to yield (1) cooling of the Southern Ocean, especially in the Western Hemisphere; (2) slowing of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation, warming of the ice shelves, and growing ice sheet mass loss; (3) slowdown and eventual shutdown of the Atlantic overturning circulation with cooling of the North Atlantic region; (4) increasingly powerful storms; and (5) nonlinearly growing sea level rise, reaching several meters over a timescale of 50-150 years. These predictions, especially the cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic with markedly reduced warming or even cooling in Europe, differ fundamentally from existing climate change assessments. We discuss observations and modeling studies needed to refute or clarify these assertions.

Does Southern Ocean Surface Forcing Shape the Global Ocean Overturning Circulation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shantong; Eisenman, Ian; Stewart, Andrew L.

2018-03-01

Paleoclimate proxy data suggest that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was shallower at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) than its preindustrial (PI) depth. Previous studies have suggested that this shoaling necessarily accompanies Antarctic sea ice expansion at the LGM. Here the influence of Southern Ocean surface forcing on the AMOC depth is investigated using ocean-only simulations from a state-of-the-art climate model with surface forcing specified from the output of previous coupled PI and LGM simulations. In contrast to previous expectations, we find that applying LGM surface forcing in the Southern Ocean and PI surface forcing elsewhere causes the AMOC to shoal only about half as much as when LGM surface forcing is applied globally. We show that this occurs because diapycnal mixing renders the Southern Ocean overturning circulation more diabatic than previously assumed, which diminishes the influence of Southern Ocean surface buoyancy forcing on the depth of the AMOC.

Coral bleaching under unconventional scenarios of climate warming and ocean acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, Lester; Cox, Peter; Halloran, Paul R.; Mumby, Peter J.; Wiltshire, Andy J.

2015-08-01

Elevated sea surface temperatures have been shown to cause mass coral bleaching. Widespread bleaching, affecting >90% of global coral reefs and causing coral degradation, has been projected to occur by 2050 under all climate forcing pathways adopted by the IPCC for use within the Fifth Assessment Report. These pathways include an extremely ambitious pathway aimed to limit global mean temperature rise to 2 °C (ref. ; Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6--RCP2.6), which assumes full participation in emissions reductions by all countries, and even the possibility of negative emissions. The conclusions drawn from this body of work, which applied widely used algorithms to estimate coral bleaching, are that we must either accept that the loss of a large percentage of the world’s coral reefs is inevitable, or consider technological solutions to buy those reefs time until atmospheric CO2 concentrations can be reduced. Here we analyse the potential for geoengineering, through stratospheric aerosol-based solar radiation management (SRM), to reduce the extent of global coral bleaching relative to ambitious climate mitigation. Exploring the common criticism of geoengineering--that ocean acidification and its impacts will continue unabated--we focus on the sensitivity of results to the aragonite saturation state dependence of bleaching. We do not, however, address the additional detrimental impacts of ocean acidification on processes such as coral calcification that will further determine the benefit to corals of any SRM-based scenario. Despite the sensitivity of thermal bleaching thresholds to ocean acidification being uncertain, stabilizing radiative forcing at 2020 levels through SRM reduces the risk of global bleaching relative to RCP2.6 under all acidification-bleaching relationships analysed.

Sea spray aerosol fluxes in the Baltic Sea region: Comparison of the WAM model with measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markuszewski, Piotr; Kosecki, Szymon; Petelski, Tomasz

2017-08-01

Sea spray aerosol flux is an important element of sub-regional climate modeling. The majority of works related to this topic concentrate on open ocean research rather than on smaller, inland seas, e.g., the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish inland seas by area, where major inflows of oceanic waters are rare. Furthermore, surface waves in the Baltic Sea have a relatively shorter lifespan in comparison with oceanic waves. Therefore, emission of sea spray aerosol may differ greatly from what is known from oceanic research and should be investigated. This article presents a comparison of sea spray aerosol measurements carried out on-board the s/y Oceania research ship with data calculated in accordance to the WAM model. The measurements were conducted in the southern region of the Baltic Sea during four scientific cruises. The gradient method was used to determinate aerosol fluxes. The fluxes were calculated for particles of diameter in range of 0.5-47 μm. The correlation between wind speed measured and simulated has a good agreement (correlation in range of 0.8). The comparison encompasses three different sea spray generation models. First, function proposed by Massel (2006) which is based only on wave parameters, such as significant wave height and peak frequency. Second, Callaghan (2013) which is based on Gong (2003) model (wind speed relation), and a thorough experimental analysis of whitecaps. Third, Petelski et al. (2014) which is based on in-situ gradient measurements with the function dependent on wind speed. The two first models which based on whitecaps analysis are insufficient. Moreover, the research shows strong relation between aerosol emission and wind speed history.

Early detection of ocean acidification effects on marine calcification

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

Ilyina, T.; Zeebe, R. E.; E. Maier-Reimer

Ocean acidification is likely to impact calcification rates in many pelagic organisms, which may in turn cause significant changes in marine ecosystem structure. We examine effects of changes in marine CaCO3 production on total alkalinity (TA) in the ocean using the global biogeochemical ocean model HAMOCC. We test a variety of future calcification scenarios because experimental studies with different organisms have revealed a wide range of calcification sensitivities to CaCO3 saturation state. The model integrations start at a preindustrial steady state in the year 1800 and run until the year 2300 forced with anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Calculated trends in TAmore » are evaluated taking into account the natural variability in ocean carbonate chemistry, as derived from repeat hydrographic transects. We conclude that the data currently available does not allow discerning significant trends in TA due to changes in pelagic calcification caused by ocean acidification. Given different calcification scenarios, our model calculations indicate that the TA increase over time will start being detectable by the year 2040, increasing by 5–30 umol/kg compared to the present-day values. In a scenario of extreme reductions in calcification, large TA changes relative to preindustrial conditions would have occurred at present, which we consider very unlikely. However, the time interval of reliable TA observations is too short to disregard this scenario. The largest increase in surface ocean TA is predicted for the tropical and subtropical regions. In order to monitor and quantify possible early signs of acidification effects, we suggest to specifically target those regions during future ocean chemistry surveys.« less

Clear-sky irradiance simulation using GMAO products and its comparison to ground and CERES satellite observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, S. H.; Loeb, N. G.; Kato, S.; Rose, F. G.; Bosilovich, M. G.; Rutan, D. A.; Huang, X.; Collow, A.

2017-12-01

Global Modeling Assimilation Office (GMAO) GEOS assimilated datasets are used to describe temperature and humidity profiles in the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data processing. Given that advance versions of the assimilated data sets known as of Forward Processing (FP), FP Parallel (FPP), and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) datasets are available, we examine clear-sky irradiance calculation to see if accuracy is improved with these newer versions of GMAO datasets when their temperature and humidity profiles are used in computing irradiances. Two older versions, GEOS-5.2.0 and GEOS-5.4.1 are used for producing, respectively, Ed3 and Ed4 CERES data products. For the evaluation, CERES-derived TOA irradiances and observed ground-based surface irradiances are compared with the computed irradiances for clear skies identified by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Surface type dependent spectral emissivity is taken from an observationally-based monthly gridded emissivity dataset. TOA longwave (LW) irradiances computed with GOES-5.2.0 temperature and humidity profiles are biased low, up to -5 Wm-2, compared to CERES-derived TOA longwave irradiance over tropical oceans. In contrast, computed longwave irradiances agree well with CERES observations with the biases less than 2 W m-2 when GOES-5.4.1, FP v5.13, or MERRA-2 temperature and humidity are used. The negative biases of the TOA LW irradiance computed with GOES-5.2.0 appear to be related to a wet bias at 500-850 hPa layer. This indicates that if the input of CERES algorithm switches from GOES-5.2.0 to FP v5.13 or MERRA-2, the bias in clear-sky longwave TOA fluxes over tropical oceans is expected to be smaller. At surface, downward LW irradiances computed with FP v5.13 and MERRA-2 are biased low, up to -10 Wm-2, compared to ground observations over tropical oceans. The magnitude of the bias in the longwave surface irradiances cannot be explained by uncertainties related to aerosol, which is estimated to be less than 2.5 W m-2. Therefore, the negative biases are likely caused by cold or dry biases in FP v5.13 and MERRA-2 datasets. We plan to continue the investigation with more ground sites.

Systemic swings in end-Permian environments from Siberian Traps carbon and sulfur outgassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, B. A.; Neely, R.; Lamarque, J. F.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Kiehl, J. T.; Shields, C. A.; Mills, M. J.; Bardeen, C.

2017-12-01

U-Pb geochronology has revealed that Siberian Traps flood basalt magmatism coincided with the 252 Ma end-Permian mass extinction. Most environmental consequences of magmatism follow directly or indirectly from the release of sulfur and some combination of magmatic and metamorphic carbon to the atmosphere (exceptions include ozone depletion from halogen emissions, release of toxic metals, and enhanced weathering of fresh volcanic rocks). However, the critical combinations of forcing and stress that trigger global mass extinction remain unknown. In particular, the combined and competing effects of sulfur and carbon outgassing on Earth systems remain to be quantified. Here we present results from global climate model simulations of flood basalt outgassing that account for sulfur chemistry and aerosol microphysics. We consider the effects of sulfur and carbon in isolation and in tandem, and find that carbon and sulfur emissions combine to generate swings in climate, ocean circulation, and hydrology. Our simulations provide a self-consistent framework to quantitatively explain observed features of the end-Permian including surface warming, fluctuating ocean oxygenation, intense weathering, and carbon cycle perturbation, unifying observed changes in climate and geochemical cycles with feedbacks initiated by Siberian Traps magmatism.

Delayed CO2 emissions from mid-ocean ridge volcanism as a possible cause of late-Pleistocene glacial cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huybers, P. J.

2016-12-01

The coupled variations in ice volume, temperature, and atmospheric CO2 during the late Pleistocene are most often represented as involving some combination of orbital forcing, ice dynamics, and ocean circulation. Also previously argued is that changes in glaciation influence atmospheric CO2 concentrations through modifying subaerial volcanic eruptions and CO2 emissions. Building on recent evidence that ocean ridge volcanism responds to changes in sea level, a conceptual model is presented wherein ocean ridges play an important role in generating late-Pleistocene 100 ky glacial cycles on account of an inherent delay in their feedback response. If all volcanic CO2 emissions responded immediately to changes in pressure, subaerial and ocean-ridge volcanic emissions anomalies would merely oppose one another. At ocean ridges, however, the egress of CO2 from the mantle is delayed by tens-of-thousands of years, or longer, owing to ascent time. The simple model involves temperature, ice, and CO2 and is shown to oscillates at 100 ky time scales when incorporating a delayed CO2 contribution from ocean ridge volcanism, even if the feedback accounts for only a small fraction of total changes in CO2. Features of the model that are consistent with observations include that it readily become phase-locked with insolation forcing associated with changes in Earth's orbit, and that temperature variations lead changes in CO2 by several centuries during deglaciation. Under certain parameterizations, a transition from 41 ky to larger 100 ky oscillations occurs during the middle Pleistocene in response to modulations in orbital forcing. This novel description of Pleistocene glaciation should be testable through ongoing advances in understanding the circulation of carbon through the solid earth.

Transport and transportation pathways of hazardous chemicals from solid waste disposal.

PubMed Central

Van Hook, R I

1978-01-01

To evaluate the impact of hazardous chemicals in solid wastes on man and other organisms, it is necessary to have information about amounts of chemical present, extent of exposure, and chemical toxicity. This paper addresses the question of organism exposure by considering the major physical and biological transport pathways and the physicochemical and biochemical transformations that may occur in sediments, soils, and water. Disposal of solid wastes in both terrestrial and oceanic environments is considered. Atmospheric transport is considered for emissions from incineration of solid wastes and for wind resuspension of particulates from surface waste deposits. Solid wastes deposited in terrestrial environments are subject to leaching by surface and ground waters. Leachates may then be transported to other surface waters and drinking water aquifers through hydrologic transport. Leachates also interact with natural organic matter, clays, and microorganisms in soils and sediments. These interactions may render chemical constituents in leachates more or less mobile, possibly change chemical and physical forms, and alter their biological activity. Oceanic waste disposal practices result in migration through diffusion and ocean currents. Surface area-to-volume ratios play a major role in the initial distributions of chemicals in the aquatic environment. Sediments serve as major sources and sinks of chemical contaminants. Food chain transport in both aquatic and terrestrial environments results in the movement of hazardous chemicals from lower to higher positions in the food web. Bioconcentration is observed in both terrestrial and aquatic food chains with certain elements and synthetic organics. Bioconcentration factors tend to be higher for synthetic organics, and higher in aquatic than in terrestrial systems. Biodilution is not atypical in terrestrial environments. Synergistic and antagonistic actions are common occurrences among chemical contaminants and can be particularly important toxicity considerations in aquatic environments receiving runoff from several terrestrial sources. PMID:367772

Preferred response of the East Asian summer monsoon to local and non-local anthropogenic sulphur dioxide emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Buwen; Sutton, Rowan T.; Highwood, Eleanor J.; Wilcox, Laura J.

2016-03-01

In this study, the atmospheric component of a state-of-the-art climate model (HadGEM2-ES) that includes earth system components such as interactive chemistry and eight species of tropospheric aerosols considering aerosol direct, indirect, and semi-direct effects, has been used to investigate the impacts of local and non-local emissions of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide on the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The study focuses on the fast responses (including land surface feedbacks, but without sea surface temperature feedbacks) to sudden changes in emissions from Asia and Europe. The initial responses, over days 1-40, to Asian and European emissions show large differences. The response to Asian emissions involves a direct impact on the sulphate burden over Asia, with immediate consequences for the shortwave energy budget through aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions. These changes lead to cooling of East Asia and a weakening of the EASM. In contrast, European emissions have no significant impact on the sulphate burden over Asia, but they induce mid-tropospheric cooling and drying over the European sector. Subsequently, however, this cold and dry anomaly is advected into Asia, where it induces atmospheric and surface feedbacks over Asia and the Western North Pacific (WNP), which also weaken the EASM. In spite of very different perturbations to the local aerosol burden in response to Asian and European sulphur dioxide emissions, the large scale pattern of changes in land-sea thermal contrast, atmospheric circulation and local precipitation over East Asia from days 40 onward exhibits similar structures, indicating a preferred response, and suggesting that emissions from both regions likely contributed to the observed weakening of the EASM. Cooling and drying of the troposphere over Asia, together with warming and moistening over the WNP, reduces the land-sea thermal contrast between the Asian continent and surrounding oceans. This leads to high sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies over Asia and low SLP anomalies over the WNP, associated with a weakened EASM. In response to emissions from both regions warming and moistening over the WNP plays an important role and determines the time scale of the response.

Constraints on oceanic methane emissions west of Svalbard from atmospheric in situ measurements and Lagrangian transport modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisso, Ignacio; Myhre, Cathrine Lund; Platt, Stephen Matthew; Eckhardt, Sabine; Hermansen, Ove; Schmidbauer, Norbert; Mienert, Jurgen; Vadakkepuliyambatta, Sunil; Bauguitte, Stephane; Pitt, Joseph; Allen, Grant; Bower, Keith; O'Shea, Sebastian; Gallagher, Martin; Percival, Carl; Pyle, John; Cain, Michelle; Stohl, Andreas

2017-04-01

Methane stored in seabed reservoirs such as methane hydrates can reach the atmosphere in the form of bubbles or dissolved in water. Hydrates could destabilize with rising temperature further increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate. To assess the impact of oceanic emissions from the area west of Svalbard, where methane hydrates are abundant, we used measurements collected with a research aircraft (FAAM) and a ship (Helmer Hansen) during the Summer 2014, and for Zeppelin Observatory for the full year. We present a model-supported analysis of the atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios measured by the different platforms. To address uncertainty about where CH4 emissions actually occur, we explored three scenarios: areas with known seeps, a hydrate stability model and an ocean depth criterion. We then used a budget analysis and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to compare measurements taken upwind and downwind of the potential CH4 emission areas. We found small differences between the CH4 mixing ratios measured upwind and downwind of the potential emission areas during the campaign. By taking into account measurement and sampling uncertainties and by determining the sensitivity of the measured mixing ratios to potential oceanic emissions, we provide upper limits for the CH4 fluxes. The CH4 flux during the campaign was small, with an upper limit of 2.5 nmol / m s in the stability model scenario. The Zeppelin Observatory data for 2014 suggests CH4 fluxes from the Svalbard continental platform below 0.2 Tg/yr . All estimates are in the lower range of values previously reported.

Decision Support Tool Evaluation Report for Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) Version 7.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

D'Sa, Eurico; Hall, Callie; Zanoni, Vicki; Holland, Donald; Blonski, Slawomir; Pagnutti, Mary; Spruce, Joseph P.

2004-01-01

The Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) is operated by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as part of its Coral Reef Watch program in response to the deteriorating global state of coral reef and related benthic ecosystems. In addition to sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the two most important parameters used by the CREWS network in generating coral reef bleaching alerts are 1) wind speed and direction and 2) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). NASA remote sensing products that can enhance CREWS in these areas include SST and PAR products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and wind data from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT). CREWS researchers are also interested in chlorophyll, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and salinity. Chlorophyll and CDOM are directly available as NASA products, while rainfall (an available NASA product) can be used as a proxy for salinity. Other potential NASA inputs include surface reflectance products from MODIS, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and Landsat. This report also identifies NASA-supported ocean circulation models and products from future satellite missions that might enchance the CREWS DST.

Economic Vulnerability Assessment of U.S. Fishery Revenues to Ocean Acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooley, S. R.; Doney, S. C.

2008-12-01

Ocean acidification, a predictable consequence of rising anthropogenic CO2 emissions, is poised to change marine ecosystems profoundly by decreasing average ocean pH and the carbonate mineral saturation state worldwide. These conditions slow or reverse marine plant and animal calcium carbonate shell growth, thereby harming economically valuable species. In 2006, shellfish and crustaceans provided 50% of the 4 billion U.S. domestic commercial harvest value; value added to commercial fishery products contributed 35 billion to the gross national product that year. Laboratory studies have shown that ocean acidification decreases shellfish calcification; ocean acidification--driven declines in commercial shellfish and crustacean harvests between now and 2060 could decrease nationwide time-integrated primary commercial revenues by 860 million to 14 billion (net present value, 2006 dollars), depending on CO2 emissions, discount rates, biological responses, and fishery structure. This estimate excludes losses from coral reef damage and possible fishery collapses if ocean acidification pushes ecosystems past ecological tipping points. Expanding job losses and indirect economic costs will follow harvest decreases as ocean acidification broadly damages marine habitats and alters marine resource availability. Losses will harm many regions already possessing little economic resilience. The only true solution to ocean acidification is reducing atmospheric CO2 emissions, but implementing regional adaptive responses now from an ecosystem-wide, fisheries perspective will help better preserve sustainable ecosystem function and economic yields. Comprehensive management strategies must include monitoring critical fisheries, explicitly accounting for ocean acidification in management models, reducing fishing pressure and environmental stresses, and supporting regional economies most sensitive to acidification's impacts.

Nitrous oxide emissions estimated with the Carbon Tracker Lagrange regional inversion framework suggest the North American source comes predominantly from agricultural regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevison, C. D.; Andrews, A. E.; Thoning, K. W.; Saikawa, E.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Sweeney, C.; Benmergui, J. S.

2016-12-01

The Carbon Tracker Lagrange (CTL) regional inversion framework is used to estimate North American nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of 1.6 ± 0.4 Tg N/yr over 2008-2013. More than half of the North American emissions are estimated to come from the central agricultural belt, extending from southern Canada to Texas, and are strongest in spring and early summer, consistent with a nitrogen fertilizer-driven source. The estimated N2O flux from the Midwestern corn/soybean belt and the more northerly wheat belt corresponds to 5% of synthetic + organic N fertilizer applied to those regions. While earlier regional atmospheric inversion studies have suggested that global inventories such as EDGAR may be underestimating U.S. anthropogenic N2O emissions by a factor of 3 or more, our results, integrated over a full calendar year, are generally consistent with those inventories and with global inverse model results and budget constraints. The CTL framework is a Bayesian method based on footprints from the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model applied to atmospheric N2O data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, including surface, aircraft and tall tower platforms. The CTL inversion results are sensitive to the prescribed boundary condition or background value of N2O, which is estimated based on a new Empirical BackGround (EBG) product derived from STILT back trajectories applied to NOAA data. Analysis of the N2O EBG products suggests a significant, seasonally-varying influence on surface N2O data due to the stratospheric influx of N2O-depleted air. Figure 1. Posterior annual mean N2O emissions for 2010 estimated with the CTL regional inversion framework. The locations of NOAA surface and aircraft data used in the inversion are superimposed as black circles and grey triangles, respectively. Mobile surface sites are indicated with asterisks.

NASA's Carbon Monitoring System Flux-Pilot Project: A Multi-Component Analysis System for Carbon-Cycle Research and Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pawson, S.; Gunson, M.; Potter, C.; Jucks, K.

2012-01-01

The importance of greenhouse gas increases for climate motivates NASA s observing strategy for CO2 from space, including the forthcoming Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) mission. Carbon cycle monitoring, including attribution of atmospheric concentrations to regional emissions and uptake, requires a robust modeling and analysis infrastructure to optimally extract information from the observations. NASA's Carbon-Monitoring System Flux-Pilot Project (FPP) is a prototype for such analysis, combining a set of unique tools to facilitate analysis of atmospheric CO2 along with fluxes between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere or ocean. NASA's analysis system is unique, in that it combines information and expertise from the land, oceanic, and atmospheric branches of the carbon cycle and includes some estimates of uncertainty. Numerous existing space-based missions provide information of relevance to the carbon cycle. This study describes the components of the FPP framework, assessing the realism of computed fluxes, thus providing the basis for research and monitoring applications. Fluxes are computed using data-constrained terrestrial biosphere models and physical ocean models, driven by atmospheric observations and assimilating ocean-color information. Use of two estimates provides a measure of uncertainty in the fluxes. Along with inventories of other emissions, these data-derived fluxes are used in transport models to assess their consistency with atmospheric CO2 observations. Closure is achieved by using a four-dimensional data assimilation (inverse) approach that adjusts the terrestrial biosphere fluxes to make them consistent with the atmospheric CO2 observations. Results will be shown, illustrating the year-to-year variations in land biospheric and oceanic fluxes computed in the FPP. The signals of these surface-flux variations on atmospheric CO2 will be isolated using forward modeling tools, which also incorporate estimates of transport error. The results will be discussed in the context of interannual variability of observed atmospheric CO2 distributions.

Model sensitivity studies of the decrease in atmospheric carbon tetrachloride

DOE PAGES

Chipperfield, Martyn P.; Liang, Qing; Rigby, Matthew; ...

2016-12-20

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) is an ozone-depleting substance, which is controlled by the Montreal Protocol and for which the atmospheric abundance is decreasing. But, the current observed rate of this decrease is known to be slower than expected based on reported CCl 4 emissions and its estimated overall atmospheric lifetime. Here we use a three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model to investigate the impact on its predicted decay of uncertainties in the rates at which CCl 4 is removed from the atmosphere by photolysis, by ocean uptake and by degradation in soils. The largest sink is atmospheric photolysis (74 % ofmore » total), but a reported 10 % uncertainty in its combined photolysis cross section and quantum yield has only a modest impact on the modelled rate of CCl 4 decay. This is partly due to the limiting effect of the rate of transport of CCl 4 from the main tropospheric reservoir to the stratosphere, where photolytic loss occurs. The model suggests large interannual variability in the magnitude of this stratospheric photolysis sink caused by variations in transport. The impact of uncertainty in the minor soil sink (9 % of total) is also relatively small. In contrast, the model shows that uncertainty in ocean loss (17 % of total) has the largest impact on modelled CCl 4 decay due to its sizeable contribution to CCl 4 loss and large lifetime uncertainty range (147 to 241 years). Furthermore, with an assumed CCl 4 emission rate of 39 Gg year -1, the reference simulation with the best estimate of loss processes still underestimates the observed CCl 4 (overestimates the decay) over the past 2 decades but to a smaller extent than previous studies. Changes to the rate of CCl 4 loss processes, in line with known uncertainties, could bring the model into agreement with in situ surface and remote-sensing measurements, as could an increase in emissions to around 47 Gg year -1. Further progress in constraining the CCl 4 budget is partly limited by systematic biases between observational datasets. For example, surface observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) network are larger than from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network but have shown a steeper decreasing trend over the past 2 decades. The observed differences imply a difference in emissions which is significant relative to uncertainties in the magnitudes of the CCl 4 sinks.« less

Model sensitivity studies of the decrease in atmospheric carbon tetrachloride

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

Chipperfield, Martyn P.; Liang, Qing; Rigby, Matthew

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) is an ozone-depleting substance, which is controlled by the Montreal Protocol and for which the atmospheric abundance is decreasing. But, the current observed rate of this decrease is known to be slower than expected based on reported CCl 4 emissions and its estimated overall atmospheric lifetime. Here we use a three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model to investigate the impact on its predicted decay of uncertainties in the rates at which CCl 4 is removed from the atmosphere by photolysis, by ocean uptake and by degradation in soils. The largest sink is atmospheric photolysis (74 % ofmore » total), but a reported 10 % uncertainty in its combined photolysis cross section and quantum yield has only a modest impact on the modelled rate of CCl 4 decay. This is partly due to the limiting effect of the rate of transport of CCl 4 from the main tropospheric reservoir to the stratosphere, where photolytic loss occurs. The model suggests large interannual variability in the magnitude of this stratospheric photolysis sink caused by variations in transport. The impact of uncertainty in the minor soil sink (9 % of total) is also relatively small. In contrast, the model shows that uncertainty in ocean loss (17 % of total) has the largest impact on modelled CCl 4 decay due to its sizeable contribution to CCl 4 loss and large lifetime uncertainty range (147 to 241 years). Furthermore, with an assumed CCl 4 emission rate of 39 Gg year -1, the reference simulation with the best estimate of loss processes still underestimates the observed CCl 4 (overestimates the decay) over the past 2 decades but to a smaller extent than previous studies. Changes to the rate of CCl 4 loss processes, in line with known uncertainties, could bring the model into agreement with in situ surface and remote-sensing measurements, as could an increase in emissions to around 47 Gg year -1. Further progress in constraining the CCl 4 budget is partly limited by systematic biases between observational datasets. For example, surface observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) network are larger than from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network but have shown a steeper decreasing trend over the past 2 decades. The observed differences imply a difference in emissions which is significant relative to uncertainties in the magnitudes of the CCl 4 sinks.« less

Hurricane Dean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Location: The coast of Mexico from Manzanillo to Mazatlan Categorization: Tropical Depression Sustained Winds: 35 mph (56 km/hr)

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Infrared ImageMicrowave Image

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on the image to access AIRS Weather Snapshot for Hurricane Dean

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Hurricane Felix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave Image

These infrared and microwave images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite, and show the remnants of the former Hurricane Felix over Central America.

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Reviews and syntheses: An empirical spatiotemporal description of the global surface-atmosphere carbon fluxes: opportunities and data limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zscheischler, Jakob; Mahecha, Miguel D.; Avitabile, Valerio; Calle, Leonardo; Carvalhais, Nuno; Ciais, Philippe; Gans, Fabian; Gruber, Nicolas; Hartmann, Jens; Herold, Martin; Ichii, Kazuhito; Jung, Martin; Landschützer, Peter; Laruelle, Goulven G.; Lauerwald, Ronny; Papale, Dario; Peylin, Philippe; Poulter, Benjamin; Ray, Deepak; Regnier, Pierre; Rödenbeck, Christian; Roman-Cuesta, Rosa M.; Schwalm, Christopher; Tramontana, Gianluca; Tyukavina, Alexandra; Valentini, Riccardo; van der Werf, Guido; West, Tristram O.; Wolf, Julie E.; Reichstein, Markus

2017-08-01

Understanding the global carbon (C) cycle is of crucial importance to map current and future climate dynamics relative to global environmental change. A full characterization of C cycling requires detailed information on spatiotemporal patterns of surface-atmosphere fluxes. However, relevant C cycle observations are highly variable in their coverage and reporting standards. Especially problematic is the lack of integration of the carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange of the ocean, inland freshwaters and the land surface with the atmosphere. Here we adopt a data-driven approach to synthesize a wide range of observation-based spatially explicit surface-atmosphere CO2 fluxes from 2001 to 2010, to identify the state of today's observational opportunities and data limitations. The considered fluxes include net exchange of open oceans, continental shelves, estuaries, rivers, and lakes, as well as CO2 fluxes related to net ecosystem productivity, fire emissions, loss of tropical aboveground C, harvested wood and crops, as well as fossil fuel and cement emissions. Spatially explicit CO2 fluxes are obtained through geostatistical and/or remote-sensing-based upscaling, thereby minimizing biophysical or biogeochemical assumptions encoded in process-based models. We estimate a bottom-up net C exchange (NCE) between the surface (land, ocean, and coastal areas) and the atmosphere. Though we provide also global estimates, the primary goal of this study is to identify key uncertainties and observational shortcomings that need to be prioritized in the expansion of in situ observatories. Uncertainties for NCE and its components are derived using resampling. In many regions, our NCE estimates agree well with independent estimates from other sources such as process-based models and atmospheric inversions. This holds for Europe (mean ± 1 SD: 0.8 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1, positive numbers are sources to the atmosphere), Russia (0.1 ± 0.4 PgC yr-1), East Asia (1.6 ± 0.3 PgC yr-1), South Asia (0.3 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1), Australia (0.2 ± 0.3 PgC yr-1), and most of the Ocean regions. Our NCE estimates give a likely too large CO2 sink in tropical areas such as the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia. Overall, and because of the overestimated CO2 uptake in tropical lands, our global bottom-up NCE amounts to a net sink of -5.4 ± 2.0 PgC yr-1. By contrast, the accurately measured mean atmospheric growth rate of CO2 over 2001-2010 indicates that the true value of NCE is a net CO2 source of 4.3 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1. This mismatch of nearly 10 PgC yr-1 highlights observational gaps and limitations of data-driven models in tropical lands, but also in North America. Our uncertainty assessment provides the basis for setting priority regions where to increase carbon observations in the future. High on the priority list are tropical land regions, which suffer from a lack of in situ observations. Second, extensive pCO2 data are missing in the Southern Ocean. Third, we lack observations that could enable seasonal estimates of shelf, estuary, and inland water-atmosphere C exchange. Our consistent derivation of data uncertainties could serve as prior knowledge in multicriteria optimization such as the Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation System (CCDAS) and atmospheric inversions, without over- or under-stating bottom-up data credibility. In the future, NCE estimates of carbon sinks could be aggregated at national scale to compare with the official national inventories of CO2 fluxes in the land use, land use change, and forestry sector, upon which future emission reductions are proposed.

Analysis of uncertainties in GOSAT-inferred regional CO2 fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizawa, M.; Shirai, T.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Yoshida, Y.; Morino, I.; Inoue, M.; Nakatsuru, T.; Uchino, O.; Mabuchi, K.

2016-12-01

Satellite-based CO2 measurements have potential for improving our understanding global carbon cycle because of more spatiotemporal coverage than those from ground-based observations. Since the Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) was launched in January 2009, it has been measuring the column-average dry air-mole function of CO2 (XCO2) from the space. To utilize the GOSAT XCO2 for better CO2 flux estimates, several challenges should be overcome. Systematic errors (biases) in XCO2 retrievals are a major factor which leads to large differences among inverted CO2 fluxes. Temporally variable data coverage and density are also taken into account when interpreting the estimated surface fluxes. In this study, we employ an atmospheric inverse model to investigate the impacts of retrievals biases and temporally varying global distribution of GOSAT XCO2 on surface CO2 flux estimates. Inversions are performed for 2009-2013, with several subsets of the 5-year record of GOSAT XCO2 (v2.21) and its bias-corrected XCO2. GOSAT XCO2 data consist of three types: H-gain for vegetated lands, M-gain for bright surfaces (desert areas), and sun-glint for ocean surface. The results show that the global spatial distributions of estimated CO2 fluxes depend on the subset of XCO2 used. M-gain XCO2 results in unrealistically high CO2 emissions in and around the Middle East, including the neighboring ocean regions. On the other hand, M-gain XCO2 causes compensating unrealistic uptakes far beyond M-gain regions in low latitudes, also partially contributing on the summer uptake in Europe. The joint inversions with both surface measurements and GOSAT XCO2 data obtain larger flux gradient between the northern extra-tropics and the tropics than the inversion with surface measurements only for the first 2 years. Recently, these North-South gradients seem to be gradually reducing as the tropics become a weaker source or turn into a sink, while the net emission strength in East Asia is increasing. The 5-year XCO2 data allows us detailed analysis of uncertainties in GOSAT-inferred fluxes and assessment of GOSAT XCO2 biases.

Changing noise levels in a high CO2/lower pH ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brewer, P. G.; Hester, K. C.; Peltzer, E. T.; Kirkwood, W. J.

2008-12-01

We show that ocean acidification from fossil fuel CO2 invasion and from increased respiration/reduced ventilation, has significantly reduced ocean sound absorption and thus increased ocean noise levels in the kHz frequency range. Below 10 kHz, sound absorption occurs due to well known chemical relaxations in the B(OH)3/B(OH)4- and HCO3-/CO32- systems. The pH dependence of these chemical relaxations results in decreased sound absorption (α = dB/km) as the ocean becomes more acidic from increased CO2 levels. The scale of surface ocean pH change today from the +105 ppmv change in atmospheric CO2 is about - 0.12 pH, resulting in frequency dependent decreases in sound absorption that now exceed 12% over pre- industrial. Under reasonable projections of future fossil fuel CO2 emissions and other sources a pH change of 0.3 units or more can be anticipated by mid-century, resulting in a decrease in α by almost 40%. Increases in water temperature have a smaller effect but also contribute to decreased sound absorption. Combining a lowering of 0.3 pH units with an increase of 3°C, α will decrease further to almost 45%. Ambient noise levels in the ocean within the auditory range critical for environmental, military, and economic interests are set to increase significantly due to the combined effects of decreased absorption and increasing sources from mankind's activities. Incorporation of sound absorption in modeling future ocean scenarios (R. Zeebe, personal communication) and long-term monitoring possibly with the aid of modern cabled observatories can give insights in how ocean noise will continue to change and its effect on groups such as marine mammals which communicate in the affected frequency range.

The Impact of Dielectric Constant Model and Surface Reference on Differences Between SMOS and Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dinnat, E. P.; Boutin, J.; Yin, X.; LeVine, D. M.

2014-01-01

Two ongoing space missions share the scientific objective of mapping the global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), yet their observations show significant discrepancies. ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and NASA's Aquarius use L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometers to measure emission from the sea surface and retrieve SSS. Significant differences in SSS retrieved by both sensors are observed, with SMOS SSS being generally lower than Aquarius SSS, except for very cold waters where SMOS SSS is the highest overall. Figure 1 is an example of the difference between the SSS retrieved by SMOS and Aquarius averaged over one month and 1 degree in longitude and latitude. Differences are mostly between -1 psu and +1 psu (psu, practical salinity unit), with a significant regional and latitudinal dependence. We investigate the impact of the vicarious calibration and retrieval algorithm used by both mission on these differences.

Redox-controlled carbon and phosphorus burial: A mechanism for enhanced organic carbon sequestration during the PETM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komar, Nemanja; Zeebe, Richard E.

2017-12-01

Geological records reveal a major perturbation in carbon cycling during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ∼56 Ma), marked by global warming of more than 5 °C and a prominent negative carbon isotope excursion of at least 2.5‰ within the marine realm. The entire event lasted about 200,000 yr and was associated with a massive release of light carbon into the ocean-atmosphere system over several thousands of years. Here we focus on the terminal stage of the PETM, during which the ocean-atmosphere system rapidly recovered from the carbon cycle perturbation. We employ a carbon-cycle box model to examine the feedbacks between surface ocean biological production, carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbonate chemistry during massive CO2 release events, such as the PETM. The model results indicate that the redox-controlled carbon-phosphorus feedback is capable of producing enhanced organic carbon sequestration during large carbon emission events. The locale of carbon oxidation (ocean vs. atmosphere) does not affect the amount of carbon sequestered. However, even though the model produces trends consistent with oxygen, excess accumulation rates of organic carbon (∼1700 Pg C during the recovery stage), export production and δ13 C data, it fails to reproduce the magnitude of change of sediment carbonate content and the CCD over-deepening during the recovery stage. The CCD and sediment carbonate content overshoot during the recovery stage is muted by a predicted increase in CaCO3 rain. Nonetheless, there are indications that the CaCO3 export remained relatively constant during the PETM. If this was indeed true, then an initial pulse of 3,000 Pg C followed by an additional, slow leak of 2,500 Pg C could have triggered an accelerated nutrient supply to the surface ocean instigating enhanced organic carbon export, consequently increasing organic carbon sequestration, resulting in an accelerated restoration of ocean-atmosphere biogeochemistry during the termination phase of the PETM.

Minimum and Maximum Potential Contributions to Future Sea Level Rise from Polar Ice Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deconto, R. M.; Pollard, D.

2017-12-01

New climate and ice-sheet modeling, calibrated to past changes in sea-level, is painting a stark picture of the future fate of the great polar ice sheets if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. This is especially true for Antarctica, where a substantial fraction of the ice sheet rests on bedrock more than 500-meters below sea level. Here, we explore the sensitivity of the polar ice sheets to a warming atmosphere and ocean under a range of future greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. The ice sheet-climate-ocean model used here considers time-evolving changes in surface mass balance and sub-ice oceanic melting, ice deformation, grounding line retreat on reverse-sloped bedrock (Marine Ice Sheet Instability), and newly added processes including hydrofracturing of ice shelves in response to surface meltwater and rain, and structural collapse of thick, marine-terminating ice margins with tall ice-cliff faces (Marine Ice Cliff Instability). The simulations improve on previous work by using 1) improved atmospheric forcing from a Regional Climate Model and 2) a much wider range of model physical parameters within the bounds of modern observations of ice dynamical processes (particularly calving rates) and paleo constraints on past ice-sheet response to warming. Approaches to more precisely define the climatic thresholds capable of triggering rapid and potentially irreversible ice-sheet retreat are also discussed, as is the potential for aggressive mitigation strategies like those discussed at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) to substantially reduce the risk of extreme sea-level rise. These results, including physics that consider both ice deformation (creep) and calving (mechanical failure of marine terminating ice) expand on previously estimated limits of maximum rates of future sea level rise based solely on kinematic constraints of glacier flow. At the high end, the new results show the potential for more than 2m of global mean sea level rise by 2100, implying that physically plausible upper limits on future sea-level rise might need to be reconsidered.

Exploiting satellite earth observation to quantify current global oceanic DMS flux and its future climate sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, P. E.; Shutler, J. D.; Bell, T. G.; Yang, M.

2014-11-01

We used coincident Envisat RA2 and AATSR temperature and wind speed data from 2008/2009 to calculate the global net sea-air flux of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which we estimate to be 19.6 Tg S a-1. Our monthly flux calculations are compared to open ocean eddy correlation measurements of DMS flux from 10 recent cruises, with a root mean square difference of 3.1 μmol m-2 day-1. In a sensitivity analysis, we varied temperature, salinity, surface wind speed, and aqueous DMS concentration, using fixed global changes as well as CMIP5 model output. The range of DMS flux in future climate scenarios is discussed. The CMIP5 model predicts a reduction in surface wind speed and we estimate that this will decrease the global annual sea-air flux of DMS by 22% over 25 years. Concurrent changes in temperature, salinity, and DMS concentration increase the global flux by much smaller amounts. The net effect of all CMIP5 modelled 25 year predictions was a 19% reduction in global DMS flux. 25 year DMS concentration changes had significant regional effects, some positive (Southern Ocean, North Atlantic, Northwest Pacific) and some negative (isolated regions along the Equator and in the Indian Ocean). Using satellite-detected coverage of coccolithophore blooms, our estimate of their contribution to North Atlantic DMS emissions suggests that the coccolithophores contribute only a small percentage of the North Atlantic annual flux estimate, but may be more important in the summertime and in the northeast Atlantic.

Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Observations of Brightness Temperatures and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate During NASA's GRIP and HS3 Campaigns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Roberts, J. B.; Jones, W. L.; Biswas, S.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Atlas, R.; Black, P.; Albers, C.

2012-01-01

HIRAD flew on high-altitude aircraft over Earl and Karl during NASA s GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes) campaign in August - September of 2010, and plans to fly over Atlantic tropical cyclones in September of 2012 as part of the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission. HIRAD is a new C-band radiometer using a synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR) technology to obtain spatial resolution of approximately 2 km, out to roughly 30 km each side of nadir. By obtaining measurements of emissions at 4, 5, 6, and 6.6 GHz, observations of ocean surface wind speed and rain rate can be retrieved. The physical retrieval technique has been used for many years by precursor instruments, including the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), which has been flying on the NOAA and USAF hurricane reconnaissance aircraft for several years to obtain observations within a single footprint at nadir angle. Results from the flights during the GRIP and HS3 campaigns will be shown, including images of brightness temperatures, wind speed, and rain rate. Comparisons will be made with observations from other instruments on the campaigns, for which HIRAD observations are either directly comparable or are complementary. Features such as storm eye and eye-wall, location of storm wind and rain maxima, and indications of dynamical features such as the merging of a weaker outer wind/rain maximum with the main vortex may be seen in the data. Potential impacts on operational ocean surface wind analyses and on numerical weather forecasts will also be discussed.

Observations of C-band Brightness Temperatures and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate from the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Roberts, J. B.; Jones, W. L.; May, C.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Atlas, R.; Black, P.

2012-01-01

HIRAD flew on the WB-57 over Earl and Karl during NASA s GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes) campaign in August - September of 2010. HIRAD is a new Cband radiometer using a synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR) technology to obtain cross-track resolution of approximately 3 degrees, out to approximately 60 degrees to each side of nadir. (The resulting swath width for a platform at 60,000 feet is roughly 60 km, and resolution for most of the swath is around 2 km.) By obtaining measurements of emissions at 4, 5, 6, and 6.6 GHz, observations of ocean surface wind speed and rain rate can be retrieved. This technique has been used for many years by precursor instruments, including the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), which has been flying on the NOAA and USAF hurricane reconnaissance aircraft for several years to obtain observations within a single footprint at nadir angle. Results from the flights during the GRIP campaign will be shown, including images of brightness temperatures, wind speed, and rain rate. Comparisons will be made with observations from other instruments on the GRIP campaign, for which HIRAD observations are either directly comparable or are complementary. Features such as storm eye and eyewall, location of storm wind and rain maxima, and indications of dynamical features such as the merging of a weaker outer wind/rain maximum with the main vortex may be seen in the data. Potential impacts on operational ocean surface wind analyses and on numerical weather forecasts will also be discussed.

Observations During GRIP from HIRAD: Images of C-Band Brightness Temperatures and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Jones, W. L.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Biswas, S.; May, C.; Shah, G.; Black, P.; Buckley, C. D.

2012-01-01

HIRAD (Hurricane Imaging Radiometer) flew on the WB-57 during NASA s GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes) campaign in August - September of 2010. HIRAD is a new C-band radiometer using a synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR) technology to obtain cross-track resolution of approximately 3 degrees, out to approximately 60 degrees to each side of nadir. By obtaining measurements of emissions at 4, 5, 6, and 6.6 GHz, observations of ocean surface wind speed and rain rate can be inferred. This technique has been used for many years by precursor instruments, including the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), which has been flying on the NOAA and USAF hurricane reconnaissance aircraft for several years. The advantage of HIRAD over SFMR is that HIRAD can observe a +/- 60-degree swath, rather than a single footprint at nadir angle. Results from the flights during the GRIP campaign will be shown, including images of brightness temperatures, wind speed, and rain rate. To the extent possible, comparisons will be made with observations from other instruments on the GRIP campaign, for which HIRAD observations are either directly comparable or are complementary. Features such as storm eye and eyewall, location of vortex wind and rain maxima, and indications of dynamical features such as the merging of a weaker outer wind/rain maximum with the main vortex may be seen in the data. Potential impacts on operational ocean surface wind analyses and on numerical weather forecasts will also be discussed.

Top-down constraints on global N2O emissions at optimal resolution: application of a new dimension reduction technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, Kelley C.; Millet, Dylan B.; Bousserez, Nicolas; Henze, Daven K.; Griffis, Timothy J.; Chaliyakunnel, Sreelekha; Dlugokencky, Edward J.; Saikawa, Eri; Xiang, Gao; Prinn, Ronald G.; O'Doherty, Simon; Young, Dickon; Weiss, Ray F.; Dutton, Geoff S.; Elkins, James W.; Krummel, Paul B.; Langenfelds, Ray; Steele, L. Paul

2018-01-01

We present top-down constraints on global monthly N2O emissions for 2011 from a multi-inversion approach and an ensemble of surface observations. The inversions employ the GEOS-Chem adjoint and an array of aggregation strategies to test how well current observations can constrain the spatial distribution of global N2O emissions. The strategies include (1) a standard 4D-Var inversion at native model resolution (4° × 5°), (2) an inversion for six continental and three ocean regions, and (3) a fast 4D-Var inversion based on a novel dimension reduction technique employing randomized singular value decomposition (SVD). The optimized global flux ranges from 15.9 Tg N yr-1 (SVD-based inversion) to 17.5-17.7 Tg N yr-1 (continental-scale, standard 4D-Var inversions), with the former better capturing the extratropical N2O background measured during the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) airborne campaigns. We find that the tropics provide a greater contribution to the global N2O flux than is predicted by the prior bottom-up inventories, likely due to underestimated agricultural and oceanic emissions. We infer an overestimate of natural soil emissions in the extratropics and find that predicted emissions are seasonally biased in northern midlatitudes. Here, optimized fluxes exhibit a springtime peak consistent with the timing of spring fertilizer and manure application, soil thawing, and elevated soil moisture. Finally, the inversions reveal a major emission underestimate in the US Corn Belt in the bottom-up inventory used here. We extensively test the impact of initial conditions on the analysis and recommend formally optimizing the initial N2O distribution to avoid biasing the inferred fluxes. We find that the SVD-based approach provides a powerful framework for deriving emission information from N2O observations: by defining the optimal resolution of the solution based on the information content of the inversion, it provides spatial information that is lost when aggregating to political or geographic regions, while also providing more temporal information than a standard 4D-Var inversion.

Vertical Redistribution of Ocean Salt Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, X.; Liu, C.; Ponte, R. M.; Piecuch, C. G.

2017-12-01

Ocean salinity is an important proxy for change and variability in the global water cycle. Multi-decadal trends have been observed in both surface and subsurface salinity in the past decades, and are usually attributed to the change in air-sea freshwater flux. Although air-sea freshwater flux, a major component of the global water cycle, certainly contributes to the change in surface and upper ocean salinity, the salt redistribution inside the ocean can affect the surface and upper ocean salinity as well. Also, the mechanisms controlling the surface and upper ocean salinity changes likely depend on timescales. Here we examined the ocean salinity changes as well as the contribution of the vertical redistribution of salt with a 20-year dynamically consistent and data-constrained ocean state estimate (ECCO: Estimating Circulation and Climate of the Ocean). A decrease in the spatial mean upper ocean salinity and an upward salt flux inside the ocean were observed. These findings indicate that over 1992-2011, surface freshwater fluxes contribute to the decrease in spatial mean upper ocean salinity and are partly compensated by the vertical redistribution of salt inside the ocean. Between advection and diffusion, the two major processes determining the vertical exchange of salt, the advective term at different depths shows a downward transport, while the diffusive term is the dominant upward transport contributor. These results suggest that the salt transport in the ocean interior should be considered in interpreting the observed surface and upper ocean salinity changes, as well as inferring information about the changes in the global water cycle.

Contributions of internal climate variability to mitigation of projected future regional sea level rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, A.; Bates, S. C.

2017-12-01

Observations indicate that the global mean surface temperature is rising, so does the global mean sea level. Sea level rise (SLR) can impose significant impacts on island and coastal communities, especially when SLR is compounded with storm surges. Here, via analyzing results from two sets of ensemble simulations from the Community Earth System Model version 1, we investigate how the potential SLR benefits through mitigating the future emission scenarios from business as usual to a mild-mitigation over the 21st Century would be affected by internal climate variability. Results show that there is almost no SLR benefit in the near term due to the large SLR variability due to the internal ocean dynamics. However, toward the end of the 21st century, the SLR benefit can be as much as a 26±1% reduction of the global mean SLR due to seawater thermal expansion. Regionally, the benefits from this mitigation for both near and long terms are heterogeneous. They vary from just a 11±5% SLR reduction in Melbourne, Australia to a 35±6% reduction in London. The processes contributing to these regional differences are the coupling of the wind-driven ocean circulation with the decadal scale sea surface temperature mode in the Pacific and Southern Oceans, and the changes of the thermohaline circulation and the mid-latitude air-sea coupling in the Atlantic.

Effects of Ocean Acidification on the Brown Alga Padina pavonica: Decalcification Due to Acute and Chronic Events

PubMed Central

Gil-Díaz, Teba; Haroun, Ricardo; Tuya, Fernando; Betancor, Séfora; Viera-Rodríguez, María A.

2014-01-01

Since the industrial revolution, anthropogenic CO2 emissions have caused ocean acidification, which particularly affects calcified organisms. Given the fan-like calcified fronds of the brown alga Padina pavonica, we evaluated the acute (short-term) effects of a sudden pH drop due to a submarine volcanic eruption (October 2011–early March 2012) affecting offshore waters around El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain). We further studied the chronic (long-term) effects of the continuous decrease in pH in the last decades around the Canarian waters. In both the observational and retrospective studies (using herbarium collections of P. pavonica thalli from the overall Canarian Archipelago), the percent of surface calcium carbonate coverage of P. pavonica thalli were contrasted with oceanographic data collected either in situ (volcanic eruption event) or from the ESTOC marine observatory data series (herbarium study). Results showed that this calcified alga is sensitive to acute and chronic environmental pH changes. In both cases, pH changes predicted surface thallus calcification, including a progressive decalcification over the last three decades. This result concurs with previous studies where calcareous organisms decalcify under more acidic conditions. Hence, Padina pavonica can be implemented as a bio-indicator of ocean acidification (at short and long time scales) for monitoring purposes over wide geographic ranges, as this macroalga is affected and thrives (unlike strict calcifiers) under more acidic conditions. PMID:25268231

Reducing Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Using Accelerated Limestone Weathering

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

Rau, G H; Knauss, K G; Langer, W H

2004-04-27

Following earlier descriptions, the use and impacts of accelerated weathering of limestone AWL; reaction: CO{sub 2} + H{sub 2}O + CaCO{sub 3} {yields} Ca{sup 2+} + 2(HCO{sub 3}{sup -}) as a CO{sub 2} capture and sequestration method is further explored. Since ready access to the ocean is likely an essential requirement for AWL, it is shown that significant limestone resources are relatively close to a majority of CO{sub 2}-emitting power plants along the coastal US. Furthermore, waste fines, representing more than 20% of current US crushed limestone production (>10{sup 9} tonnes/yr), could be used in many instances as an inexpensivemore » or free source of AWL carbonate. With limestone transportation to coastal sites then as the dominant cost variable, CO{sub 2} sequestration (plus capture) costs of $3-$4/tonne are achievable in certain locations. While there is vastly more limestone and water on earth than that required for AWL to capture and sequester all fossil fuel CO{sub 2} production, the transportation cost of bringing limestone, seawater, and waste CO{sub 2} into contact likely limits the method's applicability to perhaps 10-20% of US point-source emissions. Using a bench-scale laboratory reactor, it is shown that CO{sub 2} sequestration rates of 10{sup -6} to 10{sup -5} moles/sec per m{sup 2} of limestone surface area are readily achievable using seawater. This translates into reaction densities as high as 2 x 10{sup -2} tonnes CO{sub 2} m{sup -3}day{sup -1}, highly dependent on limestone particle size, solution turbulence and flow, and CO{sub 2} concentration. Modeling of AWL end-solution disposal in the ocean shows significantly reduced effects on ocean pH and carbonate chemistry relative to those caused by direct CO{sub 2} disposal into the atmosphere or ocean. In fact the increase in ocean Ca{sup 2+} and bicarbonate offered by AWL should significantly enhance the growth of corals and other marine calcifiers whose health is currently being threatened by anthropogenic CO{sub 2} invasion and pH reduction in the ocean.« less

Ocean acidification in a geoengineering context

PubMed Central

Williamson, Phillip; Turley, Carol

2012-01-01

Fundamental changes to marine chemistry are occurring because of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Ocean acidity (H+ concentration) and bicarbonate ion concentrations are increasing, whereas carbonate ion concentrations are decreasing. There has already been an average pH decrease of 0.1 in the upper ocean, and continued unconstrained carbon emissions would further reduce average upper ocean pH by approximately 0.3 by 2100. Laboratory experiments, observations and projections indicate that such ocean acidification may have ecological and biogeochemical impacts that last for many thousands of years. The future magnitude of such effects will be very closely linked to atmospheric CO2; they will, therefore, depend on the success of emission reduction, and could also be constrained by geoengineering based on most carbon dioxide removal (CDR) techniques. However, some ocean-based CDR approaches would (if deployed on a climatically significant scale) re-locate acidification from the upper ocean to the seafloor or elsewhere in the ocean interior. If solar radiation management were to be the main policy response to counteract global warming, ocean acidification would continue to be driven by increases in atmospheric CO2, although with additional temperature-related effects on CO2 and CaCO3 solubility and terrestrial carbon sequestration. PMID:22869801

Ocean Wave Simulation Based on Wind Field

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Ocean wave simulation has a wide range of applications in movies, video games and training systems. Wind force is the main energy resource for generating ocean waves, which are the result of the interaction between wind and the ocean surface. While numerous methods to handle simulating oceans and other fluid phenomena have undergone rapid development during the past years in the field of computer graphic, few of them consider to construct ocean surface height field from the perspective of wind force driving ocean waves. We introduce wind force to the construction of the ocean surface height field through applying wind field data and wind-driven wave particles. Continual and realistic ocean waves result from the overlap of wind-driven wave particles, and a strategy was proposed to control these discrete wave particles and simulate an endless ocean surface. The results showed that the new method is capable of obtaining a realistic ocean scene under the influence of wind fields at real time rates. PMID:26808718

Slow and Steady: Ocean Circulation. The Influence of Sea Surface Height on Ocean Currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haekkinen, Sirpa

2000-01-01

The study of ocean circulation is vital to understanding how our climate works. The movement of the ocean is closely linked to the progression of atmospheric motion. Winds close to sea level add momentum to ocean surface currents. At the same time, heat that is stored and transported by the ocean warms the atmosphere above and alters air pressure distribution. Therefore, any attempt to model climate variation accurately must include reliable calculations of ocean circulation. Unlike movement of the atmosphere, movement of the ocean's waters takes place mostly near the surface. The major patterns of surface circulation form gigantic circular cells known as gyres. They are categorized according to their general location-equatorial, subtropical, subpolar, and polar-and may run across an entire ocean. The smaller-scale cell of ocean circulation is known' as an eddy. Eddies are much more common than gyres and much more difficult to track in computer simulations of ocean currents.

Ocean Wave Simulation Based on Wind Field.

PubMed

Li, Zhongyi; Wang, Hao

2016-01-01

Ocean wave simulation has a wide range of applications in movies, video games and training systems. Wind force is the main energy resource for generating ocean waves, which are the result of the interaction between wind and the ocean surface. While numerous methods to handle simulating oceans and other fluid phenomena have undergone rapid development during the past years in the field of computer graphic, few of them consider to construct ocean surface height field from the perspective of wind force driving ocean waves. We introduce wind force to the construction of the ocean surface height field through applying wind field data and wind-driven wave particles. Continual and realistic ocean waves result from the overlap of wind-driven wave particles, and a strategy was proposed to control these discrete wave particles and simulate an endless ocean surface. The results showed that the new method is capable of obtaining a realistic ocean scene under the influence of wind fields at real time rates.

Methane over South Asian region from GOSAT observations and ACTM simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, N.; Hayashida, S.; Patra, P. K.; Saeki, T.

2017-12-01

Methane (CH4) is one of the most important short-lived climate forcers. About 8% of global CH4 emissions are estimated from South Asia, covering less than 1% of global land. However, large uncertainty prevails in the sectorial CH4 emissions because of the lack of measurements. With the availability of total column methane (XCH4) observations by satellites, variability in XCH4 have been captured for most parts of the global land with major emissions, which were otherwise not covered by the surface observation network. However, direct use of satellite data for estimating emissions by inversion analysis is highly ambiguous, unlike the in-situ measurements near the source region, XCH4 values are controlled by surface emission and CH4 abundances at all altitudes. Therefore, understanding the role of transport along with the emissions on XCH4 is necessary before using the XCH4 data for the inversion analysis. We analyzed XCH4 observed by the GHGs Observation SATellite (GOSAT) and simulations over the South Asia region using the JAMSTEC's atmospheric chemistry-transport model (ACTM). The analysis suggests that distinct XCH4 seasonal cycle over northern and southern regions of India is governed by the both heterogeneous distributions of surface emissions and variability in partial CH4 column in the upper troposphere. Using ACTM simulations, we find that over most part of the northern Indian regions up to 40% of the seasonal peak during the southwest (SW) monsoon is attributed to the lower troposphere ( 1000-600 hPa), while 40% to uplifted high-CH4 air masses in the upper troposphere ( 600-200 hPa). In contrast, XCH4 seasonal enhancement over the semi-arid region, with extremely low CH4 emissions, is attributed mainly ( 70%) to partial XCH4 variability in the upper troposphere. The lower tropospheric region contributes up to 60% in the XCH4 seasonal enhancement over the southern peninsula and oceanic region. These differences arise from the complex atmospheric transport mechanisms, caused by the seasonally varying monsoon.

Sustainable oceans in a 'civilized' world requires a sustainable human civilization. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldeira, K.; Ricke, K.; Maclaren, J. K.

2013-12-01

The sustainability of the ocean ecosystems is, in many areas, threatened by local and regional activities, including the discharge of pollutants, loss of wetlands, and overfishing. However, some threats to ocean ecosystems, notably ocean acidification and climate change, are a consequence decisions that cannot be substantively addressed only through action that is proximal to the affected ecosystem. The only practical way to reduce risks to the ocean posed by ocean acidification and climate change is to transform our energy system into one that does not use the atmosphere and the ocean as waste dumps for unwanted byproducts of modern civilization. The required revolution in our systems of energy production and consumption is a key component of the transition to a sustainable human civilization. It would be much easier to maintain a sustainable ocean if doing so did not require creating a sustainable human civilization; but unfortunately the ocean does not get to choose the problems it faces. Damage to the ocean is additive, or perhaps multiplicative. Thus, the response of an ecosystem exposed to coastal pollutants, loss of wetlands, overfishing, ocean acidification, and climate change will likely be more dramatic than the response of an ecosystem exposed to ocean acidification and climate change alone. Thus, there is merit in reducing coastal pollution, preserving and restoring wetlands, and reducing excess fishing, even if the ocean acidification and climate problems are not solved. Furthermore, damage from ocean acidification and climate change is not a yes or no question. Each CO2 emission causes a little more acidification and a little more climate change and thus a little more damage to existing ocean ecosystems. Hence, each CO2 emission that can be avoided helps avoid a little bit of damage to ocean ecosystems the world over. While the overall problem of sustainability of the ocean is very difficult to solve, there is no shortage of things to do that would be helpful. To illustrate the impact of global CO2 emissions on one class of marine ecosystems, we will present results from a recent modeling study on ocean acidification and coral reefs, and discuss recent related observational work we have been conducting in the Great Barrier Reef.

Constraints on oceanic methane emissions west of Svalbard from atmospheric in situ measurements and Lagrangian transport modeling.

PubMed

Pisso, I; Myhre, C Lund; Platt, S M; Eckhardt, S; Hermansen, O; Schmidbauer, N; Mienert, J; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S; Bauguitte, S; Pitt, J; Allen, G; Bower, K N; O'Shea, S; Gallagher, M W; Percival, C J; Pyle, J; Cain, M; Stohl, A

2016-12-16

Methane stored in seabed reservoirs such as methane hydrates can reach the atmosphere in the form of bubbles or dissolved in water. Hydrates could destabilize with rising temperature further increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate. To assess the impact of oceanic emissions from the area west of Svalbard, where methane hydrates are abundant, we used measurements collected with a research aircraft (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) and a ship (Helmer Hansen) during the Summer 2014 and for Zeppelin Observatory for the full year. We present a model-supported analysis of the atmospheric CH 4 mixing ratios measured by the different platforms. To address uncertainty about where CH 4 emissions actually occur, we explored three scenarios: areas with known seeps, a hydrate stability model, and an ocean depth criterion. We then used a budget analysis and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to compare measurements taken upwind and downwind of the potential CH 4 emission areas. We found small differences between the CH 4 mixing ratios measured upwind and downwind of the potential emission areas during the campaign. By taking into account measurement and sampling uncertainties and by determining the sensitivity of the measured mixing ratios to potential oceanic emissions, we provide upper limits for the CH 4 fluxes. The CH 4 flux during the campaign was small, with an upper limit of 2.5 nmol m -2  s -1 in the stability model scenario. The Zeppelin Observatory data for 2014 suggest CH 4 fluxes from the Svalbard continental platform below 0.2 Tg yr -1 . All estimates are in the lower range of values previously reported.

Constraints on oceanic methane emissions west of Svalbard from atmospheric in situ measurements and Lagrangian transport modeling

PubMed Central

Myhre, C. Lund; Platt, S. M.; Eckhardt, S.; Hermansen, O.; Schmidbauer, N.; Mienert, J.; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S.; Bauguitte, S.; Pitt, J.; Allen, G.; Bower, K. N.; O'Shea, S.; Gallagher, M. W.; Percival, C. J.; Pyle, J.; Cain, M.; Stohl, A.

2016-01-01

Abstract Methane stored in seabed reservoirs such as methane hydrates can reach the atmosphere in the form of bubbles or dissolved in water. Hydrates could destabilize with rising temperature further increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate. To assess the impact of oceanic emissions from the area west of Svalbard, where methane hydrates are abundant, we used measurements collected with a research aircraft (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) and a ship (Helmer Hansen) during the Summer 2014 and for Zeppelin Observatory for the full year. We present a model‐supported analysis of the atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios measured by the different platforms. To address uncertainty about where CH4 emissions actually occur, we explored three scenarios: areas with known seeps, a hydrate stability model, and an ocean depth criterion. We then used a budget analysis and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to compare measurements taken upwind and downwind of the potential CH4 emission areas. We found small differences between the CH4 mixing ratios measured upwind and downwind of the potential emission areas during the campaign. By taking into account measurement and sampling uncertainties and by determining the sensitivity of the measured mixing ratios to potential oceanic emissions, we provide upper limits for the CH4 fluxes. The CH4 flux during the campaign was small, with an upper limit of 2.5 nmol m−2 s−1 in the stability model scenario. The Zeppelin Observatory data for 2014 suggest CH4 fluxes from the Svalbard continental platform below 0.2 Tg yr−1. All estimates are in the lower range of values previously reported. PMID:28261536

Constraints on oceanic methane emissions west of Svalbard from atmospheric in situ measurements and Lagrangian transport modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisso, I.; Myhre, C. Lund; Platt, S. M.; Eckhardt, S.; Hermansen, O.; Schmidbauer, N.; Mienert, J.; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S.; Bauguitte, S.; Pitt, J.; Allen, G.; Bower, K. N.; O'Shea, S.; Gallagher, M. W.; Percival, C. J.; Pyle, J.; Cain, M.; Stohl, A.

2016-12-01

Methane stored in seabed reservoirs such as methane hydrates can reach the atmosphere in the form of bubbles or dissolved in water. Hydrates could destabilize with rising temperature further increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate. To assess the impact of oceanic emissions from the area west of Svalbard, where methane hydrates are abundant, we used measurements collected with a research aircraft (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) and a ship (Helmer Hansen) during the Summer 2014 and for Zeppelin Observatory for the full year. We present a model-supported analysis of the atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios measured by the different platforms. To address uncertainty about where CH4 emissions actually occur, we explored three scenarios: areas with known seeps, a hydrate stability model, and an ocean depth criterion. We then used a budget analysis and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to compare measurements taken upwind and downwind of the potential CH4 emission areas. We found small differences between the CH4 mixing ratios measured upwind and downwind of the potential emission areas during the campaign. By taking into account measurement and sampling uncertainties and by determining the sensitivity of the measured mixing ratios to potential oceanic emissions, we provide upper limits for the CH4 fluxes. The CH4 flux during the campaign was small, with an upper limit of 2.5 nmol m-2 s-1 in the stability model scenario. The Zeppelin Observatory data for 2014 suggest CH4 fluxes from the Svalbard continental platform below 0.2 Tg yr-1. All estimates are in the lower range of values previously reported.

Land-ocean contrast on electrical characteristics of lightning discharge derived from satellite optical measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adachi, T.; Said, R.; Cummer, S. A.; Li, J.; Takahashi, Y.; Hsu, R.; Su, H.; Chen, A. B.; Mende, S. B.; Frey, H. U.

2010-12-01

Comparative studies on the electrical properties of oceanic and continental lightning are crucial to elucidate air discharge processes occurring under different conditions. Past studies however have primarily focused on continental lightning because of the limited coverage of ground-based instruments. Recent satellite measurements by FORMOSAT-2/ISUAL provided a new way to survey the global characteristics of lightning and transient luminous events regardless of land and ocean. In this study, we analyze ISUAL/spectrophotometer data to clarify the electrical properties of lightning on a global level. Based on the results obtained by Cummer et al. [2006] and Adachi et al. [2009], the OI-777.4nm emission intensity is used to infer lightning electrical parameters. Results show a clear land-ocean contrast on the parameters of lightning discharge: in oceanic lightning, peak luminosity is 60 % higher and the time scale of return stroke is 30 % shorter. These results suggest higher peak current in oceanic lightning, which is consistent with the fact that elves, EMP-driven phenomena, also tend to occur over the ocean [Chen et al., 2008]. Further analysis of lightning events occurring around the Caribbean Sea shows that the transition-line of lightning electrical properties is precisely located along the coastline. We suggest that the differences in these electrical properties may be due to the boundary conditions (conductivity, surface terrain, etc). In this talk, based on the calibration with NLDN and Duke magnetometer data, current moment change and charge moment change will be globally evaluated using a complete set of the ISUAL-observed lightning events.

A paleo-perspective on ocean heat content: Lessons from the Holocene and Common Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, Yair; Kalansky, Julie; Morley, Audrey; Linsley, Braddock

2017-01-01

The ocean constitutes the largest heat reservoir in the Earth's energy budget and thus exerts a major influence on its climate. Instrumental observations show an increase in ocean heat content (OHC) associated with the increase in greenhouse emissions. Here we review proxy records of intermediate water temperatures from sediment cores and corals in the equatorial Pacific and northeastern Atlantic Oceans, spanning 10,000 years beyond the instrumental record. These records suggests that intermediate waters were 1.5-2 °C warmer during the Holocene Thermal Maximum than in the last century. Intermediate water masses cooled by 0.9 °C from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age. These changes are significantly larger than the temperature anomalies documented in the instrumental record. The implied large perturbations in OHC and Earth's energy budget are at odds with very small radiative forcing anomalies throughout the Holocene and Common Era. We suggest that even very small radiative perturbations can change the latitudinal temperature gradient and strongly affect prevailing atmospheric wind systems and hence air-sea heat exchange. These dynamic processes provide an efficient mechanism to amplify small changes in insolation into relatively large changes in OHC. Over long time periods the ocean's interior acts like a capacitor and builds up large (positive and negative) heat anomalies that can mitigate or amplify small radiative perturbations as seen in the Holocene trend and Common Era anomalies, respectively. Evidently the ocean's interior is more sensitive to small external forcings than the global surface ocean because of the high sensitivity of heat exchange in the high-latitudes to climate variations.

Potential effects of anthropogenic nitrogen on northern Indian Ocean nitrous oxide emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamora, L. M.; Suntharalingam, P.; Bange, H. W.; Bikkina, S.; Resplandy, L.; Sarin, M.; Schmidtko, S.; Seitzinger, S.; Singh, A.

2016-02-01

The North Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea + Bay of Bengal) accounts for 20-30% of the oceanic emissions of the greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O). The marine N2O cycle in the suboxic and anoxic waters of this region is very sensitive to relatively small shifts in ambient oxygen (O2); as O2 decreases, N2O production is progressively enhanced and subject to non-linear nitrogen (N) cycle dynamics. Thus, small, sustained changes in local O2 levels (e.g., < 5-10 mmol L-1) may result in detectable impacts on N2O emissions from the North Indian Ocean. Some recent data suggest that O2 may be declining in the already O2-impoverished Arabian Sea. While the reasons for these possible O2 declines are not fully understood, increasing anthropogenic N inputs from atmospheric and riverine sources likely contribute. In this study we bring together a combination of atmospheric deposition models, in situ measurements, and output from the NEWS riverine model to evaluate recent changes in nitrogen nutrient input to the Arabian Sea. We estimate that there has been a twofold increase in N loading from anthropogenic atmospheric deposition and river runoff to the North Indian Ocean during recent decades. To better understand how anthropogenic N increases might affect regional N2O emissions, we also present analysis of historical N2O and O2 measurements from the North Indian Ocean along with estimates of O2 and N2O fluxes from a regional marine biogeochemical model. We find that as in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal O2 is also likely decreasing. However, due to the paucity of data, we are not yet able to estimate the role of anthropogenic N or how these changes might affect Bay of Bengal N2O emissions. While uncertainties are also high in the Arabian Sea, our preliminary results suggest that increases in atmospheric N deposition are enhancing regional N2O production.

Pole-to-pole biogeography of surface and deep marine bacterial communities

PubMed Central

Ghiglione, Jean-François; Galand, Pierre E.; Pommier, Thomas; Pedrós-Alió, Carlos; Maas, Elizabeth W.; Bakker, Kevin; Bertilson, Stefan; Kirchman, David L.; Lovejoy, Connie; Yager, Patricia L.; Murray, Alison E.

2012-01-01

The Antarctic and Arctic regions offer a unique opportunity to test factors shaping biogeography of marine microbial communities because these regions are geographically far apart, yet share similar selection pressures. Here, we report a comprehensive comparison of bacterioplankton diversity between polar oceans, using standardized methods for pyrosequencing the V6 region of the small subunit ribosomal (SSU) rRNA gene. Bacterial communities from lower latitude oceans were included, providing a global perspective. A clear difference between Southern and Arctic Ocean surface communities was evident, with 78% of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) unique to the Southern Ocean and 70% unique to the Arctic Ocean. Although polar ocean bacterial communities were more similar to each other than to lower latitude pelagic communities, analyses of depths, seasons, and coastal vs. open waters, the Southern and Arctic Ocean bacterioplankton communities consistently clustered separately from each other. Coastal surface Southern and Arctic Ocean communities were more dissimilar from their respective open ocean communities. In contrast, deep ocean communities differed less between poles and lower latitude deep waters and displayed different diversity patterns compared with the surface. In addition, estimated diversity (Chao1) for surface and deep communities did not correlate significantly with latitude or temperature. Our results suggest differences in environmental conditions at the poles and different selection mechanisms controlling surface and deep ocean community structure and diversity. Surface bacterioplankton may be subjected to more short-term, variable conditions, whereas deep communities appear to be structured by longer water-mass residence time and connectivity through ocean circulation. PMID:23045668

Ammonia in the summertime Arctic marine boundary layer: sources, sinks and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wentworth, G. R.; Murphy, J. G.; Croft, B.; Martin, R. V.; Pierce, J. R.; Côté, J.-S.; Courchesne, I.; Tremblay, J.-É.; Gagnon, J.; Thomas, J. L.; Sharma, S.; Toom-Sauntry, D.; Chivulescu, A.; Levasseur, M.; Abbatt, J. P. D.

2015-11-01

Continuous hourly measurements of gas-phase ammonia (NH3(g)) were taken from 13 July to 7 August 2014 on a research cruise throughout Baffin Bay and the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Concentrations ranged from 30-650 ng m-3 (40-870 pptv) with the highest values recorded in Lancaster Sound (74°13' N, 84°00' W). Simultaneous measurements of total ammonium ([NHx]), pH and temperature in the ocean and in melt ponds were used to compute the compensation point (χ), which is the ambient NH3(g) concentration at which surface-air fluxes change direction. Ambient NH3(g) was usually several orders of magnitude larger than both χocean and χMP (< 0.4-10 ng m3) indicating these surface pools are net sinks of NH3(g). Flux calculations estimate average net downward fluxes of 1.4 and 1.1 ng m-2 s-1 for the open ocean and melt ponds, respectively. Sufficient NH3(g) was present to neutralize non-sea salt sulphate (nss-SO42-) in the boundary layer during most of the study. This finding was corroborated with a historical dataset of PM2.5 composition from Alert, NU (82°30' N, 62°20' W) wherein the median ratio of NH4+/nss-SO42- equivalents was greater than 0.75 in June, July and August. The GEOS-Chem chemical transport model was employed to examine the impact of NH3(g) emissions from seabird guano on boundary-layer composition and nss-SO42- neutralization. A GEOS-Chem simulation without seabird emissions underestimated boundary layer NH3(g) by several orders of magnitude and yielded highly acidic aerosol. A simulation that included seabird NH3 emissions was in better agreement with observations for both NH3(g) concentrations and nss-SO42- neutralization. This is strong evidence that seabird colonies are significant sources of NH3(g) in the summertime Arctic, and are ubiquitous enough to impact atmospheric composition across the entire Baffin Bay region. Large wildfires in the Northwest Territories were likely an important source of NH3(g), but their influence was probably limited to the Central Canadian Arctic. Implications of seabird-derived N-deposition to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are also discussed.

Ammonia in the summertime Arctic marine boundary layer: sources, sinks, and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wentworth, Gregory R.; Murphy, Jennifer G.; Croft, Betty; Martin, Randall V.; Pierce, Jeffrey R.; Côté, Jean-Sébastien; Courchesne, Isabelle; Tremblay, Jean-Éric; Gagnon, Jonathan; Thomas, Jennie L.; Sharma, Sangeeta; Toom-Sauntry, Desiree; Chivulescu, Alina; Levasseur, Maurice; Abbatt, Jonathan P. D.

2016-02-01

Continuous hourly measurements of gas-phase ammonia (NH3(g)) were taken from 13 July to 7 August 2014 on a research cruise throughout Baffin Bay and the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Concentrations ranged from 30 to 650 ng m-3 (40-870 pptv) with the highest values recorded in Lancaster Sound (74°13' N, 84°00' W). Simultaneous measurements of total ammonium ([NHx]), pH and temperature in the ocean and in melt ponds were used to compute the compensation point (χ), which is the ambient NH3(g) concentration at which surface-air fluxes change direction. Ambient NH3(g) was usually several orders of magnitude larger than both χocean and χMP (< 0.4-10 ng m3) indicating these surface pools are net sinks of NH3. Flux calculations estimate average net downward fluxes of 1.4 and 1.1 ng m-2 s-1 for the open ocean and melt ponds, respectively. Sufficient NH3(g) was present to neutralize non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO42-) in the boundary layer during most of the study. This finding was corroborated with a historical data set of PM2.5 composition from Alert, Nunavut (82°30' N, 62°20' W) wherein the median ratio of NH4+/nss-SO42- equivalents was greater than 0.75 in June, July and August. The GEOS-Chem chemical transport model was employed to examine the impact of NH3(g) emissions from seabird guano on boundary-layer composition and nss-SO42- neutralization. A GEOS-Chem simulation without seabird emissions underestimated boundary layer NH3(g) by several orders of magnitude and yielded highly acidic aerosol. A simulation that included seabird NH3 emissions was in better agreement with observations for both NH3(g) concentrations and nss-SO42- neutralization. This is strong evidence that seabird colonies are significant sources of NH3 in the summertime Arctic, and are ubiquitous enough to impact atmospheric composition across the entire Baffin Bay region. Large wildfires in the Northwest Territories were likely an important source of NH3, but their influence was probably limited to the Central Canadian Arctic. Implications of seabird-derived N-deposition to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are also discussed.

Direct night-time ejection of particle-phase reduced biogenic sulfur compounds from the ocean to the atmosphere.

PubMed

Gaston, Cassandra J; Furutani, Hiroshi; Guazzotti, Sergio A; Coffee, Keith R; Jung, Jinyoung; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Prather, Kimberly A

2015-04-21

The influence of oceanic biological activity on sea spray aerosol composition, clouds, and climate remains poorly understood. The emission of organic material and gaseous dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from the ocean represents well-documented biogenic processes that influence particle chemistry in marine environments. However, the direct emission of particle-phase biogenic sulfur from the ocean remains largely unexplored. Here we present measurements of ocean-derived particles containing reduced sulfur, detected as elemental sulfur ions (e.g., (32)S(+), (64)S2(+)), in seven different marine environments using real-time, single particle mass spectrometry; these particles have not been detected outside of the marine environment. These reduced sulfur compounds were associated with primary marine particle types and wind speeds typically between 5 and 10 m/s suggesting that these particles themselves are a primary emission. In studies with measurements of seawater properties, chlorophyll-a and atmospheric DMS concentrations were typically elevated in these same locations suggesting a biogenic source for these sulfur-containing particles. Interestingly, these sulfur-containing particles only appeared at night, likely due to rapid photochemical destruction during the daytime, and comprised up to ∼67% of the aerosol number fraction, particularly in the supermicrometer size range. These sulfur-containing particles were detected along the California coast, across the Pacific Ocean, and in the southern Indian Ocean suggesting that these particles represent a globally significant biogenic contribution to the marine aerosol burden.

Variational Data Assimilation for the Global Ocean

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

ocean includes the Geoid (a fixed gravity equipotential surface ) as well as the MDT, which is not known accurately enough relative to the centimeter...scales, including processes that control the surface mixed layer, the formation of ocean eddies, meandering ocean J.A. Cummings (E3) nography Division...variables. Examples of this in the ocean are integral quantities, such as acous^B travel time and altimeter measures of sea surface height, and direct

How well-connected is the surface of the global ocean?

PubMed

Froyland, Gary; Stuart, Robyn M; van Sebille, Erik

2014-09-01

The Ekman dynamics of the ocean surface circulation is known to contain attracting regions such as the great oceanic gyres and the associated garbage patches. Less well-known are the extents of the basins of attractions of these regions and how strongly attracting they are. Understanding the shape and extent of the basins of attraction sheds light on the question of the strength of connectivity of different regions of the ocean, which helps in understanding the flow of buoyant material like plastic litter. Using short flow time trajectory data from a global ocean model, we create a Markov chain model of the surface ocean dynamics. The surface ocean is not a conservative dynamical system as water in the ocean follows three-dimensional pathways, with upwelling and downwelling in certain regions. Using our Markov chain model, we easily compute net surface upwelling and downwelling, and verify that it matches observed patterns of upwelling and downwelling in the real ocean. We analyze the Markov chain to determine multiple attracting regions. Finally, using an eigenvector approach, we (i) identify the five major ocean garbage patches, (ii) partition the ocean into basins of attraction for each of the garbage patches, and (iii) partition the ocean into regions that demonstrate transient dynamics modulo the attracting garbage patches.

Oxygen in the deep-sea: The challenge of maintaining uptake rates in a changing ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, A. F.; Peltzer, E. T.; Brewer, P. G.

2011-12-01

Although focused on recently, ocean acidification is not the only effect of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on the ocean. Ocean warming will reduce dissolved oxygen concentrations and at the hypoxic limit for a given species this can pose challenges to marine life. The limit is traditionally reported simply as the static mass concentration property [O2]; here we treat it as a dynamic gas exchange problem for the animal analogous to gas exchange at the sea surface. The diffusive limit and its relationship to water velocity is critical for the earliest stages of marine life (eggs, embryos), but the effect is present for all animals at all stages of life. We calculate the external limiting O2 conditions for several representative metabolic rates and their relationship to flow of the bulk fluid under different environmental conditions. Ocean O2 concentrations decline by ≈ 14 μmol kg-1 for a 2 °C rise in temperature. At standard 1000 m depth conditions in the Pacific, flow over the surface would have to increase by ≈ 60% from 2.0 to 3.2 cm s-1 to compensate for this change. The functions derived allow new calculations of depth profiles of limiting O2 concentrations, as well as maximal diffusively sustainable metabolic oxygen consumption rates at various places around the world. Our treatment shows that there is a large variability in the global ocean in terms of facilitating aerobic life. This variability is greater than the variability of the oxygen concentration alone. It becomes clear that temperature and pressure dependencies of diffusion and partial pressure create a region typically around 1000 m depth where a maximal [O2] is needed to sustain a given metabolic rate. This zone of greatest physical constriction on the diffusive transport in the boundary layer is broadly consistent with the oxygen minimum zone, i.e., the zone of least oxygen concentration supply, resulting in a pronounced minimum of maximal diffusively sustainable metabolic oxygen consumption rates. This least-favorable zone for aerobic respiration is bound to expand with further ocean warming.

Radiative transfer through terrestrial atmosphere and ocean: Software package SCIATRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozanov, V. V.; Rozanov, A. V.; Kokhanovsky, A. A.; Burrows, J. P.

2014-01-01

SCIATRAN is a comprehensive software package for the modeling of radiative transfer processes in the terrestrial atmosphere and ocean in the spectral range from the ultraviolet to the thermal infrared (0.18 - 40 μm) including multiple scattering processes, polarization, thermal emission and ocean-atmosphere coupling. The software is capable of modeling spectral and angular distributions of the intensity or the Stokes vector of the transmitted, scattered, reflected, and emitted radiation assuming either a plane-parallel or a spherical atmosphere. Simulations are done either in the scalar or in the vector mode (i.e. accounting for the polarization) for observations by space-, air-, ship- and balloon-borne, ground-based, and underwater instruments in various viewing geometries (nadir, off-nadir, limb, occultation, zenith-sky, off-axis). All significant radiative transfer processes are accounted for. These are, e.g. the Rayleigh scattering, scattering by aerosol and cloud particles, absorption by gaseous components, and bidirectional reflection by an underlying surface including Fresnel reflection from a flat or roughened ocean surface. The software package contains several radiative transfer solvers including finite difference and discrete-ordinate techniques, an extensive database, and a specific module for solving inverse problems. In contrast to many other radiative transfer codes, SCIATRAN incorporates an efficient approach to calculate the so-called Jacobians, i.e. derivatives of the intensity with respect to various atmospheric and surface parameters. In this paper we discuss numerical methods used in SCIATRAN to solve the scalar and vector radiative transfer equation, describe databases of atmospheric, oceanic, and surface parameters incorporated in SCIATRAN, and demonstrate how to solve some selected radiative transfer problems using the SCIATRAN package. During the last decades, a lot of studies have been published demonstrating that SCIATRAN is a valuable tool for a wide range of remote sensing applications. Here, we present some selected comparisons of SCIATRAN simulations to published benchmark results, independent radiative transfer models, and various measurements from satellite, ground-based, and ship instruments. Methods for solving inverse problems related to remote sensing of the Earth's atmosphere using the SCIATRAN software are outside the scope of this study and will be discussed in a follow-up paper. The SCIATRAN software package along with a detailed User's Guide is freely available for non-commercial use via the webpage of the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen: http://www.iup.physik.uni-bremen.de/sciatran.

Time-Domain Simulation of Along-Track Interferometric SAR for Moving Ocean Surfaces.

PubMed

Yoshida, Takero; Rheem, Chang-Kyu

2015-06-10

A time-domain simulation of along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (AT-InSAR) has been developed to support ocean observations. The simulation is in the time domain and based on Bragg scattering to be applicable for moving ocean surfaces. The time-domain simulation is suitable for examining velocities of moving objects. The simulation obtains the time series of microwave backscattering as raw signals for movements of ocean surfaces. In terms of realizing Bragg scattering, the computational grid elements for generating the numerical ocean surface are set to be smaller than the wavelength of the Bragg resonant wave. In this paper, the simulation was conducted for a Bragg resonant wave and irregular waves with currents. As a result, the phases of the received signals from two antennas differ due to the movement of the numerical ocean surfaces. The phase differences shifted by currents were in good agreement with the theoretical values. Therefore, the adaptability of the simulation to observe velocities of ocean surfaces with AT-InSAR was confirmed.

Time-Domain Simulation of Along-Track Interferometric SAR for Moving Ocean Surfaces

PubMed Central

Yoshida, Takero; Rheem, Chang-Kyu

2015-01-01

A time-domain simulation of along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (AT-InSAR) has been developed to support ocean observations. The simulation is in the time domain and based on Bragg scattering to be applicable for moving ocean surfaces. The time-domain simulation is suitable for examining velocities of moving objects. The simulation obtains the time series of microwave backscattering as raw signals for movements of ocean surfaces. In terms of realizing Bragg scattering, the computational grid elements for generating the numerical ocean surface are set to be smaller than the wavelength of the Bragg resonant wave. In this paper, the simulation was conducted for a Bragg resonant wave and irregular waves with currents. As a result, the phases of the received signals from two antennas differ due to the movement of the numerical ocean surfaces. The phase differences shifted by currents were in good agreement with the theoretical values. Therefore, the adaptability of the simulation to observe velocities of ocean surfaces with AT-InSAR was confirmed. PMID:26067197

Time-dependent climate sensitivity and the legacy of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions

PubMed Central

Zeebe, Richard E.

2013-01-01

Climate sensitivity measures the response of Earth’s surface temperature to changes in forcing. The response depends on various climate processes that feed back on the initial forcing on different timescales. Understanding climate sensitivity is fundamental to reconstructing Earth’s climatic history as well as predicting future climate change. On timescales shorter than centuries, only fast climate feedbacks including water vapor, lapse rate, clouds, and snow/sea ice albedo are usually considered. However, on timescales longer than millennia, the generally higher Earth system sensitivity becomes relevant, including changes in ice sheets, vegetation, ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycling, etc. Here, I introduce the time-dependent climate sensitivity, which unifies fast-feedback and Earth system sensitivity. I show that warming projections, which include a time-dependent climate sensitivity, exhibit an enhanced feedback between surface warming and ocean CO2 solubility, which in turn leads to higher atmospheric CO2 levels and further warming. Compared with earlier studies, my results predict a much longer lifetime of human-induced future warming (23,000–165,000 y), which increases the likelihood of large ice sheet melting and major sea level rise. The main point regarding the legacy of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is that, even if the fast-feedback sensitivity is no more than 3 K per CO2 doubling, there will likely be additional long-term warming from slow climate feedbacks. Time-dependent climate sensitivity also helps explaining intense and prolonged warming in response to massive carbon release as documented for past events such as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. PMID:23918402

Time-dependent climate sensitivity and the legacy of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

PubMed

Zeebe, Richard E

2013-08-20

Climate sensitivity measures the response of Earth's surface temperature to changes in forcing. The response depends on various climate processes that feed back on the initial forcing on different timescales. Understanding climate sensitivity is fundamental to reconstructing Earth's climatic history as well as predicting future climate change. On timescales shorter than centuries, only fast climate feedbacks including water vapor, lapse rate, clouds, and snow/sea ice albedo are usually considered. However, on timescales longer than millennia, the generally higher Earth system sensitivity becomes relevant, including changes in ice sheets, vegetation, ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycling, etc. Here, I introduce the time-dependent climate sensitivity, which unifies fast-feedback and Earth system sensitivity. I show that warming projections, which include a time-dependent climate sensitivity, exhibit an enhanced feedback between surface warming and ocean CO2 solubility, which in turn leads to higher atmospheric CO2 levels and further warming. Compared with earlier studies, my results predict a much longer lifetime of human-induced future warming (23,000-165,000 y), which increases the likelihood of large ice sheet melting and major sea level rise. The main point regarding the legacy of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is that, even if the fast-feedback sensitivity is no more than 3 K per CO2 doubling, there will likely be additional long-term warming from slow climate feedbacks. Time-dependent climate sensitivity also helps explaining intense and prolonged warming in response to massive carbon release as documented for past events such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Update on emissions and environmental impacts from the international fleet of ships: the contribution from major ship types and ports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalsøren, S. B.; Eide, M. S.; Endresen, Ø.; Mjelde, A.; Gravir, G.; Isaksen, I. S. A.

2009-03-01

A reliable and up-to-date ship emission inventory is essential for atmospheric scientists quantifying the impact of shipping and for policy makers implementing regulations and incentives for emission reduction. The emission modelling in this study takes into account ship type and size dependent input data for 15 ship types and 7 size categories. Global port arrival and departure data for more than 32 000 merchant ships are used to establish operational profiles for the ship segments. The modelled total fuel consumption amounts to 217 Mt in 2004 of which 11 Mt is consumed in in-port operations. This is in agreement with international sales statistics. The modelled fuel consumption is applied to develop global emission inventories for CO2, NO2, SO2, CO, CH4, VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), N2O, BC (Black Carbon) and OC (Organic Carbon). The global emissions from ships at sea and in ports are distributed geographically, applying extended geographical data sets covering about 2 million global ship observations and global port data for 32 000 ships. In addition to inventories for the world fleet, inventories are produced separately for the three dominating ship types, using ship type specific emission modelling and traffic distributions. A global Chemical Transport Model (CTM) was used to calculate the environmental impacts of the emissions. We find that ship emissions is a dominant contributor over much of the world oceans to surface concentrations of NO2 and SO2. The contribution is also large over some coastal zones. For surface ozone the contribution is high over the oceans but clearly also of importance over Western North America (contribution 15-25%) and Western Europe (5-15%). The contribution to tropospheric column ozone is up to 5-6%. The overall impact of ship emissions on global methane lifetime is large due to the high NOx emissions. With regard to acidification we find that ships contribute 11% to nitrate wet deposition and 4.5% to sulphur wet deposition globally. In certain coastal regions the contributions may be in the range 15-50%. In general we find that ship emissions have a large impact on acidic deposition and surface ozone in Western North America, Scandinavia, Western Europe, western North Africa and Malaysia/Indonesia. For most of these regions container traffic, the largest emitter by ship type, has the largest impact. This is the case especially for the Pacific and the related container trade routes between Asia and North America. However, the contributions from bulk ships and tank vessels are also significant in the above mentioned impact regions. Though the total ship impact at low latitudes is lower, the tank vessels have a quite large contribution at low latitudes and near the Gulf of Mexico and Middle East. The bulk ships are characterized by large impact in Oceania compared to other ship types. In Scandinavia and north-Western Europe, one of the major ship impact regions, the three largest ship types have rather small relative contributions. The impact in this region is probably dominated by smaller ships operating closer to the coast. For emissions in ports impacts on NO2 and SO2 seem to be of significance. For most ports the contribution to the two components is in the range 0.5-5%, for a few ports it exceeds 10%. The approach presented provides an improvement in characterizing fleet operational patterns, and thereby ship emissions and impacts. Furthermore, the study shows where emission reductions can be applied to most effectively minimize the impacts by different ship types.

Update on emissions and environmental impacts from the international fleet of ships. The contribution from major ship types and ports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalsøren, S. B.; Eide, M. S.; Endresen, Ø.; Mjelde, A.; Gravir, G.; Isaksen, I. S. A.

2008-10-01

A reliable and up-to-date ship emission inventory is essential for atmospheric scientists quantifying the impact of shipping and for policy makers implementing regulations and incentives for emission reduction. The emission modelling in this study takes into account ship type and size dependent input data for 15 ship types and 7 size categories. Global port arrival and departure data for more than 32 000 merchant ships are used to establish operational profiles for the ship segments. The modelled total fuel consumption amounts to 217 Mt in 2004 of which 11 Mt is consumed in in-port operations. This is in agreement with international sales statistics. The modelled fuel consumption is applied to develop global emission inventories for CO2, NO2, SO2, CO, CH4, VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), N2O, BC (Black Carbon) and OC (Organic Carbon). The global emissions from ships at sea and in ports are distributed geographically, applying extended geographical data sets covering about 2 million global ship observations and global port data for 32 000 ships. In addition to inventories for the world fleet, inventories are produced separately for the three dominating ship types, using ship type specific emission modelling and traffic distributions. A global Chemical Transport Model (CTM) was used to calculate the environmental impacts of the emissions. We find that ship emissions is a dominant contributor over much of the world oceans to surface concentrations of NO2 and SO2. The contribution is also large over some coastal zones. For surface ozone the contribution is high over the oceans but clearly also of importance over western North America (contribution 15 25%) and western Europe (5 15%). The contribution to tropospheric column ozone is up to 5 6%. The overall impact of ship emissions on global methane lifetime is large due to the high NOx emissions. With regard to acidification we find that ships contribute 11% to nitrate wet deposition and 4.5% to sulphur wet deposition globally. In certain coastal regions the contributions may be in the range 15 50%. In general we find that ship emissions have a large impact on acidic deposition and surface ozone in western North America, Scandinavia, western Europe, western North Africa and Malaysia/Indonesia. For most of these regions container traffic, the largest emitter by ship type, has the largest impact. This is the case especially for the Pacific and the related container trade routes between Asia and North America. However, the contributions from bulk ships and tank vessels are also significant in the above mentioned impact regions. Though the total ship impact at low latitudes is lower, the tank vessels have a quite large contribution at low latitudes and near the Gulf of Mexico and Middle East. The bulk ships are characterized by large impact in Oceania compared to other ship types. In Scandinavia and north-western Europe, one of the major ship impact regions, the three largest ship types have rather small relative contributions. The impact in this region is probably dominated by smaller ships operating closer to the coast. For emissions in ports impacts on NO2 and SO2 seem to be of significance. For most ports the contribution to the two components is in the range 0.5 5%, for a few ports it exceeds 10%. The approach presented provides an improvement in characterizing fleet operational patterns, and thereby ship emissions and impacts. Furthermore, the study shows where emission reductions can be applied to most effectively minimize the impacts by different ship types.

Control of air-sea CO2 disequilibria in the subtropical NE Atlantic by planktonic metabolism under the ocean skin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calleja, María Ll.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Navarro, Nuria; Agustí, Susana

2005-04-01

The air-sea CO2 gradient at the subtropical NE Atlantic was strongly dependent on the metabolism of the planktonic community within the top cms, but independent of that of the communities deeper in the water column. Gross primary production (GPP) and community respiration (R) of the planktonic community within the top cms exceeded those of the communities deeper in the water column by >10-fold and >7 fold, respectively. Net autotrophic metabolism (GPP > R) at the top cms of the water column in some stations drove CO2 uptake by creating a CO2 deficit at the ocean surface, while net heterotrophic metabolism (GPP < R) at the top cms of the water column in other stations resulted in strong CO2 supersaturation, driving CO2 emissions. These results suggest a strong control of the air-sea pCO2 anomaly by intense biological processes.

Preliminary study on detection sediment contamination in soil affected by the Indian Ocean giant tsunami 2004 in Aceh, Indonesia using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

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

Idris, Nasrullah, E-mail: nasrullah.idris@unsyiah.ac.id; Ramli, Muliadi; Hedwig, Rinda

This work is intended to asses the capability of LIBS for the detection of the tsunami sediment contamination in soil. LIBS apparatus used in this work consist of a laser system and an optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) system. The soil sample was collected from in Banda Aceh City, Aceh, Indonesia, the most affected region by the giant Indian Ocean tsunami 2004. The laser beam was focused onto surface of the soil pellet using a focusing lens to produce luminous plasma. The experiment was conducted under air as surrounding gas at 1 atmosphere. The emission spectral lines from the plasma weremore » detected by the OMA system. It was found that metal including heavy metals can surely be detected, thus implying the potent of LIBS technique as a fast screening tools of tsunami sediment contamination.« less

Atmospheric Hg emissions from preindustrial gold and silver extraction in the Americas: a reevaluation from lake-sediment archives.

PubMed

Engstrom, Daniel R; Fitzgerald, William F; Cooke, Colin A; Lamborg, Carl H; Drevnick, Paul E; Swain, Edward B; Balogh, Steven J; Balcom, Prentiss H

2014-06-17

Human activities over the last several centuries have transferred vast quantities of mercury (Hg) from deep geologic stores to actively cycling earth-surface reservoirs, increasing atmospheric Hg deposition worldwide. Understanding the magnitude and fate of these releases is critical to predicting how rates of atmospheric Hg deposition will respond to future emission reductions. The most recently compiled global inventories of integrated (all-time) anthropogenic Hg releases are dominated by atmospheric emissions from preindustrial gold/silver mining in the Americas. However, the geophysical evidence for such large early emissions is equivocal, because most reconstructions of past Hg-deposition have been based on lake-sediment records that cover only the industrial period (1850-present). Here we evaluate historical changes in atmospheric Hg deposition over the last millennium from a suite of lake-sediment cores collected from remote regions of the globe. Along with recent measurements of Hg in the deep ocean, these archives indicate that atmospheric Hg emissions from early mining were modest as compared to more recent industrial-era emissions. Although large quantities of Hg were used to extract New World gold and silver beginning in the 16th century, a reevaluation of historical metallurgical methods indicates that most of the Hg employed was not volatilized, but rather was immobilized in mining waste.

MethaneSat: Detecting Methane Emissions in the Barnett Shale Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Propp, A. M.; Benmergui, J. S.; Turner, A. J.; Wofsy, S. C.

2017-12-01

In this study, we investigate the new information that will be provided by MethaneSat, a proposed satellite that will measure the total column dry-air mole fraction of methane at 1x1 km or 2x2 km spatial resolution with 0.1-0.2% random error. We run an atmospheric model to simulate MethaneSat's ability to characterize methane emissions from the Barnett Shale, a natural gas province in Texas. For comparison, we perform observation system simulation experiments (OSSEs) for MethaneSat, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration (NOAA) surface and aircraft network, and Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). The results demonstrate the added benefit that MethaneSat would provide in our efforts to monitor and report methane emissions. We find that MethaneSat successfully quantifies total methane emissions in the region, as well as their spatial distribution and steep gradients. Under the same test conditions, both the NOAA network and GOSAT fail to capture this information. Furthermore, we find that the results for MethaneSat depend far less on the prior emission estimate than do those for the other observing systems, demonstrating the benefit of high sampling density. The results suggest that MethaneSat would be an incredibly useful tool for obtaining detailed methane emission information from oil and gas provinces around the world.

Near grazing scattering from non-Gaussian ocean surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Yunjin; Rodriguez, Ernesto

1993-01-01

We investigate the behavior of the scattered electromagnetic waves from non-Gaussian ocean surfaces at near grazing incidence. Even though the scattering mechanisms at moderate incidence angles are relatively well understood, the same is not true for near grazing rough surface scattering. However, from the experimental ocean scattering data, it has been observed that the backscattering cross section of a horizontally polarized wave can be as large as the vertical counterpart at near grazing incidence. In addition, these returns are highly intermittent in time. There have been some suggestions that these unexpected effects may come from shadowing or feature scattering. Using numerical scattering simulations, it can be shown that the horizontal backscattering cannot be larger than the vertical one for the Gaussian surfaces. Our main objective of this study is to gain a clear understanding of scattering mechanisms underlying the near grazing ocean scattering. In order to evaluate the backscattering cross section from ocean surfaces at near grazing incidence, both the hydrodynamic modeling of ocean surfaces and an accurate near grazing scattering theory are required. For the surface modeling, we generate Gaussian surfaces from the ocean surface power spectrum which is derived using several experimental data. Then, weakly nonlinear large scale ocean surfaces are generated following Longuet-Higgins. In addition, the modulation of small waves by large waves is included using the conservation of wave action. For surface scattering, we use MOM (Method of Moments) to calculate the backscattering from scattering patches with the two scale shadowing approximation. The differences between Gaussian and non-Gaussian surface scattering at near grazing incidence are presented.

Quantifying uncertainties of permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Eleanor J.; Ekici, Altug; Huang, Ye; Chadburn, Sarah E.; Huntingford, Chris; Ciais, Philippe; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Peng, Shushi; Krinner, Gerhard

2017-06-01

The land surface models JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator, two versions) and ORCHIDEE-MICT (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems), each with a revised representation of permafrost carbon, were coupled to the Integrated Model Of Global Effects of climatic aNomalies (IMOGEN) intermediate-complexity climate and ocean carbon uptake model. IMOGEN calculates atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and local monthly surface climate for a given emission scenario with the land-atmosphere CO2 flux exchange from either JULES or ORCHIDEE-MICT. These simulations include feedbacks associated with permafrost carbon changes in a warming world. Both IMOGEN-JULES and IMOGEN-ORCHIDEE-MICT were forced by historical and three alternative future-CO2-emission scenarios. Those simulations were performed for different climate sensitivities and regional climate change patterns based on 22 different Earth system models (ESMs) used for CMIP3 (phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project), allowing us to explore climate uncertainties in the context of permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks. Three future emission scenarios consistent with three representative concentration pathways were used: RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Paired simulations with and without frozen carbon processes were required to quantify the impact of the permafrost carbon feedback on climate change. The additional warming from the permafrost carbon feedback is between 0.2 and 12 % of the change in the global mean temperature (ΔT) by the year 2100 and 0.5 and 17 % of ΔT by 2300, with these ranges reflecting differences in land surface models, climate models and emissions pathway. As a percentage of ΔT, the permafrost carbon feedback has a greater impact on the low-emissions scenario (RCP2.6) than on the higher-emissions scenarios, suggesting that permafrost carbon should be taken into account when evaluating scenarios of heavy mitigation and stabilization. Structural differences between the land surface models (particularly the representation of the soil carbon decomposition) are found to be a larger source of uncertainties than differences in the climate response. Inertia in the permafrost carbon system means that the permafrost carbon response depends on the temporal trajectory of warming as well as the absolute amount of warming. We propose a new policy-relevant metric - the frozen carbon residence time (FCRt) in years - that can be derived from these complex land surface models and used to quantify the permafrost carbon response given any pathway of global temperature change.

Ocean acidification impact on copepod swimming and mating behavior: consequences for population dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seuront, L.

2010-12-01

There is now ample evidence that ocean acidification caused by the uptake of additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at the ocean surface will severely impact on marine ecosystem structure and function. To date, most research effort has focused on the impact of ocean acidification on calcifying marine organisms. These include the dissolution of calcifying plankton, reduced growth and shell thickness in gastropods and echinoderms and declining growth of reef-building corals. The effects of increasing the partial pressure in carbon dioxide and decreasing carbonate concentrations on various aspects of phytoplankton biology and ecology have received some attention. It has also recently been shown that the ability of fish larvae to discriminate between the olfactory cues of different habitat types at settlement and to detect predator olfactory cues are impaired at the level of ocean acidification predicted to occur around 2100 on a business-as-usual scenario of CO2 emissions. Average ocean pH has decreased by 0.1 units since the pre-industrial times, and it is predicted to decline another 0.3-0.4 units by 2100, which nearly corresponds to a doubling PCO2. In addition, some locations are expected to exhibit an even greater than predicted rate of decline. In this context, understanding the direct and indirect links between ocean acidification and the mortality of marine species is critical, especially for minute planktonic organisms such as copepods at the base of the ocean food chains. In this context, this work tested if ocean acidification could affect copepod swimming behavior, and subsequently affect, and ultimately disrupt, the ability of male copepods to detect and follow the pheromone plume produced by conspecific females. To ensure the generality and the ecological relevance of the present work, the species used for the experimentation are two of the most common zooplankton species found in estuarine and coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere, the calanoid copepods Eurytemora affinis and Temora longicornis. Behavioral and mating experiments were conducted under conditions of control seawater (pH = 8.1) and conditions of ocean pH expected to occur circa 2100 (i.e. pH = 7.8 to 7.6) because of present and future CO2 emissions under the SRES A2 scenario. Our results indicate that ocean acidification modifies E. affinis and T. longicornis swimming and mating behaviors, and mating success. Specifically, ocean acidification significantly (i) modifies the stochastic properties of successive displacements, leading to decrease mate encounter rates when copepods cannot rely on female pheromone plumes (i.e. under turbulent conditions) and (ii) decreases the ability of males to detect females pheromone trails, to accurately follow trails and to successfully track a female. This led to a significant decrease in contact and capture rates from control to acidified seawater. These results indicate that ocean acification decreases the ability of male copepods to detect, track and capture a female, hence suggest an overall impact on population fitness and dynamics.

Surface flux and ocean heat transport convergence contributions to seasonal and interannual variations of ocean heat content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, C. D.; Palmer, M. D.; Allan, R. P.; Desbruyeres, D. G.; Hyder, P.; Liu, C.; Smith, D.

2017-01-01

We present an observation-based heat budget analysis for seasonal and interannual variations of ocean heat content (H) in the mixed layer (Hmld) and full-depth ocean (Htot). Surface heat flux and ocean heat content estimates are combined using a novel Kalman smoother-based method. Regional contributions from ocean heat transport convergences are inferred as a residual and the dominant drivers of Hmld and Htot are quantified for seasonal and interannual time scales. We find that non-Ekman ocean heat transport processes dominate Hmld variations in the equatorial oceans and regions of strong ocean currents and substantial eddy activity. In these locations, surface temperature anomalies generated by ocean dynamics result in turbulent flux anomalies that drive the overlying atmosphere. In addition, we find large regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans where heat transports combine with local air-sea fluxes to generate mixed layer temperature anomalies. In all locations, except regions of deep convection and water mass transformation, interannual variations in Htot are dominated by the internal rearrangement of heat by ocean dynamics rather than the loss or addition of heat at the surface. Our analysis suggests that, even in extratropical latitudes, initialization of ocean dynamical processes could be an important source of skill for interannual predictability of Hmld and Htot. Furthermore, we expect variations in Htot (and thus thermosteric sea level) to be more predictable than near surface temperature anomalies due to the increased importance of ocean heat transport processes for full-depth heat budgets.

Retrievals of Sea Surface Emissivity and Skin Temperature from M-AERI Observations from the ACAPEX/CalWater2 Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gero, P. J.; Westphall, M.; Knuteson, R.; Knuteson, R. O.; Smith, W.

2016-12-01

The Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) is a ground-based instrument developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that measures downwelling thermal infrared radiance from the atmosphere. Observations are made in the 520-3020 cm-1 (3.3-19 μm) spectral range with a resolution of 1 cm-1, with an accuracy better than 1% of ambient radiance. These observations can be used to obtain vertical profiles of tropospheric temperature and water vapor in the lowest 3 km of the troposphere, as well as measurements of the concentration of various trace gases and microphysical and optical properties of clouds and aerosols. The U.S Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program currently operates about ten AERIs at various fixed and mobile sites worldwide, addressing a diverse range of scientific goals from process studies to long-term climate observations. One of the instruments is a marine version (M-AERI) that has the capability to view scenes ±45° from the horizon, and can be used to observe sea surface properties such as skin temperature and emissivity. The M-AERI was deployed on the NOAA Ship Ronald Brown in 2015 as part of the ACAPEX/CalWater2 campaign to study atmospheric rivers in the Pacific Ocean. We present results from the M-AERI from this campaign of retrievals of skin temperature and sea surface emissivity as a function of view angle and wind speed, as well as comparisons to various models.

Enhanced weathering strategies for cooling the planet and saving coral reefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beerling, D. J.; Taylor, L.; Quirk, J.; Thorley, R.; Kharecha, P. A.; Hansen, J. E.; Ridgwell, A. J.; Lomas, M.; Banwart, S. A.

2014-12-01

Acceleration of the chemical weathering sink for atmospheric CO2 via distribution of pulverized silicate rocks across terrestrial landscapes has been proposed as a macro-engineering Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) scheme, but its effectiveness and response to ongoing global change is poorly understood. We employ a detailed spatially resolved weathering model driven by two ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections of 21st Century climate (RCP8.5 and RCP4.5) to assess enhanced weathering and examine feedbacks on atmospheric CO2 and ocean carbonate biogeochemistry. Atmospheric CO2 reduction of ~100-260 ppm by year 2100, the range depending mainly on rock composition, is obtained by spreading 5 kg m-2 yr-1 over 20 Mkm2 tropical weathering 'hotspots'. Ocean acidification is neutralized in RCP4.5 and ameliorated in RCP8.5 due to enhanced land-ocean export of weathered alkalinity products and reduced CO2 forcings, and the aragonite saturation state of surface oceans is raised to >3.5, thus avoiding likely extinction of coral reef ecosystems. We suggest that accelerated weathering has substantial potential to help limit global warming and benefits to marine life not obtained from other CDR approaches, but major issues of cost, social acceptability, and potential unanticipated consequences should encourage urgent efforts to phase down fossil fuel emissions.

The anthropogenic influence on Iron deposition over the oceans: a 3-D global modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myriokefalitakis, Stelios; Mihalopoulos, Nikos; Baker, Alex; Kanakidou, Maria

2014-05-01

Iron (Fe) deposition over oceans is directly linked to the marine biological productivity and consequently to atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Experimental and modeling results support that both inorganic (sulphate, ammonium and nitrate) and organic (e.g. oxalate) ligands can increase the Fe mobilization. Mineral dust deposition is considered as the most important supply of bioavailable Fe in the oceans. Although, due to the low soil soluble iron fractions, atmospheric processes which are also related to anthropogenic emissions, can convert iron to more soluble forms in the atmosphere. Recent studies also support that anthropogenic emissions of Fe from combustion sources also significantly contribute to the dissolved Fe atmospheric pool. The evaluation of the impact of humans on atmospheric soluble or bioavailable Fe deposition remains challenging, since Fe mobilization due to changes in anthropogenic emissions is largely uncertain. In the present study, the global atmospheric Fe cycle is parameterized in the 3-D chemical transport global model TM4-ECPL and the model is used to calculate the Fe deposition over the oceans. The model considers explicitly organic, sulfur and nitrogen gas-phase chemistry, aqueous-phase organic chemistry, including oxalate and all major aerosol constituents. TM4-ECPL simulates the organic and inorganic ligand-promoted mineral Fe dissolution and also aqueous-phase photochemical reactions between different forms of Fe (III/II). Primary emissions of Fe associated with dust and soluble Fe from combustion processes as well as atmospheric processing of the emitted Fe is taken into account in the model Sensitivity simulations are performed to study the impact of anthropogenic emissions on Fe deposition. For this preindustrial, present and future emission scenarios are used in the model in order to examine the response of chemical composition of iron-containing aerosols to environmental changes. The release of soluble iron associated with mineral dust and with the emissions of combustion aerosols is investigated. Model results are compared with available observations to evaluate their robustness. This work is supported by the ESF-NSRF ARISTEIA grant PANOPLY (Pollution Alters Natural Aerosol Composition: implications for Ocean Productivity, cLimate and air qualitY).

Solid-State Thermionic Nuclear Power for Megawatt Propulsion, Planetary Surface and Commercial Power Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

Thermionic (TI) power conversion is a promising technology first investigated for power conversion in the 1960's, and of renewed interest due to modern advances in nanotechnology, MEMS, materials and manufacturing. Benefits include high conversion efficiency (20%), static operation with no moving parts and potential for high reliability, greatly reduced plant complexity, and the potential for reduced development costs. Thermionic emission, credited to Edison in 1880, forms the basis of vacuum tubes and much of 20th century electronics. Heat can be converted into electricity when electrons emitted from a hot surface are collected across a small gap. For example, two "small" (6 kWe) Thermionic Space Reactors were flown by the USSR in 1987-88 for ocean radar reconnaissance. Higher powered Nuclear-Thermionic power systems driving Electric Propulsion (Q-thruster, VASIMR, etc.) may offer the breakthrough necessary for human Mars missions of < 1 yr round trip. Power generation on Earth could benefit from simpler, moe economical nuclear plants, and "topping" of more fuel and emission efficient fossil-fuel plants.

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine seafood.

PubMed

Branch, Trevor A; DeJoseph, Bonnie M; Ray, Liza J; Wagner, Cherie A

2013-03-01

Ocean acidification is a series of chemical reactions due to increased CO(2) emissions. The resulting lower pH impairs the senses of reef fishes and reduces their survival, and might similarly impact commercially targeted fishes that produce most of the seafood eaten by humans. Shelled molluscs will also be negatively affected, whereas cephalopods and crustaceans will remain largely unscathed. Habitat changes will reduce seafood production from coral reefs, but increase production from seagrass and seaweed. Overall effects of ocean acidification on primary productivity and, hence, on food webs will result in hard-to-predict winners and losers. Although adaptation, parental effects, and evolution can mitigate some effects of ocean acidification, future seafood platters will look rather different unless CO(2) emissions are curbed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contributions of Volcanic Carbon Emissions to Environmental Change at the Cretaceous-Paleogene and Paleocene-Eocene Boundaries: Observational and Theoretical Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zachos, J. C.; Penman, D. E.; Ridgwell, A.

2017-12-01

The terminations of both the Cretaceous Period (K-Pg) and Paleocene Epoch (P-E) coincided with episodes of extensive flood basalt/rift volcanism, the Deccan Traps (DT) and North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP), respectively. The latest radiometric data confirm that the main phases of magma extrusion of both DT and NAIP were concentrated over relatively short intervals (<<0.5 myr) further bolstering speculation on the role of volcanic C and other emissions in driving the observed environmental and biotic events of those terminations. Much of the speculation regarding C emissions has been derived from observations of changes in climate and/or ocean chemistry. Indeed, to drive detectable global warming and/or ocean acidification, C emissions would have to be significantly elevated over "typical" magmatic emission levels, thus requiring supplemental sources of C, most likely from intrusion driven combustion of organic matter and/or carbonate-rich crust. Here we compare marine geochemical records spanning both boundaries and with numerical models assess implications for C emissions and relations to the key environmental changes associated with each event. This assessment benefits from the recent development of high-fidelity (i.e., astronomically-tuned) proxy records of the climate and ocean carbon chemistry (e.g., SST, δ13C, pH) across both time intervals from globally distributed, stratigraphically complete marine sections. In the case of the K-Pg transition, the timing of changes in climate and ocean carbon chemistry along with other data indicate a comparatively inconsequential role of elevated C emissions on the major biotic event (i.e., extinction) marking that boundary. In contrast, with the P-E boundary, North Atlantic volcanism now appears to have been primary trigger/driver of climatic change, though positive feedbacks involving reduced C reservoirs (e.g., hydrates, permafrost) might have accelerated C emission rates at the onset of that event.

Retrieval of Atmospheric Water Vapor Profiles from the Special Sensor Microwave TEMPERATURE-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Khalaf, Abdulrahman Khal

1995-01-01

Radiometric measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature-2 (SSM/T-2) instrument are used to retrieve atmospheric water vapor profiles over ocean, land, coast, and ice/snow backgrounds. These measurements are used to retrieve vertical distribution of integrated water vapor (IWV) and total integrated water vapor (TIWV) using a physical algorithm. The algorithm infers the presence of cloud at a given height from super-saturation of the retrieved humidity at that height then the algorithm estimate the cloud liquid water content. Retrievals of IWV over five different layers are validated against available ground truth such as global radiosondes and ECMWF analyses. Over ocean, the retrieved total integrated water vapor (TIWV) and IWV close to the surface compare quite well, with those from radiosonde observations and the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses. However, comparisons to radiosonde results are better than (ECMWF) analyses. TIWV root mean square (RMS) difference was 5.95 mm and TWV RMS difference for the lowest layer (SFC-850 mb) was 2.8 mm for radiosonde comparisons. Water vapor retrieval over land is less accurate than over ocean due to the low contrast between the surface and the atmosphere near the surface; therefore, land retrievals are more reliable at layers above 700 mb. However, TIWV and IWV at all layers compare appropriately with ground truth. Over coastal areas the agreement between retrieved water vapor profiles and ground truth is quite good for both TIWV and IWV for the five layers. The natural variability and large variations in the surface emissivity over ice and snow fields leads toward poor results. Clouds degrade retrievals over land and coast, improve the retrievals a little over ocean, and improve dramatically over snow/ice. Examples of retrieved relative humidity profiles were shown to illustrate the algorithm performance for the actual profile retrieval. The overall features of the retrieved profiles compared well with those from radiosonde data and ECMWF analyses. However, due to the limited number of channels, the retrieved profiles generally do not reproduce the fine details when a rapid change in relative humidity versus height was observed.

Comparative assessment of the global fate and transport pathways of long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorocarboxylates (PFCs) emitted from direct sources.

PubMed

Armitage, James M; Macleod, Matthew; Cousins, Ian T

2009-08-01

A global-scale multispecies mass balance model was used to simulate the long-term fate and transport of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) with eight to thirteen carbons (C8-C13) and their conjugate bases, the perfluorocarboxylates (PFCs). The main purpose of this study was to assess the relative long-range transport (LRT) potential of each conjugate pair, collectively termed PFC(A)s, considering emissions from direct sources (i.e., manufacturing and use) only. Overall LRT potential (atmospheric + oceanic) varied as a function of chain length and depended on assumptions regarding pKa and mode of entry. Atmospheric transport makes a relatively higher contribution to overall LRT potential for PFC(A)s with longer chain length, which reflects the increasing trend in the air-water partition coefficient (K(AW)) of the neutral PFCA species with chain length. Model scenarios using estimated direct emissions of the C8, C9, and C11 PFC(A)s indicate that the mass fluxes to the Arctic marine environment associated with oceanic transport are in excess of mass fluxes from indirect sources (i.e., atmospheric transport of precursor substances such as fluorotelomer alcohols and subsequent degradation to PFCAs). Modeled concentrations of C8 and C9 in the abiotic environment are broadly consistent with available monitoring data in surface ocean waters. Furthermore, the modeled concentration ratios of C8 to C9 are reconcilable with the homologue pattern frequently observed in biota, assuming a positive correlation between bioaccumulation potential and chain length. Modeled concentration ratios of C11 to C10 are more difficult to reconcile with monitoring data in both source and remote regions. Our model results for C11 and C10 therefore imply that either (i) indirect sources are dominant or (ii) estimates of direct emission are not accurate for these homologues.

Ocean current surface measurement using dynamic elevations obtained by the GEOS-3 radar altimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitao, C. D.; Huang, N. E.; Parra, C. G.

1977-01-01

Remote Sensing of the ocean surface from the GEOS-3 satellite using radar altimeter data has confirmed that the altimeter can detect the dynamic ocean topographic elevations relative to an equipotential surface, thus resulting in a reliable direct measurement of the ocean surface. Maps of the ocean dynamic topography calculated over a one month period and with 20 cm contour interval are prepared for the last half of 1975. The Gulf Stream is observed by the rapid slope change shown by the crowding of contours. Cold eddies associated with the current are seen as roughly circular depressions.

Contents of the NASA ocean data system archive, version 11-90

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Elizabeth A. (Editor); Lassanyi, Ruby A. (Editor)

1990-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ocean Data System (NODS) archive at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) includes satellite data sets for the ocean sciences and global-change research to facilitate multidisciplinary use of satellite ocean data. Parameters include sea-surface height, surface-wind vector, sea-surface temperature, atmospheric liquid water, and surface pigment concentration. NODS will become the Data Archive and Distribution Service of the JPL Distributed Active Archive Center for the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and will be the United States distribution site for Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON data and metadata.

Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-23

An artist concept of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Earth satellite. The Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 is an Earth satellite designed to make observations of ocean topography for investigations into sea-level rise and the relationship between ocean circulation and climate change. The satellite also provides data on the forces behind such large-scale climate phenomena as El Niño and La Niña. The mission is a follow-on to the French-American Jason 1 mission, which began collecting data on sea-surface levels in 1992. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18158

Satellite microwave observations of the interannual variability of snowmelt on sea ice in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmes, S.; Haas, C.; Nicolaus, M.; Bareiss, J.

2009-04-01

Snowmelt processes on Antarctic sea ice are examined. We present a simple snowmelt indicator based on diurnal brightness temperature variations from microwave satellite data. The method is validated through extensive field data from the western Weddell Sea and lends itself to the investigation of interannual and spatial variations of the typical snowmelt on Antarctic sea ice. We use in situ measurements of physical snow properties to show that despite the absence of strong melting, the summer period is distinct from all other seasons with enhanced diurnal variations of snow wetness. A microwave emission model reveals that repeated thawing and refreezing causes the typical microwave emissivity signatures that are found on perennial Antarctic sea ice during summer. The proposed melt indicator accounts for the characteristic phenomenological stages of snowmelt in the Southern Ocean and detects the onset of diurnal snow wetting. An algorithm is presented to map large-scale snowmelt onset, based on satellite data from the period between 1988 and 2006. The results indicate strong meridional gradients of snowmelt onset with the Weddell, Amundsen and Ross Seas showing earliest (beginning of October) and most frequent snowmelt. Moreover, a distinct interannual variability of melt onset dates and large areas of first-year ice where no diurnal freeze-thawing occurs at the surface are determined.

Satellite microwave observations of the interannual variability of snowmelt on sea ice in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmes, Sascha; Haas, Christian; Nicolaus, Marcel; Bareiss, JöRg

2009-03-01

Snowmelt processes on Antarctic sea ice are examined. We present a simple snowmelt indicator based on diurnal brightness temperature variations from microwave satellite data. The method is validated through extensive field data from the western Weddell Sea and lends itself to the investigation of interannual and spatial variations of the typical snowmelt on Antarctic sea ice. We use in-situ measurements of physical snow properties to show that despite the absence of strong melting, the summer period is distinct from all other seasons with enhanced diurnal variations of snow wetness. A microwave emission model reveals that repeated thawing and refreezing cause the typical microwave emissivity signatures that are found on perennial Antarctic sea ice during summer. The proposed melt indicator accounts for the characteristic phenomenological stages of snowmelt in the Southern Ocean and detects the onset of diurnal snow wetting. An algorithm is presented to map large-scale snowmelt onset based on satellite data from the period between 1988 and 2006. The results indicate strong meridional gradients of snowmelt onset with the Weddell, Amundsen, and Ross Seas showing earliest (beginning of October) and most frequent snowmelt. Moreover, a distinct interannual variability of melt onset dates and large areas of first-year ice where no diurnal freeze thawing occurs at the surface are determined.

Western Pacific Air-Sea Interaction Study (W-PASS), Introduction and Highlights (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuda, A.

2010-12-01

Western Pacific Air-Sea Interaction Study (W-PASS), Introduction and Highlights Atsushi Tsuda Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo In the western Pacific (WESTPAC) region, dust originating from Asian and Australian arid regions to the North and South Pacific, biomass burning emissions from the Southeast Asia to sub-tropical Pacific, and other anthropogenic substances are transported regionally and globally to affect cloud and rainfall patterns, air quality, and radiative budgets downwind. Deposition of these compounds into the Asian marginal seas and onto the Pacific Ocean influence surface primary productivity and species composition. In the WESTPAC region, subarctic, subtropical oceans and marginal seas are located relatively narrow latitudinal range and these areas are influenced by the dust and anthropogenic inputs. Moreover, anthropogenic emission areas are located between the arid region and the oceans. The W-PASS (Western Pacific Air-Sea interaction Study) project has been funded for 5 years as a part of SOLAS-Japan activity in the summer of 2006. We aim to resolve air-sea interaction through field observation studies mainly using research vessels and island observatories over the western Pacific. We have carried out 5 cruises to the western North Pacific focusing on air-sea interactions. Also, an intensive marine atmospheric observation including direct atmospheric deposition measurement was accomplished by a dozen W-PASS research groups at the NIES Atmospheric and Aerosol Monitoring Station of Cape Hedo in the northernmost tip of the Okinawa main Island facing the East China Sea in the spring 2008. A few weak Kosa (dust) events, anthropogenic air outflows, typical local air and occupation of marine background air were identified during the campaign period. The W-PASS has four research groups mainly focusing on VOC emissions, air-sea gas exchange processes, biogeochemical responses to dust depositions and its modeling. We also established interdisciplinary working groups on typhoon impact, long term trend of DMS emission, Cape Hedo Campaign, and eddy-covariance technique. I would like to introduce some of the highlights from the project. 1. Nano-mole level nutrients distribution in relation to dust input and nitrogen fixation. 2. High resolution measurement of VOCs with PTR-Mass spectrometry. 3. Chemical modification of iron by anthropogenic substances and it’s bioavailability, and relative importance of dust and regenerated iron in the western subarctic Pacific. 4. Typhoon disturbance as one of major processes of new production in the subtropical Pacific.

Improved Surface and Tropospheric Temperatures Determined Using Only Shortwave Channels: The AIRS Science Team Version-6 Retrieval Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Blaisdell, John; Iredell, Lena

2011-01-01

The Goddard DISC has generated products derived from AIRS/AMSU-A observations, starting from September 2002 when the AIRS instrument became stable, using the AIRS Science Team Version-5 retrieval algorithm. The AIRS Science Team Version-6 retrieval algorithm will be finalized in September 2011. This paper describes some of the significant improvements contained in the Version-6 retrieval algorithm, compared to that used in Version-5, with an emphasis on the improvement of atmospheric temperature profiles, ocean and land surface skin temperatures, and ocean and land surface spectral emissivities. AIRS contains 2378 spectral channels covering portions of the spectral region 650 cm(sup -1) (15.38 micrometers) - 2665 cm(sup -1) (3.752 micrometers). These spectral regions contain significant absorption features from two CO2 absorption bands, the 15 micrometers (longwave) CO2 band, and the 4.3 micrometers (shortwave) CO2 absorption band. There are also two atmospheric window regions, the 12 micrometer - 8 micrometer (longwave) window, and the 4.17 micrometer - 3.75 micrometer (shortwave) window. Historically, determination of surface and atmospheric temperatures from satellite observations was performed using primarily observations in the longwave window and CO2 absorption regions. According to cloud clearing theory, more accurate soundings of both surface skin and atmospheric temperatures can be obtained under partial cloud cover conditions if one uses observations in longwave channels to determine coefficients which generate cloud cleared radiances R(sup ^)(sub i) for all channels, and uses R(sup ^)(sub i) only from shortwave channels in the determination of surface and atmospheric temperatures. This procedure is now being used in the AIRS Version-6 Retrieval Algorithm. Results are presented for both daytime and nighttime conditions showing improved Version-6 surface and atmospheric soundings under partial cloud cover.

Mapping Global Ocean Surface Albedo from Satellite Observations: Models, Algorithms, and Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Fan, X.; Yan, H.; Li, A.; Wang, M.; Qu, Y.

2018-04-01

Ocean surface albedo (OSA) is one of the important parameters in surface radiation budget (SRB). It is usually considered as a controlling factor of the heat exchange among the atmosphere and ocean. The temporal and spatial dynamics of OSA determine the energy absorption of upper level ocean water, and have influences on the oceanic currents, atmospheric circulations, and transportation of material and energy of hydrosphere. Therefore, various parameterizations and models have been developed for describing the dynamics of OSA. However, it has been demonstrated that the currently available OSA datasets cannot full fill the requirement of global climate change studies. In this study, we present a literature review on mapping global OSA from satellite observations. The models (parameterizations, the coupled ocean-atmosphere radiative transfer (COART), and the three component ocean water albedo (TCOWA)), algorithms (the estimation method based on reanalysis data, and the direct-estimation algorithm), and datasets (the cloud, albedo and radiation (CLARA) surface albedo product, dataset derived by the TCOWA model, and the global land surface satellite (GLASS) phase-2 surface broadband albedo product) of OSA have been discussed, separately.

Ocean fertilization, carbon credits and the Kyoto Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westley, M. B.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2008-12-01

Commercial interest in ocean fertilization as a carbon sequestration tool was excited by the December 1997 agreement of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. The Protocol commits industrialized countries to caps on net greenhouse gas emissions and allows for various flexible mechanisms to achieve these caps in the most economically efficient manner possible, including trade in carbon credits from projects that reduce emissions or enhance sinks. The carbon market was valued at 64 billion in 2007, with the bulk of the trading (50 billion) taking place in the highly regulated European Union Emission Trading Scheme, which deals primarily in emission allowances in the energy sector. A much smaller amount, worth $265 million, was traded in the largely unregulated "voluntary" market (Capoor and Ambrosi 2008). As the voluntary market grows, so do calls for its regulation, with several efforts underway to set rules and standards for the sale of voluntary carbon credits using the Kyoto Protocol as a starting point. Four US-based companies and an Australian company currently seek to develop ocean fertilization technologies for the generation of carbon credits. We review these plans through the lens of the Kyoto Protocol and its flexible mechanisms, and examine whether and how ocean fertilization could generate tradable carbon credits. We note that at present, ocean sinks are not included in the Kyoto Protocol, and that furthermore, the Kyoto Protocol only addresses sources and sinks of greenhouse gases within national boundaries, making open-ocean fertilization projects a jurisdictional challenge. We discuss the negotiating history behind the limited inclusion of land use, land use change and forestry in the Kyoto Protocol and the controversy and eventual compromise concerning methodologies for terrestrial carbon accounting. We conclude that current technologies for measuring and monitoring carbon sequestration following ocean fertilization are unlikely to meet the Kyoto Protocol's verification and accounting standards for trading carbon credits on the regulated market. The marketability of ocean fertilization in the voluntary carbon marketplace will likely depend on companies' efforts to minimize environmental risks and consumers' willingness to accept remaining risks.

Measurements of Ocean Surface Scattering Using an Airborne 94-GHz Cloud Radar: Implication for Calibration of Airborne and Spaceborne W-band Radars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Li-Hua; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Tian, Lin; Racette, Paul E.

2004-01-01

Scattering properties of the Ocean surface have been widely used as a calibration reference for airborne and spaceborne microwave sensors. However, at millimeter-wave frequencies, the ocean surface backscattering mechanism is still not well understood, in part, due to the lack of experimental measurements. During the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE), measurements of ocean surface backscattering were made using a 94-GHz (W-band) cloud radar onboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. The measurement set includes the normalized Ocean surface cross section over a range of the incidence angles under a variety of wind conditions. Analysis of the radar measurements shows good agreement with a quasi-specular scattering model. This unprecedented dataset enhances our knowledge about the Ocean surface scattering mechanism at 94 GHz. The results of this work support the proposition of using the Ocean surface as a calibration reference for airborne millimeter-wave cloud radars and for the ongoing NASA CloudSat mission, which will use a 94-GHz spaceborne cloud radar for global cloud measurements.

Remote sensing of ocean surface currents: a review of what is being observed and what is being assimilated

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isern-Fontanet, Jordi; Ballabrera-Poy, Joaquim; Turiel, Antonio; García-Ladona, Emilio

2017-10-01

Ocean currents play a key role in Earth's climate - they impact almost any process taking place in the ocean and are of major importance for navigation and human activities at sea. Nevertheless, their observation and forecasting are still difficult. First, no observing system is able to provide direct measurements of global ocean currents on synoptic scales. Consequently, it has been necessary to use sea surface height and sea surface temperature measurements and refer to dynamical frameworks to derive the velocity field. Second, the assimilation of the velocity field into numerical models of ocean circulation is difficult mainly due to lack of data. Recent experiments that assimilate coastal-based radar data have shown that ocean currents will contribute to increasing the forecast skill of surface currents, but require application in multidata assimilation approaches to better identify the thermohaline structure of the ocean. In this paper we review the current knowledge in these fields and provide a global and systematic view of the technologies to retrieve ocean velocities in the upper ocean and the available approaches to assimilate this information into ocean models.

Comparison of SMOS and Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity and Analysis of Possible Causes for the Differences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dinnat, E. P.; Boutin, J.; Yin, X.; Le Vine, D. M.; Waldteufel, P.; Vergely, J. -L.

2014-01-01

Two ongoing space missions share the scientific objective of mapping the global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), yet their observations show significant discrepancies. ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and NASA's Aquarius use L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometers to measure emission from the sea surface and retrieve SSS. Significant differences in SSS retrieved by both sensors are observed, with SMOS SSS being generally lower than Aquarius SSS, except for very cold waters where SMOS SSS is the highest overall. Figure 1 is an example of the difference between the SSS retrieved by SMOS and Aquarius averaged over one month and 1 degree in longitude and latitude. Differences are mostly between -1 psu and +1 psu (psu, practical salinity unit), with a significant regional and latitudinal dependence. We investigate the impact of the vicarious calibration and some components of the retrieval algorithm used by both mission on these differences.

The impact of port emissions and marine biogenics on the single-particle chemistry of marine aerosol measured on board the R/V Atlantis during the CalNEX 2010 field campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaston, C. J.; Quinn, P.; Bates, T. S.; Prather, K. A.

2010-12-01

Marine environments are characterized by low particle concentrations and, as such, are sensitive to changes in particle number concentration and chemistry induced by biogenic and anthropogenic influences. Measurements of both gas phase and particle phase emissions on board the R/V Atlantis during the CalNEX 2010 field campaign provided an opportunity to examine the impact of anthropogenic and marine biogenic emissions on particle chemistry along the California coast. Real-time, single-particle measurements made using an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) revealed the single-particle mixing state of the sampled marine aerosols. Submicron particles (0.2-1.0 um) containing organic carbon, elemental carbon mixed with organic carbon, and unique V-containing particles previously detected in port regions were prevalent throughout the Southern California coast; most of these particles were also associated with sulfate. Measurements made in the deep water channel near Sacramento, CA revealed dramatically different particle chemistry that was characterized by organic carbon and amines. Particles measured further away from the continent toward the open ocean were influenced by marine biological activity due to a phytoplankton bloom that was occurring off the California coast. During this sampling period, unique ocean-derived particles containing internal mixtures of Mg and organic carbon were detected in addition to unique particles containing elemental S ions, which were only detected at night. An aerosol generator used to bubble seawater in order to characterize primary emissions from the ocean confirmed that the Mg-organic carbon and S-containing particles were indeed emitted from the ocean. These measurements reveal the strong impact of both port emissions as well as marine biogenic emissions on aerosol chemistry along the California coast.

Mitigating Climate Change with Ocean Pipes: Influencing Land Temperature and Hydrology and Termination Overshoot Risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, L.; Caldeira, K.; Ricke, K.

2014-12-01

With increasing risk of dangerous climate change geoengineering solutions to Earth's climate problems have attracted much attention. One proposed geoengineering approach considers the use of ocean pipes as a means to increase ocean carbon uptake and the storage of thermal energy in the deep ocean. We use a latest generation Earth System Model (ESM) to perform simulations of idealised extreme implementations of ocean pipes. In our simulations, downward transport of thermal energy by ocean pipes strongly cools the near surface atmosphere - by up to 11°C on a global mean. The ocean pipes cause net thermal energy to be transported from the terrestrial environment to the deep ocean while increasing the global net transport of water to land. By cooling the ocean surface more than the land, ocean pipes tend to promote a monsoonal-type circulation, resulting in increased water vapour transport to land. Throughout their implementation, ocean pipes prevent energy from escaping to space, increasing the amount of energy stored in Earth's climate system despite reductions in surface temperature. As a consequence, our results indicate that an abrupt termination of ocean pipes could cause dramatic increases in surface temperatures beyond that which would have been obtained had ocean pipes not been implemented.

PALADYN v1.0, a comprehensive land surface-vegetation-carbon cycle model of intermediate complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willeit, Matteo; Ganopolski, Andrey

2016-10-01

PALADYN is presented; it is a new comprehensive and computationally efficient land surface-vegetation-carbon cycle model designed to be used in Earth system models of intermediate complexity for long-term simulations and paleoclimate studies. The model treats in a consistent manner the interaction between atmosphere, terrestrial vegetation and soil through the fluxes of energy, water and carbon. Energy, water and carbon are conserved. PALADYN explicitly treats permafrost, both in physical processes and as an important carbon pool. It distinguishes nine surface types: five different vegetation types, bare soil, land ice, lake and ocean shelf. Including the ocean shelf allows the treatment of continuous changes in sea level and shelf area associated with glacial cycles. Over each surface type, the model solves the surface energy balance and computes the fluxes of sensible, latent and ground heat and upward shortwave and longwave radiation. The model includes a single snow layer. Vegetation and bare soil share a single soil column. The soil is vertically discretized into five layers where prognostic equations for temperature, water and carbon are consistently solved. Phase changes of water in the soil are explicitly considered. A surface hydrology module computes precipitation interception by vegetation, surface runoff and soil infiltration. The soil water equation is based on Darcy's law. Given soil water content, the wetland fraction is computed based on a topographic index. The temperature profile is also computed in the upper part of ice sheets and in the ocean shelf soil. Photosynthesis is computed using a light use efficiency model. Carbon assimilation by vegetation is coupled to the transpiration of water through stomatal conductance. PALADYN includes a dynamic vegetation module with five plant functional types competing for the grid cell share with their respective net primary productivity. PALADYN distinguishes between mineral soil carbon, peat carbon, buried carbon and shelf carbon. Each soil carbon type has its own soil carbon pools generally represented by a litter, a fast and a slow carbon pool in each soil layer. Carbon can be redistributed between the layers by vertical diffusion and advection. For the vegetated macro surface type, decomposition is a function of soil temperature and soil moisture. Carbon in permanently frozen layers is assigned a long turnover time which effectively locks carbon in permafrost. Carbon buried below ice sheets and on flooded ocean shelves is treated differently. The model also includes a dynamic peat module. PALADYN includes carbon isotopes 13C and 14C, which are tracked through all carbon pools. Isotopic discrimination is modelled only during photosynthesis. A simple methane module is implemented to represent methane emissions from anaerobic carbon decomposition in wetlands (including peatlands) and flooded ocean shelf. The model description is accompanied by a thorough model evaluation in offline mode for the present day and the historical period.

Evaluation of JPL Version-5.9.12 Temperature Profiles, Ocean Skin Temperature, Surface Emissivity, and Cloud Cleared Radiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Blaisdell, John; Iredell, Lena

2011-01-01

Slide presentation discusses: (1) Modifications to JPL 5.9.12 compared to V5.9.1, (2) Some results showing that V5.9.12 O, with original water vapor sounding channels, is preferable to V5.9.12 N with Antonia Gambacorta s new water vapor channels. (3) Comparison of V5.9.12, V5.9.12 AO, V5.9.1, and V5.0, (4) Accuracy and yield of channel by channel Quality Controlled clear-column radiances R(sub i) and (5) Plans for Version-7.

Relative sea-level rise as indicated by gage data along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Wilson, K.

2004-01-01

Global warming, or the increasing of earth's temperatures, leads to rising sea level as polar ice caps and mountain glaciers melt and ocean water undergoes thermal expansion. Tidal records collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Mobile District, at Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, Mississippi, and at Mobile, Alabama, indicate trends of water-surface elevations increasing with time (relative sea-level rise). The trends indicated by the COE data were compared to relative sea-level trends indicated by the National Ocean Survey gages in the Gulf of Mexico. The average global rate of sea level rise has been suggested to approach about 2 mm/yr (0.007 ft/yr). Some leading scientists have suggested rates of sea level rise that are greater than 2 mm/yr, when accounting for effects of greenhouse gas emissions. As the sea level rises and inundates the coastal plain, structures along the existing coast and structures located in the back bays of estuaries will be even more adversely affected by future flooding. Also, if the land surface adjacent to the water also sinks due to soil compaction and other geologic processes (collectively call subsidence), additional land will be inundated. Copyright ASCE 2004.

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition to the Oceans: Observation- and Model-Based Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Alex; Altieri, Katye; Okin, Greg; Dentener, Frank; Uematsu, Mitsuo; Kanakidou, Maria; Sarin, Manmohan; Duce, Robert; Galloway, Jim; Keene, Bill; Singh, Arvind; Zamora, Lauren; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Hsu, Shih-Chieh

2014-05-01

The reactive nitrogen (Nr) burden of the atmosphere has been increased by a factor of 3-4 by anthropogenic activity since the industrial revolution. This has led to large increases in the deposition of nitrate and ammonium to the surface waters of the open ocean, particularly downwind of major human population centres, such as those in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. In oligotrophic waters, this deposition has the potential to significantly impact marine productivity and the global carbon cycle. Global-scale understanding of N deposition to the oceans is reliant on our ability to produce effective models of reactive nitrogen emission, atmospheric chemistry, transport and deposition (including deposition to the land surface). The Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) recently completed a multi-model analysis of global N deposition, including comparisons to wet deposition observations from three regional networks in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia (Lamarque et al., Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7977-8018, 2013). No similar datasets exist which would allow observation - model comparisons of wet deposition for the open oceans, because long-term wet deposition records are available for only a handful of remote island sites and rain collection over the open ocean itself is very difficult. In this work we attempt instead to use ~2600 observations of aerosol nitrate and ammonium concentrations, acquired chiefly from sampling aboard ships in the period 1995 - 2012, to assess the ACCMIP N deposition fields over the remote ocean. This database is non-uniformly distributed in time and space. We selected four ocean regions (the eastern North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the northern Indian Ocean and northwest Pacific) where we considered the density and distribution of observational data is sufficient to provide effective comparison to the model ensemble. Two of these regions are adjacent to the land networks used in the ACCMIP comparison, while the others are far removed from land regions for which the model output has been rigorously compared to observational data. Here we will present calculated dry deposition fluxes of nitrate and ammonium from average observed concentrations in these regions, using deposition velocities of 0.9 cm/s and 0.1 cm/s respectively, and the results of a comparison of these fluxes to the ACCMIP model ensemble product. Uncertainties in the comparison and potential sources of bias between the observations and model will be discussed.

Carbon speciation at the air-sea interface during rain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGillis, Wade; Hsueh, Diana; Takeshita, Yui; Donham, Emily; Markowitz, Michele; Turk, Daniela; Martz, Todd; Price, Nicole; Langdon, Chris; Najjar, Raymond; Herrmann, Maria; Sutton, Adrienne; Loose, Brice; Paine, Julia; Zappa, Christopher

2015-04-01

This investigation demonstrates the surface ocean dilution during rain events on the ocean and quantifies the lowering of surface pCO2 affecting the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide. Surface salinity was measured during rain events in Puerto Rico, the Florida Keys, East Coast USA, Panama, and the Palmyra Atoll. End-member analysis is used to determine the subsequent surface ocean carbonate speciation. Surface ocean carbonate chemistry was measured during rain events to verify any approximations made. The physical processes during rain (cold, fresh water intrusion and buoyancy, surface waves and shear, microscale mixing) are described. The role of rain on surface mixing, biogeochemistry, and air-sea gas exchange will be discussed.

Characterization and Correction of Aquarius Long Term Calibration Drift Using On-Earth Brightness Temperature Refernces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Shannon; Misra, Sidharth

2013-01-01

The Aquarius/SAC-D mission was launched on June 10, 2011 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Aquarius consists of an L-band radiometer and scatterometer intended to provide global maps of sea surface salinity. One of the main mission objectives is to provide monthly global salinity maps for climate studies of ocean circulation, surface evaporation and precipitation, air/sea interactions and other processes. Therefore, it is critical that any spatial or temporal systematic biases be characterized and corrected. One of the main mission requirements is to measure salinity with an accuracy of 0.2 psu on montly time scales which requires a brightness temperature stability of about 0.1K, which is a challenging requirement for the radiometer. A secondary use of the Aquarius data is for soil moisture applications, which requires brightness temperature stability at the warmer end of the brightness temperature dynamic range. Soon after launch, time variable drifts were observed in the Aquarius data compared to in-situ data from ARGO and models for the ocean surface salinity. These drifts could arise from a number of sources, including the various components of the retrieval algorithm, such as the correction for direct and reflected galactic emission, or from the instrument brightness temperature calibration. If arising from the brightness temperature calibration, they could have gain and offset components. It is critical that the nature of the drifts be understood before a suitable correction can be implemented. This paper describes the approach that was used to detect and characterize the components of the drift that were in the brightness temperature calibration using on-Earth reference targets that were independent of the ocean model.

Observations of C-Band Brightness Temperatures and Ocean Surface Wind Speed and Rain Rate from the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) during GRIP and HS3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy L.; James, M. W.; Roberts, J. B.; Jones, W. L.; Biswas, S.; Ruf, C. S.; Uhlhorn, E. W.; Atlas, R.; Black, P.; Albers, C.

2013-01-01

HIRAD flew on high-altitude aircraft over Earl and Karl during NASA s GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes) campaign in August - September of 2010, and at the time of this writing plans to fly over Atlantic tropical cyclones in September of 2012 as part of the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission. HIRAD is a new C-band radiometer using a synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR) technology to obtain cross-track resolution of approximately 3 degrees, out to approximately 60 degrees to each side of nadir. By obtaining measurements of emissions at 4, 5, 6, and 6.6 GHz, observations of ocean surface wind speed and rain rate can be retrieved. This technique has been used for many years by precursor instruments, including the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), which has been flying on the NOAA and USAF hurricane reconnaissance aircraft for several years to obtain observations within a single footprint at nadir angle. Results from the flights during the GRIP and HS3 campaigns will be shown, including images of brightness temperatures, wind speed, and rain rate. Comparisons will be made with observations from other instruments on the campaigns, for which HIRAD observations are either directly comparable or are complementary. Features such as storm eye and eye-wall, location of storm wind and rain maxima, and indications of dynamical features such as the merging of a weaker outer wind/rain maximum with the main vortex may be seen in the data. Potential impacts on operational ocean surface wind analyses and on numerical weather forecasts will also be discussed.

Effects of Sea-Surface Waves and Ocean Spray on Air-Sea Momentum Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ting; Song, Jinbao

2018-04-01

The effects of sea-surface waves and ocean spray on the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) at different wind speeds and wave ages were investigated. An MABL model was developed that introduces a wave-induced component and spray force to the total surface stress. The theoretical model solution was determined assuming the eddy viscosity coefficient varied linearly with height above the sea surface. The wave-induced component was evaluated using a directional wave spectrum and growth rate. Spray force was described using interactions between ocean-spray droplets and wind-velocity shear. Wind profiles and sea-surface drag coefficients were calculated for low to high wind speeds for wind-generated sea at different wave ages to examine surface-wave and ocean-spray effects on MABL momentum distribution. The theoretical solutions were compared with model solutions neglecting wave-induced stress and/or spray stress. Surface waves strongly affected near-surface wind profiles and sea-surface drag coefficients at low to moderate wind speeds. Drag coefficients and near-surface wind speeds were lower for young than for old waves. At high wind speeds, ocean-spray droplets produced by wind-tearing breaking-wave crests affected the MABL strongly in comparison with surface waves, implying that wave age affects the MABL only negligibly. Low drag coefficients at high wind caused by ocean-spray production increased turbulent stress in the sea-spray generation layer, accelerating near-sea-surface wind. Comparing the analytical drag coefficient values with laboratory measurements and field observations indicated that surface waves and ocean spray significantly affect the MABL at different wind speeds and wave ages.

Impact of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on stratocumulus and precipitation in the Southeast Pacific: a regional modelling study using WRF-Chem

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

Yang, Q.; Gustafson, W. I.; Fast, J. D.

2012-09-28

Cloud-system resolving simulations with the chemistry version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Chem) model are used to quantify the relative impacts of regional anthropogenic and oceanic emissions on changes in aerosol properties, cloud macro- and microphysics, and cloud radiative forcing over the Southeast Pacific (SEP) during the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) (15 October–16 November 2008). Two distinct regions are identified. The near-coast polluted region is characterized by low surface precipitation rates, the strong suppression of non-sea-salt particle activation due to sea-salt particles, a predominant albedo effect in aerosol indirect effects, and limited impact of aerosols associated withmore » anthropogenic emissions on clouds. Opposite sensitivities to natural marine and anthropogenic aerosol perturbations are seen in cloud properties (e.g., cloud optical depth and cloud-top and cloud-base heights), precipitation, and the top-of-atmosphere and surface shortwave fluxes over this region. The relatively clean remote region is characterized by large contributions of aerosols from non-regional sources (lateral boundaries) and much stronger drizzle at the surface. Under a scenario of five-fold increase in regional anthropogenic emissions, this relatively clean region shows large cloud responses, for example, a 13% increase in cloud-top height and a 9% increase in albedo in response to a moderate increase (25% of the reference case) in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration. The reduction of precipitation due to this increase in anthropogenic aerosols more than doubles the aerosol lifetime in the clean marine boundary layer. Therefore, the aerosol impacts on precipitation are amplified by the positive feedback of precipitation on aerosol, which ultimately alters the cloud micro- and macro-physical properties, leading to strong aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The high sensitivity is also related to an increase in cloud-top entrainment rate (by 16% at night) due to the increased anthropogenic aerosols. The simulated aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions due to the increased anthropogenic aerosols have a stronger diurnal cycle over the clean region compared to the near-coast region with stronger interactions at night. During the day, solar heating results in more frequent decoupling of the cloud and sub-cloud layers, thinner clouds, reduced precipitation, and reduced sensitivity to the increase in anthropogenic emissions. This study shows the importance of natural aerosols in accurately quantifying anthropogenic forcing within a regional modeling framework. Finally, the results of this study also imply that the energy balance perturbations from increased anthropogenic emissions are larger in the more susceptible clean environment than in already polluted environment and are larger than possible from the first indirect effect alone.« less

Chemistry of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Los Angeles Basin: Formation of Oxygenated Compounds and Determination of Emission Ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Gouw, J. A.; Gilman, J. B.; Kim, S.-W.; Alvarez, S. L.; Dusanter, S.; Graus, M.; Griffith, S. M.; Isaacman-VanWertz, G.; Kuster, W. C.; Lefer, B. L.; Lerner, B. M.; McDonald, B. C.; Rappenglück, B.; Roberts, J. M.; Stevens, P. S.; Stutz, J.; Thalman, R.; Veres, P. R.; Volkamer, R.; Warneke, C.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Young, C. J.

2018-02-01

We analyze an expanded data set of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) in air measured by several instruments at a surface site in Pasadena near Los Angeles during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration California Nexus study in 2010. The contributions of emissions, chemical formation, and removal are quantified for each OVOC using CO as a tracer of emissions and the OH exposure of the sampled air masses calculated from hydrocarbon ratios. The method for separating emissions from chemical formation is evaluated using output for Pasadena from the Weather Research and Forecasting-Chemistry model. The model is analyzed by the same method as the measurement data, and the emission ratios versus CO calculated from the model output agree for ketones with the inventory used in the model but overestimate aldehydes by 70%. In contrast with the measurements, nighttime formation of OVOCs is significant in the model and is attributed to overestimated precursor emissions and overestimated rate coefficients for the reactions of the precursors with ozone and NO3. Most measured aldehydes correlated strongly with CO at night, suggesting a contribution from motor vehicle emissions. However, the emission ratios of most aldehydes versus CO are higher than those reported in motor vehicle emissions and the aldehyde sources remain unclear. Formation of several OVOCs is investigated in terms of the removal of specific precursors. Direct emissions of alcohols and aldehydes contribute significantly to OH reactivity throughout the day, and these emissions should be accurately represented in models describing ozone formation.

Estimation of exhaust emission from ocean-going vessels in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yau, P S; Lee, S C; Corbett, James J; Wang, Chengfeng; Cheng, Y; Ho, K F

2012-08-01

As one of the busiest port in the world, ship emissions have become of great concern in Hong Kong. In this study, a detailed maritime emission inventory for ocean-going vessels (OGVs) in Hong Kong with the base year of 2007 was developed. The high-resolution vessel speed profiles determined using the Automatic Identification System (AIS) during 2009 were adopted for the speed data in the estimation. It was obtained that the total ship emissions from 37,150 voyages of OGVs in 2007 were 17,097, 8190, and 1035 tonnes accounting for 17%, 11%, and 16% of the total emissions of NO(x), SO(2), and PM(10), respectively. The contribution of ship emissions during transiting was 60-68% for three pollutants while the emissions during hotelling were responsible for the remaining portions. From the emission spatial allocation, the shipping route along the East Lamma Channel and the berthing location of the Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Container Port comprised the regions with the highest emissions. The OGV emissions in Hong Kong contributed 0.07% NO(x), 0.05% SO(2), and 0.06% PM(10) out of the global total shipping emissions in 2007. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulating global and local surface temperature changes due to Holocene anthropogenic land cover change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, F.; Vavrus, S. J.; Kutzbach, J. E.; Ruddiman, W. F.; Kaplan, J. O.; Krumhardt, K. M.

2015-12-01

Surface albedo changes from anthropogenic land cover change (ALCC) represent the second-largest negative radiative forcing behind aerosol during the industrial era. Using a new reconstruction of ALCC during the Holocene era by Kaplan et al. [2011], we quantify the local and global temperature response induced by Holocene ALCC in the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4). With 1-degree resolution of the CCSM4 slab-ocean model,we find that Holocene ALCC cause a global cooling of 0.17 °C due to the biogeophysical effects of land-atmosphere exchange of momentum, moisture, radiative and heat fluxes. On the global scale, the biogeochemical effects of Holocene ALCC from carbon emissions dominate the biogeophysical effects by causing 0.9 °C global warming. The net effects of Holocene ALCC amount to a global warming of 0.73 °C during the pre-industrial era, which is comparable to the ~0.8 °C warming during industrial times. On local to regional scales, such as parts of Europe, North America and Asia, the biogeophysical effects of Holocene ALCC are significant and comparable to the biogeochemical effect. The lack of ocean dynamics in the 1° CCSM4 slab-ocean simulations could underestimate the climate sensitivity because of the lack of feedbacks from ocean heat transport [Kutzbach et al., 2013; Manabe and Bryan, 1985]. In 1° CCSM4 fully coupled simulations, the climate sensitivity is ~65% larger than the 1° CCSM4 slab-ocean simulations during the Holocene (5.3 °C versus 3.2 °C) [Kutzbach et al., 2013]. With this greater climate sensitivity, the biogeochemical effects of Holocene ALCC could have caused a global warming of ~1.5 °C, and the net biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of Holocene ALCC could cause a global warming of 1.2 °C during the preindustrial era in our simulations, which is 50% higher than the global warming of ~0.8 °C during industrial times.

Is increasing industrialization affecting remote ecosystem health in the South Americas? Insights from ocean surface water measurements of As, Sb and Pb from a GEOTRACES transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Dominik; Salaun, Pascal; Van den Berg, Stan; Bi, Zaoshun

2014-05-01

Continued industrial development of the South Americas with increasing atmospheric emission of toxic trace metals has lead to a growing concern about possible effects on pristine ecosystem health. Concentration measurements of trace metals in ocean surface waters in the North Atlantic have successfully revealed the global extent of atmospheric pollution in the Northern Hemisphere during economical growth in the USA and Europe, suggesting a similar approach can be applied to the Southern Hemisphere. To this end, we determined concentrations of lead (Pb), antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) using voltammetry in surface water samples of the South Atlantic Ocean collected during the third leg of the GEOTRACES West Atlantic Cruise. These elements are volatile and therefore most likely suitable tracer elements of industrial emissions from South America. The samples were not filtered and the solutions were acidified and UV digested. Total concentrations of Pb were detected. Detected As levels correspond to the sum of inorganic species (AsIII + AsV) plus the mono methyl arsenic acid (MMA) while the dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA) is not detected in such conditions. For Sb, detected levels correspond at least to the sum of inorganic fractions (SbIII + SbV). The measured concentrations for Pb varied from 6 to 23 pM. Concentrations were highest at -35° latitude and lowest at -40° and -50° latitude. We found a decreasing trend from about -35° latitude southwards. The average concentrations of As was 20 nM and of Sb 1.2 nM. Arsenic showed a more significant north to south trend than Sb. Arsenic concentration was highest at -23 ° latitude (21 nM) and the lowest at -43 ° latitude (17.7 nM). Antimony concentration was highest at -31 ° latitude (1.5 nM) and lowest at -35 ° latitude (1.0 nM). Our preliminary data suggests that the major industrial centres in Brazil (i.e., Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro) and Argentina (i.e., Buenos Aires) affect atmospheric metal fluxes to remote environments. The concentrations, however, are not as high as determined in the Northern Hemisphere, suggesting a less drastic impact. That is also reflected in air quality data from the major cities.

Studying the impact of different climate engineering techniques on ocean acidification with the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, M. F.; Ilyina, T.; Sonntag, S.

2016-02-01

In order to counterbalance the consequences of climate change, different climate engineering (CE) technologies have been suggested. Nonetheless, knowledge about their mitigation potential and side-effects remains sparse. Ocean alkalinization (OA) is an ocean-based carbon dioxide removal method, that aims at enhancing the natural process of weathering by which atmospheric CO2 is absorbed and stored in the ocean via chemical sequestration. Large-scale afforestation can also boost the uptake of CO2 by terrestrial biological systems and it is commonly considered as CE method. Stratospheric sulfur injection is a solar radiation management technique that has been proposed in order to enhance the Earth's albedo, mimicking the release of sulfur particles into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions and the subsequent decrease in surface atmospheric temperatures. We explore the mitigation potential and side-effects of these CE technologies using the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model. Our scenarios are designed in order to test under what conditions it is possible to achieve a climate state that resembles the one of the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 under RCP8.5 greenhouse gas emissions. Direct and indirect effects of the OA method on the oceanic carbon cycle, differ strongly from those associated with afforestation and stratospheric sulfur injection. This is because they depend upon joint responses and synergies between different elements of the Earth system; thus, effects on the oceanic carbon cycle are not intuitively understood. Changes in the strength of the marine carbon sink, seawater pH and saturation state of carbonate minerals will be discussed. Additionally, collateral changes in marine biota and ocean biogeochemistry will be presented.

Irreversible ocean thermal expansion under carbon dioxide removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehlert, Dana; Zickfeld, Kirsten

2018-03-01

In the Paris Agreement in 2015 countries agreed on holding global mean surface air warming to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, but the emission reduction pledges under that agreement are not ambitious enough to meet this target. Therefore, the question arises of whether restoring global warming to this target after exceeding it by artificially removing CO2 from the atmosphere is possible. One important aspect is the reversibility of ocean heat uptake and associated sea level rise, which have very long (centennial to millennial) response timescales. In this study the response of sea level rise due to thermal expansion to a 1 % yearly increase of atmospheric CO2 up to a quadrupling of the pre-industrial concentration followed by a 1 % yearly decline back to the pre-industrial CO2 concentration is examined using the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM). We find that global mean thermosteric sea level (GMTSL) continues to rise for several decades after atmospheric CO2 starts to decline and does not return to pre-industrial levels for over 1000 years after atmospheric CO2 is restored to the pre-industrial concentration. This finding is independent of the strength of vertical sub-grid-scale ocean mixing implemented in the model. Furthermore, GMTSL rises faster than it declines in response to a symmetric rise and decline in atmospheric CO2 concentration partly because the deep ocean continues to warm for centuries after atmospheric CO2 returns to the pre-industrial concentration. Both GMTSL rise and decline rates increase with increasing vertical ocean mixing. Exceptions from this behaviour arise if the overturning circulations in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean intensify beyond pre-industrial levels in model versions with lower vertical mixing, which leads to rapid cooling of the deep ocean.

Visualizing characteristics of ocean data collected during the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilley, David G.

1991-01-01

Topographic measurements of sea surface elevation collected by the Surface Contour Radar (SCR) during NASA's Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-B) experiment are plotted as three dimensional surface plots to observe wave height variance along the track of a P-3 aircraft. Ocean wave spectra were computed from rotating altimeter measurements acquired by the Radar Ocean Wave Spectrometer (ROWS). Fourier power spectra computed from SIR-B synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the ocean are compared to ROWS surface wave spectra. Fourier inversion of SAR spectra, after subtraction of spectral noise and modeling of wave height modulation, yields topography similar to direct measurements made by SCR. Visual perspectives on the SCR and SAR ocean data are compared. Threshold distinctions between surface elevation and texture modulations of SAR data are considered within the context of a dynamic statistical model of rough surface scattering. The result of these endeavors is insight as to the physical mechanism governing the imaging of ocean waves with SAR.

Closing the Seasonal Ocean Surface Temperature Balance in the Eastern Tropical Oceans from Remote Sensing and Model Reanalyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, J. Brent; Clayson, C. A.

2012-01-01

Residual forcing necessary to close the MLTB on seasonal time scales are largest in regions of strongest surface heat flux forcing. Identifying the dominant source of error - surface heat flux error, mixed layer depth estimation, ocean dynamical forcing - remains a challenge in the eastern tropical oceans where ocean processes are very active. Improved sub-surface observations are necessary to better constrain errors. 1. Mixed layer depth evolution is critical to the seasonal evolution of mixed layer temperatures. It determines the inertia of the mixed layer, and scales the sensitivity of the MLTB to errors in surface heat flux and ocean dynamical forcing. This role produces timing impacts for errors in SST prediction. 2. Errors in the MLTB are larger than the historical 10Wm-2 target accuracy. In some regions, a larger accuracy can be tolerated if the goal is to resolve the seasonal SST cycle.

Seasat--A 25-Year Legacy of Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Diane L.; Alpers, Werner; Cazenave, Anny; Elachi, Charles; Farr, Tom; Glackin, David; Holt, Benjamin; Jones, Linwood; Liu, W. Timothy; McCandless, Walt;

Remote sensing of rain over the ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Computer models of the microwave emission from the earth's atmosphere were used to study the problem of retrieving meteorological information from the SMMR instrument that will be flown on NIMBUS-G. Methods for retrieving rain rate, wind speed, cloud height, and ocean temperature are described for the case when the satellite is over the ocean.

Exploring the southern ocean response to climate change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinson, Douglas G.; Rind, David; Parkinson, Claire

1993-01-01

The purpose of this project was to couple a regional (Southern Ocean) ocean/sea ice model to the existing Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS) atmospheric general circulation model (GCM). This modification recognizes: the relative isolation of the Southern Ocean; the need to account, prognostically, for the significant air/sea/ice interaction through all involved components; and the advantage of translating the atmospheric lower boundary (typically the rapidly changing ocean surface) to a level that is consistent with the physical response times governing the system evolution (that is, to the base of the fast responding ocean surface layer). The deeper ocean beneath this layer varies on time scales several orders of magnitude slower than the atmosphere and surface ocean, and therefore the boundary between the upper and deep ocean represents a more reasonable fixed boundary condition.

Interbasin effects of the Indian Ocean on Pacific decadal climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochizuki, Takashi; Kimoto, Masahide; Watanabe, Masahiro; Chikamoto, Yoshimitsu; Ishii, Masayoshi

2016-07-01

We demonstrate the significant impact of the Indian Ocean on the Pacific climate on decadal timescales by comparing two sets of data assimilation experiments (pacemaker experiments) conducted over recent decades. For the Indian Ocean of an atmosphere-ocean coupled global climate model, we assimilate ocean temperature and salinity anomalies defined as deviations from climatology or as anomalies with the area-averaged changes for the Indian Ocean subtracted. When decadal sea surface temperature (SST) trends are observed to be strong over the Indian Ocean, the equatorial thermocline uniformly deepens, and the model simulates the eastward tendencies of surface wind aloft. Surface winds strongly converge around the maritime continent, and the associated strengthening of the Walker circulation suppresses an increasing trend in the equatorial Pacific SST through ocean thermocline shoaling, similar to common changes associated with seasonal Indian Ocean warming.

Forecasting Fire Season Severity in South America Using Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yang; Randerson, James T.; Morton, Douglas C.; DeFries, Ruth S.; Collatz, G. James; Kasibhatla, Prasad S.; Giglio, Louis; Jin, Yufang; Marlier, Miriam E.

2011-01-01

Fires in South America cause forest degradation and contribute to carbon emissions associated with land use change. We investigated the relationship between year-to-year changes in fire activity in South America and sea surface temperatures. We found that the Oceanic Ni o Index was correlated with interannual fire activity in the eastern Amazon, whereas the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index was more closely linked with fires in the southern and southwestern Amazon. Combining these two climate indices, we developed an empirical model to forecast regional fire season severity with lead times of 3 to 5 months. Our approach may contribute to the development of an early warning system for anticipating the vulnerability of Amazon forests to fires, thus enabling more effective management with benefits for climate and air quality.

Achieving Negative CO2 Emissions by Protecting Ocean Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannara, A.

2016-12-01

Industrial Age CO2 added 1.8 trillion tons to the atmosphere. About ¼ has dissolved in seas. The rest still dissolves, bolstered by present emissions of >30 gigatons/year. Airborne & oceanic CO2 have induced sea warming & ocean acidification*. This paper suggests a way to induce a negative CO2-emissions environment for climate & oceans - preserve the planet`s dominant CO2-sequestration system ( 1 gigaton/year via calcifying sea life**) by promptly protecting ocean chemistry via expansion of clean power for both lime production & replacement of CO2-emitting sources. Provide natural alkali (CaO, MgO…) to oceans to maintain average pH above 8.0, as indicated by marine biologists. That alkali (lime) is available from past calcifying life's limestone deposits, so can be returned safely to seas once its CO2 is removed & permanently sequestered (Carbfix, BSCP, etc.***). Limestone is a dense source of CO2 - efficient processing per mole sequestered. Distribution of enough lime is possible via cargo-ship transits - 10,000 tons lime/transit, 1 million transits/year. New Panamax ships carry 120,000 tons. Just 10,000/transit allows gradual reduction of present & past CO2 emissions effects, if coupled with combustion-power reductions. CO2 separation from limestone, as in cement plants, consumes 400kWHrs of thermal energy per ton of output lime (or CO2). To combat yearly CO2 dissolution in seas, we must produce & distribute about 10gigatons of lime/year. Only nuclear power produces the clean energy (thousands of terawatt hours) to meet this need - 1000 dedicated 1GWe reactors, processing 12 cubic miles of limestone/year & sequestering CO2 into a similar mass of basalt. Basalt is common in the world. Researchers*** report it provides good, mineralized CO2 sequestration. The numbers above allow gradual CO2 reduction in air and seas, if we return to President Kennedy's energy path: http://tinyurl.com/6xgpkfa We're on an environmental precipice due to failure to eliminate combustion power by 2000, per JFK. Brewer says oceans are in "precarious balance". Robust action now gradually restores a safer environment through ocean protection. * "A short history of ocean acidification science in the 20th century", Brewer, MBARI, 2013. ** AAAS Science, Canfield & Kump, 1 Feb. 2013. *** AAAS Science, Mattcr et alia, 10 Jun 2016.

Factors That Modulate Properties of Primary Marine Aerosol Generated From Ambient Seawater on Ships at Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keene, William C.; Long, Michael S.; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Frossard, Amanda A.; Kieber, David J.; Maben, John R.; Russell, Lynn M.; Kinsey, Joanna D.; Quinn, Patricia K.; Bates, Timothy S.

2017-11-01

Model primary marine aerosol (mPMA) was produced by bubbling clean air through flowing natural seawater in a high-capacity generator deployed on ships in the eastern North Pacific and western North Atlantic Oceans. Physicochemical properties of seawater and mPMA were quantified to characterize factors that modulated production. Differences in surfactant organic matter (OM) and associated properties including surface tension sustained plumes with smaller bubble sizes, slower rise velocities, larger void fractions, and older surface ages in biologically productive relative to oligotrophic seawater. Production efficiencies for mPMA number (PEnum) and mass (PEmass) per unit air detrained from biologically productive seawater during daytime were greater and mass median diameters smaller than those in the same seawater at night and in oligotrophic seawater during day and night. PEmass decreased with increasing air detrainment rate suggesting that surface bubble rafts suppressed emission of jet droplets and associated mPMA mass. Relative to bubbles emitted at 60 cm depth, PEnum for bubbles emitted from 100 cm depth was approximately 2 times greater. mPMA OM enrichment factors (EFs) and mass fractions based on a coarse frit, fine frits, and a seawater jet exhibited similar size-dependent variability over a wide range in chlorophyll a concentrations. Results indicate that the physical production of PMA number and mass from the ocean surface varies systematically as interrelated functions of seawater type and, in biologically productive waters, time of day; bubble injection rate, depth, size, and surface age; and physical characteristics of the air-water interface whereas size-resolved OM EFs and mass fractions are relatively invariant.

Retrieval of total water vapour in the Arctic using microwave humidity sounders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristian Scarlat, Raul; Melsheimer, Christian; Heygster, Georg

2018-04-01

Quantitative retrievals of atmospheric water vapour in the Arctic present numerous challenges because of the particular climate characteristics of this area. Here, we attempt to build upon the work of Melsheimer and Heygster (2008) to retrieve total atmospheric water vapour (TWV) in the Arctic from satellite microwave radiometers. While the above-mentioned algorithm deals primarily with the ice-covered central Arctic, with this work we aim to extend the coverage to partially ice-covered and ice-free areas. By using modelled values for the microwave emissivity of the ice-free sea surface, we develop two sub-algorithms using different sets of channels that deal solely with open-ocean areas. The new algorithm extends the spatial coverage of the retrieval throughout the year but especially in the warmer months when higher TWV values are frequent. The high TWV measurements over both sea-ice and open-water surfaces are, however, connected to larger uncertainties as the retrieval values are close to the instrument saturation limits.This approach allows us to apply the algorithm to regions where previously no data were available and ensures a more consistent physical analysis of the satellite measurements by taking into account the contribution of the surface emissivity to the measured signal.

Improving NOAA's NWLON Through Enhanced Data Inputs from NASA's Ocean Surface Topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guest, DeNeice C.

2010-01-01

This report assesses the benefit of incorporating NASA's OSTM (Ocean Surface Topography Mission) altimeter data (C- and Ku-band) into NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NWLON (National Water Level Observation Network) DSS (Decision Support System). This data will enhance the NWLON DSS by providing additional inforrnation because not all stations collect all meteorological parameters (sea-surface height, ocean tides, wave height, and wind speed over waves). OSTM will also provide data where NWLON stations are not present. OSTM will provide data on seasurface heights for determining sea-level rise and ocean circulation. Researchers and operational users currently use satellite altimeter data products with the GSFCOO NASA data model to obtain sea-surface height and ocean circulation inforrnation. Accurate and tirnely inforrnation concerning sea-level height, tide, and ocean currents is needed to irnprove coastal tidal predictions, tsunarni and storm surge warnings, and wetland restoration.

Multivariate optimum interpolation of surface pressure and winds over oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, S. C.

1984-01-01

The observations of surface pressure are quite sparse over oceanic areas. An effort to improve the analysis of surface pressure over oceans through the development of a multivariate surface analysis scheme which makes use of surface pressure and wind data is discussed. Although the present research used ship winds, future versions of this analysis scheme could utilize winds from additional sources, such as satellite scatterometer data.

Ocean heat budget analysis on sea surface temperature anomaly in western Indian Ocean during strong-weak Asian summer monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathrio, Ibnu; Manda, Atsuyoshi; Iizuka, Satoshi; Kodama, Yasu-Masa; Ishida, Sachinobu

2018-05-01

This study presents ocean heat budget analysis on seas surface temperature (SST) anomalies during strong-weak Asian summer monsoon (southwest monsoon). As discussed by previous studies, there was close relationship between variations of Asian summer monsoon and SST anomaly in western Indian Ocean. In this study we utilized ocean heat budget analysis to elucidate the dominant mechanism that is responsible for generating SST anomaly during weak-strong boreal summer monsoon. Our results showed ocean advection plays more important role to initate SST anomaly than the atmospheric prcess (surface heat flux). Scatterplot analysis showed that vertical advection initiated SST anomaly in western Arabian Sea and southwestern Indian Ocean, while zonal advection initiated SST anomaly in western equatorial Indian Ocean.

Exploration of an Ancient Ocean World: Dawn at Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raymond, C. A.

2016-12-01

The Dawn mission completed its comprehensive mapping of Ceres, the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system, earlier this year and has since begun an extended mission to improve the quality of the data sets and test specific hypotheses. Prior to Dawn's arrival, Ceres was already known to be a dark, wet dwarf planet with evidence for altered minerals and water vapor emissions, from decades of ground- and space-based observations. Dawn arrived at Ceres in March of 2015 and found a very dark surface as expected, but unexpectedly found a heavily cratered surface that was punctuated by small extremely bright areas. Contrary to the prediction by pre-Dawn models of an ice-rich, viscously-relaxed smooth surface resulting from physical differentiation and freezing of an ancient subsurface ocean, its surface has many craters, implying a mechanically strong thick crust. Ceres is, however, missing the largest expected craters and is gravitationally relaxed at long wavelengths, implying that the strong crust overlies a weaker deep interior. This presented a challenge to the pre-Dawn differentiation model, but data were available to test it. Ceres' surface is dominated by dark material, phyllosilicates, ammoniated clays and carbonates. The ubiquitous presence of ammoniated minerals suggests formation in a colder environment, possibly in the outer solar system, while the distribution of minerals indicates that Ceres' interior experienced pervasive alteration. Water ice has been observed in fresh craters at high latitudes, and elemental measurements indicate the presence of water ice in the immediate subsurface. These observations, along with Ceres gravity field confirm that Ceres at least partially differentiated, releasing water and volatiles from the original chondritic material, and providing evidence for an ancient subsurface ocean. Evidence for past and continuing geologic activity on Ceres is found in the regional variations in topography and morphology of the surface. Smoother, apparently resurfaced areas are generally found at lower elevations and rougher areas have greater relief. Local morphology such as crater floor deposits, isolated mountains and the enigmatic bright areas indicate active processes on Ceres that likely involve brine-driven cryovolcanism.

Irreducible Uncertainty in Terrestrial Carbon Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovenduski, N. S.; Bonan, G. B.

2016-12-01

We quantify and isolate the sources of uncertainty in projections of carbon accumulation by the ocean and terrestrial biosphere over 2006-2100 using output from Earth System Models participating in the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. We consider three independent sources of uncertainty in our analysis of variance: (1) internal variability, driven by random, internal variations in the climate system, (2) emission scenario, driven by uncertainty in future radiative forcing, and (3) model structure, wherein different models produce different projections given the same emission scenario. Whereas uncertainty in projections of ocean carbon accumulation by 2100 is 100 Pg C and driven primarily by emission scenario, uncertainty in projections of terrestrial carbon accumulation by 2100 is 50% larger than that of the ocean, and driven primarily by model structure. This structural uncertainty is correlated with emission scenario: the variance associated with model structure is an order of magnitude larger under a business-as-usual scenario (RCP8.5) than a mitigation scenario (RCP2.6). In an effort to reduce this structural uncertainty, we apply various model weighting schemes to our analysis of variance in terrestrial carbon accumulation projections. The largest reductions in uncertainty are achieved when giving all the weight to a single model; here the uncertainty is of a similar magnitude to the ocean projections. Such an analysis suggests that this structural uncertainty is irreducible given current terrestrial model development efforts.

Does Marine Surface Tension Have Global Biogeography? Addition for the OCEANFILMS Package

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

Elliott, Scott; Burrows, Susannah; Cameron-Smith, Philip

We apply principles of Gibbs phase plane chemistry across the entire ocean-atmosphere interface to investigate aerosol generation and geophysical transfer issues. Marine surface tension differences comprise a tangential pressure field controlling trace gas fluxes, primary organic inputs, and sea spray salt injections, in addition to heat and momentum fluxes. Mapping follows from the organic microlayer composition, now represented in ocean system models. Organic functional variations drive the microforcing, leading to (1) reduced turbulence and (by extension) laminar gas-energy diffusion; plus (2) altered bubble film mass emission into the boundary layer. Interfacial chemical behaviors are, therefore, closely reviewed as the background.more » We focus on phase transitions among two dimensional "solid, liquid, and gaseous" states serving as elasticity indicators. From the pool of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) only proteins and lipids appear to occupy significant atmospheric interfacial areas. The literature suggests albumin and stearic acid as the best proxies, and we distribute them through ecodynamic simulation. Consensus bulk distributions are obtained to control their adsorptive equilibria. We devise parameterizations for both the planar free energy and equation of state, relating excess coverage to the surface pressure and its modulus. Constant settings for the molecular surrogates are drawn from laboratory study and successfully reproduce surfactant solid-to-gas occurrence in compression experiments. Since DOC functionality measurements are rare, we group them into super-ecological province tables to verify aqueous concentration estimates. Outputs are then fed into a coverage, tension, elasticity code. The resulting two dimensional pressure contours cross a critical range for the regulation of precursor piston velocity, bubble breakage, and primary aerosol sources plus ripple damping. Concepts extend the water-air adsorption theory currently embodied in our OCEANFILMS aerosol emissions package, and the two approaches could be inserted into Earth System Models together. Uncertainties in the logic include kinetic and thermochemical factors operating at multiple scales.« less

30 CFR 250.218 - What air emissions information must accompany the EP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the EP? 250.218 Section 250.218 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND... structure installation), you must list: (i) The projected peak hourly emissions; (ii) The total annual...) The frequency and duration of emissions; and (v) The total of all emissions listed in paragraphs (a)(1...

30 CFR 250.249 - What air emissions information must accompany the DPP or DOCD?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the DPP or DOCD? 250.249 Section 250.249 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT...) The total annual emissions in tons per year; (iii) Emissions over the duration of the proposed development and production activities; (iv) The frequency and duration of emissions; and (v) The total of all...

Ocean acidification: Towards a better understanding of calcite dissolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilhelmus, Monica M.; Adkins, Jess; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2016-11-01

The drastic increase of anthropogenic CO2 emissions over the past two centuries has altered the chemical structure of the ocean, acidifying upper ocean waters. The net impact of this pH decrease on marine ecosystems is still unclear, given the unprecedented rate at which CO2 is being released into the atmosphere. As part of the carbon cycle, calcium carbonate dissolution in sediments neutralizes CO2: phytoplankton at the surface produce carbonate minerals, which sink and reach the seafloor after the organisms die. On time scales of thousands of years, the calcium carbonate in these shells ultimately reacts with CO2 in seawater. Research in this field has been extensive; nevertheless, the dissolution rate law, the impact of boundary layer transport, and the feedback with the global ocean carbon cycle remain controversial. Here, we (i) develop a comprehensive numerical framework via 1D modeling of carbonate dissolution in sediments, (ii) approximate its impact on water column properties by implementing a polynomial approximation to the system's response into a global ocean biogeochemistry general circulation model (OBGCM), and (iii) examine the OBGCM sensitivity response to different formulations of sediment boundary layer properties. We find that, even though the burial equilibration time scales of calcium carbonate are in the order of thousands of years, the formulation of a bottom sediment model along with an improved description of the dissolution rate law can have consequences on multi-year to decadal time scales.

Characterization of Emissions and Residues from Simulations ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The surface oil burns conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard from April to July 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico were simulated by small scale burns to characterize the pollutants, determine emission factors, and gather particulate matter for subsequent toxicity testing. A representative crude oil (Bayou Sweet) was burned in ocean-salinity seawater and emissions were collected from the plume by means of a crane-suspended emission sampling platform. A comprehensive array of emissions was characterized, accounting for over 92% by mass of the combustion products even without accounting for H2O. The particulate matter emissions were 70 g/kg (±8.3) of oil consumed, composed of 81% (±8) elemental carbon, and 80% were 1 µm in diameter or less. The particulate matter emissions were strongly light absorbing and had a single scattering albedo of 0.4 (±0.01) at 532 nm. Emissions of the 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were approximately 1 g/kg of oil consumed. While the oil burn particles were highly PAH-enriched, less than 30% of the PAHs were particle-bound, the rest being in the gas phase. Formation of polychlorinated dibenzodioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/DF) was observed at 1.2 ng toxic equivalency (TEQ)/kg of oil consumed. Analysis of the particles showed the major elements to be Na, S, Cl and Si with no other elements, including metals, exceeding 5 mg/kg oil consumed. The unburned oil mass was 29% of the original crude oil mas

Advances in understanding, models and parameterisations of biosphere-atmosphere ammonia exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechard, C. R.; Massad, R.-S.; Loubet, B.; Personne, E.; Simpson, D.; Bash, J. O.; Cooter, E. J.; Nemitz, E.; Sutton, M. A.

2013-03-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) dominates global emissions of total reactive nitrogen (Nr), while emissions from agricultural production systems contribute about two thirds of global NH3 emissions; the remaining third emanates from oceans, natural vegetation, humans, wild animals and biomass burning. On land, NH3 emitted from the various sources eventually returns to the biosphere by dry deposition to sink areas, predominantly semi-natural vegetation, and by wet and dry deposition as ammonium (NH4+) to all surfaces. However, the land/atmosphere exchange of gaseous NH3 is in fact bi-directional over unfertilized as well as fertilized ecosystems, with periods and areas of emission and deposition alternating in time (diurnal, seasonal) and space (patchwork landscapes). The exchange is controlled by a range of environmental factors, including meteorology, surface layer turbulence, thermodynamics, air and surface heterogeneous-phase chemistry, canopy geometry, plant development stage, leaf age, organic matter decomposition, soil microbial turnover, and, in agricultural systems, by fertilizer application rate, fertilizer type, soil type, crop type, and agricultural management practices. We review the range of processes controlling NH3 emission and uptake in the different parts of the soil-canopy-atmosphere continuum, with NH3 emission potentials defined at the substrate and leaf levels by different [NH4+] / [H+] ratios (Γ). Surface/atmosphere exchange models for NH3 are necessary to compute the temporal and spatial patterns of emissions and deposition at the soil, plant, field, landscape, regional and global scales, in order to assess the multiple environmental impacts of air-borne and deposited NH3 and NH4+. Models of soil/vegetation/atmosphereem NH3 exchange are reviewed from the substrate and leaf scales to the global scale. They range from simple steady-state, "big leaf" canopy resistance models, to dynamic, multi-layer, multi-process, multi-chemical species schemes. Their level of complexity depends on their purpose, the spatial scale at which they are applied, the current level of parameterisation, and the availability of the input data they require. State-of-the-art solutions for determining the emission/sink Γ potentials through the soil/canopy system include coupled, interactive chemical transport models (CTM) and soil/ecosystem modelling at the regional scale. However, it remains a matter for debate to what extent realistic options for future regional and global models should be based on process-based mechanistic versus empirical and regression-type models. Further discussion is needed on the extent and timescale by which new approaches can be used, such as integration with ecosystem models and satellite observations.

Advances in understanding, models and parameterizations of biosphere-atmosphere ammonia exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechard, C. R.; Massad, R.-S.; Loubet, B.; Personne, E.; Simpson, D.; Bash, J. O.; Cooter, E. J.; Nemitz, E.; Sutton, M. A.

2013-07-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) dominates global emissions of total reactive nitrogen (Nr), while emissions from agricultural production systems contribute about two-thirds of global NH3 emissions; the remaining third emanates from oceans, natural vegetation, humans, wild animals and biomass burning. On land, NH3 emitted from the various sources eventually returns to the biosphere by dry deposition to sink areas, predominantly semi-natural vegetation, and by wet and dry deposition as ammonium (NH4+) to all surfaces. However, the land/atmosphere exchange of gaseous NH3 is in fact bi-directional over unfertilized as well as fertilized ecosystems, with periods and areas of emission and deposition alternating in time (diurnal, seasonal) and space (patchwork landscapes). The exchange is controlled by a range of environmental factors, including meteorology, surface layer turbulence, thermodynamics, air and surface heterogeneous-phase chemistry, canopy geometry, plant development stage, leaf age, organic matter decomposition, soil microbial turnover, and, in agricultural systems, by fertilizer application rate, fertilizer type, soil type, crop type, and agricultural management practices. We review the range of processes controlling NH3 emission and uptake in the different parts of the soil-canopy-atmosphere continuum, with NH3 emission potentials defined at the substrate and leaf levels by different [NH4+] / [H+] ratios (Γ). Surface/atmosphere exchange models for NH3 are necessary to compute the temporal and spatial patterns of emissions and deposition at the soil, plant, field, landscape, regional and global scales, in order to assess the multiple environmental impacts of airborne and deposited NH3 and NH4+. Models of soil/vegetation/atmosphere NH3 exchange are reviewed from the substrate and leaf scales to the global scale. They range from simple steady-state, "big leaf" canopy resistance models, to dynamic, multi-layer, multi-process, multi-chemical species schemes. Their level of complexity depends on their purpose, the spatial scale at which they are applied, the current level of parameterization, and the availability of the input data they require. State-of-the-art solutions for determining the emission/sink Γ potentials through the soil/canopy system include coupled, interactive chemical transport models (CTM) and soil/ecosystem modelling at the regional scale. However, it remains a matter for debate to what extent realistic options for future regional and global models should be based on process-based mechanistic versus empirical and regression-type models. Further discussion is needed on the extent and timescale by which new approaches can be used, such as integration with ecosystem models and satellite observations.

Tidally controlled gas bubble emissions: A comprehensive study using long-term monitoring data from the NEPTUNE cabled observatory offshore Vancouver Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Römer, Miriam; Riedel, Michael; Scherwath, Martin; Heesemann, Martin; Spence, George D.

2016-09-01

Long-term monitoring over 1 year revealed high temporal variability of gas emissions at a cold seep in 1250 m water depth offshore Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Data from the North East Pacific Time series Underwater Networked Experiment observatory operated by Ocean Networks Canada were used. The site is equipped with a 260 kHz Imagenex sonar collecting hourly data, conductivity-temperature-depth sensors, bottom pressure recorders, current meter, and an ocean bottom seismograph. This enables correlation of the data and analyzing trigger mechanisms and regulating criteria of gas discharge activity. Three periods of gas emission activity were observed: (a) short activity phases of few hours lasting several months, (b) alternating activity and inactivity of up to several day-long phases each, and (c) a period of several weeks of permanent activity. These periods can neither be explained by oceanographic conditions nor initiated by earthquakes. However, we found a clear correlation of gas emission with bottom pressure changes controlled by tides. Gas bubbles start emanating during decreasing tidal pressure. Tidally induced pressure changes also influence the subbottom fluid system by shifting the methane solubility resulting in exsolution of gas during falling tides. These pressure changes affect the equilibrium of forces allowing free gas in sediments to emanate into the water column at decreased hydrostatic load. We propose a model for the fluid system at the seep, fueled by a constant subsurface methane flux and a frequent tidally controlled discharge of gas bubbles into the ocean, transferable to other gas emission sites in the world's oceans.

Natural variability of pCO2 and pH in the Atlantic and Pacific coastal margins of the U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutton, A. J.; Sabine, C. L.; Feely, R. A.; Newton, J.; Salisbury, J.; Vandemark, D. C.; Musielewicz, S. B.; Maenner-Jones, S.; Bott, R.; Lawrence-Slavas, N.

2011-12-01

The discovery that seawater chemistry is changing as a result of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, referred to as "ocean acidification", has prompted a large effort to understand how this changing chemistry will impact marine life. Changes in carbon chemistry have been documented in the open ocean; however, in dynamic coastal systems where many marine species live, ocean acidification and the natural biogeochemical variability that organisms are currently exposed to are poorly quantified. In 2010 we began equipping coastal moorings currently measuring pCO2 with pH and other biogeochemical sensors to measure ocean acidification parameters at 3 hour intervals in the surface water. Here we present the magnitude and diurnal to seasonal variability of pCO2 and pH during the first year of observations at 2 sites in the Atlantic and Pacific coastal margins of the U.S.: the Gulf of Maine and outer coast of Washington state. Both the magnitude and range of pCO2 and pH values were much greater at the coastal moorings compared to the open ocean mooring at Ocean Station Papa in the North Pacific and also varied between the two coastal mooring sites. We observed maximum pCO2 values in coastal waters exceeding predicted values for the open ocean at 2x pre-industrial CO2 levels. The range of pCO2 and pH values during this time series was approximately 4 times the range observed at open ocean mooring Papa (2007-2011 time series). In many cases, large variance was observed at short time scales, with values fluctuating more than 200 μatm pCO2 and 0.2 pH between 3-hour cycles. These types of observations are critical for understanding how ocean acidification will manifest in naturally dynamic coastal systems and for informing the experimental design of species response studies that aim to mimic carbon chemistry experienced by coastal marine organisms.

Seasonality of mercury in the Atlantic marine boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soerensen, Anne L.; Sunderland, Elsie; Skov, Henrik; Holmes, Christopher; Jacob, Daniel J.

2010-05-01

Around one third of the mercury emissions today are from primary anthropogenic sources, with the remaining two-thirds from secondary reemissions of earlier deposition and natural sources (AMAP/UNEP 2008). Mercury exchange at the air-sea interface is important for the global distribution of atmospheric mercury as parts of deposited mercury will reenter the atmosphere through evasion. The exchange at the air-sea interface also affects the amount of inorganic mercury in the ocean and thereby the conversion to the neuro-toxic methylmercury. Here we combine new cruise measurements in the atmospheric marine boundary layer (MBL) of the Atlantic Ocean (Northern Hemisphere) from the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007 with existing data from cruises in the Atlantic Ocean since 1978. We observe from these data a seasonal cycle in Hg(0) concentrations in the Atlantic marine boundary later (MBL) that exhibits minimum concentrations during summer and high concentrations during fall to spring. These observations suggest a local, seasonally dependent Hg(0) source in the MBL that causes variability in concentrations above the open ocean. To further investigate controls on Hg(0) concentrations in the MBL, we developed an improved representation of oceanic air-sea exchange processes within the GEOS-Chem global 3-D biogeochemical mercury model. Specifically, we used new data on mercury redox reactions in the surface ocean as a function of biological and photochemical processes, and implemented new algorithms for mercury dynamics associated with suspended particles. Our coupled atmospheric-oceanic modeling results support the premise that oceanic evasion is a main driver controlling Hg(0) concentrations in the MBL. We also use the model to investigate what drivers the evasion across the air-sea interface on shorter timescales. This is done by tracking evasion rates and other model components on an hourly basis for chosen locations in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of the Ocean: Effects of Wave Representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eide, H.; Stamnes, K.; Ottaviani, M.

2004-12-01

The specular reflection of the Sun off the ocean, or sun glint, is of major concern for ocean remote sensing. Typically, data from in and around the sunglint region are discarded because of the unknown contribution to the measured radiances or because of sensor saturation. On the other hand, accurate knowledge of the sunglint properties enables retrievals of atmospheric parameters. The challenge of the ocean retrieval problem is to get the ``water leaving radiance'', Lw, by subtracting the Rayleigh scattering, aerosol scattering, water vapor, ozone, and sun glint from the measured radiances at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). Thus, the task is to correct for both the atmospheric contribution and for surface effects. Two simplifying assumptions that are frequently employed in ocean remote sensing are that the ocean BRDF is isotropic and that one can de-couple the radiative properties of the atmosphere from those of the surface. Our previous studies have shown that neglecting the inherit coupling between the atmosphere and surface can lead to large errors in the retrievals. In order to do retrievals over bright, as well as darker surfaces, it is necessary to account for this coupling between the surface and the atmosphere. In the present study we use models for the reflection of light off the ocean surface to calculate the ocean BRDF. The differences between the various models are investigated as is the effect of using different types of wave statistics (e.g. Cox Munk). We present results from calculations where we vary the wind speed and direction as well as other parameters affecting the ocean surface. The error introduced in ocean retrievals by assuming an isotropic BRDF is assessed, and methods for improved treatment of sunglint are suggested.

Transient Climate Impacts for Scenarios of Aerosol Emissions from Asia: A Story of Coal versus Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grandey, B. S.; Cheng, H.; Wang, C.

2014-12-01

Projections of anthropogenic aerosol emissions are uncertain. In Asia, it is possible that emissions may increase if business continues as usual, with economic growth driving an increase in coal burning. But it is also possible that emissions may decrease rapidly due to the widespread adoption of cleaner technology or a shift towards non-coal fuels, such as natural gas. In this study, the transient climate impacts of three aerosol emissions scenarios are investigated: an RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) control; a scenario with reduced Asian anthropogenic aerosol emissions; and a scenario with enhanced Asian anthropogenic aerosol emissions. A coupled atmosphere-ocean configuration of CESM (Community Earth System Model), including CAM5 (Community Atmosphere Model version 5), is used. Enhanced Asian aerosol emissions are found to delay global mean warming by one decade at the end of the century. Aerosol-induced suppression of the East Asian and South Asian summer monsoon precipitation occurs. The enhanced Asian aerosol emissions also remotely impact precipitation in other parts of the world: over the Sahel, West African monsoon precipitation is suppressed; and over Australia, austral summer monsoon precipitation is enhanced. These remote impacts on precipitation are associated with a southward shift of the ITCZ. The aerosol-induced sea surface temperature (SST) response appears to play an important role in the precipitation changes over South Asia and Australia, but not over East Asia. These results indicate that energy production in Asia, through the consequent aerosol emissions and associated radiative effects, might significantly influence future climate both locally and globally.

The use of EuroCordex in marine climate projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinker, Jonathan; Palmer, Matthew; Lowe, Jason; Howard, Tom

2017-04-01

The Northwest European Shelf seas (NWS, including the North Sea, Irish Sea and Celtic Sea) are of economic, environmental and cultural importance to a number of European countries. However, their representation by global climate models (GCMs) is very crude, due to their inability to represent the complex geometry and the absence of tides. Therefore, there is a need to employ dynamical downscaling methods when considering the potential impacts of climate change on the European (and other) shelf seas. Using a shelf seas model to dynamically downscale of the ocean component of the GCM is a well established method. While taking open ocean lateral boundary conditions from the GCM ocean is acceptable, using surface flux forcings from the GCM atmosphere is often problematic. The CORDEX project provides an important dataset of high spatial and temporal resolution atmospheric forcings, derived from 'parent' CMIP5 GCM simulations. We drive the NEMO shelf seas model with data from CMIP5 models and EURO-CORDEX Regional Climate Model (RCM) data to produce a set of NWS climate projections. We require relatively high temporal resolution output, and run-off (for the river forcings), and so are limited to a subset of the available EURO-CORDEX RCMs. From these we select two CMIP5 GCMs with the same RCM with two emissions scenarios to give a minimum estimate of GCM model structural and emission scenario uncertainty. Other experiments allow an initial estimate of the uncertainty associated with the model structure of both the shelf seas and the RCM. Our analysis is focused on the uncertainty associated with the mean change in a number of physical marine impacts and the drivers of coastal variability and change, including sea level and the propagation of open ocean signals onto the shelf. Our work is part of the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) and will inform the following UK Climate Change Risk Assessments, required as part of the Climate Change Act.

Local atmospheric response to warm mesoscale ocean eddies in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Confluence region.

PubMed

Sugimoto, Shusaku; Aono, Kenji; Fukui, Shin

2017-09-19

In the extratropical regions, surface winds enhance upward heat release from the ocean to atmosphere, resulting in cold surface ocean: surface ocean temperature is negatively correlated with upward heat flux. However, in the western boundary currents and eddy-rich regions, the warmer surface waters compared to surrounding waters enhance upward heat release-a positive correlation between upward heat release and surface ocean temperature, implying that the ocean drives the atmosphere. The atmospheric response to warm mesoscale ocean eddies with a horizontal extent of a few hundred kilometers remains unclear because of a lack of observations. By conducting regional atmospheric model experiments, we show that, in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Confluence region, wintertime warm eddies heat the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL), and accelerate westerly winds in the near-surface atmosphere via the vertical mixing effect, leading to wind convergence around the eastern edge of eddies. The warm-eddy-induced convergence forms local ascending motion where convective precipitation is enhanced, providing diabatic heating to the atmosphere above MABL. Our results indicate that warm eddies affect not only near-surface atmosphere but also free atmosphere, and possibly synoptic atmospheric variability. A detailed understanding of warm eddy-atmosphere interaction is necessary to improve in weather and climate projections.

Plausible surface models for Titan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lunine, Jonathan I.

1992-01-01

Current understanding of the nature of Titan's surface and some new ideas for explaining the curious radar returns from Saturn's largest satellite are reviewed. Pre-Voyager models of the surface, based largely on cosmochemistry and the discovery of atmospheric methane, allowed for a range of possibilities, including pure methane oceans. The Voyager 1 flyby ruled out this last possibility, replacing it with compelling observational arguments in favor of a mixed light hydrocarbon and nitrogen ocean. Ground based radar observations indicated a surprisingly reflective surface which is inconsistent with a hydrocarbon ocean and more reminiscent of the Galilean Satellites. Nonetheless, passive radiometric measurements of the surface do not support the notion that Titan's surface is like that of the Galilean satellites. One of the arguments against hydrocarbon oceans reflecting radar energy is that most solid, complex hydrocarbon and nitriles will be denser than the liquid and sink. Nonetheless, many of the aerosol species will coagulate in highly nonspherical patterns, and some species probably polymerize in long chains. Such chains will have very low sedimendation velocities in the ocean and may remain near the surface through ocean mixing process. The prospect of an oceanic 'soup' of polar polymers acting as volume reflectors at radio wevelengths suggests that the interpretation of radar observations needs evaluation.

Optimal Estimation of the Carbonyl Sulfide Surface Flux Through Inverse Modeling of TES Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuai, L.; Worden, J.; Lee, M.; Campbell, J. E.; Kulawik, S. S.; Weidner, R. J.

2014-12-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is the most abundant sulfur gas in the troposphere with a global averaging mixing ratio of about 500 part per trillion (ppt). The ocean is the primary source of OCS, emitting OCS directly or its precursors, carbon disulfide and dimethyl sulfide. The most important atmospheric sink of OCS is uptake by terrestrial plants via photosynthesis. Although the global budget of atmospheric OCS has been studied, the global integrated OCS fluxes have large uncertainties, e.g. the uncertainties of the ocean fluxes are as large as 100% or more and a large missing ocean sources required to balance the global budgets. A first tropical ocean map of the free tropospheric OCS has been developed using retrieval data from radiance measurements from the AURA Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The monthly mean ocean data has been evaluated to estimate the biases and uncertainties in the TES OCS against aircraft profiles from the HIPPO campaign and ground data from the NOAA Mauna Loa site. We found the TES OCS data to be consistent (within the calculated uncertainties) with NOAA ground observations and HIPPO aircraft measurements and it captured the seasonal and latitudinal variations observed by these in situ data within the estimated uncertainties. In this study, we first update bottom-up estimate of global source and sinks of atmospheric OCS. The global forward simulations of atmospheric OCS using updated bottom-up fluxes with GEOS-Chem show improvement of the seasonal variation over multiple NOAA ground stations in both north and south hemispheres. Inverse analysis of surface fluxes from TES OCS data will provide further constraints to estimate the missing ocean source and understand the enhanced OCS over eastern Asia and west Pacific, which could be driven by wind, Asian outflow, a mystery process, or a combination of all of the above. The investigation will provide the fundamental measurements and analysis needed to estimate the missing source in the sulfur cycle and provide the framework for extending the TES algorithm to land retrievals, which can be used directly in studies of carbon-climate feedbacks.

Global declines in oceanic nitrification rates as a consequence of ocean acidification.

PubMed

Beman, J Michael; Chow, Cheryl-Emiliane; King, Andrew L; Feng, Yuanyuan; Fuhrman, Jed A; Andersson, Andreas; Bates, Nicholas R; Popp, Brian N; Hutchins, David A

2011-01-04

Ocean acidification produced by dissolution of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO(2)) emissions in seawater has profound consequences for marine ecology and biogeochemistry. The oceans have absorbed one-third of CO(2) emissions over the past two centuries, altering ocean chemistry, reducing seawater pH, and affecting marine animals and phytoplankton in multiple ways. Microbially mediated ocean biogeochemical processes will be pivotal in determining how the earth system responds to global environmental change; however, how they may be altered by ocean acidification is largely unknown. We show here that microbial nitrification rates decreased in every instance when pH was experimentally reduced (by 0.05-0.14) at multiple locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Nitrification is a central process in the nitrogen cycle that produces both the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide and oxidized forms of nitrogen used by phytoplankton and other microorganisms in the sea; at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series and Hawaii Ocean Time-series sites, experimental acidification decreased ammonia oxidation rates by 38% and 36%. Ammonia oxidation rates were also strongly and inversely correlated with pH along a gradient produced in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea (r(2) = 0.87, P < 0.05). Across all experiments, rates declined by 8-38% in low pH treatments, and the greatest absolute decrease occurred where rates were highest off the California coast. Collectively our results suggest that ocean acidification could reduce nitrification rates by 3-44% within the next few decades, affecting oceanic nitrous oxide production, reducing supplies of oxidized nitrogen in the upper layers of the ocean, and fundamentally altering nitrogen cycling in the sea.

Global Modeling of Internal Tides Within an Eddying Ocean General Circulation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

atmosphere and ocean (Yu and Weller, 2007 ). Salinities in the upper ocean are set by the difference between evaporation and precipitation at the ocean...surface (Yu, 2007 ; Schmitt, 2008). Because the buoyancy (density) of seawater at the ocean surface is con- trolled by temperature and salinity, the...days, these currents mean- der and generate highly energetic meso- scale eddies (Schmitz, 1996a,b; Stammer , 1997), the spinning oceanic dynamical

Emission of methyl bromide from biomass burning

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

Manoe, S.; Andreae, M.O.

1994-03-04

Bromine is, per atom, far more efficient than chlorine in destroying stratospheric ozone, and methyl bromide is the single largest source of stratospheric bromine. The two main previously known sources of this compound are emissions from the ocean and from the compound's use as an agricultural pesticide. Laboratory biomass combustion experiments showed that methyl bromide was emitted in the smoke from various fuels tested. Methyl bromide was also found in smoke plumes from wildfires in savannas, chaparral, and boreal forest. Global emissions of methyl bromide from biomass burning are estimated to be in the range of 10 to 50 gigagramsmore » per year, which is comparable to the amount produced by ocean emission and pesticide use and represents a major contribution ([approximately]30 percent) to the stratospheric bromine budget.« less

Numerical simulation of the world ocean circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takano, K.; Mintz, Y.; Han, Y. J.

1973-01-01

A multi-level model, based on the primitive equations, is developed for simulating the temperature and velocity fields produced in the world ocean by differential heating and surface wind stress. The model ocean has constant depth, free slip at the lower boundary, and neglects momentum advection; so that there is no energy exchange between the barotropic and baroclinic components of the motion, although the former influences the latter through temperature advection. The ocean model was designed to be coupled to the UCLA atmospheric general circulation model, for the study of the dynamics of climate and climate changes. But here, the model is tested by prescribing the observed seasonally varying surface wind stress and the incident solar radiation, the surface air temperature and humidity, cloudiness and the surface wind speed, which, together with the predicted ocean surface temperature, determine the surface flux of radiant energy, sensible heat and latent heat.

Estimating Advective Near-surface Currents from Ocean Color Satellite Images

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

of surface current information. The present study uses the sequential ocean color products provided by the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) and...on the SuomiNational Polar-Orbiting Partner- ship (S-NPP) satellite. The GOCI is the world’s first geostationary orbit satellite sensor over the...used to extract the near-surface currents by the MCC algorithm. We not only demonstrate the retrieval of currents from the geostationary satellite ocean

1/f model for long-time memory of the ocean surface temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraedrich, Klaus; Luksch, Ute; Blender, Richard

2004-09-01

The 1/f spectrum of the ocean surface temperature in the Atlantic and Pacific midlatitudes is explained by a simple vertical diffusion model with a shallow mixed layer on top of a deep ocean. The model is forced at the air-sea interface with the total surface heat flux from a 1000 year climate simulation. The analysis reveals the role of ocean advection and substantiates estimates of internal thermal diffusivities.

Transport of Biomass Burning Emissions from Southern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinha, Parikhit; Jaegle,Lyatt; Hobbs, Peter V.; Liang, Qing

2004-01-01

The transport of biomass burning emissions from southern Africa to the neighboring Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the dry season (May-October) of 2000 is characterized using ground, ozonesonde, and aircraft measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) in and around southern Africa, together with the GEOS-CHEM global model of tropospheric chemistry. The model shows a positive bias of approximately 20% for CO and a negative bias of approximately 10-25% for O3 at oceanic sites downwind of fire emissions. Near areas of active fire emissions the model shows a negative bias of approximately 60% and approximately 30% for CO and O3, respectively, likely due to the coarse spatial (2 deg. x 2.5 deg.) and temporal (monthly) resolution of the model compared to that of active fires. On average, from 1994 to 2000, approximately 60 Tg of carbon monoxide (CO) from biomass burning in southern Africa was transported eastward to the Indian Ocean across the latitude band 0 deg. -60 S during the 6 months of the dry season. Over the same time period, approximately 40 Tg of CO from southern African biomass burning was transported westward to the Atlantic Ocean over the latitudes 0 deg. -20 S during the 6-month dry season, but most of that amount was transported back eastward over higher latitudes to the south (21 deg. -60 S). Eastward transport of biomass burning emissions from southern Africa enhances CO concentrations by approximately 4- 13 ppbv per month over the southern subtropical Indian Ocean during the dry season, with peak enhancements in September. Carbon monoxide from southern African and South American biomass burning is seen in the model simulations as far away as Australia, contributing approximately 8 ppbv and approximately 12-15 ppbv CO, respectively, and thus explaining the approximately 20- 25 ppbv observed enhancement of CO over Melbourne in mid-September 2000.

Emission, fate and effects of soluble silicates (waterglass) in the aquatic environment.

PubMed

van Dokkum, Henno P; Hulskotte, Ian H J; Kramer, Kees J M; Wilmot, Joël

2004-01-15

Soluble silicates, commercially known as waterglass, are among the largest volume synthetic chemicals in the world. Silicon from waterglass is rapidly transformed to the biologically active orthosilicic acid (referred to as dissolved silicate). This paper aims to assess the impact of waterglass on the aquatic environment in Western Europe. The emission to surface waters from the four most relevant application areas, household detergents, pulp and paper production, water and wastewater treatment, and soil stabilization, is estimated to be ca. 88-121 kton of SiO2 per year. This is a small fraction (<2%) of the estimated total amount of dissolved silicate transported by rivers to the oceans. Locally, increases in dissolved silicate concentration will decrease the ratios of N:Si and P:Si, which could influence phytoplankton species composition and favor the growth of diatoms over other groups of algae. Significant adverse effects in aquatic ecosystems are not expected.

Ocean surface partitioning strategies using ocean colour remote Sensing: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krug, Lilian Anne; Platt, Trevor; Sathyendranath, Shubha; Barbosa, Ana B.

2017-06-01

The ocean surface is organized into regions with distinct properties reflecting the complexity of interactions between environmental forcing and biological responses. The delineation of these functional units, each with unique, homogeneous properties and underlying ecosystem structure and dynamics, can be defined as ocean surface partitioning. The main purposes and applications of ocean partitioning include the evaluation of particular marine environments; generation of more accurate satellite ocean colour products; assimilation of data into biogeochemical and climate models; and establishment of ecosystem-based management practices. This paper reviews the diverse approaches implemented for ocean surface partition into functional units, using ocean colour remote sensing (OCRS) data, including their purposes, criteria, methods and scales. OCRS offers a synoptic, high spatial-temporal resolution, multi-decadal coverage of bio-optical properties, relevant to the applications and value of ocean surface partitioning. In combination with other biotic and/or abiotic data, OCRS-derived data (e.g., chlorophyll-a, optical properties) provide a broad and varied source of information that can be analysed using different delineation methods derived from subjective, expert-based to unsupervised learning approaches (e.g., cluster, fuzzy and empirical orthogonal function analyses). Partition schemes are applied at global to mesoscale spatial coverage, with static (time-invariant) or dynamic (time-varying) representations. A case study, the highly heterogeneous area off SW Iberian Peninsula (NE Atlantic), illustrates how the selection of spatial coverage and temporal representation affects the discrimination of distinct environmental drivers of phytoplankton variability. Advances in operational oceanography and in the subject area of satellite ocean colour, including development of new sensors, algorithms and products, are among the potential benefits from extended use, scope and applications of ocean surface partitioning using OCRS.

Earth and space science - Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, R. H.

1983-01-01

Satellite observations of the oceans are now being used to obtain new information about the oceanic geoid, currents, winds, tides and the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere. In addition, satellites routinely relay information from the sea surface to laboratories on land, and determine the position of instruments drifting on the sea surface.

Seasonal dynamics of surface chlorophyll concentration and sea surface temperature, as indicator of hydrological structure of the ocean (by satellite data)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevyrnogov, Anatoly; Vysotskaya, Galina

Continuous monitoring of phytopigment concentrations and sea surface temperature in the ocean by space-borne methods makes possible to estimate ecological condition of biocenoses in critical areas. Unlike land vegetation, hydrological processes largely determine phytoplank-ton dynamics, which may be either recurrent or random. The types of chlorophyll concentration dynamics and sea surface temperature can manifest as zones quasistationary by seasonal dynamics, quasistationary areas (QSA). In the papers of the authors (A. Shevyrnogov, G. Vysotskaya, E. Shevyrnogov, A study of the stationary and the anomalous in the ocean surface chlorophyll distribution by satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 25, No.7-8, pp. 1383-1387, April 2004 & A. P. Shevyrnogov, G. S. Vysotskaya, J. I. Gitelson, Quasistationary areas of chlorophyll concentra-tion in the world ocean as observed satellite data Advances in Space Research, Volume 18, Issue 7, Pages 129-132, 1996) existence of zones, which are quasi-stationary with similar seasonal dynamics of chlorophyll concentration at surface layer of ocean, was shown. Results were obtained on the base of processing of time series of satellite images SeaWiFS. It was shown that fronts and frontal zones coincide with dividing lines between quasi-stationary are-as, especially in areas of large oceanic streams. To study the dynamics of the ocean for the period from 1985 through 2012 we used data on the temperature of the surface layer of the ocean and chlorophyll concentration (AVHRR, SeaWiFS and MODIS). Biota of surface oceanic layer is more stable in comparison with quickly changing surface tem-perature. It gives a possibility to circumvent influence of high-frequency component (for exam-ple, a diurnal cycle) in investigation of dynamics of spatial distribution of surface streams. In addition, an analyses of nonstable ocean productivity phenomena, stood out time series of satellite images, showed existence of areas with different types of instability in the all Global ocean. They are observed as adjacent nonstationary zones of different size, which are associ-ated by different ways with known oceanic phenomena. It is evident that dynamics of a spatial distribution of biological productivity can give an additional knowledge of complicated picture of surface oceanic layer hydrology. In this study we demonstrate different origin of appearance of quasistationary zones in the ocean. We can see that the border between quasi¬stationary zones is an indicator of the front between the Labrador Current and Gulfstream, other example of revealed pheno¬menon is a qua-sistationary area around of the British Isles that correlates with the relief of the oceanic bottom. Considering that the QSA maps are calculated almost for all surface of the Global ocean, not all QSA can be explained especially of small size. Although some small QSA are interesting. Also local QSA near estuaries of large rivers and large industrial centers, that can be result of a human impact. In sum satellite data is a powerful instrument for investigation of dynamic oceanic processes, their stability and unstability. The result of such study can be used for monitoring of long-term changes and their correlation of with climate dynamics.

Enhanced deep ocean ventilation and oxygenation with global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froelicher, T. L.; Jaccard, S.; Dunne, J. P.; Paynter, D.; Gruber, N.

2014-12-01

Twenty-first century coupled climate model simulations, observations from the recent past, and theoretical arguments suggest a consistent trend towards warmer ocean temperatures and fresher polar surface oceans in response to increased radiative forcing resulting in increased upper ocean stratification and reduced ventilation and oxygenation of the deep ocean. Paleo-proxy records of the warming at the end of the last ice age, however, suggests a different outcome, namely a better ventilated and oxygenated deep ocean with global warming. Here we use a four thousand year global warming simulation from a comprehensive Earth System Model (GFDL ESM2M) to show that this conundrum is a consequence of different rates of warming and that the deep ocean is actually better ventilated and oxygenated in a future warmer equilibrated climate consistent with paleo-proxy records. The enhanced deep ocean ventilation in the Southern Ocean occurs in spite of increased positive surface buoyancy fluxes and a constancy of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds - circumstances that would otherwise be expected to lead to a reduction in deep ocean ventilation. This ventilation recovery occurs through a global scale interaction of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation undergoing a multi-centennial recovery after an initial century of transient decrease and transports salinity-rich waters inform the subtropical surface ocean to the Southern Ocean interior on multi-century timescales. The subsequent upwelling of salinity-rich waters in the Southern Ocean strips away the freshwater cap that maintains vertical stability and increases open ocean convection and the formation of Antarctic Bottom Waters. As a result, the global ocean oxygen content and the nutrient supply from the deep ocean to the surface are higher in a warmer ocean. The implications for past and future changes in ocean heat and carbon storage will be discussed.

Alkyl nitrate (C1-C3) depth profiles in the tropical Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahl, E. E.; Yvon-Lewis, S. A.; Saltzman, E. S.

2007-01-01

This paper reports the first depth profile measurements of methyl, ethyl, isopropyl and n-propyl nitrates in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Depth profile measurements were made at 22 stations during the Project Halocarbon Air Sea Exchange cruise, in warm pool, equatorial, subequatorial, and gyre waters. The highest concentrations, up to several hundred pM of methyl nitrate, were observed in the central Pacific within 8 degrees of the equator. In general, alkyl nitrate levels were highest in the surface mixed layer, and decreased with depth below the mixed layer. The spatial distribution of the alkyl nitrates suggests that there is a strong source associated with biologically productive ocean regions, that is characterized by high ratios of methyl:ethyl nitrate. However, the data do not allow discrimination between direct biological emissions and photochemistry as production mechanisms. Alkyl nitrates were consistently detectable at several hundred meters depth. On the basis of the estimated chemical loss rate of these compounds, we conclude that deep water alkyl nitrates must be produced in situ. Possible sources include free radical processes initiated by radioactive decay or cosmic rays, enzymatically mediated reactions involving bacteria, or unidentified chemical mechanisms involving dissolved organic matter.

Land surface temperature measurements from EOS MODIS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wan, Zhengming

1994-01-01

A generalized split-window method for retrieving land-surface temperature (LST) from AVHRR and MODIS data has been developed. Accurate radiative transfer simulations show that the coefficients in the split-window algorithm for LST must depend on the viewing angle, if we are to achieve a LST accuracy of about 1 K for the whole scan swath range (+/-55.4 deg and +/-55 deg from nadir for AVHRR and MODIS, respectively) and for the ranges of surface temperature and atmospheric conditions over land, which are much wider than those over oceans. We obtain these coefficients from regression analysis of radiative transfer simulations, and we analyze sensitivity and error by using results from systematic radiative transfer simulations over wide ranges of surface temperatures and emissivities, and atmospheric water vapor abundance and temperatures. Simulations indicated that as atmospheric column water vapor increases and viewing angle is larger than 45 deg it is necessary to optimize the split-window method by separating the ranges of the atmospheric column water vapor and lower boundary temperature, and the surface temperature into tractable sub-ranges. The atmospheric lower boundary temperature and (vertical) column water vapor values retrieved from HIRS/2 or MODIS atmospheric sounding channels can be used to determine the range where the optimum coefficients of the split-window method are given. This new LST algorithm not only retrieves LST more accurately but also is less sensitive than viewing-angle independent LST algorithms to the uncertainty in the band emissivities of the land-surface in the split-window and to the instrument noise.

Assessing the contribution of beach-cast seagrass wrack to global GHGs emissions: experimental models, problems and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misson, Gloria; Incerti, Guido; Alberti, Giorgio; Delle Vedove, Gemini; Pirelli, Tiziana; Peressotti, Alessandro

2017-04-01

Carbon stock in coastal seagrass ecosystems is estimated to be 4.2-8.4 Pg C. While covering less than 0.2% of the ocean floor, seagrasses store about 10% of the carbon buried in the oceans each year. However, such a potential contribution is reduced by the annual loss of seagrasses globally (-1.5% per year) mainly because of anthropogenic coastal development and climate change. Like many terrestrial higher plants, marine seagrasses lose their old leaves during annual or inter-annual senescence, and a significant proportion of these residues is transported in surface waters and washed up on shores by surf, tides and winds. This beach-cast seagrass wrack provides important ecosystem services, such as reducing wave impact, protecting beaches from erosion, providing habitat to bird and invertebrate species that colonize shorelines, and being a primary food resource for beach detritivores. However, accumulation of seagrass wrack on beaches, following degradation of meadows, can negatively impact tourism. Therefore, wrack piles are frequently collected and disposed of in landfills or biomass waste facilities, and the adoption of these management practices implies substantial environmental and economic costs. On the other hand, wrack piles might be a significant source of greenhouse emissions (GHGs). Recent studies reported CO2 emission rates and suggested possible mitigation options, such as energy conversion and biochar production through pyrolysis. Even though quantitative estimates of both seagrass coastal distribution and residues disposal to seashores are partially available, at least at regional level, the assessment of their contribution to global GHGs emissions is still lacking, due to a knowledge gap about the effects of peculiar environmental conditions of beach ecosystems on seagrass decay rates. In this framework, we propose an experimental model to assess seagrass wrack decomposition dynamics in both controlled conditions and experimental fields in North-East Italy, with focus on CO2 and CH4 emissions, as a function of temperature, salinity, water supply and physical properties of the wrack piles. After presenting preliminary results, we highlight problems and perspectives concerning the assessment of beach-cast wrack contribution to the global GHGs emissions.

Atmospheric methane sources - Alaskan tundra bogs, an alpine fen, and a subarctic boreal marsh

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sebacher, D. I.; Harriss, R. C.; Grice, S. S.; Bartlett, K. B.; Sebacher, S. M.

1986-01-01

Methane (CH4) flux measurements from Alaska tundra bogs, an alpine fen, and a subarctic boreal marsh were obtained at field sites ranging from Prudhoe Bay on the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Alaskan Range south of Fairbanks during August 1984. In the tundra, average CH4 emission rates varied from 4.9 mg CH4 per sq m per day (moist tundra) to 119 mg CH4 per sq m per day (waterlogged tundra). Fluxes averaged 40 mg CH4 per sq m per day from wet tussock meadows in the Brooks Range and 289 mg Ch4 per sq m per day from an alpine fen in the Alaskan Range. The boreal marsh had an average CH4 emission rate of 106 mg CH4 per sq m per day. Significant emissions were detected in tundra areas where peat temperatures were as low as 4 C, and permafrost was only 25 cm below the ground surface. Emission rates from the 17 sites sampled were found to be logarithmically related to water levels at the sites. Extrapolation of the data to an estimate of the total annual CH4 emission from all arctic and boreal wetlands suggests that these ecosystems are a major source of atmospheric CH4 and could account for up to 23 percent of global CH4 emissions from wetlands.

Warming up, turning sour, losing breath: ocean biogeochemistry under global change.

PubMed

Gruber, Nicolas

2011-05-28

In the coming decades and centuries, the ocean's biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems will become increasingly stressed by at least three independent factors. Rising temperatures, ocean acidification and ocean deoxygenation will cause substantial changes in the physical, chemical and biological environment, which will then affect the ocean's biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems in ways that we are only beginning to fathom. Ocean warming will not only affect organisms and biogeochemical cycles directly, but will also increase upper ocean stratification. The changes in the ocean's carbonate chemistry induced by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO(2)) (i.e. ocean acidification) will probably affect many organisms and processes, although in ways that are currently not well understood. Ocean deoxygenation, i.e. the loss of dissolved oxygen (O(2)) from the ocean, is bound to occur in a warming and more stratified ocean, causing stress to macro-organisms that critically depend on sufficient levels of oxygen. These three stressors-warming, acidification and deoxygenation-will tend to operate globally, although with distinct regional differences. The impacts of ocean acidification tend to be strongest in the high latitudes, whereas the low-oxygen regions of the low latitudes are most vulnerable to ocean deoxygenation. Specific regions, such as the eastern boundary upwelling systems, will be strongly affected by all three stressors, making them potential hotspots for change. Of additional concern are synergistic effects, such as ocean acidification-induced changes in the type and magnitude of the organic matter exported to the ocean's interior, which then might cause substantial changes in the oxygen concentration there. Ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation are essentially irreversible on centennial time scales, i.e. once these changes have occurred, it will take centuries for the ocean to recover. With the emission of CO(2) being the primary driver behind all three stressors, the primary mitigation strategy is to reduce these emissions. © 2011 The Royal Society

Influences of man-made emissions and climate changes on tropospheric ozone, methane, and sulfate at 2030 from a broad range of possible futures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unger, Nadine; Shindell, Drew T.; Koch, Dorothy M.; Amann, Markus; Cofala, Janusz; Streets, David G.

2006-06-01

We apply the Goddard Institute for Space Studies composition-climate model to an assessment of tropospheric O3, CH4, and sulfate at 2030. We compare four different anthropogenic emissions forecasts: A1B and B1 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios and Current Legislation (CLE) and Maximum Feasible Reduction (MFR) from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The projections encompass a wide range of possible man-made emissions changes. The A1B, B1, and CLE forecasts all suggest large increases in surface O3 and sulfate baseline pollution at tropical and subtropical latitudes, especially over the Indian subcontinent, where the pollution increases may be as large as 100%. The ranges of annual mean regional ground level O3 and sulfate changes across all scenarios are -10 to +30 ppbv and -1200 to +3000 pptv, respectively. Physical climate changes reduce future surface O3, but tend to increase ground level sulfate locally over North Africa because of an enhancement of aqueous-phase SO2 oxidation. For all examined future scenarios the combined sum of the CH4, O3, and sulfate radiative forcings is positive, even for the MFR scenario, because of the large reduction in sulfate. For A1B the forcings are as much as half of that of the preindustrial to present-day forcing for each species. For MFR the sign of the forcing for each species is reversed with respect to the other scenarios. At 2030, global changes in climate-sensitive natural emissions of CH4 from wetlands, NOx from lightning, and dimethyl sulfide from the ocean appear to be small (<5%).

MMAB Operational Products

Science.gov Websites

Atlantic Real-Time Ocean Forecast System NOAA Wavewatch III® Ocean Wave Model Sea Ice Concentration Analysis Satellite Derived Ocean Surface Winds Daily Sea Surface Temperature Analysis Sea Ice Drift Model

The sequestration switch: removing industrial CO2 by direct ocean absorption.

PubMed

Ametistova, Lioudmila; Twidell, John; Briden, James

2002-04-22

This review paper considers direct injection of industrial CO2 emissions into the mid-water oceanic column below 500 m depth. Such a process is a potential candidate for switching atmospheric carbon emissions directly to long term sequestration, thereby relieving the intermediate atmospheric burden. Given sufficient research justification, the argument is that harmful impact in both the Atmosphere and the biologically rich upper marine layer could be reduced. The paper aims to estimate the role that active intervention, through direct ocean CO2 storage, could play and to outline further research and assessment for the strategy to be a viable option for climate change mitigation. The attractiveness of direct ocean injection lies in its bypassing of the Atmosphere and upper marine region, its relative permanence, its practicability using existing technologies and its quantification. The difficulties relate to the uncertainty of some fundamental scientific issues, such as plume dynamics, lowered pH of the exposed waters and associated ecological impact, the significant energy penalty associated with the necessary engineering plant and the uncertain costs. Moreover, there are considerable uncertainties regarding related international marine law. Development of the process would require acceptance of the evidence for climate change, strict requirements for large industrial consumers of fossil fuel to reduce CO2 emissions into the Atmosphere and scientific evidence for the overall beneficial impact of ocean sequestration.

Surface ozone and NOx trends observed over Kannur, a South Indian coastal location of weak industrial activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Satheesh Mk; T, Nishanth; M, Praseeed K.

South India is a peninsular region surrounded by the three belts of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Usually, coastal regions experience relatively high air quality compared to that of the interior land masses owing to the abundance of OH over ocean surface which acts as detergent in the atmosphere. Kannur (11.9 N, 75.4E, 5 m AMSL) is a coastal location along the Arabian Sea which is located in the northern district of Kerala State with fairly low industrial activities. A continuous observation of surface ozone (O3), NOx and OX (NO2+ O3) which has been initiated at this coastal site since 2009 reveals the enhancement in the concentrations of these trace species quite significantly. It is observed that surface O3 mixing ratio is increased at a rate of 1.51 ± 0.5 ppbv/year during the four year period from 2009 at Kannur. The enhancement rate in the mixing ratios of NOx is 1.01 ± 0.4 ppbv/year and OX is 1.49±0.42 ppbv/year respectively. The increase of O3 may be attributed due to the increase in methane and non-methane organic emissions from the wet lands and vehicles may enhance O3 production and fairly low rate of change of NO concentration at this site. This paper describes the rate of changes of O3, NOx and OX during the period of observation in detail. Likewise, the increase in nighttime concentrations of O3 and PM10 observed during the festival occasions in the summer month of April in all years is explained. Being a weak industrialized location, the main source of pollution is by vehicular emissions and the increase in these trace gases in the context of rapid enhancement in the number of vehicles is well correlated. These results may be helpful for improving government policies to control the photochemical formation of secondary air pollutants in the rural coastal sites that has a significant influence on the onset of monsoon and the outcome of this study have significant relevance for gradual transformation of pristine locations into polluted sites.

Satellite-based Calibration of Heat Flux at the Ocean Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, C. N.; Dastugue, J. M.; May, J. C.; Rowley, C. D.; Smith, S. R.; Spence, P. L.; Gremes-Cordero, S.

2016-02-01

Model forecasts of upper ocean heat content and variability on diurnal to daily scales are highly dependent on estimates of heat flux through the air-sea interface. Satellite remote sensing is applied to not only inform the initial ocean state but also to mitigate errors in surface heat flux and model representations affecting the distribution of heat in the upper ocean. Traditional assimilation of sea surface temperature (SST) observations re-centers ocean models at the start of each forecast cycle. Subsequent evolution depends on estimates of surface heat fluxes and upper-ocean processes over the forecast period. The COFFEE project (Calibration of Ocean Forcing with satellite Flux Estimates) endeavors to correct ocean forecast bias through a responsive error partition among surface heat flux and ocean dynamics sources. A suite of experiments in the southern California Current demonstrates a range of COFFEE capabilities, showing the impact on forecast error relative to a baseline three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) assimilation using Navy operational global or regional atmospheric forcing. COFFEE addresses satellite-calibration of surface fluxes to estimate surface error covariances and links these to the ocean interior. Experiment cases combine different levels of flux calibration with different assimilation alternatives. The cases may use the original fluxes, apply full satellite corrections during the forecast period, or extend hindcast corrections into the forecast period. Assimilation is either baseline 3DVAR or standard strong-constraint 4DVAR, with work proceeding to add a 4DVAR expanded to include a weak constraint treatment of the surface flux errors. Covariance of flux errors is estimated from the recent time series of forecast and calibrated flux terms. While the California Current examples are shown, the approach is equally applicable to other regions. These approaches within a 3DVAR application are anticipated to be useful for global and larger regional domains where a full 4DVAR methodology may be cost-prohibitive.

Measuring Ocean Surface Waves using Signal Reflections from Geostationary Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouellette, J. D.; Dowgiallo, D. J.; Hwang, P. A.; Toporkov, J. V.

2017-12-01

The delay-Doppler response of communications signals (such as GNSS) reflected off the ocean surface is well-known to have properties which strongly correlate with surface wind conditions and ocean surface roughness. This study extends reflectometry techniques currently applied to the GNSS constellation to include geostationary communications satellites such as XM Radio. In this study, ocean wind conditions and significant wave height will be characterized using the delay-Doppler response of XM Radio signals reflected off of ocean surface waves. Using geostationary satellites for reflectometry-based remote sensing of oceans presents two primary advantages. First, longer coherent integration times can be achieved, which boosts signal processing gain and allows for finer Doppler resolution. Second, being designed for wide-area broadcast communications, the ground-received power of these geostationary satellite signals tends to be many orders of magnitude stronger than e.g. GNSS signals. Reflections of such signals from the ocean are strong enough to be received well outside of the specular region. This flexibility of viewing geometry allows signal processing to be performed on data received from multiple incidence/reception angles, which can provide a more complete characterization of ocean surface roughness and surface wind vectors. This work will include studies of simulated and measured delay-Doppler behavior of XM Radio signals reflected from dynamic ocean surfaces. Simulation studies will include inter-comparison between a number of hydrodynamic and electromagnetic models. Results from simulations will be presented as delay-Doppler plots and will be compared with delay-Doppler behavior observed in measured data. Measured data will include field campaign results from early- to mid-2017 in which the US Naval Research Laboratory's in-house XM reflectometer-receiver was deployed near the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina to observe reflections from wind-driven ocean waves. Preliminary results from a significant wave height retrieval algorithm will also be presented.

Low simulated radiation limit for runaway greenhouse climates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldblatt, Colin; Robinson, Tyler D.; Zahnle, Kevin J.; Crisp, David

2013-08-01

The atmospheres of terrestrial planets are expected to be in long-term radiation balance: an increase in the absorption of solar radiation warms the surface and troposphere, which leads to a matching increase in the emission of thermal radiation. Warming a wet planet such as Earth would make the atmosphere moist and optically thick such that only thermal radiation emitted from the upper troposphere can escape to space. Hence, for a hot moist atmosphere, there is an upper limit on the thermal emission that is unrelated to surface temperature. If the solar radiation absorbed exceeds this limit, the planet will heat uncontrollably and the entire ocean will evaporate--the so-called runaway greenhouse. Here we model the solar and thermal radiative transfer in incipient and complete runaway greenhouse atmospheres at line-by-line spectral resolution using a modern spectral database. We find a thermal radiation limit of 282Wm-2 (lower than previously reported) and that 294Wm-2 of solar radiation is absorbed (higher than previously reported). Therefore, a steam atmosphere induced by such a runaway greenhouse may be a stable state for a planet receiving a similar amount of solar radiation as Earth today. Avoiding a runaway greenhouse on Earth requires that the atmosphere is subsaturated with water, and that the albedo effect of clouds exceeds their greenhouse effect. A runaway greenhouse could in theory be triggered by increased greenhouse forcing, but anthropogenic emissions are probably insufficient.

Global sensitivity analysis of GEOS-Chem modeled ozone and hydrogen oxides during the INTEX campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, Kenneth E.; Brune, William H.; Mao, Jingqiu; Ren, Xinrong

2018-02-01

Making sense of modeled atmospheric composition requires not only comparison to in situ measurements but also knowing and quantifying the sensitivity of the model to its input factors. Using a global sensitivity method involving the simultaneous perturbation of many chemical transport model input factors, we find the model uncertainty for ozone (O3), hydroxyl radical (OH), and hydroperoxyl radical (HO2) mixing ratios, and apportion this uncertainty to specific model inputs for the DC-8 flight tracks corresponding to the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment (INTEX) campaigns of 2004 and 2006. In general, when uncertainties in modeled and measured quantities are accounted for, we find agreement between modeled and measured oxidant mixing ratios with the exception of ozone during the Houston flights of the INTEX-B campaign and HO2 for the flights over the northernmost Pacific Ocean during INTEX-B. For ozone and OH, modeled mixing ratios were most sensitive to a bevy of emissions, notably lightning NOx, various surface NOx sources, and isoprene. HO2 mixing ratios were most sensitive to CO and isoprene emissions as well as the aerosol uptake of HO2. With ozone and OH being generally overpredicted by the model, we find better agreement between modeled and measured vertical profiles when reducing NOx emissions from surface as well as lightning sources.

A Multiyear Dataset of SSM/I-Derived Global Ocean Surface Turbulent Fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Shu-Hsien; Shie, Chung-Lin; Atlas, Robert M.; Ardizzone, Joe; Nelkin, Eric; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The surface turbulent fluxes of momentum, latent heat, and sensible heat over global oceans are essential to weather, climate and ocean problems. Evaporation is a key component of the hydrological cycle and the surface heat budget, while the wind stress is the major forcing for driving the oceanic circulation. The global air-sea fluxes of momentum, latent and sensible heat, radiation, and freshwater (precipitation-evaporation) are the forcing for driving oceanic circulation and, hence, are essential for understanding the general circulation of global oceans. The global air-sea fluxes are required for driving ocean models and validating coupled ocean-atmosphere global models. We have produced a 7.5-year (July 1987-December 1994) dataset of daily surface turbulent fluxes over the global oceans from the Special Sensor microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. Daily turbulent fluxes were derived from daily data of SSM/I surface winds and specific humidity, National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) sea surface temperatures, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) air-sea temperature differences, using a stability-dependent bulk scheme. The retrieved instantaneous surface air humidity (with a 25-km resolution) validated well with that of the collocated radiosonde observations over the global oceans. Furthermore, the retrieved daily wind stresses and latent heat fluxes were found to agree well with that of the in situ measurements (IMET buoy, RV Moana Wave, and RV Wecoma) in the western Pacific warm pool during the TOGA COARE intensive observing period (November 1992-February 1993). The global distributions of 1988-94 seasonal-mean turbulent fluxes will be presented. In addition, the global distributions of 1990-93 annual-means turbulent fluxes and input variables will be compared with those of UWM/COADS covering the same period. The latter is based on the COADS (comprehensive ocean-atmosphere data set) and is recognized to be one of the best climatological analyses of fluxes derived from ship observations.

River plastic emissions to the world's oceans.

PubMed

Lebreton, Laurent C M; van der Zwet, Joost; Damsteeg, Jan-Willem; Slat, Boyan; Andrady, Anthony; Reisser, Julia

2017-06-07

Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density and hydrological information. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature. We estimate that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste currently enters the ocean every year from rivers, with over 74% of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, mostly located in Asia, account for 67% of the global total. The findings of this study provide baseline data for ocean plastic mass balance exercises, and assist in prioritizing future plastic debris monitoring and mitigation strategies.

River plastic emissions to the world's oceans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebreton, Laurent C. M.; van der Zwet, Joost; Damsteeg, Jan-Willem; Slat, Boyan; Andrady, Anthony; Reisser, Julia

2017-06-01

Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density and hydrological information. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature. We estimate that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste currently enters the ocean every year from rivers, with over 74% of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, mostly located in Asia, account for 67% of the global total. The findings of this study provide baseline data for ocean plastic mass balance exercises, and assist in prioritizing future plastic debris monitoring and mitigation strategies.

River plastic emissions to the world's oceans

PubMed Central

Lebreton, Laurent C. M.; van der Zwet, Joost; Damsteeg, Jan-Willem; Slat, Boyan; Andrady, Anthony; Reisser, Julia

2017-01-01

Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density and hydrological information. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature. We estimate that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste currently enters the ocean every year from rivers, with over 74% of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, mostly located in Asia, account for 67% of the global total. The findings of this study provide baseline data for ocean plastic mass balance exercises, and assist in prioritizing future plastic debris monitoring and mitigation strategies. PMID:28589961

The role of clouds and oceans in global greenhouse warming. Final report

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

Hoffert, M.I.

1996-10-01

This research focuses on assessing connections between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and global climatic change. it has been supported since the early 1990s in part by the DOE ``Quantitative Links`` Program (QLP). A three-year effort was originally proposed to the QLP to investigate effects f global cloudiness on global climate and its implications for cloud feedback; and to continue the development and application of climate/ocean models, with emphasis on coupled effects of greenhouse warming and feedbacks by clouds and oceans. It is well-known that cloud and ocean processes are major sources of uncertainty in the ability to predict climatic changemore » from humankind`s greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions. And it has always been the objective to develop timely and useful analytical tools for addressing real world policy issues stemming from anthropogenic climate change.« less

Microwave Remote Sensing Modeling of Ocean Surface Salinity and Winds Using an Empirical Sea Surface Spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yueh, Simon H.

2004-01-01

Active and passive microwave remote sensing techniques have been investigated for the remote sensing of ocean surface wind and salinity. We revised an ocean surface spectrum using the CMOD-5 geophysical model function (GMF) for the European Remote Sensing (ERS) C-band scatterometer and the Ku-band GMF for the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer. The predictions of microwave brightness temperatures from this model agree well with satellite, aircraft and tower-based microwave radiometer data. This suggests that the impact of surface roughness on microwave brightness temperatures and radar scattering coefficients of sea surfaces can be consistently characterized by a roughness spectrum, providing physical basis for using combined active and passive remote sensing techniques for ocean surface wind and salinity remote sensing.

Global monitoring of Sea Surface Salinity with Aquarius

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lagerloef, G. S. E.; LeVine, D. M.; Chao, Yi; Colomb, R.; Nollmann, I.

2005-01-01

Aquarius is a microwave remote sensing system designed to obtain global maps of the surface salinity field of the oceans from space. It will be flown on the Aquarius/SAC-D mission, a partnership between the USA (NASA) and Argentina (CONAE) with launch scheduled for late in 2008. The objective of Aquarius is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variation of the large scale features of the surface salinity field in the open ocean. This will provide data to address scientific questions associated with ocean circulation and its impact on climate. For example, salinity is needed to understand the large scale thermohaline circulation, driven by buoyancy, which moves large masses of water and heat around the globe. Of the two variables that determine buoyancy (salinity and temperature), temperature is already being monitored. Salinity is the missing variable needed to understand this circulation. Salinity also has an important role in energy exchange between the ocean and atmosphere, for example in the development of fresh water lenses (buoyant water that forms stable layers and insulates water below from the atmosphere) which alter the air-sea coupling. Aquarius is a combination radiometer and scatterometer (radar) operating at L-band (1.413 GHz for the radiometer and 1.26 GHz for the scatterometer). The primary instrument,for measuring salinity is the radiometer which is able to detect salinity because of the modulation salinity produces on the thermal emission from sea water. This change is detectable at the long wavelength end of the microwave spectrum. The scatterometer will provide a correction for surface roughness (waves) which is one of the greatest unknowns in the retrieval. The sensor will be in a sun-synchronous orbit at about 650 km with equatorial crossings of 6am/6pm. The antenna for these two instruments is a 3 meter offset fed reflector with three feeds arranged in pushbroom fashion looking away from the sun toward the shadow side of the orbit to minimize sunglint. The mission goal is to produce maps of the salinity field globally once each month with an accuracy of 0.2 psu and a spatial resolution of 100 km. This will be adequate to address l&ge scale features of the salinity field of the open ocean. The temporal resolution is sufficient to address seasonal changes and a three year mission is planned to-collect sufficient data to look for interannual variation. Aquarius is being developed by NASA as part of the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program. The SAC-D mission is being developed by CONAE and will include the space craft and several additional instruments, including visible and infrared cameras and a microwave radiometer to monitor rain and wind velocity over the oceans, and sea ice.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of bulk aqueous solutions at oceanic pressures: evaluation of key measurement parameters

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

Michel, Anna P. M.; Lawrence-Snyder, Marion; Angel, S. Michael

The development of in situ chemical sensors is critical for present-day expeditionary oceanography and the new mode of ocean observing systems that we are entering. New sensors take a significant amount of time to develop; therefore, validation of techniques in the laboratory for use in the ocean environment is necessary. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising in situ technique for oceanography. Laboratory investigations on the feasibility of using LIBS to detect analytes in bulk liquids at oceanic pressures were carried out. LIBS was successfully used to detect dissolved Na, Mn, Ca, K, and Li at pressures up to 2.76x107more » Pa. The effects of pressure, laser-pulse energy, interpulse delay, gate delay, temperature, and NaCl concentration on the LIBS signal were examined. An optimal range of laser-pulse energies was found to exist for analyte detection in bulk aqueous solutions at both low and high pressures. No pressure effect was seen on the emission intensity for Ca and Na, and an increase in emission intensity with increased pressure was seen for Mn. Using the dual-pulse technique for several analytes, a very short interpulse delay resulted in the greatest emission intensity. The presence of NaCl enhanced the emission intensity for Ca, but had no effect on peak intensity of Mn or K. Overall, increased pressure, the addition of NaCl to a solution, and temperature did not inhibit detection of analytes in solution and sometimes even enhanced the ability to detect the analytes. The results suggest that LIBS is a viable chemical sensing method for in situ analyte detection in high-pressure environments such as the deep ocean.« less

Positive matrix factorization and trajectory modelling for source identification: A new look at Indian Ocean Experiment ship observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhanuprasad, S. G.; Venkataraman, Chandra; Bhushan, Mani

The sources of aerosols on a regional scale over India have only recently received attention in studies using back trajectory analysis and chemical transport modelling. Receptor modelling approaches such as positive matrix factorization (PMF) and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) are effective tools in source identification of urban and regional-scale pollution. In this work, PMF and PSCF analysis is applied to identify categories and locations of sources that influenced surface concentrations of aerosols in the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) domain measured on-board the research vessel Ron Brown [Quinn, P.K., Coffman, D.J., Bates, T.S., Miller, T.L., Johnson, J.E., Welton, E.J., et al., 2002. Aerosol optical properties during INDOEX 1999: means, variability, and controlling factors. Journal of Geophysical Research 107, 8020, doi:10.1029/2000JD000037]. Emissions inventory information is used to identify sources co-located with probable source regions from PSCF. PMF analysis identified six factors influencing PM concentrations during the INDOEX cruise of the Ron Brown including a biomass combustion factor (35-40%), three industrial emissions factors (35-40%), primarily secondary sulphate-nitrate, balance trace elements and Zn, and two dust factors (20-30%) of Si- and Ca-dust. The identified factors effectively predict the measured submicron PM concentrations (slope of regression line=0.90±0.20; R2=0.76). Probable source regions shifted based on changes in surface and elevated flows during different times in the ship cruise. They were in India in the early part of the cruise, but in west Asia, south-east Asia and Africa, during later parts of the cruise. Co-located sources include coal-fired electric utilities, cement, metals and petroleum production in India and west Asia, biofuel combustion for energy and crop residue burning in India, woodland/forest burning in north sub-Saharan Africa and forest burning in south-east Asia. Significant findings are equivalent contributions of biomass combustion and industrial emissions to the measured aerosol surface concentrations, the origin of carbonaceous aerosols largely from biomass combustion and the identification of probable source regions in Africa, west Asia, the Arabian peninsula and south-east Asia, in addition to India, which affected particulate matter concentrations over parts of the INDOEX domain covered by the Ron Brown cruise.

[Distributions and air-sea fluxes of dissolved nitrous oxide in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area in spring and summer].

PubMed

Wang, Lan; Zhang, Gui-ling; Sun, Ming-shuang; Ren, Jing-ling

2014-12-01

Distributions and air-sea fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the seawaters of the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area were investigated during two cruises in March and July 2012. Dissolved N2O concentrations in surface waters ranged from 9.34 to 49.08 nmol x L(-1) with an average of (13.27 ± 6.40) nmol x L(-1) in spring and ranged from 7.27 to 27.81 nmol x L(-1) with an average of (10.62 ± 5.03) nmol x L(-1) in summer. There was no obvious difference between surface and bottom N2O concentrations. N2O concentrations in both surface and bottom waters decreased along the freshwater plume from the river mouth to the open sea. High values of dissolved N2O were found in turbidity maximum zone, which suggests that maximal turbidity enhances nitrification. Temperature had dual effects on dissolved N2O concentrations. N2O saturations in surface waters ranged from 86.9% to 351.3% with an average of (111.5 ± 41.4)% in spring and ranged from 111.7% to 396.0% with an average of (155.9 ± 68.4)% in summer. N2O were over-saturated at most stations. The sea-to-air fluxes of N2O were estimated to be (3.2 ± 10.9), (5.5 ± 19.3) and (12.2 ±52.3) μmol x (m2 x d)(-1) in spring and (7.3 ± 12.4), (12.7 ± 20.4) and (20.4 ± 35.9) μmol x (m2 x d)(-1) in summer using the LM86, W92 and RC01 relationships, respectively. The annual emissions of N2O from the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area were estimated to be 0.6 x 10(-2) Tg x a(-1) (LM86), 1.1 x 10(-2) Tg x a(-1) (W92) and 2.0 x 10(-2) Tg x a(-1) (RC01). Although the area of the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area only accounts for 0.02% of the total area of the world's oceans, their emission of N2O accounts for 0.06% of global oceanic N2O emission, indicating that the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent marine area is an active area to produce and emit N2O.

Global ocean monitoring for the World Climate Research Programme.

PubMed

Revelle, R; Bretherton, F

1986-07-01

Oceanic research and modelling for the World Climate Research Program will utilize several recently-developed instruments and measuring techniques as well as well-tested, long-used instruments. Ocean-scanning satellites will map the component of the ocean-surface topography related to ocean currents and mesoscale eddies and to fluctuating water volumes caused by ocean warming and cooling. Other satellite instruments will measure the direction and magnitude of wind stress on the sea surface, surface water temperatures, the distribution of chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments, the characteristics of internal waves, and possible precipitation over the ocean. Networks of acoustic transponders will obtain a three-dimensional picture of the distribution of temperature from the surface down to mid-depth and of long-term changes in temperature at depth. Ocean research vessels will determine the distribution and fate of geochemical tracers and will also make high-precision, deep hydrographic casts. Ships of opportunity, using expendable instruments, will measure temperature, salinity and currents in the upper water layers. Drifting and anchored buoys will also measure these properties as well as those of the air above the sea surface. Tide gauges installed on islands and exposed coastal locations will measure variations in monthly and shorter-period mean sea level. These tide gauges will provide 'ground truth' for the satellite maps of sea-surface topography, and will also determine variations in ocean currents and temperature.All these instruments will be used in several major programs, the most ambitious of which is the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) designed to obtain global measurements of major currents throughout the world ocean, greater understanding of the transformation of water masses, and the role of advective, convective, and turbulent processes in exchange of properties between surface and deep-ocean layers.A five- to ten-year experiment-"Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere (TOGA)"-will be undertaken to sudy the sequence of events of air-sea interactions in the tropical oceans and their impact on climatic variations on land-for example, variations in the strength and location of the Indian Ocean monsoon, droughts in low latitudes, and climatic fluctuations in temperate latitudes.Experimental and continuing time series will be taken at fixed locations to obtain a better picture of the magnitude and causes of ocean climate variability. National and multinational systematic repeated measurements along selected ocean transects or in specific ocean areas will be taken to determine oceanic variability and teleconnections between oceanic and atmospheric processes. Examples are the long Japanese section along the meridian of 137° E and the 'Sections' program of the USSR and several other countries in Energy-Active zones.The results from this wide range of observations and experiments will be used to guide and define mathematical models of the ocean circulation and its interactions with the atmosphere.It can be shown that biogeochemical processes in the ocean play an important role in determining the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere and thus in causing long-term climatic changes. Variations in the biological productivity of sub-surface waters cause variations in the effectveness of the biological pump which carries organic carbon down into deeper waters where it is oxidized. Studies of ice cores from 20 000 to 30 000 yr before the present indicate that atmospheric carbon dioxide varied by a factor of 2 within times of the order of 100 yr, and these variations were accompanied by large excursions in atmospheric temperature. Thus, ocean climatic monitoring must take into account measurements of both biological and physical variations in the ocean.

Diverging seasonal extremes for ocean acidification during the twenty-first century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, Lester; Orr, James C.

2018-01-01

How ocean acidification will affect marine organisms depends on changes in both the long-term mean and the short-term temporal variability of carbonate chemistry1-8. Although the decadal-to-centennial response to atmospheric CO2 and climate change is constrained by observations and models1, 9, little is known about corresponding changes in seasonality10-12, particularly for pH. Here we assess the latter by analysing nine earth system models (ESMs) forced with a business-as-usual emissions scenario13. During the twenty-first century, the seasonal cycle of surface-ocean pH was attenuated by 16 ± 7%, on average, whereas that for hydrogen ion concentration [H+] was amplified by 81 ± 16%. Simultaneously, the seasonal amplitude of the aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) was attenuated except in the subtropics, where it was amplified. These contrasting changes derive from regionally varying sensitivities of these variables to atmospheric CO2 and climate change and to diverging trends in seasonal extremes in the primary controlling variables (temperature, dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity). Projected seasonality changes will tend to exacerbate the impacts of increasing [H+] on marine organisms during the summer and ameliorate the impacts during the winter, although the opposite holds in the high latitudes. Similarly, over most of the ocean, impacts from declining Ωarag are likely to be intensified during the summer and dampened during the winter.

Raman Spectrograph for Ocean Worlds: Integrating Cavity Enhanced Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retherford, Kurt D.; Moore, Thomas Z.; Davis, Michael W.; Howett, Carly; Soto, Alejandro; Raut, Ujjwal; Molyneux, Philippa M.; Nowicki, Keith; Mandt, Kathleen; E Schmidt, Britney; Mason, John; Yakovlev, Vladislav V.; Fry, Edward S.; RSO Team

2017-10-01

We present a new concept for a Raman spectrograph instrument designed to conduct high sensitivity measurements of biomarkers within Ocean Worlds environments. Our Raman Spectrograph for Ocean worlds (RSO) instrument is a UV+IR multi-laser enhanced Raman system capable of detecting complex, biologically-relevant molecular species mixed within icy surfaces in the outer Solar System. Incorporating two or more lasers with different excitation-emission pathways is crucial for thorough and definitive interpretation of the spectral fingerprints that identify unknown constituents within a sample. Our approach strives to remove fluorescence-driven ambiguities from degenerate, non-unique signatures expected for the most interesting trace constituents, i.e., those best revealed by UV excitation. Our design for deep-UV measurements is based on a novel high-reflectivity integrating cavity invented at Texas A&M University and further developed at SwRI. We report nanomole-range sensitivities of several complex organic molecules measured with our laboratory prototype cavities. Weak optical signals from Raman or fluorescence based instruments require sensitive low-noise detectors and long integration times, which by comparison are undesirable for the high radiation environment and limited battery power conditions anticipated for the Europa Lander mission. The two-to-five orders of magnitude enhanced sensitivity over standard Raman spectroscopy enabled by the integrating cavity enhanced spectroscopy technique makes it well suited for the Europa Lander payload and other future Ocean Worlds missions.

Effects of water-emission anisotropy on multispectral remote sensing at thermal wavelengths of ocean temperature and of cirrus clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otterman, J.; Susskind, J.; Dalu, G.; Kratz, D.; Goldberg, I. L.

1992-01-01

The impact of water-emission anisotropy on remotedly sensed long-wave data has been studied. Water emission is formulated from a calm body for a facile computation of radiative transfer in the atmosphere. The error stemming from the blackbody assumption are calculated for cases of a purely absorbing or a purely scattering atmosphere taking the optical properties of the atmosphere as known. For an absorbing atmosphere, the errors in the sea-surface temperature (SST) are found to be always reduced and be the same whether measurements are made from space or at any level of the atmosphere. The inferred optical thickness tau of an absorbing layer can be in error under the blackbody assumption by a delta tau of 0.01-0.08, while the inferred optical thickness of a scattering layer can be in error by a larger amount, delta tau of 0.03-0.13. It is concluded that the error delta tau depends only weakly on the actual optical thickness and the viewing angle, but is rather sensitive to the wavelength of the measurement.

Nitrous oxide and methane in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters in the Strait of Gibraltar: Air-sea fluxes and inter-basin exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Paz, M.; Huertas, I. E.; Flecha, S.; Ríos, A. F.; Pérez, F. F.

2015-11-01

The global ocean plays an important role in the overall budget of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), as both gases are produced within the ocean and released to the atmosphere. However, for large parts of the open and coastal oceans there is little or no spatial data coverage for N2O and CH4. Hence, a better assessment of marine emissions estimates is necessary. As a contribution to remedying the scarcity of data on marine regions, N2O and CH4 concentrations have been determined in the Strait of Gibraltar at the ocean Fixed Time series (GIFT). During six cruises performed between July 2011 and November 2014 samples were collected at the surface and various depths in the water column, and subsequently measured using gas chromatography. From this we were able to quantify the temporal variability of the gas air-sea exchange in the area and examine the vertical distribution of N2O and CH4 in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. Results show that surface Atlantic waters are nearly in equilibrium with the atmosphere whereas deeper Mediterranean waters are oversaturated in N2O, and a gradient that gradually increases with depth was detected in the water column. Temperature was found to be the main factor responsible for the seasonal variability of N2O in the surface layer. Furthermore, although CH4 levels did not reveal any feature clearly associated with the circulation of water masses, vertical distributions showed that higher concentrations are generally observed in the Atlantic layer, and that the deeper Mediterranean waters are considerably undersaturated (by up to 50%). Even though surface waters act as a source of atmospheric N2O during certain periods, on an annual basis the net N2O flux in the Strait of Gibraltar is only 0.35 ± 0.27 μmol m-2 d-1, meaning that these waters are almost in a neutral status with respect to the atmosphere. Seasonally, the region behaves as a slight sink for atmospheric CH4 in winter and as a source in spring and fall. Approximating the circulation pattern in the Strait to a bi-layer scheme, N2O exchange between basins was also calculated, and a net export from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean equivalent to 39 μmol m-2 d-1 was found.

Multi-property modeling of ocean basin carbon fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volk, Tyler

1988-01-01

The objectives of this project were to elucidate the causal mechanisms in some of the most important features of the global ocean/atomsphere carbon system. These included the interaction of physical and biological processes in the seasonal cycle of surface water pCo2, and links between productivity, surface chlorophyll, and the carbon cycle that would aid global modeling efforts. In addition, several other areas of critical scientific interest involving links between the marine biosphere and the global carbon cycle were successfully pursued; specifically, a possible relation between phytoplankton emitted DMS and climate, and a relation between the location of calcium carbonate burial in the ocean and metamorphic source fluxes of CO2 to the atmosphere. Six published papers covering the following topics are summarized: (1) Mass extinctions, atmospheric sulphur and climatic warming at the K/T boundary; (2) Sensitivity of climate and atmospheric CO2 to deep-ocean and shallow-ocean carbonate burial; (3) Controls on CO2 sources and sinks in the earthscale surface ocean; (4) pre-anthropogenic, earthscale patterns of delta pCO2 between ocean and atmosphere; (5) Effect on atmospheric CO2 from seasonal variations in the high latitude ocean; and (6) Limitations or relating ocean surface chlorophyll to productivity.

Influence of dimethyl sulfide on the carbon cycle and biological production

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

Wang, Shanlin; Maltrud, Mathew; Elliott, Scott

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a significant source of marine sulfate aerosol and plays an important role in modifying cloud properties. Fully coupled climate simulations using dynamic marine ecosystem and DMS calculations are conducted to estimate DMS fluxes under various climate scenarios and to examine the sign and strength of phytoplankton-DMS-climate feedbacks for the first time. Simulation results show small differences in the DMS production and emissions between pre-industrial and present climate scenarios, except for some areas in the Southern Ocean. There are clear changes in surface ocean DMS concentrations moving into the future, and they are attributable to changes inmore » phytoplankton production and competition driven by complex spatially varying mechanisms. Comparisons between parallel simulations with and without DMS fluxes into the atmosphere show significant differences in marine ecosystems and physical fields. Without DMS, the missing subsequent aerosol indirect effects on clouds and radiative forcing lead to fewer clouds, more solar radiation, and a much warmer climate. Phaeocystis, a uniquely efficient organosulfur producer with a growth advantage under cooler climate states, can benefit from producing the compound through cooling effects of DMS in the climate system. Our results show a tight coupling between the sulfur and carbon cycles. The ocean carbon uptake declines without DMS emissions to the atmosphere. The analysis indicates a weak positive phytoplankton-DMS-climate feedback at the global scale, with large spatial variations driven by individual autotrophic functional groups and complex mechanisms. The sign and strength of the feedback vary with climate states and phytoplankton groups. This highlights the importance of a dynamic marine ecosystem module and the sulfur cycle mechanism in climate projections.« less

Influence of dimethyl sulfide on the carbon cycle and biological production

DOE PAGES

Wang, Shanlin; Maltrud, Mathew; Elliott, Scott; ...

2018-02-27

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a significant source of marine sulfate aerosol and plays an important role in modifying cloud properties. Fully coupled climate simulations using dynamic marine ecosystem and DMS calculations are conducted to estimate DMS fluxes under various climate scenarios and to examine the sign and strength of phytoplankton-DMS-climate feedbacks for the first time. Simulation results show small differences in the DMS production and emissions between pre-industrial and present climate scenarios, except for some areas in the Southern Ocean. There are clear changes in surface ocean DMS concentrations moving into the future, and they are attributable to changes inmore » phytoplankton production and competition driven by complex spatially varying mechanisms. Comparisons between parallel simulations with and without DMS fluxes into the atmosphere show significant differences in marine ecosystems and physical fields. Without DMS, the missing subsequent aerosol indirect effects on clouds and radiative forcing lead to fewer clouds, more solar radiation, and a much warmer climate. Phaeocystis, a uniquely efficient organosulfur producer with a growth advantage under cooler climate states, can benefit from producing the compound through cooling effects of DMS in the climate system. Our results show a tight coupling between the sulfur and carbon cycles. The ocean carbon uptake declines without DMS emissions to the atmosphere. The analysis indicates a weak positive phytoplankton-DMS-climate feedback at the global scale, with large spatial variations driven by individual autotrophic functional groups and complex mechanisms. The sign and strength of the feedback vary with climate states and phytoplankton groups. This highlights the importance of a dynamic marine ecosystem module and the sulfur cycle mechanism in climate projections.« less